Sexcapades

by Christine d'Abo

  “I never said...” He closed his eyes. “Shit, yes I did.”

  Petra had checked her voice mail messages after Darcy had left last night. There’d been two from two separate sponsors who’d said they’d be willing to up their advertisement dollars if she actually won the category award. If she snagged the grand prize, they’d sign three-year contracts with her. On top of that, she’d have more visibility and more potential clients. But that would happen only if she won.

  “Pet, I can’t withdraw. Not when Danny needs this.”

  She couldn’t expect him to choose her over his brother. But there was a large part of her that wanted him to. A part of her that thought there might be a chance for something more to grow between them.

  “Yeah, I get that. I guess this means we’re back to being frenemies.” Getting to her feet, she ignored the pained expression on his face. “Thanks for the muffin.”

  “We still need to meet with the awards committee this afternoon.”

  Shit, she was going to have to hold things together a bit longer, then. “Fine. I’ll meet you there.”

  “Petra—”

  “It’s fine. Really. We’ll talk to the committee and let them know what happened. We’ll be honest about everything. That should be enough to satisfy them and ensure that both my sponsors and your brother are happy.”

  Without another look, she fled from the coffee shop.

  Chapter Ten

  Okay boys, if you want any chance at making a move on the ladies, make sure you have at least three tricks you can use in the bedroom. You need to keep them satisfied.

  —D. Williams, Mantastic — advice for REAL men

  Only three? Can’t say I’m shocked. Personally, I want a man who can surprise me with his inventiveness in the bedroom. Three? Pff...is that as high as you can count, Williams?

  —PC, Sexcapades — sex advice for women

  Petra was already waiting when he arrived at the rented office on Bloor Street. The committee had set up shop in a former H&R Block space and hadn’t bothered to paint over the green-and-white walls.

  After their abrupt conversation at the coffee shop, he’d sat there for a long time. When Petra’s friend Alice arrived and saw him, he’d seen it as a chance to get some insight into the woman who’d captured his attention so soundly.

  But talking to Alice and learning that Petra’s entire income was derived from Sexcapades, he also learned that the creation of the site came as a direct result of a bad breakup and years of having her self-esteem beaten down, which only served to make him feel like more of a dick.

  “Hey.” He wanted to take the seat beside her but wasn’t sure if she wanted to be within touching distance. “They know you’re here?”

  “Yes. The whole administration committee is apparently meeting. The receptionist said she’d come get me the moment they were free.”

  He really hated this. It was one thing to be caught between a rock and a hard place, but this was the future of two people he cared about. Darcy would never forgive himself if he screwed up Danny’s chance at his dream job. His baby brother had dealt with enough shit over the past few years.

  But now that he’d met Petra, spoken with Alice and learned a little bit more about the sexy woman who had faltering confidence with men outside of online conversations, he couldn’t hurt her either.

  “You might as well sit down.” She patted the plastic seat beside her. “I suspect they’re going to be a little while.”

  Taking a moment to look her over, Darcy wasn’t surprised to see that Petra had chosen to dress as herself rather than PC. Her jeans were clean and hugged her thighs and hips. Her shirt wasn’t quite her normal tank top, but only a tiny bit fancier. She’d managed to tame her mass of curls into a bun, though several strands had escaped.

  How could anyone who looked at her not think she was the sexiest creature alive?

  “You’re staring, Williams.”

  “Sorry.” Slipping into the seat, he rested his ankle on his opposite knee. “Come around here often?”

  “Only when invited by ignorant Neanderthals.” Her deadpan expression slipped when she smirked. “Jerk.”

  “I totally am. A sexy jerk though.”

  “More jerk than sexy.”

  “No way. I’m more sexy than jerk.”

  Someone cleared their throat, pulling Darcy’s attention away from where he wanted it most. A man they hadn’t met stood there, hands on his hips and his gaze bouncing between them.

  “Let me guess. Petra Clark and Darcy Williams.”

  “Got it in one.” Darcy got to his feet and held out his hand. “I’m sorry we haven’t met.”

  “Chris Masters. I’m the chairman of the committee.” He gave Darcy a quick shake. “I’m not surprised to see the two of you here.”

  “Oh?” Darcy looked over at Petra as she moved to stand beside him. “We only made the decision this morning. We wanted to clear the air with the committee and let you all know the truth.”

  Chris cringed. “While that’s appreciated, it might be a bit late.”

  “What do you mean?” Petra’s voice rose. “We haven’t done anything wrong.”

  “Let’s go into the conference room and we can discuss this.”

  He could feel Petra’s panic as if it were his own. He draped his arm around her shoulders, relieved when she didn’t pull away from him.

  There were three other people sitting around the table when they entered the conference room. He immediately recognized Malcolm Robins, but the other two, both women, weren’t familiar to him.

  “Mr. Williams, Miss Clark, this is Sharon and Emily, our VP and secretary of our committee. I believe you already know Malcolm.”

  The woman, Emily, glared from under a set of black-rimmed glasses. “The two of you should be ashamed of yourselves.”

