Third Wheel

by Lynn Burke

  I laughed. No clue why, but the sincerity of his offer baffled yet delighted me. “You really want to know?” I asked, angling on the seat to face him better.

  His smile faded. “You need to unload, Jessica, or I’ll never get you to enjoy this evening like you should. Rant. Rail on me. Take out the aggression leashed inside of you.”

  My gaze narrowed. “Did Christine put you up to this?”

  “She paid for my time this evening, but that’s it. This is me.” He tapped what had to be hard-as-rock pecs beneath the suit coat. “Reid Sullivan asking a beautiful young woman to unburden her heart. Share her hurt and let someone try to erase it for a few hours.”

  All sense of cold clenching my heart turned to warmth. “It’s a long story,” I said.

  “We’ve got all night.”

  “I’ll probably cry and make a mess of the face Christine painted on me.”

  “I’ll bet you’re even more beautiful without all the makeup.”

  “Stop already.”

  His white teeth flashed brightly in the car’s dim interior, warming the lonely space between my thighs. Killer smile. Enough to make even the most cold-hearted bitch cave to his whims.

  I started at the beginning.

  Chapter Five

  Reid

  She didn’t shed a damn tear for the next forty or so minutes on our way into Boston. Inner strength shone through her like a living force of energy lighting her up from the inside out. I’d never been so damn poetic about a woman in my life, but there was no other way to describe the hot package wrapped up in a clingy black dress beside me.

  Her eyes flashed, brows furrowed, and lips pursed during her painful tale, but when Jessica finally turned her story to the love of her life, Cupid’s bow found me hard and fast. Like a hammer to the thumb, a two-by-four to the head … goddamn, did I reel from the blow. All anger over her asshole ex faded away.

  “Her name is Skye.” Jessica’s face softened. “I call her ‘Mini-Me’ since she looks just like I did at that age.”

  “How old is she?” I asked, curling my hands into fists to keep from touching her skin.

  “Eighteen months. She’s a little spitfire like me, too.” She laughed, her brown eyes sparkling up at me. “Her favorite sentence is, ‘No way!’ which flies out of her mouth at least a dozen times a day.”

  “Outspoken already, huh?”

  “Mini-Me.” Jessica laughed again, and staring into her face, I decided I wouldn’t mind hearing that sound every day for the rest of my life.

  But, I sucked at relationships, and Jessica didn’t need her heart broken more than it already had been.

  “She’s my reason for living—the only one. After Devon…” Another flash of hurt filled her eyes, stirring up my anger again.

  “Asshole.” I hadn’t meant to voice my opinion.

  Light laughter brought the sparkle back to her eyes. “More mild a name than he deserves, that’s for sure. I shouldn’t allow the wounds he’s caused inside of me to control my future, but it’s impossible for me to trust anyone.”

  I couldn’t help myself—I tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “Deep hurt is hard to get past. Even when you think you’re good to go, a simple circumstance can pick at the not-so-healed scab.”

  She peered at me. “You’ve been hurt?”

  Shrugging, I considered my words—and the knife-like action in my gut over memories I’d tried to move past. “Not nearly as bad as you, but I’ve been engaged twice. I was also the one to end both relationships, but that didn’t keep me from experiencing pain.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Goddamn, did I want to drown in her whiskey-colored eyes. The limo slowed, and I cleared my throat. “Hungry?”

  “Yes.” Her smile reappeared. “Actually, I am.”

  I laced my fingers through hers and squeezed. “Then let’s go take advantage of Elite’s tab and toast to your night out.”

  ****

  “Can I ask you a personal question?”

  My brow rose. Unlike my usual clients, Jessica seemed to want to chat the night away—and not just about her. She’d already learned the names of my three sisters and all six nieces and nephews. “Pretty sure I’ve told you all there is to know about me,” I said and swallowed down the last of the second bottle of champagne we’d enjoyed over our three-hour dinner in the hushed restaurant.

  She propped her elbow on the small, round table between us and rested her chin in her palm. “Why did you become an escort?”

