For Lust or Money

“You know, I can hear everything you’re saying,” Zach commented. “Us younger guys have really good hearing. And I can see right through that towel. We have X-ray vision, too.”

Angie stepped past Kelly, into the room, her hand extended. “Hi. I’m one of Kelly’s oldest friends, Angie Sheppard. Actually, Angie McMahon Sheppard.”

He took her hand. “Zach Haas. It’s nice to meet you, Angie.”

“Oh, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Zach. I understand you work for Just Between Us. I just love that Eve Best. She is so funny and smart. And sassy. Is she that way in real life?”

Kelly felt a blush warm her cheeks and she gently took Angie’s arm and pulled her toward the door. “Can you wait for me downstairs? I’ll be down in just a minute.”

“Take all the time you want,” Angie whispered. She gave Kelly a silly expression then mouthed the word gorgeous. “I’ll meet you in the restaurant. I’m pretty sure I saw a breakfast buffet when I walked past.”

Kelly slowly closed the door and turned back to Zach. He was grinning, finding great amusement in her situation. “So you talked with your friend about me?”

“I just mentioned we’d met.”

He nodded. “I see.” He slowly approached her and Kelly backed up until she stood against the door. Zach placed his hands on either side of her head and bent down to kiss her. His lips were soft, the kiss fleeting. “Morning,” he murmured.

Kelly felt her knees go weak and her head begin to spin. “Morning,” she said. She clutched the towel tightly at her chest and wondered what might happen if she’d simply let go. Let go, her mind repeated over and over again. Why not just…

She loosened her fingers and the towel dropped silently to the floor. Zach’s breath caught in his throat and he drew back to look into her eyes. She stared up at him, unflinchingly, daring him to take what she offered, yet afraid that he might not.

His hand slowly moved to her shoulder, smoothing over the length of her neck before dropping lower to cup her breast. Kelly closed her eyes as he gently caressed her nipple with his thumb. She wasn’t nervous at all now. This seemed so perfectly right, a fantasy come to life.

A moment later, his lips closed over the taut peak and she furrowed her hands through his hair and moaned softly. And then he dropped to his knees in front of her, his tongue trailing across her belly.

Everywhere he kissed, he left a damp imprint, a reminder that he’d tasted that part of her body and moved on. His hands smoothed over her backside, drawing her closer, and when he kissed her inner thigh, Kelly felt a shiver of desire wash across her skin.

She knew what he wanted and she anticipated how it would feel. But when his tongue found the soft folds of her sex, a shudder of pleasure wracked her body. She gasped, her eyes flying open with the shock of sensation.

Bracing her hands behind her on the door, Kelly arched into him as his tongue flicked at her clitoris. She’d never felt anything quite so wonderful, so achingly powerful. He controlled her with his mouth, meting out pleasure a tiny bit at a time until she was frantic for release.

She didn’t want to give in. Instead, she wanted the desire to last forever, to be caught in this whirlwind of pleasure, this precarious balance between hunger and release. Her body belonged to him now, completely and irrevocably, and she wanted to surrender completely.

He knew exactly what he was doing to her and he seemed to take delight in teasing her. Kelly groaned and grasped his hair, gently tugging him even closer. Her body felt boneless, as if any moment it might melt. She wanted him inside her, but she was afraid to want more, afraid that this desire would consume her completely. This was already too much.

She felt the ache building inside her and suddenly, she couldn’t fight it any longer. She wanted to let go, to give Zach what he sought. She held her breath and let the pleasure build and then, as if the floodgates burst, she felt the orgasm wash over her. Her body jerked, then dissolved into delicious spasms.

The power of it all took her breath away, made her dizzy. Her fingers tangled in his hair as she pulled his head back, suddenly too sensitive for his caress. When the last spasm subsided, Zach pressed his damp mouth to her belly, nuzzling against her.

“Oh, my,” she breathed.

He got to his feet and cupped her face in his hands, then touched his lips softly to hers. “I have to go,” he murmured. “I was due at the studio a half hour ago. But I’ll see you this afternoon. And tonight, we’ll pick up where we left off.”

“All right,” Kelly repeated, breathlessly.

