Chimes sounded inside the house, followed by footsteps.
Carla smoothed her hands over her hair. She’d forgotten to change from her business suit, or at least take off the jacket. But that didn’t matter. The suit made her feel powerful. It reminded her she was in charge. And whether Janet deemed it sexy enough or not, Carla liked the feeling it gave her.
The door opened, and Jake peered out. He looked like his usual sexy self, dark hair a little messy, a slight shadow of stubble on his jaw, his t-shirt snug across his chest in all the right places. “Carla, hey. You okay?”
“I’m great.”
“Good. After last night… I called your house earlier, but you didn’t answer.”
“I had to work late.”
A hint of a smile curved his lips then fell away. “I wish I could ask you in, but I’m expecting a new client to arrive any minute.”
Here goes nothing.
Carla raised her chin, trying to summon the confidence she was so good at displaying in court. “She’s already here.”
Jake glanced at the road.
“No, not out there. Uh, I’m…” Her voice took on a little quake she prayed he didn’t notice. “I’m your eight o’clock appointment.”
Jake’s eyebrows shot upward.
“My friend booked it for me.”
His eyebrows pulled low. “You’re Amanda Laimie?”
Carla made an
I’m sorry
face. “Is that the name she used?”
“I gotta admit, I found it amusing.
A man to lay me?
Some women use false names the first time, until they get comfortable, but this one wasn’t too subtle.”
“That’s my friend. The most unsubtle woman on the planet. She made the appointment on my behalf, because she thought I needed it.” Carla glanced back at her house, wondering if she should have stayed on her couch. “So are you inviting me in?”
Jake didn’t move, his shoulders still barring the doorway. “This isn’t a good idea, Carla.”
Carla’s cheeks felt instantly hot. She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting, but it hadn’t been this. “I don’t follow.”
“I don’t take neighbors as clients. That kind of thing doesn’t work out.”
“Why not?”
“I got kicked out of my last neighborhood. I had a client a few doors down, and there was a scene. The homeowners association found out. Apparently having a sex worker next door decreases property values.”
“What kind of scene?”
“She thought she’d just drop by, and she saw me with another woman. Then she sort of lost it, yelling and screaming. Broke my window. Cops were called.”
“That would never happen with me,” Carla said. “I can be discreet. And I’m not the jealous type.”
“I’m sorry, but it’s my policy.”
“But you left your card.”
“I did? When?”
“It was on my floor. I…” Carla floundered. “I figured you left it on the table, and it fell off.”
But that wasn’t the truth. Jake had dropped it accidentally. Janet and the waitress at the Italian restaurant had convinced Carla it had been on purpose, but looking at Jake’s face made it obvious that Carla was right all along.
“You thought I was trying to drum up business.” Jake swiped a hand over his forehead, lingering as if he was struggling with a headache. “I didn’t mean to, Carla. I didn’t even know I left a card. I’m sorry if it seemed like anything else.”
“And when you came over to my pier? And when you stopped by my house for a beer?”
“I was trying to be neighborly.”
Were you being neighborly when you said my name while jerking off?
Carla’s whole body tensed up. How could she have gotten things this wrong? She’d been so focused on her decision to go ahead with the appointment, it had never occurred to her he might not be willing. So absorbed by her lust for him, she’d never considered he might not want her back. She was shocked and humiliated and even a little angry. “Is it something about me?”
Jake raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
“What is it? My breasts aren’t big enough?”
“Carla, you’re very attractive, but…”
“But too old? Is that it? Please explain, because I’ve never had a man turn me down for sex before. Not that I’m bragging, but guys are pretty easy. They’re always up for it. A guy turning down sex is like a dog turning down a bone. Except now one is turning me down. Turning me down even though he’s going to be paid for it. Can you say
add insult to injury
?”
“I’m sorry, Carla. I like being your neighbor. I thought we might even be able to be friends, but… not this. This never works out. Not between neighbors.”
“Never?”
“I’ve… tried it before. It was a disaster.”
When challenged, challenge back. One of the first things Carla learned in law school. “So you’re blaming me for something someone else did? How is that fair?”
