Page 11 of Sex Coach

I had the money out before he even reached me and took the pen from the little leather folder as he laid it on the counter .

Scrawling her a note, I left the bills, making sure I took the business card she'd fished out of her purse earlier .

I hadn't seen the last of Miz Michelle .

But I wasn't seeing her here .

That was for certain .

* * *

B ack at my apartment,simple, sparse and spartan, I looked up Miz Michelle Nestor .

I had more interest in her rather than finding out why she'd been at the restaurant rather than Gina, but I did take a few minutes to research the popular writer from the women's magazine .

Her accident had actually made a couple of the local news outlets, so it was pretty easy to understand why she had somebody else filling in for her .

Finding out information about Michelle wasn't quite so easy .

She had a Facebook page, but it was locked down tight .

She had a LinkedIn page, but it was locked down even tighter .

No Twitter that I could see .

The only online presence that held any really hint of her was a brief online website for freelancers, and all I could see from that without having an account was a headshot and a few reviews and references .

"You're not making this easy are you, sweetheart ?"

I studied the headshot, taking in the smile that was both polite and warm, but distant somehow. I didn't like it .

It wasn't really her .

"I guess I'm not going to find out much about you online, am I, sugar?" I touched a finger to the curve of her cheek and leaned back, head cocked as I continued to ponder her face .

Plucking the card from the pocket of my jeans, I eyed her email, then opened the email app on my laptop .

"I wonder if I can make you blush from just a message ."

* * *

A n hour later,I locked the door behind me, leaving the warmth of the apartment behind yet again. I had an appointment in Manhattan at a boutique hotel where anonymity was just as much a selling point as the lush, 1920s art-deco style rooms .

My client was waiting for me, lying in bed naked, sipping from a glass of wine and checking her email .

"Can't you take a night off, darlin'?" I asked .

She glanced at me. "I am. That's why I'm here...darling." She gave me a slow smile and dropped the phone on the nightstand before taking a sip of her wine, smiling at me over the rim as she swallowed .

Alicia was one of my favorite clients. I'd almost even call her a friend, if I allowed myself to have friends .

But friends weren't exactly something I liked to put my trust in. I'd done that before, and it had fucked me over good and proper. I wouldn't let myself get in that position again .

Still, I liked Alicia .

She was easy to talk with, easy to please, she was a good bed partner, and she paid well .

What wasn't to like ?

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