For Lust or Money

She slipped inside the room and closed the door behind her, then hurried to the bathroom. The fluorescent light over the sink flickered on and Kelly stared at herself in the mirror. Running her fingers through her hair, she tried to calm herself. “Nothing will happen if you don’t want it to,” she said to herself.

But the truth was, she did want something happen. She wanted to cast aside everything she’d always known about sex and start again. Only this time, she’d find the spontaneity in it, the all-consuming passion that had always been lacking in her relationships with men. She could be a different woman with this man, could test the boundaries of her need. It would be so simple, one night together with no strings and no expectations—and absolutely no inhibitions.

So what was holding her back? “Fear,” Kelly said. What if it was so wonderful that the memory stayed with her for the rest of her life? What if every man she met in the future were measured by one night spent with a twenty-four-year-old stranger?

Or what if she didn’t measure up? What if he found her too repressed or too nervous…or too old? Though she kept in good shape, her body wasn’t perfect. He was probably used to a twenty-year-old butt and fake boobs and skin that was smooth and tanned and tight. She’d fought her battles with cellulite and she’d lost.

“Oh, God,” Kelly said. She unbuttoned her blouse and looked down at her chest. Maybe she should have gotten the boob job when she’d had the cash. She was so completely unprepared for this. She should be wearing black underwear, not this silly leopard print. And she should have fixed her hair and taken time with her makeup and put on a bit of perfume. Oh, and then there were condoms. She didn’t have condoms!

A knock sounded on the door and Kelly quickly buttoned her blouse and hurried back into the room. She pulled the door open and peered out.

“If you’re going to be much longer, can you get me a beer from the minibar?” Zach asked. “And some peanuts if they have them.”

Kelly opened the door. “Sorry. I just needed a moment.”

Zach strolled inside. “Let me guess, you had to put on your nice underwear?”

“Very funny. I always wear nice underwear.”

He walked over the minibar and pulled out a beer. “Can I make you a drink?”

“No. I’ve had enough to drink for one night.” Her face felt flushed and she blamed it on the cosmopolitans she had shared with Angie, not on her nerves. She’d been with plenty of men. This was just one more. He had all the same equipment, all the same body parts. She’d studied the operator’s manual and knew what to do with him. So why was she so nervous?

“It might help you relax,” Zach said.

“Do I seem tense? I’m not. Not at all.” Kelly grabbed her purse. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to run down to the lobby. I need to buy some toothpaste before the gift shop closes. I’ll be right back.”

She hurried to the door and slipped out into the hallway. This was horrible. She was a wreck and he was probably regretting his decision to see her outside of the studio. If she intended to have one night of incredible sex, then she needed to pull herself together and at least appear as if she were interested—and capable. She rode the elevator back down to the lobby and headed toward the gift shop. Of course they’d have condoms. People had sex all the time in hotels.

She wandered through the small store, past the T-shirts and the coffee mugs, the magazine rack and the stuffed animals, to the corner that featured the toiletries. She found the condoms in boxes of three. They came in a variety of brands…and sizes. The last time she’d shopped for condoms, there was only one size.

Kelly grabbed a box of regular and a box of XLs, then walked to the checkout stand. A young man stood behind the counter. He smiled at her as she set her purchases down. Then he rang them both up. That’s twenty-four ninety-three,” he said.

“What?”

“That will be twenty-four ninety-three,” he repeated.

“For six condoms? Good grief, when did sex get so expensive?” The young man leaned forward. “If you go on over to the CVS, they’re a much better buy. We kind of count on the fact that folks need ’em in a hurry and they’re willing to pay.”

Kelly reached in to her purse and pulled out her wallet, but she’d spent the last of her cash on drinks with Angie. “Can you put these on my room bill?” she asked.

“Sure, what room?”

Kelly opened her mouth to tell him, then realized that the show was paying for the room. They wouldn’t be too thrilled to see condoms on the bill. “Tell me something,” she whispered. “If I put these on my bill, will they be itemized?”

The young man shook his head. “No,” he whispered back. “It will just say gift shop. For all anyone knows, you bought twenty-four ninety-three worth of potato chips and candy bars.”

