The Consequences of Sin

by K. A. Robinson

  I smiled, but it was weak. With my past constantly hanging over my head, I seriously doubted if I’d ever look back and laugh.

  “I’m sure you’re right,” I said as I grabbed another slice of pizza out of the box.

  “Of course I am. I’m a guy. We’re always right.”

  “And so full of shit,” I teased.

  He smirked at me. “So, are you going to stop hiding from me now?”

  I shrugged. “I guess. I’m sorry I was being weird.”

  “Over the years, I’ve come to realize that chicks are usually weird.” He shoved the rest of his slice into his mouth and swallowed roughly. “Anyway, I’ve got to head out to work. I’ll catch ya later, Bree.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you later.” I paused for a moment, debating on whether or not I should ask him where he worked. Finally, my curiosity won out. “Hey, Reid?”

  “Yeah?” He stopped and turned back to me.

  “Uh, I was just wondering, where do you work? I’m not trying to be nosy or anything. I was just curious since you seem to always be on the night shift.”

  He shifted uncomfortably for a moment. He glanced away before looking back at me. “I’m a stripper.”

  My eyes widened. “Excuse me?”

  He shrugged, but I could tell he was uneasy. “I’m a male stripper. I work at a club about a block from here.”

  I just stared at him, unable to speak. My roommate is a…stripper?

  “Oh, uh…”

  He grinned. “It’s no big deal, Bree. It’s just a job.”

  “Where you take your clothes off for money,” I said before I could stop myself.

  My eyes drifted down his body. The heat I’d felt the first time I met him returned with a vengeance as I pictured him stripping out of his clothes. Bloody hell.

  “I also dance while I take them off. I even throw in a few erotic hip thrusts to get the girls going.”

  I knew he was teasing, but I couldn’t stop my sharp intake of breath. Visions of Reid dancing, thrusting, and stripping entered my mind.

  “That’s, uh…that’s good,” I said breathily.

  His grin widened as he stepped closer. I froze when his chest touched mine.

  He lowered his lips to my ear. “I could always demonstrate for you if you’d like.”

  The kitchen was suddenly too hot. I felt sweat breaking out on my skin as his breath tickled my ear. Reid was much too close. I could feel his chest pressed against mine. His scent invaded my senses, a mix of cologne and something else purely male.

  I took a step back, and my back collided with the countertop.

  Reid chuckled as he watched me. “Did I embarrass you, Bree? Your skin is a bit…flushed.”

  “Just hot in here,” I mumbled.

  He smirked as he finally moved away from me. I took a deep breath to calm my frazzled nerves. Yeah, my libido was alive and well. I didn’t need a romance book to tell me so. Reid had set me on fire with just a touch and a few sentences.

  “You’re so easy to embarrass, Bree. You’d better toughen up, or Jake is going to eat you alive in a matter of weeks,” Reid called over his shoulder as he disappeared from the kitchen.

  I stared at where he’d just been standing, trying to process what had just happened.

  My roommate was a stripper. And I was turned on by that. Huh.

  For the next two weeks, I rarely saw Reid. If he was home, I did go out of my way to chat with him for a minute or two, so he would know I wasn’t still trying to hide from him. Neither of us mentioned the incident in the kitchen. Anytime I thought of it, I would feel my cheeks heat with embarrassment. I couldn’t believe that I was lusting, however slightly, over my roommate. That was a disaster waiting to happen. I’d stick to my dirty romance novels. I wouldn’t end up homeless by reading those.

  I’d started my job, and I already loved it. I could tell that I wouldn’t grow tired of teaching kids how to defend themselves. It was nice to use my skills to help instead of harm. Those kids walked away from me, knowing more about how to protect themselves than they had when they came in.

  When I wasn’t at work, I would be working out. After years of sticking to a strict schedule, some habits were hard to break. I didn’t mind. I would enjoy the burn in my muscles as I ran through Dallas in the mornings. I would stay late at work every day I was scheduled, so I could use the exercise machines.

