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She turned her head and smiled at me. “Really?”
I laughed. “Don’t pay attention to me. You just rocked my world again and my brain has no blood right now. I’m talking nothing but nonsense.”
I kissed her cheek and leaned my head back so we could both relax.
Chapter Eight
Gwen
Iwasthankfulitwas over. We were done, and sharing one more romantic interlude was the icing in the cake for me. As I lay in bed, resting beside James, I knew it was going to be hard for us both to let go and move on.
This little liaison we had — the sex — was going to be hard to forget. I was happy it was all over. It meant I could get back to my real life and move on from James Renegade.
All I needed to do now was get paid. Martie promised it would be a huge sum of money, and I needed it to get back to Connecticut and start over again. My life had been upside down for so long, but now I could breathe a sigh of relief and begin again.
I got up and pulled the sheets with me. “Well, this has been fun. I mean, really.”
I smiled at James, surprised that he frowned. “You and I, we could never be anything but this.” I pointed between him and I, referring to the amazing sex we’d just shared. “It’s been really fun, but now I need a shower.”
I hurried to the bathroom to give him time to process. We both needed time to let go and move forward. I had a novel to write, and many other things to do, like look for another job. The steaming hot shower was exhilarating. It erased all the aches and pains of the last few days. I felt completely refreshed by the time I was done and got comfortable in a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt.
When I came out of the bathroom, James was gone.That’s perfect, he’s off clearing his head too. By tomorrow, all will be back to normal.
I snuggled up in bed and began working on the next chapter of my novel. I had to think about it. The characters needed to be developed, the plot and storyline needed to be finished, and I had to make sure the dialogue matched the characters’ personalities.
The bed waswaytoo comfortable, all messy and still smelling of our sex. It drove me on as I wrote in my notebook. I could have easily turned on my computer and did some typing, but at times I still loved the time-honored tradition of writing a novel by hand.
I must have nodded off. The next thing I knew, James was shaking me awake as he leaned over me. “Wake up, Gwen.”
Irritated, I blinked my eyes open and stared at him. “What’s up?”
I couldn’t think. My mind was a fog of sleep deprivation, overwork, and ideas for my novel.
James frowned at me. He looked concerned, as if something had happened. Instantly, I snapped out of sleep mode and sat up.
“Did something happen?”
“No, I just want to talk to you.”
That didn't bode well, so I got up, annoyed I had to leave the cozy comforts of the bed.If I was going to stay awake, I might as well work on my novel. Why do I have to continue to cater to you? I did my job; the work is done.
I sat on the couch next to him and fiddled with my nails as he attempted to gather his thoughts. The cigarette in his hands was a huge surprise for me, since I hated smoke. “You smoke?”
“Not usually, once in a blue moon. It’s a dirty habit, I know, I’m just a little stressed right now.” He flicked the ashes into an empty bottle that was nearby and leaned back against the cushion of the couch.
“What’s on your mind? Is it something urgent that can’t wait? I took a little nap, but I need to work on finding another job and finishing my novel now that we're done here.”
He eyed me, thoughtfully. “Well, I wanted to talk about that. What would you say if I asked you to continue to work for me? You could fly out to LA, come work with me on a temporary basis, and see if you like it. You're looking for work, and I’m not a slave driver.”
He grinned. “Well, at least not all the time. Anyway, you’d have time at night to work on your novel and you’d be making a ton of money working for me. Right now, I could use your help, since we did so good here with Chelsea Market. We can call it a trial run, and if things don’t work out, you’ll still have your money, and I will fly you home with all expenses paid.”
I was shocked, temporarily rendered speechless when he threw that idea at me. My world spun on its axis. I couldn’t imagine why he’d want me to come work for him in California. We didn't get along, and constantly got on each other’s nerves.
It slipped out before I could censor it or tone it down. “Are you out of your mind?”
“I don’t think so. I think it’s the perfect solution to both our problems, really.” He laughed, flicked his cigarette again after taking another drag of it, and then put it out.
“Okay, let me rephrase that. Have you lost your mind?”
