Lori wasn’t entirely comfortable.

Her pussy was raw, her back felt bruised, her thigh and stomach muscles were aching, and her feet were losing circulation.

And she was about to come. Again.

At a little before midnight on Thursday night, Ander had been getting ready to leave, and Lori had innocently remarked that she’d only come four times that evening, when on the previous Friday he’d made her come six times. She’d just been teasing, since she was perfectly satisfied with the evening’s activities.

But Ander had heaved her up, sprawled her back onto the table, pushed her chemise up and her legs apart, and brought her to climax twice with his hand.

Then, erect again, he’d rolled on another condom and entered her, lifting her legs up so her ankles were propped on his shoulders as he started to thrust. It was an entirely undignified position, her legs in the air and her hands fumbling around on the smooth table for something to clutch. Her spine was sore from being pushed back and forth on the hard surface by Ander’s forceful motion. The sound of slapping flesh and wet suction was vaguely embarrassing, as were the soft grunts she made to the tempo of his rutting.

She really shouldn’t be enjoying it so much.

She was, though, and she bit her lip hard as her muscles tensed up and the tremors of her seventh orgasm that evening started to rip through her body. She stifled her cry of release, and it came out as a high-pitched keening sound.

She gasped for Ander to come too as the waves of satisfaction washed over her. She gazed up at him breathlessly as his flushed face twisted on his last few pushes inside her. His fingers tightened bruisingly in the flesh of her ass, and he choked out a guttural word as he rolled his hips slowly, as if he were savoring his release.

Lori had to stifle a giggle as he pulled out and helped her off the table. She clung to the edge for support, her legs barely able to hold her weight. She couldn’t believe they’d just done that. After Ander had already showered and packed up his case.

As he went to the bathroom to take care of the condom, she glanced at the clock and blinked at the time.

“I went twenty minutes over,” she said when he returned to the room. “Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Ander’s eyes scanned her from her messy hair to her bare feet, and she saw his lips give a little twitch.

Knowing exactly what that expression meant, she narrowed her eyes. “What’s so funny?”

“I wasn’t laughing.”

“Yes, you were.”

His mouth softened as he closed up his case again. “I really wasn’t laughing. I was just thinking you look a little worse for wear.”

With a huff, Lori peered in a mirror. She was sorer than she’d expected to be, so she kept one hand on the table for support. She had another bruise on her neck, and she was pretty sure she’d have marks from his fingers on her bottom and thighs. Her cheeks were flushed, and she was covered with a sheen of perspiration. Plus, her hair was slightly damp from all the effort she’d put into sex tonight, sticking out in crazy, messy flips.

With a scowl for Ander, she said, “It’s your fault, so you have no reason to laugh. If you had hair, you’d look messy too.”

The smile that had been twitching on the edges of his mouth emerged completely. “No argument here.”

Glancing again at the clock, Lori felt a little pang of worry. “I’m sorry we went overtime. Should I give you—”

“No,” Ander interrupted, a little sharply. “Don’t worry about it.”

She swallowed, afraid she’d offended him. He was generally pretty good natured, but she was learning more and more that he had a sensitive psyche he hid beneath all the layers of cool sophistication. And she didn’t always know when or how she might accidentally bruise it.

She took a step away from the table to go pick up her robe, feeling overly exposed all of a sudden in her skimpy satin chemise. But she winced on the first step as a jolt of soreness caught her between the legs.

“Sore?” Ander asked, stepping over to put a hand around her waist and then help her into a chair. “Was I too rough?”

“Oh, no. I would have stopped you if it wasn’t good.” Reassured at his considerate manner, she grinned up at him. “It was good.”

Ander pulled out his smartphone and started clicking. “Next time?”

“Yeah. We’re on for a week from Monday, right?”

“You don’t want anything earlier?”

She was really curious about how much he’d managed to free up his schedule recently, but she’d been too hesitant to pry into exactly why he was cutting back on clients. Every time she’d tried to hint at the subject, he’d closed down like a portcullis. “I’ve got that trip to Québec.”

He looked at her blandly, and she felt a little tremor of nerves as she considered a possibility. Then she decided she had nothing to lose. So she said casually, “Have you ever been to Québec?”

“Québec City?” At her nod in affirmation, he continued, “No, I haven’t.”

“Oh. I’ve got to go up there for a conference. I’m giving a lecture on Friday night and then have to attend a banquet on Saturday night. But I have all day Saturday and most of Sunday to hang out and do some sightseeing.” She almost made the suggestion but then she chickened out. So she concluded lamely, “I was wondering if you had any ideas about what I should see, if you’d been there before.”

