***
"So what happened?" Erica glanced over at me as she ran her hands over her grey skirt. It stopped just above her knees, leaving plenty of tanned flesh for me to covet.
"They had my reservation, but had overbooked the hotel. It's weird that they wouldn't stop booking people when they ran out of rooms." I rolled my eyes and chuckled as she buckled up. "We're going to Landralla tonight. I've only been once and it was forever ago. You okay with that?"
"Oh yeah. I love their sea bass. It's juicy and melts on your tongue." She glanced over at me with a pseudo-innocence that had my body reacting violently. Maybe spending half the weekend with the woman who played center stage for all of my fantasies was a bad idea. Nothing good could come of it but me capturing the sounds of her moans for replay later when I was back in my own world.
"Sounds delicious. Hey, I was thinking, if you want to take your friend tomorrow night to the concert, you should. I didn't mean to-"
"No way. I'm glad you want to go. Those concerts get crazy. Having a big guy like you with me is perfect. Poor Lanie isn't even up to my chin." She smiled and the world seemed brighter. Her blond hair played along the tops of her shoulders, and the silky blue shirt that clung to her breasts brought out the darkness in her sapphire eyes. She would be the perfect picture to paint. I could capture so many emotions in her face alone.
"Are you calling me fat?" I smiled as I pulled myself out of the depths of passion that were starting to suffocate me.
This is the reason you run from this woman. Hello?
"Never. You're incredibly handsome. I like how big you are. It's blistering hot." She smiled in a way that didn't match her come-on.
I swallowed hard and pulled up to the restaurant. "No flirting with me in front of Jonathan. It makes me blush."
She laughed and got out of the car, meeting me in front of the restaurant. "You are a little flush."
"That's all your fault, Miss Hall." I opened the door for her and breathed in softly, wanting the scent of her perfume to stain my lungs.
I moved up to the hostess stand as Jonathan called out my name from across the room. Where the place was fancy, Jonathan was wealthy enough not to adhere to social standards it would seem.
"I like him already." She slipped her arm into mine and glanced up. "Just relax and make sure you don't sell yourself short. Oh I know... let me tell him that I'm your agent."
"Do I need an agent?" I glanced down at her and tried not to stare at her lips. Soft and pale pink. They had to give the softest kisses imaginable. Is that what I wanted? Soft?
"No, but you're far too good of a guy for anyone to take advantage of you. Let me help."
I stopped and turned to face her, pulling her flush against me as I leaned down and locked eyes with her.
"Do I look like the kind of man that needs help?" I wanted to be my brother, and for a moment, I sure as fuck felt like him. Powerful and strong. The kind of guy Erica would want with a burning passion inside of her. The kind of man she deserved.
Her breath caught in her chest as she pressed her palms to my chest. "No, but let me help anyway. It will make me feel better than sitting here like a bump on a log. Please?"
I smiled and released her. "All right. Could be fun."
She laughed and slipped her arm back into mine. "And I'm your girlfriend tonight."
"What?" I glanced down at her about the time we reached the table. Too late. She was going to have fun and all I could do was trust her that whatever she was up to would be good for me too.
"Matthew. This is my wife, Margaret." Jonathan offered his hand and I shook it and then his wife's.
"This is Erica Hall. She's my agent and my girlfriend." I slid my hand over her lower back and enjoyed far too much how her muscles tightened under my touch. She should be my girlfriend, but I was too much of a wimp to make that happen. The attraction was skin deep, but I couldn't let lust be all we had. That would never work for me.
"Nice to see you again, Miss Hall. I believe we met a week or so ago at our initial interview." Jonathan smiled at Erica and shook her hand.
"We sure did. Nice to see you again too, Jonathan." She turned to Margaret. "Nice to meet you as well."
We sat down after the pleasantries were over, and damn if Erica didn't scoot her chair a little closer to mine. The smell of her perfume washed over me again, and suddenly spending the evening with Jonathan was the last thing I wanted to do.
"Let's talk business first and then we can enjoy dinner together. Would that be all right?" Erica spoke up, surprising me a little.
"Oh, I like her even more." Jonathan laughed and picked up a wine menu. "Let's get a couple of bottles of wine and then I'll bring out the contracts. I think I'd like to have a showing in the next month or so at De Luge if you're up for that Matthew?"
"That sounds great actually. Do you think we have enough to put on a full showing or should we couple my work with another artist?" I slid my arm over the back of Erica's chair and leaned in a little, not quite thinking through my actions.
"I think you have more than enough, but that's just my humble opinion." Her voice was soft, and I realized she was looking up at me.
I glanced down and let my eyes move across her face, memorizing the way she watched me. I felt like I could rule the world with her staring at me like I meant something. I took a shallow breath and sat back, pulling my arm from behind her and working like hell to stay focused on Jonathan.
"I agree with Erica's assessment. We have more than enough. The showing will be free to the public."
"No. You need to charge to bring in the right clientele. We'll do free later when Matt's more established." Erica pulled her napkin down into her lap and pressed her forearms to the table.
"How much do you think we should charge? We usually do fifty to five thousand. For our new talent we start with a free showing."
"Charge ten thousand." She glanced over at me. "He's incredibly talented. Value his work at what it's worth from the beginning and we won't have to work up to anything."
I almost swallowed my tongue. Every inch of my skin tingled with the desire to feel her against me. I had to get up, or I was going to make the biggest mistake of my life. Would I survive having a woman like Erica for a weekend and never again? No. No fucking way.
"Excuse me for a minute." I pushed my chair back and got up. I needed air. I had to run. Now. Hard and fast before I changed my mind and offered her my freedom and my heart.