“What?” He shook his head. “I’m not blaming you for anything. I have rules…”
“And the reason for your rules was some other neighbor, not me. That doesn’t make sense. Why should I be responsible for someone else hurting you?”
“I didn’t say I was hurt.”
“You don’t have to say it. It’s pretty obvious.”
Jake sighed, deep and dramatic. “You’re not going to get off my porch, are you?”
Carla folded her arms. “What do you think?”
“I think you’re probably an excellent lawyer.”
“Would you like me to lecture you about verbal contract law?”
Jake leaned in the doorway, his biceps straining his shirt as he crossed his arms. “You’re saying we had a verbal contract? For me to make love to you?”
The idea was ridiculous, but Carla’s mouth had taken on a will of its own, and stopping it would only mean she’d have to walk back across that lawn and spend the night alone and rejected and wrapped in that damn cocoon, probably drunk-ordering yarn online. “I could argue we had a verbal contract. Yes.”
“First of all, the contract was with your friend, not you. Second, you do know that sex for money is against the law, right counsellor?”
“Let me explain something to you,” Carla said. “It took a lot of guts for me to come over here. I don’t do this type of thing. Ever. But do you know why I came?” Carla jerked her thumb at herself. “Because I deserve it. I deserve to have a fun night, no strings attached. I work hard. I make a lot of money. And I never do anything for myself. Do you know when the last time I had sex was?”
“No, I don’t. When was the last time you had sex?”
Shit. My mouth got ahead of my brain.
“That’s not any of your business.”
“You brought it up.”
Carla deflected, going back on the attack. “What’s your problem with neighbors exactly?”
“What’s your problem with the word
no
?”
“What’s wrong with my money?”
“Your money is fine. I just choose not to take it.”
“Do you find me attractive?”
“That’s not the point.”
“Answer the question.”
“This isn’t a courtroom, Carla. I’m allowed to refuse clients. There’s no law against that.”
“Well, there should be!”
Carla’s throat felt constricted. Pressure surged behind her eyes, as if she was about to scream, about to cry, about to…
A low chuckle bounced off the house’s siding. It wasn’t until Jake added his voice to the mix that Carla realized the laugh had come from her and that she couldn’t stop.
She wrapped her arms around her middle and let the laugh go, wiping away her frustration, her fear, and the sting of rejection. Tears sprang to her eyes and wet her cheeks. Pain cramped her side. “This is so stupid,” she managed between gasps. “I’m sorry. I’m not going to sue you for rejecting me.”
“I appreciate that.”
“I just wish…”
“Wish what?”
“I don’t know.” She wiped her cheeks, the laughter slowing to a stop. “I guess I wish I knew why.”
“I told you, it complicates things.”
“Sex always complicates things. Always. And I’m not saying it wouldn’t be weird to be your client, to wave to you tomorrow in the driveway or out on the pier. But it’s weirder to wonder what’s wrong with me. Why you are willing to put up with complications when it comes to Mrs. Gladstone or Gloria Hotchland and not me?”
“I like you, Carla.”
“I’ve thought that. But other times…”
“Other times?”
“You’re… I don’t know… distant. Like you’re holding me at arm’s length. Shutting yourself off. Like I’m catching flak for more than you’re letting on.” His features fell, and Carla wondered if she’d gotten too personal. “Look, we barely know each other, so that may not be a fair assessment.”
“It’s not entirely inaccurate.”
“So man up and do me.”
Jake’s serious expression broke into a small smile. “Really? You’re going to try to shame me into a session? How about you double dog dare me?”
She put her hands on her hips. What was there to lose? “Fine. I double dog dare you.”
“When the playground taunts don’t work, are you going to try crocodile tears next?”
“Would it help?”
“What if it did? Is that what you’re angling for, Carla? A pity fuck?”
Carla grinned and jabbed him in the chest with her finger. “I’ll take it. Do you know how many guys I’ve slept with out of pity?”
“No. How many?”
Dammit. Mouth and brain again.
“That’s none of your business. But my money is good, I’m horny, and you’re the expert at showing a girl a good time. We’re two consenting adults making a business transaction. Let’s do this.”
Jake shook his head. “You’re unbelievable.”