“I haven’t been there,” Ander repeated. He was still playing with his smartphone. Not really looking at her. “I’ve heard it’s a great city. It’s on my list of places to go.”

He appeared to be speaking absently, as if he weren’t really absorbed in the conversation. But he’d given her a great lead-in, so she steeled her courage up again. “I don’t suppose you want to—” The words stuck in her throat as a wave of anxious self-consciousness washed over her.

She had no idea why she was nervous about asking him. She’d paid for him to fuck her many times over the last six months. But something about this possibility made her feel more vulnerable than her requests for the normal sessions with Ander.

Ander’s eyes shot up to her face. “You don’t suppose I would want to what?”

She gulped. “Come with me.” Now that she’d gotten it said, she hurried on in a rush, “I mean, I know you do weekends. It was on your list of services. But this is probably too short notice. I should have planned earlier, but I was just thinking it might be fun. I mean, if you’re available. You’re probably not. It’s no big deal. Forget I said anything.”

“Which weekend is it again?” Ander asked. He was clicking on his smartphone again. His distraction with it was getting a little annoying—she could only imagine the kinds of appointments he had scheduled in it—but at least he seemed to be taking her suggestion seriously. “I have plans the tenth and eleventh.”

“No,” she said, feeling a little hopeful. “It’s next weekend. I know it’s short notice, so it’s really fine if you—”

“I don’t have any engagements scheduled then,” Ander said, lowering his smartphone. “I think I could do it.”

Lori felt a ridiculous rush of pleasure. “Really? Are you sure? I’d pay for airfare and the hotel and everything, like you have on your list of prices. And I know you have the base rate for a weekend, and then I guess we could add up all the sex—”

“Lori,” Ander interrupted again. “We’ll figure it out later.”

His lips were pressed together tightly. She must have offended him again. It was a little awkward—having his company be a monetary commodity—but this was his business and she wasn’t sure how else to address it. It was always better when they could just leave it unspoken. Just pass the envelope at the end of the night. She didn't know how they could make plans for the weekend trip without working the money out first, though.

She shrugged, however, and left the topic alone. Just said she’d email him with more details.

Despite the slight awkwardness, she was really excited about his joining her on the trip. He would be such good company. They could look around the city together. Ander was so intelligent, informed, and witty that she knew he’d be the best kind of sightseeing companion.

Plus, they could have a whole weekend of sex.

***

Terrasse Dufferin was crowded late on Saturday morning, and Lori and Ander milled through tourists, street performers, and vendors as they made their way along the promenade.

They’d gotten up early that morning to hit some of the most popular sites before the crowds, but now they were just leisurely wandering through Vieux Québec, the old city, without a particular plan or destination.

The sky was blue and cloudless, the sunshine warm, and the breeze off the river brisk and fresh. Lori loved the feel of cobblestone under her shoes from the old streets and the historic architecture of the buildings surrounding her. And she even enjoyed some of the tacky tourist entertainment. She and Ander paused for a full ten minutes to watch two performers dressed as Wolfe and Montcalm fight a mock duel in an amusing reflection on their historic battle.

As she’d expected, Ander was both informed and witty. He told her details about military confrontations along the St. Lawrence at various points in history, and he didn’t hesitate to wryly point out inaccuracies in the various recreations of history designed for gullible tourists.

She enjoyed his irony immensely, but she couldn’t feel particularly ironic herself. She was having too good a time. When they finished strolling along Terrasse Dufferin, they started down the stairs that led to the Lower Town and the river.

The stairs were very long, rather uneven, and incredibly steep. And Lori was careful as she descended, not wanting to humiliate herself by tumbling head-over-heels to the bottom. She clapped her hands in silly delight when she made it to the bottom, and she didn’t even care that Ander chuckled at her in dry amusement.

It was one of those perfect days. The weather was delightful. Her surroundings were inspiring. The wind off the St. Lawrence River was invigorating. And she had the rest of the day, plus most of tomorrow, to look forward to.

She would have had a good time here by herself, but it was even better with a companion like Ander.

“Oh look,” she said, as they started along the walk by the river. She pointed to a vendor down the way. “Ice cream.”

Ander lifted an eyebrow. “It’s not even eleven in the morning.”

“What’s your point?” Lori demanded, frowning up at him.

He laughed again and shook his head. But he gestured toward an empty bench. “Grab a seat while you can. I’ll get you one.”

With another rush of joie de vivre, Lori grinned and started to pull her wallet out of her purse. “Here. Let me—”

“Don’t,” Ander interrupted, leaving her abruptly to walk over to the ice cream vendor.

