“I never got a chance to change and—” The abrupt rumble of another text shut me up. That time, Zoe didn't mute her irritation. Eyeing me, she ripped my jeans down to my ankles with gusto. It was like she was saying, 'pay attention to me, got it?'

It excited me, but I would have liked it more if I wasn't worrying about who the hell was trying to reach me. My clients were restless. But so what?

I was, too.

Gripping my shorts, I pulled them and my boxers down. My cock bounced into the air, heavy and engorged. Zoe inhaled sharply, nearly getting hit in the nose by it. I whispered, “Like what you see?”

Nodding, she coiled her fingers around my base. Arousal fluttered in my belly. “I never got a good look at it last night,” she purred. “You're beautiful.”

Beautiful. She'd called my dick beautiful. If I didn't think she meant it, I would have laughed. The haze in her stare was pure honesty, though. Zoe was entranced by my cock, her fingers brushing along the throbbing veins.

Leaning on the pole, I thrust towards her, encouraging. “Put me in your mouth, doll. I'm going fucking crazy here. I want to feel your lips sucking me.”

Her eyes were hooded, the corner of her mouth tucked into her teeth. Zoe knelt and acted the part of a coy virgin, but we both knew the truth. No virgin fucked like she did. The wall was down, that infuriating barrier she'd constructed to keep me out because I—apparently—reminded her of her fucking ex.

Resentment started to bubble up. Zoe swept the feelings away with her mouth. Her lips sheathed over my cock, tongue gliding under the edge of the head. “Aah,” I hissed, reaching my fingers into her hair.

At my feet, even through the clothes and my foggy brain, my phone buzzed a third time. Zoe tightened, holding me on her tongue and halting. Then, as my nerves were peaking, she hollowed her cheeks and sucked at me with new vigor.

She made it so easy to ignore my worries.

“God, that's amazing.” Tension crept into my stomach, then deeper, my balls pulling up against me. I wanted to come, she was taking me there at breakneck speeds.

A bead of sweat slid down my chest. The hot tingles were dragging me down, a flood that I couldn't escape. I didn't want to escape. I ached to bury my cock so far into Zoe's throat, I'd have her tasting my come for weeks.

A guttural moan left my lips. In response, Zoe whimpered, the vibrations slipping down the length of my shaft. That was it, I couldn't hold back.

Grabbing her scalp, I shoved me way past her gag-reflex. Zoe coughed, but she didn't push me away. Her palm jacked me off, the other hand reaching low to stroke my balls.

Rolling my eyes in my skull, I banged the back of my head on the pole and gasped. Pleasure left me blind, ripping through as my cock pulsed in her mouth. Burst after burst of my come shot along her tongue, her neck thrumming as she swallowed.

“Fucking hell, babe,” I said. Letting her go, I pulled out of her lips, the suction fighting to keep hold of me.

Zoe filled her lungs to the brink, gasping for air. I hoped I hadn't hurt her, I knew I could get rough—I was often encouraged by my clients. None of them liked it soft or sweet.

She looked up at me, wiped her mouth... and grinned. “I did a nice job, I take it?” she asked, her cheeks glowing red.

Crouching, I sat on the floor in front of her. I brought her to me for a tangled kiss. She tasted like me, and I loved that. I wanted to possess this woman, to make every inch of her wear my mark so no one would dare touch her.

Pulling back, I whispered, “Yeah. Nice is one way to put it.”

She chuckled, forcing her way into my arms. I say forced, but really... Zoe fit so perfect. Her curves met my concave, letting her sink into my torso with ease. It was good. Everything was so fucking good.

Next to us, my phone vibrated endlessly.

Turning to concrete, Zoe didn't move. Then, with the utmost slowness, she leaned over and looked at my jeans. I believe my heart stopped. “Who keeps calling you?” she asked, staring into my face.

The pole was cool on my back. Or maybe, my skin had become ice. I didn't know. All I was sure of was that I'd been presented with a choice. I could open my mouth and lie to Zoe, I could talk my way out of explaining what was going on. I was a good liar. I had to be.

'Secrets are fine. But if your debt is going to change anything about how I feel about you—about what I'm doing? You have to tell me. Okay?'

My own demands came back to haunt me.

She was snuggled in my arms, waiting. Even if this ended with her slapping me and running... I had to do it.

I had to spill the truth.

“Zoe,” I said, grit shredding my voice. “I have to tell you something. You won't like it.”

Sitting up, she disengaged and put an inch of space between us. That inch was as good as a damn mile. “What is it?”

Scrubbing at my forehead, I leaned over and dug my phone out. Glancing sideways at her, I eyed my messages. Yup. Gina and Kaley, both of them wondering what had happened to me. For the first time, I felt ashamed about my job. I wanted to replace it with anger, but I couldn't. Not until I knew what she would think.

Holding the phone tight, I set it on my thigh. Zoe stared at it. I sighed and said, “Do you still have my business card?”

Nodding, she went to go get it—I grabbed her elbow, halting her. “Huck?” she asked.

“Don't bother. Do you remember what it said?”

“Muscle for hire.” Doubt crossed her face. “You're starting to make me nervous.”

Smiling bitterly, I chuckled. “Me too, sugar. Listen... you think I dance for a living, or that I play bodyguard, right?”

Zoe didn't answer, she watched me expectantly. My lovely girl of fire and ice, the most pale of statues.

Fuck it all. I needed to rip off the band-aid.

“I'm not a stripper, not anymore.” Grabbing my phone, I held it out to her. She didn't touch it, didn't even look at it. Zoe was fixated on my frown. “I used to, and until Eliza called me, I hadn't performed for a party like that in a very long time. I don't pay the bills by dancing.”

She still hadn't blinked. “Then how?”

“Zoe...” My tongue had gone numb. I made it move. “I'm an escort.”

Staring me down, she looked at my phone, then my eyes. Her reaction was too muted. I was waiting for fire, for hatred. Her neutral expression was unsettling.

She said quietly, “An escort. You mean more than the 'go out on paid dates' kind of thing, don't you.” It wasn't a question.

“Yeah. I do much more than that with my clients.”

That time, she stared at my cellphone like it was a rattlesnake. When I tried to give it to her, she shook her head. “I don't want to see. Really, I don't.”

Letting my arm fall, I set the device on the floor. “What are you thinking right now? Are you surprised, angry?”

“Surprised. For sure, I'm surprised.” Running her fingers through her hair, Zoe tried to smile—it failed. “You're not joking around. Huck, how long have you... and since you and I...?”

I didn't expect the distress to rocket up inside me so fast. “No! I mean—no.” Why had that worked me up? I didn't need to explain or justify my life to her. To anyone. “The last girl I saw was before your birthday party. They're blowing my phone up because I haven't talked to any of them in several days.”

A bit of light hit her eyes, dissipating with her new frown. “Why didn't you tell me sooner?”

“I wanted to. I really did, but Eliza... she thought it would be too hard for you to handle. That I would be too hard to handle.” Curling my fingers, I made a fist, digging it into my thigh. “Fuck, that's no excuse. After I pushed you so hard to tell me what you were hiding, I kept this in my pocket. I'm so sorry, Zoe. Really.”

She looked down at my hands. On reflex, I eased the tension. “What now, Huck?” Peering up into my face, she returned to the woman I knew. The girl with her emotions so wild and rampant. I preferred this to her sad silence. “Will you keep seeing them?”