Claiming Callie: Part one (10 page)

“I happen to make killer Italian. And we were only a few blocks from my place. So…” He shrugs, like he’s trying to come off as nonchalant, but Callie senses he loves the idea of hanging at his apartment far too much.

Or am I just being paranoid again? Sheesh, get a grip, Callie. It’s not as though this is your first time alone with an attractive man. It’s fine. Totally fine.

But I don’t feel fine.
Her heart jumps in her throat. Something about going up to his place after he paid her a great sum of money for this date feels…wrong. Dean’s whacked-out, overly furious expression flashes in her head at the thought, and she grimaces. He would completely disapprove, and she’s totally letting him play with her head.

Strap-on your big girl shoes, sister, you’re going in. So what if he paid you for this date? He’s paying for your company, after all. And that’s all you’re giving him. Your company. Whether it’s in a crowded restaurant or in his fancy-schmancy apartment should make no difference.

Right?

Callie pushes her shoulders back and meets Jason’s expectant gaze. “Sure. This is fine. Sounds great, actually.”

Jason’s posture visibly relaxes at her response. “Great. Let’s go.”

He moves out of the car and around to her side, opening the door for her before she can do so herself. She steps out, being careful to keep her legs closed in the short dress she’s wearing, and follows up the walkway to the huge glass doors, where a greeter murmurs his recognition to Jason and gives him a polite nod, then lets them inside.

Callie gasps as she takes in the expansive foyer with its dark marble floors, huge chandeliers hanging above like clusters of fallen stars, and stark white walls boasting huge contemporary pieces of art she imagines must cost a fortune.

Jason smiles beside her but is polite enough not to comment on her gawking. She snaps her mouth shut and follows him into the elevator. The doors slide shut, and suddenly, being this close to him—a man she hardly knows, in such a small space—quickens her pulse to a gallop. She watches him out of the corner of her eye, hoping he doesn’t sense her nerves. He stands, hands in his pockets, eyes a shimmering brown, and in that moment, he’s the picture of a self-assured man.

Is he just comfortable in his element? Or feeling smug?
She’s not sure, but this doesn’t seem like a guy who’s too afraid to confront a woman he has a crush on.

The doors slide open, and they step into a spacious hallway, where Jason leads her to his apartment. He punches a combination into an electronic keypad and the lock clicks, then the door opens. Cassie stifles a gasp as she steps inside. The apartment is unlike any other college pad she’s ever seen. Huge, seamless windows give a spectacular view of the city. The lights of the tall buildings and the headlights of passing traffic twinkle in the dark night like fireflies. All of his walls are painted white, a stark contrast to the espresso wood on the floors, and paintings, much like the ones in the lobby, grace almost every wall. The furniture is all clean and modern—black leather, with the kind of simplistic lines that read money.

Do college kids really live like this?

Yeah, rich ones must. Rich college kids who can afford to pay their longtime crush for a date simply because they’re nervous and it’s a guarantee.

But what kind of jobs do his parents have if they can afford a place like this for their kid? Sheesh.

“Um…” Callie murmurs because she needs to say something but is still too shell-shocked. “This is awesome.”

Jason smiles and moves into the kitchen with its sleek white cabinets and marble countertops. “Yeah. I love it. My dad actually owns this building. So…” He shrugs like it’s no big deal and pulls two wineglasses from a cupboard.

Holy crap!

He lifts the wine bottle, gesturing to the other room. “You can take a seat on the couch if you want, or wherever you’re comfortable. I’ll fix us something in a minute.”

“Oh, okay.” Callie turns and moves to the black leather sofa. When he joins her, he holds out one of the glasses, filled with a deep merlot. She accepts the glass and has to clamp her lips shut to keep from chuckling at the contrast with the way she and Jinny usually drink wine—out of paper cups.

He settles in next to her—a little too close for comfort—and drapes one arm across her shoulders. She takes a sip of her wine, trying to tamp down the flutter of nerves in her throat. She needs to loosen up, but how can she when she barely knows this man? And she’s sitting here in his beautiful apartment, drinking wine, with him sitting only inches away from her.

“So…” Callie trails off, trying to think of what to say.

“So…” Jason smiles at her and leans even farther into her.

Awkward! Okay, relax, Callie.

Reassurance. I just need a little reassurance.

She clears her throat. “You said you had a crush on me for a long time. How long?” She smiles and tilts her head, waiting for his response and letting him know she’s interested.

“I guess it started a couple years ago when I saw Dean with you and Jinny. You were at one of our games or something, and afterward, I asked Dean who the gorgeous blond girl was. He told me that you were his sister’s best friend, and like a sister to him as well, and I was immediately bummed.” He shook his head and grinned. “I figured there was no way I could ask you out. What if we didn’t work out? Or it ended badly? Would Dean blame me if I couldn’t make you happy?”

“You would really let Dean’s friendship with me stop you?”

