Into The Fire by E. L. Todd Page B

amazing partner.”
    “Did he make you come every time?”
    “Maybe once in a while…”
    He shook his head. “What a loser.”
    “I hear people talk about how amazing sex is,
but honestly, I haven’t had that kind of experience that makes my
toes curl. The times I do orgasm, I almost can’t believe it
happened at all.”
    He covered his face and groaned. “I’d shoot
myself if I were a girl. If someone expected me to have sex with
them over and over, they better make me come. And women should hold
themselves to the same standard.”
    “But I think it’s just me—”
    “No. The guy is just lazy and doesn’t want to
take the time to figure out how to make you come. Lame shit.”
    I sipped my wine because I didn’t know what
else to do. My thighs were pressed hard together.
    “Let me be of service to you.”
    I almost choked on my wine and spit it back
out. “What?”
    “Let me pierce it for you. You’ll come a lot
more often.”
    “Oh…” I relaxed when I understood his
meaning.
    “What did you think I meant?”
    “Nothing.” I tried to shake it off.
    Suspicion came into his eyes then realization
set in. “I wouldn’t mind pleasing you for the night. I can show you
what sex is supposed to feel like. I’ll make you scream so loud a
notice of eviction will be on your door the next morning.”
    He was killing me. “Thanks for the offer but
I don’t need your charity.”
    “Charity?” he asked. “I just told you I think
about nailing you every time I say your name. You don’t even need a
clit piercing with me—or a vibrator, for that matter.”
    My face was so warm I was about to sweat. My
thighs were pressed so tightly together I thought I would cut off
my circulation. I wanted to fidget but I didn’t want to give away
my vulnerability. The offer was so tempting. If any other guy said
something like that, I’d think he was a weird pervert who needed to
get the hell away from me. But with Ash, it was all I wanted.
    He tilted his head slightly. “Come on, you
know you want it.”
    “Arrogance isn’t attractive to me.”
    “But confidence is.” He leaned further over
the table. “Come on, I want it and so do you.”
    “This relationship is strictly
professional.”
    “Yeah?” he asked sarcastically. “Why did you
invite me over for dinner then?”
    I didn’t even know. “We’re friends, aren’t
we?”
    “Maybe we can be friends with benefits.”
    I needed to get a grip. “I have a contract I
have to abide by.”
    “Fuck the contract,” he snapped. “You think I
give a damn about a thin piece of paper? We’ll keep it between
us.”
    “It’ll make everything weird later on.”
    “Why?” he asked. “We both know what this is.
You know it’s meaningless and I don’t do the girlfriend thing. And
I know you think I’m an arrogant jackass that doesn’t understand
boundaries. Why can’t two adults just have a passionate night with
no strings attached? It’s a beautiful thing.”
    I knew I needed to get laid if I was
seriously considering this. “No. I’m your escort and I’ll do my
job.”
    He leaned back in the chair, a look of
disappointment on his face. “I’m fine with the answer but not the
reason behind it. When you do the things you want without thinking
about other people’s opinions, you’ll actually be happy. Stop
thinking too hard about things and just take what you want. I’m
telling you, you’re trapped right now. Loosen up and you’ll finally
be happy—really happy.” He grabbed his dishes then carried them to
the sink. He turned on the water and rinsed them before he placed
them in the dishwasher.
    I remained in my seat because my thighs were
so tightly pressed together I didn’t know what to do.
    ***
    “Did you and Ash make up?” Shelly asked from
across the table. She was on her second mai tai.
    I was on my third. “Yeah. He apologized for
what he said.”
    “And what did he say?”
    “He made a rude comment about me being