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And maybe his slickness would’ve pissed me off more if he weren’t, uh, dead on the money. I did have a fun time at the theater/club/whatever you call it, even though I was pulling a double shift at his behest. And if I could enjoy myself under those circumstances, how well might we click over dinner and candlelight?
Hell, I wanted to go on a date with him! I wanted to kiss him, and I wanted to…
Fuck him, my mind finished. You want to fuck him.
Which I couldn’t do before Friday, because Dad still had debts — debts which, lest we forget, were accrued in Dazzlers. But after my little jack-off session in the car, I was pretty far past worrying about Tate and his casino’s troubling history with my family. This was an itch that needed to be scratched.
But not before Friday. Because with a smile like that, and those blue eyes and taut frame, Tate would have me between sheets in a minute flat. And though the auctioneers couldn’t possibly test my virginity, because “intact hymens” as a sign of virginity was a literal myth, I had the sinking feeling they would just, like, know, as if my newfound sexual status would be written all over my body in red Sharpie.
So as much as I wished to pull Tate to the ground in the middle of the casino, it was a no-go, mostly because I knew that once things heated up, I wouldn’t be able to keep them from boiling over.
“You’re my boss, Tate,” I said at last. “The lines are too blurry, and I can’t afford to lose my job, not right now.”
Besides being an excuse, it had the added advantage of being absolutely true.
He nodded. “That’s true. How about this. Let me get you a job anywhere else in Vegas, you name the place and I’ll set it up. Wanna work at another casino? Pick the joint. Maybe a restaurant, a bar, a nightclub? Anywhere, I can make it happen in, ten minutes. Maybe five, if need be.”
I squirmed at the offer. “I can make my own way in the world, thanks. Like I said, I’m not an escort — I don’t wanna be bought off, even if it’s with a job. That’s still kind of a payment.”
Tate rolled his eyes and in a sudden, unexpected move, placed his hands on the small of my back and tugged me close.
We were pressed almost up against one another, our faces so close I could taste the mint on his breath. My mouth dropped open in shock and, all right, a little pleasure. His hands were so firm and large, I could just picture him tossing me onto the bed…
“Listen,” he said in a low voice. “I’m not going to make you do anything you don’t want to do, and I understand your objections, they’re fair. But Kiki, look at me. Can you really say there’s nothing between us? If you can, I’ll let you go and never touch you again.”
His eyes stared deep into my own, challenging me with their every tiny flicker to my lips.
“There’s… nothing between us,” I stammered out in short breaths, my face turning beet red. “Nothing.”
We both knew it was a lie the moment I said it. Even the most casual passerby couldn’t deny that we had chemistry. Plus, my body was telling on me in every way possible — I was sure my pupils had gone large, I could feel sweat on my palms, and my heart was racing in my chest. Surely he could feel the wild pulse coursing in my back. I was a horrible fibber.
“So you do like me,” he said with a smirk. “Thought so.”
I groaned. “Don’t look so smug.”
“Can’t help myself. Even if you won’t go on a date with me, it’s rewarding to know that this thing between us isn’t one-sided. I’ll take that as a win.”
“Whatever keeps you going,” I replied, though I knew excitement was seeping into my voice.
He was so close, exactly how I’d pictured it when I’d been, y’know, stimulating myself in the Jeep. Try as I might to play cool and casual, this larger-than-life man had somehow wormed his way into my brain, and until I could figure out a way to dislodge him… yeah, I’d succumb to a little flirting.
Tate’s face turned earnest, his mouth growing hard.
“Kiki, I want to become the kind of man who gets a girl like you, even if it’s just for one date. Unless you tell me that you really, earnestly want me gone from your life forever, I’m gonna keep trying until you decide to give me a chance. Okay?”
I hadn’t thought I could blush any harder, but I was sorely mistaken. When I’d first told Tate no, it was because there was no way I’d sleep with him before Friday. But now, having heard myself list out all the reasons it was a bad idea, I remembered that screwing Tate was actually ill-advised far beyond this short time frame. He might’ve been handsome as all get out, but he was in every other sense a mistake.
