Turning my head, I strained to listen. I was tuned in, seeking out the hushed voice of the woman I was chasing. Padding quietly through the hall, the brittle edge of her words reached me.
“...And it's insane to ask for another so soon!”
I wondered if I inhaled, I'd smell her—I was a hunter stalking his prey. Wandering deeper, I heard her speaking through the walls; not far from the room I'd given her a lap-dance in.
Leaning near the crack, I peeked inside. She was facing away, sitting lotus-style on her bed. The phone was to her ear, fingers shaking. I waited for the device to shatter. “Nehro, listen to me. I know what my contract says, but I've never been called for a fight this soon after the last. I need time to find a new guy. I—what?” She paused, then lifted her voice. “You're impossible! God, I just...”
Clenching my fist at my hip, I listened to the defeat filling her every word. Nehro was upsetting her. How upset would he be with his pasty face crunching under my knuckles?
Zoe whispered, “Okay. I'll figure it out. I fucking understand what 'defaulting' means.”
Defaulting? On what, the contract? She'd told me she owed Nehro money, but what could he do to collect from her if she didn't fulfill her job? She acted like she was broke, stressed about cash. If she had nothing, it wasn't as if he could rob her. There was nothing to steal.
Right?
She hung her head, the phone falling onto the bed. The wave of hunger in me abated, burned to ash at the sight of her sadness. My muscles shifted from wanting to grab her to wanting to comfort her.
I didn't know Nehro well, but seeing what he'd done to her...
I hated him entirely.
“Hey,” I said, stepping into the room. Zoe jerked around, eyes straining at my appearance. Spreading my fingers, I tried to calm her. “What's going on, what happened?”
Her surprised hardened into distrust. “Do you normally spy on people?”
“I wanted to make sure you were okay.” Gently, I closed the door behind me. Zoe stared, watching me like I was trapping her. In a way, I was.
Pushing her fingers to the bridge of her nose, she rocked on the mattress, facing me fully. “Everything is fine. You don't need to worry.”
“Love, if you think I'd believe everything was fine, you're fooling yourself.”
Laughing, she said, “Go fool yourself. Whatever you need to do to leave me alone, do it. You can tell I'm in a bad mood, right? I need to be alone.”
Shaking my head, I settled next to her on the bed. Zoe's nostrils flared, stealing the last bit of air in the room that wasn't corrupted by me. “What you need is help.”
“Help,” she said, tasting the word.
“That was Nehro, wasn't it?” Zoe looked away, confirming what I already knew. “He wants you to bring someone in for another fight.”
Sitting up straight, her neck stiffened. “I was semi-joking about the spying thing. You heard everything.”
“Enough to put two and two together, and math isn't my strong suit.” I winked, and amazingly, she actually smiled. “Is the next fight really tonight?”
Like rain on glass, her smile washed away. “Yes.”
“Then it's settled.”
“How is it settled, what is settled?”
Scratching the side of my nose, I chuckled. “I'll fight for you again. It's simple.”
Her red hair was a wave, sliding over her shoulders violently. “No! Huck, no way. I told you, I can't ask for more help. No more favors.”
There was a hand's width between us on the bed. Carefully, I pushed my bare thigh against her knee, enjoying how she startled. “Babe, I'm going to help you. You'll just have to accept that.”
She locked onto my leg, not looking at my face. “Fuck, you're so stubborn. I'm not owing you for your good graces. I'd have to pay you. For real, this time.”
Arching down, I let my skull fill with the foggy cloud that Zoe brought. Being this close to her, our heads almost touching, I wanted to erase the distance and wrap my hands in her hair. I wanted to lick her throat, to inhale my way down to her sweet pussy.
She was so stressed about money last night. My lashes fluttered, seduction thickening my words. “You can pay me if you want... but it doesn't need to be in cash.”
Zoe almost headbutted my nose with how fast she whipped her eyes up to me. The wild blue color threatened to boil me alive. “No. I will never, ever use my body like that.” She bit off each word, spit it in my face. “I am not a fucking whore, Huxton.”
The energy crackled between us. However, I didn't burn with shame. I knew she wanted me to, but too bad. Zoe had pride; so did I.
And I loved how I made my living.
“What's wrong with being a whore?” I purred, inching my knee harder against hers. Zoe grimaced, retreating. I followed, keeping our bodies touching. “Since when is sex so awful? And if you're good at it, why not get paid for it?”
Blinking, her cheeks the color of roses, Zoe struggled to win the staring contest. “For one, you don't know if I'm good at it.”
That was funny, she thought I'd been talking about her. Fine. I liked this topic. “I'd wager you are.” My grin was a half-moon. “Want to test my theory?”
Her throat fluttered. “No.”
“Again, you're such a liar.” Chuckling, I reached out, curling my fingers in her hair. I'd thought I could hold back, but I was wrong. Talking about fucking was sending me on a spiral. “How about it? I'll be your champion, Zoe.” Nuzzling her ear, I thrilled at her helpless moan. “I'll fight every man, any man. You just have to ask me.”
Gently, she put her hands on my bare back. We shared a strained breath. “It's not just asking. You want me to fuck you in exchange for your help.”
Stroking down her neck, I listened to her whimper. Lord, she was killing me. “What's so upsetting? Don't you want to fuck me?”
Zoe hesitated. She clung to my shoulder blades, stuck between holding on tighter or letting go. “I'll never pay for things with my body.”
“You didn't answer me, do you want to fuck me?”
“No, not like this.”
Leaning away, I looked from her cherry-lips to her flushed face. I ate up the vision of her nipples cutting through her shirt. “Again, always lying.”
Some of her ferociousness returned, lips curling back. “I'm not lying. I don't want you, not even a little bit.”
“Then why were you grinding against me so eagerly yesterday?” I asked, shoving her up the bed, pushing myself between her legs. We both wore shorts, our skin chafing with my movements. “Why were you pouting when I said you couldn't touch me?” A single thrust, I imitated the filthy motion of fucking.
Zoe's moan echoed around us.
Watching her, I froze up. Her wanton need had shocked us both. She bit her lip, then clenched her jaw. When she saw my wide smirk, she tensed harder.
I said gently, “We should make a few things clear.”
Zoe dared me with her silence.
My cock was stiff, filling my shorts to the point of discomfort. God, this woman, she got me going. “Zoe, how badly do you want my help?”
Laughing with a cynical bite, she let her hands fall from my body. “I need it, I don't want it. Aren't you the one who wanted to help me?”
My gaze trailed over her lips, enjoying every curve. “I did. And I do. You're the one messing it up by making it complicated.”
Wrinkling her forehead, Zoe slumped back. “You don't understand how hard this is for me.”
Grinning, I rubbed my rigid shaft over her shorts. “Believe me, beautiful. I know what hard is.”
Each time she blushed, it felt like a win.
“Huck, I don't want to owe you anything. But I'll pay you. With money.” Her smile was coy. “Not my body. Never my body.”