Page 10 of Games We Play
“I swear I’m fi…”
Leah looked up. Standing before her, wearing an Italian three-piece suit and a lined coat straight from movies set in New York, was a woman who looked remarkably like the one who had given Leah the birthday of her life.
“Are you injured?”
That voice! Even in the crisp, cold air it sounded as hot as it had Saturday night.This can’t be Sloan. It can’t be.What escort wore an outfit like this? Drove a car like that? With a driver who had a face that screamed he was ex-secret service? Leah’s mouth fell open. She hadn’t been at a loss for words when she was tapped by a luxury vehicle, but she was now!
“Miss?” Sloan leaned down, hands clasping her knees. “Do you need me to call an ambulance? I am more than willing to help you after what we did.”
“Sloan?”
She jerked upright. Sunglasses whipped off her head, sending the bangs of her blond hair into the wind. Makeup, as bold as it was conservative, peered down at the top of Leah’s head. “Do I know you?”
Is she serious?Perhaps it was uncouth to acknowledge each other in public, but after a night like Leah’s birthday?How could Inotacknowledge the woman who made me come in ten minutes? While I was handcuffed to a chair?
That domineering gaze sent an unwelcomed chill of anticipation down Leah’s spine. Maybe it was injured. God willing.
“We met… the other night.”
Sloan looked up and down the busy sidewalk before jerking her head toward her driver. The man was out and opening the back door to the Mercedes before his boss could say a word.
“Let’s go.”
What propelled Leah to get in that car? Was it her addled brain, still reeling from what had happened in the past five minutes? The need to get out of the cold and the public’s perception? Or, more likely, was it the cool and commanding way Sloan told her to get her ass in the back of a Mercedes? God knew she had a demeanor that begged to be obeyed. Leah was the kind of woman to obey, too.
“Wow,” she said with a single breath once she was inside and the doors were closed. Leah had never been in a vehicle like this one. On the outside, it looked like a standard luxury vehicle. Maybe it had leather seats, an awesome sound system, and an engine they couldn’t get away with using in downtown Portland.It’s got all that and the kitchen sink!Sloan turned off the TV monitor playing news in the back of the driver’s headrest. A small bin in between the seats produced iced beverages, including the tiny bottle of water Sloan opened. Leah continued to hold her bag in her lap as she witnessed a privacy partition rise between the front and back seats with the touch of a button. It was like the movies!
“Circle the blocks,” Sloan said to her driver, before the partition was all the way up. “I’ll tell you when this is done.”
The driver said nothing. The car lurched back onto 10thStreet – or was it Couch? – and Leah was alone with Sloan.
Dangerous, wasn’t it? God only knew what they could get up to back there, assuming Leah had the money to buy it.I don’t. Why do I have to be so poor?Sloan didn’t look poor at all, though! She moved so comfortably in this vehicle that Leah could only deduce she owned it. Or at least had ownership over it.How much does she charge per hour?How much had Melissa wasted? Seriously!
“What do you want?”
Leah snapped out of her happy little reverie. “Excuse me?”
Sloan was pointed toward her, slender legs crossed and hands folded around her knees. A navy-blue tie was clipped against her white blouse and beneath a tailored black jacket. She smelled of a different perfume from the other night. Both meant business, however. Subtle enough to be socially acceptable, but strong enough to call attention to her already commanding presence. Sloan only moved to fix her blond bangs. They were so sleek and soft that Leah marveled over the quality of conditioner this woman must use.
“You want something. What is it?”
Her short and succinct words were like an erotic punch to Leah’s gut.I must be dreaming this. She’s too good to be true.Then again, this was the woman who often chastised herself for being so swayed by bossy people. Could she help it if she were a natural follower, though? “What makes you think I want something from you?” Besides sex, maybe.
“Because that was the least convincing display ofSue the Rich BitchI’ve ever seen in this godforsaken state. I know how you Oregonians play.” Sloan scoffed. “The only question is… were you stalking me, waiting for the perfect moment to pull that stunt? Or did you happen to see me driving by and decided to chance your ass against my grill?”
“I… honestly don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Sloan rolled her gray eyes. “I’m not a fucking idiot, Mandy. Now tell me what you want so we can get this over with.”
Leah cocked her head. “Mandy? Who’s Mandy?”
The car made another turn. Were they circling Powell’s or The Henry? How many times had they stalked the streetcars up and down 10thand 11thStreets? Leah glanced out the windows and wondered where they were within the Pearl.
“Let me guess. You don’t respond to your professional name outside of work. Fine. What’s your real name, then? I don’t have time for games right now.”
Leah held her bag to her chest. “My name’s Leah.”
“What the fuck do you want with me, Leah? Money? Were you taking a page from that crazy asshole’s book and threatening to sue me?” Sloan pulled her checkbook out of her inside pocket and a pen from the car door. “Would three thousand dollars get you to leave me the hell alone? I hear that pays some monthly rents around this bloated market.”