“And you’re on the clock. You inviting me in, or are we getting this party started on your front porch?”
Jake didn’t move. He seemed to study her, and she studied him back. Carla saw defiance. Like her, Jake was used to getting his way.
Well, at least I didn’t go down without a fight. Pinot and crochet, here I come. Maybe I’ll just retire my vagina. Mount it on a wall like a deer head. It was once alive and vibrant, and now it’s dead and hanging on a plaque above the book case.
“Okay, then. See you around, Jake. You’re really attractive, and I’m really disappointed, but I’ll get over it.” She turned away, focusing on the light she’d left on in the foyer of her house.
“Carla, wait. You’re right.”
Carla stopped, not walking down the steps, but not turning back to him either.
“I have been keeping you at arm’s length. I’m sorry. And that’s not going to change. I like you. I like you a lot. But I’m not interested in being anything but neighbors.”
“Neither am I,” she said, trying to keep her voice light despite the heaviness in her chest. “I’ll wave at you when the McGreggors have their next neighborhood barbeque. Avoid the pulled pork. It’s always too salty. Bye.”
She headed back home, feeling rejected but not humiliated. True failure was not trying at all, and she’d tried her best.
C’est la vie.
“Look,” Jake called after her, “if we both feel this way… then there’s no reason I shouldn’t accept you as a client.”
She turned, studying him. “Are you fucking with me?”
“I will be, shortly.”
“Seriously. Because if you’re kidding, I will find some way to sue you.”
Jake uncrossed his arms and shoved his hands into his jean pockets. “Look, I know I’ve done badly keeping things clear with you, and I don’t want misunderstandings. An escort-client relationship might work better than anything else. It’s defined. It’s controlled.”
“It has rules,” she said.
“Exactly.” He opened the door and gestured inside. “Why don’t we talk them over, and then we can get started?”
How about that? I just won the argument. Go, Carla!
So why am I suddenly scared?
Jake showed Carla into the living room then disappeared to the kitchen. She lowered herself onto a cream-colored sofa and sized up the room she’d seen from the window just yesterday—hardwood floors, upscale furniture, modern, clean, uncluttered—of course yesterday, her focus had not been on the décor.
Carla glanced at the front window where Jake had been standing when she’d peeped inside, remembering his generous length, naked and aroused, his fingers circling, stroking…
“Here you go.”
She looked up at the bottle of beer clutched in his fist. His eyes seemed to glint when he smiled, and she couldn’t help feeling as if he’d sensed the direction of her thoughts. She took the bottle, raised it to her lips, and downed half of it.
“Now that you’ve gotten your way, you’re nervous?”
“I’m not backing out, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“I’m not worried.” Jake sat close, their legs touching. “I want this to be good for you. And it will be. I have a money back guarantee.”
He smelled clean, like he’d just had a shower, a mix of soap and shampoo and male. She found herself leaning toward him, breathing him in. “So about these rules, I’m in control, right?”
“The client is always in control.”
“Isn’t that supposed to be the client is always right?”
“No. Always in control. Two different things.”
She wasn’t sure what to make of that, but since he hadn’t wanted to take her on in the first place, she decided it best not to ask. “So the other rules? Besides no neighbors, that is. You never orgasm with a client.”
“Right. In fact, you don’t touch my cock at all.”
She thought of the G-string. The way he’d strained the leather pouch. The way he’d pushed the garment down his legs. She’d never been enthralled by the sight of a man’s erection, but all that had changed when she’d seen Jake. “But I can look at it? If I promise not to touch?”
“I’ll be keeping my pants on for our session.”
“Fair enough.” Carla was a little disappointed. But sex totally focused on her and controlled by her? She could live with that. Even if it meant forgoing another glimpse of him. “What else?”
“You have to do your best to communicate with me. I’ll be asking you questions, guiding you, but if you like something I’m doing or don’t like it, you have to be willing to speak up.”
“I can do that.”
“At the same time, when we’re doing something kinky, some of the fun of it may come from you not wanting to do it. At least, at first. So we have to have informed consent. You may not be sure of what you want until you get it, so we need to figure out boundaries.”