Lori frowned as she went to sit on the one empty bench in front of the river. He had no right to be grumpy with her for trying to pay for the ice cream. Those had been his terms from the very beginning. It said so on his little sheet of services. The client pays for travel, lodging, food, and whatever else was purchased over the course of an engagement. He’d exchanged some currency when she did at the airport, but she assumed he’d spend his cash only on himself. His reaction made her very uncomfortable, although she couldn’t specify exactly why.

She decided it felt like they were friends. While their relationship had always been professional, they’d gotten to know each other pretty well over the last months. She genuinely liked him. And she was pretty sure he liked her.

She supposed awkwardness was inevitable whenever the commercial aspect of their relationship arose.

Shrugging to herself, she pushed the concern from her mind. She was in too good a mood to worry about it at the moment, and Ander was on his way back with two ice cream cones.

Although she didn’t say anything, she was ridiculously pleased that he’d gotten himself a cone too—even if it was ten forty-five in the morning.

His terseness had dissipated on his return, so they chatted idly about Québec and some of the tourists around them. Then they faded off into companionable silence.

“I wish I didn’t have that banquet tonight,” Lori said eventually, breaking the lull in conversation as she started crunching on her cone.

“I thought you said your lecture last night went well.”

“It did. I just hate banquets like this. I always have to sit at the front table with all the boring, important people. It feels like I’m just there as part of the show. You know? It kind of makes me feel like I’m being used. Like an object or something.” She sighed. She’d always wanted to be famous, but she’d been learning that notoriety—even very minor notoriety like a best-selling romance novelist—wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

Ander made a wordless hum, but it sounded affirmative.

And it made her feel a little better. “I guess you might know what I mean,” she said unthinkingly.

He lifted his eyebrows quizzically.

Lori swallowed hard, feeling a lump of anxiety at her careless turn of conversation. He’d already shown himself to be a little sensitive today, and she really didn’t want to insult him. “I mean...I just meant that maybe you know how icky it is for people to just see you as an object. I didn’t mean—”

“I know what you meant,” Ander said quietly, licking some of his melting ice cream off his cone. “I do know.”

She let out a relieved exhalation and she found the courage to ask, “How do you handle it?”

He was quiet for a long time. So long she assumed she’d lost him. But then he finally said, his eyes focused out on the river, “You just accept it.”

And that hurt her. Unexpectedly. Sharply. In the middle of a fresh, delightful day. She knew exactly what he meant. She’d always assumed he had to hide his real self somewhere deep inside him in order to use his body the way he did.

But what he’d said implied a lot more than that. He’d accepted it. That this was who he was. This was his whole worth. Just an object to be used.

And, sitting there on a bench in front of the St. Lawrence River, Lori hated Ander’s father with a passion that was both fiery and irrational. Whoever the man was, whatever the man had done, he’d convinced his son that he had no intrinsic value.

She was conscious of a tiny flicker of awareness that hinted at the hypocrisy of her hatred. After all, Lori had spent the last six months paying Ander for his body. But it didn’t feel that way to her—not really—and she couldn’t let herself think too deeply about it anyway.

She knew Ander was an adult and had the power to make his own decisions about his life. But she still hated his father. Wished she knew who the man was.

She crunched on the last of her ice cream cone and tried to summon back her giddy happiness with the day.

“The banquet should only last a couple of hours,” Ander said. “Right?”

Lori perked up a little. “Right. They said it should be over by eight or eight-thirty. And we have all day tomorrow before we fly back.” She still had most of the weekend before her, and all she had to do was sit through one boring banquet.

“We can go out after the banquet tonight if you want,” Ander suggested. “I’m sure we can find something interesting to do. What did you want to do this afternoon?”

“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “I’m going to need lunch in a little while.”

Ander’s mouth twitched a little and she knew he was thinking about the ice cream cone she’d just eaten. He was still finishing off his cone, and she watched as he put the last bite in his mouth and then licked the remnants of melted ice cream from his lips.

Impulsively, she leaned over and pressed her lips against his. She licked his lips too, absurdly thrilled when she could still taste a little ice cream.

Gently pulling her closer to him, Ander wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss. His tongue met hers and teased it a little before he slipped it further into her mouth.

She moaned softly as she stroked the back of his head, loving the smooth texture of his scalp beneath her fingertips.

The kiss was lovely, but she didn’t feel particularly urgent. She’d been exhausted last night after the flight and the lecture, so, when they’d had sex before bed, it had been gentle, unhurried, and under the covers. She’d thought, if she spent a weekend with Ander, she’d want to rip his clothes off constantly. But she felt more relaxed than anything else. While she was sure they’d have sex at least once today, she wasn’t desperate to run back to the hotel room.

