A long, pounding run with music blasting in my ears and sweat dripping down my back had helped clear my head. I sat down on the sand below my pool area and watched two pelicans dive for fish while I cooled down. My phone rang. I pulled it out of my pocket.

"I'm hearing all kinds of interesting rumors about my friend, Nash," Jack spoke loudly over the clamor of music and voices.

"Where the heck are you?"

"I'm over at Pete's Pub. Climb in that turtle slow Ferrari of yours and join me for a few beers. Then you can confirm or deny the rumors."

"I'm just going to issue a blanket denial, even though I have no idea what the hell you're talking about. I just got done with my run. I'm not in the mood for a beer."

The loud music shifted to the occasional roar of a car passing by, which meant Jack had walked outside the pub. "I'm going to take your refusal to have a beer as confirmation of the rumors. You've got that hot little dancer at your place, don't you?"

I stood up and brushed the sand off my shorts. "Why do you think that?"

"Because I know you too well, buddy. Plus, it turns out we just missed each other at Fantasm last night. Rylie had to cancel our date, so I decided since I was all showered and smelling sweet as a sugar cookie, I'd head over to the strip club."

"And did you mention this to the new little woman? The strip club part not the smelling like a cookie part."

I walked to the stairs leading up to the pool area and sat on the bottom step. Guns N' Roses was thrumming out the open front window of the house. Shay must have figured out the controls to the music system.

"Rylie knows that I'm still new to this relationship thing. She gives me a lot of space. That's why it's working so well. She's independent too."

"That sounds perfect for you."

"Yep. Wait, I see how you deftly changed the subject to me. No wonder you stacked up so much money after college, you sly dog. I didn't see your car out front of Fantasm, so I decided to go inside and grab a table for us. Only I walked into a very dreary strip club. Sour, sad faces all around. A couple of the girls told me you had stopped some creep from manhandling Shay, and she quit a few hours later. I figured she quit because a certain knight in shining armor with a big bank account had talked her into his devious and totally warped plan."

"It's possible that's what transpired." I pushed my running shoes off and dumped out the sand.

"I knew it. Well, I wouldn't show my face in Fantasm anymore. Everyone pretty much hates you for taking away the best thing that's happened to that dive since it opened a million years ago."

"I figured I might be given the evil eye if I returned."

A horn blasted through the phone, and I held it away from my ear for a second. "Shit. It sounds like you're standing in the middle of the highway."

"No changing the subject this time, Archer. I'm on to you. Well . . ."

"Well what?" I headed up the steps to the house.

"What's she like? Is she as hot off stage as she is on? Is your cock already in training and standing at attention waiting to be told at ease?"

"She's nothing like I expected. And definitely yes. And absofuckinglutely yes." I walked through the gate to the pool area and stopped at the glass door leading into the house.

Shay had pulled on skimpy shorts and a midriff length t-shirt. She'd moved aside the coffee table and she was sitting, legs wide, tilting her body over in a stretch. The run had tired me out but apparently my cock had its own energy source. The sight of Shay limbering up on the living room rug had pulled my focus away from the conversation.

"Nash, hey, did I lose you?"

"Nope, I'm still here."

"Did you hear my question? Why is she nothing like you expected? And what exactly were you expecting?"

I watched her stretch one arm up high, lifting her crop top high enough to show the bottom curve of her breast. More energy pumped to my erection. "Let's just say I totally underestimated the woman and my plan."

"That's just vague enough to give me a million more questions, but I'm going back inside for another beer. Remember, if she starts asking about a pet rabbit, it's time to evict your new houseguest. Later."

"Yep, later."

I decided not to interrupt the exercise session inside. It was far too entertaining to stop. I would tell her later that I had a workout room complete with mats and state-of-the-art machines. I felt like a damn peeping Tom but then I reminded myself I was paying the woman to let me watch her. And she was worth every fucking penny.