Extraits

“I enjoyed this a lot.”

“I did, too,” Zach replied, a bit puzzled over the chaste kiss after everything they’d done. He ducked his head, then looked at Asher through his lashes, his cheeks growing warm. “That’s an understatement, actually. If you’re interested in doing it again….”

Asher hesitated, then inclined his head in agreement. “I don’t usually go for repeat performances, but in this case, I’d consider it.” He cleared his throat. “Anyway, I’m going to take a shower. There’s a guest bathroom down the hall if you’d like to take one before you leave.”

Zach froze as he remembered the gossip he’d heard about Asher having commitment issues. The words were an obvious dismissal. Was it possible the rumors were true? That Asher slept with someone once, and that was it?

A stab of pain lanced through him at the thought of never having a repeat of the most incredible sexual experience his life. But apparently, it meant much more to him than it did to Asher; he’d been a besotted fool, and he had only himself to blame. He realized Asher was still waiting for an answer, and he summoned up a smile despite the hollow ache he felt inside.

“Sure. Thanks,” he replied quietly. Part of him cried out at the thought of leaving Asher’s bed, but another part wanted to get away as quickly as he could.

The tension in Asher’s shoulders relaxed slightly, and he smiled. “I’ll be sure to put in a good word with your boss,” he said as he rolled out of bed and headed for the bathroom. “The envelope is on the credenza in the foyer. You can pick it up on your way out.”

Zach watched as Asher walked out of the room and probably out of his life as well, at least in the ways that mattered. Unable to bear it any longer, Zach scrambled out of the bed and snatched up his clothes, then threw them on haphazardly. It wouldn’t do for Asher to see him break down. Especially after the crack about putting in a good word for him. He thought Asher understood this wasn’t something Zach was doing in order to get ahead at the office, but because he wanted it more than he’d ever wanted anything.

He fled the bedroom as though pursued by demons, stopping for only a moment in the sitting room when he noticed the papers for the plea bargain were still sitting on the coffee table. He ought to bring them to Asher’s attention, but he wasn’t going back into the bedroom. Maybe the housekeeper would give them to Asher, and someone else could deal with whatever Asher’s response would be. Zach wasn’t going to do it; for once, embarrassment trumped his sense of duty.

There was no sign of the housekeeper, and Zach stepped into the foyer, glad to have escaped without having to answer any questions. As he approached the front door, his eyes fell on the credenza next to it, and he noticed a white, legal-sized envelope propped up against an elegant crystal bowl. Asher had mentioned an envelope, and Zach paused, wondering if he ought to take it. He couldn’t imagine what would be in it. A reference? A letter telling him to find a new job? A waiver to be signed? A nondisclosure agreement?

With a sense of foreboding, he picked the envelope up, frowning at the thickness. He peered inside, and as he realized what it held, his eyes widened.

It was cash. Hundred dollar bills. Several of them, though he didn’t bother to count how many. Asher was paying him off? For his silence? For the sex?

Then it struck him, and Zach dropped the envelope to the floor and yanked open the door. He couldn’t get away from Asher quickly enough. Asher Caldwell had such bad commitment issues that he paid for sex, and he thought Zach was his paid escort for the evening.