Page 144 of The Chase

“Just think it over,” he cajoles.

“I said I would.” And I meant it. I’ll take the time to decide if working for Kamal is worth it for me, but if he expects me to jump through hoops for him again, he’ll be sorely disappointed. There’s only one person whose hoops I’ll happily jump through, and she’s not even asking me to.

“I’ll be in touch, Mr. Jain.” And then I sign off with a series of words that never in a million years would I have imagined myself saying. “I’ve gotta go walk the runway at my girlfriend’s fashion show now.”

32

SUMMER

“THAT MAN REALLY LOVES YOU.”

“I know,” I answer Brenna, unable to fight a sappy grin.

We’re standing backstage, watching as my boyfriend walks the lengthy runway bisecting the enormous ballroom of the Arbor House, a historic mansion in Hastings and our venue for tonight. Fitz’s swim briefs hug his perfect ass, and his thigh muscles ripple with power as his long strides eat up the runway.

On the other side of the wings, Bianca and her Kappa sisters are also enjoying the show. Every time another half-naked hockey player steps onto the stage, they sigh dreamily. The girls already strutted their stuff to thunderous applause. My bikinis were a hit, but the plunging one-piece Bianca closed the girls’ line with was the clear winner of the night.

Bianca catches me looking, and she gives an enthusiastic wave. I wave back with a smile. I didn’t see Kaya in the audience tonight, which tells me she never ended up endorsing her sisters’ side project. But who cares. The Kappas came through for me, and I owe them for that.

Beyond the curtains, Fitz reaches the end and does theturn like we’d practiced, albeit awkwardly. The people occupying the rows of seats on either side of the runway break out in applause, and my smile doubles in size.

As I suspected, the briefs are a wee bit loose in the front, since Rex’s rocket is slightly bigger than Fitzy’s. But that’s not to say my man doesn’t fill out a pair of briefs fantastically. And besides, I honestly wouldn’t have cared if half the swimsuits hadn’t fit. I’m just thrilled we managed to find replacements for all six players.

Someone else isn’t as thrilled, though. Erik Laurie sits in the front row with the other members of the faculty, including Mallory Reyes, the department head. Laurie holds his program in his lap, fashionable as ever in a pinstriped suit and with his hair slicked away from his high forehead and clean-shaven face.

A face that’s harder than stone as he stares at my model. Correction, at myboyfriend, who is so fucking hot it’s almost… otherworldly. Yup. No other way to describe the oiled-up, muscled, tattooed man putting himself on display for me.

“I want to go out there and bang him on the runway,” I growl. “In front of everybody. I don’t even care.”

“I don’t blame you,” Brenna answers. “Look at that body. He’s magnificent.”

He really is. And the relief on his face when he returns backstage is almost comical.

“I feel like I’m going to ralph,” he groans.

I tamp down a laugh. “You were so good!” I assure him. “But, quick. We need to get Rex’s trunks on you because you’re walking again after Nate.”

Each designer was given our own dressing space sectioned off by a curtain, and I shove Fitz toward mine. His secondswimsuit is nowhere near as skimpy as the first one. I saved the trunks for last so he could be done with the awkward briefs right off the bat.

Fitz scratches his bare chest, then remembers that Brenna and I rubbed oil over all the guys before the show started. His big paw is glistening now, and he bites his tongue seductively before saying, “I’m all oily. Can you take these off for me?”

I roll my eyes. “Oily hands in no way prevent you from taking your own briefs off.” But I still hook my fingers under his elastic waistband, because what woman would ever say no to sliding what’s essentially underwear off this hottie’s body?

I slip my hands under the briefs and squeeze his butt cheeks. His ass is so muscular, it’s insane.

Fitz’s eyes flare. “Don’t do that,” he warns. “You’ll make me hard.”

“You’re the one who wanted me to undress you.”

“You’re right. What was I thinking?” He swats my hands away and drops trou on his own.

I have one brief, glorious moment to admire his sweet penis before he has the trunks on and is tightening the drawstring. “How do I look?” he asks.

“Fuckable.” I reach around to smack his ass. “Now get back to work.”

He chuckles as I usher him out of the dressing space and get him in position. Nate walks off the runway, and Fitz steps onto it, but before he walks, he winks at me and murmurs, “I wouldn’t do this for just anybody, you know.”

“I know. And I love you for it.”

---