“And I’ll keep staring.” My glass was empty, and my meal was finished. Now, all that was left was thinking about her on her back, her tits in my face.
“What are you thinking about? Must be something important to wear an expression like that.”
“Fucking you,” I blurted. “That’s what I was thinking about.”
She held my gaze without fear, but it was clear my bluntness unnerved her.
The waitress collected the plates and left the tab behind.
She eyed it before she looked at me. “I’d like to offer to pay for my meal. You know, since this isn’t a date. But—”
“No.” I pulled out a wad of cash from my wallet and slipped it inside. She was in financial crisis, and there was no way in hell I was letting her pay for a hundred-dollar meal. “That’s not how this works.”
“Well…thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
She finished her wine and left the empty glass on the table. “So, now what?”
“Ordinarily, we would say goodnight, and Max would let you know if I’m interested.”
“So you actually reject women?” she asked incredulously.
“All the time.”
She continued to wear her surprised expression. “But isn’t that exactly what you want? Virgin after virgin?”
“Sometimes, I’m not attracted to them. Sometimes, there’s no chemistry. And when you have a high volume of submissions, you can’t get through everyone. You have to choose.”
“That many women actually come to you?”
“Why does that surprise you?”
“Uh, because it’s degrading…?”
I shrugged. “You get paid well to sleep with a handsome man. It’s not like I’m into some weird shit like BDSM.”
“I think this still constitutes weird shit. And handsome man?” she asked. “You’re really going to call yourself that?”
“Are you saying I’m not?” I countered.
She didn’t give an answer. “Just think it’s arrogant…”
“I’m very arrogant, so it fits.”
“So I go home and just sit by the phone?”
“No. I already have an answer for you.” She ran her mouth constantly and spoke her mind, and I found that oddly refreshing. Women were determined to be quiet and well-behaved, like that was what men wanted. But when Monroe gave her opinions, it reminded me of the suits I worked with on a daily basis. They were aggressive when they spoke their mind—and they made shit happen.
“And what is that answer?”
If only she could see my dick. “Are you free tomorrow night?”
6
Monroe
I couldn’t believe I was doing this.
The package arrived at my door. Inside was a key to room 943 along with white lingerie in my size. I was instructed to wear it under my clothes, and once I was inside the room, I was supposed to lie on the bed in just the lingerie.
Then he would appear.
I looked at myself in the mirror, seeing the endless strings of the lingerie piece. The bra was so thin, my tits were perfectly visible, and the thong below was made of the same material. So I wore something, but I also wore nothing at all. I shaved everything that morning and submitted all my tests to Max—and also got the shot in my arm for birth control.
Because Slate wouldn’t wear a condom.
Not only was I giving myself to this man—I was letting him come inside me.
It felt a million times dirtier.
I pulled my black dress over my head to hide my lingerie from view, and I felt the guilt consume me. My mother would be so disappointed in me if she knew what I was doing. Even if I had a one-night stand with some random guy just to get it over with, that would be fine—because it was my choice. But I was only doing this for the money—and that kinda made me a whore.
But I didn’t have any other choice. That money would make my life so much easier.
I grabbed my purse and walked out the door, breathing hard because I knew what was about to happen. I couldn’t take a cab because I couldn’t afford it, so I walked seventeen blocks until I reached his hotel. It was across the street from the park. It was enormous, glamorous, and fancy.
I stared at the double doors for a moment before I walked inside.
A weight settled on my shoulders, and the dread kicked in. It didn’t matter that I’d had an extra day to think about it since we’d had to wait for the shot to take effect; I was still apprehensive. I headed to the elevator doors and hit the button with a shaky hand. It seemed like I was marching to my doom rather than to a passionate night of lovemaking. It didn’t matter that Slate Remington was one of the most handsome men I’d ever seen.
This just felt wrong.
I rode the elevator to my floor then located the room where I was supposed to meet him. I knew he didn’t live in his hotel, but he probably didn’t want to bring random women back to his residence.