Body Image (Body Heat Series Book 2) (4 page)

“
H
e hasn’t called yet
?” Miriam finishes off her Diet Coke and tosses the can in the recycling. She stares at me through tortoiseshell cat-eye shaped glasses that complement her copper hair perfectly. “Texted? Anything?”

“Total radio silence. It’s been three days and I haven’t heard anything. It’s like he dropped off the face of the earth.” I take a bite of my sandwich and try to hide my disappointment. Miri’s pretty much my best, and only, friend at work; we hit it off right away. Most of the curators are men over 50, so there’s not really anyone in her department to hang out with. She pounced on me right after I was hired and we’ve been inseparable ever since.

“What a bastard.” She shakes her head. “You can do better. If you want to. Personally, I have a hard time believing men are worth the trouble.”

“If you knew how much fun we had the other night, you’d know he’s worth the trouble.” I can’t stop thinking about the delicious things we did together. I’m a little afraid of how desperate I am to do them again. But only with him.

“I’ve never seen you blush before,” Miri teases as the heat rises up my cheeks. “You really must have had one hell of a night.”

“What can I say? I was rather deprived in my teens and early twenties. I have a lot of lost time to make up for.” We rise from the table in the staff break room, throw out our garbage, and refill our water bottles before heading down the hallway to our offices.

“Are you doing anything exciting this afternoon?” I ask.

“I am. We just received the items on loan from the Smithsonian for the prehistoric giant snake exhibit. I have to go to the storage area and start inspecting and documenting everything. I’ll be knee deep in photos and condition reports for days.”

I lean against the wall to adjust the ankle strap on my heels. “That reminds me. I was thinking we should do a special members-only preview of the exhibit. It could really jump start our fundraising efforts this season. Scoring that exhibit was such a coup; we need to capitalize on it.”

Miri furrows her brow and rests her hand against her jaw. “That’s good. Maybe we could stretch it out over a few weeks to find a way to keep the money trickling in.”

“Maybe a lecture series?” I flip open my planner and start frantically scribbling notes as I talk. “I could arrange for weekly speakers to present? Experts on prehistoric creatures would appeal to everyone.”

“Perfect. I’ll go through my contacts and see if I have anyone I can send your way.” She grabs a notebook off her desk and then heads for the elevator. “Stay out of trouble this afternoon. And let me know if you hear from Mr. Sexy.“

“Will do.” I wave and step into my office, closing the door behind me. There’s so much to do this afternoon. I have to call the caterers for the benefit next Tuesday and get the final menu. I need to contact the volunteers for event staffing, and confirm our order with the rental vendor for décor and furnishings. I need to start brainstorming ways to bring in new donors. There aren’t enough hours in the day.

That doesn’t stop me from taking a moment to stare out the window and daydream about Bayne. And wonder where I went wrong. Can he really not bear to talk to me again? Was being with me that horrible? I set my phone on my desk top and stare at it, willing it to ring. I check the call history and my text messages to make sure I haven’t missed anything.

Get a hold of yourself.
I turn to my laptop and start searching for experts who specialize in prehistoric creatures. I start close to home, with local college professors, researchers, or authors who are within driving distance. It’s way cheaper when I don’t have to fly them out to us and pay for overnight accommodations. I know from experience that most will waive their speaking fees if it’s for a good cause. The more money we save, the more money we net.

“Why won’t you call me?” I slap the top of my desk in frustration. I have a million things to do, but I can’t stop looking at my phone. It sits there and taunts me with its cold dark screen. I don’t know who I’m more upset with. I was a fool for expecting too much. But he’s a fool for trying so little. If he’d only ask, I’d give him everything he could ever dream of. A partner. A friend. A lover. A true equal.

My office phone rings, and it startles me out of my reverie. I lift the receiver to my ear.

“Hey, Caroline. This is Mark from Heartland Catering. We have to talk about your menu. I know you wanted to go with the duck breast entrée, but we’re having supplier issues, and we need an alternative.”

“Of course, Mark. Not a big deal. Let’s get something figured out.” I hang up ten minutes later and feel like I’ve accomplished something for the first time today. One crisis averted. If only I could do the same with my personal life.

The rest of the afternoon is equally productive. I put out feelers to my contacts in the industry regarding a rumor I’ve heard about a new traveling exhibit out of Egypt that I want to score for our patrons. I brainstorm ideas for our new membership drive and identify new market segments to target with our fundraising efforts.

I take a breather and get a cup of hot tea. I check my phone again, knowing he won’t have called but unable to stop myself from hoping. I’m staring at the screen with drooping shoulders and a heavy heart when I hear the knock on my door. Miri pops her head inside.

