“Thank you. He loves spending time with you,” she said.
“Can’t fault him for good taste.” I winked.
“So cocky,” she said, laughing.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” I ruffled her hair. “Love you, sis.”
“Love you too.”
I returned to my car, cycling through my Webflix options for the evening. Would I finish out that new heist series where the hero was racing against the clock to foil the world’s greatest criminal masterminds? Or was I in the mood for something a little lighter? A new episode of Spying on My Neighbor had dropped, a quirky adult cartoon about a guy who was a naughty librarian and—wait for it—spied on the woman next door.
Or maybe I’d listen to a book.
When I turned on the engine, I toggled over to my audiobook, returning to Educated. I could get lost in a good story, and sometimes with this one, I wasn’t sure I’d ever come up for air.
As I listened to the memoir on the drive home, I slid right back into the story, deciding that yes, hell yes, this would be my Friday night.
A book, some good food, maybe a workout, then an episode of a favorite show. Afterward, I’d crash and sleep hard.
I reached my condo on the Strip and headed inside, pleased with my plan. But inside the lobby, my phone buzzed with a message.
The second I read the text, my mouth watered.
My skin sizzled.
My dick stood at attention.
And all my plans for beer, books, and sleep flew out the window. Sorry, Educated. You’re hard to beat, but this just did it.
Maybe I was getting more than what I needed.
By the looks of it, I’d be having what I wanted too.
Kate: I’ll take you up on your offer.
9
Jake
Even though I was dying to know what had made her change her mind, the “why” could come later. As I stepped into the elevator, I asked the questions that couldn’t wait.
Jake: Time and place.
By the time I reached my door, she’d given me the deets.
Kate: 8:30. The Rapture, that new club at The Extravagant. I hear the people-watching there is top-notch.
Jake: I’ll be there. Will you have your field guide out, like a naughty research scientist?
Kate: As a matter of fact . . .
As my elevator shot up to the top floor, I stared at her last text, wondering what the rest of her sentence might be. She didn’t continue, though, so I took the initiative and finished it. Because I had a hunch about what she wanted.
Jake: As a matter of fact, we’ll be people-watching and more?
Kate: Yes. Does that work for you?
Jake: Anything works for me. Everything works for me. “More” works fantastically well for me. “More” is exactly what I want with you.
Kate: I had a feeling it might be.
Jake: And I have a feeling more works for you too.
Kate: Well, I AM asking you for it!
Jake: Yes, and I like your initiative. Let me tell you about mine. I plan on whispering filthy words in your ear as we watch others. I bet that works for you.
Kate: How did you know?
She wasn’t coy or sassy. She didn’t say, However did you know?
She seemed legitimately curious how I’d discovered the key to Kate.
And maybe the answer wasn’t hard to find at all.
Perhaps I was good at reading her. Maybe this preference of hers was why she’d kept me at a distance for a while. Because she knew what she wanted from a man, but hadn’t quite known how to ask for it.
Maybe she hadn’t found the man who’d give it to her.
She’d found him now.
Jake: From knowing you. From how you are. From seeing those hungry, dirty eyes of yours and the way you watch people. From spending months trying to figure out what your particular kink is.
Kate: And you’ve found it.
Jake: Yes, and I’ve had my suspicions for a while. But it was clear last night when you threw down those bets. It was crystal clear when you watched those other couples dance. Your reaction gave it away.
Kate: What was my reaction?
Jake: Your eyes darkened, the skin above your cleavage flushed, your breath came a little bit faster. You were tapping into your brand of voyeurism.
Kate: *whispers* I think I do have a voyeur in me.
Jake: You absolutely do, and it’s hot as sin.
Kate: You like it?
Jake: Love it. And I loved figuring this out about you. Though I think you wanted me to figure it out. You might recall a certain day at the diner months ago when you said, “We all have different fantasies.”
Kate: And you think that was an invitation for you to figure out mine?
Jake: I do.
Kate: Maybe it was. Maybe I secretly wanted you to discover it. Have you been thinking about this before?
Jake: In the shower. Late at night in bed. I think about what might get you off.
Kate: And what do you think it will be?
Jake: Tonight, it’s going to be me. And it’ll also be you finally getting to explore your filthiest fantasies.
She didn’t reply right away, and as I unlocked the door and tossed my keys on the table, I imagined the look on her face as she read my text.
A touch of surprise maybe?
A widening of her eyes?
A knowing grin?
All of the above?
But her response surprised me.
Kate: Do you know what else happened that day at the diner? When I said we all have different fantasies, and then you said you wanted to find out mine . . . that’s when I felt that first spark of attraction for you. That’s when I started thinking about what you’d be like in bed.
Holy hell. I was an inferno already. This woman was bold, daring, and spoke her mind. Finally.
Forget being hard to read.
She was a book with the pages spread open now.
Jake: I cannot wait to show you what I want to do to your body. But I would love to know what made you change your mind.
Kate: That’s easy enough. The meeting I had today. I have to market an escort service that’s adding role-playing to its menu. I want to do an amazing job.
Jake: Ah, so you want to practice?
Kate: I do. But I also want to be up-front from the start. This thing we’re doing? How about we agree to this: one weekend, no strings, no promises, nothing more?