Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 126589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 633(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126589 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 633(@200wpm)___ 506(@250wpm)___ 422(@300wpm)
“What in God’s name are you talking about?” he asked, beyond exasperated now. “You’re not making any sense.”
He was completely lost. He couldn’t understand what his business had to do with this bizarre conversation.
Chapter Four
“A c-contract?” Beth stumbled over the word and stared at the obviously confused man standing in front of her in consternation.
He looked baffled, frustrated, and still half-aroused, if the bulge in his shorts and his dilated eyes were anything to go by.
God.
Oh God, this was so embarrassing. Maybe he had been facetious when he’d said that thing about being a gigolo. Knowing Gideon, he must have been. And Beth had stupidly believed him. Well, she hadn’t really, not until she’d seen the scores of women who visited him at all hours of the day.
What was that about anyway? What else could he be doing with them?
And after having personally experienced his…prowess in the sex department the gigolo thing had made even more sense to Beth.
Until now.
Right now she was feeling massive amounts of doubt. Since Gideon clearly had no idea what she was talking about, Beth had the sinking conviction that she was almost certainly wrong about her previously held belief.
How utterly humiliating that would be. Humiliating for both of them.
“Lizzy, would you mind telling me what in the hell is going on in that oversized brain of yours? What kind of contract are you talking about? Is this some kind of BDSM thing? I’m not really into all of that. Although, I do admit, the idea of spanking your gorgeous arse has occurred to me on several occasions in the past. Though—” He tilted his head as he considered her from top to toe. “Not necessarily in any sexual context.”
Oh God. Had she seriously considered paying someone for sex? Paying Gideon for sex? Like seriously? He was a total dick! What the hell was wrong with her? She couldn’t believe she’d been about to suggest something so crazy stupid to Gideon Hawthorne of all people. What a feather in his cap that would’ve been. Something to lord over her until the end of time.
Thank God, he didn’t seem to comprehend what she’d been hinting at. It gave her an excuse to graciously remove herself from this increasingly awkward situation.
“Look, forget I said anything. I was momentarily confused. Why don’t you go ahead and join the others? I need a moment.”
He was giving her another frowning once-over.
“I don’t know what the hell is up with you this weekend, Lizzy, but whatever it is, I can almost guarantee that trying to distract yourself with sex isn’t going to help matters.”
“I don’t need your sage words of advice, Gideon,” she said, inserting an insulting tone of dismissiveness into her voice. “Thank you for the… uh… uhm?”
“Quickie?” he supplied. “Earth-shattering orgasms?”
Her withering response was a blatant untruth. “I w-wouldn’t exactly call them earth-shattering.”
“Oh yeah, I forgot, I can’t compete with Mr. Gold Standard from Thailand,” he said, thumping his forehead with the base of his hand. “The guy with the girth and the length, right?”
“If you won’t leave first, I will,” she huffed. Happy to forego gathering her composure before rejoining the others if it meant escaping Gideon’s presence sooner.
“Don’t get your panties in a twist, Lizzy. I’m leaving,” he grumbled. He checked the fly of his shorts one last time, ran a hand through his already messy hair, and—with one final look back at her—unlocked the door and left.
Beth exhaled a shuddering sigh and sank back against the vanity, all the strength abandoning her limbs and leaving her feeling like a jellyfish.
It took a few long moments, but once she was certain she could stand unaided, she shakily turned to face the mirror and glared at her reflection. She was pale, her hair was mussed, her dress askew, make-up smudged. She was a mess and if anyone were to see her now, they’d be in no doubt as to what she’d been doing just moments before.
She rinsed her face and removed all traces of eye make-up. It was the only way to fix that disaster. She smoothed shaky hands over her hair and picked up one of Cat’s hair ties from the counter, which she used to fasten her hair into ponytail at the nape of her neck. After adjusting her dress, she threw back her shoulders, angled her jaw upwards, and left the bathroom, ready to face all those prying eyes.
It was somewhat deflating—after she’d braced herself for the worst—when she returned to the party only to find nobody even noticing her arrival. Instead, Gideon held center stage, beer in one hand, while he gestured expansively with the other as he related some crazy skydiving story to his enrapt audience.
In fact, the only gaze that did mark Beth’s entrance was Gideon’s. He’d situated himself so that he was the only one facing the patio doors, while everybody else was positioned to look at him. His blue-gray gaze flicked over to her so fleetingly, she wondered if she’d imagined it. But when she sank down onto an empty bench, in the shadows behind everybody else, his eyes rested on her for a moment longer, somber, despite the lightness of his voice. He didn’t miss a beat, building to the climax of his tale like a seasoned storyteller, while he held Beth’s gaze for long moments, his eyes filled with concern and questions.