Love Me, Not My Body

CHAPTER 11

Scott surprised me when I came home and cooked me a delicious Italian pasta dish with homemade breadsticks. We relaxed together on the futon and eventually made-out before moving to the bedroom. I laid beside him in his arms after making love and stared up at the ceiling. For the first time in forever, I felt guilty after having s*x.

I should have felt guilty for my romp with Preston. I should feel remorse or shame for taking his money in exchange. Instead, I felt guilty for being with Scott; as if I was somehow cheating on Preston by having s*x with my own boyfriend.

It was ridiculous and insane and made no sense at all; but it felt like it should be Preston’s arms I should be laying in. It should be his bed and his home.

His broad smile kept flashing through my mind. The taste of his lips taunted me, growing a constant need inside me for him. The feel of his body on body on mine, of his hands exploring every single inch of me, set my body aflame with desire.

I shook my head as I rolled over and cuddled into Scott. I had to get over this stupid obsession I had. It was nothing more than a stupid crush. If I knew the real Preston, it would kill that dream. Reality always crushed dreams. No one was that perfect in real life. Life was ugly and hard and cruel.

---

My medical bill came in the mail the day before our rent was due. We were still two hundred dollars short. Scott had picked up some extra cash to contribute, but we still weren’t there. It didn’t help he was trying to fix my stress over the situation by sending me flowers and candy which all costed money.

I worked my normal lunch shift at Kiki’s, begging every waitress to pick up their shift. No one bit. It seemed they all needed the money as much as I did.

I clocked out and headed out into the hot humidity of Florida. I pulled my phone from my pocket to call Scott. I was hoping he could give me a ride so I didn’t have to ride the bus today. I found his name in the contacts just as I heard my name called by a familiar voice with a British accent.

“Kendra!”

I lifted my face as my heart skipped a beat as Preston jogged over to me in his tight, black skinny jeans and vintage black rock band shirt. His hair flowed flawlessly around his face as his smile brightened his face.

“Hey,” I replied with a smile. “I was just leaving but Jessica would love to see your hair again. She’d be happy to get you whatever you want.”

He walked up to me and didn’t stop until he was only inches away from me. “I’m pretty sure she can’t give me what I want.”

I lost myself in his green eyes as the Florida sun raised the temperature between us.

“Can I take you to my place?”

I bit my lip as my insides tingled at the thought of another escapade with him. Not only would it soothe the fire burning within me for him, but I could pay my rent!

“It’s going to cost you more,” I replied coyly.

“Oh yeah?” he smiled playfully as he slowly raised his hand, making sure I saw it clearly before gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. He leaned down, his breath playing on my ear and causing me to shiver. “How much to take you home and ravage you?”

My phone slipped from my fingers and I grabbed his arms to keep myself from crumbling to the ground. He laughed wholeheartedly as he stepped back and scooped up my phone.

“That much?” he laughed.

He handed me my phone as I blinked rapidly and tried to get my wits back within me. “Five hundred,” I stated, wondering if he would truly pay that much. Was I worth that much? Was I setting the bar too high?

“Done,” he replied back with a hardness mixed in his voice.

My breath caught as I looked at him in disbelief but he simply smiled at me, his face softening as he took my hand into his.

“Come on,” he urged as he led me toward a black sports car. “I’ll drive.”

He opened my door for me and I thought how very odd it was for him to be so polite to a prostitute he was paying for. It astonished me even more as he questioned if the temperature was comfortable for me in the car, and again a few minutes later if I minded if he put his window down.

Rock music played softly from the speakers as I relaxed in the leather seat. It felt like a dream, sitting beside him in his car as the scenery blew past us. He drove into a gated community, entering a passcode before driving into the exclusive neighborhood.

My eyes widened as I stared at the beautifully manicured lawns and tall palm trees rustling in the gentle, summer breeze. We drove past a large, crystal blue pool.

“Have you ever been skinny dipping?”

I turned toward him and giggled. “No.”

“We should go,” he winked back at me. “Not during the day though. We’ll have to do it at night sometime.”

I shook my head ruefully at him as he pulled into a parking spot in front of a large condo unit.

“This is home,” he explained as he turned the car off and got out.

I went to open my door, but he ran around the front of the sports car hollering at me and waving his arms.

“Wait! Wait! Wait!”

I laughed as I watched him run over to my door and politely open it with a smile. He gave a slight bow as though I was some kind of royalty before taking my hand into his. He threw the door closed and led me up to the front door. He unlocked the door and pulled me into the condo behind him.

The entryway was large and open. The walls were a light gray, the floors a dark wood. He pulled his boots off and I quickly followed suit and removed my tennis shoes. He waited patiently before leading me into the home.

