For Lust or Money

She heard the room door close behind him and she sank down to sit on the edge of the tub. Pressing her hand to her chest, she forced herself to breathe normally. What was happening to her? Was it the heat? Or had she caught some kind of travel-induced dementia?

She’d never in her life felt anything like this…so intense, so shattering. Whenever she came within three feet of Zach Haas, she found herself compelled to test the limits of her inhibition and she’d found herself stunned by her reaction to his touch. How could she be expected to resist him? He was like a fantasy come to life—a young, virile guy who could make her feel as if there were no end to her desire for him.

She had one more night in Atlanta. The old Kelly Castelle might have spent the evening alone, locked in her hotel room, watching public television and reading the Tourist’s Guide to Atlanta. But the new Kelly was determined to entice Zach back into her bed and, this time, enjoy every pleasure that his flesh offered.

But before that, she’d go to the studio and pretend she was in love with a younger man. She wondered if the cameras would see that it wasn’t such a far-fetched idea. Falling in love with Zach Haas would be as easy as falling off a log. But she couldn’t afford to do that, so she would settle for simple lust. For Kelly, that would have to be enough.

3

ZACH STOOD IN FRONT of the dressing-room mirror in a pair of plaid boxers. Now he knew exactly how male actors felt in this situation—like a piece of meat. Suddenly, the body he’d grown quite comfortable with seemed to be full of flaws. His arms weren’t big enough and his chest wasn’t very cut. And he had four-pack, instead of six-pack, abs. And he’d never even considered waxing the line of hair that ran from the center of his chest to beneath the waistband of his boxers.

“I don’t know about the boxers,” Karen said, glancing over at Jane. “I think younger guys are probably more in to boxer briefs, don’t you?”

“I don’t want the audience focused on his butt,” Nicole murmured, her brow furrowed into a frown. “And if we put him in boxer briefs I think it’s going to be all about the butt.”

“I can see your point,” Jane commented.

“Can I say something here?” Zach asked.

“No!” All three of them spoke at the same time and Zach got the distinct impression they were enjoying this.

“We could try him in tighty whities,” Karen suggested.

“No way.” Zach held up his hands. “I haven’t worn those since I was ten.”

“What do you wear?” Jane asked.

“I think that’s a bit personal,” Zach said.

“Hey, we’re just asking a young guy like yourself what kind of underwear other young guys wear.”

“Guys my age like the boxer briefs,” Zach said. “But personally, I go commando.”

Eve Best poked her head in the open door of the dressing room. “There will be no going commando on my set. I like the boxers. Maybe go with something a little more playful than plaid, though.”

“The boss has spoken,” Nicole said with a smile. She handed Zach a pair with alligators printed all over them. “Come on. We have this last segment to tape and then we’ll be done.” The three women walked out of the room, leaving Zach behind to change.

It was nearly 4:00 p.m. and Zach and Kelly had been taping for almost two hours. Though he’d expected some uneasiness on Kelly’s part, especially after the intimate moments they’d shared in her hotel room that morning, she’d been the consummate professional. No one would have guessed that they slept in the same bed last night or that he’d brought her to a powerful orgasm that morning.

Thoughts of her had occupied his mind from the very second he’d awakened in her bed until the time she arrived at the station. Though he hadn’t put his finger on the cause of this minor obsession, he suspected it was rooted in the contradictions he found in this woman.

One moment, she was cool, aloof and untouchable, and then the next she was a sultry-eyed seductress. She was nervous then confident, shy then aggressive, serious then silly. Her emotions seemed to turn on a dime and Zach wasn’t sure what to expect from moment to moment. Seducing her had been a challenge, but one he was more than willing to accept.

He changed into the boxers, then turned back to the mirror. Raking his hands through his hair, he deliberately disrupted the careful work that Jane had put in with her combs and sprays. If they wanted a twenty-four-year-old, then that’s what they’d get. He rubbed the narrow trail of hair on his chest. Maybe he should have shaved his chest.

“Zach! Come on. We’re ready for you.”

He glanced over to see Jane peeking in the door. “Do you think this is all right?” he asked, pointing to his chest.

