Page 6 of Voyeur
I took one last swallow of my beer and then set it down, exactly back on the wet ring it had left on the center of the napkin. Satisfied with the fit, I leaned back and mimicked his position.
“Hi,” the woman said once she reached our table. “Excuse me, but I noticed you across the restaurant, and I just couldn’t leave without coming over to introduce myself.”
Her voice was soft and feminine, and I could imagine sharing conversations with her. I rotated my body toward her to get a better look. She was beautiful. Tall and slim in her black pants and flowy cream shirt. She looked professional—organized.
I shifted my lips into my most charming smile and extended my hand. “Hello. I’m Callum.”
“Shannon.”7Her slim fingers slipped in my palm, feeling soft and fragile.
“Nice to meet you, Callum.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and cleared her throat. “Well, I don’t want to keep you, but I wanted to see if you’d like to get coffee sometime.”
I glanced quickly to Reed, making sure he was watching, satisfied by the smirk that was going to crumble.8
“I’d love to have coffee with you, if you want to give me your phone number.”
“Yes. Yes, of course. I left my phone at the table but let me write it down and you can message me with yours.”
When she bent over and scribbled her number with the pen the waiter left behind, I smirked at Reed. I had to fight letting a laugh slip out when he mouthed,Fuck you.9
I cocked an eyebrow and turned my attention back to Shannon.
Maybe she’d be different than the others. Maybe she’d be the one to help me move past my nightmares.10
chapterthree
Oaklyn
After strippingdown to the most minuscule pair of undergarments I’d ever known, Agnes gave me the approval I needed. Afterward, I went to the doctor they told me to use, and I got my STD test done. Lying on the table, a young female doctor between my legs, I wondered if she knew I was there because I needed to be clean for my performances. I wondered if she cared or judged the work I was going to do? Either way, she didn’t let on and I left the office, called only a few days later to let me know everything came back clean. No shocker there since I always practiced safe sex.
After finding out I was good to go, I’d headed to the Bursar’s Office armed with a whole new plan and plea to get me through the semester. To say I was lucky was an understatement. The man who listened and saw me almost break down in tears had helped me immensely.
We set up a payment plan to get my semester paid for before spring break, and he also found a spot for me in another work study program in the physics department. It seemed an easy solution since I was already in the building for my work study in biology.
For the first time in a couple of weeks, I felt like I could breathe, as though a weight had been lifted from my chest. The semester was going to be hard, but I wasn’t scared of hard work. My determination would keep me going. And next year, I’d be more careful. It would be easier. I just had to focus on these next few months.
However, I still kept my feelers out for other jobs, hoping to find something less…just less than Voyeur.
Less than the black pumps and Santa dress I currently wore. My breasts lifted to perfect display.
“Derringer.” Daniel called my name as he walked in with a tall, shirtless guy. To say he was attractive was an understatement. He looked like a modern-day James Dean and my jaw almost dropped taking in his bare chest and tight black jeans.1
“My eyes are up here,” he joked.2
“Be nice, Jackson.” Daniel issued a warning before speaking to me. “This is your new partner, Jackson.”3
He reached his large hand out and I lamely placed mine in his, watching it get lost in his long fingers. “Hi, I’m Oaklyn.”
“Hey, Oaklyn. Can’t wait to make out with you.”4
“Stop scaring her, Jackson.” Daniel glared at Jackson before turning toward me. “We keep it professional around here. Yes, there will probably be sexual acts between the two of you but think of it as an acting job. There will be a probationary period of sorts with you two to make sure the chemistry is there, and if it doesn’t work out, you’ll try another partner. So, don’t let Jackson scare you. He’s one of the nicest ones I know.” He turned his attention back to Jackson. “Don’t get yourself into a harassment suit. I’d hate to lose you.”
Jackson put his hands up in defeat. “Alright. I’ll lay off.” He turned to me with earnest eyes and a warm smile, different from the sexy smirk from earlier. “It’s nice to meet you, Oaklyn. If you have any issues, just come to me, and I’ll help you out.”
“Thank you,” I answered.
“But we probably should get together to talk soon. Get comfortable with kissing each other so it all seems more natural.”
“Yeah. Okay.”