  I chuckled, and she laughed with me. “Because I’m an excellent third wheel.”

  “Third wheel?”

  “Threesomes.”

  “Oh.” Her eyes widened a heartbeat later and she sat back. “Oh.”

  “It was my best friend’s idea, really.”

  “Your day job boss, right?”

  “Blake. Yeah.”

  “So.” She cleared her throat. “Have you … you know … joined him and his girlfriend?”

  “A few times, yes.”

  “Oh.”

  I studied her face as her smile faded and she glanced away toward the empty tables around us.

  “You’re a professional third wheel.”

  A twinge of unease twisted in my stomach, but I couldn’t figure out why. “Yes.”

  “But you also do one-on-one for Elite, too?”

  “No.”

  Jessica turned to face me, a line appearing between her arched eyebrows. “No?”

  “You’re my first.”

  She sucked in one side of her cheek as though chewing on the soft flesh inside. “Do you have any choice in the matter when Elite schedules a client?”

  “I do.”

  Silence hovered again as she stared at me, soft instrumental music sounding from somewhere overhead. I fought not to shift in my chair as I waited for her to get to her point.

  “So why me?”

  “Why you, what?”

  “Why did you agree to this?” she asked, motioning between us with a hand.

  I leaned forward, holding her gaze. “Because of the haunted hurt eyes on your profile picture. I needed to see happiness. Satisfaction.”

  Her lips parted as she sucked in a breath, her pupils dilating.

  I had decided to keep sex off the agenda for the night—unless she suggested or hinted at the desire for more than a friendly night on the town. Up to that point, I’d done a damn good job of keeping my thoughts about what I wanted to do to her and those lush curves to myself.

  My cock twitched at the obvious arousal in her eyes, and I slid my gaze down over her chest, watching hard nubs appear beneath the clingy fabric. I forced my head up, a brow raised in question.

  Pink flushed Jessica’s cheeks as she reached for her champagne. “I’m not going to sleep with you.”

  I couldn’t help my grin. “You want to, though.”

  She shrugged and sipped.

  Deciding to let the issue go, I settled on the next best option. “You have me until morning, Jessica. Is there anything—besides sex—I can do to please you?”

  “A body rub and foot massage.” The words blurted from her lips and the flush on her cheeks deepened.

  “Your wish is my command.” I stood, tossed my napkin onto the table, and held out my hand.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Trust me.” I wiggled my fingertips at her in encouragement.

  She hesitated a few seconds before gathering her purse and accepting my offer.

  I wouldn’t get the chance to be inside of her body, but I sure as hell was going to touch every inch she’d allow.

  Chapter Six

  Jessica

  “Where are we going?” I asked again as Reid led me through the crazy-expensive restaurant and back toward the hotel’s lounge.

  “Upstairs.”

  My heart thudded in my chest, and I was all too aware of the dampness coating my panties. “Upstairs. As in a room.”

  “Yes.”

 
“You don’t need to go through any trouble—”

  “Elite has supplied the room and we have it until morning,” he said, his hand tightening around mine. “A limo will pick us up out front at eight.”

  Christine had said I wouldn’t be back until morning, but I hadn’t expected to really spend the night in a hotel room. “No sex,” I whispered as we approached the main desk.

  “I promise,” he whispered back.

  I chewed on the inside of my cheek as Reid spoke with a young woman behind the desk, signed something, and accepted a card key.

  On unsteady legs, I followed him into the elevator. The doors swished shut behind us, and I swallowed against my sudden nervousness. No sex, no sex, I chanted with each heartbeat. I’m not getting caught up in this too-hot, too-sweet man whore.

  The word twisted my stomach, and I grimaced. He didn’t seem like a whore—not that I would know what a prostitute ought to behave like. I’d expected a suave, full-of-bullshit womanizer who would earn his pay, but Reid seemed open and candid. He hadn’t held back with any answer to the hundred questions I’d thrown at him.

  But why get to know a paid escort, I asked myself not for the first time since we’d sat down to dinner. It was not like I’d be seeing him again. God knew I couldn’t afford even an hour of his time. Just seemed rude to keep all the focus on me. I didn’t like attention, so I’d turned the focus to him whenever possible.

