Authors: Piper Vaughn
products. I also wasn’t going to say no.
“Sounds great.” I knew I must’ve been
standing there with the dopiest grin on my face by
the way Rue was looking at me, but I couldn’t help
myself. “Nine thirty.”
I could hear Archer’s smile in his response.
“See you then.”
The next half hour passed in a mad rush. I
asked Rue to help me find something to wear that
wasn’t the usual black on black, self-imposed
uniform I wore while I was at the salon, then
darted off to the bathroom for the quickest shower
in Dusty Davis history. I was amazed to find
myself clean, dry, and fully dressed in only ten
minutes.
Rue had chosen a pair of my tightest jeans and
a clingy V-neck tee in navy blue. As much as I
loved pink and frilly for Alice, my wardrobe was
made up almost entirely of dark colors. Maybe that
meant I’d never really outgrown my goth phase
from high school, but I liked the way they looked
on me. Usually the brighter stuff could only be
found in my accessories, especially my handbags.
With those it was the flashier the better, the proof
of which could be found in my prized possession
—a lime-green Coach tote bag I’d scrimped and
saved for months to purchase.
I took another ten minutes to deal with my
hair, cringing at the hint of dark brown that had
appeared at my roots. It would need to be touched-
up soon, but I didn’t have time to worry about it
right then. I arranged it into its usual artistic
disarray of soft spikes and side-swept bangs, put
on a little eyeliner and a light coat of mascara,
finished it all off with a bit of clear lip gloss, and
called it good.
“Hey, hot stuff.” Rue grinned at me teasingly
from the doorway of my bedroom. “Want me to
drop you off? You can catch a cab back.” He
paused and gave me a suggestive eyebrow waggle.
With his skin bare of makeup and his bangs held
away from his forehead by a rainbow headband, he
looked years younger than his actual age. “
If
you’re coming home tonight, that is.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Of course I’ll be
home.” I’d slipped on occasion, but I wasn’t
usually a sex-on-the-first-date kind of guy. Casual
hookups were easy to find. I wanted something
lasting. “But I will take you up on that ride.”
REILLY’S turned out to be a smallish video bar
staffed entirely by hot, shirtless men. The
bartender, who was sleek, muscled, and had skin
the color of fine, dark cocoa, winked at me and
flashed a white-toothed grin as he handed me my
second appletini (extra cherries) of the night.
I was sitting alone at one end of the bar. Nine
thirty had come and gone, and ten o’clock was
rapidly approaching. I felt a little embarrassed, as
if it were somehow obvious to everyone that I was
there waiting for a date who hadn’t shown, but I’d
decided to give Archer until the end of the hour
before I left. He might have gotten held up by
something, after all. Seemed only fair to give him a
bit of extra time.
Ten came around, then 10:05. No calls or
messages. I sighed and dug into my pocket for my
cash. I hadn’t brought anything else with me aside
from my phone and shiny, new California ID. I
probably could have gone up to one of the guys
who’d approached me earlier, some offering a
dance, others a heck of a lot more, but while I
could admit to being somewhat—okay, maybe it
was more like
majorly
—bummed by Archer’s no-
show, I wasn’t about to let that disappointment
spur me into doing something I knew I’d regret the
instant it was over.
I laid a couple of bills on the counter, just as
a tip since I’d been paying for my drinks as they
came, slid off my stool, and turned to go home,
ready to drown myself in mango sorbet and spend
another lonely night with nothing to cuddle but my
pillow.
Of course, that was the moment Archer
walked in. Something stalled and then surged
through me as he approached—excitement, relief, I
wasn’t sure which. All I knew was my eyes
weren’t the only ones that followed him as he
crossed the room, but he came directly to me and
grabbed my left hand, lifting it to his mouth to
brush a kiss across the knuckles.
“Hope you weren’t waiting too long,” he
said, nothing but charm and a rueful smile. “I was
in LA and had trouble getting a cab, and then
traffic was a bitch. I know I probably should’ve
called. What can I do to make it up to you?”
If we’d been in a 1940s film, something
black-and-white and melodramatic, I might have
flung my arms around his neck and said, “Take me
to bed.” As it was, I playfully shoved him back
and hoped he couldn’t tell just how relieved I was
to have him there. The tight ball of icy tension that
had built in my stomach while I’d waited for him
had already started to melt. “You can buy me a
drink, and maybe if you’re nice enough, when we
leave, I’ll let you kiss me.”
Archer’s apologetic smile transformed into a
naughty grin. “I can be
very
nice.”
My heart skipped at the expression on his
face. God, he really was stunning. I hadn’t been
able to think of a word that would be a better fit.
“Let’s go grab that booth in the corner.”
Archer took hold of my hand again and pulled me
along behind him. Once we’d settled at our table,
he flagged down a waiter, and we ordered our
drinks. As soon as the guy left, Archer sat back and
looked at me with his full lips turned up in a little
half smile. I wasn’t sure what it meant, but it made
my belly heat. “You are gorgeous,” he said,
enunciating every word, his eyes focused on my
mouth. “I love lip piercings.” He made a regretful
sound. “The nose, on the other hand….”
