CHAPTER 8
HARLEY
His kiss ignited the flame inside me. I’d been ignoring it for so long, pretending I was just fine without human touch. But those lips…they broke through all my bullshit lies and showed me just how wrong I was.
I’d chosen Blaze’s photo out of the gallery on the Tomcat’s website, but he was so much more handsome in person. His long dark hair made me want to run my fingers through it. And those shoulders? Wide and strong, I imagined myself holding onto them for dear life while he slammed into me.
Five minutes in, I knew coming here was a mistake.
My dear assistant Melissa had insisted it would be just the thing I needed. A fun interlude without any commitment or messy aftermath. No arrogant prick to get possessive after I let him into my bed, as if that invitation alone was enough to invite him to rule my life. It had happened too many times to count and I’d given up on relationships long ago.
That didn’t mean my needs went away.
But this? Well, this guy was just a tease.
Blaze may have been everything I needed, in theory, but I was pretty sure now that I was here, the only thing I was going to leave with was more frustration.
I’d been craving human touch for months, and I’d refused to hire an escort because paying for sex just felt wrong to me. I didn’t mind if anyone else did it, but for me? I just couldn’t.
“What’s the difference?” I’d asked Melissa when she suggested I come here. “I told you I’m not interested in paying for sex.”
“It’s not the same, trust me,” she’d said.
“You’re not convincing me,” I resisted.
“Well, first of all, you aren’t paying for sex! You can’t fuck the guys at Tomcats,” she said. “An escort isn’t going to make you feel special. They aren’t going to take the time to make you feel the way you deserve to feel.”
“I fail to see the difference.”
“You’ll see when you get there,” she assured me.
Now that I was here, I continued to fail to see the difference.
And now that I’d propositioned Blaze, I was sure the night was ruined.
But then — he kissed me.
Slow. Simple. So fucking gently that I thought my heart might break…
And then — he flashed me an easy smile as if kissing me was something that came as naturally to him as breathing, like he’d kissed me a million times, before he’d gotten up to pour us both a glass of red wine.
“I’m going to make you dinner,” he said. “You just kick off your shoes and drink as much wine as you want. Tell me about your work. You said you’re an actress?”
I groaned inwardly, the last thing I wanted to think about was work. Or, the lack of it.
“I don’t get many roles these days. I mainly produce films now. But I thought we were going to turn off the world,” I said.
“Right,” he agreed, winking. “How about you find some music to listen to? And then just lay back, put your feet up, and enjoy your wine. We can chat over dinner.”
“That sounds like the best idea yet,” I said. After thumbing through a collection of records in the corner, I chose an old Marvin Gaye record and put it on. As the silky sounds of Marvin’s voice caressed us, I did just as Blaze suggested.
In less than a minute, I’d kicked off my shoes and was lying back on the couch with my eyes closed. As I inhaled deeply and my shoulders began to relax, I realized this was something I never really did. At home, I worked till late in the night and fell into my bed exhausted. I was out cold as soon as my head hit the pillow.
Enjoying the feeling of relaxation was foreign to me.
Having a beautiful man make me dinner while I didn’t lift a finger?
Well, that was just downright bizarre.
Maybe Melissa was right after all.
Maybe some men do have other things to offer besides sex and possessiveness.
As I listened to Blaze work in the kitchen while I finished off half the bottle of wine by myself, I couldn’t wait to find out what other offerings were on his menu.