Page 14 of Second Go-Round
“Get out.”
“Nope. He started the professional escort business years ago. When money got tight and tuition went up, I needed to supplement my income. Being eye candy and loaning out my dick seemed like a better side job than stocking grocery shelves.”
She snickered, her focus steady on my face without a hint of embarrassment or judgment, which I happened to see a lot even though the clients hired me for the night. “Does it ever get old?”
I hesitated in answering. “Not old. Some days it does feel like a chore though since I’m not always in the mood to socialize.”
“So, you called this your side job—what do you do during the day? Or is personal stuff off-limits in case clients get all stalkerish on your ass?”
A huff of laughter escaped me at her question. While I usually didn’t discuss my life with anyone outside my small bubble of friends, Christine was…different. Like I’d simply gone to a club and picked her up on my own with no money exchanged, no contracts signed.
“I’m a nurse,” I answered truthfully, not sure how to feel about the draw between us. The undeniable attraction seemed like more than a hookup would have been back in the day when I’d needed to find my own pussy.
Her eyebrows popped up in surprise at my answer. “You seem more the macho sports-type than compassionate caregiver.”
“I’m all about sports, but I had leukemia when I was a kid—”
“Oh, God.”
“—and I adored the nurses who helped me fight it.” I shrugged, somehow knowing she would get why I’d chosen the career path I had.
Her gaze softened, a display of compassion that warmed my chest. “I can see how that would be a huge influence.”
“My parents split just a few months after I’d started treatments, and the stability of the hospital and its staff became more of a home than the two I ended up bouncing between.” Words kept spilling from my mouth, and I didn’t bother trying to police them.
“That must have sucked ass.”
“It did.” I reached out and twirled one of her long waves of hair through my fingers before sipping my water again. “Made me feel responsible, you know?”
“You weren’t.”
I nodded, having told myself that exact thing a thousand times, but shit still lingered in my conscience sometimes.
“So no relapses?” she asked.
“Nope.” I shook my head. “I’ve had a clean bill of health since I was twelve.”
“Are your parents still around?”
“Both of them. Dad lives on the South Shore, Mom’s down the Cape.”
She lifted her beer, fully focused on my face. “Where do you call home?”
“Now that is a little too personal.”
She smirked at my teasing tone. “Afraid I’m going to get all weird on your ass and start following you around?”
“Nah. You aren’t the needy, unstable type.”
“Oh?” Christine lifted one auburn eyebrow in a sexy quirk. “Have me all figured out after gifting me two orgasms, do you?”
I shrugged, my focus slipping down to her smirking lips I wanted to taste again. “I like to think I’m pretty good at reading people.”
“All right, then.” She angled on the seat to face me, her skirt riding up in the process and drawing my gaze down to the length of thigh she flashed. “What have you concluded about me?”
“You’re confident. Aggressive. You know what you want and you speak your mind.”
A light laugh escaped her. “Anyone would be aware of those facts within two minutes of meeting me.”
