Then a knock at the door had me stop in my tracks.
“Who is it?”
“Open up, Jake.”
Greta! What did I do to deserve to be this lucky?
Greta entered like a detective investigating a crime scene. Her words were veiled with suspicion and accusation. She asked me why I wasn’t in North Dakota. I thought of Matty and was confused, and the guilt I’d felt earlier came creeping back. She was right, I should have been in North Dakota. I should be with my friends not squatting in a shack making videos for the deep web.
“Betty told me you had some urgent business in North Dakota and you wanted her to tell me goodbye for you.”
“Betty?” I shook my head. “I don’t know why Betty would say something like that.” I put my hands on her shoulders, turning her towards me so she was no longer looking at me sideways. “Greta, forgive me for being so blunt. I know we don’t know each other very well, but the last thing I want to say to you is goodbye.”
Greta thought I was trying to get rid of her. Betty was partly responsible for putting that notion in her head, but I had to assume some of the blame, too. Trying to be cool, not letting my emotions show might have served to protect me, but ultimately I was just being cowardly. Of all the things to be afraid of, I went and let myself be afraid of a good thing. I vowed there and then to put an end to that foolishness.
The fact that Greta was upset at the idea of me trying to get rid of her was actually a positive. She cared. To her, what we’d experienced together, it wasn’t just a one-night stand. I was very happy and relieved that she felt the same way I did.
“I even thought that you were short-sighted enough to want to keep our earnings from the other night all for yourself,” she said
I shook my head. “No way. You earned your share.”
“And,” she said, flashing a wry smile, “we can make so much more.”
“Great minds think alike,” I said. “And, great minds working together, imagine what they could do.” I took her by the waist and pulled her to me. “Not to mention the great bodies.”
I shared with her some of the ideas I had. I played for her the short promo clip I’d made from our show and showed her the prospective clients I’d reached out to.
“Paywall streaming is the way to go,” I said. “The clients become the directors, and they pay handsomely for the privilege.”
“Sounds great, but—”
“But what?”
She put an index finger to her mouth and looked around, obviously wrestling with some internal objection.
“What’s holding us back, Greta?”
“Will I get to wear a mask?”
“If you want.”
She beamed. “Then I guess there’s nothing holding us back.”
I picked her up in my arms and swung her around. I lifted her high above me, planted a kiss on her belly then laid her down on the mattress. “I’ll set up the stream and the paywall.” I pointed to the rucksack in the corner. “I’ve got masks and clothes in there. Have a look. Take what you want. Surprise me!”
She rolled onto her side and propped herself up on her elbows. “Not tonight, Jake. It’s been a long day. I couldn’t possibly—”
I wagged an index finger in the air. “You don’t need to worry. I’ll do all the work.”
She chuckled. “I’ve been on my feet all day. My legs are so sore. I feel like I’ve run a marathon.”
“Ah, you poor girl.” I took a seat on the mattress, slid down, and cradled her legs in my arms. Though she was in her slacks, I dotted her thigh with kisses and caressed her calves. “You could use a massage. And I’m dying to get my hands on you.”
I unbuttoned and pulled down the zipper on her slacks.
She put her hands on mine. “Maybe another night.”
“Definitely another night,” I said, and I pulled her slacks down. “And tonight.”
I dove head-first into her groin. While my hand ran down her leg, my mouth followed, dotting her skin with light pecks and licks. When I got to her feet, I slipped off her shoes, tossed them to the side and yanked her slacks off.
“No. Really, Jake,” she said, though unconvincingly.
I got on my knees, put her foot against my chest, and massaged the heel then the side then the toes. “Am I hearing you correctly?” I asked. “Are you telling me no?”
She closed her eyes and rolled her head to the side. “Mmm, that feels good. Maybe just a foot massage, but then I should get going.”
“A foot massage, then I’ll get going,” I said.
I kissed her lightly on the top of her foot and caressed her toes with my thumb. “You know, coincidentally, erotic foot massage was one of the requests I saw on the job board. What do you say?”