Just for Fun (21 page)

He drank and ate too much junk food, but he also worked out, took vitamins and visited his doctor twice a year. He had been at the same job since his dad’s stroke and he worked his ass off to be the best he could be at what he did. At the same time, he never felt totally settled. He knew things could change suddenly and so was exceedingly careful with his savings and investments. He also barely spent. He was a minimalist, always prepared for a time when he might not have any extra.

As for his relationships, well, he tried to keep them simple. He had surrounded himself with a small, tight group of friends he knew he could trust completely. With women it was even simpler. He kept it straightforward and superficial. It was easier than worrying about investing time, emotion and money and then having it end.

He did not want to get in any deeper with Morgan.

No, that wasn’t entirely true. He
wanted
to—and he was more tempted with her than he had been with any other woman ever—but he
wouldn’t
. As soon as Jonathan said go, she’d be gone to California.

Why then get all caught up in liking her and wanting her and making memories he’d miss when she was gone?

It was like getting used to eating lobster every night, knowing it wasn’t going to last, but getting so used to it that the cravings nearly killed you after there was no more left.

Well, it was kind of like that.

Morgan turned in her seat. “I want to offer you a job.”

He frowned. “I don’t need a new job.”

“It’s very part-time and will mostly not conflict with your regular job. If, on occasion, it does, I’ll make up any pay you’re losing.”

He really didn’t want to know what she was talking about. He really didn’t. It didn’t matter. “What are you talking about?”

“Okay, just hear me out,” she said quickly. “My life is crazy right now and it’s going to get crazier as I work on this project. If I get chosen for California, I’m going to have a wild schedule. Besides my hours and travel, my focus has to be about work. I can’t do a relationship right now.”

She
didn’t
want a relationship? Dooley felt tight in his chest and told himself it was relief.

“Still,” Morgan continued, “I need someone to take to dinners and parties here in Omaha, as well as to go with me on any short trips to California. I need someone who can hold his own at a dinner with big shots, but I want it to also be someone I enjoy spending time with. It has to be someone who understands what my business entails, but who isn’t competing with me.”

Like Todd. Dooley was relieved to hear she wasn’t interested in a relationship with Becker. Todd was more her type in many ways, but she was right not to completely trust the guy.

But she didn’t want a relationship with
him
?

“I need someone who won’t be upset if I have to work late instead of seeing him and who won’t be hurt or jealous if I choose a dinner meeting with a business colleague over going somewhere with him.” She took a deep breath and met his eyes directly. “I don’t need a boyfriend. I need you
.
”

His first reaction was
what the hell does that mean?
He and
boyfriend
were two different things?

Then he took a deep breath. He and
boyfriend
were definitely two different things. It was a good thing she realized it.

That he didn’t want her to have anyone else as a boyfriend didn’t matter at all.

Okay, so if she wasn’t looking for a boyfriend but needed a date, he could agree he seemed like the perfect choice.

The only real problem was he knew every minute he spent with her was a chance for him to fall harder and deeper. A chance for The End to be all the more depressing.

“And how is this a job, exactly?” he asked, instead of saying
no fucking way
like he should have.

“I’ll pay you to be at my beck and call for whatever I need, whenever I need it.”

He just blinked at her. That was certainly…direct.

“Just like that? You snap your fingers and I show up?” He didn’t hate the idea as much as he would have expected.

“Right.” She gave him a smile. “Of course, you’ll have all expenses paid for everything, and a stipend.”

A
what
? “A stipend?”

“Sure. It needs to be a win-win situation.”

She was planning to not just pick up the tab but to
pay
him to date her?

His lack of response must have made her think she needed to go on. “Of course, I’ll try to schedule trips around your days off. But there will be times when I need you to do something that conflicts with something else. It’s only right I make it worth it to you to choose me.”

As if there was anything he’d rather do than her.

“It’s a business arrangement, Doug,” she continued. “I need your time and talents, so I pay you for providing them. Just like I pay…” She trailed off, perhaps realizing her next choice of words wasn’t the best.

“The delivery guy who brings you Chinese food?” Dooley supplied, trying to keep the bite out of his tone. He didn’t think he succeeded. “Or the guy who changes the oil in your car. They do something for you and you give them money for it. It’s easy enough to understand, Morgan.”

“Not exactly like that,” she said weakly.

But it was. She wasn’t asking to see him again because she liked him or wanted him or was crazy about him. She was asking to see him again because she needed him. Not in the hot God-I-need-you-Doug-I-can’t-live-without-you way but in a practical, business-like, not-completely-satisfying way.

“What about dating other women?” he asked, just to see her reaction. He couldn’t imagine dating anyone else. Maybe ever. Which sucked.

“You want to date other women?” she asked.

“I’m just trying to understand the details of the arrangement,” he said nonchalantly. “Can I date other women or am I all about you?”

She took a deep breath through her nose, then gave him a sweet smile. “You can date other women. As long as you’re willing to cancel on them if I need you.”

“I see,” he said. There was a twinge of jealousy in her voice that made him feel a lot better.

“Do I get paid extra for the nights we have sex?” he asked.

She frowned at him. “I’d like to think it’s a win-win without any money changing hands. Oh, and it’s illegal to pay for sex.”

In spite of himself, he grinned a little at her clear offense. And yeah, it had been an offensive question. But he was feeling offended by the whole damned thing for some reason.

In actuality, it was a perfect solution for her. They’d already traveled together and clearly got along just fine. He fit into her social and business situations well and they enjoyed each other’s company. She didn’t want to get involved in a relationship with anyone, but she would need the occasional date. It actually made sense for her to ask him to do this.

A practical business arrangement was a far cry from madly-in-love, so he should be happy too.

And there were the Egyptian cotton sheets to think about.

It wasn’t like he’d be suffering.

