Escorted by Claire Kent Page B

surprised by the question. “Of course. You?”
    She gave him a
crooked smile. “I’m pretty good.”
    “The sex was
all right?” he asked, his eyes sharp and observant as if he were searching for
something in her expression.
    Now, Lori was
incredibly confused. “Um, yeah. Did you miss it? All right is a massive
understatement.”
    His face
relaxed slightly. “And you...you came enough?”
    Lori frowned.
Surely he hadn’t been so distracted that he hadn’t even been paying attention
to the way she’d enjoyed the sex and her multiple orgasms. She knew theirs was
a professional relationship, but she didn’t like the idea of his focus being
elsewhere. In fact, it bothered her a lot. “Yes. Three times is pretty good. Is
it not enough for your ego?”
    Ander relaxed
his expression even more. He even smiled at her. “My ego is doing all right.
Thank you.”
    He seemed more
natural now, so she hoped it had just been a temporary distraction. She
certainly didn’t want Ander swooning over her like a tragic romance hero, but
she hated the idea that he was just going through empty motions with her. They
weren’t in love. They weren’t even friends. But they got along pretty well. And
she hoped that maybe he could enjoy the sex a little with her.
    “So how was
your trip?” he asked, turning onto his side the way he usually did when they
chatted in between rounds of sex.
    More
comfortable now that they’d fallen into their normal routine, she talked to him
for a while. She told him about her research in Hong Kong. Part of her knew she
needed to be careful, or he would figure out who she was when her next book was
released. Still, she couldn’t help sharing some of the funny stories and
interesting tidbits she’d discovered.
    As they
chatted, she realized she hadn’t just missed the sex. She’d missed their
conversations. His wry, intelligent perspective and understated, dry humor.
    When she asked
him about his month, he gave her no details. He never did. But he mentioned a
few books he’d read and a trip he’d made to Martha’s Vineyard. She assumed the
trip was part of a job, but she avoided asking for information about it. She
really didn’t want to know who’d hired him for the weekend trip or what they’d
done together.
    “How did you
like that position just now?” Ander asked, after they’d fallen into
companionable silence after a long chat.
    “Good.
Obviously.” Lori slanted him an ironic smile. “Is that a favorite one for men?”
    “Rear entry
usually is.”
    “I guess it
gives a man a caveman thrill.”
    Ander arched an
eyebrow at her. “I suppose.”
    Genuinely
curious, she asked, “Do you ever get a caveman thrill?”
    He was staring
at the ceiling now and, at the question, he let out a slightly bitter chuckle.
“I don’t think there’s much caveman left of me.”
    Lori frowned,
wondering what that meant. Wondering if he’d grown so cosmopolitan, cultured,
and cynical that he felt like all surface—no longer possessing core, innate
passions or drives.
    The thought
made her a little bit sad.
    She’d never
gotten much out of him about his background, beyond the little he’d said about
his parents and the loss of his hair. Several things he said implied he’d been
born wealthy. She knew he’d been to college and maybe even graduate school. And
she knew it was his bitter relationship with his father that had pushed him
into his chosen profession.
    She didn’t know
if his life-choices were acts of revenge or desperation. Maybe they were both.
    “I’m sure you
can act the caveman pretty well,” she said casually, realizing his eyes were
resting on her and not wanting him to know what she’d been thinking.
    “Of course, I
can. Are you interested in that?”
    She sneered at
him. “How many times do I have to say that I don’t want to pretend anything with
you?”
    Ander gave a
half-shrug. “Just asking.”
    “I know what
you can do. And do very well. So what won’t you do with