How To Pleasure A Playboy(18)

"Are you crazy? Lace, you're hot. Lady in red, remember? He'd be lucky to have you."

"Thanks. But he's not exactly spoiled for choice." The two women Bronson  had been at the nightclub with on the night they'd met had been ten  times better looking than Lacey.

"If he can't see how great you are, then he doesn't deserve you. Period."

"Okay, I won't argue." Lacey let out a real laugh this time, grateful to  have Ally on her side. "But it was a one night thing. We both agreed."

"So you're not going to keep sleeping with him?"

"No, of course not."

"Okay."

"Seriously. I'm not."

"I believe you," said Ally, in a way that told Lacey she totally didn't.

"It's true. Goodbye." Lacey hung up quickly, before Ally could say  anything else. At least now she could get her blog post written. It was a  G-rated account of last night's storm, highlighting the fact that the  Baxter needed urgent repairs. From now on she'd drop the  #PamperedPlayboy label she'd given Bronson. Not much of a compromise,  but it would have to do.

She worked all day, keeping herself sharp with regular consumption of  coffee and chocolate, and left the library at six. On the way back to  her apartment, she stopped at Crystal's door and knocked. There was no  answer. She knocked again, frowning. "Crystal? It's Lacey." Still no  answer. Wolf wasn't barking so they had to be out, but she dropped in on  her neighbor every evening around this time. Usually Crystal would let  her know if she wasn't going to be home.

Worried, she went across the hall to her own apartment, and let herself  in. A fire crackled in the hearth, and candles flickered on every  surface, making the place mysterious and romantic. When she walked into  the hall, a delicious smell wafted over the scent of burning logs.  Lacey's stomach gurgled in response. Usually she got home to a freezing  cold house and the stink of damp walls and slowly-rotting carpet, so  this was a very pleasant change. She could get definitely get used to  having dinner waiting for her. But how could Bronson have cooked a meal  without electricity?

"Hello?" She put her laptop bag on the coffee table and went into the  kitchen. Dozens more candles were flickering in there, making it look  like a set from a medieval movie. Lit up in their glow, Bronson was  pouring a glass of wine. And he was wearing …  Oh crap. Lacey closed her  eyes and groaned. "Where did you get that?"

"From your website, of course." Bronson glanced down at his gray  T-shirt. The words Team Bronson were emblazoned across his chest. And  underneath in smaller letters, #TheBaxterGames. He nodded to a woman's  sized shirt on the counter that said Team Lacey. "I got one for you."

"Great." She took the glass of wine he handed her. "Listen, I stopped to  check on Crystal, but she isn't answering her door. I'm worried  something might have happened to her, so I think we should-"

He held up one hand. "Don't worry, she's fine. Her son picked her and  the dog up a little while ago, and they've gone to see the place she's  moving into. It's a retirement complex a little way out of town. Nice  gardens, apparently."

Lacey frowned, her heart contracting the way it always did when she  thought of Crystal moving out. "I don't know how she'll get on without  me. And she'll hate living in a retirement home. Bingo and sing-alongs?  That's just not her."

"Her new place is close enough that you can visit."

"But I always pick up her medicine for her. And I walk Wolf at least three times a week."

"She'll have twenty-four hour medical care available, and no stairs to climb."

"But she won't have me just across the hall. And I won't have her."  Lacey turned away so he couldn't see her face. He'd never understand how  she felt. Her father was stuck in a place he hated, and now the woman  who'd been like a mother was leaving too. Even if she could get this  place fixed up well enough for her father to come back, Crystal never  would.





Thirteen





Seeing Lacey's expression, Bronson couldn't help himself. He slipped his  arms around her from behind, so his front was pressed against her back.  His cheek rested against the top of her head. She didn't lean into him,  but she didn't pull away either.         

     



 

It might be his fault Crystal was moving, but surely Lacey could see the  woman would be better off in her new home? And when Lacey moved out of  the Baxter, she could live somewhere that didn't leak, or smell, or grow  mold. Somewhere the electricity would stay on all the time. Where she'd  be safe.

The sooner that happened the better, not that she'd appreciate it if he  told her. Instead he dropped his face so his nose was in her hair. What  was it about her scent that turned him on? She wasn't wearing expensive  perfume, lotions or sprays. Just the smell of soap and skin, faintly  bookish from having spent the day in the library.

Every time he set foot in a library from now on, he'd probably get a boner.

She sighed, relaxing a little in his arms. "I thought we weren't going to do this again."

"I'm not doing anything."

"Really?" She angled her head around to shoot him a sideways look.

"Want some dinner?" He nodded at the foil-wrapped package on the kitchen  bench. "The power's been out all day, so I had it delivered."

"Of course you did. Snap your fingers and you can have anything you  want." She eased out of his grip and turned to face him. "Don't suppose  you got someone to come and fix the roof?"

"I did, actually." And when her eyes widened, added, "But don't get too  excited. It's a temporary job that won't last long. A lot of sealant  that'll only stop the worst of the leaks."

"Just enough to make your stay more comfortable."

"Speaking of a comfortable stay, it's a little strange that all the other apartments had their electricity restored."

"Did they?" Her cheeks went pink, and he bit back a smile. Keeping the  power off is exactly what he'd do in her place, so he could hardly blame  her. Besides, all the candles he'd set up looked rather romantic.  Perfect for another seduction. They might have agreed last night's  lovemaking would be a one-off event, but why not stretch it to two  nights? As long as they were clear it wouldn't change anything with  regards to their bet, he couldn't see the harm.

Opening the foil-wrapped package, she bent to sniff its contents. "It smells good."

He glanced at the small, cracked formica table. Several candles  flickered on it, but even those couldn't make it look appealing. "Let's  have a picnic."

"A picnic?"

He took their food into the living room and spread a blanket in front of  the fire. After throwing several pillows and cushions onto the blanket,  they ate sprawled on the floor, with the flames dancing in front of  them and the warmth of the flames matched only by Lacey's smile.

"You did some reading today?" She nodded to the neat pile he'd made with  the folded-up camping bed and his clothes. The novel Carla had picked  out was lying on top.

"My assistant's idea. For a long time, I've been too busy to read. But I'm enjoying taking some time out from the clubs."

She wrinkled her nose. "Your week isn't supposed to be fun. It's supposed to be cold, damp, and miserable."

"If it makes you feel better, it's definitely been damp." With his  stomach pleasantly full of good food, and Lacey beside him, her living  room wasn't dingy, but rich and welcoming. Thanks to her, he was having  more fun than he'd had in years.

"Did you make friends with Myrtle?" she nodded to the fish tank under the window.

"Myrtle?"

"The turtle."

He frowned. "The tank's empty."

"No it's not." She laughed. "You obviously don't know turtles." She  jumped up to clear the dinner plates away, and he glanced back at the  fish tank as he got up to help her carry them out. Weird. The thing was  definitely empty. There were rocks, sure. But none were turtle-shaped.

"Your book must have been good," she said when they went back to their picnic blanket. "You didn't tweet much today."

"Neither did you."

"I was busy." She piled up some pillows to lie back on, and gazed into  the fire. "Actually, I should have tweeted more. I feel terrible about  what we did last night. If my readers discover I slept with the enemy,  they'll think I've betrayed them."

"I don't want anyone to find out about it either."

She jerked her face to him. "I'm not good enough for you?"

Her expression was so outraged, he couldn't help but chuckle. "I have  four hundred employees. If the popularity of my clubs dips, their jobs  are threatened. My reputation is a big part of their popularity. Why do  you think I work so hard on it? And unfortunately, you're a little  wholesome to fit with my image."