  Just as Eric had predicted, the male clients gave me a hard time. Eric had apparently told a few of them what had happened when I applied. They doubtfully looked at me, obviously not believing that I was capable of taking down a grown man. I would ignore their stares and their conversations about me as I passed, unwilling to give them the satisfaction of watching me have a temper tantrum.

  As soon as I walked into the apartment after work on Tuesday night, I was assaulted with the smell of garlic. I inhaled deeply, my stomach rumbling instantly. I dropped my gym bag and purse by the door before walking into the kitchen.

  My eyes instantly landed on Reid. He was bent down, pulling something out of the oven. I had a clear view of his ass, and I couldn’t stop myself from staring at it. He righted himself and put a clear baking dish on top of the stove. My mouth dropped open when I finally realized that he wasn’t wearing a shirt. I swallowed roughly as my eyes glided over the smooth tanned skin of his back.

  He closed the oven door and turned abruptly. My eyes, which had been glued to his back, were now on his chest. They dipped lower, taking in every inch of his tight abs. My mouth started to water, and I knew it wasn’t because of the smell anymore.

  He cleared his throat, and my eyes shot up to his face. With a smirk on his face, he knew exactly what I had been looking at.

  “Hey.”

  “Um…hi,” I said, shaking my head to clear it. I couldn’t believe I’d just checked out my roommate again. I was insane.

  “Hungry? I made lasagna,” Reid said.

  I raised an eyebrow. “You cook?”

  “Yeah. I don’t do it that often. It’s easier to just order in.”

  I smiled, hoping that my embarrassment over ogling him wasn’t evident. “I’ll try it. Hopefully, it doesn’t kill me. I’m not sure if I trust you in the kitchen.”

  He grinned at me. “Have a little faith, would ya? Sit down, and I’ll bring you some.”

  I dutifully sat down at the table and tried not to watch him as he cut two large chunks out and put them on plates. He grabbed a couple of sodas out of the fridge and put them down on the table before grabbing two forks and our plates.

  “Try it, and tell me what you think,” he said as he sat down across from me.

  I cautiously raised my fork and took a bite. My eyes widened in amazement as my taste buds exploded into song and dance.

  “Bloody hell, this is incredible!” I said before shoving another bite into my mouth.

  Reid laughed. “I told you I could cook. My mom taught me.”

  “Color me impressed.” I continued to eat. “I wish I could cook like this. I can’t even properly boil water.”

  “It’s not that hard, honestly. I could teach you if you want.”

  I gazed at him from across the table. “Really?”

  “Sure. I mean, I won’t be able to make you into a famous chef or some shit like that, but I can teach you how to make a few things. Eating take-out all the time isn’t healthy.”

  “That would be awesome! Do you bake as well? I’ve always wanted to make a cake.”

  He grinned. “My baking isn’t as good as my cooking, but we can try. I’m sure, between the two of us, we can make something half decent.” He paused. “Actually, we should have everything we need here, including icing.”

  I gave him a questioning look.

  He just shrugged. “I like to eat icing straight from the container. Don’t judge me.”

  I giggled like an idiot. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  “You free the rest of the night?”

  I nodded.

  “Cool
. Once we finish eating, we’ll give it a try.”

  “Uh…okay,” I said, surprised that he wouldn’t be working again. “I’m not going to make you miss out on any other plans, am I?”

  He shook his head. “Nah, I’m off tonight. I was going to hang out on the couch and watch TV. Watching you fuck up a cake will be much more entertaining.”

  I stuck my tongue out at him. “Arse.”

  “You’re in America now, sweetheart. It’s ass.”

  I shrugged. “Same difference.”

  We ate in companionable silence after that. I kept peeking through my eyelashes at Reid, unable to stop myself. Dear Lord, the man was beautiful—all tight abs, bronzed skin, and chiseled features. He was an exact match of what I’d pictured an American heartthrob to look like.