  “Emily, we discussed this. Mr. Williams and Miss Clark have the right to plead their case. The fact that they came in on their own means we can hopefully get things resolved quickly. We need to keep an open mind.” Chris took his seat between the two women and gestured for Darcy and Petra to sit as well. “So here is your opportunity. Please tell us what the hell is going on.”

  Before Darcy had the chance, Petra spoke up and started the story from the beginning. She left out some of the details, and as she spoke, Darcy was able to gauge the reactions of the people judging them. Robins was still annoyed, but seemed to accept what Petra said at face value. Chris wasn’t passing judgment yet, actually listening to their case. Emily had already convicted them of whatever crimes she could manage. He couldn’t get a read on Sharon though, which was odd.

  “We honestly never met each other before the competition.” Petra sounded on the verge of tears.

  Darcy wanted nothing more than to take her hand and give her a squeeze for support. “Not exactly true. I started Mantastic after hearing her talk about Sexcapades in the coffee shop. At the time I had no idea she was PC. I figured she was a fan of the site. Nor did we have a relationship before then.”

  Chris looked over at Robins and chuckled. “I guess I owe you a beer.”

  “I told you, there was no way that bickering was faked. Too much sexual tension and sniping to be anything but real.”

  “It doesn’t matter if it’s real or fake.” Sharon picked up the newspaper that had been in front of her and tossed it over to Darcy. “It seems your little fight caught the attention of the media.”

  Far from being front page news, “Unexpected Confrontation between Sex Advice Bloggers” still made the Toronto Daily Gleaner entertainment section. Scanning the article quickly, it didn’t take Darcy long to figure out what the problem was. “They’re claiming the awards are rigged?”

  Petra snatched the paper from him. “That’s bullshit.”

  “It gets better.” Chris looked at the others before continuing. “I got a phone call this morning from the same reporter who ran that article, Justin Cox. He’s looking for information on both of you. He called
into question our vetting process and wanted to know our procedures for background checks on the contestants. I informed him that nowhere in our rules does it state that fraternization is prohibited. But he seems to be looking for a reason to go after you.”

  “He’s also asked if we would disqualify both of your sites if information comes forward proving that you are not who you claim to be.”

  The pit of Darcy’s stomach soured. Shit, he knew where this was going and there was no way in hell he’d be able to do what they were asking. “He wanted you to provide my credentials?”

  “I told him no.” Chris leaned forward, his hands clasped together on the table. “Look, I personally don’t care if you claim to be the King of England online. If it’s part of your online persona, then fine. The problem is that this reporter—” Chris picked up the paper, “—is saying that if you are a practicing psychologist then there are ethical issues.”

  “There aren’t.” God, what kind of man did they take him for? Probably the ignorant Neanderthal Petra always accused him of being.

  “We know that. We checked before we approved the nomination of your site.”

  “I’d never do anything to put my patients in danger.”

  Chris nodded. “No one is saying you did. And for the record, we don’t care if you two are dating or not.”

  “I have to admit though, I’m curious.” There was a sharp bite to Sharon’s voice, one that Darcy took exception to. “Do your clients know that you are also dishing out sex advice online?”

  “No, they don’t. I started Mantastic as a way for me to disengage from the work I do on a daily basis. It’s supposed to be fun, and with any luck, I’m able to help people see a different side of things.”

  “I don’t think your female patients would appreciate learning that their psychologist feels that—” Sharon picked up another piece of paper, “—all a woman needs is a man who knows how to use his cock to make her feel like a million bucks.” She looked up at Darcy and this time there was no mistaking her disgust. “I know I certainly wouldn’t.”

  There were so many reasons why he would have posted something like that. Some retort to a quip made by the mysterious PC that had gotten under his skin. But taken out of context and read back to him that way...shit, Darcy wasn’t sure he liked himself very much.

  “Excuse me, do you happen to have the whole post that line belongs to?”

  Darcy turned, surprised that Petra had spoken at all. The committee only seemed interested in him and certainly the reporter wasn’t picking on Petra or Sexcapades. Still, when Sharon passed the paper over to Petra, he started when she began to chuckle. “Yes, I thought this was that particular exchange.”

  Frowning, he took the paper when she handed it over to him. “Which?”

  “Remember my post on women using porn? It was about five months ago.”

  How could he forget that. “If I remember correctly, you claimed that if a man didn’t know how to satisfy a woman in bed, she shouldn’t be afraid to get some porn videos and use them as instructions.”

  Petra’s blush was cute, and totally at odds with the sparkle in her eyes. “You came back and said that for the first time in a while, we actually agreed on something. Porn can improve a guy’s game, but he shouldn’t try to emulate what he saw. He’d throw his back out.”

  God, he really wanted to kiss her right now. “And then you complained that men wouldn’t learn anything if they didn’t at least try. They should expect women to do the same.”

  “I think a few of your followers jumped in there with off-color comments. One of them said all a woman needs is to listen to her man if she wants to be happy. You came back and said, ‘All a woman needs is a man who knows how to use his cock to make her feel like a million bucks. That, and a man who respects her.’” Petra finally turned her attention away from Darcy and back to the committee. “I see that they conveniently left that line out.”

