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‘I’m not averse to hanging out naked.’
‘I’ll bet.’
‘So, Miss Sadie, pre-K teacher, where exactly are you from? I don’t think we’ve established that.’
‘In our vast acquaintance, you mean?’
‘I think we’re pretty well acquainted, given the brevity of our history.’
You might think I’d be used to his teasing by now. ‘Way to make a girl feel like a whore.’ My head snaps up immediately, my concerned gaze meeting his. ‘Not that there’s anything wrong with being a wh—sex worker. It’s an absolutely legitimate industry—a n-necessary service.’
‘You forgot, it’s also one of the oldest professions in the world.’
‘Yes, that, too,’ I continue, attempting to dig myself out of a hole Miss Manners couldn’t navigate.
‘Relax, plum. I’m pretty hard to offend.’ Leaning back in his chair, he’s the picture of ease and confidence. It just makes my blush all the deeper as I know he’s not referring to the shade of last night’s lipstick.
His phone begins to buzz from across the room, and he pushes back his chair. I swear the ringtone is the opening few bars of Salt-N-Pepa’s “Push It”, but due to the volume, I can’t be sure.
With his back to me, he speaks in hushed tones that I try not to hear, even though I can’t help but strain to listen. It’s human nature, right?
‘I’ve got to go,’ Will says, turning to me, his phone still in his hand.
‘Things to see, people to do?’ I close my eyes and internally cringe. ‘Oh, Lord.’ I blow out the prayer on a long breath, but as I push my chair back, I find his hand on my shoulder.
‘There’s no need to rush.’ A strange kind of hope springs in my chest as he winds a lock of my hair around his finger.
‘You don’t have to rush off?’
‘No, I do. But you don’t have to rush off. I’m not sure how long I’ll be, but.. . ’
The end of his sentence trails away, leaving the implication hanging in the air. Wait for him to come back from hisappointment? His rendezvous? Doesn’t that make me kind of pathetic? Sad sack Sadie. Sloppy seconds girl.
‘No, I’d better go,’ I find myself saying. The words sound sort of choked, which is just ridiculous. ‘I need take Sir Lancelot for his walk.’
‘I imagine that happens the other way around.’ He smiles kindly, then his gaze strays once again as I push back my chair and stand.
‘You really have to stop looking at me like I’m edible,’ I murmur. ‘Nothing good can come of it.’
‘Oh, Miss Sadie, that’s where you’re entirely wrong.’
Chapter Ten
WILL
With my help, and a pair of my shorts clasped tight around her slender waist, Sadie made it back to Mo’s apartment mostly unscathed. I did have some pretty wicked thoughts about bending her over the bannister, but I’m sure the neighbours would’ve had something to say about that.
We don’t get that sort of behaviour in this building!
She did manage to send Sir Lancelot’s metal bowl clanking down a flight of stairs, but no one came out from the other apartments to see whatthatnoise was. Sex, on the other hand... Everyone has a little bit of a voyeur in them. It’s basic biology.
Once the mutt himself was returned to his rightful abode, he’d tried to shag poor Sadie from behind again. Not quite the doggy style I had in mind.
‘We need to work on your commands,’ I’d told her. ‘It’s all a matter of confidence.’
And I would know.
She walked me to the front door, and I offered to stop by another day to give her a few dog handling pointers, while keeping my plans of getting her naked to myself.
