Page 209 of The First Time
"Where do you work?"
"It's not far. I can walk."
"I'll walk you." He slides my shoe onto my foot.
His fingers graze my ankle.
His touch is soft. Tender. Sweet. Like we're old lovers, not strangers.
It wakes up all my nerves.
I want those hands on my skin.
Under my skirt.
Tearing off my blouse.
Sliding my panties to my knees.
I swallow hard.
I don't think about sex like this. And certainly not with strange, rich men who insist on walking me to work.
Blake.
Money Guy.
He certainly has the tall and handsome thing covered.
If things were different, if Lizzy wasn't home, if I didn't have to work, maybe I'd invite myself out with him.
We could have dinner. Drinks. A night at a hotel. The kind with security. So it's safe.
I could finally punch my v-card.
But things aren't different.
I can't waste time with strange men.
Even rich ones.
I rise to my feet. "I can walk myself." I take a step to prove it. The first is fine, but the second makes me wince. Maybe I can't work on this. Fuck.
He slides his arms under mine, offering himself as a crutch again.
This time, I take his help without protest.
"You really shouldn't work on that." His voice is steady. Impossible to read.
"It's really none of your business."
He nods and walks with me. "It was my fault. I wasn't paying attention."
"You can admit that?"
"Should I not?"
"No." I take a few more steps. It's not so bad. I'm off tomorrow. With rest, ice, and plenty of over the counter painkillers, I'll be okay. "Just… I serve a lot of guys like you."
