Men For Hire (2 page)

Bree would have given a year of her life to ease it back or to lick his prominent Adam’s apple shadowed with beard.

“Did you try to put this together before you called the service?” he asked.

Her face got hot. “I started, but I took it apart again when it didn’t look like the drawing. Everything’s just as it was when I opened the box.”

He studied a bar that had a dent in it from her whacking the thing with another piece of equipment.

Damn her impatience. “You will be able to put it together, right?”

“About that. I have good news and bad. Which would you like to hear first?”

Bree wasn’t certain if he was playing with her or not. Right now, she didn’t care. His scent captivated her, something clean and fresh that smelled of limes. “Good?”

“Very well.” He lowered the manual. “There’s a fully equipped gym in this building, next to the pool. You do know that, don’t you?”

Of course she did. Not that Bree was going to exercise in front of the babes with perfect figures. They were always ogling the cute guys who drooled right back. She was out of shape, not a masochist. “None of that equipment is as advanced as what I have here.”

“That brings us to the bad news.” He turned a slow circle, taking in the living area of her flat then pointed at a large cabinet against the wall. “Murphy bed?”

A pulse beat in Bree’s cunt, sending a flood of heat to her pussy before that warmth shot up to her throat and cheeks. Why was he asking about her bed? And why was that bad news? “Uh-huh.”

“Do you plan to keep sleeping on it?”

When? And with whom? “Ah, sure … why?”

“Once your ExerMax is put together, there’s not going to be much room in here for anything else.”

Ah, he was talking logistics. Bree had already thought of that. “I was going to slide the exerciser toward the door at night.” Another barrier against possible murderers, rapists, and whatnot.

David rubbed his fingers over his mouth but didn’t entirely hide his smile. “My guess is this thing’s pretty heavy. It’s doubtful you’ll be able to budge it once it’s together. Tell you what.” He tossed the manual on the floor. “Let me set up your bed to make sure there’s enough space for it and your ExerMax.”

Was he deliberately trying to tempt her? Who cared? This was more fun that Bree had experienced in months. “I’ll help.”

“I have it.”

With more ease than she’d ever experienced, David had the bed partially down when he stopped and looked at the parts beneath it.

Bree hurried to his side. “I’ll move this stuff.” On her hands and knees, she slid the items away to clear the space. When she looked up, her face was level with his groin. His fragrance, mingled with the faint scent of musk, washed over Bree, weakening her.

David smiled. “Thanks.”

“Thank you,” she breathed, the words falling out of her mouth.

Once the bed was in place, Bree forced herself to scoot back from too much temptation. David was gorgeous, nice, and definitely educated, given his comment about University, but he was still a stranger. One Bree didn’t want to see go. Of all the times for her not to have locked the door. How in the hell did she expect to keep him in here if there was a clear escape route from all this heat?

Already, he was sweating and finally ran his arm across his forehead.

“Sorry about the temperature,” she said. “I don’t have any fans yet. Can I get you some ice water?”

“That’d be great. Do you mind if I…?”

Bree was halfway to her feet when she stopped and looked over, wondering why he hadn’t finished. David gestured to his tee. She wasn’t certain what he meant, and then suddenly she did. “You want to take it off?”

“Not if it bothers you.”

Was he kidding? If he’d been stripping on stage, screen or the Internet, Bree would have gladly paid top dollar to see it.

“It’s really hot in here,” he added.

“I don’t mind—you taking off your tee, that is. Go ahead. Please. Get comfortable.”

He pulled the garment up, exposing his navel. A swirl of dark hairs surrounded the depression before dipping to his groin and disappearing beneath the waistband of his jeans. Bree could count each one of his abs they were that defined, his pecs nothing but hard slabs of smooth muscle. His tat decorated part of the right one, along with his shoulder and bruising biceps. The hair in his pits was as silky, thick, and dark as the stuff on his head.

The room seemed to spin.

Once he had the tee off, he mopped his face with it and let out a relieved sigh.

If Bree could have managed to pull in that much air, she would have been sighing too. On unsteady legs, she went to the kitchen and rested her forehead against the fridge to cool down and collect her thoughts. With David’s great looks, he had to be an out-of-work actor or model, doing these gigs so he could survive before hitting the big time.

He would too. Bree had no doubt of that.

She brought two glasses of water into the living area, handing one to him. Again, his fingers brushed hers causing something inside Bree to flutter. Giddy with desire, she gulped her water, not coming up for air until she’d finished it.

David sipped his slowly, watching her over the rim of his glass. She figured the heat, not her, had flushed his face. Even so, a girl could dream. Seeing how hot he still was and feeling bad about it, Bree grabbed a dishtowel from the counter and flapped it at him.

He lowered his glass. “What are you doing?”

“Fanning you to keep you cool while you work.”

A low chuckle rumbled from deep within him, the sound potently male. “You don’t have to do that.” He grabbed the end of the towel and used it to reel Bree in until she was sitting on the floor next to him, their knees touching. Even that small intimacy sent her pulse into a sprint.

“I want to help,” she protested, all too breathlessly.

“You can hand me stuff, read the instructions out loud, and answer any questions I might have.” He leaned toward her, delivering a waft of his wonderful fragrance. “Okay?”

Right now, Bree would have done anything he wanted, even exercising in front of the perfect people in the gym. “Sure.”

After a playful wink, he fished an ice cube out of his glass then ran it over his throat and pecs. This time his sigh was nearly orgasmic. Once he’d used up the cube, he grabbed the manual.

Bree couldn’t pull her attention from the moisture streaming over his tiny nipples. They were the color of freshly turned earth, a drop of water on one of the tips. It fell finally to his abs then trickled lower to his flat belly.

