White spots danced behind my eyelids as Cade came with a shout. He slumped over me for a moment, his hands on either side of my body. I was limp, barely able to hold myself upright as I gasped for air. I waited for him to say something, to help me up, anything.
I made a small pained sound as he pulled out. If this was what it was like after two days in a row, I could hardly imagine how I'd feel after a whole weekend of getting fucked by Cade. I'd need a full day to recover.
“I'm going to get cleaned up,” Cade said. He continued speaking as he walked toward his bedroom. “You have a spa appointment at one if you want to soak in the tub before you go. It's a whole exfoliating, waxing thing. You'll be done in plenty of time for your date.”
I pushed myself up off of the table and reached down for my robe. My hands were shaking as I pulled it on, suddenly feeling used and exposed. My eyes burned with tears and I hurried toward my bedroom, needing the privacy of my bathroom before I gave in to the dark emotions filling me.
Humiliation.
Rejection.
I'd offered myself to him and he'd taken what I'd given, but he didn't want me. I was a job. A body he found physically attractive and enjoyed fucking. Nothing else.
Chapter 9
The spa treatment was wonderful. Even the waxing hadn't been an entirely unpleasant experience. There'd been a facial and a massage that had left my skin tingling and my muscles relaxed. The only thing that would've made it better would've been if I had been getting ready for a date with someone I cared about. I refused to put a name in there. He'd made it perfectly clear where I stood with him.
The hotel room was empty when I got back, but I went straight to my room anyway. I didn't want to risk running into Cade as I was unsure how to handle what had happened. I couldn't tell him I was upset or that would bring up questions as to why I felt that way, and that would lead to the end of everything. I wasn't sure I was ready for that just yet.
I laid out all of the clothes I'd brought with me and began to look through them to find something perfect for tonight. I didn't really want to go through with it, but it was the only way to keep up the pretense with Cade. Besides, I thought, there was always the off chance that I could actually have fun. And hadn't that been the entire point of this whole thing? For me to prove I wasn't some pathetic loser who needed her friends to set her up on pity dates? Granted, Cade had set this one up, but this was a test, not pity.
I picked up the teddy I'd bought for my ex-fiancé to enjoy. I'd brought the clothes, thinking that using them with someone other than Ronald would somehow fulfill the promise of that missed opportunity. I saw the whole truth of it. This whole trip, I'd been trying to make it a replacement for what I hadn't gotten with my ex. An out-of-country trip. A five-star hotel. Hot sex.
This wasn't a romantic getaway, though. And nothing that happened this weekend would have any sort of special meaning. If anything, what I was doing with Cade just cheapened everything. I put on the teddy and then looked through the dresses I'd brought. There was no use saving any of this.
Most of the clothes I'd bought for my honeymoon had been for a Caribbean cruise in August, not Toronto in October, but I had purchased a couple warmer outfits, not knowing how cold it would get on the ocean at night. I picked one of those now, a clingy deep blue sweater-dress. The deep v-neck showed off the tops of my breasts and the hemline was mid-thigh, revealing enough leg to get some attention. It was attractive without promising too much.
I was ready early, but stayed in my room. At five-thirty, a text came through. It was Cade letting me know that a car was ready to take me to the restaurant. I scowled at his message and then shoved my phone into my purse. The entire ride down to the lobby, I told myself that I needed to focus on having a good time, on proving I could do this. I needed to prove it to myself as much as anyone else.
The driver didn't try to talk to me on the ride, which I was grateful for. I didn't want to make small talk at the moment. I had enough of that in my near future. When I walked into La Vecchía Ristorante, for a moment, I forgot about the circumstances surrounding my being there. The place was gorgeous. Warm lighting, stone walls, just the right combination of romantic and chic so that it was perfect for any sort of date. Grudgingly, I admitted that Cade had done well in choosing it.
“Ms. Gamble?” The hostess interrupted my thoughts.
“Yes?” I was surprised she knew who I was, but I didn't ask. I had a feeling Cade had taken care of it and I didn't want to think about him anymore for the rest of the night.
“Your table's right this way.”
She led me to a table near the back. I perused my menu while I waited, but I didn't have to distract myself for very long. A few minutes after I'd been seated, one of my quick glances toward the doors showed the hostess coming my way again, a man close behind her. I set aside my menu, deciding I didn't want to try to play coy and pretend to not be watching. I let myself study my date as he came closer.
He was tall, even taller than Cade, and more muscular. Cade's build wasn't quite thin enough to be lean, but my date was almost too big for my tastes. His hair was golden blond and cropped short. Not military, exactly, but in that same vein. As he drew closer, he smiled and I saw straight white teeth, a dimple and warm brown eyes. His features were cute rather than handsome or pretty. All-in-all, a nice package. I found myself wondering what had prompted Cade to pick someone like this guy. It wasn't like we'd discussed the types of guys I found attractive. As far as I knew, he didn't even know what Ronald looked like, so he couldn't have used that as a template. Not that my date looked like my ex. What made me so curious was that it seemed like Cade had purposefully picked someone who didn't look anything like him.
As my date sat down, he extended his hand across the table. “Jason Lowe.”
