“Oh.” She looked up at me with a disappointed glance. I knew she hadn’t orgasmed, but I didn’t care. She was no one to me. And she was a fool if she thought this meant anything. I’d only known her for an hour. Just because I’d hired her didn’t mean anything.

“You can take care of it if you want.” I shrugged as I zipped my pants up. “Brandon won’t be back for another fifteen minutes.”

“What?” She looked up at me in confusion.

“Use your fingers.” I looked down at her and tried not to roll my eyes at her stupidity. “Get yourself off.”

“Oh, I can’t...” She blushed.

“Think of it as an audition.” I grinned. “Some of our patrons may ask you to do this. Let’s see if you can.” I stood there looking down at her, waiting to see what she was going to do.

“Okay.” She nodded, lay flat on her back, and closed her eyes. I watched as her fingers worked their way between her legs and she started rubbing her clit. She moaned, and I knew the exact moment that she got into it. Her legs were trembling and her fingers started moving quickly.

“That’s it, Patsy,” I spoke softly. “Make yourself come.” I watched as she rolled around the floor for a few more seconds before I took out my phone and left the room so I could go to check my messages.

Chapter 5

Meg

Present Day

“I think I saw someone in the room,” I whispered back to Greyson as he ground his c**k against me. The water from his wet body was soaking into my clothes and I was starting to feel sticky.

“Are you sure?” He nibbled on my ear.

“Yes.” I nodded. “I’m pretty sure there was someone in the room.”

“Maybe it was one of the cleaning ladies?” He pulled me around to face him. His eyes grew concerned as he took in my face. “Are you okay, Meg?”

“It just gave me a fright. Seeing someone in there.”

“No one will do anything to you. I’m here.”

“Yeah.” I looked up at him and smiled weakly. “I guess you’re going to take care of me.”

“Of course.” He leaned down and kissed my nose. “As soon as you take care of me.”

“All you think about is sex.”

“I wasn’t talking about sex.” He pulled back from me then and his expression changed. “Do you want to swim?”

“Why not.” I stood on tiptoes and kissed him. “Why the hell not!”

“You always surprise me, Meg.”

“Why’s that?”

“You’re different,” he said and then groaned. “And I couldn’t have used a more cliché expression.”

“How am I different?”

“You didn’t jump into the pool as soon as you saw me take off my clothes.”

“Are you really that vain?” I laughed.

“Yes.” He grinned back at me and then grabbed my hand. “And yes, I’m really hard right now as well.” I felt my hand against his hardness and I squeezed instinctively. He groaned as my fingers rubbed off the drops of water. “Oh, Meg.”

“Why do you always make me touch your...” I paused.

“My what?”

“You know?”

“No.” He chucked. “My nose?”

“Yeah, you always make me touch your nose.” I rolled my eyes.

“Ask a silly question, be told a silly answer.”

“Are you calling me silly?” I giggled.

“Would I do such a thing?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s go swim.”

“I’ll race you.” I pulled away from him and ran to the pool. I pulled off items of clothing as I ran—well mainly my top. I tried to pull the rest off, but it was too hard to do as I was running. I groaned inside at my major fail at seductive disrobing.

Greyson caught up with me at the side of the pool and laughed. “What was that?”

I tried not to stare at his body as he was making my heart palpitate. He was too sexy for his own good. It was like Michelangelo had carved his body out of stone. It was so perfect. I couldn’t resist myself and reached over and ran my fingers down his washboard abs and shivered. Greyson stared at me and gave me a small smile.

“No one’s touched me so reverently before.”

“I don’t know why not.” I smiled back at him weakly. “You’re perfect.”

“We both know that’s not true.”

“Well, your body is pretty darn perfect.”

“I wish I were perfect in other ways.” He looked at me wistfully. “I’ve never wished for a different life before now. My philosophy is life gives us what we can take and we have to make the best of it. But somehow with you, I wish it had been different. Maybe if my life had been different from the beginning, I’d be a different man now. A better man.”

“Why do you wish you were a better man?” I asked with my heart in my throat.

“Probably for the same reason you wish I were a better man,” he answered astutely.

“I don’t even know you.” I shrugged and stared at the pool. The water was such a calming and beautiful blue. The serenity of the setting belied the churning of the hurricane in my heart and stomach.

“I guess sometimes you don’t have to know someone very long to know you like them.”

“Or dislike them,” I quipped back.

“I wonder how things would have been different if we’d met in a different setting,” he continued.

“What sort of setting?” I looked up at him, wondering what he was thinking and feeling inside.

“Like a grocery store.” He laughed. “If we’d bumped into each other at Whole Foods, or maybe even Trader Joes. You’d be buying a French baguette and some brie. I’d be buying a nice bottle of Pinot Grigio or maybe even a cabernet.”

“And then what?” I asked breathlessly as he stopped.

“You have to take off another piece of clothing before I continue.” He nodded at me and I rolled my eyes, but I still removed my pants and shoes off. He watched me with narrowed eyes then, surveying my nearly na**d body with eager lust. “Beautiful,” he muttered as he looked back into my eyes. “I’d look at you as you bumped into me and I’d wonder—”

“Who said it was me bumping into you?” I interrupted.

“I’m not clumsy.”

“Neither am I.”

“Like I was saying… As you bumped into me”—he grinned at me then—“I would see how beautiful and witty you were and I’d think to myself, ‘Maybe we could pair our wine and bread together.’”

“That’s what you would say?” I laughed, feeling young and happy at our banter. “You’d say, ‘Let’s pair our wine and bread together’? To a girl you just bumped into at the grocery store?”

