“Do you ever go on uncompensated dates?” Janie stood next to the fridge and held up a beer, silently asking if he wanted another.

“No to both. I’m stuffed.”

Janie put back the can and took out a bottle of water. “Why not go on dates? You’re an eligible bachelor. It seems like you’d take great care of a woman.” She settled next to him on the couch, choosing the side opposite the one his arm was draped around.

He pulled it down and shifted, now leaning toward her. “What would I tell her I did for a living? Oh, by the way…I make women scream for money. But you’re an exception, my darling. I’ll do you for free. And don’t worry, those other women aren’t a threat to you. It’s not really cheating when it’s my job, right?” He shook his head. “We both know how that would go down.”

She shrugged. “You might be able to find a woman who would cope with it if she knew why you were doing it.”

His heart beat faster. “You’re telling me that you’d be okay with my setup?”

Her face flushed. “Me? No. I’d cut a bitch. But I’m a very unhinged sort of person. There are normal, very balanced women out there. Very willing to deal with bullshit. So I’ve heard.”

He laughed and flicked her hair. “Awesome. Great inspirational message.”

“Look out, Tony Robbins. I’m coming for you.” She gave him a sideways glance. “I will say, though, that women are stupid creatures when it comes to love. When we lose our hearts, we lose our heads.”

“Like men and sex.”

“Yeah,” she said dryly. “It’s kind of screwed up, really. Why wouldn’t nature put the two sexes on the same plane?”

“Then we’d get along and understand each other. That’s much too easy.”

She gave him a solemn expression. “True. That sounds very boring.”

“Very.” He laughed and adjusted his boxers to get everything tucked inside. “I think the harder thing for a woman to understand would be Betty. She comes first. That’s something not many women would deal with.”

“I doubt Betty would come first. You’d be incapable of putting someone you loved on the back burner. You’re too kind. I think they’d be equal, if anything.”

“How could they be? What if I had to leave a date, or leave her in the middle of the night, because Betty needed milk? Or…worse.”

She waved the thought away. “Soon this will be a non-issue. Without drugs clouding her judgment, Betty will be reasonable. Even my mother was reasonable when she was sober. She still thought I was the devil who stole all her shit, but… Well, I totally stole from her, so she wasn’t wrong on that one. But anyway, you’ll find someone. I’m sure of it.”

He wasn’t so sure. But rather than debate the subject, he leaned forward and grabbed the remote off the coffee table. “Want to watch a movie, or did you plan to head out tonight, or…”

She glanced at the screen of her phone. “It’s eight o’clock.”

“If that was your answer, I’m going to need a few more clues, Yoda.”

“Dude, it’s not cool if you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Like you can talk.”

“I can. Because as soon as you said that, I realized how dumb I sounded. So, on one hand, thank you for being dumber than me. On the other, stop being so dumb.”

His face hurt from smiling so much, and that was saying something. “Sorry.”

“Yeah. Well. It’s an inconvenience.” She comically frowned at him. “Anyway, regarding going anywhere…” She looked down at her half-naked body. “For most anywhere, I’d have to shower and put on a proper bra. That’s a hassle. To avoid that, the only place I’d consider going is Madison’s, but…” She glanced at him. Then shrugged. “I’d rather hang out here than paint at the moment.”

“Wow.” He posed like he was preening. “Look at me, rating highly.”

“Also, I feel like I’d be fine to drive after the beers, which probably means I’m drunk.”

He laughed and reached for her, grabbing her around the shoulders and dragging her closer. “Movie, then. C’mere.” He lay down and pulled her next to him, her back against his front. “What are you in the mood for?”

“Don’t care. Whatever you want.”

To his disappointment, she struggled away, hopping up. Thankfully, a moment later, she was back with a blanket. Her gaze swept his body and stalled on his cock. He felt the rush of desire.

A beautiful flush crossed her face as she lowered next to him. “This is probably a terrible idea.” She draped the blanket over their legs before snuggling in, pulling it up to their shoulders. “We need to get a recliner or something in this apartment.”

“Where would we put it?” He dipped his hand under the blanket and dropped his arm over her middle. “Besides, this is much more comfortable.”

