Page 23 of Sexy

But he’s really gone. And I breathe a sigh of relief until I spy a note on the footlocker.

Shit.

I reach for it and then squint my sleepy eyes at the sloppy writing.

Hey, princess,

It was fun and all, but you know me. I’m only into the one-time thing. So don’t take it too hard¸ OK? Just accept it for what it is. And hey, I get points for leaving a note, right? I left the roof doors propped open with stones so you can get out of there all covert and shit.

Love ya,

Fletch

Holy hell. Thank God. I had a moment of fear that he might actually be interested in me. Sex on the roof is one thing, but dating an asshole like Fletcher is not in my future. At all. And I’m a little bit amazed that I feel this way. I mean, aren’t girls supposed to feel used after this sort of thing? And I admit, there were a few moments during that whole thing where I might’ve felt a little vulnerable. But not now.

I feel… satisfied. And happy. And ready to try out my new moves on the guy I really want.

Cole.

Shit! I scramble for my bag, dropped carelessly on the floor as I entered the little shed, and check my phone for the time. One o’clock. I have to meet Cole in an hour.

I jump up and find my clothes and shoes, then shrug into them as I grab my bag and stumble my way to the door.

Wow. I had a one-night stand.

I grin a little at that idea. I mean, I have never done that before. But Fletcher Novak was the perfect guy to do it with, right? No-Strings Novak. It should be tattooed on his chest. Plus, he really did give me some tips on how to seduce Cole. I need to make a change. Cole just doesn’t see me as girlfriend material and I think if I sexy myself up a little, I might be able to go from little sister to hot prospect.

I open the door and skip down the steps. I have not felt this good in so long I can’t even remember. Sex. Who knew it was just what I needed?

I giggle a little at that as I get to the door that leads out to the penthouse hallway. I open it just a crack, peek out, and then slip into the corridor and power-walk to my room.

Jesus, I sure hope Claudio hasn’t been looking for me. Fletcher was fun, but I’m never—like ever—gonna tell anyone I had sex with that slut.

I key the door, open it, listen, get silence, and then scoot inside, closing the door softly just in case.

“Claudio?” I call.

Nothing.

Sweet. I jog down the hall, throw my bag on the floor, and then take my clothes off and go into the massive bathroom. It’s spectacular. It’s got a huge tub. Which I’d like to take advantage of right now. I’d love to just soak up this good feeling, relax the muscles that were strained during my secret sex, and enjoy the afterglow.

But I can’t. Date with Cole in T-minus fifty minutes.

We’ve had lunch lots of times and I’m sure he thinks this one will go the same way. Me pretending it’s a date, him clueless as ever. But he’s wrong.

I’ve got seduction tips from a semi-famous stripper. And I’m gonna use every one of them.

Well, maybe not all of them. Not the getting-naked ones. I mean, Cole isn’t a one-night stand kinda guy. He’s a serious guy. Career-minded. Stable, reliable, and maybe even slightly predictable. I like all that stuff.

But none of that says we will be fucking on the roof after we eat. No. Cole is a slow and steady kind of conquest. I need to take this one step at a time and the first step needs to be subtle. Just make him look at me differently. Make him see me as a possibility, even if it’s only for one moment. If I could do that at lunch today I’d call it a success.

I start the shower, which is penthouse perfect. The temperature preset is hot enough to make you steamy, but not enough to burn. In other words, sublime. And it’s a rain shower. So wow. Just what I needed after that romp on the roof.

I look in the mirror for a moment and run all of Fletcher’s tips thorough my mind. Make him look at my mouth, Fletcher said. That was the big one. Make him look at my mouth and then bite my lip a little. Maybe if we have dessert I can stick my finger in some chocolate and then lick it off. Or maybe I can do that move men do in movies all the time and swipe some chocolate off his lip.

Oh my God, I’m dying to get started. We really need to have dessert. Chocolate is perfect.

I get in the shower and smile as I wash the musky scent of Fletcher off me and briefly wonder if I should feel guilty for fucking him as I plan my date with Cole.