Chuckling softly, he bent to pick up her towel and wrapped it back around her body. Then he led her to the bathroom. “Are you gonna be all right?”

“I’m fine,” Kelly said.

He nodded, then disappeared. A minute later, he was back at the door, only to find her standing in the same spot, the towel clutched in her hand. She couldn’t seem to move, even though she knew she ought to.

“Angie’s waiting downstairs in the restaurant. You’d better get moving.” He stepped into the bathroom and gave her another quick kiss, then pointed at the mirror. “Dry your hair and then get dressed.”

“Right,” Kelly said.

She heard the room door close behind him and she sank down to sit on the edge of the tub. Pressing her hand to her chest, she forced herself to breathe normally. What was happening to her? Was it the heat? Or had she caught some kind of travel-induced dementia?

She’d never in her life felt anything like this…so intense, so shattering. Whenever she came within three feet of Zach Haas, she found herself compelled to test the limits of her inhibition and she’d found herself stunned by her reaction to his touch. How could she be expected to resist him? He was like a fantasy come to life—a young, virile guy who could make her feel as if there were no end to her desire for him.

She had one more night in Atlanta. The old Kelly Castelle might have spent the evening alone, locked in her hotel room, watching public television and reading the Tourist’s Guide to Atlanta. But the new Kelly was determined to entice Zach back into her bed and, this time, enjoy every pleasure that his flesh offered.

But before that, she’d go to the studio and pretend she was in love with a younger man. She wondered if the cameras would see that it wasn’t such a far-fetched idea. Falling in love with Zach Haas would be as easy as falling off a log. But she couldn’t afford to do that, so she would settle for simple lust. For Kelly, that would have to be enough.

3

ZACH STOOD IN FRONT of the dressing-room mirror in a pair of plaid boxers. Now he knew exactly how male actors felt in this situation—like a piece of meat. Suddenly, the body he’d grown quite comfortable with seemed to be full of flaws. His arms weren’t big enough and his chest wasn’t very cut. And he had four-pack, instead of six-pack, abs. And he’d never even considered waxing the line of hair that ran from the center of his chest to beneath the waistband of his boxers.

“I don’t know about the boxers,” Karen said, glancing over at Jane. “I think younger guys are probably more in to boxer briefs, don’t you?”

“I don’t want the audience focused on his butt,” Nicole murmured, her brow furrowed into a frown. “And if we put him in boxer briefs I think it’s going to be all about the butt.”

“I can see your point,” Jane commented.

“Can I say something here?” Zach asked.

“No!” All three of them spoke at the same time and Zach got the distinct impression they were enjoying this.

“We could try him in tighty whities,” Karen suggested.

“No way.” Zach held up his hands. “I haven’t worn those since I was ten.”

“What do you wear?” Jane asked.

“I think that’s a bit personal,” Zach said.

“Hey, we’re just asking a young guy like yourself what kind of underwear other young guys wear.”

“Guys my age like the boxer briefs,” Zach said. “But personally, I go commando.”

Eve Best poked her head in the open door of the dressing room. “There will be no going commando on my set. I like the boxers. Maybe go with something a little more playful than plaid, though.”

“The boss has spoken,” Nicole said with a smile. She handed Zach a pair with alligators printed all over them. “Come on. We have this last segment to tape and then we’ll be done.” The three women walked out of the room, leaving Zach behind to change.

It was nearly 4:00 p.m. and Zach and Kelly had been taping for almost two hours. Though he’d expected some uneasiness on Kelly’s part, especially after the intimate moments they’d shared in her hotel room that morning, she’d been the consummate professional. No one would have guessed that they slept in the same bed last night or that he’d brought her to a powerful orgasm that morning.

Thoughts of her had occupied his mind from the very second he’d awakened in her bed until the time she arrived at the station. Though he hadn’t put his finger on the cause of this minor obsession, he suspected it was rooted in the contradictions he found in this woman.

One moment, she was cool, aloof and untouchable, and then the next she was a sultry-eyed seductress. She was nervous then confident, shy then aggressive, serious then silly. Her emotions seemed to turn on a dime and Zach wasn’t sure what to expect from moment to moment. Seducing her had been a challenge, but one he was more than willing to accept.