The next stop was at a lingerie store for bras and panties in lace and satin, and I bought several in the hopes that he would get a chance
to see them. I also found a few pairs of heels to tie everything together and left with my bags and a smile on my face. A few men had hit on me during the shopping trip but they weren’t Payne.
I got some lunch at my favorite cafe before going home and putting my clothes away in the closet so they would stay ready to wear. I wanted everything to be perfect and I changed into a bikini and went to sit in the spa, relaxing before I started some stew for dinner. I wasn’t sure if Payne was going to come or not, but I certainly hoped so. I leaned back and stared up at the blue sky and smiled as I considered my future.
I dozed off for a while before I came to dizzy from the heat of the water. I slid slowly out of the water and grabbed my towel, wrapping it around me to go inside and change.
I was in the kitchen chopping vegetables and adding them to the broth I’d started that morning with some beef bones. It would only take an hour or so for everything to be ready. I was wearing some denim shorts that weren’t obscenely short but enough to tease with a tank top. It was warm in the house today or perhaps I was just too used to East Coast summers now.
I stirred everything together and placed the lid on the pot before I reached for my glass of wine. “I think you’re turning into a lush being home.” I jumped at Dad’s voice and giggled as I looked at him.
“I became an alcoholic while I was at Harvard,” I quipped as Dad set his briefcase down just inside the door of his office off the kitchen. “How was work?”
“Good. I think I’ll only have to put in a few hours tomorrow from home.” Dad looked at me as he reached inside of the fridge for a cold beer. “How was your day?”
“I got some clothes for the job,” I smiled as I spoke and glanced at him. “Is Payne going to be working tomorrow?”
“In the morning.” His voice scared me as I turned to look at him walking through the living room. “I heard there was food being prepared here. I hope you don’t mind because I am tired of take out.” Payne was always here, and that’s just how it was. I knew that he had a beautiful condominium by the office but that he preferred the family setting here more than he did his bachelor pad. I never saw it since he was here so much.
“Of course not,” I assured him as I watched him loosen his tie and drape it over a kitchen chair. “Do you need help tomorrow?”
“You’ve been home for a day and change. You’re allowed to rest,” Payne reminded me as I shrugged and got him a beer.
“It’s quiet on the weekends, so I thought it would be a nice chance to catch up is all.” Payne seemed to consider that idea as I felt Dad looking at me.
“She’ll make an excellent attorney someday,” Payne said as Dad nodded. “Come in at ten. You know where the building is?” I nodded. “I’ll be waiting out front for you.”
“Perfect,” I agreed as I heard the bread maker beeping. I shut it off, letting the sourdough bread inside cool as I glanced at the clock. We sat down to eat about forty-five minutes later after watching some of the scores on television while I played around on my phone for a few minutes. I was thinking about contacting some friends to see who was around as much as I was looking at Payne every few moments as he argued something with my dad.
They’d been friends for years, probably since before they were my age. They were as close as brothers, which worked out well because they were both only children. My grandparents died when I was fifteen and Payne’s lived near Harvard, so he didn’t see them often. They were lovely though, and fed me a few times during my life there. They were like my own grandparents and it made me wonder of what I was doing here was terrible. They wouldn’t approve of their son with me from what I understood about them.
They were thousands of miles away. It didn’t matter.
I looked at him across the table inside of the kitchen, seeing his eyes pass over me a few times throughout the evening. They weren’t long or particularly heated gazes, but he was aware of my presence.
Payne left after dinner, claiming that he needed his beauty sleep for work tomorrow. I knew that was code for him being there before I arrived and asked what I should wear. “The weekends are casual. Jeans are fine or anything comfortable.” Payne looked at me before he walked towards the door and called out a goodbye to Dad, who was in his office. I locked the door as always and scurried up to my room as I played back the brief night.
I felt like something was brewing between Payne and I, but there wasn’t anything sexual yet. He was still treating me as kindly as he always had and seemed to notice that I’d grown up over the years. I pulled out some skinny jeans and a bronze t-shirt to wear in the morning with some Cons. I was looking forward to wearing my new clothes next week but there was no need for overkill. Not yet.
I crawled into bed around midnight, stroking myself as I bit my lip to stay quiet. The house was big, but I didn’t want to get caught as I came hard and fast. I rolled onto my side and looked out of the large picture window at the moon as I caught my breath. I was excited about the next day.
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BREAKING RULES
EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT TO HOT SELLING - “FAIR PLAY” (A BAD BOY SPORTS ROMANCE - 1ST 2 CHAPTERS ONLY)
Kate Asher
“Forget it, Kate, he’ll never talk to you,” Walter said, shaking his bald head slowly and making the squinty face that reminded me of that old cartoon character, Mr. Magoo.
I was doing my best to keep the whine out of my voice. Walter hated whiny women. I said, “But I don’t understand why I couldn’t at least try to contact Sean Donovan and—“
He gave me a dismissive wave, like he was shooing away a bad smell. Walter was in his late fifties and had drank like a fish and smoked like a chimney for decades. His voice was gruff and irritating, especially when he was dealing with what he considered to be overeager young journalists who were pitching him silly story ideas.
He said, “It would be a total waste of time and resources, so just forget it. Sean Donovan is still pissed at us for posting that video of him having a three-way with those two groupies in Chicago. Our people can’t even get past the guards at Kings Stadium anymore. We have to cover their home games by watching them on TV or listening to them on the radio.”
I blew out a long breath and bit my lip. Arguing with Walter Thompson was like having a battle of wits with a brick wall. No matter how sound your argument, there was no way to convince him that your idea had merit once he decided that it did not. And Walter rarely gave merit to any idea I came up with.