She wasn’t exactly sure why. She didn’t think it was because she was finally getting sated with Ander’s services, but she wasn’t sure how to explain it.

Ander had moved one hand up to curve around the back of her head, and his other hand cupped her cheek. It was warm against her skin. Sometimes, the warmth of his hands, his whole body, still surprised her—for a man who always looked so cool.

“Did you have any ideas for lunch?” Ander mumbled against her mouth.

It seemed perfectly natural to continue their conversation in the midst of the kiss, so Lori didn’t try to pull away. “I don’t know. Maybe we can go somewhere around here, since our hotel is close by.”

They were staying at the Château Frontenac, of course. Lori wasn’t about to visit Québec and stay anywhere else.

“And this afternoon? We still have several sites on our list we haven’t gotten to yet.” Ander’s hand was tangled in her hair as he pressed little kisses on her lips.

She smiled against his mouth. “Yeah. Maybe we can do those tomorrow.”

“Did you have something else in mind for the afternoon?” The timbre of Ander’s voice hinted that he knew what she was thinking.

Lori laughed, feeling her joie de vivre return. “I did.” She dropped her hands and pulled back from the embrace. “I think I’m going to need a nap.”

***

Lori actually took a nap.

She was tired from the trip the previous day, the lecture, and a morning of walking around Québec, and she needed to be “on” that evening so she wanted to have enough energy to go through the requisite schmoozing and smiling. So, after she and Ander had a leisurely lunch on the terrace of a quaint restaurant, they went back to the hotel and she took a nap.

Ander picked up a book and looked perfectly content to read while she snoozed. But, when she woke up about an hour later and glanced over to his side of the bed, she saw he’d fallen asleep too.

She watched him for a minute. The book lay on the bed beside him, and one of his hands was resting on his belly. He still wore the black t-shirt and gray trousers he’d been wearing all day, although he’d taken off his shoes and socks. She’d never seen him sleeping. She assumed he slept the night before, but he’d been awake when she fell asleep and when she woke up. For some reason, it felt weird to watch him sleep now.

He looked different—without the smooth demeanor he wore like a designer suit. She saw little creases on the corners of his eyes and noticed a long, faint scar just under his right ear. His chest rose and fell with his steady breathing, and her eyes rested for a long time on the way his eyelashes spread out against his skin.

Part of her was fascinated by Ander’s humanness. By the fact that he did something as natural as sleep.

But she also felt an odd twisting of her belly. An uncomfortable heaviness in her gut. She didn’t know what it was, but she didn’t like it. So she carefully got out of the bed and went into the bathroom, closing the door softly so she wouldn’t wake him up.

She decided to take a bath, since Ander was asleep and the banquet was still more than three hours away. She ran hot water into the deep, old-fashioned tub and had a wonderful soak, using lavender-and-honey scented bath oil.

She felt relaxed and drowsy when she heard Ander’s voice from outside the door. “Lori? Are you all right?”

“Yeah,” she called out. “Just taking a bath.”

She gave a little squeak when the door opened. She hadn’t realized her response was an invitation for him to come in, but apparently he took it that way.

Ander walked into the bathroom, barefoot and rubbing his face.

Lori was immediately self-conscious, until she assured herself that there were enough bubbles in the water to keep her naked body from being the focus of Ander’s gaze. When he sat down on the side of the tub and idly dipped his hand in the water, she said with a teasing smile, “You had a nice little nap.”

She knew her tone would provoke a reaction and he didn’t disappoint her. He narrowed his eyes and made a monosyllabic grunt.

She giggled. She never suspected he might be cranky on first waking up, and she found the idea strangely fascinating.

“How long have you been in here?” he asked, letting his hand drift in the water. “It’s getting cool.”

“I don’t know. A half-hour or so. It is getting kind of cool. I was about to get out.”

She waited, assuming he’d take her words as a sign that he should vacate the premises.

He didn’t. He just leaned against the tile wall and watched her with an idle languor.

After a minute, he prompted, “I thought you were going to get out.”

“I am.” She waited for him to leave.

He stood up but didn’t move to the door. Instead, he picked up the big, soft towel from the towel-warmer, looking down at her in expectation. When she didn’t move, his brows drew together. “Well?”

Lori huffed. “Are you going to just stand there and watch?”

He made a guttural sound that was half expression of surprise and half laugh. “I’ve seen your body before.”

Frowning, she gave him her most frigid glare. While he wasn’t exactly grouchy, he was definitely not at his most accommodating after waking up from a nap. In fact, he was being rather annoying. “That’s not the point.”

“Then what is the point?”

She wasn’t quite sure what the point was, actually. So she demanded, “If you’re not going to leave, can you please hand me the towel?”

