Page 6 of Weekend Temptation
CHAPTER3
The house Derek had rented was situated in the small town of Summer Hill, located north of Manhattan, not far from the Connecticut border.It was quaint, if a four-bedroom house with a huge kitchen, pool, and privacy fence could be considered quaint.It was nestled back from the road, a few trees and tall bushes providing even more privacy.But a person walking by would never guess it was rented out regularly to movie stars.
Abbie’s favorite room so far, if she had to pick one, was the small library set off the living room.She doubted she’d get to spend too much time in there, but the large chairs looked cozy and inviting, and the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves made the bookworm in her swoon.
“Hey, let’s get something to eat.Then we can talk terms.”
Abbie spun at the sound of Derek’s voice.He leaned against the doorjamb, his arms crossed, sleeves folded up to showcase his forearms.Abbie had a hard time swallowing.
“Terms?I thought we already agreed...this weekend, fun, food, fucking,” she punctuated the words by ticking off her fingers.“Then we go our separate ways.Like the Journey song.”
He smiled, and Abbie warmed.“That’s true, we did.I meant more along the lines of what we can and can’t do in bed, or on the kitchen counter, or on the living room couch, or on any other surface you can think of.”He was still in the doorway, but every one of Abbie’s nerve endings was on fire.She felt stupid for not realizing earlier.What did I get myself into?
“Ah, makes...”She cleared her throat.“Makes sense.”
She followed him into the kitchen and sat at the large island.Abbie was no stranger to a kitchen, but her knees were weak, and she didn’t trust herself not to slice open a finger.
Derek made them some sandwiches and a small salad, seemingly familiar with the kitchen.Abbie was eager to get the awkward conversation over but had no idea how to start.
“Hope you don’t mind turkey.My assistant said this was all they had fresh at the deli, and I don’t particularly like ham.”
Abbie started at the word ‘assistant,’ but of course he had one.Derek probably had a full schedule of meetings and travel and rehearsals and who knew what else.It made sense he’d have help.He placed her plate in front of her, and a fork to the side.
She took a bite and nodded.“It’s great, thanks.”She dug into the sandwich, keenly aware that he watched her.“Sorry, I didn’t realize how hungry I was.”She ate quickly and finished the sandwich and salad in minutes.
Derek finished eating almost as quickly as she did.“Seems limo sex and multiple orgasms can really work up an appetite.”
“I guess so.”She took the plate to the sink and rinsed it off.
“Leave it for now.Let’s go sit and talk.”He gestured to the living room.They settled into the couch, facing each other.Nervous and hyper aware of her short skirt, Abbie tried to find a position that didn’t flash too much bare skin.
Derek had one arm along the back of the couch behind her, his fingers playing idly with her hair.
“How about we start with things you don’t enjoy?”His voice was soft.
“You’ve done this before, haven’t you?”
“A no-strings-sex weekend with a woman I met only four days ago?”Derek shook his head.“No, this is a first for me.”
“Oh.”She took a deep breath, her nerves trying to get the better of her.“Well then, maybe not exactly this same situation.But...you’ve had...”Abbie searched for the right words that wouldn’t insult him.“Fun weekends without obligation?”
“A few one-night stands...before my career started to take off and I started getting recognized.College was college, after all.Did you ever have one or two-night stands with anybody?”
Abbie nodded.“Once or twice, until I realized that the guys only wanted to have sex.Then I stopped getting into bed so easily.After that...guys stopped answering texts or phone calls.Or they’d cheat on you after a few months together.”Like Jeremy.
Another one of the reasons she’d decided to stop dating.It wasn’t worth the effort if the guys only wanted sex before they disappeared.She’d ventured into dating apps a couple of times but deleted them after a few days.Sometimes it was better to avoid the difficult navigation between men who wanted to get to know her and men who were only looking for sex.
Except for this weekend.The agenda for the next four days was clear and laid out from the start.Sex with no strings, then a goodbye.It didn’t hurt that Derek was hot as hell and made sure she came first.Few others had even made that attempt.
No, this was exactly what Abbie needed.
Derek pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, bringing her back to the present moment.“Morons.Their loss is my gain.”
Abbie wasn’t sure if the compliment was genuine, so she sidestepped it.“Maybe.Or maybe they were just there to pass the time until I figured out what I wanted from a guy, from a relationship.”
She’d blamed herself for her ex’s infidelity, until Megan threatened to smack her with a spoon.The problem was that Abbie didn’t know exactly what she wanted.Abbie knew what she didn’t want, but that wasn’t the same thing, was it?
“Have you figured it out?”
