Whatever You Like (13 page)

Roderick chuckled. “Come on now. Let's not get carried away.”

“Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you.” Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Morgan hovering near the end of the corridor, pretending not to watch them.

Lena sighed. “I should go. My sister's waiting.”

Roderick glanced over his shoulder, met Morgan's stare and smiled. When Morgan grinned and fluttered her fingers in a wave, Lena rolled her eyes in disgust.

Turning back to her, Roderick said, “My lunch offer still stands.”

“Thanks, but my answer's the same.”

“Then maybe I should ask your sister.”

She stared at him. “You wouldn't.”

His eyes glinted wickedly. “I might.”

Lena folded her arms across her chest. “Go ahead.”

A slow grin curved his mouth. “Is that a dare?”

“Maybe.”

He laughed softly. “You should never dare me, unless you're prepared to deal with the consequences.”

Lena sniffed. “What consequences? Morgan thinks you're hot, but she also believes you and I are involved, so she wouldn't—”

“Encroach on your territory?”

“Exactly.”

He smiled mischievously. “Are you sure about that?”

Lena didn't hesitate. “Positive.”

“Okay.” He reached out and stroked his knuckle over her cheek, a slow, lingering caress. “I'll be in touch.”

She swallowed and nodded, then watched as he sauntered away. When he reached Morgan, he stopped to say something to her. Lena was too far away to make out the words, or Morgan's reply. She told herself it didn't matter. It didn't matter whether he invited her sister out to lunch, and it didn't matter whether or not Morgan accepted. They were both adults, and Roderick didn't belong to Lena.

So she had no reason to feel a stab of jealousy when Morgan rested a hand lightly on his arm, or when Roderick threw back his head and laughed in response to whatever she'd said.

And she definitely had no reason to feel a huge wave of relief when Roderick glanced over and met her gaze, winked at her, then left—alone.

When she caught up to her sister and suggested they grab a bite to eat, Morgan said, “Girl, you'd better be glad I love you. That man is too damn tempting for his own good.”

“Let me guess,” Lena said flatly. “He asked you out to lunch.”

“No.” Morgan looked puzzled. “Why would he do that?”

Lena shrugged. “I don't know. To be polite. To rescue you from hospital food.”

“Wouldn't he ask
you
out to lunch?”

“He did. Invited both of us. I politely declined.”

“Well, damn.
I'd
have gone with him.”

“Alone?”

Morgan gave her a sly look. “Would you have minded?”

“No.”

“Liar!” Morgan laughed, then linked her arm through Lena's as they headed for the cafeteria.

Yeah, Lena had no reason to feel relieved.

But, damn it, she did.

B
y the end of the week, Cleveland was back at Lakeview Manor, where he was welcomed like a conquering hero returning from battle. The staff pampered him even more than before, and the other residents filed in and out of his room to admire his cast and hear all about the miraculous breakthrough he'd experienced. Cleveland told and retold the story with great relish, shamelessly basking in all the attention.

Every evening, Lena got off from work and headed straight to the retirement home, where she kept her grandfather company until he nodded off around eight. And then she returned to an empty apartment, her chest filled with an inexplicable ache that told her something was missing.

With each passing day she expected to receive a call from Roderick, summoning her to the spot of their next tryst. But he didn't call.

At first she was relieved. She'd asked for time to look after her grandfather, so Roderick was respecting her wishes. Good for him.

But he'd also promised Cleveland that he'd take Lena out on a date that week. Although she'd resented her grandfather's meddling, she'd actually found herself looking forward to dinner and a show with Roderick.

But as the days wore on and her phone remained silent, she went from feeling relieved, to perplexed, to annoyed. Downright annoyed. So when Zandra called on Saturday morning to ask whether she was available to meet a new client that evening, Lena was tempted to accept out of spite.

“Lena?” Zandra prompted when she didn't immediately respond.

“I can't,” Lena declined apologetically. She'd made a deal with Roderick, and a deal was a deal.

“Are you sure?” Zandra prodded. “The client specifically asked for you, and I'd really hate to refer him to someone else. He says he met you a few months ago at a party, and you two struck up a conversation he really enjoyed. Medium height and build, dark hair, green eyes, British accent. Do you remember?” She didn't use his name. It was one of her unwritten rules: Never identify clients over the phone.

Lena smiled. “I do remember him. Nice guy. Great accent.”

“So you wouldn't mind going out with him?” Zandra asked hopefully.

“Not at all. But I can't. Not this weekend.”

Zandra paused, undoubtedly surprised. Lena was always available on the weekends. She purposely kept her schedule clear to accommodate the agency.

“Is something going on, Lena?” Zandra asked, a note of concern in her voice.

Lena saw her opening, and seized it with both hands. “Actually, my grandfather just got out of the hospital.”