Ander held out the towel like an offering, but it wasn’t close enough for her to reach it from the tub. On his face was a quizzical, absolutely infuriating look—like he couldn’t believe she was being so silly.

She was sure he was doing this on purpose, but there wasn’t enough evidence of intent for her to reproach him for it.

She glared up at him, deciding he wasn’t quite as attractive as she’d always imagined. Apparently, his act with clients was so good that he was able to mostly hide this obnoxious part of his personality.

He arched his eyebrows. “Didn’t you want the towel?”

It was a challenge. She knew it. And he knew she knew it. And she was trapped. She either had to stand up naked and take the towel or confess she was still self-conscious about her body.

Technically, she could demand that he give the towel to her. She was paying him for this weekend, and it was his job to please and accommodate her. But she couldn’t fathom holding that over him, taking unfair advantage of the unequal power dynamic of this situation.

Which left her no choice. She wasn’t about to back down to Ander.

Lori stood up, the sudsy water streaming off of her skin as she lifted herself up. Ander didn’t even make it easy on her. His eyes raked over her naked, curvy form before she could grab the towel and wrap it around herself.

“Jerk,” she muttered, walking out of the bathroom with what she would describe as righteous wrath but Ander would probably describe as a flounce.

Ander followed her. “Did you just call me a jerk?”

She stuck her chin out indignantly as she shuffled through her suitcase, which was open on a rack. She couldn’t find anything to wear. She didn’t want to get dressed for the banquet yet or put back on her jeans and top from this morning. But all the loungewear she’d brought was kind of slinky.

She definitely didn’t want to put on something sexy at the moment. Not when Ander was sitting in a chair, leaning back with his legs stretched out as if he didn’t have a care in the world. And he was still watching her, probably just waiting for the towel to drop so he could revel in his smugness.

Finding nothing good to put on, she secured the big white towel around herself more carefully, tucking the end under as tightly as she could. Then she went over to the bed, laid down, and picked up the book she’d brought with her.

Pretended to read.

After a few minutes, she peeked over the top of the cover and saw that Ander was still watching her, his lips twitching uncontrollably.

The bastard was just sitting there, having a private laugh at her expense.

Her own sense of humor surged up at the sight of his warm, handsome face. She had to hide behind her book so he wouldn’t see she wanted to giggle at herself.

No sense in letting him win so easily.

After a minute, Ander asked, “Are you all right?”

She composed her face and lowered her book. “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean—are you all right? You looked like you were wincing.”

Lori thought quickly and came up with the best excuse she could on short notice. “Oh. My feet are just a little sore. From all the walking this morning.”

It sounded fairly convincing and Ander didn’t question it, although his eyes narrowed slightly. So she lifted the book again and tried not to snicker at his suspicious expression.

She was concentrating on keeping a poker-face, so Ander wouldn’t think he’d won her over with his smug tactics. So she was shocked when she felt a warm hand on her bare ankle.

She squeaked and jerked her foot away.

Ander had moved over to sit on the end of the bed and he stared at her like she was crazy.

“You startled me,” she said, explaining her dramatic reaction. “What are you doing?”

She actually wouldn’t be opposed to sex now, if Ander could manage to keep from acting obnoxiously about it.

“You said your feet were sore. I was going to rub them.”

“Oh.” She stretched her legs out again and watched him warily as he set her foot in his lap. “I thought you might be trying to tickle.”

Ander gave a dry huff of laughter. “I wouldn’t dare when you’re in this mood.”

“What mood is that?”

“I believe prickly might be the word.” The corner of his mouth tilted up irresistibly as he started to give her foot a firm massage.

Lori couldn’t hold back a long sigh at how good his hands felt. But she wasn’t yet ready to admit surrender. “Well, the word for you is obnoxious.”

“What have I done?” His tone was innocent, and his fingers kneading the ball of her foot were delicious.

“You know very well what you’ve done. You’ve been smug and obnoxious since you woke up from your nap. Now be quiet or you’ll ruin my foot rub.”

Ander chuckled, his soft, warm laughter wafting over her and making her smile too. He was a very odd man, and she couldn’t seem to figure him out. She couldn’t believe he’d taunted her into getting out of the bathtub naked.

She wondered if he thought she was pretty.

He gave great foot rubs. He worked one foot over, deeply massaging from the toes to the heel. Then he pulled her other foot into his lap and gave it the same treatment. It didn’t take long for her to drop the book and stretch out more comfortably so she could enjoy it, making sure to tug the towel down over her thighs.

She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, but when his hands moved from her foot to her leg, her sighs turned to soft moans. His hands felt incredible, and eventually he was caressing rather than massaging.

