Page 38 of A Billion Desires

“Why? I have sex for money.”

He took a deep breath. “There’s no way the shop owners would know what you do for a living.”

“One of them said, ‘This isn’t where people like you shop.’”

Nick’s eyes flared and he closed his eyes.

“I was so upset after trying every store you had on the list, that all I wanted was ice cream.” I reached beside me and grabbed the credit card that Nick had given me. “But the guy behind the counter was the manager and he wouldn’t take the card you gave me. He said it looked fake.” I threw the card across the room like it was a frisbee.

“All I wanted was some freaking ice cream and I couldn’t even get that!” I crossed my arms over my chest and scowled at him. “And when I dug through my wallet and pulled out a ten dollar bill, he asked me to leave.”

“He did not.”

I nodded and raised my eyebrows. “Yep, he did. And he made quite a scene in front of the other customers. It was almost worse than getting kicked out of the classy shops.”

“Stay here,” he said, then crawled out of the bed and strode through the door. I rewound my movie to where it had been before Nick walked in. It didn’t take long to get lost in the storyline again.

Before I knew it, the door swung open.

Nick was holding a big bowl in his hand. I watched him carefully as he shut the door, then slid back onto the bed beside me. His eyes gazed over my face, making me feel a bit uncomfortable. I imagined my makeup was a smudgy, awful mess. Just like my hair.

It confused me why he wouldn’t let me shower and fix myself up.

But, he was the boss.

If Nick ordered me not to move, I wouldn’t move.

I peered down and saw heaping scoops of ice cream with pink flecks inside. For the first time since this morning, I smiled because I wanted to. My eyes found his, and he grinned back. “Open.” He held the spoon up to my mouth and I parted my lips, anxious to taste what was in it.

“Mmm,” I said, shutting my eyes as I let the delicious, cold, creamy flavor melt in my mouth. “Cherry cheesecake?” I asked in a muffled voice as I savoured two of my favorite things in the world. This just happened to be the exact kind of ice cream I’d attempted to order today.

“Yes,” he answered, then took a spoonful for himself. I was mesmerized while I watched Nick lick off the spoon. My lower belly tightened when I saw his tongue.

So far, he hadn’t tried anything—other than kiss me—since I’d arrived at this house.

His mansion.

There wasonereason why he’d hired me for a month.

And soon he’d want to get what he paid for.

But for right now, it felt nice to have someone look aftermefor a change.

Had anyone ever brought me supper or ice cream after a crappy day?

Not that I could remember.

“Open,” he said again, his voice almost croaking as he spoke.

Before I accepted another spoonful, I asked, “How did you know I liked this kind of ice cream?”

“A reasonable guess.”

“Based on what?”

His eyes dropped to my lips for a moment. “Based on the fact that you taste like cherries. Everywhere.”

My mouth opened, but it wasn’t because of the ice cream.

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