Heat Exchange
By: Deana Farrady"Yes, you did. I mean, if not sleazeballs and not nice guys, what kind of guy should I seek out to teach me about sex?"
He shrugged. "That's easy. Me."
Chapter 2
Before Janey could respond to Nyall Anderson's unsettling answer, the intercom sounded. It was a bit of a shock; Janey didn't realize contact could be initiated from the outside.
"All right, people," a tinny male voice said through the static. "The crew's out and you should be out of there soon."
"Oh!" Janey said. "Yes, I can hear them."
Nyall said, "Great. How soon is soon?"
"Forty-five, maybe an hour."
That's soon? Janey thought.
"Thanks." Nyall leaned back against the wall, shifted his legs, and looked at Janey calmly.
She knew her face was still red because she could feel the heat in her cheeks. She looked up at the button panel until the static of the intercom ceased, then back at Nyall.
"Uh, did I just hear you say…"
"A guy like me," he said, and smiled. The smile was breathtaking. It didn't exactly soften his angular features, but it made his brown eyes not exactly warm up, but go smoky. "Who does sex just fine. Isn't attached. And isn't a half bad teacher."
"Are you…applying for the job?" Janey's voice ended in a squeak.
"Sure, why not?"
"But why? Why would you do that?" She was suddenly suspicious. "Are you sure you're not married?"
His eyes narrowed. "I'm not married or committed in any way. Five years divorced, if you must know, and paying alimony. No kids. As to why I'd do that…maybe I'm just noble that way."
She shivered, this time with a distinct chill. "You don't seem the noble type."
"Got me pegged again," he said. "What can I say? Tell you what, hand me your jacket, Jane."
"Janey. My name is Janey." Disconcerted, she reached into the tote bag where she'd stashed it and tossed it over to him.
"Right. Janey. Why don't you scooch over here?"
"Uh…"
"Come on. We'll do an experiment. See if you're interested. If you are, I think we can come to an arrangement that will satisfy both of us."
"What do you mean, an arrangement?"
"I've got a week's vacation coming up. I have travel plans, but plans can always be canceled. If you can manage to tear yourself away from your business for a week, you could stay at my place. We'll spend the week educating you. By the end, you'll be free of the hindrance of your virginity."
Was the man mad? Thinking she'd go over to some stranger's place and let him have his way with her? She decided to humor him. "And what would you get in exchange for this mitzvah?" she asked.
He shrugged. "I occasionally employ cooks and caterers, but I'm not particularly happy with any of them, and frankly, I like good food. You could cook for me."
"Cook for you?" She shook her head. "It's a vacation. I could probably manage a week away, it's the off season. But no way am I going to spend my time cooking for somebody on my vacation."
His jaw jutted out.
She relented. "I might, however, consider instructing you how to cook some dishes you like."
"I don't cook," he said tersely.
"What, not at all?"
"I can make tea and scrambled eggs."
Her jaw dropped. "Seriously? You're that useless?" She blushed. "In the kitchen, I mean."
He didn't like that, she saw.
"Have you always been rich enough to have people cook for you?" She couldn't imagine what that must be like.
He shook his head. "Only in the last few years. Before then, I ate out, ate frozen meals, or my mom or girlfriend did the cooking."
"Ah. I get it now." She almost felt sorry for him. "I don't imagine there's much point in your learning to be independently fed at this point."
"I'm not too sure about that. Hey, didn't I tell you to come here?"
Janey started. "What?"
"Over here, Janey." He patted the floor. She found herself doing what he said, rising to her feet and walking over to him and then sitting down beside him.
"No. In front of me. There." He moved her by the waist with disturbing ease until Janey felt his warm, hard body behind her through his clothes and hers. He spread her suit jacket out on her lap and wrapped his arm around her waist. She could smell a faint spicy aroma of male. It made her flustered. She leaned back against him and gazed unseeingly at the wall on the opposite side of the elevator and squirmed a little.
