“By all means keep rolling your eyes in the back of your head, Bradwick, maybe you’ll find your brain back there!” I snapped. The waiter snorted and spun away. Matt covered a laugh with a cough.
“What?” I asked feeling my temper start to rise. Dammit, why couldn’t I keep myself in check around this man?
Covering his mouth with one of his gorgeously smooth hands, he smiled at me. Wow! It was the first unplanned, completely genuine smile he’d given me since we had met, and it was dangerously sexy. Shutting my legs against a very uncomfortable throbbing, I looked back down at the over priced meal options.
“I just thought that you are nothing like I thought you were Ms. Daize,” he chuckled as he looked over his menu.
I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad so I decided to ask. “What exactly did you think I was like?”
Matt put his menu down on the table and leaned in as if he were about to whisper a secret, instinctively I leaned in too. “I thought you were a skittish, shy, woman who was scared of everything,” he whispered. Funny, that was what I was like most of the time. Well, except around serial killers, snotty waiters, and animal abusers.
“So who do you think I am now?” I shouldn’t have asked, but my curiosity was killing me. Giving me a serious stare he crooked his finger for me to lean in closer, doing so put me one breath away from his full lips, so close I could smell his cologne, and he smelled damn good!
“I think you like to hide from people,” he said bluntly. I reared back. Wow, don’t hold back asshole, just tell it like it is! Apparently, not finished he motioned me closer. Glutton for punishment that I was, I leaned in again.
“You try to blend in and not be noticed, but I believe that you're as smart as you are beautiful. You fight to control your temper and your mouth but more often than not, fail miserably,” Matt whispered, his mouth so close I could smell the mint from the toothpaste he must have used earlier that day.
“Is..is that all?” I asked unable to look away from the green eyes with the slightest tinge of gold. He shook his head, and I waited almost in a trance, anticipating what would come out of that beautiful mouth.
Matt took one finger and placed it under my chin and tilted my head back, he started moving towards me. In seconds I knew his mouth would touch mine, and I was shocked at how much I wanted it to.
“Here you are sir…our finest white and red wines, two glasses,” Bradwick, the waiter from hell announced breaking the spell I’d been under.
Embarrassed, I quickly sat back in the booth, my back pressed as far back against the soft leather as I could go. I snuck one glance at Matt as the waiter placed the glasses on the table and began to open the bottles of wine. He was just staring, looking at me like he was as surprised as I was that he had been about to kiss me. I shook my head against such a crazy idea, why would kissing me be such a shock to him? After all, wasn’t it his job to kiss women? Yeah, like it’s yours to get the damn interview! What are you doing Ali? You know this can’t go anywhere! The man is toying with you, he’s supposed to seduce you, and you’re falling for it! Be serious! He’s a level 15 hottie, and you're a plain Jane, he could have anybody. Just imagine the devastation you’ll feel when he runs screaming from the bedroom after seeing the body under these clothes.
The sobering pep talk did its job, and I decided it was best to stay away from any lingering looks, hand holding and anything else that would lead to me craving something I would never have.
“So Matt, is that your real name or do you use fake names like your clients?” I asked pulling out my recorder. I was glad I had managed to remember it before we’d left and had slipped it into my clutch. I usually recorded the interview then typed up the notes for Taylor.
Something flashed across his face, but it was gone almost as quickly, then I watched the mask come back and once again the smile that didn’t reach his eyes spanned his lips.
“Matt is my real name actually, but Wolf is not. It can be inconvenient to have clients that track me down and show up at my house,” he explained in a calm even tone. He pushed a glass of white wine towards me and pulled a glass of the red towards himself.
I pushed the wine to one side, although I loved a good white wine. I had no idea how he had guessed I would choose the white over red. However, there was no way I was partaking in him spending a hundred dollars a bottle for aged grapes.