  Reid smiled down at me, his dark eyes full of more than mere friendliness, his panty-melting smile doing its job.

  My panties did a lousy job of containing my body’s immediate reaction. I clenched my thighs together while offering a wobbly smile of my own, images of him crowding me against the elevator door and ravishing my mouth vivid in my mind.

  “You don’t need to be nervous,” he said, his low voice pebbling my nipples.

  “I know that, but my body isn’t in agreement with my head.”

  He chuckled and squeezed my fingers. “So I do turn you on.”

  I huffed and faced the elevator’s opening doors. “A woman would have to be dead to not be turned on by your smile. Those twinkly eyes and carpenter shoulders.”

  Another chuckle and he led me down a long hallway. He paused before a door, slid in the card key, and pushed on the handle. “After you.”

  I stepped past him into a hotel room I’d only seen the likes of in movies and magazines. Leather couches, huge windows overlooking Boston’s downtown… I moved across the sunken sitting area, soaking in the dark skyline and glittering lights as Reid turned on the dimmers overhead. “What a view.”

  “A hell of one.” His suggestive tone had me glancing over my shoulder. His gaze roamed my backside, and the want in his eyes wobbled my knees. He stalked forward like a lion, keeping me ensnared with his dark eyes.

  I held my breath, unsure of his intent, my body wanting the same thing smoldering in his gaze.

  He stopped short of touching me, and the energy crackled between us. I stared up at him, my entire body thrumming. Trembling beneath the onslaught of his woodsy cologne and sheer presence.

  “Ready for that massage?”

  “W-what?”

  “Massage and foot rub. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

  Took me a few seconds to remember why we’d come up to the room. I managed a dumb nod.

  His slow smile caught my breath, and when he brushed his thumb across my parted lips, a moan escaped between them and my eyelids fluttered shut.

  “I want to kiss you, Jessica. More than you could possibly know, but I won’t. Not unless you ask me to.”

  Nope. No way. Not even one little caress of his mouth.

  “One kiss,” I heard myself whisper.

  Soft, warm lips brushed against mine without hesitation, and I melted against his hard body. Oh. My. God. His sweet breath, the slow and gentle pressure of his full lips…

  It had been so long since I’d been good and truly kissed. Arousal swirled through me like I’d never experienced, settling between my thighs and bringing another moan to my vocal cords. One of his large hands came to rest on my hip as he stepped closer, the heat of his skin burning through the thin dress. He slid his other hand up my neck and tangled it in my hair, gently tugging my head to the side.

  A flick of his tongue against my lip, and my body said “why the hell not?” I opened, and we both groaned as our tongues came together and parted, dancing in time with the thump of my heart.

  He pulled away too damn soon, leaving me panting and heated through. We stared at each other in the dim light, Reid with a slight smile, me a trembling, horny mess.

  “Go into the bedroom and take your clothes off,” he said, stepping back, hands releasing their hold on me. “There are towels in the adjoining bathroom. Wrap one around yourself and get comfy on that big ass bed, belly down.”

  Uh … oh yeah. Massage. Right.

  Unable to find my voice, I nodded and tried to walk away. Damn heels near sent me sprawling on the floor.

  “Here. Let me.” Reid dropped to his knees and lifted one of my feet to unbuckle the black heels Christine had insisted on.

  I grabbed hold of his shoulder to keep from falling over, my gaze locked on the dark head inches away from my throbbing clit. Thoughts of him lifting my dress’s hem with his teeth brought a moan to my throat, but I bit down on the inside of my lip to keep from letting it out.

  His large hand slid up my calf and back down before making short work of the clasp. My foot slid free, and he ran his hand up my other leg, catching my breath.

  Get a grip, Jessica. The barest touch on my skin—hotter than any sex I could remember. My body craved more. One little lick, one little pinch on my clit, and I’d be screaming my release for the world to hear.

  “Go on,” Reid said, standing and stepping back, my heels dangling from his hand.

