“Get off your high horse, Coop. We’re a lot alike. We both hire people and expect them to perform for us. We make them into entertainment.”

“I expect them to act, Miles. They know what they signed up for.”

“So do these women. Do you really think any of them are naïve? Look at them.” My brother looks around the pier. “They’re all playing a game. No one is forcing any of them to be here. In fact, it looks like they’re quite enjoying themselves. I see smiles behind those booths, not chains holding them there.”

“Maybe they don’t have a choice.”

“I’m sure the street walker tells herself the same thing right before she bends over in the alley every night.”

“Ten minutes left, everyone!” the director yells through a bullhorn.

“I’m going on line. Gotta put my dollar in for the one I want to stay.”

“Whose line are you going on?”

“Jessica’s.” Miles nods toward her booth. She’s wearing a strip of material as a top. Her breasts look like they’re about to bust out of the ties that hold everything in place. The show may go from R-rated to X in a few seconds.

“Why don’t you spend a buck? Maybe for two, one of them will let you cop a feel?” he says smiling, completely oblivious to the scowl on my face.

Ten minutes later, I’m almost to the front of the line. Kate and I have been playing cat-and-mouse with our eyes since hers landed on me. I wait patiently for the guy in front of me to stuff his dollar into the box and then it’s finally my turn.

“Didn’t take you for the kind of man to pay for a kiss,” she teases.

“First time for everything.”

“That will be one dollar, please, sir.” Kate extends her open palm.

“So you don’t have to make nice to Dickhead if you win?”

“The winner gets immunity from Flynn sending them home this week, if that’s what you mean,” she challenges.

“Is there a limit to how much a man can pay for a kiss?”

“I don’t think so. But they’re only a dollar.”

I dig into my pocket and pull out a wad of hundreds, our eyes locked as I shove them in the box. “Now give me my money’s worth.” I lean in.

“Bossy,” she breathes.

I seal my mouth over hers and don’t stop until the director yells time’s up.

I only made it worse going to see her today. Kissing her. In the moment it was worth it, feeling the way she melted into me and let me consume her, not pulling away, even though anyone could look over and see us. But the afterglow has worn dim and now I’m sitting home alone like a chick pining for some kid who won’t give her the time of day. With all the women I’ve dated over the years, the one that decides to walk the other way makes me want to crawl after her to catch her.

The intercom buzzes. “A Damian Fry here to see you, Mr. Montgomery.” The weariness in Lou’s voice comes through loud and clear.

“Send him up.” Damian Fry is definitely not the typical guy I invite over for a visit. I’ve only used him once before. An actor with a thousand-dollar-a-day coke problem wasn’t showing up for a high-budget film we were shooting. Everyone knew he had a problem, but I needed the dirt in my hands to get out of his multi-million-dollar contract. Damian didn’t just deliver the drug problem on video; he found out the actor was screwing the director’s wife too. Damian could dig up dirt on a saint.

“Come in.” It’s nearly ninety outside, yet he’s dressed in long sleeves and pants, head-to-toe black, and smells like day-old booze and cigarettes. No wonder Lou was suspicious.

“Nice place.” Damian sizes up my net worth in thirty seconds. I’m sure my price just doubled. Should have met this fucker at my office.

“Thanks.” I get straight to the point. “I have a job I need done. But it needs to be kept extremely quiet.”

“Quiet is my specialty.” He grins.

“Definitely not a word to my brother.”

His grin widens to a sneer.

Chapter eleven

Kate

“Wanna dance?” Flynn offers me his hand. I’ve been sitting on the couch since after dinner—sulking might best describe my temperament.

“Ummm … there’s no music?”

His boyish smile helps lighten my somber mood.

“Don’t need it.”

I take the hand he’s offering and stand. “You dance without music often?”

“Ah. I didn’t say there wouldn’t be music. I only agreed there was none playing.” Flynn wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me close to him for a slow dance. Leading my body perfectly, he sways to a soothing rhythm until my head rests on his chest. I think his lips might brush the top of my head, but I can’t be sure.

His voice is whisper-soft when he starts singing a ballad. I’ve heard him sing rock before, knew he had a nice voice. But the way he croons the words to this beautiful song, it’s absolutely breathtaking. The song is about a son who has to save his mom. Every word rings raw; it makes me certain he’s talking about his own mother.

Do you know who I am?

When I see you today.

I’m still the same.

When I see you today.

Let me help you find your way.

You’ve given me plenty,

Now it’s my turn.

Let me help you find your way.

When I see you today.