That night, he brought me to his glass house. There’s nowhere to hide, but anything is possible. It was different this time, no longer a game. We went slower, talking over a glass of wine. Listening to what the other one had to say. My escort has a beautiful body, with rippling muscles and colorful tattoos, but it’s not why I fell for him. He’s beautiful on the inside. Raw and honest. Genuine. A real fucking smart ass. And I’m so glad to have him back in my life.
It doesn’t get cold here, in this paradise with palm trees and candy-colored sunsets. He stripped me bare on his deck and backed me against the glass that separated me from freefall. The first time he brought me here, I was terrified people would see me, on total display. Last night, I wanted them to see me. To know I belonged to this man, as he trailed his lips over every inch of my body.
My first orgasm came courtesy of his fingers inside me and his lips on my clit. My cry danced over the waves, crashing against the building. I sunk to my knees to return the favor, but he caught me by my elbows and brought me back to my feet. My legs shook, but he wouldn’t let me fall.
“Tonight’s the night I accept your apology,” he said, as he hooked my leg around his waist and thrust his cock inside me.
I don’t have to pay to see my escort anymore, but that only means I’ll have more to share with you.
27
Zach
I’ll see you tonight, I texted Shannon from the lobby of Hotel Meridian. I’d been here many times before, as an escort. And I was sure as hell glad these walls couldn’t talk, because if they could, they’d be whispering sweet, filthy nothings to Shannon’s grandma.
I’m sorry. First Friday is invite only.
Is that hardass manning the door again? I’ll offer her sexual favors to get in.
“Good. You’re on time. Did you bring your motorcycle, like you promised?” Shannon’s grandma—or Maureen, as she insisted I call her—came up to me at the most awkward time. While I was about to sext her granddaughter.
I stood and kissed her cheek. “You ever ridden bitch on the back of a bike, Maureen?”
She laughed and slapped her hand against my chest, letting it linger a little too long. Damn. Shannon’s grandma was flirting with me. “I told my mother I was going away with my best friend’s family, and she said the same. Our boyfriends had motorcycles, and they took us to Woodstock. If it didn’t take us three days to find the damn bikes, we would’ve never gotten caught.”
“Oh, you’re trouble. I like that.” No wonder Shannon was crazy about her.
“Did you bring the bike, or what?”
I laughed. “I brought the bike.”
“It’s killed me not to tell Shannon I was coming,” she said as we walked out to the valet, her arm hooked in mine. “She was so homesick, and I wasn’t sure she’d stick it out. But she seems to have found her place.”
“I let her know I was on my way. I didn’t tell her about my plus one.” The valet winked at me as he took my tag. It wasn’t the first time I waited for my vehicle with a seventy-year-old woman on my arm. But it was the first time I had no plans of taking her to my bed. “You’re not an easy secret to keep,” I said.
Maureen laughed. “She likes you.”
“She likes you more.” It was kind of fun, flirting with Maureen. “What hell have you been raising since you got here?”
“I’ve been shopping, to the beach, and I had the nicest dinner last night. Met a couple from Detroit. They’re thinking of moving down here.” She grinned. “Thank you for all of this. I’m having a blast.”
“Glad to hear it, but what about you? What will it take to get the moving truck in front of your house? A couple young guys with no shirts on?”
“That will help.” She wriggled her eyebrows. “We’ll see. I’d love to see Shannon more often. It’s so hard for her to get back home. I understand there’s not much for her there anymore. And it’s hard for me to travel.”
“What if I get you your very own motorcycle? Then will you come down more often?” I couldn’t wait to see her and Shannon together.
“You’re a charmer, Zach. I see why she likes you so much.”
“She still likes you more.”
Leah swore she’d make it to Shannon’s birthday, since she was in on the fix, but she’d get a pass if she missed it. She and Jag had been spending as much time as they could at the hospital, which left Shannon and Claudia to run the business. Some of the guys from the agency and I helped out with a couple shifts, which was borderline hysterical. I didn’t know the first thing about art. But I faked my way through it, and even sold something.
And did my hard work get me an invite to First Friday? No, it did not.