“I sure hope you haven’t been starting at that phone for the past three hours.” Her smile is so kind that I burst into tears. I’m embarrassed and a little horrified. I’ve never imagined myself as the type to cry over a man. Especially at work.

Miri steps inside, closes the door behind her, and is by my side in a moment. She wraps me in a warm hug and pats me on the back. “It’s okay,” she says. “Let it all out and then we’ll work on a battle plan.”

I dry my tears. “A battle plan?” It comes out as a croak. She grabs a chair and moves it closer to my desk.

“Yes! Maybe I’m totally misreading the situation, but I’m getting the feeling you’re pretty crazy about this guy.” She settles into the office chair and rests her interlaced fingers on my desk. She looks like an admiral preparing to go to battle.

“It’s a little humiliating to admit, but it’s true. I’ve lost my mind over someone I was with for 12 hours.” I feel the tears well up, but I blink them back.

“So, we need a plan to get him back. Where did you run into him the other night?”

“We were at a club downtown.” I’ve only know her for a few months. I’m not ready to spill all the juicy details of my membership at Body Heat.

“Do you think there’s a chance he’ll be there again?”

“Sure. He handles security for the club.” I grab a tissue from the box and dab at my nose.

“Well, we just need to get you back in there,” she says.

“That’s the problem. The club is a little . . . different. He wasn’t happy to see me there the other night, so I promised I’d never come back if he took me home.”

“Now that’s the girl I need to talk to right now. The one who had a plan to get the man she wanted, come hell or high water.” She playfully bumps my arm with her elbow. “You let me talk to that girl and I bet you won’t be sleeping alone tonight.”

I laugh in spite of myself. “I suppose I could go back there. After all, he said he would call me and never did. So it’s not like I’d be the only one breaking a promise.”

She raises her hand for a high five and I comply. “There’s a reason they say all is fair in love and war. All bets are off when it comes to matters of the heart. If that lug-head can’t see that you’re perfect together, you need to lay it out for him until he realizes it, too.”

My tears have dried. I sit up straight in my chair and toss my hair back over my shoulders. “Miri, as always, you’re completely right.” I stand and grab my phone and handbag. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go get ready for the club tonight.”

“
D
arling
, you could stop traffic in that dress.” Nova takes my hands and kisses me on each cheek when I enter Body Heat. The silver dress I’m rocking has a plunging neckline and sequins for days. There’s no way he’ll miss me in this number.

“I better. It took me long enough to get ready.”

“Time well spent. You look spectacular.”

“Well, I’m here on a mission. And I’m taking no prisoners.” I lead the way to the bar. I need a cocktail in my hands posthaste.

“You need liquid courage? I always thought you were fearless. Bayne really got under your skin, didn’t he? I never would have guessed.”

“He told you about us?”

“Of course not, my dear. He would never kiss and tell. But I saw the two of you together the other night. I haven’t seen sparks like that since last Fourth of July.” I take a deep sip of my martini as she talks. “He isn’t here yet, but Nash is in the gallery,” Nova pauses for a sip of her wine and then continues. “You should go watch. I’ll make sure to let Bayne know you’re here when he arrives.” She gives me a playful wink and walks away.

I head for the gallery with a spring in my step. Nova had told me all about Nash, and I’m curious. What kind of man shows up to a sex club to give women orgasms without taking anything for himself?

I can tell which room he is in from the small crowd gathering. I sidle up to the floor-to-ceiling window so I can get an eyeful. A gasp escapes from my lips when I take in the scene before me.

A striking man is sitting in a chair in the middle of the room. He’s removed his suit coat and tie, but he’s still wearing the rest of his clothes. His white shirt sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, revealing muscled forearms the size of tree trunks. The collar of his shirt is unbuttoned as well, and I see thick ropes of muscle at his neck. He sits there, holding a small black control box, with his eyes trained on the woman across the room from him.

He’s beautiful, but she’s the one who made me gasp. Because she’s in the throes of the most spectacular orgasm I’ve ever seen. She’s kneeling on the floor, tied to the saddle-shaped leather box between her legs. She’s struggling to raise herself off it, pulling against her restraints, but she can’t get free.

“What is she sitting on?” I ask the woman next to me.

“A Sybian,” she says. I must look as confused as I feel because she continues, explaining it to me. “There’s a motor in the leather box. It powers a rod that extends through the top of the saddle. You can put all different kinds of attachments on it. Gives you the most intense orgasms ever. I can barely take one. She’s on number seven by my count. And it’s only been half an hour.” She motions to the woman in the room, a raven-haired beauty who’s squirming on the seat as sweat courses down her amazing curves. Her body shivers and jerks, and her eyes roll back into her head.