“Do clients get the wrong idea often?” I asked. Although, I could imagine many women wanting more of Matt than just a few hours. Hell, I was probably one of them. Without looking up, I grabbed my clutch and pulled out my pills. I had taken one while I was getting dressed but walking in these heels was causing the muscles in my leg to tighten. I hated taking the muscle relaxer but if I didn’t, I’d be limping and then crawling before I even made it to the elevator after dinner. Breaking the small pill in half, mainly because I didn’t want to be drowsy or loopy, I popped it my mouth and reached for my water glass. As fast as a cobra Matt grabbed the pill bottle out of my hands. I choked on the water, I had just drunk to swallow the pill.
“Are you in pain?” He asked, concern filling his features. He looked down to read the label, and I practically lunged over the table and grabbed the bottle back. Of course, I knocked over the wine bottle in my quest to retrieve my pills, but Matt quickly grabbed the bottle before it hit the floor and set it back on the white linen tablecloth.
Not wanting to answer his question, I ignored his irritated glare as I ordered the cheapest dish I could find on the snobby menu and then waited as he ordered some lobster dish, that I was positive cost more than cell phone bill.
“So, Matt, what made you decide to be an escort? The money? The allure of women wanting you? What?” I asked, diving back into the interview like his question about my pills had never even happened.
Apparently, I wasn’t as smooth as I’d thought. Cocking his head to the side, he stared at me and then answered, “The money is nice but a non-issue, it’s not my only stream of income. Of course, I like women wanting me, who doesn’t want to be wanted? Mainly, it was the idea that I could give something to a woman that she’d never had before. I could be her ultimate fantasy, her wet dream. I like being the one who can make a woman cum so many times that she can’t lift her head off the pillow after I’m done with her,” he smirked when he realized I was literally hanging on every word, “so are you in a lot of pain?”
I was so caught up in what he’d said that I answered without thinking, “Some days are better than others, it doesn’t always hurt unless my leg buckles when I have a spasm…that hurts a lot, but I’ve come to accept the pain and the stares that come from limping and random face planting.” The words were out before I could stop them and I quickly dug into the chicken salad I had ordered, not wanting to see any kind of pity on Matt’s face.
“Alison,” he whispered gently, and my eyes shot up to his at the sound my of real name falling from his lips. He read the pill bottle. Clever man! Doesn’t matter, using each other’s real names doesn’t change a thing, I’m gone come midnight anyways.
“So, you mentioned that it was against the rules to use real names, your rules or the agency,” I asked him ignoring the question in his eyes. There was no way we were going to talk about me, my past or anything else remotely related to me.
Throwing me a look that told me he knew exactly what I was trying to do, he set back and took a long drink of his wine. “My rules. It’s important to maintain a level of distance with a client or lines get…blurred,” he stated stiffly.
“Have you ever had a client blur the lines, have you ever wanted to?” I don’t know why I asked the second question, it wasn’t on my list but for some reason I wanted to know. Did Matt ever mix business with pleasure? Surely, some of his clients must have wanted more than just a business arrangement?
A weird expression crossed his face before that damn mask of his slipped back into place. What I wouldn’t give to see that mask gone, to see that genuine smile that I had gotten
a small glimpse of earlier.
“The rules are there to protect both the client and myself. I never lead a woman on, I make sure they enjoy my time with me, but I am very clear that outside the business side of our arrangement, we are nothing more than strangers,” he answered, his voice was hard, and it made me feel sort of sad for him.
“Sounds lonely,” I replied. His green eyes flashed to mine, and I looked down at my plate.
“Lonely? I have women who would give me anything I ask for, my bed is warm anytime I want it to be, and I am the object of my clients every desire, lonely is not an issue,” he scoffed as if I was an idiot for even thinking such a stupid thing.
Irritated I shot back, “Really? It sounds like the epitome of loneliness! Rules that are meant to keep a distance between you and everyone else. Making sure you are every woman's’ ultimate desire, delivering their fantasies to them without anyone getting to do the same for you in return. It seems cold and one-sided, and I’m imaging after they leave your bed, put the money on the nightstand and go about their daily lives, that bed gets pretty cold and really fucking lonely!”