“Well, I’m not usually that noble, but Dean and I are the best on the team. We have been since we started here. Hell, we’ve picked this team up and taken them farther than anyone has in the last fifteen years. We need to have a strong friendship. If things turn to shit with Dean and me, the team suffers…so I was stuck. Stuck with this huge crush on this gorgeous girl and nothing I could do about it.”

Oh, my! He’s hot
and
adorable.

“Well, I do love Dean like a brother, but it’s none of his business who I date. He looks out for me a lot—I think more so than a normal friend would, just because of what happened with my parents, but he needs to learn when to quit.”

Jason narrows his eyes. “What happened with your parents?”

“Uh, that’s probably too long of a story to tell.” She shakes her head. The familiar wrenching in her chest makes it hard to breathe, and she waves the subject away before it can paralyze their conversation. “So, how’d you know about my, uh…the business I’m doing now?”

Jason chuckles and glances up at her over the rim of his glass before he takes a sip. “Well, I heard Dean talking about it, actually.”

Callie’s jaw drops and instant fire heats her cheeks. “What? Who was he telling?”

“Just Emmett. I only heard the tail end of the conversation, but once I did, I knew I had to go out with you. I figured this is the best solution. Dean can’t get pissed at me if we don’t work out. After all, you are the one with the business, and I’m just a paying customer. It’s a business transaction. Plain and simple. Plus, I knew this would make it easier to get over my nerves.”

Callie chews the inside of her cheek.
Makes sense…but a business transaction? I hate the way that sounds.

What do you expect, Callie?! Whether he has a crush on you or not, this
is
a business transaction. You’re accompanying men on dates for money. What do you want him to say?

Oh, I don’t know. Something romantic? Anything’s better than that! Isn’t he trying to win me over?

She glances up at him and realizes he’s been staring at her during the little tirade in her head. His dark eyes are intent on her face, and a small smile twists the corners of his mouth.

“What about you? Why are you doing this?” he asks.

A fair question
.

 “Truth?” He nods and she continues. “I have a pretty large amount of debt I need to pay off, and what makes it ten times harder is I have a bad, and I mean bad, shopping habit. With school and the internship I have, there’s not much time left for another job. I’d be working myself ragged for minimum wage. So Jinny and I were talking about selling my stuff and, I don’t know…I joked that it would be nice if I got paid to date. Then it popped into my head that some people actually do. And what if I did that? I know it’s kind of weird, but I’m in a pretty bad spot. And this is only temporary,” she reassured him.

“Well, I was actually hoping you’d say that. I figured there had to be a major financial reason for it, and I may actually have something that will help you get a jump start on things.” He smiles wide and puts a hand inside his jacket, searching for something.

Callie frowns, and her heart skips in her chest before it races full speed at the sight of the thick white envelope he pulls from his blazer.

“I have a proposition for you. In this envelope is five hundred dollars and a contract. The money is yours, and you’ll get this much each week. All I ask for in return is…you. Whenever I want you. I call, and you come running.”

What?
Callie’s eyes widen, and she sucks in a sharp breath.

No, he didn’t. He can’t possibly be serious. Please laugh. Please laugh. Because this is just a joke.

“You mean, you want to pay to date me. Continuously? Exclusively?” she asks, but something tells her that’s not what he means.

Jason chuckles and reaches out to her. He runs a finger down her cheek. “That’s cute. No, I don’t mean to date. And, frankly, I don’t even care about exclusivity. I’m talking about sex.”

Callie sucks in a sharp breath and glances around the room.
Is she on
Candid Camera
or something? One of those hilarious prank shows? This cannot be happening.

“What do you say?” Jason asks.

She turns back to him just as he begins drawing circles on her bare knee with his fingers. “You’re not serious?”

Because he can’t be.

“I’m very serious. Think about it, Callie. Five hundred dollars a week. All you have to do is what all college kids do anyway.”

“What? Put out? Sleep around with anyone who asks? I don’t know what kind of women you know, but I’m not that way. Contrary to popular belief, most college girls aren’t that way.”

Jason rolls his eyes.
He actually rolls his eyes!

“Come on. Not too many girls would pass this up. I’m a good-looking guy, athletic, built, and that’s a lot of money. Besides, you’re selling yourself anyway. What’s the difference?”

Callie jumps to her feet. Her hands ball into fists and her jaw locks so tight it takes everything in her to loosen it so she can speak. “I get paid to go on dates! By men who have no time to meet women! Or just want company but no relationship. I’m not a damn prostitute!”

Jason snickers. “Call it whatever you want. It’s all the same. And everyone has a price.”

“Gah! You’re disgusting. Disgusting! And I am so out of here,” she says, but before she can turn around, he grabs her wrist and stops her.

“Are you sure you wanna turn me down? I’d think long and hard about rejecting this offer. I have connections, and I can make life on campus just a little more difficult.”

Callie glances down at the large hand wrapped around her wrist, and her stomach clenches. She swallows back her fear and refuses to let him intimidate her. “Oh, I’m sure,” she hisses, and, with a flick of her glass, she splashes the entire contents of the ruby-red wine onto his face, then tosses the glass to the floor, where it shatters.