Stroke of Luck - Opal Carew Page 0,18
chaos. And now he’d made it crystal clear that he would not allow her to repay her debt to him.
Her stomach coiled tighter. She needed to pay him back. Somehow, she had to find a way. She had to be able to stand on her own two feet, or how could she ever make it on her own?
She dragged her gaze from his and sighed. Right now, though, she had to worry about the immediate future. She had somewhere to sleep tonight, but tomorrow would come all too soon.
She stared at her hands. In his harshly spoken words, he’d told her he didn’t want anything from her, but she knew that wasn’t quite true, and that gave her an idea. One she didn’t savor, but it might be her only way out.
She moved closer to him, standing facing him while he sat gazing up at her.
“Fine. You want me to face facts,” she said, trying to keep her voice even. “The fact is I’m in trouble, and I have no one to turn to.” She shifted her gaze to his again. “Except you.”
He raised an eyebrow and waited.
“I need to ask for your help. I hate it, but I don’t know what else to do. I don’t want to be out on the street tomorrow, and I really need to pay you back somehow. If you won’t discuss money, then I have another idea that might appeal to you.”
“And what’s that?”
“One thing I know you want from me is sex. What if I give you that?”
His eyebrows shot up. “You’re suggesting you pay me back by fucking me?”
His coarse wording made her uncomfortable, but she shrugged.
“Why not? You don’t have to worry about any romantic entanglements. It’ll be just a straightforward physical relationship.”
His eyebrow arched up. “You don’t find this kind of arrangement a bit demeaning?”
She shrugged. “Why? It’s not like I’m being forced into it. And with the strong attraction there’s always been between us, it’s the same as if we just decided to have a fling.”
“And you think a few fucks with you is worth over a hundred grand?”
She flinched inside, but kept her head held high. “It can be as many fucks as you want. You call the shots. And before you continue insulting me, I wanted to pay you in cash.”
* * *
Fuck. Quinn stood up and raked his hand through his hair. He was being an asshole again.
But damn it, her suggestion had thrown him totally off balance. He could barely think straight at the thought of finally having her in his bed.
And to tell the truth, the prospect terrified him.
If he finally got what he’d dreamed of for so long … If he finally felt her naked body beneath him … surrendering to him …
Fuck, he might fall for her all over again.
“I told you I don’t want you to pay me back.”
Her eyes glittered as she stared at him, and her back slumped in defeat.
“Fine. I’ll have to find another way.”
She started to turn away from him, but he knew he couldn’t let this opportunity slip away. He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her tightly against him. The feel of her soft breasts crushed against his chest sent need churning through him.
“But I do want to take you up on that offer.”
Her eyes widened again.
“I’ll even throw in enough cash to get you started again.”
“That’s not necessary.”
“You don’t dictate the terms. I do.”
He waited for her to protest, but she didn’t.
“You’ll stay with me for a month. I’ll expect you to be totally cooperative. You’ll do whatever I tell you to do. Fuck me whenever and however I want. Agreed?”
She nodded, her cheeks flushing a deep rose.
He released her and stepped back.
“Good. At least it’s an honest proposition,” he continued. “We both know what we’re getting out of it. No one’s being taken advantage of. And there’ll be no messy ending. When the time is up, you’ll just leave.”
“Yes, of course. Now that that’s settled, I’ll go fix my makeup so we can go down and join Austin.”
“Wait. There’s one more thing.”
“What’s that?” she asked.
“I’ll be sharing you with Austin.”
* * *
“What?” April’s heart raced. He couldn’t be serious. Being with two men at the same time? How could she do that?
She’d only ever been with Maurice, and she’d believed she loved him at the time. And being with Quinn … she’d never stopped wanting him. But she hardly knew Austin.
“It’s nonnegotiable,” he stated flatly.
“I thought you didn’t want me