The interior was huge. The living space was probably the size of my entire apartment. It was spotted with oversized, light brown leather couches and a couple cushy chairs. A large screen television hung upon the gray wall, framed by a couple large growing plants that resembled small palm trees. The room flowed into a dining room with a large, rectangular table with a glass chandelier hanging above it. Beside it was the huge kitchen with stainless steal appliances and granite countertops. A bar with stools ran along the dividing space between the kitchen and dining space.

“This is…beautiful,” I whispered as though speaking any louder would ruin the magic of the moment. I had never in my life been in a home as expensive as this. How in the world did he ever afford this on a fireman’s salary? And all the money he paid to be with me? He was hiding something and it caused an unease in my stomach. I silently begged this not to be his parents house. He wouldn’t bring a prostitute to his parent’s house, right? I would be mortified.

“It’s just a condo,” he replied humbly as he led me through the living room and toward a hallway. We walked up two flights of stairs to the top floor. He opened a door and waved his arm out for me to enter.

I cautiously entered as though I may make the fancy home dirty. I entered a massive master suite. A giant, black bed with an intricate wood headboard sprawled out in the middle of the room against the wall. A massive flat screen hung on the wall across from it. A door stood open, revealing a large en-suite. Straight ahead, were huge windows sprawling from floor to ceiling with two glass doors in the middle. Behind the glass, I could see a balcony.

I gasped as I stepped toward the doors. “You have a balcony!”

I walked across the room, pulling the doors open and walking out onto the silver balcony. It was wide and long with a couple lounging chairs and a plant decorating it. I stepped to the railing and wrapped my fingers around the hot metal. I stared out at the lush gardens, green palm trees, and sparkling blue pool.

“You can see the pool,” I remarked as though he didn’t know.

I felt his body brush against mine from behind. “That way I can see the skinny dippers.”

I turned toward him, laughing along with him. I leaned against the railing as his eyes danced over my body. I remembered I was here for a job, and I pushed myself up from the railing and into his personal space. I placed my fingers on his hard chest and trailed them down to his pants. His hands quickly caught mine within his.

“Later,” he said softly.

I looked at him in confusion as he glanced out at the view before his eyes settled back upon me. “Would you like a drink?”

I stood in front of him flabbergasted for a moment. “A drink?”

“Yeah,” he smirked slightly at me. “Are you thirsty?”

“Sure,” I drew out slowly. “Water?”

“Okay,” he nodded slightly as he spun around and walked back into the condo.

I stood watching him leave, completely thrown off by him. When I had first met him, he had nearly undressed me the first chance he got. And now he was asking if I wanted a drink? Men were fickle things.

I wandered back into the condo and looked around the room. Various landscape photos hung on the wall. There was a bookshelf near the large screen television and I walked over, my fingers skimming over several classic books. I noticed a guitar sitting in a stand over in the corner and strolled over to it. I gently traced my fingers over the strings just as Preston returned to the room. I turned around toward him as he walked in with two water bottles.

“I got one for me, too,” he explained as he held one out to me.

“Do you play?” I asked as I took the water bottle. “And thank you.”

“Yes,” he replied as he opened his and took a long drink. “And you’re welcome.”

I grinned at him as I opened my water bottle. “Will you play something for me?”

He hesitated and I noticed something flicker across his handsome face. Pain? Anger? “I know how to play,” he clarified very slowly in his British accent. “I don’t play it anymore, though.”

I looked between him and the guitar as I took a drink. “Why not?”

He closed his water bottle and set it down on the floor. “I don’t really want to talk about that, if you don’t mind.”

“Sure,” I quickly replied. “Of course not. We don’t have to talk about anything if you don’t want to.”

He sat down on the edge of the bed as he nodded his head and looked down at his feet. A sadness seemed to engulf him and it tugged at my heart.

I moved toward him, doing the only thing I knew to do. I dropped to my knees in front of him and unbuttoned his pants. He didn’t stop me this time.

I reached into his pants, pulling his manhood out as he grew in my hand. I took him into my mouth as he made vocal his pleasure. After several minutes, he gently wrapped his fingers around my arm and pulled me up.

I smiled, in the zone of my job as I lifted my shirt over my head and seductively dropped it to the floor. I held my eyes on him as I took the rest of my clothes off. I stood naked before him, excitement and desire racing through my body. I had never felt this way before while performing my job. It was simply an act with other men. Putting on a show and doing my job. I would detach and feel nothing. But with Preston, I felt everything, and I wanted to feel even more.

I pulled his shirt over his head, then pulled his pants and boxers off. I gently pressed his shoulders backwards, lying him on his back in bed.

“Do you have protection?” I asked softly.

He nodded and pointed toward the bedside table. I pulled open the top drawer and quickly grabbed a condom from the box. I put it on his manhood before climbing atop him and taking him all inside me. My heart pounded as he filled every inch of me.

I leaned forward, kissing him deeply as he cupped my breast and moved within me. We were two people, joined for this short, miraculous time. My entire body responded and came alive for him and, based upon his response, he felt the same way.