  With another thoughtless, dumb nod, I managed to make my feet move. I eyed the massive bed while making my way across the bedroom to the open bathroom door. Images of Reid’s ass clenching with each thrust into my writhing body beneath his flashed across my mind.

  “G-good God,” I whispered.

  Hands shaking, I all but ripped off my tight dress and restricting bra, but paused to consider my panties. A full body massage…

  Another few seconds of indecision and I slid the soaked bit of silk down my legs. Just in case he wanted to knead my ass cheeks. And, nothing more than that, I told myself while wrapping a white fluffy towel around me. A peek into the bedroom revealed it empty, so I scooted to the bed, pulled back the comforter and top sheet, and lay face down a little ways from the edge, eyes clenched shut, pulse pounding through every cell of my body.

  Closer than a hair to hyperventilation, I focused on slowing my breathing. Relaxed my muscles as soft instrumental music floated through the closed door.

  “Jessica?” Reid’s low voice raised what little hair I had on my body. “Can I come in?”

  I squeaked a reply but had to clear my throat and try again. “Yes.”

  Yes. Please come … I mean, come in. Touch me. Make me come.

  Chapter Seven

  Reid

  The scent of her arousal slammed into me like a sledge hammer the second I walked into the bedroom. I breathed deep, filling my lungs as water works went to town in my mouth. Swallowing rather than have drool drip down my chin, I strode across the room, my own thumping heart and heavy breathing loud in my ears.

  My gaze ran from her feet, up pale, creamy skin to the towel wrapped around her midsection and hiding the globes of her ass from my starved sight. Her head faced toward me, eyes clenched shut. A shudder rippled down through her as I drew close.

  “Comfortable?” I asked, noting her thighs pressed tightly together.

  “Mmm hmm.”

  Sounded like a hummed yes to me, but she lay like rigor mortis had set in. “Just relax. I’ll take good care of you.”

  I’d left the bedroom door open so the music I’d turned on would help set t
he mood. Elite’s staff had already made the room ready for our arrival. Everything from massage oil to lubes and a handful of toys had been packed into the case I’d rifled through in the living area while Jessica had come into the bedroom to take her clothes off.

  I snapped open the cap of a bottle and dripped oil from the back of her creamy white thighs to her ankles and then onto my palms before recapping and tossing the container on the far side of her stretched-out form. “Cold?” I asked, rubbing my hands together.

  “No,” she whispered.

  With firm but gentle pressure, I began working her left foot, digging my thumbs into her arch.

  “Oh my God, that feels good,” Jessica muttered, the furrow between her brows dissipating, her legs finally relaxing and opening the slightest bit.

  I grinned and continued my ministrations without a word. I ran my hands a little ways up her calf, spreading the droplets of oil kissing her skin. The darkness beneath the towel’s edge called to me. Like a bloodhound on the trail of a hot-blooded meal, I salivated, my cock hardened and ready for sliding into her silky heat.

  With each upward sweep of my hands, I imagined pressing into her pussy. I’d been hard on and off since first picking Jessica up, and the thought of the sexless night ahead had me thinking I’d probably need a little self-massage of my own in the bathroom once I finished with her.

  Over the back of her knee, up to the edge of the towel, I smoothed the oil along her muscles with my thumbs. I rubbed back down a little ways and started upward once more, pushing the towel an inch higher with each pass.

  I checked to make sure her eyes remained closed before dipping my head down to catch a glimpse of her hidden heaven.

  Nothing. Damn.

  A shuddering sigh escaped Jessica’s parted lips as I slid my hands beneath the towel and worked her upper thigh. Deep inhales filled my senses with the musky scent of her arousal, and goddamn, did I want a taste.

  Shifting my stance didn’t help create any more room in my slacks for my hard-as-rock cock straining against the fabric. Kneeling one knee on the bed’s edge didn’t help either, but it made reaching for her opposite thigh more comfortable. I started at the top of her right leg, fingers so damn close to her pussy that her hips lifted the slightest bit with every upward rub of the base of my palms.