Одри Карлан - February (Calendar Girl #2)

Figure something out on her own? My baby sis doing something all by herself. Without me to guide her, protect her, save her from getting shit on. I felt like a robot. Does not compute. Does not compute. I shushed my own ridiculous crazy voice aside and tried to be supportive. “I want you happy, Mads,” I choked back the emotion. “Just promise me you’re considering all options.”

I could tell the moment she turned back into happy-go-lucky Mads. “Oh, I am! I’m also taking a botany class that’s absolutely fascinating!”

“What’s botany?” God, I felt stupid asking my baby sister what something meant. I’d heard the word before, but I couldn’t place it.

“Plant science,” she giggled.

Did she just say plant science? From the study of dead people to plants? “Plants?”

“Uh huh. It’s actually really cool. We’re studying the relationship of different plants and flowers to their environments. Next, we’re going into horticulture which goes over the cultivation of plants and flowers for food and decoration.”

Now that sounded really weird but also safe and pretty. Everyone loved plants and flowers and there weren’t murders as part of something like that. “I like the sound of this course,” I admitted.

“Figured you would. And Mia, there’s this guy that I’m partnered with, and, oh my God, he’s so hot!” she giggled again like the schoolgirl she was. It lifted that weight right off my chest and slammed it into next week.

Now this, this is the type of talk I could get into. “Oh yeah, tell me everything!”

And she did. Shared with me how they’ve been flirting for a couple weeks, but he hasn’t gotten up the nerve to ask her out. He was a year older and majoring in the plant sciences. Really liked that. Meant he was a nerdy guy. I suggested she ask him out. She freaked. No way was my sweet, innocent baby sister going to ask a guy out. I was proud of that. Even more proud that, at nineteen, she still had her virginity. A couple times she’d come close, but we talked through it and she decided the guys weren’t worth it. I wanted her to have a special experience and told her so. Not like mine. Drunk off my ass in the back of my high-school sweetheart’s truck. Shortly after, he’d ran off with a cheerleader with bigger boobs and a lower IQ.

I was honest with my sis and told her my experience. At the time, she was horrified that a guy would do that to me and promised that she’d never make the same mistakes. I figured sharing that shitty time in my life was worth it. If she learned something from it and protected herself, I’d done my job, and I took my job of raising her seriously. She was the best thing I’d ever contributed to in my life, and I was determined, even now, to make sure she succeeded. For the both of us.

After my call with Maddy, I felt a lot better. Knowing she was doing so well in school, had found a hot, nerdy guy to flirt with, and the bills were all paid at home gave me a real sense of peace. I knew then more than ever that taking this job with Millie’s escort service was the right decision. Maddy had some extra cash in the bank, food in the fridge, and I was up-to-date on my payment to Blaine. I finished up my shower in a damn good mood then heard my phone ping while I was ringing out my wet hair. I hopped over to the toilet seat, sat my towel-clad fanny on it, then grabbed my phone and stared at the screen.

From: Wes Channing

To: Mia Saunders

How’s Seattle?

Seeing Wes’s name made my heart pound and butterflies take up flight in my stomach. I didn’t know how this was going to play out with Wes. He’d said we’d stay friends through the year, so I imagined this was his attempt at following through. I thought for a few minutes about how I wanted to respond. Guilt that I’d been with Alec scratched at the surface of my subconscious, but I pushed it aside. I had to treat Wes like a friend and vice versa. Yes, there are some deep feelings there. Yes, I’d love to be sitting with him right now, but that’s not the way my life is. It’s not how my life is going to be for another ten and a half months.

From: Mia Saunders

To: Wes Channing

Wet. Did you know it rains just about every day here?

There, that should work. Something platonic. Friend-like. I read and re-read the simple reply then sent it. While I was blow drying my hair, I heard the phone ping again.

From: Wes Channing

To: Mia Saunders

Everybody knows that. On average it rains the same amount of days that it’s sunny. Okay, checked weatherunderground. You’ll get some sun in a few days. Of course, you could always come to Malibu. Sun is high and the pool is warm.

Leave it to Wes to attempt to get me to come back. I wondered if it was always going to be like this between us. Easy, joking, yet with a level of serious desire hovering just under the surface.

From: Mia Saunders

To: Wes Channing

Excuse me, Mr. Weather Man. And thanks for the update. Malibu in January was nice. Maybe I’ll plan a trip there next January. ;)

I added the smiling wink to help lighten the response. It was what we discussed, but I couldn’t really make that promise. The better part of the year was still ahead of us and who knew where we’d end up.

From: Wes Channing

To: Mia Saunders

Then I’ll look forward to your visit. Stay dry, sweetheart.

I didn’t reply. Couldn’t. Wes was everything I’d ever wanted in a man and more, but he wasn’t mine. Maybe one day, but not now. It felt good texting with him. Reminded me of something to look forward to at year’s end. I rarely had anything to look forward to. For now though, I had a sexy artist guy who was filling up my present with good times and something to remember. Of course, with Wes, I’d never forget.

***

When six o’clock hit, I made my way down to the loft per Alec’s instructions. I hadn’t seen him all day, which was a first. It was good to have that time alone. For most of two weeks, I’d been on top of him, figuratively and literally. That last thought made me smile. Once I arrived at the loft, I could see Alec’s form moving around at the opposite corner of the room from where we’d been working. He was behind his camera moving in a half moon shape taking pictures of a man standing ten feet away from him in front of a white background. A very naked, well-endowed man. Holy shit. I mean, it wasn’t like I’d never seen a man before, but this guy was young, probably my age, largely muscled, with his cock standing straight up.

Attempting to make as little noise as possible on my crutches, I came up to the side. Every so often the man would close his eyes, place a hand around his erection and give it a few tugs. He licked his lips and leaned into it. The camera clicked like crazy and Alec called out soft encouragements.

“ Oui , like that.”

“Arch more; pretend you’re putting on a show for your lady.”

“That’s it, release your hand and place both behind your head,” was the last command.

I felt like a voyeur watching this man tend to himself while Alec captured the image. It felt racy and laced in sex. Two things that made the room sweltering hot and had wetness pooling between my thighs.

“ Fini, ” Alec declared with the last shot. He gripped a robe near one of the lights and handed it to the model. The model put the robe on and looked at the images Alec showed lifting up his camera to him. “These will not be in the photograph. I will paint them, oui ? You agree to them?”

The man nodded. “You do good work. At first I thought it was going to be like porn, but this is nothing like that.”