Matt was gripping the stem of his wine glass so tightly I was surprised it hadn’t cracked. His handsome face flushed red and tension vibrated through our small booth. Okay, sexy man isn’t made of stone after all!
I really should have hung my head, I should’ve avoided eye contact and refused to poke the bear. But dammit, a part of me wanted to see his controlled demeanor crack, I wanted to see him be human instead of some stoic, Ken doll going through the motions.
Nope, I made sure my dark eyes bore right into his. I lifted my chin up and dared him to deny what I already knew was true. Screw the interview questions, this man had spent the evening shaking me to my core, it was his turn to be off balance.
“So tell me, Matt, what are your desires? Or are you really going to feed me some practiced line about how your joy comes from bringing joy to others or some bullshit like that?” I smirked, not because I should’ve but because I just couldn’t help needling this man.
In a flash, Matt was up, rounded the table and slid so fast into the booth next to me, that I had to push myself to the side of the booth that was next to the wall to make room. Only Matt didn’t stop coming, I caught the determined glint in his eyes and realized I may have poked the bear a just a tad too hard.
One hand braced on the wall behind my head, and the other was folded on the table in front of me, trapping me between the wall, the table, and his body. I could tell he was pissed, his green eyes went just a shade darker, and his smile was not a sarcastic smirk, his breath hitched just a little, and his left eye twitched just a bit.
“Do you really want to know what my deepest fantasies are Alison?” he hissed in my ear, his hot breath caused me to shiver, and I braced one hand against his chest and pushed.
The man didn’t budge! “I’m just asking questions, Matt, for the interview remember?” I reminded him as his face pushed closer to mine. If I tilted my head just a little I could press my lips to his. Whoa! Whoa! There will be no head tilting! There will be no lip pressing, get a grip, Alison! This can’t go anywhere except a one way trip to humiliation!
“Okay Alison, let’s get real for a moment,” he whispered. He took his hand off the table and ran his soft fingers down my cheek and across my collar bone, “my fantasy is to find a woman I can love like my dad loved my mother. He never got bored of her, lived to make her smile and he never once doubted how she felt about him. If I can’t have that kind of love then I’m not interested, I get bored.” He paused to trace my lips, and I tried to press back into the wood but couldn’t back up any further. What? Huh?
“So that’s it? You’re looking for some perfect love story kind of relationship? That’s just stupid Matt,” I told him causing him to rear back like I’d smacked him.
“Love isn’t some fantasy, it’s not a Disney movie where everyone lives happily ever after! Love is painful, joyful, scary, confusing and exciting all at the same time! You can’t just keep your life and your feelings organized into neat little boxes so that you don’t risk getting hurt until some imaginary perfect relationship comes along Matt! You’ll be alone forever!” I whisper yelled, this time using both hands to attempt to push him back so I could have some space.
I didn’t know why Matt was so hung up on a fairytale romance? My father loved my mother with everything he had, and it was still messy and complicated, and I knew you couldn’t have one without the other!
“You don’t know anything about it, my parent’s had the perfect relationship! You’re just some skittish, disabled woman who hides herself from the world, hangs her head and pretends to be quiet and weak when you’re not! You’re a fighter, you have a smart mouth, and you’re beautiful, but you’re so busy playing a victim that you don’t give anyone a chance! So, who are you to tell me that my idea of a perfect relationship is crap?” he spat at me.
Matt
I had never in my life spoken so harshly to another person, let alone a woman. There was something about the way she talked to me, the things she said that made me feel exposed and vulnerable. It was as if she had a window to the places I kept tucked away and didn’t want anybody to see. What I had just said was inexcusable, and I didn’t mean anyone of it. If my mama had been alive, she would’ve knocked me upside the head. I would have deserved it too.
