My Last Resolution(14)

“No, even though I know you want to.” He smiles. “You’ll come out eventually.”

“Yeah, tomorrow when it’s time for me to leave. Speaking of which, the airline called and my flight takes off at ten forty five so I should probably leave here around eight, right?”

“Probably so.”

“Can you tell me which cab company I should use?”

“None of them. I’ll take you.”

“No, that’s okay. You’ve done enough by letting me stay here...Do they schedule rides in advance or should I—”

“Stop.” He presses his finger against my lips. “I’ll take you.” He leans close as if he wants to kiss me, as if he’s going to but then he stops. “I’ll be in the living room if you need me. There’s extra toothbrushes and toiletries in the bathroom cabinet if you need those.”

“Always ready for one night stands I see...”

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing.”

“What did you say about one night stands?”

“Just that you seem really prepared—you know, with your drawers full of condoms and your extra toothbrushes. Being an attractive lawyer clearly nets you all you could ever want.”

He stares at me a long time, slowly letting a smile spread across his face. “You went through my drawers?”

“Yes, and you don’t need that many condoms...”

“I don’t.” He gently tugs on a strand of my hair. “But since my last client was a condom manufacturer and I won the case, he gave me a lifetime supply.” He leans close again, briefly letting his lips touch mine. “As far as the extra toothbrushes and toiletries go, those are also from another manufacturer client. And yes, being an ‘attractive lawyer’ nets me all I could ever want—except for what I want at this very moment.” He kisses my cheek before walking away.

I’m not sure how long I stand in that spot—blinking and wondering why the hell he keeps having this effect on me, but by the time I come back to my senses, I no longer have an appetite.

I force myself to eat at least one slice of pizza, and then I make use of one of the thousands of blue toothbrushes that are stuffed in his cabinets.

I’m stealing at least ten of these before I leave...

Unable to sleep, I slip into the hallway and head into the living room, but I don’t see him. Before I can turn around, I feel him standing behind me.

“Those are your pajamas?” he whispers against my neck, tugging at the loop of my shorts. “They don’t look comfortable.”

“Well, they are.” I lie. “Were you waiting for me to come out all this time so you could stand behind me and whisper weird shit into my ear, or did I wake you up?”

He moves from behind me without saying a word and clasps my hand. Shaking his head at me, he leads me over to the couch and pulls me down with him.

As he unfolds a blanket, he pulls me close and covers us with it. Then he props a pillow behind my head. “Are you comfortable?”

“Yes.”

Ever so smooth, he dims the lights—allowing the flames in the fireplace to be the brightest spot in the room.

I expect him to try and make a move on me, to hit me with one of his over the top sexual comments, but he doesn’t. He simply turns on the TV and leans back against the couch.

“What’s in Boston?” he asks without looking at me.

“I’m not sure.”

“Are you going there for business, or for pleasure?”

The way he says pleasure makes my heart speed up a bit. “Neither...It’s just a trip to get away and have some time to myself.”

“You don’t have any concrete plans?”

“You ask a lot of questions.” I look at him. “Do you know that?”

“It’s the trait of being a good lawyer.”

“A good lawyer? There’s no such thing.”

He lifts his head up. “You have something against lawyers?”

“My ex-boyfriend is a lawyer.”

“I’m not your ex-boyfriend.” He looks offended.

“Yeah, well. You know what they say. All lawyers are practically scum, the only difference is some f**k you over worse than the others.”

“You don’t have to keep insulting me to get my attention.” He puts his arm around my shoulders. “You’ve had it ever since I saw you on the plane.”

“What?”

“You can stop trying to act like you’re not intrigued by me.” He grins and his eyes light up. “I know you want me.”

“What the hell are you talking about? You still think sex is going to happen between us, don’t you?” I immediately stand up. “You know what? I knew hanging with you was a bad idea.”

“Sit down.” He pulls me back onto the couch. “I just wanted some company,” he says. “It’s been a while since I’ve talked to anyone outside of my clients and my family, so I thought it would be nice to get to know someone new.”

“How sad. I know a therapist if you need one.”

“Okay, Paris.” He pulls me close and whispers against my lips, “I need you to stop being so f**king sarcastic. Right now. It’s not having the effect on me that you think it is, and the next time something smart comes out of your sexy ass mouth, I’m going to show you exactly what that effect really is.”