She sighed dramatically and walked into the room, then grabbed his hand. “You look fine. This skit isn’t about you, it’s about her, the older woman. You’re just eye candy.”

“Gee, thanks,” he muttered.

When he got out to the set, he sat down on the edge of the bed. Familiar territory, but strangely enough, he felt a little uneasy. After all, just eight hours before, he and Kelly had been curled up in her hotel room, sharing a bed not much different than this one. And he no longer had to imagine what she looked like without her clothes, as he’d enjoyed that view, as well.

What if the reality of the situation began to creep in and he couldn’t help but get…aroused? How embarrassing would that be to pitch a tent in his boxers, right in front of his coworkers?

“All right,” Nicole said. “Where’s Kelly?”

“Here I am.” She stepped out of the shadows on the right side of the set and walked to the bed.

Zach swallowed a groan when he saw her, dressed in a silky camisole and skimpy shorts that revealed her belly and the sweet curves of her buttocks. She might as well have been wearing nothing because he knew exactly what was hidden beneath the clinging fabric. Zach quickly grabbed a pillow and put it over his lap.

“All right,” Nicole said. “We’re going to start with the two of you lying in bed. It’s a Sunday morning, you’ve had a hot night in bed together and this is the aftermath of sex with a younger man. Zach, after the first five seconds, I want you to turn your full attention on Kelly. I want you to be sexy and playful, try to distract her from her newspaper. Kelly, I need you to make it clear that you’re not interested. Difficult as it may seem, you don’t want to have sex eight times a day with this boy. We’re trying to illustrate the differences between the sex drives here. This will lead into Eve’s discussion of the staying power of younger men.”

“What about our lines?” Kelly asked.

“We’ve made some changes in the script. Actually, there won’t be a script for this, we’re going to put music under it. It’s meant to be playful.”

“But I learned my lines,” Zach said.

“Well, now you won’t have to say anything. Kelly, we want you reading the New York Times. And, Zach, we want you playing with this.” Nicole handed him a Game Boy.

Zach frowned. “I haven’t played with one of these for years.”

“I know. But it’s just a prop. We want to show the differences between you two.”

“No,” Zach said. “This will make me look like an idiot. Twenty-four-year-old guys play Halo on a plasma screen, we don’t play with Game Boys. And that Game Boy is at least six years old. Any guy my age would know that. Besides, on a Sunday morning, I’m reading the New York Times, too.”

“I think they’re just trying to make a visual statement that conveys the difference in our maturity levels,” Kelly explained.

“I know what they’re trying to do,” Zach said. “They’re trying to make it look like all younger guys sleeping with older women are brainless. That they have nothing to offer but a good time in the sack and a pretty face to escort her around town. I liked the script the way it was. We talked to each other.”

Nicole stared at him through narrowed eyes. “Don’t give me trouble on this, Zach. We’re almost finished. Let’s just wrap this up and go home.”

“Then don’t make me look stupid,” he said.

“It’s not you,” Kelly whispered. “You’re playing a part. This isn’t about you, it’s about the characters.”

Zach stood up, still holding the pillow in front of him. “I can’t work like this,” he said. “It’s not going to happen.”

He walked back to the dressing room, closed the door behind him and sat down in one of the makeup chairs, kicking his bare feet up on the counter. He peeked beneath the pillow and cursed softly. If Nicole wanted to illustrate how a twenty-four-year-old guy could get a boner just thinking about a beautiful woman, then he’d be the perfect guy to play the part.

A soft knock sounded on the door and he put the pillow back in place. No doubt Nicole was coming in to rip him a new one. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about his erection. He’d be soft in a matter of minutes. But it wasn’t Nicole who slipped inside, it was Kelly.

She looked so sexy, her hair falling around her face, dressed in her tiny little pajamas. The erection that had sprung to life the moment she walked into the room had no chance of abating now, Zach mused. In fact, it was growing harder.

“What is your problem?”

Zach tossed the pillow aside and pointed to his crotch.

Kelly’s eyes went wide. “Oh,” she murmured, wincing. “I didn’t realize. When did that happen?”

“The minute I saw you in that getup. I started thinking about this morning and one thing led to another and I got hard. Are you wearing any underwear beneath that?”

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