Recipe for Satisfacton(18)

He thought of his brothers. Of their eye-rolling and sly grins. Of their guaranteed disapproval over Jack being involved with an employee. And he didn’t give two shits.

Screw the Madewood thing to do. The thought of Sterling was just too tempting.

He grabbed his phone. He didn’t have Sterling’s number, but he knew exactly where he could get it.

Here’s to tying up loose ends. And the sex would be the cherry on top of a job well done.

…

Sterling sat in the comfort of her bathtub, the calming scent of lavender doing little to ease her nerves.

Her parents hadn’t bothered to call once since she’d left their house last night. Penn, on the other hand, had called about thirty times. But Sterling needed some space. Some time to put things into perspective. Namely how the hell she was going to be able to trust her parents ever again.

Not to mention the shame she felt for such an epic failure of an evening. Operation Exciting Sterling had been a bust. She almost had sex in the back of a limo! What could have possibly possessed her to consider such insane behavior with Jack Vaughn? Her little experiment was just that—an experiment. A failed one at that.

She slid deeper into her bath and sighed. At least she was safe here.

The ring of her phone broke the serene setting of her bathroom. She had a good hunch who was calling. She reached behind her to where her phone sat on the toilet seat.

“I’m blissfully naked and trying to enjoy a bath. Make it quick, Penn.”

A male voice chuckled. “Sterling?”

She shot up, ripping away the towel from her face. “Who is this?”

“Sterling, it’s Jack.” She could hear the smile in his voice.

Shit.

“Jack.” Sterling covered her exposed breasts, which were flushed red from a combination of mortification and the hot water. “Hi.” She looked down at her body. Why was she covering herself? It’s not as if he could see through the phone.

“Penn gave me your number.”

A call from the man she could never have: the perfect way to start the day. Could she feel any shittier?

“I hope I’m not interrupting. Although…” His voice was low and seductive. “I love the image you just put in my head. Naked Sterling. Wet and—”

“You’re not interrupting,” she blurted. The seduction in his voice was exactly what she did not need to hear. He must think her wanton. This was so not her. She swallowed hard. “Can I help you with something?”

He laughed. “I wanted to talk to you about a job.”

Okay. Not what she expected.

“You said that you’re a professional organizer?”

“Yes.” She settled back against the tub. The gentle whoosh of the water against her breasts made her nipples hard. She stifled a groan. “I have my own business.”

“My mother’s house…” He paused. She knew exactly where this conversation was going.

“My mother’s house needs to be packed up.”

“Oh, um…I’m not really a packer.” She usually bit off a person’s head for assuming all she did was pack. But the resignation in his voice kept her pettiness in check. “It’s more my job to design space and suggest storage options.”

“Well, I guess we need that, too. We don’t want to get rid of anything, just put it away.”

There were worse jobs out there. But was putting herself right in the line of Jack Vaughn such a good idea? A man she’d almost slept with. The man who she had thrown experimental Exciting Sterling at. The man she was speaking to right now wearing nothing but bubbles. “Shouldn’t you and your brothers be going through her things? It seems to be kind of a sentimental job.”

“Honestly, we don’t have the time, and…” Jack hesitated. “My brothers don’t know about this yet. It needs to be done and I can trust you.”

“I’d have to think about it. I’m booked solid for the next three months and I really wouldn’t have the time to—”

“I’ll pay you three times your going rate.”

Shit! Jack Vaughn knew just what to say. The extra cash couldn’t have come at a better time. If she said yes, she’d have the mortgage payments paid up in no time. But there was only one problem that would put a kink in this brilliant opportunity. He thought she was a crazy one-night stand girl who liked dirty, kinky, back-of-a-limo sex with men she had just met. It didn’t matter that she couldn’t stop thinking about him. Her parents’ most recent financial bomb reminded her that she should stay in her boring, organized Sterling box.

“Sterling?” Jack said. “Are you still there?”