“Aubree Gamble,” I answered automatically as I shook his hand. “Call me Bree.” I didn't want anyone else calling me Aubree, especially not someone I was supposed to seduce.
“It's nice to meet you, Bree.” He flashed another charming smile and then looked at the waiter who'd appeared. “I'll start with water, but if my date is amenable, we'll be ordering wine with the main course.”
Amenable. And used correctly. That earned points from the English teacher. Another point for not ordering for me. He was doing well so far. “That sounds lovely.”
We chatted about menu choices and wines while we decided what we wanted. Once we'd put in our orders, the conversation shifted to the usual introductory small talk. I tried not to tense as I remembered how this had been the point in my last date where things had started going south. I hoped Jason wasn't as self-absorbed as Steven Danforth had been.
“Your friend didn't tell me much about you except that you were gorgeous.”
“Thank you,” I said. Surprisingly, I didn't blush. I wasn't sure if that was because I'd gotten used to the compliments or if it was simply the difference in who was saying them. I really hoped it was the first. “He didn't say anything about you at all.” I smiled and sipped at my water. “But if he had, I'm sure he would've been equally complimentary.”
Jason laughed, a nice sound without any innuendo or double-meaning attached to it. “So, Bree, do you mind if I ask what you do for a living?”
“I'm a teacher.”
As the questions went back and forth, I realized why Cade had chosen for this date to be outside of Chicago. Both Jason and I were giving ambiguous enough answers that, while we were learning about each other, we also weren't providing enough information that could be used to find the other. Our names alone wasn’t sufficient.
The conversation flowed more smoothly than I'd expected and I found myself relaxing a bit more. Jason was a charmer, but not in a sleazy kind of way. He seemed to be genuinely interested in what I had to say, but not so much so that I didn't find out he was divorced, worked for a pharmaceutical company and traveled a lot. He didn't take himself too seriously, but wasn't flippant about things either. He was sweet, humble
with just the right amount of confidence. He was everything I should've been looking for in a first date. In a relationship, even.
Except I couldn't stop thinking about the ways he wasn't like Cade. His looks. His smile. The way he carried himself. Even how he spoke. It wasn't that I didn't think Jason was attractive, but he wasn't the one I wanted. It didn't matter that Cade had made it perfectly clear that there wasn't anything between the two of us but business.
I barely tasted any of the delicious food in front of me, spending more time pushing it around on my plate so I looked busier than I was. The more time that passed with Jason, the more I realized this wasn't going to work. I should've been enjoying Jason's company and trying to figure out if I wanted to invite him back to my room, but instead, I was wondering if Cade would be there when I went back.
“If you'll excuse me,” I said abruptly. I stood and gave Jason a smile. “I just need to use the ladies' room.” I took my purse and headed toward the restrooms.
The bathroom was empty and I breathed a sigh of relief. I went to the sink, wishing I could splash cold water on my face without ruining my make-up. Instead, I settled on washing my hands and then pressed a damp paper towel against the back of my neck. I couldn't do this anymore. It wasn't fair to Jason. I knew the date hadn't been set up under the most honest of explanations, but he at least deserved someone who wasn't thinking about another man.
I could tell him I wasn't feeling well. The fact that I'd hurried away to the restroom would support a lie. And it wasn't entirely untrue. The thought of having a one-night stand with a virtual stranger was turning my stomach. If I couldn't have Cade, that was one thing, but even after all of his 'teaching,' I still wasn’t the type of woman to have sex with someone I felt nothing for.
My phone rang and I dug it out of my purse, answering without even bothering to see who it was.
“Don't do it.”
The sound of Cade's voice sent my pulse racing. Had he just called to tell me not to sleep with Jason? A small flare of hope perked up inside me.
“You're thinking of walking out, aren't you?”
“What?”
“Did you really think I'd send you on a date with a perfect stranger and not keep an eye on you?” His voice was flat. “I've been watching you, Aubree, and you're faking it. Badly. Running to the bathroom was an excuse to back out without hurting poor Jason's feelings. I bet you were planning to lie, planned to tell him you were sick, weren’t you? Because Aubree Gamble is too nice to tell the truth and too chicken shit to follow through.”
“You're watching me?” I hissed the question, looking around the bathroom to make sure no one could hear my side of the conversation.
He didn't even bother to answer my question, though I supposed the answer was obvious in the first place. “If you leave without at least finishing the date and initiating something physical, we're done. You promised to obey–”
I hung up the phone before he finished the sentence and then switched it off so he couldn't call back. “Son of a bitch!” I slapped my hand on the counter. Who did he think he was, ordering me to fuck someone like I was the prostitute in this relationship?
I looked at my reflection, anger burning in my eyes. Anger at Cade for telling me to do this. At myself for what had happened at the hotel earlier, for allowing myself to feel something. And now he was watching me, telling me to fuck a total stranger?
“Fine,” I muttered. “If that's what you want.” I straightened, smoothing my dress and making sure my hair and make-up were flawless. If Cade wanted to watch me seduce Jason… I'd give him a show he’d never forget.