“No, that’s not what I’d say.” He cocked his head and stared at me with a sly smile. “If you want to know what I’d say, please take off another item of clothing.”

“Fine.” I rolled my eyes, but inside I was shivering with excitement. I looked down at my body in consideration for a moment and then took off my bra. Greyson’s eyes dilated as he stared at my na**d breasts, and his fingers reached over to cup them gently. He took a step towards me and I moaned as I felt his hardness brush against my legs.

“I would say, ‘You have beautiful eyes.’” He looked down at me as his fingers gently rubbed my nipples. “I would say that I had a bottle of wine, but no bread and cheese. I’d give you a sweet smile.” He looked at me. “Much like this. And I’d ask if you’d like to go on a picnic.”

“A picnic?” I asked and then gasped as his fingers pinched my nipples.

“Of course. A cutesy picnic in Central Park.”

“I can’t see you on a picnic in Central Park,” I laughed, and he smiled back at me.

“Well, this is if I had had a different life. If I’d had a different life, I’d love picnics in Central Park.”

“I see.” I hoped he would continue with his story.

“So then I’d wait for your answer. I’d hope your answer would be yes. Then maybe I’d buy some chocolate-covered strawberries as well, but I’d hide them until later on the date.” His eyes glittered at me. “I wouldn’t want you thinking I had any ideas.”

I laughed. “But of course you’d have ideas.”

“Well, of course I would. That much of me wouldn’t be different.” He chuckled, and as I stared at him, I realized how young he looked in that moment. How carefree. My heart stilled as I realized that this was the Greyson I wish existed.

“And then what?” I prodded him, needing him to continue.

“And then…” He pulled me closer towards him. “And then we’d go to the park. I think I’d take you to Midtown and we’d go in around West 50th.”

“There’s an entrance there?”

“There’s an entrance near there, I’m sure.” He shrugged. “And we’d sit on the green grass and laugh. I’d tell you some jokes and show you some magic tricks.”

“How old are we in this dream?” I raised an eyebrow at him, and he smacked my bottom. “Ow.”

“Listen.” He pulled me closer to him. “Then we’d lie back and stare at the sky and the birds.

“Hopefully it’s not a grey day,” I mumbled, and he smacked my butt again. I yelped at the touch of his hand against me, but he only smiled.

“At some point, you’d realize that I was utterly attractive and desirable and you’d reach over and kiss me.”

“Actually, I think I’d be waiting on you to kiss me.”

“Well, I think you wouldn’t be able to resist me and you’d reach over and kiss me lightly.” He leaned down. “And then you’d kiss me like this.” His lips touched mine and he pressed them down lightly and gave me a sweet kiss before pulling back. “And I’d be sitting there thinking, ‘Wow. What happened?’”

“Uh huh,” I whispered breathlessly.

“And I’d be hoping you’d do it again.”

“Yes.” I looked up at him, wanting to feel the softness of his lips on mine again.

“Yes, you would?” He stared into my eyes, searching for an answer, and I nodded.

“Yes, I would do it again. All over again.”

His lips crushed down on mine again, but this time they moved with deliberate speed, as if they were on a mission. His tongue entered my mouth, and I reached up and grasped the ends of his hair. His chest hair teased my br**sts and his fingers massaged my back as we kissed. I felt his c**k pressed up against my stomach and I pushed myself against him harder. Our bodies were both slightly cold, so I pushed into him harder so that we could build up our body heat.

His fingers fell to my ass, and he pulled me closer to him while he squeezed my butt. I moaned as his lips left mine and he kissed down my neck to my breasts. His tongue gently licked my ni**les before his lips clamped down and sucked on them. I closed my eyes as I felt the warmth of his mouth consuming me. His fingers started playing with my other nipple, and I gripped his shoulders as I felt my legs starting to weaken with desire.

Greyson pulled away from me and then kissed down my stomach. His teeth grabbed the front of my panties and he gently tugged them down. When they reached my ankles, I quickly stepped out of them and Greyson growled in satisfaction. He stood back up slowly and grinned at me before diving into the pool. I watched as he swam underwater and then popped up on the other side of the pool.

“Come and join me, Meg.”

I dived into the pool before I could talk myself out of it. The cold water shocked my skin as I swam, and I stayed underwater, trying to get my body to adjust the cool temperature faster. I swam quickly and did a quick turn when I reached the other side and did another lap. After about thirty seconds, my body adjusted to the temperature, and I lay back in the water and floated on my back.

“I didn’t know you were such a mermaid.” Greyson swam up to me, and I started to tread water so that I could look at him instead of the ceiling.

“Well, they don’t call me Ariel for nothing.” I grinned at him and he splashed me. “Hey!” I splashed him back and he laughed.

“You’re going to get my hair wet!” He screamed and I laughed.

“I’m sorry to tell you this, but it’s wet already.”

“So are you.” He licked his lips.

“Yes, I am wet.” I rolled my eyes. “I am in the water.”

“That’s not the kind of wet I’m talking about.” He swam closer to me, and I felt his fingers reaching in between my legs. As they caressed my clit, I found my feet kicking faster in the pool.

“You’re a bad boy.”

“You wouldn’t want it any other way.”

“I thought you were trying to be good now.”

“No.” He shook his head and stared at me. “I said if life had been different, I may be a different person. I may have been good. But life wasn’t different and I’m still me, and I’m as bad as they come.”

“You’re not really bad.”

“Oh really?” He grinned at me, and I felt him pull my legs around his waist. “You don’t think I’m bad?”

“No.” I gasped as I felt him enter me slowly.