  I almost smacked myself when I realized that I had developed a tiny crush on my roommate. I was a fool if I thought it would go anywhere. Reid was so far out of my league that it wasn’t even funny. Add in the fact that I could never tell him, or anyone, about my past, and it was a done deal. Maybe years down the road, if my past never caught up with me, I could start to look for a boyfriend. I wouldn’t dare bring anyone else into my fucked-up life.

  “Let’s get this cleaned up, and then we’ll start,” Reid said as he grabbed his empty plate and stood.

  We put our plates in the dishwasher along with the mess he’d made while making dinner.

  Once the kitchen was clean again, Reid pulled out his phone. “It says here that we need flour, sugar, shortening, milk, baking powder, salt, vanilla extract, and eggs. That seems simple enough,” Reid said before tossing his phone on the counter.

  I helped him gather the ingredients and a couple of bowls to mix everything in.

  I couldn’t help but feel the tiniest bit of excitement. I was going to bake a cake! I’d never done anything so…mundane before. It was silly to feel so giddy, but I couldn’t push it away.

  “All right, so…” Reid picked his phone back up. “We need to preheat the oven to three hundred and fifty degrees.”

  I walked over to the oven and pushed the buttons to preheat it.

  “And grease a baking pan with the shortening and sprinkle on some flour.”

  I watched as Reid put the shortening in and coated every inch of the inside. He put a little flour in and moved the dish around until the flour coated all of it.

  “This seems pretty easy,” I said.

  He set the pan back down. “Yeah, I don’t think it’ll be that hard.” He picked up his phone again. “Okay, grab a bowl and add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Then, set it aside.”

  I did as he’d said, careful to make sure to measure everything out exactly. “Okay. Now, what?”

  I followed every direction Reid gave me, a smile on my lips the entire time. I messed up a few times on accident, but Reid quickly corrected me. Once everything was mixed, I carefully poured the batter into the baking dish.

  I smiled as I stared down at it. My very first cake.

  Reid picked up the pan and put it in the oven. I watched as he set the timer on the stove and closed the oven door.

  “I told you it would be easy.”

  “We haven’t tried it yet. It might taste bad,” I said.

  He rolled his eyes. “Doubtful. We followed the directions exactly.”

  “I guess we should probably get this mess cleaned up,” I said as I looked around the kitchen.

  Eggshells, flour, sugar, and even some milk covered the countertop where we’d worked. I grabbed a bag and tossed what I could inside before wetting a paper towel and catching the rest. Reid cleaned up our utensils and bowls before shoving them into the dishwasher.

  “Hey, this still has some batter in it. You want some?” Reid asked as he hovered in front of the dishwasher. “We can try it to see if it tastes good at least.”

  “You go ahead. I’ll wait until it’s done. Besides, I don’t think you’re supposed to eat raw eggs,” I said, waving him off.

  “Oh, come on. Live a little. There isn’t enough egg in this to kill you.”

  I sighed. “Fine, but just one bite.”

  He grinned as he dipped the spoon into the bowl before scraping some of the batter off the sides. “Here. Open up.”

  My eyes widened a fraction from surprise. Did he expect me to let him spoon-feed me?

  He raised an eyebrow, obviously waiting for me to open my mouth.

  Apparently so.

  I cautiously opened my lips, and he slipped the spoon inside. As he pulled it away, I closed my lips, enjoying the taste of the batter on my tongue. Opening my eyes again, I saw Reid’s eyes were glued on my lips.

  “You have a really pretty mouth,” he said. A moment later, his eyes widened in surprise. “Wow, that sounded corny as fuck. I can’t believe I just said that.”

  Neither can I. I laughed. “If that’s the best pick-up line you have, we need to work on your skills, my friend.”

  The skin above his cheekbones turned a light pink. Another giggle escaped me as I realized that Reid was blushing.

  “I have plenty of skills in that department, but thanks for your concern,” he said sarcastically. He shoved the bowl into the dishwasher and closed the door.

  I had no doubt that the man in front of me had more skills than I could possibly fathom.

  An hour later, Reid carefully removed the cake from the oven. I smiled when I saw just how perfect it looked. Baking a cake was definitely a success.