Then he started using his mouth, trailing kisses and little nips along her feet, ankles, calves, and all the way up to the back of her knees.

After several minutes of his ministrations, Lori was fully aroused and starting to shift restlessly on the bed. And he hadn’t made it higher than her knees.

“Ander,” she gasped at last, when his skillful mouth on the sensitive spot at the back of her knee threatened to drive her insane. “I’m finding you less obnoxious now. You can move on past my legs.”

He made a humming sound against her skin that sent delicious vibrations straight to her hot arousal. With a smile, he moved higher on the bed and took one of her hands in both of his.

He pressed a kiss into the palm, with a gentleness that took her by surprise. But, before she could fully register the gesture, he trailed his mouth up to her wrist and higher up her arm, alternately flicking with his tongue and grazing with his teeth.

Then he stroked her arms as he mouthed her throat. Every inch of her skin that he’d touched felt tingling and sensitized. Her whole body was primed, and all the parts that he hadn’t yet reached were aching for his touch.

He kissed his way up her neck and then along the line of her jaw. And then he lingered just on the edge of her mouth until Lori couldn’t take any more. She turned her head enough to claim his mouth.

Their lips clung to each other for several moments, and then the kiss deepened. Lori was just getting into it, clutching at his head and trying to rub her hips against his, when he pulled away.

She whimpered in frustration as his face lowered again to her neck. She was dying for him. She was wet and aching between her legs, and she couldn’t stop squirming her hips.

But he wouldn’t even get to her breasts.

Finally, she decided he must be doing it on purpose. “Ander,” she said hoarsely, pulling his head up from where he’d been sucking at a spot on her shoulder. “Stop stalling. Get to the good parts.”

He met her eyes. His face was slightly flushed and his body looked a little tensed. That gave her hope that he was starting to get aroused himself, but he lowered his face again to trail his lips down her upper arm toward her elbow. “I can’t,” he murmured against her skin. “All your good parts are covered by the towel.”

Lori stiffened and sucked in a sharp breath. He was still being obnoxious. He was going to make her take off her towel before he gave her what she wanted.

Obviously, he’d seen the various parts of her body before, but she’d always kept something on so she didn’t feel quite so exposed or vulnerable. Had Ander just pushed up the towel like she’d expected, she wouldn’t have thought anything about showing him some skin.

But this was different.

“Ander,” she whimpered, not immediately sure whether her desire or her stubbornness would hold out.

Later, she would conclude that she hadn’t really caved. It was merely her common sense that came out victorious. He’d seen her body before. And she wanted to have sex.

Why the hell should she cling to the towel?

As Ander waited, sprawled out beside her and propped up on one arm, she slowly moved her hand to the tucked end of the towel. She felt ridiculously nervous as she started to loosen it. Ander was gazing at her, and the sun was streaming in through the sheers on the window.

Her body looked perfectly fine in clothes, but she’d never be a swimsuit model.

She didn’t care if she was paying Ander to be with her. She wanted him to find her attractive.

Almost delicately, she pulled the wrapped towel apart, baring her body to his view. She couldn’t even do it in stages. Not only did she reveal her breasts, but also her belly, hips, thighs, and groin.

The cool air on her still damp skin was almost shocking. Her nipples had tightened with her arousal and grew even more erect at the shift in temperature.

She saw a flicker of expression on Ander’s face—one she couldn’t identify. But it caused her pulse to pound even faster.

To her relief, Ander didn’t just sit there staring at her naked flesh. Almost immediately, he lowered his face to one of her breasts, and his hands moved to caress her hips and thighs.

Lori exhaled in deep pleasure at the familiar feel of his mouth and hands on her body. And soon her self-consciousness was forgotten as her desire took on new urgency with the intensifying of the foreplay.

Eventually, his mouth moved lower than her breasts as he pressed little kisses along the line of her side and across her abdomen. He cupped both of her breasts with his hands and squeezed gently as he breathed hotly against her belly.

Lori had spread her legs and was trying to get any friction she could against her clit. “Ander,” she begged, “Please.”

His mouth trailed even lower. Then his jaw brushed against the strip of trimmed hair between her thighs.

She gasped as he parted her legs even further and then nuzzled her intimately. Before she could even process what was happening, he’d used his tongue to part her intimate folds and expose her hot arousal to the cool air of the room.

“Ander!” she panted, trying to get her mind to work when her body was flooded with sensation.

He flicked at her clit, sending jolts of pleasure out from the touch.

She had to fight to keep her thighs apart. She wanted to squeeze around his head, around the pleasure. Her hands groped at the bedding, and she instinctively tried to rub her groin against Ander’s mouth.

