Courting Innocence. Kimberly Dean
again, but the movement was hampered by the close fit of her dress.
‘Mmm,’ she hummed when his hand stroked down again.
Yet he didn’t help her. She tilted her head back to let him nibble again on her neck, and her hair fell down her back. As discreetly as she could, she caught the front of her dress and pulled it up just enough so it wasn’t caught between them.
He growled in approval and pushed that hard thigh deeper between her legs.
Erin moaned at the pressure pushing against her clit and intimate flesh. Her panties were the only protection she had now. She rocked forward and then back, experiencing the sensation. It was good, but…She tried again, harder. And then faster.
Soon, she was riding his leg almost desperately. His mouth closed over hers again, and his hand squeezed her breast, but…
But nothing.
Her nerves settled back into normal gear before it had even ended – and she knew it wasn’t going to end with any kind of fireworks or even a sizzle. Slowly, she began to pull back. She broke the kiss and pulled her hips away. When the song ended, he still held her close, but their bodies barely skimmed one another’s.
Well, shoot.
Erin pushed down her red dress, smoothing the wrinkles, and looked to see if anyone had been watching. She was almost more embarrassed about not climaxing than she was about dirty dancing on a public dance floor.
Her date cleared his throat. ‘Sorry, that was against the rules, but I couldn’t resist.’
‘I wanted it, too.’
Her curiosity had been satisfied, albeit not to her liking.
Or had it?
Had sex been the issue with Marty? Was that what had been boring?
Her face heated to nearly the colour of her dress.
It had been a long time before he’d broken things off since they’d last ‘done it’. She’d never sensed anything wrong in that area, though. They’d been together for so long, they knew how to touch one another. They knew each other’s rhythms and moves, likes and dislikes. Once they’d got the hang of it, sex had always been easy together for them. Easy and relaxing.
Oh, damn. She might be on to something.
‘I think I’d like that drink now.’ She smiled up at the man who still held her too close for the contract they’d both signed. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings.
He cleared his throat. Red slashes of colour rode along his high cheekbones, but he didn’t say anything. He merely blew out a breath and swung an arm around her back. He guided them through the maze of moving couples to the bar. There was only one barstool open, so he helped her up into it. Erin hooked her heel around the footrest that ran the length of the bar and crossed her legs. The motion made her mound rub against the leather seat. It was cushioned but hard, and she noticed two things immediately. She wasn’t even wet, and it felt better than he had.
The flush in her cheeks crept down her neck.
‘Another mojito,’ she said tightly. ‘Please.’
Her date signalled for the bartender.
‘So you said you’d signed up for a cooking class,’ he said, not missing a beat. ‘What type of cooking are you interested in?’
Erin paused with her drink halfway to her lips, sighed and took a gulp. Again. So gracious. So upright. They’d just ground together like a power buffer, and she’d pulled the cord, but that was all he had to say? How did she cook?
And he meant food?
Why wasn’t he angry or disappointed about their sputtering kiss? Wasn’t he embarrassed that they hadn’t connected? She was. She felt the stare of another man at the bar and hid behind her hair.
She took another healthy swallow of her drink. She didn’t want gracious and polite. She wanted someone who would wake her up and make her take notice. She wanted to feel the fire. She wanted somebody like…like Jason, who kept Sienna on her toes…or that detective. The way he and Nina had squared off in that hallway!
Erin sat a little straighter. She didn’t want someone who catered to her, she wanted to be challenged. She wanted that burning sexual spark. She wanted a man.
She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. There was nothing to be ashamed of. She’d done nothing wrong, except maybe push right up to the limits of the contract she’d signed. But that wasn’t what concerned her. She needed to call Nina first thing tomorrow morning.
Because this wasn’t working.
‘What are we supposed to do?’ Sienna asked. She was pacing back and forth in front of Nina’s desk, sweeping her hands through her ice-blonde hair.
Nina didn’t know. She sat more calmly in her chair, but her heel bobbed up and down in a rhythm that could not be contained. They’d just received word from Erin that she wasn’t happy with her ‘dates’. ‘Any ideas?’ she asked. ‘Rielle?’
Luxxor was in crisis mode, much as it had been on the day that Erin had first called to inquire about being a client. Sienna had nearly had an aneurysm that day, but they’d all sat down together to brainstorm a way to protect Luxxor’s secret.
The secret that they were not matchmakers but an escort service.
In that moment, they’d needed to plug any potential leaks, but they’d wanted to protect the sweet little blonde too. The idea of providing her with escorts as dates had been a clever means to both ends. When Erin had walked away happy, they’d all thought they’d escaped a near miss.
They’d thought too soon.
‘Could we just set her up with another escort?’ Rielle suggested. ‘Someone who’d match her new set of wishes?’ She was on her feet, too, but hovering near the window to Nina’s left. Her nails were drumming against the windowsill in a constant click, click, click, click.
‘I considered that,’ Nina confessed. She drew a never-ending circle atop the piece of paper in front of her. She had a cross-hatch shredder beside her desk to destroy any would-be evidence. Just the idea of staring at a computer screen all day gave her a migraine and made her think of wrinkles around her eyes.
She sighed, put down her pen and let the softness of the big leather chair wrap around her. ‘But the escorts who’ve been out with her all say the same thing – that she draws out their protective side. She’s pretty and sweet, and they can’t help it.’
Rielle moved quietly across the room and joined them, taking the seat that matched Sienna’s. ‘We could just do what she wants.’
Nina’s brow furrowed. ‘I don’t understand.’
The pretty office manager shrugged. ‘We could try our hand at matchmaking.’
Sienna looked startled, but Nina was even more perplexed. ‘Who would we match her with?’
‘I don’t know, but you’ve got a database full of men. You know their preferences in everything from looks to personalities to hobbies to political affiliations.’
Sienna gasped audibly. ‘We can’t pair her with another client.’
‘Why not?’
Yes, why not? Nina’s mind was already starting to mull over the possibilities.
Sienna’s spine stiffened, and her posture turned crisp when she realised the two of them were actually considering the option. ‘Erin’s not an escort.’
‘We could tell that to her potential matches,’ Nina said.
Sienna whipped her head around.
‘We have some nice clients,’ Rielle defended. ‘Not all of them are here for the hoochie-coochie. Remember? We cater