I breathe out a long sigh. “I’m not stringing him along. I’m just… trying to make sure I do the right thing.”
She eyes the laptop in my lap and raises her eyebrows. “I think the right thing would be whatever it takes to finish that story.”
“See,” I say. “That would be the exact opposite of the right thing. I already told him I don’t want his money because I want to have a clear conscience if I do this. I don’t want to feel like I’m using him or something.”
“Wait a second,” says Lacey. “Wait, wait, wait. You told him what?”
I shrug. “I told him I didn’t want the money.”
She claps her hands to her forehead and leans back in the chair. “Nooo! You were supposed to take me on a shopping trip, remember?”
“Somehow, I think you’ll live.”
“You really don’t know me at all then,” she says, making a face that tells me she’s only half-serious. “Wow. I can’t believe you did that.”
“Well, I did. And I still haven’t agreed to anything. Besides, he kind of freaked me out at the grocery store yesterday. Some prick wasn’t taking no for an answer and Jackson just went ballistic on him.”
“Good,” says Lacey. “I wish Cameron would stand up for me like that. He’d probably just ask the guy nicely to stop and end up befriending him.”
“No. This was scary. Like, he was asking the guy to send a message to his boss. I mean, it was obvious he was just some stupid college kid. The way Jackson was talking to him made it seem like he thought the guy was some professional hitman sent to execute me.”
“Sounds like good book material for you.”
“Yeah, that’s what I need. I’ll be able to write some great material for the small price of embedding myself in the center of some kind of organized crime feud. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that sooner.”
“You’ll also be able to write great sex scenes if you hook up with Jackson. Don’t forget that part.”
“Yeah, thanks. Because I wasn’t having a hard enough time forgetting that little perk without your help.”
“Bri, look. I’m your best friend. Whether you like it or not,” she adds. “And I’m going to be brutally honest here. There’s no such thing as sex without strings attached. Everybody is using everybody in some way or another. Maybe it’s for status or satisfaction or even validation. So it’s not the end of the world if you stand to gain something from sleeping with him. I doubt he’s trying to figure out how to write steamy sex scenes, but you can bet he’s interested in sleeping with you for reasons of his own.” She raises a finger as an idea occurs to her. “Maybe you’d feel better about this if you found out what he’s trying to get out of it? Then you wouldn’t feel so guilty. I mean, you could even tell him about the writing thing. He’d probably understand.”
“Yeah,” I say sarcastically. “By the way, the only reason I even agreed to meet you in the first place is I thought sleeping with you would really help with my writer’s block. I’m sure that would really charm him.”
12
Jackson
I wait outside Brianne’s dorm with the engine running. Despite doing my best to convince her she needed to decide on the contract by today, somehow I ended up agreeing to take her out for mini golf. I grip the steering wheel and shake my head thinking about how differently things with her have gone. Definitely not by my original plans. Before this, no woman ever came close to occupying my thoughts as much as Brianne does. No woman ever surprised me as much as she has. And I can say with certainly no woman has tempted me as much.
She can’t be bought. And where most women fawn all over me and are eager to do whatever I say, she’s obstinate. I just can’t let her know how much I’m enjoying this. The moment she signs that contract, she’ll be in for the shock of her life. She’ll be my submissive, and I’m going to absolutely fucking love making her pay for every last time she has disobeyed me. I’ll take special pleasure in training her to be mine and to submit. I know she’s going to love it. I just need her to hurry up and realize it before I burst from my growing need.
She comes rushing out of the dorm wearing a black dress that shows off her amazing legs and cleavage. I lick my lips as I watch the way her tits bounce with each step down the stairs in front of her her building.
I get out to open the door for her and she smiles shyly at me, getting in carefully so that her dress doesn’t ride up.
I love that she can stand toe to toe with me and still be bashful like the virgin she is. It’s the sexy as hell. One minute, I can tell she wants me as badly as I want her even though she’s too embarrassed to say so. The next, she’s trying to make fucking demands like she’s in charge. Just thinking about it puts a smirk on my face as I walk around to get in the driver’s seat.
“You’re sure you want to play mini golf?” I ask.
“What?” she asks. “Did you hear the rumors about how good I am? Worried I’ll beat you?”
I quirk an eyebrow. “I had no idea I was getting involved with a mini golf champion. I should’ve worn something nicer.”
She bites her lip and reaches to run her fingers down the lapel of my jacket. “I think you look great.” Her self-consciousness kicks in a split second later and she jerks her hand back “S-sorry.” Then she frowns, as if not sure why she’s apologizing.
“You know, once you finger yourself in front of a guy, it’s probably okay to touch his clothes.”
Her cheeks burn red. “Do we have to talk about that?”
“We don’t have to talk about it, but I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.”
She covers her face with both hands and leans her head against the window. “When the paramedics come, just tell them I died of embarrassment. Okay?”
I laugh, shifting the car into drive and pulling out onto the main road. “You’ll learn soon enough you don’t ever need to be embarrassed around me. Hell, you won’t even have any secrets from me once you’re mine. You won’t want to.”
“Does that go both ways?” she asks.
I chuckle. “I’m an open book, Princess.”
Brianne laughs. “Right. An open book behind bulletproof glass.”
“My past is where it belongs. I like to keep it there.”
“Well, maybe I would be more willing to--”
She’s interrupted when my phone rings. I’m about to ignore the call when I see it’s from the Fairfield’s. Shit.
“Sorry,” I say. “Hold that thought. I have to take this.” I press the phone to my ear, pulling into a turn lane to do a U-turn. “What is it?” I ask into the receiver.
I hear a commotion through the earpiece. Raised voices. Metal screeching. A loud bang. “It’s your sister. She’s having one of her episodes and no one can calm her down.”
“I’m on the way,” I say coldly into the phone, hanging up and stomping on the gas.
“What is it?” asks Brianne.