“And he’s controlling it?”

“Bingo.”

I can’t tear my eyes away from them. “Have you ever been in there with him?”

“Me?” She looks at me with raised brows. “God, I wish. But you don’t choose Nash. He chooses you if he’s interested and you’re very lucky.”

“Does he do the same routine with everyone?”

“There’s a little variation depending on what the woman is interested in, but the basics are always the same. You have to follow his rules.”

“And what are his rules?” Now I’m curious.

“No kissing, no talking, no real touching, other than when he ties you up, of course. He just wants to get you off, untie you, and then dismiss you from the room with a curt nod.”

It sounds like fun in theory, but I can’t imagine enjoying anything more than what Bayne and I did the other night. The kissing, talking, and touching had been some of my favorite parts. I can’t imagine forgoing it. Not even for seven orgasms in a row.

I’m about to tell my new friend my realization when a vice-like grip around my arm interrupts our conversation. It’s Bayne. And he’s pissed.

“I thought we had an understanding,” he hisses in my ear as he pulls me toward the exit.

“Stop dragging me around like I’m a rag doll and you’re a caveman.” I shake my arm loose.

“Lower your voice.” He puts his hand on the small of my back and steers me toward the elevators. “I will not have you making a scene in here. We’ll discuss this downstairs in my office.”

I relent and follow him. We ride silently down to the main floor. He’s fuming, and his anger pleases me in a perverse way. He wouldn’t get this upset if he didn’t care.

His office is cozy and masculine. Lots of dark wood and metal. He sits behind his desk and motions for me to take the seat across from him. Trying to put distance between us so he can control the situation. Control me. That’s not going to happen.

“What are you thinking coming back here?” he asks.

“I wanted to see you, okay? Why haven’t you called me?”

“I’ve had my hands full with other things,” he says as he leans forward in his chair.

I don’t think he meant for that to hurt, but it does. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him.

“You haven’t thought of me at all? That’s bullshit,” I say as I blink back tears. “Or you really do have ice running through your veins.”

He hesitates and then throws his hands up in surrender and raises his voice. “You’re right. It’s bullshit.” He lowers his hands back to his desk, adjusts his suit coat, and continues in a hushed tone. “I’ll give it to you straight. I’m ashamed of myself. Of my behavior the other night. I took advantage of you in a most ungentlemanly way.”

My mouth lands open, and my eyes practically pop out of my head.
What the hell is he talking about?

“You took advantage of me? I literally asked for it! And now all I want is to see you again.” I can’t explain how much I need to be close to him again. To feel those strong arms wrapped around me and those tender lips caressing mine.

“That can’t happen.”

“Why the hell not? We got on like a house on fire the other night. Or have you already forgotten about that?” Color rises in his cheeks, and I know he hasn’t forgotten.

“Of course I haven’t. It’s all I think about.”

“Then why are you pushing me away?” I reach across the desk for him, but he pulls away.

“Because I run a multimillion-dollar business. People depend on me, and I have a reputation to uphold. It’s not becoming for me to chase after a young woman I was once paid to protect and -”

“So I was good enough for you when I was untouched, but now you’re done with me? I knew you had issues, but I never pegged you for one of those creepy guys with a Madonna-whore complex.”

“Would you let me finish?” He raises his voice. He has to for me to hear him over my hysterical ranting. He lifts his hand to his brow and closes his eyes as he exhales slowly. “I was going to say I’m like a horny high school boy chasing after someone so clearly out of my league.”

The wind goes out of my sails quickly.

“Why would you say that?” I walk around the massive desk and sink into his lap. “We’d be good together. Balance each other out and all that.”

“I don’t fit in the life that’s been laid out for you. I don’t come from money. I grew up on food stamps, for Christ’s sake. I didn’t go to Harvard. I don’t have social connections. Your family wouldn’t accept me. And I can’t spend my life apologizing for who I am and for things I couldn’t control.”

“I don’t want the life that’s been laid out for me. I want you.” I lay my head against his neck. “Besides, my father would love you. Anyone else with a different opinion can go to hell.”

“You’re still such a kid, Caroline. That’s not how the world works. You can’t just snap your fingers and have everything work out the way you want it to.” He strokes my hair.

“I know the only way you really fail is if you never even give it a shot. That’s all I want, an honest chance with you. I’ll turn in my membership to the club, you can take me out to dinner, and we’ll start fresh. What do you say?” I punctuate my plea with gentle kisses along his jaw and near his lips, but when I move for his mouth he pulls away.

“I say no.” He lifts me off his lap as he rises to his feet. He’s all business now, and I know better than to press my case. He walks to the door and holds it open for me. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to get back upstairs.”