Chapter Twenty–Two
Jordan Screws Everything Up
Jordan scrambled out of the car so quickly, he almost fell out. Her hips swayed as she walked to the front door without even a glance back to see if he was following. He could still taste her lips on his tongue. He was so hard, it hurt. He wanted to have her. He needed to possess her. But he needed to know it was real for her. That he wasn’t just a client.
He took the stairs two at a time to catch up with her as she reached the bedroom. He grabbed her then and scooped her up into his arms.
She half whispered half giggled as he maneuvered the door open. “What are you doing?”
“Carrying you over the threshold.” He dropped her onto the bed. “I’ve always wanted to do that.” He closed the door and stood there for a moment, standing over her.
Her cheeks went pink. “Do I need to invite you to my bed a third time or will you come over here already?”
“You know I want you,” he said. “I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone in my life.” He hated himself for this but he had to know. “This isn’t an additional service, right?”
She blinked at him and then her mouth dropped open. “What exactly are you asking?”
He ran his hands through his hair, frustrated he even needed to have this conversation. “I’m asking if you are inviting me because you want to be with me or because I’m your client.”
She stared at him, anger radiating from her like an aura. Then she picked up a pillow and threw it full force at him. He supposed he was lucky there was nothing heavier within arms’ reach of her. This conversation was not going well.
“Have you seriously never had sex with someone without paying for it?”
It was his turn to get angry. “I have never paid for sex,” he said. “I’ve never paid for a woman at all.”
“Oh yes, obviously, I’m your first, Mr. Billionaire Playboy.” Her voice cracked with anger and sarcasm. “No, Jordan, I was not offering some additional service to a client, whatever the hell that means. How could you even ask such a thing? Are you honestly asking if I’m charging you? My god.” She picked up the other pillow to throw and then clearly thought better of it. “You are just unbelievable.”
She pulled the covers off the bed and got under them, turning her back to him. She was still wearing her dress. He could just about make out those tiny little buttons he’d been hoping to undo one by one.
He sighed. Well, this evening certainly hadn’t quite gone the way he’d hoped. But she was being a bit unfair. Should he really just have spent the night with her without asking? He was her client and she provided services. How the hell was he supposed to know whether her interest was personal or professional? He pulled out the mattress of the sofa bed with a loud twang and then looked back at her. She lay on the far edge of the bed with her back to him, ramrod straight. She was clearly wide awake. He was pretty sure she was still fuming.
He undressed to his shorts when he found the box in his pocket. That stupid necklace. Well, her loss. He stretched out diagonally across the sofa bed with his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling. There was no point in getting under the covers, he clearly wasn’t going to sleep a wink tonight.
He heard a slight huff from the other bed. So, she was still awake and still mad. Maybe that was good, he thought. At least it meant she cared, right? He closed his eyes and took some deep breaths. Maybe if she thought he was asleep, she’d get up and get changed for bed and things. But then he’d have to lie here keeping his eyes closed while she undressed and he wasn’t sure he could do that.
He rolled over with a humph and closed his eyes. His brain kept replaying the conversation, trying to work out how he could have dealt with it better. He should have just shut up. Yes, she might have presented him with a bill on Monday morning, but at least he wouldn’t be lying here wide-awake in the dark with a hard on. Which had reappeared simply because he thought about her undressing.
“Charlotte?”
No response. He ground his teeth. What the hell, he had nothing to lose. “Charlotte, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have even brought it up. I am a jerk and a scoundrel.” He listened carefully for any sounds in the dark. Nothing. His throat tightened.
He couldn’t explain why it was important to him to make amends. Her accusation that he usually paid for sex still stung. And yet, there he was, wishing he could make her react. Wishing he could make her forgive him. “I just didn’t want to get caught up in the heat of the moment,” he said. Except he did, totally. He kissed an escort and carried her into bed and then asked her if she was still an escort.
Unless maybe Buddy was exaggerating when he talked about extras. When it came to women, taking advice from Buddy was a spectacularly bad idea. That made it easier to keep speaking into the dark. “The truth is, I am surprised by how strong my feelings for you have become after only a few days. And that made me afraid that you might not feel the same. Because Charlotte, you being mad at me now is still better than me finding out later that you didn’t want to be with me, that you did it out of obligation.” He listened out. Still nothing. “I’m sorry.” He pulled the covers over him. “But I’m not sorry I kissed you.”
He heard a quiet sniffle. He lay quietly, not wanting to push her.
“You are a jerk and a scoundrel,” she said.
“It’s true.”
“I shouldn’t even be speaking to you.”
“Also true.” He sat up. “And you certainly shouldn’t be thinking about kissing me again.”
“Why you!”
“Hey, hate sex is a thing,” he said. And then “Uff,” as the pillow hit him in the gut. “Is that a yes?”
Silence. He smiled. It certainly wasn’t a no. “At least let me help you get that dress off,” he said. “Those buttons look like a nightmare.”
“Jordan Lovett, that was the worst come-on ever.”
He bit back a clever comment and padded over, handing the the pillow to her. “Here. In case you need something to punch.”
She took it with a sniffle. “You are incorrigible.”
He found her hand and held it. “That’s a good thing, right?”
“And a jerk and a scoundrel.” She buried her face into the pillow.
“Guilty as charged.” He knelt at the side of the bed and leaned towards her. Her face was still hidden in the pillow but her neck was exposed. She smelled of lavender and baby powder. “But I’m also a damn good kisser, right?”
She looked up at him. Before she had a chance to respond, he leaned forward and kissed her cheek. Just a fast, little peck and then he pulled away. “I’ll be good, I promise. I’m just trying to help you with that dress.”