Protege(12)

“How do you know?”

“I don’t think she’s into women.”

“You don’t think? Did you even read her application?”

Yes, and her application had every box checked when it came to trying new things in the bedroom. The woman didn’t have a clue about her personal preferences. “She’s inexperienced.”

“How old is she?”

“Thirty.”

“Hot?”

Very. “Average.”

“Without adequate experience, someone’s going to have to sponsor her. She’s not a virgin, is she?”

“No, and I’ve already considered the fact that she’d need a sponsor. The woman has a lot to learn.”

Ezra chuckled. “I always wanted to sponsor an innocent. Why don’t you let Lea and me take her for a bit? She might actually like having her * played with by a woman.”

“No.”

“Why not?” His friend sat up. “If she’s as inexperienced as you make her sound, she’s going to have to be a boarder for a while to get a feel. Come on, Jude. Let her be our little foster sub. It would buy me some time with Lea.”

His neck prickled at the term foster. “I said no.”

His friend arched a brow. “You like her.”

“She has some interesting qualities.”

“Such as?”

Her wild curls and willful manner. “She’s fluent in French.”

Ezra snorted. “Like that has anything to do with the price of eggs. You can’t endorse her if you want to sponsor her. It doesn’t work that way. Otherwise everyone would be endorsing anyone they wanted to f*ck.”

“I don’t want to f*ck her,” Jude argued.

“Please, you’ve probably already imagined what her eyes would look like as you stuffed her mouth full of your cock.”

They’d be wide, then soft with lust. His knees tingled as blood rushed through his veins. “That’s not true,” he whispered, voice hoarse.

Ezra laughed. “Well, you’re imagining it now. Want me to send Kelly in here to get you some relief?”

The image of his assistant relieving him quelled some of his lust. She typically serviced him on a fairly regular basis these days, but he wasn’t in the mood for Tuesday sex. He wanted spontaneous first-time sex with southern expletives and muttered French as he yanked on unruly curls. “No.”

“So are you planning on actually sponsoring her? Jude, you know what people will say. You don’t get involved with the clients. This is going to stir up questions, namely, how the hell our company was listed for the general public to find. Maybe you should let someone less high-profile take her; that way people won’t assume she’s anything more than a typical referral.”

“No. I want her.” The words left his mouth before he had a chance to weigh their effect.

Ezra stared at him, face devoid of humor. “All right. Then she’s yours . . . for now. I’ll offer my endorsement so you can ethically be her sponsor. Just keep in mind that the objective of a sponsor is to prep a client for someone else. It’s not about you and your idiosyncrasies. It’s about unveiling hers so that she can be better matched. You sure you’re up for that?”

Being that he wasn’t in the market for anything permanent, but very much had the desire to f*ck Ms. Collette Piper Banks, yes, that would work just fine for him. “I’m aware of what a sponsor does.”

“You won’t be able to come to the office every day.”

“Do you think I’m new? I wrote every damn policy, Ezra. I know what’s expected.”

The other man held up his hands in defense. “Okay, okay. I was just checking. You don’t typically get this involved.” He paused, then cautiously asked, “Will you take her to the chateau?”

Swallowing, he imagined what it would feel like to walk back through those doors, sleep in his and Tiffany’s bed again. “I suppose I’ll have to.”

Giving the issue of residence further consideration and loathing the discomfort that the thought of returning to his old home brought, he said, “Perhaps Lea would like to update some of the furnishings for me. I could set her up with an expense account and—”

“Say no more. She’ll do it.”

“Did you want to ask her first?”

“No. I’m not giving her an option. It’ll be good for her and it’ll take her mind off other things. She’ll start today.”

“Good.” He didn’t want to return to the chateau and be constantly reminded of his ex.

After Ezra left, Jude withdrew the application he’d tossed in the trash. It wasn’t a fair appraisal of anything. The only thing that paperwork told him was that she would try anything once. With any luck, she’d fill in the second application a bit more honestly.

He’d call her tomorrow and confirm their second appointment. During that time, he’d offer her sponsorship. If she declined, the interview would be over before it began and her new application would join the first in the trash. If she accepted, they were going to Fernweh.

***

“Did you finish the application?”

Allowing him to take her coat, Collette nodded, wondering what on earth had possessed her to return. “Yes.”