The Freelancer – Chapter 36

I had to get a grip.

Before Blaine walked in, I’d been about two seconds from carrying Jenna into her bedroom where I had every intention of having very wild sex with her for the better part of the night. Sure, it had occurred to me that there were four people in the other room, one of whom was my partner, but it didn’t matter once I felt her against me. Even after Blaine left I was still holding on by only a thread. If Jenna hadn’t looked so mortified then…

Well, I wouldn’t be in the bathroom right now trying to think of anything to get rid of this raging hard-on.

Okay, this was bad. I’d been in here for long enough that everyone had to be wondering what the hell I was doing. I turned on the faucet and splashed some water on face. My body was so hot right now that I was on the verge of combusting.

I tried to turn my thoughts to something, anything that would cool me down. Nothing. My mind was a total blank. It occurred to me when I made my move that Jenna might end up smacking me…but she didn’t. In fact, she loved every second of it. She might not have minded if I’d carried her to the bedroom…

Wrong line of thought.

Blowing out a breath, I thought back to the last time that I’d gone from hot to cold in a split second. It was a day just like any other. I’d finished up some paperwork early and decided to surprise Melissa with take-out and flowers. She was sitting on the couch, talking, smiling. My partner was off that day and stopped by to see if I was home yet. They’d just been talking, but my wife had this look in her eyes…like she’d been caught in the act.

That was my first indication my marriage was over, despite the fact it took me months to realize it.

Yep, that did it. I opened the door and walked out to join the others. Luckily, it hadn’t taken me as long as I thought to make myself presentable. Jenna looked like she’d entered the room just ahead of me. Maybe she also needed some time to compose herself.

“So,” I asked, rubbing my hands together in expectation, “Is there anything left or did Trista eat it all?”

Trista shot me a look but didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to; her eyes said it all. I looked from Trista to Jenna, who blushed noticeably, and smiled. Once I had a few slices of pizza on my plate I sat next to Jenna on the floor and turned to Blaine.

“So, Blaine, what’s your take on this?”

He looked startled. “This?”

I heard Jenna’s breath catch so I put a casual arm around her shoulders, making sure she stayed very much aware of me. Collin gave me a stupid looking grin before clarifying, “Who do you think is framing you?”

“Oh.” Blaine appeared thoughtful. “I can’t figure it out. There are bound to be people out there who think I’ve wronged them in some way even though I always strive to be fair in my business dealings.” He set his plate down in disgust. “How I didn’t notice a prostitution ring was being run out of the back of my club for months doesn’t help matters.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Trista snapped. “How could you be expected to know about that with me up there almost every night? I was too much of a distraction.”

“Don’t do that, darling. Even if you hadn’t been there I doubt I would have thought twice about guys asking for an extra dirty olive in their martinis. Men hit on the bartender all the time.” He turned to me. “She’s about five-eight, blond hair, green eyes. She used to tell me she didn’t mind getting hit on because it meant bigger tips. I guess the tips weren’t enough anymore.”

As I watched the exchange I let my hand move to the back of Jenna’s neck and stroked it with my thumb. I could sense the exact moment her breath caught in her throat and her pulse quickened. It had been a long time since a woman had responded to me in that way and I had to admit that it felt good.

Damn good.

…Go Back

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