AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She lowered her hand back to the table. "That would be nice. Although, knowing the news, they'd prioritise that over any disasters or things like that."
"I wish I couldn't agree, but that's exactly what would happen." I sighed. "I don't know what the fascination is with the lifestyles of the rich and famous. It's nowhere near as exciting as they'd have people believe. Obviously, because the most exciting thing that's happened to me in a long time is paint on my sleeves. And spending time with a beautiful woman. But I prefer they don't talk about you."
"Of course." She sat back in her chair and took a sip of her tea, looking slightly hurt. "I'm no one anyway."
I leaned forward. "You are not no one. You're smart, sweet and gorgeous, and you deserve better than to be scrutinised by tabloid journalists and paparazzi. Trust me when I say it's no picnic."
"Why did you ask me to be your date then?" she asked.
That was a good question. At the time, I hadn't been thinking beyond spending time with her. Now, after a few short hours, I both wanted to get to know her better and wanted to protect her from all the shit the world might throw at her. Could I do both? Would she even let me try?
"Because I like you," I confessed. "I'm not used to spending time with people who really see me. Most people are only interested in what I can do for them. They don't bother to look past my last name, my job description, or my bank account balance. No one would have brought me here to paint a really bad portrait." I hesitated for a moment. "You're not about to ask me to invest in the paint studio, are you? So you can buy it." I didn't remember seeing a 'for sale' sign outside.
She laughed. "I have enough on my plate with the business I have. A paint studio would be fun, but I'll stick to cars. Although, if you decided to buy the place, I'd be happy to drive limousines full of people down to have a painting session."
I snort-laughed. "That may be an interesting way to encourage people like me to live a little. I wonder if I could entice my mother to take part."
I hadn't checked the weather forecast recently, but I didn't think hell had frozen over yet. The day my mother got paint on or anywhere near her…
That would only happen if she was having an official portrait painted. Which wouldn't surprise me one bit. She'd have it hung on the wall beside the dining room table so she could look down on all of us and judge us for our life choices.
"I might propose that to the current owner," Lexie mused. "We could make a killing between us. Imagine it— Limousine, champagne and painting. It could be the next big thing in bachelor parties."
"You might want to consider covering the seats in plastic if you do that," I said. "Copious amounts of alcohol and wet paint would be very messy."
She nodded as though seriously considering it. "Good point. Maybe I should stick to what I know." She sipped her tea and looked thoughtful.
"I really have had a nice afternoon," I said. I was going to have to work late to catch up on everything, but it was worth it to unwind and be with her.
"So have I," she said. "We still haven't fit in that spanking yet, though."
She said that just as I took a sip of coffee, which I promptly almost choked on. She smiled sweetly like she hadn't done that on purpose.
I coughed a few times before I caught my breath. "Don't tempt me." Fuck knew I was already tempted enough. I wanted to climb into the back of the limo with her and bury myself balls deep in her pussy.
"You might need some tempting," she said. "I'm very much wondering if I should seduce you. I mean, nothing loosens a person up quite like a bunch of orgasms."
If she kept talking like that, my balls were going to separate themselves from my body and insist on going home with her. My cock too.
"I'm not saying I don't want to sleep with you," I started slowly. "But I don't want to do it while you're on the clock. You deserve better than that."
"You seem to have given a lot of thought to what I do and do not deserve," she observed.
I had. I really had. But only for the last decade. I wasn't some weird, obsessed nutcase.
"Like I said, you're smart and beautiful. You're real. In my world, people like you are rare. Like any rare thing, you should be treated with care. Not like some five-minute fling."
She raised her eyebrows. "Five minutes?"
I chuckled softly. "It rhymed. Perhaps I should have said five-hour fling."
"You should definitely have led with that," she agreed. "Five hours, hmmm?"
"I don't want to brag." I finished the last of my coffee.
"That would make you rare too," she said. "A man who doesn't want to brag. I didn't know people like that existed. But you do, don't you? I mean, you're not some arrogant asshole who thinks the world revolves around them. If I didn't know who you were, I'd think you were just a regular guy. One who wears really expensive shoes."
I leaned to the side to glance down at my shoes. "I find they last longer than cheaper ones." No one had ever suggested I was regular before. I was surprised by how much I liked it.