I pulled up in front of the gallery and waved to Shannon in the front window. She crossed her arms and shook her head. Hardass. Through the reflection, I saw her wrinkle her nose as she turned her attention to my guest. I hopped off the bike and stood between Maureen and the window as she shook her hair out of the helmet.
“Felt good to be on a bike again,” Maureen said. I turned back to the window, motioned to her, and mouthed, “Now?”
The look on Shannon’s face was worth every penny I spent on the first-class flight and the penthouse at the Meridian. Mouth open, hands in her hair, she was frozen in place for a minute before running out of the gallery and practically knocking her grandma into the street with her hug.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” Shannon said over and over. At first, I thought she was laughing, but when the streetlights caught the tears streaming down her cheeks, I realized I was wrong. But they were happy tears—the pure fucking emotion of being reconnected with the most important person in the world. I’d do anything to make her feel like that.
“Zach, this is my… Wait a minute—” She looked back and forth between the two of us, narrowing her eyes. “I can’t believe you did this. How did you do this?”
“Happy birthday.”
Shannon let go of her grandma and approached me with the same shocked expression she’d had on her face when she first spotted Maureen. “You brought my grandma here?”
“He did.” Maureen slipped her arm around Shannon and winked at me. “Your boss called me and said Zach wanted to surprise you for your birthday. I can see why you like him.”
I grinned. “She still likes you more.”
“I… I like you both.” Shannon held her head in her hands, looking back and forth from me to Maureen. “I can’t believe this. I don’t know what to say.”
“You say thank you, and then you show him your appreciation later.” Maureen pushed Shannon toward me and grabbed my arm. “You’re welcome.”
“Grandma.” Shannon turned bright red.
I took advantage of Shannon’s shock and slipped my arms around her waist. “I talked to the boss. When you go back in there, we’re going to sing you Happy Birthday. Are you gonna let me in?”
Shannon bit her lip. “I don’t know. You don’t have an invite.” She laughed. “You can listen to us sing from the sidewalk, and I can bring you out a piece of cake, if there is any left.”
“There’d better be cake,” Maureen said.
“There’s cake,” I said. “After that, you have the rest of the night off. Go have a birthday dinner with your grandma. And stay out of trouble.” That was more for Maureen than Shannon.
Shannon frowned. “Aren’t you coming with us?”
“I’m covering your shift. Someone has to keep the undesirables out.”
“You all have the night off. My parents are staying with Violet tonight so I could come to the party,” Leah said from the doorway. “Mrs. Gallagher, I’m so thrilled to finally meet you.”
“Call me Maureen.” Maureen pulled Leah into a hug. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for Shannon.”
“Are you kidding? I can’t begin to tell you what Shannon’s done for me. Thank you.” Leah kissed her cheek. “Have fun, and I insist on a lunch date tomorrow.”
Shannon tugged on my ar
m, and I wiped the tears away from her cheeks. She pressed a kiss against my lips. Nothing saucy in front of Grandma, although I had a feeling she’d only give us pointers. “Thank you, for knowing what this would mean to me.”
Our foreheads were pressed together. “I want to make you this happy every day, for the rest of your life.”
The next kiss had a little more feeling behind it. A little piece of me fell for Shannon that much more, for not being afraid to show this kind of emotion in front of her grandmother. “You know what? You already do,” she said.
“Then what the hell am I supposed to strive for?”
Shannon pulled away with a shrug, before taking her grandma’s hand. “I can’t wait to find out.”
* * *
Thank you for reading THE PASSION PROJECT!
You’ve already met Jagger and Leah, and they’re ready to make the pages of your e-reader smolder…
I paid for his body. I never expected his heart to be part of the deal.
The last thing I want to do is face my cheating ex-husband at my twentieth high school reunion. When my best friend suggests I hire an escort for the weekend, I choose a man I’d never have a chance to date in real life.
Jagger Holiday. Sinfully sexy. An artist with a haunting vision. My fantasy.
We connect through our art, sharing a passion for things that have been forgotten and making them beautiful. But I never expected his soul to whisper to mine when he touched me…
Now Jagger wants to make the fantasy our reality, but can I give my heart to a man whose body is for hire?
ONE CLICK NO STRINGS ATTACHED NOW
Naked Love Page 197