Page 26 of Dirty Like Me
Time for my little pep talk. The one I’d prepared in my head since I’d agreed to this fake date, this bizarre little trial run to determine if there were going to be more fake dates. Six weeks’ worth of them.
I reminded myself that I didn’t have to be here. If Jesse Mayes turned out to be a total dick, I really didn’t need two hundred grand that bad. My integrity was not for sale, at any price. This was just one night. Then I could walk away. Tell my future grandchildren that I once went on a date with a rock star. Even they didn’t need to know it was fake.
The sun was in Jesse’s eyes when he got in the car but he didn’t put his shades back on, probably so he could eye-fuck me every chance he got, like he was doing now. “You look hot in red.”
“You don’t have to say that.”
The Ferrari roared to life and we pulled out into the street. “Can’t a guy hit on his own girlfriend?” he asked, all filthy innocence.
“I’m not your girlfriend.”
“You are tonight, sweetheart. What I’m paying you for, right?”
“Paying me?”
“That’s the deal. Two hundred grand for the next six weeks.”
“Yeah,ifI come on tour.” Ugh. Hearing him say it out loud, it felt all kinds of wrong. I still balked at what seemed an exorbitant price for my “services,” but if he was willing to pay it, as Devi put it, I’d be crazy to turn it down. Still… “Let’s just call tonight a freebie. Consider it a try-before-you-buy.” The thought of him paying me for tonight’s date made me feel like an escort, and I couldn’t stomach it.
“Thought I already had one of those.” He tossed me a heated look that brought back every steamy moment of our pseudo make out session at the video shoot.
“Yes, but this time I’ll be vertical.”
He laughed, an amazing, sexy laugh that set off tingles in some pretty intimate places. He definitely hadn’t laughed like that at the video shoot. Tonight he seemed in a better mood. “If that’s the way you want it.”
“I do,” I said primly.
“But I’m paying for drinks, the hotel, and anything else that comes up.”
“Hotel?”
“We’ve got rooms near the venue. We’ll be out late.”
I studied him sidelong as he drove.
Right. Out late.
Did he really think I’d be that easy? Were other girls that easy?Really?He just snapped his fingers and panties dropped?
Hell, no.
We took the sharp turn onto Main Street and I clung to my seat. The Ferrari had balls; I’d never been in such a powerful car. It sent my heart racing the way it went from zero to whiplash at the merest caress of Jesse’s booted toe. But he looked hella sexy driving it, totally at ease, his hands loose on the wheel.
He wore a lot more jewelry than any man I’d ever known; rings, bracelets, layered necklaces. It was sexy and kind of badass, like everything else about him. His blazer was a matte velvet, so dark brown it was almost black, very close to his eye color. And the denim molded to his thighs was distressed; in fact, I could see slices of skin through the rips. I glanced up… and met his gaze.
Great. He’d caught me ogling his thigh-meat. I felt the blush creep over my body as his jaw flexed; he was chewing gum again.
“So, um… you like cinnamon.” Way to make conversation. “I mean, I just noticed…” I could smell the gum. It went rather well with the smells of new Ferrari and male rock god, but I wasn’t about to tell him that.
“My oral fixation?”
“Is that what you call it?”
“I do like to have something in my mouth at all times.” A grin spread across his gorgeous face and he chewed his gum exaggeratedly. “I quit smoking last year. Chewing gum helps, but I don’t like mint.”
And now I couldn’t stop staring at his mouth.
“So, who’s going to be at this thing?” I changed the subject, trying to sound breezy even as I white-knuckled the leather seat. Luckily traffic was pretty backed up so we couldn’t go very fast.