Kelly tucked the condoms into her purse and signed the tab. “Thanks. You’ve been very helpful.” She walked out of the store and back to the elevator.

“Have fun!” the clerk called, his voice echoing into the hallway.

“That’s exactly what I intend to do,” Kelly muttered.

ZACH GRABBED THE REMOTE from the bedside table and flipped on the TV, running through the channels until he found ESPN. He slid a pillow behind his back and kicked off his shoes, stretching out his legs in front of him. This was the strangest date he’d ever had, if it could even be called a date.

After the kiss they’d shared that afternoon, Zach had looked forward to spending some time with her, knowing where that one kiss would inevitably lead. He couldn’t recall ever being so focused on seducing a woman as he was on seducing Kelly Castelle. And he’d thought she was equally interested in him.

But now he wasn’t sure where he stood with her. Kelly seemed almost afraid to be in the same room with him. Was she having second thoughts? If so, what was the hang-up?

Maybe she was married. Maybe she did have a husband waiting for her back in L.A. And maybe she was contemplating cheating. Zach tipped his head back and ran his fingers through his hair. This was becoming a problem with him—he jumped in to sexual relationships with complicated women, seducing them before he even had a chance to examine the luggage they brought to bed with them.

He took a long sip of his beer, then dumped a handful of peanuts into his palm. Maybe it was the age thing, he mused. Women could be really strange about that. He’d always found older women attractive. They were smarter, more sure of themselves, much more fun in bed. And more exciting than the cookie-cutter girls in their early twenties that populated the clubs in Atlanta.

Zach glanced at the door. He climbed off the bed, beer in hand, and wandered into the bathroom. Kelly’s things were spread out over the marble vanity. He reached out and picked up a bottle of perfume and held it to his nose. The scent was familiar, causing a current of desire to race through him. He picked through her makeup, looking at lipsticks and eye shadows, then held up a pink razor and ran it over his cheek.

A pretty flowered bag sat next to the sink and he peered inside, only to see a tube of toothpaste and a small bottle of mouthwash.

He shook his head and walked back out into the bedroom. The toothpaste was obviously an excuse to get out of the room. A few moments later, he heard the key in the lock and hopped back onto the bed, stretching his feet out in front of him again. Kelly slipped back inside, her purse clutched in her hand.

She started toward the bed, then stopped. “I’m just going to go brush my teeth. I’ll be right back.”

He heard her talking to herself in the bathroom and Zach quietly crossed the room to listen at the door. But then the door flew open and he jumped back. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I couldn’t hear you. Were you talking to me?”

“I—I was talking to myself.” Kelly cleared her throat. She ran her fingers through her hair, then walked into the room and stood at the end of the bed. “I think I will have that drink now.”

He settled himself back on the bed as he watched her walk to the minibar, his gaze taking in her slender body. She was graceful as she moved, like a dancer, with delicate limbs and perfect posture. He imagined what it might be like to hold that body against his, to slowly remove each piece of her clothing until she was completely naked.

Kelly busied herself mixing a small bottle of vodka with a can of cranberry juice. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you got here,” she said. “I didn’t think you’d come without calling.”

“I was just in the neighborhood.”

She sent him a sideways glance, then took a long swallow of her drink. “I went out with a friend. A girlfriend. She lives here in Atlanta.” She sat down on the end of the bed, her back to him.

For a long time, neither one of them spoke. He took a sip of his beer. For Zach, seduction had always been a fairly straightforward process, but with Kelly he felt as if he had to tread a bit more carefully. She gave new meaning to the word skittish.

“Did you bring your script?” she asked.

“No,” Zach said. Perhaps she needed the pretense of rehearsal to make her more comfortable. “We can use yours.” He slid down to sit beside her and she immediately stood up.

“Right. Really, we should be off script by this point.”

“Are you nervous?” he asked, his gaze dropping to her fingers, which were tightly twisted together. “You seem tense.”

“No,” she murmured, then paused. “Yes. A little bit.”

“We’re not going to do anything here that you don’t want to do,” Zach said, leaning back to rest on his elbows.

Her gaze flitted over his body, stopping briefly at his crotch. “What do you want to do?” she asked, her green eyes wide.