I highly doubted that, but kept my mouth shut. It was totally dry anyway.
“You’re very pretty. Can you take your hair down for me?”
My hands fumbled to release the ponytail, and then I let my straight, chestnut brown hair fall down in a wave.
“Have you ever gone darker?”
I shook my head. I liked being low maintenance, hence the hair thrown back in a ponytail.
“I’ll need to see the other assets you’ve got now, to ensure you’re the kind of woman our customers desire.”
The air in the room went thin. I knew this was coming thanks to Payton. And since we’d been roommates, it’s not like she hadn’t seen me naked before, but it offered me little comfort now. This was the moment it started to feel real.
My hands lifted the shirt up over my heaving chest and then over my head before I set it in Payton’s waiting arms. Joseph was calm and collected, not leering at me, which I appreciated. I hurried to undo my jeans and shoved them down over my hips. I wanted it over as soon as possible, but my haste made me clumsy and awkward. If he had expected a sexy striptease, he wasn’t getting one.
I passed my wadded jeans to Payton, who ignored my shaking hands.
“Very nice,” he said, making me believe he was satisfied, until he added, “Please continue.”
I twisted my arms behind my back and undid the clasp of my bra, my nervous fingers fumbling with the hook. I wasn’t overly shy about my body under normal circumstances, but standing in the cramped room with the harsh lighting and two pairs of eyes on me made everything upside-down. The straps slid off my shoulders and down my arms, falling to the floor.
I didn’t give myself time to check with him for feedback. I hooked my thumbs under the waistband of my panties and yanked them down my legs, leaving them beside my bra, on the floor. Then, I rose and set my hands on my hips and lifted my eyes to Joseph’s. I was naked and vulnerable, but struggled not to reveal any of the insecurity threatening to paralyze me.
“Can you turn?”
My feet were cinder blocks, but I complied. I finished the turn, looking at him for some sort of confirmation or disapproval. A lifetime passed and all he did was stare and evaluate. I ached for a response.
“Excellent,” he finally said, and gave me a crooked smile. “I have to gauge your level of comfort now.”
He stood and his hands undid his zipper. I hadn’t noticed that he was already semi-hard and bulging through his pants.
“What?” Instinctively I took a half-step backward.
He had his dick out in an instant, stroking himself until he was completely hard. “I want you to suck me off. Right now.”
“What?” I said again, my eyes darting to Payton. “Here?”
Was he serious? Payton had her lips pressed together, and then . . . she gave me the slightest nod. Oh, yes, he was serious.
“I need to know you’re not going to get cold feet with a client. If you can do this, I’ll feel comfortable putting you on the list.” While he talked, he continued to stroke himself slowly, and I couldn’t help but watch, hypnotized and disoriented.
“Evie—” Payton whispered.
Was she going to tell me not to? Because I’d already come too far to back down. The prints had been ordered, and I couldn’t get a loan or borrow from my parents, and Payton had blown all of her money on a new car.
“I can do this,” I said, more for myself than for anyone else. It’s not like this was the first blowjob I’d ever given, but it would undoubtedly be the least sexy. I took a tentative step forward and sank down before him, my knees resting on the cold, unforgiving tile.
I used a hand to tuck a lock of my wayward hair behind an ear. His dick was fat and hard, and right in front of my face. So I reached a hesitant hand out and wrapped my fingers around the firm flesh. My brain disconnected, I parted my lips, and slid him inside my mouth.
“Fuck, that’s good,” he whispered.
I was sure I would feel immediate revulsion, but instead I felt nothing. I wanted to focus and get my task done. I didn’t like failing. I pulled him out and then slid him back in until the head of his dick touched the back of my throat. You can do this, I repeated over and over, and when I began to bob my head on him, I started to believe.
“Use your tongue.” His breathing was ragged.
I obeyed his command, drawing a moan from him. I’d never had a guy tell me what to do before. I think usually they were just thrilled I was down there.
“Suck on it.”