Janelle Denison - Wilde Thing

He glanced from the road to narrow his gaze at her, then realized she couldn't see his expression hidden behind his sunglasses. "Don't expect to fake anything with me."

She rolled her eyes, somehow containing the laughter he saw glimmering in the green depths. "That's such a man statement."

He traced the soft skin of her throat with his thumb and felt her shiver, watched as her nipples puckered tight against her blouse. "What do you expect," he drawled good-naturedly. "I am a man."

She arched a blond brow his way, seemingly trying to maintain her composure even while her body's arousing response to his touch gave her away. "A very arrogant one, at that."

"Yeah, I'm confident when it comes to pleasuring my partner," he admitted unabashedly, wanting her to know exactly what she was in for.

"I like everything about sex," he went on, "especially foreplay and the hot, frenzied buildup to an explosive orgasm. And the best part of being with a woman-being with you -is going to be making sure you're having a good time, too. Turning you on turns me on. And when it's the right time, I'm going to enjoy making you come, feeling you come, against my fingers, my tongue, and around my cock. Those inner contractions and the way your body clenches in the throes of climax is something no woman can fabricate."

She squirmed in her seat and cleared her throat, which didn't quite camouflage her whimper of longing his words evoked. "I don't think faking it is going to be an issue between us."

"Didn't think so." Now he sounded arrogant, and like he didn't give a damn.

"Umm, back to my interview," she managed, her voice still breathless with the sexual tension he'd instigated between them. "Antonio also talked about promotions and opportunities to advance within the company if I 'performed well' and established a steady, repeat client base. There are monetary bonuses given for keeping a caller on the line for more than fifteen minutes."

He nodded but remained quiet as she continued.

"He also mentioned private, by-invitation-only parties that were available to their most requested operators and their regular clients, but didn't elaborate on what those parties consisted of. He said we'd discuss those extracurricular activities more later, when I've built more than a casual rapport with a caller and I'm ready to advance to that next level."

"Which I'll make sure happens, with me."

She looked relieved and grateful. "You're the only one I'll attend those parties with, so let's include that in your services, too."

"That goes without saying, sweetheart." Now that she was his, there was no way he'd allow another man to accompany her to one of the fantasy parties. "When do you start?"

"Tonight, believe it or not, which is fine with me. The sooner I get in there and get acquainted with the other operators, the sooner I'll be able to get some information on Valerie." Her fingers absently traced the hem of her short skirt, drawing his gaze to her tanned thighs while she talked. "I told Antonio that I worked another job and I was only looking for something part-time, so he gave me a nine-to-midnight shift. But this does mean I'll have to reschedule my employees at The Daily Grind to close up the shop."

He glanced back at the road and made a turn onto the side street where his offices were located. "Is that going to be a problem?"

"No. I'm certain my two main employees will welcome the full-time work and extra hours, since I've had to cut them back in order to keep costs down."

Once again he was intrigued. Her comment coincided with her not being able to afford much when it came to his fee, despite running what appeared to be a very successful cafe.

"If there's something that my employees can't handle, I've got Mona at the bookstore to help out," she went on. "But I trust the people who work for me. Most have been there for over a year, and right now I'll do whatever it takes to find my cousin." Her tone was adamant.

He maneuvered his SUV into his parking space, killed the engine, and turned toward her. "By the way, who was that woman you walked out of the building with?"

Liz gathered up her purse. "Her name is Roxanne, and she goes by the call name of Roxie. She was very friendly and seemed willing to talk about the ins and outs of the business with a 'virgin,' as she called me, since this is my first foray into the world of phone sex. Oh, and before I forget to tell you, Antonio signed me up under the call name of Sindee, spelled S -I -N-D -E-E, which I have to use for anything business-related as a precaution to attracting any wackos who know my real name. And here's the phone number you need to call."

"Sindee it is." He grinned, accepting the business card she handed him, with THE ULTIMATE FANTASYemblazoned in bright red, and a prefixed number followed by the appropriate call word Ultimate. "As for Roxanne, she seems like someone you can easily befriend. When the time is right and you feel you have an opening, you can mention that you're a friend of Valerie's and she's the reason you applied for the job. You can ask about Valerie, maybe mention Rob's name and that you haven't heard from her in a while, to see what Roxanne says. But keep your questions about your cousin casual, to a minimum, and discreet. Let Roxanne do the talking so she doesn't feel like you're interrogating her."

She nodded and sighed, the soulful, weary sound affecting him on a basic emotional level. She had a load of concern weighing on her conscience, and he'd even seen flashes of guilt in her eyes today that he didn't fully comprehend. Steve hated that Liz's irresponsible cousin had her so upset. He hoped Valerie knew how damned lucky she was to have such a caring family member who was willing to go to such lengths to find her, to ensure her safety.

He wished he could make Liz promises to ease her worries, wished he had the right to tell her everything was going to be okay, but he wasn't one to offer false hopes. And no way was he going to bank on his gut instincts with Valerie's frivolous behavior until he had more evidence to back up his theory.

Startled by the sudden urge he experienced to reach out and comfort her, he opened the driver's-side door to dispel the sensation. "Come on, I'll walk you to your car," he said, and exited the vehicle.

She followed, and side by side they silently made their way to her silver Celica that was at least ten years old and in need of body work and a paint job. Obviously not a priority for her. Once they were there, she turned to face him, and he caught a barely perceptible flicker of nervousness in her eyes before she blinked it away. "I guess I'm all set for tonight, then."

Sensing she was overwhelmed by the true realization of what she was getting herself involved in, he gave in to that impulse to reach out and skim his knuckles down her cheek in a reassuring caress. "I'm sorry that you have to go through all this crap."

She visibly relaxed, and a small smile turned up her too-tempting lips. "I would have done it without your help, but I have to admit that I'm grateful that we were able to work something out. It's nice to know I'm not going into this situation alone."

"No, you're not." Withdrawing a business card from his wallet and asking her for a pen, he jotted down his home phone beneath his cell and pager numbers. "If you need me for anything, day or night, I'm only a phone call away."

Accepting the card, she tucked it into her purse, then adjusted the strap over her shoulder. "Thank you."

"No thanks necessary. It's all part of my services." He wasn't about to tell her that he'd never given his home phone number to a client before. "And I'm sure you'll do just fine tonight."