“Oh, no,” Zandra exclaimed. “Is he okay?”

Lena gave her an account of everything that had happened over the past week, omitting any mention of Roderick.

When she'd finished speaking, Zandra said gently, “Oh, Lena, I'm so sorry your grandfather had to go through all that. But that's exciting about him being able to walk again.”

“Very exciting,” Lena agreed. “We're all keeping our fingers crossed and praying for the best.”

“Amen to that.” Zandra paused. “Hey, do you want to grab a massage with me? I'll be heading out soon for my appointment, and I'd love your company.”

“A massage, huh? I haven't had one of those in months.”

“Then you're long overdue. My treat.”

Lena grinned. “A free massage? I'm there.”

 

Two hours later, after a lavishly relaxing massage, Lena and Zandra lounged in the upscale day spa's steamy sauna.

As Lena felt the final traces of tension melt from her body, she closed her eyes and sighed contentedly. “This was absolutely wonderful, Zandra. Thanks for inviting me.”

On the bench beside her, Zandra murmured, “No need to thank me. You deserve some pampering after the week you've had.”

“Mmm.” A hazy smile touched Lena's mouth. “I didn't realize how much stress I was carrying around
until your masseuse got her hands on me. She's
very
good.”

“The best,” Zandra agreed. “I have a standing appointment with her every week. You're more than welcome to join me any time.”

Lena chuckled softly. “I just might take you up on that offer.”

“I hope you do.”

A companionable silence lapsed between them.

It didn't last long.

“So,” Zandra began conversationally. “I spoke to Roderick yesterday.”

“Oh?” Lena kept her tone neutral. “How's he doing?”

“Busy, as usual. He mentioned something about traveling to Japan next week to meet with his transition team and work out some kinks regarding the merger.”

Lena nodded, remembering that he'd invited her to accompany him to Japan. As if.

“I think he's going to be dividing his time between Chicago and Tokyo over the next couple years or so,” Zandra continued. “He already has a real estate broker looking for apartments.”

“Really?” Lena's chest squeezed with an emotion she refused to identify.

As if sensing it, Zandra added smoothly, “But I don't think he'd ever decide to move there permanently. Chicago has always been his home. He has too many ties here, too many family members who'd start a revolt if he even
thought
about leaving.”

Wondering where the conversation was leading, Lena cracked one eye open and peered sideways at Zandra. Long strands of black hair had escaped from her upsweep and clung damply to her face and neck. Like Lena, she
was wrapped in a plush towel emblazoned with the spa's fancy logo. Beads of water glistened on her smooth brown skin and trickled down the valley between her full breasts. With little or no effort, she oozed sensuality like a perfume laced with pheromones.

And, remarkably, Roderick was immune to her.
Hallelujah!

“Before we got off the phone,” Zandra said casually, “Roderick made the strangest request.” Lena tensed.
Uh-oh. Here it comes.
“What?”

“He asked me not to send any clients your way until further notice.”

Lena gasped. “He did
what?
”

Zandra met her outraged stare. “Is there something I should know about you and Roderick?”

Lena scowled, then covered her face with her hands and groaned. “He wasn't supposed to say anything.”

“He didn't. Not much, anyway. Shortly after he made the request, he had to run to a meeting. So I didn't have a chance to follow up with any questions.”

“I'm
so
gonna kill him,” Lena muttered darkly.

Zandra chuckled, a low, throaty sound. “In all fairness to Rod, I sort of tricked him into saying what he did. I was fishing for information, trying to find out whether he wanted to see you again. He doesn't know that you told me what happened between the two of you the night of the party. I guess I wanted to rattle his cage a little. So at the end of our conversation, I casually mentioned to him that a new client was interested in going out with you.” She grinned. “The first word out of his mouth?
Shit!
He muttered it under his breath, but it came through loud and clear.”

Lena shook her head, mentally firing off a few expletives herself.

“That's when he told me not to set you up with any more clients until further notice,” Zandra continued. “As you can imagine, my curiosity went through the roof after that. So I called you this morning to test the waters, to see whether you'd be willing to go out with a client.” She paused, searching Lena's face. “Taking care of your grandfather isn't the only reason you declined, is it?”

Lena hesitated for a prolonged moment. “No.”

Zandra nodded slowly. “So you and Roderick have some sort of…understanding?”

“Yes.” Lena pushed out a deep breath, then reluctantly relayed the details of her arrangement with Roderick.

“Oh, my God.” Zandra stared at her in stunned disbelief. “Talk about an indecent proposal.”

“I know,” Lena muttered self-consciously. “It's scandalous.”

“Positively,” Zandra agreed.

Lena eyed her cautiously. “Are you mad?”

Zandra frowned. “Honestly? I'm a little annoyed that you and Roderick made this secret arrangement without consulting me first.”

“I figured you would be,” Lena mumbled guiltily.