Her heat immediately soaked into him. Her smell, feminine and sultry, delighted his senses. Without consciously intending to, he’d pulled back his arm and splayed his hand across her hip.

She wiggled a little and sighed. Her firm butt rubbed against his once-again-pounding cock. “How can you stand going through life constantly horny?”

“I don’t.” Unable to help himself, he lowered his head until his lips grazed the soft skin of her neck. “It’s you.”

“I’m sure you’ve used that line on a few of your conquests.” The words were probably meant to cut, a defensive measure, but they came out wispy. Riding another sigh.

“Truth or dare,” he whispered.

“Are we twelve?”

“Truth or dare,” he said again.

“I don’t want to play that game.”

“Truth, then. What turns you on?”

His cock slipped out of the hole at the front of his boxers. His tip slid against the bare skin of her inner thighs before prodding the fabric at her apex. Desire tugged at his gut.

“Shouldn’t you know that, being the great Wonder Dick that you are? That’s what your profile says.”

He could hear the fear in her voice. The hardness stemming from her defenses that probably scared most men away or turned them off.

He wasn’t most men. Not where it concerned her.

“What turns you on?” he asked again before gently sucking the fevered skin on her neck.

She moaned. “You need to stop. I’m not interested in a fling.”

“Okay. But first, what turns you on?” He didn’t move his hand from her hip, but he stilled his lips against her neck. If she wanted to stop, he would. He couldn’t deny that this was a bad idea. He knew he was emotionally unavailable, and she’d been dicked around by the last guy. Regardless of the deep emotion her painting had called up—that she called up—his mom’s condition made it impossible to consider a relationship. If Janie didn’t want a fling, he would back off.

After getting the answer, he was dying to know. For his spank bank if nothing else.

“The slightly taboo. I’ve always wanted to have sex in a library. And actually like anal once in my lifetime. Paying someone for sex gets me going, too. Though I’ve only admitted that to Madison right before she went out with Colton. It’s dirty and bad and I want to fuck you so bad right now I can’t stand it, Dave.”

Her words shocked through him. Unbidden, his hips thrust forward. His cock pushed into the crevasse at her upper thighs, against the damp fabric covering her slit.

He kissed down her jaw as his hand roamed over her flat stomach, deciding which way to go first: north or south.

“I shouldn’t have said that last part.” She angled her head, allowing him more room.

“Then why did you?” He pulled back and thrust forward, the fabric rough but the wetness spreading. His hand tucked under her bra and over a firm breast. He rolled a puckered nipple between his fingers.

“Mmm.” She pushed her butt against him and slightly opened her legs before closing them again, trapping his cock within. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“Are you thinking now?” He grabbed her top knee and pulled, dragging her leg up and back, spreading her legs. He slid his hand down her inner thigh.

“We shouldn’t.” She moaned as his fingers dipped into her wet briefs and against her soaking slit. “I don’t want to ruin this setup. I need it at the moment, Dave.”

He pushed the fabric to the side. No longer thinking. Not able to. “We won’t ruin anything. Are you entering into a verbal agreement with me, in which you will pay me to fuck you?”

“Oh my God.” She shivered against him and arched, sliding against his cock. “This is so wrong.” He could hear the aching desire in her voice.

Another shock of pleasure ran through him, unfurling heat. Burning him. His forward thrust skimmed her hot pussy. His shaft kissed her folds.

“Pay me to fuck you, Janie.”

“How much?” She reached back and gripped his butt. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

“I can’t believe you are either, and it is turning me on.” He manipulated her clit as he plunged again, his tip catching at her opening but brushing past it. Not going in. “As payment, I want that painting of the nude girl facing away from the painter. The one of you. I will pull an all-nighter with you for that painting. However, you will need to acknowledge this as a side job. I don’t want this going through the system.”

Janie twisted in a way that wasn’t natural and shouldn’t be comfortable. The woman was unreally flexible. Her lips connected with his, and she struggled around until she was facing him. “You can’t tell anyone.”

He moaned into her mouth. Her taste, and the feel of her, drove him wilder than anyone he could remember. He pulled at her briefs, yanking them down her thighs before slipping his cock between, flush with her wetness. “Deal. I can make anal feel good, even with my size. Do you want me to try?”