Page 8 of Freeze Frame

“You flatter me. Even though we both know your type is Beast, before Belle turned him into a human.”

“Honestly a crime.” Hannah let out a sigh. “I mean… yay, true love and all that, but I hope for her sake he at least gets to beast out every full moon like some sort of werewolf.”

“Do I really want to risk white jeans on a date?”

Hannah gave me a slow, knowing sort of smile. “Maybe they’ll get ruined, or wet, and he’ll have to help you out of them.” She waggled her eyebrows at me.

“If we go that far. He might bail.”

“If he does, he’s not worth it.”

“I know.” But if he did, it made me feel like maybe I wasn’t worth it either. Sex I could get anywhere. Sex wasn’t a problem. The only issue I ever really had with my chosen profession was that Violet hated it. She’d learned to keep her opinions about it to herself because I wasn’t above freezing her out of my life like I’d done to our parents. But it had been a hard lesson for us both. It was the one thing that had ever caused a real problem between us.

It wasn’t like Violet was against the adult industry in general; she just didn’t understand how much safer it felt for me to have my needs met when I knew for a fact the people I was going to be with knew about me and wanted me. It was far less fucking terrifying than meeting David for dinner.

“I want to be reincarnated as a dog,” I said, spying Nitro curled up against Hannah’s bare legs, sleeping soundly as she stroked her fingers through his fur.

“I’m not sure you do,” Hannah said. “Remember where he came from. He had a bad start, locked in a cage without his basic needs being met.” She eyed me knowingly. Sometimes she was far too fucking smart for my own good. “Sort of like how we started out.”

“But we got to where we needed to be eventually, so maybe it wasn’t all bad.”

“Now you just have to hold on to that optimism and bring it with you on your date. And the offer to chaperone is still on the table. I’ll bring my taser if you want.”

“I think I’ll be okay. You can keep your taser to yourself.”

“But you’ll call me if you need me?”

“Promise.”

“Snap a picture of him and his license plate and shit, just in case.”

“Yes, boss. I’m dropping Nitro off at his house to visit his dog while we’re out. We’re hoping it eases his separation anxiety.”

“Does he still bark whenever he’s alone?”

“Constantly. I can’t leave him at my place by himself because he drives the neighbors insane. And I feel bad for him. He’s had a rough time. I don’t want him to be sad or scared anymore.”

“You’re a good doggy daddy.”

“Oh, he has a kid.” My cheeks turned to fire when I admitted the next part. “And he’s apparently my age.”

Hannah just shrugged, unbothered by David’s age. “Figures you’d pull a silver fox. I am zero percent surprised.”

“So I have a type. Doesn’t everyone?” Though I’d scene with a bunch of different types of men for work, it was the older men who’d always gotten and held my attention. There was something about an older man that I couldn’t resist.

And David was exactly my type. Older, kind of funny. Sweet as hell. He had a brilliant smile, and he looked like he was soft in all my favorite places. His middle had a bit of cushion, and I found myself fantasizing about his thighs. And that ass. David wasn’t ripped, but he did look like he could toss me around like a ragdoll. My thighs clenched at the idea.

David might have looked like he’d walked straight out of my fantasies as the perfect example of my type, but that didn’t mean I was his. I guess I’d find out Friday, once and for all.

FIVE

DAVID

Maybe it wasbecause I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been on a date, and I was so rusty that I ended up not feeling nervous until the last few minutes before Josh was due to arrive. I’d ended up going shopping last night after I did a cursory glance at my wardrobe and realized that I didn’t have anything that passed as nice enough to be worn anywhere that wasn’t a dog park.

I’d settled on a pair of dark jeans and a new black button-up. Of course I chose black because it went with everything. I’d never been one to dump a ton of hours or money into my clothing. I tended to wear them until they fell apart and then begrudgingly replaced them.

Wally paced the floor, following my footsteps. He’d definitely picked up on my nervous energy.