Page 48 of Trick
“Tony won’t be able to stay in the booth with me,” I cautioned, my years of vocal work giving me the control to keep my voice steady when all I really wanted to do was cry.
“Then he’ll park his ass in the hallway right outside the door. It’s not optional.”
I nodded, looking everywhere but at the man who’d been inside me not even ten minutes ago.
He hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath. “Look, I know we said we would keep this to ourselves, but –“
“Just between us,” I said, not wanting to hear him remind me of the limits on our arrangement.
He stared at me, studying my face, then slowly nodded.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” I said, needing him to go so I could break down without an audience.
“Goodnight, babe,” he said huskily, dropping a kiss on my forehead as he walked out.
I slowly walked over to close the door behind him, then sagged against it and dropped my head as a tear streaked down my cheek. That carelessly tossed out “babe” was the final straw, as if I were just another random woman and it wasn’t even worth the effort for him to remember my name.
After a few seconds, I took a deep breath, stood up straight and squared my shoulders. I swiped a finger under both eyes, brushing away the tears, and resolved not to let Trick see that I was hurt. I’d agreed to a casual arrangement withexplosive sex, and that’s exactly what I got. It wasn’t his fault that I found myself hoping for so much more.
The shower turned on moments later, and I braced myself for another round of horrendously off-key warbling, but the house remained silent except for the sound of the water running.
Hours later, I was still awake, questioning whether I was strong enough to have a no-strings fling with Trick and then walk away with no hard feelings when it was over.
“Enjoy this for what it is, Lauren,” I whispered into the darkness. “If you don’t expect more, then you won’t be disappointed.”
Chapter 15
Trick/Jase
I gave up on sleeping on that tiny, fucking mattress a little after midnight, and used the bedding to make a pallet on the floor, instead. The plush carpet made it bearable, but I just knew I’d be sore as hell in the morning. It would still be better than trying to fit in that damned bed, though.
I thought longingly of the king-sized mattress in Lauren’s room, and more importantly, the woman who was in it.
Sex with her had been every bit as amazing as I’d thought it would be. Hearing her call out my name – my real name – had helped soothe the burning in my gut that I’d felt from the moment she screamed for another man in that audiobook I’d listened to.
The sex wasn’t enough, though. I wanted so much more with her, things that I had never before considered with any other woman.
When she’d asked me to define my expectations, everything in me had wanted to tell her that I wanted her to give me a chance – to giveusa chance – to build something real. I’d wanted to tell her that I couldn’t get her out of my mind, and that no other woman could hold my interest. I had wanted to tell her that I was falling for her, but instead, I’d settled for offering a no-strings arrangement.
I knew that if I said anything else, she’d think I was bullshitting her the same way her damned ex had. The similarities between that fucker and me were enough to fill me with regret for all the years I’d been an unabashed manwhore, fucking just about any woman who crossed my path without a care in the world.
I’d been proud of my lifestyle. I’d even bragged about it, for fuck’s sake. Now, looking at myself from Lauren’s point of view, I didn’t like what I saw.
So, I’d spun a line of bullshit about just enjoying ourselves, and offering to keep it on the down low. After we had sex, I’d attempted to revisit the idea of keeping things a secret, but she’d dashed my hopes when she had interrupted with a quick confirmation…”Just between us.”
My gut twisted at the very thought of her deciding it was over and walking away without having a clue how I really felt. I wasn’t sure what else to do but wait, and hope that she would come to develop feelings for me. It wasn’t in my nature to just sit back and not pursue what, or in this casewhoI wanted, but I had no choice. After that fucknut had railroaded her into a relationship, this had to be Lauren’s decision.
I had just finished making a cup of coffee when Lauren’s bedroom door opened the next morning.
“I overslept. I need to hurry if I’m going to have time to show you around the building before I start working.” she told me, before disappearing into the bathroom. The water in the shower turned on, and I tried to ignore the fact that only a thin wall separated me from her naked body.
Elvis wasn’t pleased that Lauren was showering instead of feeding him, as evidenced by the way he paced outside the bathroom door and meowed plaintively. Damn, he was loud.
“C’mon, cat, I’ll take care of you.” He twitched his tail at me, his eyes tracking my movement as I filled his food and water bowls. Then I poured coffee into a travel mug, adding sugar and creamer just the way I’d seen Lauren make it yesterday.
I made a protein shake, then made my version of egg, cheese, and sausage McMuffins, using turkey sausage and whole wheat English muffins. The guys at the clubhouse gave me shit for calling them TrickMuffins, but regardless of the name, they were healthier and fucking delicious. The sound of Lauren’s hair dryer turned off as I sat down to eat.
I had just finished cleaning the kitchen and was slipping on my cut when Lauren entered the room.