He held her thighs apart and held her in place with strong hands as his mouth worked her over. He stroked and fluttered with his tongue, dipping into her wet entrance and curling up against her inner walls. He nuzzled and rubbed against her flesh with his jaw and his nose, and occasionally even his teeth would graze her very lightly.

Lori whimpered and panted, her body growing tighter and tighter as the sensations built up to an unbearable peak. Her hands groped around, fumbling for purchase, moving from the comforter to the headboard to her own breasts. Eventually, she gave in and clutched at Ander’s head, holding his mouth in place with shameless entitlement.

He adjusted slightly to get his hand in position so he could sink two fingers inside her and pump them against her g-spot. Then he concentrated on her clit, nudging and twirling it until Lori wanted to howl.

She started to make little sobbing sounds as she felt her climax bear down. And she shook desperately as the tension finally shattered and her intimate muscles clamped down around Ander’s fingers.

As she panted and rode out her orgasm, Ander kept pushing his fingers against the contractions, but he turned his head slightly to the soft flesh at the very top of her inner thigh.

He bit down.

Lori cried out hoarsely, the jolt of unexpected pain sustaining the spasms of her pleasure.

“Oh God!” she gasped, as her body began to relax. “Oh God.”

Ander gently slid his fingers out, and he lifted his head from between her legs.

Lori gazed down on him hazily, feeling a flush of embarrassment at how wet the lower part of his face was.

As he reached for a tissue to wipe his face, Lori remembered what she’d been trying to wrap her mind around earlier. “You didn’t use one of those dams.”

Ander gave a half-shrug. “No big deal.”

“But you said—”

Lifting his eyebrows, Ander reached for a condom from the bedside table. “You haven’t had sex with anyone but me, have you?”

“No,” she said slowly, randomly wondering if he thought that was weird.

“How significant a chance do you think there is of my catching a disease from you?”

Lori couldn’t help but snort, her sense of irony triggered by his dry words. She should have known Ander had a rational reason for his atypical behavior. Obviously, there was no reason for protection if her only sexual experience was with him.

It had felt extremely intimate, but Ander was a professional. It would be unforgivably foolish of her to forget that for even a moment.

“Right,” she said with a relaxed smile. “Thank you for that, by the way.” She inclined her head toward her pelvis to indicate the oral sex he’d just performed. “Now maybe you can do something with that condom.”

Ander quickly pulled off his clothes, and then he rolled the condom on over his erection. He positioned himself between her legs and aligned his cock at her entrance.

But then he hesitated, scanning her face. “Did you want to use a different posit—”

“This is good,” she interrupted, bucking her hips in a futile attempt to get him inside her. She didn’t always like to make all the decisions. “Hurry up.”

He sank inside her, and then he lowered his upper body so he could kiss her.

She could still taste herself in his mouth, and she rolled her hips against the penetration of his cock.

After a lingering kiss, Ander reared up on his arms and began to thrust. She always liked it when they got going and he started to do things on his own, without always getting her go-ahead first. That way, she could enjoy the experience without all the responsibility of decision-making.

Once he’d built up a pleasing rhythm, Ander adjusted to put more weight on his knees. Then he pushed her legs forward toward her chest, bending them up as he went. The move allowed him to sink deeper into her body, and they both groaned at the resulting sensations.

Lori’s body was so sensitized that she was pretty sure she could come without stimulation to her clit. She tried to rock her body with Ander’s motion, and she hummed out silly, stifled sounds with their rhythm—something like “Mm hmm, mm hmm.”

Ander’s face was flushed and tense above her, and his eyes seemed to devour her as he fucked her fast and hard.

She jerked her head to the side as she came, writhing as the pleasure sliced through her.

Ander grunted and kept pushing into her tightened channel. He braced himself on straightened arms, and the damp skin of his face and shoulders glistened in the sun-filled room.

She kept her head turned and her eyes squeezed shut as the penetration of his cock felt even rawer and more intense after her orgasm. She panted against the bedding and felt another orgasm coalesce.

“Lori.” Ander’s thick voice spoke, not far from her ear. He was still pumping into her, his strokes shorter and faster.

“Mm hmm,” she whimpered, groping blindly until she found his shoulders to hold onto.

“Lori.”

She liked how he said her name. It pushed her even closer to climax. Her body was starting to shake uncontrollably.

“Lori,” Ander rasped again, the pumping of his hips almost wild. This time she realized it wasn’t an expression of passion. He was trying to get her attention.

She managed to open her eyes, although her vision was blurred. She blinked up at him and saw that his features were twisted with effort and concentration.