  Chris was smirking when Darcy looked back his way. Shit, they’d done it again. “Honest to God, we don’t plan this stuff ahead of time.”

  “I can see that.” Looking at the other committee members, Chris nodded. “We’ll need to discuss things, but I don’t want either of you to worry. You’ve done nothing wrong as far as this competition is concerned. We’ll come up with an official statement for the press, and no, Mr. Williams, I won’t reveal your personal information or anything about your day job.”

  “Thank you.” Darcy’s relief was palpable. “I appreciate that.”

  Everyone stood except for Petra. Chris looked at her and frowned. “Miss Clark?”

  “I have one last question.” Her gaze slipped to her hands where she was holding her cell phone. “You mentioned privacy. I assume you don’t share any of the information from the application forms with anyone?”

  “Of course not.” Emily crossed her arms. “I handled all of the information myself. The electronic form feeds directly into our database and only committee members and a few key stakeholders have access to that. Why?”

  Petra set her phone on the table. She looked rather pale.

  Darcy slid his hand across her shoulder. “Pet?”

  “I should have told you this sooner. I’ve gotten two phone calls from someone on my cell phone. Only friends, family and the committee have this number.”

  Robins walked around the table and sat on the edge beside her. “What did they say?”

  “The first time he simply asked if I was PC. I hung up on him before the conversation went too far. This morning I was showering, so I didn’t hear my cell ring. When I got out I found this voice mail. I only checked it this afternoon.”

  The last thing Darcy wanted was for her to play that message. He wasn’t sure how, but he knew nothing good would come of it. Still, when she opened her voice mail and pressed play, he couldn’t stop his anger from swelling.

  “Hello, PC.” There was something odd about the man’s voice. Not exactly modified, but not quite normal. “I see you and your fuck buddy made quite the impression last night. Don’t think that I didn’t see the two of you leave together. Did you take him home to suck his dick? I bet you like it when he fucks you hard. A girl like you needs a real man, not that fake shrink you’re with.”

  No one around the table moved for several seconds after the man hung up. Petra finally reached over and pressed the end button. “I called the police, but they said there isn’t anything they can do yet. They suggested I get my number changed.”

  “A wise idea.” Chris dragged his hand down his face. “This isn’t supposed to happen. It’s just a website competition.”

  “Both money and publicity are involved. That makes people do strange things.” Darcy got to his feet and held out his hand for Petra. “I’m going to take her home, unless you need us for anything else.”

  Emily cleared her throat. “No. And I’ll check the database to find out if anyone accessed your file, Miss Clark. We’ll be able to see if someone inside our organization has been snooping.”

  As Darcy stepped outside with Petra, the sunshine was bright and the heat had increased to the point that he instantly started to sweat.

  “Darcy, you’re clinging.”

  Looking down, he realized he hadn’t let go of Petra’s waist and there was next to no space between them. He was clinging to her, though given what he’d just heard, it wasn’t completely surprising.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go back to your condo alone.” He was on vacation, giving him a certain amount of freedom he normally wouldn’t have in this type of situation. “Come back to my place.”

  Petra looked up at him with those wide brown eyes. “What?”

  It was an impulsive request, but the more he thought about it, the better it felt. “I have a fridge full of food and beer, and lots of coffee. We can figure out what you want to do next.”

  “Your place?”

  “It’s clean, I swear.” The appeal of seeing Petra in his condo was so strong there was n
o way he could vocalize it without sounding every bit as much the stalker as her caller. “I’ll make you something to eat and you can call Alice to let her know where you are. I’m sure she’ll be worried about you. I would be.”

  Sagging against him, she nodded. “Okay.”

  “My car is this way.”

  She probably wasn’t up for anything other than simple conversation and a meal, but the thought of having her in his place, close to his bed... No, he was going to have to behave himself.

  “It means a lot. Your offering this.” Petra stopped, turned and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Thanks.”

  Darcy mumbled his response and spent the rest of the walk to the car fighting off his erection. He was bringing a frightened woman into his home while he had nothing but smut-filled fantasies running through his head.

  Who was he kidding? There was no way he’d be able to keep his hands off her.

  Idiot.

  Chapter Eleven

  I know I normally preach the opposite, but sometimes it’s nice to be the damsel in distress. If he thinks you’re worth fighting for, then he’s a keeper.

  —PC, Sexcapades — sex advice for women

  Or he’s simply trying to get into your pants.

  —D. Williams, Mantastic — advice for REAL men

  Petra was tired of surprises. The first had been that less-than-impressive voice mail. Then there’d been the realization that Darcy really was a practicing psychologist. Sure, she’d suspected, but the whole thing hadn’t really hit her until he’d started to come under fire. Getting into his Audi was almost enough to push her over the edge.

  So as she stepped into his condo, Petra was about to snap. Nothing was computing any longer. Darcy wasn’t the ignorant Neanderthal she’s always supposed him to be. So far, the awards events hadn’t done anything for her web hits or ad impressions. And Alice, her best friend in the whole wide world, was mysteriously unable to take her calls.