He wrapped his arms around me, rolling us over while we were still joined together. He took the lead and went fast and hard as I cried out his name and ran my fingers through his dark, wavy curls.

He smiled, relishing hearing his name from my lips as he leaned down and kissed the crook of my neck as he found his pleasure and collapsed beside me on the bed.

I laid beside him, both of us catching our breath before I slowly started to sit up.

“Stay,” he said as his hand grabbed mine. “Please, stay a while. You don’t have to rush out.”

I slowly laid back down beside him. He slid his arm beneath my head and I relished in this absolute serene moment. If only it was real and I wasn’t being paid to be here.

“Are you busy this weekend?”

I slowly rolled toward him, my heart beginning to pound in anticipation. Was he asking me on a real date? Or was he interested in another romp in the sack? “Not really. Why?”

He turned his head toward me, his green eyes studying me. “I want to spend a day with you.”

“Like a whole day?”

He grinned, a playful, lovable, heart-melting grin. “Yeah, an entire day. Sunrise to sunset.”

I opened my mouth to answer. He wanted a date. An actual date!

“How much would that cost?” he said before I had a chance to respond.

My heart dropped all the way down to my toes. It wasn’t a date. It was a business transaction. Of course it was. He didn’t want a relationship with me. I wasn't worth that to him. How could he ever want someone like me? He was gloriously handsome and obviously well-off.

I needed to end this. My feelings were getting out of control for him. I needed to cut this out before my heart got hurt even worse. “A thousand,” I threw the number out, knowing no one in their right mind would ever pay that.

His eyes studied me a moment before he spoke. “Okay,” he said softly. “Done.”

I stared speechless at him as I quickly sat up. “You’re serious? You’re going to pay me a thousand dollars to spend the day with you?”

He slid his hand beneath his head, his hair messy upon the pillow, as he smiled at me as though I had said something funny. His dimples punctured his cheeks as he laughed lightly. “Yeah. Why?”

I shook my head slightly as my head spun. There was so much I could do with that money. We could easily pay ahead on rent, and utility bills. I could start putting money away for a car of my own. We could start a savings account!

Without thinking, I leaned down and kissed him good and hard on the lips. I pulled back, elated and giddy.

“Thank you!” I squealed as I leaned back down and hugged him.

I could feel his chest rattle with his laugher. “I’m taking that as a yes.”

“Yes!” I laughed as I sat back up. “Yes! Yes!”

He smiled naughtily at me. “Hopefully you’ll be yelling that a lot Saturday.”

Heat rose to my cheeks as I laughed lightly. I heard my phone’s ringtone and it broke the magical moment that had settled over us. I quickly jumped from the bed and grabbed my phone, silencing the call from Scott. Crap! Scott! Would he be angry at what I had just done? What about what I had just agreed upon? It didn’t matter, we could pay rent. We wouldn’t be homeless!

“I need to go,” I explained as I began to get dressed. “I need to go pay my rent. It’s due and I have to get it paid before our landlord kicks us to the curb.”

Preston sat in bed, watching me with an amused look. “I need to pay you first.”

I froze buttoning my shorts. “Right. I can’t pay it without that.” I laughed lightly at my own stupidity as he rose naked from the bed and walked over to his pants to grab his wallet.

My eyes locked onto his nude and perfect body. My goodness was he handsome and absolutely perfect in every single imaginable way.

He walked over to me and held out the cash, his nude body standing proudly before me with no shame whatsoever.

“Thank you,” I said softly as I took the money.

He smiled slightly at me, his green eyes dancing lightly over me as he spoke to me in his delish British accent. “I think I need to drive you home, unless you’re going to walk.”

I burst out laughing like a crazy person. How could I have forgotten that? “Would you mind?” I asked as I got my outburst under control.

“Not at all,” he smiled at me as he grabbed his shirt and put it back on.

He took my hand into his as he led me back down the stairs and out of his condo. He was so perfect and such a gentleman as he opened the sports car door for me.

I gave him directions to my apartment and, after he parked, he again insisted on opening my door. I stepped out of the sports car and faced him as he closed the door. He looked at me, shoving his hands into his pockets as his eyes wandered over me.

“I’ll see you on Saturday?”

I nodded as he gave me a quick flash of a smile before walking back around the sports car and leaving.

I watched him drive off before I walked over to my apartment. I opened the door and found Scott sitting on the futon.

“Where have you been?” he asked.

I opened my mouth to answer him, but suddenly lost my nerve. “I picked up an extra shift and worked late. I made good tips though and made enough to pay rent.”

I pulled the money from my pocket and his face lit up. He hurried over to me and whisked me up into his arms and spun me around. He brought me back to the ground and gave me a long, hard kiss.

“You are the best girlfriend ever,” he declared with a smile.

I forced a smile onto my face as I felt like the biggest traitor in the entire world.