Safeword Quinacridone by Candace Blevins Read Free Book Online

me.” He sighed and sank a little farther into the sofa. “I’m sorry, too. Let me try again. For the most part, yes, it’s easier to pay someone. It kind of cuts out the ... sometimes it seems everyone wants me for my money, so it’s simpler to be honest about the money aspects from the beginning, without subterfuge. Plus, when I hire them I can be clear on my expectations. Which sounds cold but it’s worked for me.”
    His face looked like he’d just bared his soul and was prepared to have it gravely injured. Cara’s heart broke a little for him and she decided it’d be easier to shift the conversation, rather than respond directly. Besides, there was a question she still wanted answered.
    “So why am I here?”
    His mouth turned up into not quite a smile but enough she knew he was thinking good thoughts now, instead of bad. “I saw you working on the zoomed in layer, changing it at the pixel level with such focus, and I could see what it was doing to the larger image in the other window, and something inside me shifted. You have this way of viewing the world, as if you’re seeing it through a different lens than the rest of us mere humans. Even zoomed in to the individual pixels, your perception was unique. Suddenly, if I have to use my money to impress you, I don’t mind. And then to discover you want, or possibly need, your sex rough.” He hesitated, as if deciding whether to say something, and his smile turned shy. “It seems we’re meant for each other.”
    Caught off guard by his honestly, her heart warmed, but she wasn’t sure how to respond so she changed the subject. “What did you plan to do about shoes for me?”
    He visibly relaxed and gave happy smile. A question he could easily answer. “There’s a neutral pair of shoes with gold trim, to match either dress, in seven sizes.” He rolled his eyes in an embarrassed grin. “Since I forgot to look at your shoes.”
    “You’ve done this before. A lot.”
    He nodded and she took a deep breath and let it out. She appreciated his honesty but this was foreign territory. They did better without clothes.
    “I don’t suppose you have a large bathtub in here, somewhere?”
    He nodded again and she said, “Any problem with us taking a bath together? We can sit on opposite sides and give each other foot massages. My feet are killing me.”
     
    * * * *
     
    Travis called the makeup guy as they climbed the steps, telling him to hold off. He led her into a majestic forest green and deep gold bathroom and used a keypad to draw water into the huge tub. The faucet was flat so the water fell in a wide curtain, and she wanted to comment on it but was afraid of sounding like a country bumpkin.
    His voice interrupted her thoughts. “I’m going down to get a beer. Want me to bring you anything?”
    She tore her eyes away from the bathtub, turning to him. “I’m not a big beer drinker, what else do you have?”
    “Pretty much every kind of alcohol and cola. Probably no milk or cream but we should have anything else you’d need for a mixed drink.”
    “Can I have a margarita?”
    “Your wish is my command,” he said, giving her a quick peck on the lips and heading downstairs.
    Cara set the shampoo and conditioner on the tub’s ledge before searching for a guest bedroom with clothes and shoes. The dresses were exquisite, one a pale pink and the other a pearl white. Both were classy and beautiful, and would be form fitting without making her look like a slut. They probably cost a fortune.
    Opening the shoebox, she was dismayed to see high heels — she’d break an ankle if she even attempted walking in them. She spotted a pale green mid-thigh length robe on a hook and grabbed it before returning to the other bathroom, where Travis was looking through a cabinet, his back to her.
    “The dresses are gorgeous but my feet aren’t going near those shoes.”
    He turned his head, startled, as if he hadn’t heard her return. “Why not?”
    She smirked.