“Yes, damn it. Come!” she choked out, digging her fingernails into the back of his neck as the coiled pressure inside her reached its breaking point.

She felt something unleash inside of Ander. She was too overwhelmed to identify the exact signs, but she recognized the way he let himself go. His rutting became almost frantic and a blaze ignited in his eyes.

That was all it took for Lori to come. She arched up and sobbed in stifled gasps of pleasure as her body convulsed. And her orgasm pulled Ander into climax as well.

His hips jerked clumsily a few times and he choked out an incoherent word. Then she felt his body pulse as he found his release on the heels of hers.

He lowered his weight on hers for a few moments, and she felt him panting against her neck.

Then, impulsively, she turned her head slightly until her lips brushed against his.

He kissed her back. It wasn’t a deep or focused kiss, but she liked how their lips clung together.

But then he was pulling himself up and sliding his cock out of her body. He headed to the bathroom like usual, and Lori heard the water as he washed up.

She released a long sigh, deciding that this was a pretty good way to spend a lazy afternoon in Québec. Then, realizing she was completely naked and not under the covers, she looked around for something to put on.

Her eyes landed on Ander’s t-shirt and she actually bent down to pick it up off the floor. But, as she stared down at it, she decided against it. It would be unnaturally intimate for her to wear his shirt, no matter how cozy it might be.

She dropped it again, and then she gasped when she saw that Ander was standing across the room near the bathroom, watching her.

“Sorry,” she said, feeling herself flush hotly. “Just looking for something to wear.”

“You can wear my shirt if you want,” he said, his face showing no expression.

“Nah. Just bring me something from my suitcase, will you?”

He brought over her lavender cashmere chemise, and she pulled it on while he put on his boxers.

Then he got into bed beside her and stretched out. “You came, didn’t you?” he asked, almost diffidently.

Lori’s mouth fell open. “Uh, yeah. Twice. Couldn’t you tell?”

“I thought so. Just making sure.”

She frowned at him. “I’m not as quiet as I used to be.”

With a twitch of a smile, he said, “I know. But you’re still pretty quiet.”

For some reason, she stiffened. “Is that a problem?”

“Of course not. Constant screaming can get old pretty quickly.”

Lori made a face, trying to force back the pang of sharp discomfort she felt when she thought about Ander fucking other women, making them scream with pleasure, making them feel as good as he made her feel.

“Anyway,” Ander continued, staring up at the ceiling. “It makes you more of a challenge.”

That didn’t sound too bad. She thought she’d been getting pretty vocal lately, but maybe the sounds she made weren’t as loud and obvious as she thought.

“You don’t make a lot of noise yourself,” she said, peering at his stoic face. “So you’re hardly one to talk.”

Ander’s smile was a little bitter. “No one really wants to hear me.”

Lori’s frown deepened. “What does that mean? I don’t care if you make noises.” She thought back over the grunting, panting, and guttural exclamations Ander made in the midst of sex. “What do you say when you come?” she asked, turning to him with her characteristic inquisitiveness.

He blinked at her. “Excuse me?”

“When you come it sounds like you say something. At least the last few times. What do you say?”

Ander’s face was perfectly still for a moment. Then he gave her a dryly amused smile. “Here’s a piece of advice. Never pay any attention to what a man says when he comes. Anything might be blurted out at that moment, and it rarely means anything.”

Lori chuckled, although she recognized that he hadn’t answered her question. It was probably none of her business anyway. For all she knew, it was some other woman’s name. “Nice.”

“It’s true,” Ander said. “Who knows what I say? I might ask you to marry me. Pay no attention.”

She snorted as she imagined such a scene. Her gigolo blurting out a proposal the moment before climax. “I wonder how much you would charge me for that,” she said with a laugh.

The silence from the other side of the bed told her she’d offended him.

Groaning, she said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it. Really.”

“I know. Don’t worry about it.”

But Lori did worry about it. They’d been having a perfectly nice conversation and she’d said something stupid. She knew by now that he didn’t like to talk about the money, but she kept bringing it up.

It was unavoidable. No matter how good a time she had with him, she could never escape one basic reality.

He was with her because she paid him

“They have a Sunday brunch here that’s supposed to be excellent,” Ander said pleasantly, obviously trying to move them past the awkward moment. “If we go out tonight, maybe we can sleep in tomorrow and go down to brunch before we see some more sights.”

“Sounds good,” she said, turning on her side to face him and smiling. “I’m actually getting a little hungry now. I wonder if they’ll have anything good at this banquet.”

Ander laughed, as she’d known he would. And Lori decided that, despite a few awkward moments, it was shaping up to be a really good weekend.

And she still had all of tomorrow to look forward to.