“Can you blame me? Considering that your deal with Roderick affects my bottom line, I think you at least owed me the courtesy of a phone call. As I reminded you before, the holiday season is always our busiest time of year. Not having one of my top escorts for three weeks will really cut into my profits. So, yeah, a heads-up would have been nice.”

“I know.” Lena sighed heavily. “I'm sorry, Zandra. I was afraid to tell you, especially after I'd just violated the agency's no-sex policy. I knew I was skating on thin ice.”

“You're not alone,” Zandra grumbled. “I can't wait to give Roderick a piece of my mind.”

Lena gulped on his behalf.

After a prolonged silence, Zandra sighed. “That said, Rod's one of my closest friends, and using the agency was a one-time thing for him anyway. So it's not as if you'll be sleeping with one of our regular clients.”

Lena flushed all over, grateful for the clouds of steam that obscured her body's reaction. “My college really needs the funds,” she felt compelled to explain. “I wouldn't have agreed to Roderick's offer if—”

Zandra held up a manicured hand. “You don't have to explain yourself to me. Ultimately, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. Believe me, Lena, I'd be the last person to judge you. Hell, most of my friends and relatives think I run a brothel.”

Lena grimaced. “That's not good.”

Zandra grinned wryly. “At first it got under my skin. It made me feel like they were criticizing me and looking down their noses at me. Nowadays? I don't even bother correcting them. And wouldn't you know it? Some of those same judgmental people are the ones who're always hitting me up for money.”

“Hypocrites,” Lena muttered.

Zandra laughed. Leaning her head back against the sauna bench, she drawled in an amused voice, “So when does your, ah, arrangement officially begin?”

Lena blushed, studying her lacquered toenails with focused absorption. “It already has.”

“Oh.” Zandra chuckled, low and indulgent. “Wasted no time, did he?”

“Nope.” Lena bit her lip, wondering if her face could possibly get any hotter.

“Before he got off the phone with me,” Zandra said,
“Rod promised to compensate me for any revenue I'd lose as a result of not having you available. I told him to keep his money and send referrals my way instead. Within an hour the agency had two new clients—a billionaire philanthropist and a software tycoon, both of whom are close associates of Roderick's.”

“I'm so glad to hear that,” Lena said sincerely. “I felt really guilty about costing you money, Zandra.”

“I know you did. But I'm not the only one you should be concerned about. You earn a substantial amount per month, Lena. Roderick should be compensating you for your time as well.”

“He offered to, but I turned him down. I don't need his money—the college does.”

Zandra slid her a wry, teasing grin. “Taking one for the team, huh?”

Lena heaved the long, dramatic sigh of a martyr. “It's worth the sacrifice.”

“Sacrifice.
Riiight.
” Zandra laughed. “Well, look at it this way. If you're going to be anyone's sexual companion, you could do a whole lot worse than Roderick Brand.”

“
That's
an understatement.”

The two women grinned at each other.

Sobering after a few moments, Zandra murmured, “Just be careful, okay?”

“With Roderick?”

Zandra nodded.

“I will.” Lena hesitated, then couldn't resist asking, “Are you trying to tell me something?”

Zandra looked pained. “I probably shouldn't have said anything.”

“Too late.”

Zandra pushed out a long, deep breath. “Okay, here's
the thing,” she began, choosing her words carefully. “Roderick is a wonderful guy—”

“Uh-oh. That's never a good way to start off.”

“No, it's true. He
is
wonderful. Absolutely. I told you before how much I cherish his friendship, and I meant that. But he, ah, doesn't exactly have the best track record with women.”

Lena smirked. “You're saying he's a player. What a shock.”

“No, that's not what I'm saying. He's
not
a player. Yes, he's dated a lot of women, but he's never intentionally set out to hurt any of them. The thing about Roderick is that he has very high expectations. Maybe unrealistic expectations.” Zandra sighed. “You know how some guys are scarred by not having positive examples of relationships in their lives? Like if they grew up without a father, they often don't know how to treat women? Well, Rod has the opposite problem, if you can call it that. His parents have a wonderful relationship. They've been happily married for forty years, and they're still going strong. I used to wish they were
my
parents,” she admitted ruefully.

Lena gave her a sympathetic smile.

“Anyway,” Zandra continued with another sigh, “I think their amazing marriage may have led Roderick to develop impossible standards for women. Oh, I'm not talking about shallow stuff, like he's gonna be checking your feet for bunions in the middle of the night.”

“Whew!” Lena said, wiping her brow in exaggerated relief.

Zandra laughed. “Girl, Roderick isn't your typical billionaire playboy. Sure, he's dated models here and there, but I can honestly tell you that he prefers regular women. He's gone out with females that some of his
friends considered
too
ordinary, but Rod didn't care. He's totally an around-the-way boy.”