”But we
are
going to have sex?” he asked, because he couldn’t help himself.

Her eyes widened. “I certainly hope so.”

He appreciated the way she’d phrased that. At least she liked him enough for that.

He frowned at that thought. He was worried about her liking him? She liked him just fine. Just enough. It didn’t matter anyway. This wasn’t about
liking
each other.

Apparently this was about doing
business
together.

“I don’t think so. Thanks anyway,” he said, pretending to focus back on his book.

“Thanks anyway?” she repeated, clearly with disbelief. “You’re saying no?”

“Yeah, I am.” He couldn’t win here. Not seeing her again would suck, but seeing her as she was proposing might just suck more. They’d be playing at a relationship, and though he’d
never
admit it to
anyone
, he wasn’t so sure his heart would be able to tell the difference.

“I
need
you,” she said. “You’re the only one. You can fit into my world, make sure I’m having fun, and hot sex, and not care if I can’t make time to see you or call you every day. It’s impressive.”

He almost laughed. He’d been worried about how to let her down, how to explain he didn’t want a relationship with her and now she was listing that fact as one of the reasons she wanted him around.

Awesome.

“I can fit into your world, Morgan. But I don’t want to. I’ve been in this world. I know what it’s all about and it’s not what I want now.”

It was all true. Sort of. It wasn’t that he didn’t like her world. He just knew it was more fantasy than reality. And reality always showed up eventually.

“Even for me?” she asked, her voice quieter now. “You
can
do it, but you
won’t
? Even for me?”

“There are about a million men who can do what I can do and who will
want
to. Don’t you think you should find one of them?”

Even as he said it, he gripped the book hard. The idea of her with another man, even if it was just at dinner, made him want to break something. Like some unknown, unsuspecting guy’s nose.

Wasn’t that just one more fantastic reason not to get further involved? Another man, probably more than one, could do things for Morgan he couldn’t. He hated that.
Really
hated that, but it was the harsh truth. He wasn’t the guy to live the lifestyle she wanted. He
could
golf and make small talk and use the right fork at dinner.

He just didn’t want to.

Baseball, raunchy jokes and pizza were more his style now. He could maintain that style. He could relax in that style.

“Is it an ego thing?” she asked. “You have a problem with a woman being the one to pay for everything, buy you stuff, take you places?”

He looked at her with wide eyes. Then laughed. “Uh, no.” He didn’t care who was paying for the dinner with too many forks. “In fact, I enjoy other people paying. Especially gorgeous women who only want sex in return.”

“So you just don’t want to do it,” she finally said.

“Right.” She needed to stop talking about it. Damn her for being so tempting.

He couldn’t look at her. He concentrated, or pretended to, on his book. It was better this way. If she was a little hurt, maybe she’d stop talking. Maybe she’d even get up and move to another seat. Because every second he sat next to her, smelling her, wanting to touch her hair, wanting to make her laugh, was one second closer to never getting over her.

“Right,” she finally said, pulling a magazine out from the seat pocket in front of her. “It was just for fun.”

“Right.”

But she didn’t move seats and by the time they landed in Omaha, Dooley knew he’d never forget her smell, the six different shades of red and gold in her hair, or how much he wanted her.

He didn’t want her.

The words kept nagging in her mind for the rest of the flight.

Well, he
wanted
her. Physically. Sexually. But he didn’t want to spend time with her, travel with her, be with her. Not even for money.

It was her own damned fault. What had she been thinking? He had been essentially a stranger when she’d met him at the airport three days ago. In fact, even now, there were a million and a half things she didn’t know about him. Important things.

But she did know
some
things about him. Important things.

He was a great guy. Someone she enjoyed immensely. Someone she genuinely liked.

Until he said no to her.

Morgan did not like the word no.

She was grateful they didn’t have to claim bags. She was mad, and yelling at him right now was likely not the best approach to convincing him to take her up on her offer. She was trying to be low maintenance. What was less complicated than what she was suggesting? He’d get to go great places, have great sex and didn’t have to do any of the normal relationship stuff.

Once outside the airport, they were headed in opposite directions to claim their cars. He was clearly feeling awkward.

She gave him a big smile. “Thanks so much for coming to Chicago, Doug.”

“Um, yeah, you bet.” He didn’t quite make eye contact.

She handed him one of her business cards. “Call me anytime,” she said, leaving it wide open for what that meant.

He took the card and slipped it into his front pocket. “Okay.”

He wouldn’t call. She could tell.

Fine. This still wasn’t the last time they would talk. “See you,” she said, meaning it.

“Goodbye, Morgan.”

Oooh, goodbye was right up there with no on her list of least favorite words.

As she watched him cross the street toward the parking garage she realized she had a new motto: What Would Richard Gere Do?

Chapter Seven

It wasn’t like the bastards he called friends would have left him alone regardless of how he acted upon his return from Chicago, but his refusal to talk about Morgan made it obvious this was more than a weekend fling. Which, of course, it was. Or had been anyway.

He’d considered making up some stories, just to shut them up, but when the time came, he just couldn’t. He couldn’t blow this off convincingly as a hot weekend and nothing more.

Fuck.

He was in trouble. And deserved every bit of it. If it had been any of the other guys—hell, when it
had
been the other guys—he had been merciless in talking and taunting.

When a guy fell in love, it was a big deal.

He should know.

“I like this girl,” Sam announced as he came into the break room with a huge basket tied in a deep red bow. “‘One dozen reasons you should say Yes’,” he read from the card. “I don’t even know the question and I want to say yes,” Sam said.

Dooley groaned. Maybe the basket was for Mac.

But he knew it wasn’t.

“You’ve said yes to too many women as it is,” he said, dropping his feet from the coffee table to the floor and reluctantly getting up. “Thank God Danika came along.”