I blinked at him, startled. My nose? Did he
mean he didn’t like
it
, or was he talking about the
horseshoe ring in my septum? I managed to stop
myself from self-consciously lifting a hand to
cover it, but I was hyperaware of his gaze
lingering there for a second before moving up to
mine.
He shrugged lightly. “No offense. I’ve just
never been a fan. I think you’d be hotter if you took
it out.”
“Oh,” I said. I wasn’t sure what else to say.
I’d had my septum pierced since high school, and
no one had ever complained, not even my ex, Gary,
who’d criticized me for just about everything else.
I was so used to it being there, I hardly noticed it
most of the time.
“I’m just saying—” Archer reached out and
drew a long finger along the back of my hand. “—
it takes away from how hot you are. You’re sexy
now. You’d be even sexier without it.”
I nodded and smiled a little. So he wasn’t a
fan of the piercing, but he thought I was hot. Sexy,
he’d said. It’d be simple enough to take the ring out
before we went on our next date, and it was
nowhere near as bad as some of the things Gary
had demanded from me. If there
was
another date,
that is. I wasn’t going to let myself assume
anything.
“You hungry?” he asked. “I’m starved. Let’s
get an appetizer.”
IN SPITE of the food, I was feeling decidedly tipsy
after another two appletinis. For a second I’d
hesitated to mention the fact that I didn’t like meat,
but Archer hadn’t seemed to mind. We’d split
some bruschetta and a tray of pita chips with
hummus, talking easily, and when he suggested we
get out of there and go somewhere quieter, I didn’t
hesitate to say yes. He paid our bill, and we left.
I liked that he curled an arm around my waist
and pulled me into his side as we walked. He had
several inches on me, and he was broader too, but
he didn’t tower like Gary had. He made me feel
small, but not in a bad way. In the same way that
Erik did, as if I were something to be protected.
Maybe it was girly of me to want that feeling, but I
did. It was one of the things I loved most about
Erik. He wasn’t some big, tough guy, but he made
me feel safe.
I knew it was after midnight on a weekday,
but I didn’t want the date to end. Archer hadn’t
mentioned whether or not he had to work in the
morning, but my shift didn’t start until one. I
would’ve been more than happy to hang out in a
diner for another hour or two, chitchatting over
coffee. I figured that was what Archer wanted too
and didn’t resist when he pulled me into the
shadowy entryway of one of the businesses we
were passing and crowded me back against the
door.
He crushed his lips to mine, and I melted into
it without a thought. I’d been wanting it since the
first day I’d seen him, hadn’t I? I didn’t see any
point in resisting, and even if it wasn’t as electric
and explosive as I’d hoped it would be, it was still
nice. Maybe even more than nice. His lips were as
soft as I’d imagined, and, Lord, did he know how
to kiss. But next thing I knew, the slow, deep
kisses had turned to him sucking on my neck, and
the fingers that had been digging sexily into my
hips were suddenly yanking at the zipper to my
jeans.
“Hey,” I said, trying to pull back a little.
“Hey, we’re in public, remember?”
Archer groaned against my throat and kept
working at my fly. “I’ve been nice.”
I reached down to still his hands. “You have
been, and I’ve had a great time, but I… I don’t
want to ruin it, okay? Let’s just go get some
coffee.”
Archer lifted his head, looking puzzled. “I
don’t get it. I mean, what’s the problem? I want
you. I can tell you want me. What’ll be ruined if
we fuck?”
I felt my cheeks warm under his gaze. God,
the way he was looking at me, like I was some girl
who wouldn’t put out on prom night when he’d
shelled out the cash for the tux and a limo. Was it
really that uncommon for a guy to want to wait?
“Look,” I said carefully. “I like you. But I
don’t really do hookups, okay? I loved kissing you.
I could kiss you all night. Just… not the rest of it.
At least not right now.”
He stared at me for a few seconds, then
nodded slowly. “Okay.”
I threaded my fingers through his and pulled
him close for a quick kiss. “Wanna go find a
diner? Get some pancakes maybe?”
Archer cleared his throat and untangled his
hand from mine. “You know, maybe we should
call it a night, actually. I have to be at work by
nine.”
“Oh.” It was my turn to be confused. He’d
seemed plenty willing to stay out ten minutes
before. Why the sudden change of heart? But
then… ten minutes ago he hadn’t known the night
would end without him getting laid, had he? I hated
to think of him as that guy, but the playful,
lighthearted flirtation we’d had going all evening
had vanished in the last few moments, and I
couldn’t think of any other reason to explain why.
“Sure.”
He hailed me a cab and deposited me inside
with a brief hug and a murmured “I’ll call you.”
I had a feeling that meant I’d never hear from
him again.
Asher
I WAS standing in line for a latte a few weeks after
my last argument with Archer. It had been quiet for
a while, mostly because we rarely saw each other.
He’d been going to work, which I was more than
grateful for. I guessed the real story would be
getting rent out of him when the time came. I
wasn’t looking forward to that.
The line shuffled forward, and I glanced up to
see how far back I was before returning my
attention to my phone, where I’d been checking my
calendar. I had another solo shoot later in the
week. At least it was a guy who’d been referred to
me, instead of another little girl hoping to make big
bucks. I thought I might not feel as bad asking the