Part 3 (1/2)

He bet she'd like that. Very clean, very sterile.

”I a.s.sure you it wasn't my intention to offend you in any way,” he said again. ”That cleared out, I am curious, and I'd like to know why I don't qualify.”

”Qualify for what?”

”For the man-wh.o.r.e position, of course.”

The breath she was taking froze in her throat.

Draw a thick veil? Going back to ignoring each other's presence as before? Not happening if he could help it.

Her eyes popped open. ”You're f.u.c.king with me, right?”

Cole shook his head. No, no yet. Hopefully soon, though.

She wanted s.e.x and no involvement whatsoever beyond the physical, and she was ready to hire an escort for that. That was fine by him. h.e.l.l, more than fine. That was exactly up his alley. And as long as he was the one being hired for the job, he was all for it.

He pressed on. ”So tell me why I don't qualify. I don't have any right now-I honestly never thought I'd need them-but I can provide references if you insist.”

Christy laughed, or choked, he wasn't sure. ”No thanks, no need, I'd take your word for it.”

”So, do I make the cut?”

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She looked...flabbergasted. And she was getting nervous. He could tell by the way she nibbled at her lower lip and how she tried repeatedly to tuck her just-too-short bangs behind her ears.

She shook her head.

”Why not?” he inquired.

”Because,” she replied mutinously and lifted those big eyes to his.

”What do you mean 'because'? You should be an equal opportunity employer. Disqualifying me without reasons is unfair.”

She blushed and several times opened her mouth as if to say something else, but closed it again.

”I don't believe I'm discussing this with you. This is too surreal,” she finally said.

Tell me about it, Cole thought. He was in a poorly lit bas.e.m.e.nt in the middle of the night, surrounded by crates and dust, trying to convince a very reluctant woman into hiring him as a gigolo. And apparently failing. He wasn't sure which one of those realities was more disturbing. He should really get his head examined because, even though at some basic level he resented the situation, this uncontrollable desire burning in his gut wouldn't let him leave without securing some kind of bargain with her. h.e.l.l if he knew why.

She cleared her throat. ”a.s.suming I believe you aren't jerking me around, and that's a big if, and a.s.suming I'd go ahead with the gigolo idea, which is, by the way, none of your business, why would you even want to qualify? What do you get out of it?”

He gave her a sideways look. Was she for real?

Her face caught on fire. So pretty. ”Besides that.” Then she narrowed her eyes at him. ”Are you hurting for money?”

He laughed. ”Nope. No money in exchange for my...man-wh.o.r.e services.”

”So how do you intend to get paid? Or is this a pro bono case? Because, frankly, that'd be a bit insulting.”

Was she kidding? ”I get to f.u.c.k you. From where I'm standing, that's reward enough.”

Her expression was full of suspicion. She didn't believe him. ”What's the catch?”

She seemed so hung up on the whole quid pro quo thing. Fine, he could work with that too. As they said, ”Once a soldier, always a soldier.” The whole ”we adapt, we overcome, and we find the advantage in every situation” was ingrained in him, even when it was his c.o.c.k leading the show.

”I'll get you properly laid, and in exchange you'll pretend to be going out with me.”

”What?” Again she had that stupefied look on her face.

”s.e.x for fake dates.”

She stared at him, then at her soda can. ”Did you tamper with this? Because I'm having auditory hallucinations. I heard you say 's.e.x for fake dates.'”

He chuckled. ”You opened the can yourself, remember?”

She conceded and then pointed at his can. ”Then you've been tampering with yours, because you're talking nonsense.”

No, he wasn't.

He'd systematically avoided thinking about Alden's 200th anniversary, but whether he was ready to face it or not, he had a month full of celebrations ahead. Potlucks, picnics, dances, auctions, festivals, fund-raising dinners. You name it, it was happening in town, and in one way or another, his company was involved in it. Having a steady date would help him survive all those events without going insane.

”Since my brother James got engaged, women in this town have begun aggressively pursuing me and my younger brother. Max loves all this attention. He's in heaven, but me...it bugs the f.u.c.k out of me. They're too d.a.m.n pushy. They knock at my door with excuses you wouldn't believe, stop me on the street, bother me at work...”

Being his polite but distant self had kept them at bay before but not now. He'd tried looking unapproachable, but it hadn't worked. He'd tried bored, put out, indifferent. He'd tried looking friendly and letting them down gently; he'd even tried ignoring them. Nada, nothing worked. They were relentless. They didn't take no or a rebuff for an answer.

”You want clearly agreed upon, no-strings-attached s.e.x, and I need a decoy date for the festivities, one who won't give me any s.h.i.+t and would clearly know what I have to offer. Perfect economical exchange.” Any other woman wouldn't do. Two dates in a row and they began getting ideas, looking at him with sparkles in their eyes, and going all mushy.

She studied him with those devilish eyes that never failed to make him hard, and suddenly broke into a laugh.

”Are you saying demolitions expert here can make a skysc.r.a.per fall down to the millimeter without breaking a sweat but can't handle a bunch of women on the make?”

Basically.

”Demolition operations are clear-cut, laws of physics really, no great mystery, but dealing with these women...they're vicious. Nothing is ever what it seems.” He was fast running out of options for rejecting them in a civilized manner. Which was his only speed when dealing with women. Besides, he was responsible for a big company, one that his father had worked his a.s.s off building. His own feelings aside, he needed diplomacy, and leaving a trail of scorned women in his wake wasn't a sound policy.

”Some women are more subtle than others, but I'm sick of it. They've decided on their own that I'm ready to settle down and all I need is a wife.”

”And they're wrong?” she asked.

He looked at her pointedly. ”Yes. One hundred percent. I don't want to be seriously involved with anyone. I like my life the way it is now, simple and uncomplicated. I'm not interested in commitment or marriage. Casual dating I can do, as long as there are no illusions about a future...or a ring.”

Those were out of his comfort zone-way out.

Cole liked his women hot, hard, and once. Maybe not just once, but close. He liked them independent enough to know the score and not get hung up on him. A wife, a picket fence? No, thank you. Straightest path to h.e.l.l if he ever saw one. Giving a woman power over you was a sure way to f.u.c.k up your life. Besides, attaching strings to s.e.x just spoiled the s.e.x.

”Anyway,” he continued, ”if they think I'm going out with someone, they may lighten up, and I'll get them off my back.”

He waited for her to say something, but she didn't.