I had never told anyone of my secret wish to find a love like my parents. They had seemed perfect, always smiling, and always hugging. I can’t remember a single time where they raised their voices to each other, and they appeared to live, just make one another happy. Was it wrong to want something so wonderful? I wasn’t stupid, I knew that kind of love was rare so I wasn’t kidding myself by diving headlong into relationships that I knew wouldn’t measure up. Maybe it was cowardly, maybe it did make me keep women at arm's length, but I just wasn’t ready to analyze that right now. Right now, I needed to apologize to Alison, get myself under control and get through dinner without making a bigger ass of myself than I already had.
I looked down at her face, her beautiful, angry face and saw her struggle to keep the tears that filled her eyes from spilling. I blew out a breath and opened my mouth to apologize. Before I got out one word, Alison pushed me back with both hands, swiveled so both feet were on the booth seat and kicked both feet forward hitting me square in the chest. I hadn’t been anticipating the move so the force of it shot me back to the edge of the seat where gravity took over, and I landed on my ass.
The entire restaurant froze, and you could have heard a pin drop in the room. I looked up from my spot on the floor and found a very pissed off, Alison, towering over me with her small hand clenched into a fist, and holding her shoes with the other.
Ali
I raised my face to heaven, and silently begged for forgiveness from my mother because I was about to unleash my temper, something she’d made me promise I would learn to contain, on this well dressed, stoic, twit of a man!
“You’re right Matt, I do avoid crowds and people because people are cruel. I prefer my animals to humans because with animals you never have to guess at where you stand with them! Animals don’t care if you’re pretty, rich, poor or have a limp…they either accept you, or they don’t…end of story! You think you’re the only one in life that looks at their parents and wants what they have! I had parents Matt, they were in love, and they were wonderful, complicated, flawed and human! Grow up Matt! No one is perfect, no relationship, no body, no love, no man, woman or child! Life is flawed Matt, and it has a shitty sense of humor! My parents loved each other, but that didn’t make life perfect, that love didn’t save them from hitting the side of a mountain and thankfully dying before they burned to death! And as for me being, ‘disabled,’ you’re right! I have permanent damage to my spinal nerve and a hip that had to be replaced so I will always have a limp and I will always have the memory of my parent’s with me because I was in that car when they died Matt, only I lived! So take th
at bogus fairy tale crap and peddle crazy somewhere else, because none of that perfect love or devotion helped me when I was in a coma for weeks, a burn unit after that or through the twenty-seven operations I’ve had just to get me where I’m at today!” I shouted as tears began to pour down my face. A gasp from a woman at a nearby table brought me out of my rant. I looked around and realized everyone was staring at me, some were snickering, others were shaking their heads their expressions full of pity. I looked down at Matt and was physically sick when I saw the same look on his face. Unable to stand the gawking and mentally berating myself for putting myself on display for the amusement of others, I grabbed my clutch and bolted; hoping that my leg would carry me as far as my room before it gave out.
Apparently, rushing through a Casino is easier said than done. Although I had been to the Venetian many times, I got turned around, and before I knew it, I found myself barefoot, standing outside the Casino doors facing Las Vegas Blvd. Anywhere else and my silk dress and bare feet would have attracted attention but thankfully this was Vegas, and nothing was considered out of the ordinary here.
I sighed, knowing the only way to my hotel room was back through the maze of the Casino and possibly right into Matt’s path. With any luck, he took his arrogant ass and unattainable, relationship goals and scurried back to his cave.
“Stupid mutt! You peed on my shoe you little bastard, I knew I should have left you at home!” A belligerent voice boomed from behind me. I immediately turned and saw a cocker spaniel puppy, he couldn’t be more than six to eight months old cowering from the angry looking business man in the gray business suit. The man looked like he stepped off the pages of grumpy man magazine. His expensive gray suit and shoes looked way too warm for this time of year. While most places were cooling off in September, Las Vegas was still sporting temperatures above the 100-degree mark.
No Refunds No Exchanges: A Hudson Family Series- Book 4- Matt and Ali Page 7