The Night Off by Meghan O'Brien Page A

it seemed she had. “I apologize. My skepticism has much more to do with me than with you, I promise.”
    “I get it.” Nat softened, rubbing her thumb over Emily’s lower lip. “For the record, I don’t tell every woman I fuck that we’ve just had the best sex of my life. Most of the time I don’t even tell them my real name. But I told you.”
    Perplexed, Emily went back to the moment when she’d asked. Nat had offered her name without hesitation, only minutes after they’d met. Long before Emily could have done anything to inspire that level of trust. “Why? What makes me so special?”
    Nat grasped her upper arms, tugging her closer to kiss the tip of her nose. “I don’t know.” Moving a hand up to touch Emily’s throat, Nat held her in place so that they stayed face to face. “Something.”
    Blushing, Emily tore her gaze from Nat’s. She stared at the ink on Nat’s arm, admiring the bold lines etched over well-defined muscle. Despite her lingering shyness, her libido stirred. Too unsettled to initiate another go, she rested her head on Nat’s chest and exhaled heavily. During sex, not being in control had been a heady aphrodisiac. Now it made her sick to her stomach. Confused by her emotions—and by Nat’s—Emily closed her eyes and fought the instinct to leap out of bed and run away.
    “I’m sorry if I’ve upset you.” Nat tensed beneath her, allowing her hands to fall to her sides. “I didn’t tell you that to make you uncomfortable. I just wanted you to know that you aren’t the only one who felt that way…about the sex. But it was unprofessional to say anything. It won’t happen again.”
    She should just accept Nat’s apology, thank her for the lovely evening, and leave. It was better than staying here in this awkward moment, flayed open and exposed. But the self-recrimination in Nat’s voice stopped her. She thought Emily was upset by her attraction, when in reality it frightened and excited her equally.
    Emily opened her eyes. “You enjoyed my fantasy?”
    Nat relaxed slightly. “You might as well have written it with me in mind. It was perfect .”
    Shivering, Emily drew a circle around Nat’s navel with her fingertip. “I’m glad you had a good time. Makes me feel slightly better about the whole paying-for-sex thing.”
    “Makes me feel worse,” Nat said lightly. “In fact, I would be happy to refund you my cut of your fee. It hardly seems right to accept it, considering.”
    Emily raised her head and met Nat’s cautious gaze. “I can’t let you do that. But thank you.” Despite her initial skepticism, she was beginning to believe that tonight had been mutually satisfying. Unsure what that meant, she remained guarded even as a tiny bubble of excitement rose in her belly. “And I believe you.”
    “Good.” Nat brushed a lock of hair away from Emily’s face. “You really are beautiful.”
    Emily knew better than to question Nat’s sincerity this time. “Thank you.” Again her gaze flitted to Nat’s tattoo, then to her handsome face. “I have to admit, I never imagined Janis had my dream butch in her employ. But here you are, in the flesh.” It was embarrassing to admit the depth of her attraction to Nat, but what the hell. Unless Nat was an excellent liar, she seemed to reciprocate her interest. “You happen to be exactly my type.”
    “Lucky me.” Nat’s eyes darkened. “You know, we have at least an hour and a half left on the clock.”
    Emily’s heart rate picked up at the seduction in Nat’s deep voice. “Oh, yeah?”
    “And I happen to know that this penthouse won’t be used again until tomorrow evening, anyway. So, technically, we have all night.”
    Despite the strength of her orgasm and the overwhelming emotion it had conjured, Emily was suddenly more than ready for round two. As expensive as this appointment was, it would be foolish not to take advantage of every second of their time together. “What are you suggesting?”
    Nat reached