Chapter 10
Cade
I wasn't sure which would've been worse, sitting at a table and watching everything going on but not being able to hear it, or having to suffer through whatever numbingly boring conversation Aubree and Jason were most likely having without being able to direct where it went. All I knew was that Aubree's pleasant demeanor was becoming more forced by the minute and I didn't think she was going to go through with it. That would be a problem.
I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. Things were more complicated with Aubree than any other client I'd ever had. Usually, the only complication was when someone got attached and I had to cut her off. With Aubree, things were... different.
A tall woman with chestnut brown hair passed my table and I caught a whiff of some sort of fruity-scented body spray. I tensed, not relaxing until I caught a glimpse of the stranger's profile. The nose was all wrong, but the rest of the similarities brought forward memories I'd rather have forgotten.
***
I looked up at the house doubtfully. It was my last hope to make at least enough money to get something to eat. My stomach contracted painfully. My last meal had been at the hospital two days ago, and it wasn't like hospital food was filling to begin with.
As I started up the driveway, the rain that had been threatening all day finally broke free of the clouds. I was already too miserable to do much more than frown as the chill quickly soaked through my ragged clothes. I clutched my side as pain shot through my cracked ribs, but I didn't slow down. If I paused every time I hurt, I'd never get more than a couple feet. Every wrong movement twinged something injured, and there were plenty to choose from. Aside from four cracked ribs and serious bruising that had left my entire torso a mass of black and blue, I also had cuts and bruises on my knuckles, at least one cracked knuckle, two black eyes, a split lip, bruised cheek and a nose I was lucky hadn't been broken. There were also scrapes and cuts covering pretty much every inch of my body. Walking was painful, but so was sitting and laying down. It was beyond a no-win situation.
I straightened as best I could and hoped that whoever lived in this insanely huge mansion would pity me enough to give me something to do for a couple bucks. How far had I fallen, I wondered as I rang the doorbell. Less than a year ago, the idea of someone pitying me would've pissed me off.
“Can I help you?” A tall brunette opened the door, the expression on her face showing only the slightest surprise at finding someone who looked like me standing there.
“I'm looking for work,” I spoke carefully and tried not to wince when the movement pulled on my lip.
The woman opened the door further and motioned for me to step inside. “Come out of the rain and we'll talk.”
As I stepped into the lavish foyer of the house, I realized the woman who'd come to the door wasn't a maid or one of the servants like I'd been dealing with at the other houses. She wasn't dressed in anything fancy, but I could tell her clothes were expensive, designer-label shit. Her haircut alone was probably worth a week's paycheck for most people.
“What's your name?” she asked.
“Cade.” I watched as she circled me, her eyes running over me with a critical light in them. I didn't know what she was thinking, but if it meant I got to eat today, I didn't care.
“Are you hungry, Cade?” She stopped when she was standing in front of me again. “You look hungry.”
“I'm just looking for work, ma'am,” I said stiffly. “Not charity.”
“How about this,” she said. “I fix us both something to eat and then you clean the kitchen for me? I was going to have some fried chicken, pasta salad and biscuits. How does that sound?”
I wanted to protest that it didn't sound like an even trade, but my stomach let out a loud growl. I flushed. “That would be great, ma'am.”
“Please,” she said. “Call me Penny.”
I followed Penny into her kitchen where she produced all of the food she mentioned and then some. I was hesitant at first, but she kept insisting I eat until I wasn't hungry anymore. Neither one of us talked while we ate, but I felt her eyes on me almost the whole time. When I finished, I immediately set about cleaning things up. I hoped that if I did a good enough job, she'd offer me something else and I could get a bit of money out of the deal too. Either way, it was better than anything I'd had in a long time.
As I filled the si
nk, Penny asked, “How old are you?”
I thought for a moment, debating whether or not I wanted to be honest. “I'll be eighteen in a month.” I waited for the inevitable follow-up questions, the ones that started with what had happened to me and why I wasn't with my family.
“Are you just looking for work today, or would you like something a bit more regular?” Penny asked.
I glanced behind me and saw that she'd tucked her foot underneath her. The gesture made her seem younger than I'd originally pegged her. “I'll take what I can get,” I answered honestly. “I'll do anything you need.”
Her green eyes gleamed. “I was hoping you'd say that.” She gestured toward a set of French doors leading to a backyard that was bigger than the entire house I'd grown up in. “I have a guest house out back that needs some work. Cleaning, painting, some minor repair stuff.”
I was nodding before she finished. That sounded like at least a week's worth of work, maybe more if I was lucky.
“I'll let you stay in the guest house and provide meals in exchange for you getting it into tip-top shape.” She slid off of her chair and walked toward me. “I inherited the house from my great-aunt, and she let some things go.” She stood next to me, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from her. Her expression was thoughtful as she looked out the window over the sink. “Once the guest house is done, I'm sure I can find plenty of work for you to do for room and board, maybe even some cash too.”
I almost didn't believe her, but I couldn't see any reason for her to lie. If anything, a single woman alone in a big house like this should've been more wary of letting in a complete stranger, especially one as beat-up as me. “I'd really appreciate it,” I said.
“Good,” she said. “That's settled then.” She smiled brightly up at me. “As soon as the rain lets up, we'll go have a look.”