I nodded briskly, eager to put the whole chase scene behind us. The publicist in me kicked in, and I was suddenly well aware that we had an audience of eager on-lookers.
“Well, that’s what happens when you lose your pants in a boxing ring.” I extended my hand with a bright smile. “Shall we?”
Cold as he was, even Nick had to smile in return. He lifted a hand to wave at the cheering crowd, before the two of us draped our arms around each other and headed off to find a cab.
A task much easier said than done...
For the record, taxis don’t like to stop for passengers who are soaking wet. And they really don’t like to stop for passengers who are soaking wet and mostly naked. It wasn’t until Nick reached into his suit jacket that I was wearing and pulled out a hundred dollar bill, that someone finally pulled to the curb.
At last, the freezing nightmare was behind us. Our getaway vehicle had just arrived.
A look of relief lit Nick’s face as he held open the door for me. “Care to head back to my apartment? We can get you warmed up and maybe...maybe pick up where we left off?”
My first thought was to say yes. Honestly, my first thought was to jump on top of him the second we got into the cab. But between the crowd listening anxiously behind him, and the fact that I was still dressed in nothing but a garter and a man’s coat, something changed my mind.
“You know, I should probably head home,” I answered quietly. “It’s been...it’s been a long night. I want to get some sleep if we’re getting together again tomorrow.”
Nick hesitated in surprise, and I realized that he hadn’t, for a single moment, considered the fact that I might say no. He recovered himself well, and nodded quickly—opening the door wider so I could slip into the cab. He would take the next one right behind us.
“Yes, of course.” He passed a large bill through the grate before I could stop him, and stepped back to pat the thing on the hood. “Brooklyn, please.”
I rolled down the window, as the driver started pulling away—gazing out at my watery Adonis as he stood by the side of the curb. I handed him more money from the suit pocket so he could get home.
“You can ride with me,” I said.
“Can I? Because I thought you said no.”
Ride. Ha ha. I had read between the lines. I had said no to sex. He wasn’t used to being rejected. Whatever.
“See you tomorrow?” I asked nervously, suddenly worried that I’d offended him.
His face cleared into an easy smile.
“Tomorrow. Enjoy Brooklyn.”
I scoffed and rolled my eyes.
“Always.”
His lips twisted up in a smirk.
“Enjoy it while it lasts...”
I stuck my head farther out the window as we began to pull away—sure that I hadn’t heard him correctly. “What was that?”
He just smiled and waved, raising his hand for another cab as I rounded the corner.
The second he disappeared from sight, I stuck my head back in the window, frowning to myself as I played the words back again in my head.
Enjoy it while it lasts? What the hell does that mean?
As it turned out, I wouldn’t have to wait long to find out...
CONSIDERING THE CRAZY night I had, the next morning was relatively normal. I woke up, got dressed, brushed my teeth, and headed out to my favorite little café around the corner to grab a bagel for breakfast.
I had made a conscious effort not to check the newsstands that morning, in case I happened to walk past a random picture of me and Nick naked in a boxing ring, and decided to keep myself deliberately optimistic instead. Oh my gosh! Listen to myself. He’s dragged me into all his craziness.
I remembered the moment of the flash exactly. (I remembered it exactly, because Nick had been just a second away from impaling me with the biggest penis I’d ever seen. That’s not the kind of moment a girl can forget.) Because of this, I knew for a fact that the cameraman hadn’t gotten anything vital—at least, not of me.