“So, you’re a Yank,” he said as he paged through the instructions. “My guess is a New Yorker, right?”

Bree grinned sheepishly. “My accent’s that bad?”

“Your locks.” He gestured to them then smoothed the page with the diagram on it. “This building’s in a good area, no crime to speak of. You in the country by choice or duress?”

His question surprised Bree while her thoughts answered
duress.
Bree’s company had transferred her saying it was a great opportunity. She knew the brutal truth. Everyone in the New York office was model thin and gorgeous by virtue of great genetics or the miracle of plastic surgery. Her lack of looks had fucked up that décor. Unless she got into shape fast, her next stop would probably be the unemployment line. “Work. I’m in marketing at Beautiful You. It’s an international concern of beauty projects and regimens. They wanted me to help boost the brand over here.”

“This one of their products?” He inclined his head to the unassembled equipment.

“Ah no.” Smiling, she patted a metal bar. “This baby was my idea.”

“Why?” He looked confused. “What makes you think you need it?”

Bree’s smile faded so quickly, David knew he’d hit a nerve when he’d actually been trying to make her feel better. Clearly, she wasn’t thrilled with her body. Hiding it behind her door had been the first clue. Wanting this thing assembled was the second.

She obviously didn’t know what a strikingly attractive woman she was, her features amazingly pretty, skin dewy with youth—and the heat in here—the rose blush beneath her pale complexion quite becoming with her chestnut hair and green eyes. Most normal men would have found that and her curves perfect, lush and inviting, like her fragrance. The jasmine scent had a touch of incense, mysterious and provocative that made David’s cock harder than hell.

She wasn’t bold like most of the women he knew. Sweet and generous described her well, considering how she’d been ready to fan him with a towel. David stopped himself before he smiled. None of his other customers had offered to keep him cool. Somehow, it seemed so Bree, even though he didn’t know her. Deep inside, David thought he might like to.

“I’m on a health kick,” she finally said, answering his question.

Her vivid blush said that was a lie.

Sensing her discomfort, he nodded to put her at ease. “We’ll get your wonder gym set up fast as we can.”

She smiled weakly. “No reason to rush. Take your time, please.”

Not knowing the right thing to say to that, he nodded.

Bree seemed to struggle for a moment before she focused on his abs and pecs, her expression saying she liked them. “If you don’t mind my asking, what have you been in?”

“In?”

“Yeah, roles. TV. Films. Magazines.”

David stopped reaching for one of the pieces. “Can you hand me that bar to your left? No, the one next to it—that’s it, thanks.” As he took the thing, his fingers brushed hers. Another burst of warmth travelled through him as it had earlier when they’d touched. A positively brilliant feeling. “I’m not sure what you mean by films and all that other stuff you mentioned.”

Bree glanced at his tat. “You’re an actor, a model or both, right?”

“Me?” He laughed. “I would bloody well hope not. I am—or rather was—a solicitor.”

She frowned. “An attorney?”

“Before you get any ideas, I quit the law, and not because my hand was in the till or anything like that. I swear I’m innocent.”

Bree studied his tat, a slow, sultry smile lifting the corners of her mouth. “Not that innocent.”

How right she was. David had only been thirteen when he’d first become a man. Wisely, he kept his peace on that.

“Now you’re doing this,” she said, gesturing to his toolkit and the parts strewn over her floor. “Why?”

He shrugged. “Got tired of screwing the little guys so those on top could squeeze more profit from them. Contrary to what everyone believes, money isn’t everything. You need it to live on, period. No reason to hurt someone else so you can have it all. I considered running for office to change things, but it seems only those in power change, wanting more of it. I’d saved and invested enough from my work to do what I want now.”

Bree looked enthralled, as though he was telling her something she’d always wanted to hear. Leaning closer, she rested her hand on his knee. David’s cock shot to attention.

“This is what you want?” she asked.

He figured she wasn’t talking about her proximity or the way her fingers were absently stroking him. With each sweep, David’s nerve endings fired, sending a flood of heat to his groin and chest. “You mean working for Jennifer?”

Bree nodded.

“I’m doing this to help her out,” he said, surprised at how his voice rasped. He cleared it and continued, “I’m in the process of forming a start-up that matches those who need an apprenticeship with those who have one to offer. Money’s not the ultimate goal, giving a hand up to those who need it is.”

“That’s amazing. Good for you.”

Her comment surprised and pleased him. Many of the women David once dated had questioned his sanity in giving up such a lucrative position. Bree’s praise was exactly what he’d craved for a long time. That, along with everything else about her, had his balls plumping even more while his rod was so stiff, his skin felt in danger of splitting. “Thanks.”

“Thank you for being a good man.”

Not that good. If Bree had been able to read his thoughts, she might have bolted for the door. He was suddenly imagining her stretched out naked on the bed, legs spread wide, the delicate curls between her legs—also a chestnut color—damp from her womanly moisture. Her pussy tight and hot, waiting for his cock to invade it, his shaft burrowing deep, demanding a home within her depths.

Another wave of desire rolled through him, insistent and wanting.

With a great amount of effort, he concentrated on the diagram, not really seeing it, recalling Bree’s mouth instead. Her lips were pale pink, the bottom one plump, decidedly lickable.

“Ah, I need the crossbar.” He jabbed his finger at the diagram. “I think it’s that one over there.” He pointed.

Bree didn’t bother to look. She regarded his tat.

He’d gotten it months ago when he’d left his traditional job, wanting to be free for a change, to simply enjoy life.

She lifted her hand, hesitated, and finally trailed her fingers over the bottom of the design then up his arm, tracing the black curves and swirls, sending a flurry of sensations through David’s body, clear to the top of his head. His ears buzzed and his teeth tingled.