  “We did it!” I said as I did a little dance in the middle of the kitchen. I didn’t even care if I looked ridiculous. I was far too excited to hold it in.

  “I told you it was easy,” Reid said before laughing at me.

  “Saying it’s easy and actually doing it are two different things,” I pointed out, “especially for someone like me, who’s never been in the kitchen.”

  He gave me a disbelieving look. “I’m sure you’ve been in the kitchen before.”

  I shook my head. “Nope, not even once.”

  “Your mom didn’t teach you how to cook?” he asked, completely shocked.

  I looked away, sadness filling me. “My mom died when I was little. We had cooks and maids, but they never asked if I wanted to learn.”

  He ran his hand across the back of his neck, looking ashamed. “Oh, wow. I’m sorry, Bree. I didn’t mean to—”

  “No,” I cut him off, not wanting him to feel bad. “It’s okay. You didn’t know. Besides, it’s not like I knew her or anything. She died when I was four. You can’t miss what you don’t remember. I mean, I have some memories of her, but over the years, they’ve disappeared.”

  “That’s not true,” Reid said quietly. “My dad took off on us when I was little. I don’t remember him, but I do remember missing him when I was younger.”

  I shrugged. “My dad wasn’t much of a parent, and I’m sure my mom wouldn’t have been either, so I try not to think about what could have been.”

  He stared at me for a moment. “You lost your mother when you were young. You can take down grown men with your bare hands. You don’t speak kindly about your father. You grew up with maids taking care of you. And you came all the way to America with no plan in mind. Something tells me you didn’t have the best childhood, did you?”

  I shifted uncomfortably. Reid wasn’t supposed to ask me about my past. He wasn’t supposed to get this close to me.

  He seemed to notice my discomfort. “Hey, I’m not trying to pry. I know what it’s like to have a shit childhood. I grew up with more than one piece-of-shit stepdad, so don’t think I’m just fishing.”

  I gave him a weak smile. “My childhood was different from most. My father was…protective of me. I grew up with only one other child—my best friend, Wesley. I was sheltered and desperate to escape my father’s control.”

  He nodded. “I can understand that. I took off from home when I was eighteen. I haven’t looked back since.”

  “It looks like we’re both trying to escape from ou
r pasts, doesn’t it?” I asked.

  “I guess so,” Reid said. “So…can I ask you a question?”

  “Uh, sure,” I said nervously.

  “You said you were sheltered. I take it, you’ve never really been out to clubs or anything like that?”

  I shook my head. It was laughable to think of my father letting me out of the house if I wasn’t on assignment, let alone going out to a club. He would’ve broken my legs first.

  Reid grinned. “Then, I guess I need to take you out one evening when I’m not working. I can show you what the nightlife is really like.”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” I said, suddenly nervous. I couldn’t imagine myself going out with Reid to party.

  Wait—is Reid asking me out? I sucked in a sharp breath. No, he can’t be. It was silly to think of Reid asking me out on a date.

  “Come on, it’ll be fun.” Reid winked at me. “I won’t take no for an answer.”

  “I don’t really…go out,” I said lamely.

  “So, we’ll have to change that. I’m off next Monday. I want you dressed up and ready to go out by eight,” Reid said.

  “Fine,” I conceded. “I’ll go, but I won’t stay out for long.”

  “You’ll have a blast. I promise.”

  We stood in silence for a moment before I cleared my throat. “I’m going to go, uh…put my bags in my room. I’ll come back out in a bit to ice the cake.”

  “All right. But don’t think I’m going to let you weasel your way out of our plans,” Reid called as I disappeared into the living room.

  “Wouldn’t dream of it,” I called back, already plotting on how I could get out of it.

  I didn’t get out of it. I’d tried multiple times, but Reid would just shake his head and then ignore me every time I’d tried to push a pitiful excuse on him. I’d even tried to use the excuse that I didn’t have anything to wear, which I didn’t. The clothes I’d purchased at the mall weren’t suitable for clubbing unless I planned to go out in jeans and tank tops.