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  Georgia looked at the wall clock. It was only 10 o’clock, but she felt as guilty as if she’d slept way past noon.

  “Take a seat in the dining room,” Yvonne said. “Or the breakfast room.”

  “Oh, I’m not hungry.”

  Yvonne stared at her. Fierce thing. Georgia held up her hands in surrender and retreated to the sunny breakfast room. She sat at the circular table and looked around. Billy’s house really was quite nice. Lucky guy. But then, maybe if she could keep a job for more than two days, she could rent something nicer than a rathole, too.

  Yvonne carried in a tray with the pancakes, a shot of maple syrup, and butter. “We have orange juice, apple juice, grapefruit—”

  “Coffee?”

  Yvonne held up a crooked finger and winked. “Already brewing, my dear. I’m going to dust the shelves, but I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  “Oh, there’s no need. I can look after myself.”

  Yvonne smiled, then went into the other room.

  “Thanks for this,” Georgia called out after her. So Billy was already at work. Maybe he was auditioning her replacement.

  Cold dread washed over her. Suddenly she didn’t want to be there when he returned. But they’d come over in Billy’s car. She was stuck.

  She forced herself to finish the pancakes because she was starving and because she didn’t want to incur Yvonne’s wrath. Then she helped herself to a mug of coffee. She drank it standing by the kitchen sink, looking out into the lush forest outside.

  But despite the calm scene in front of her, all she saw was Billy. The day he auditioned her, he opened the door and she nearly hyperventilated. He was tall, broad, intimidating… and buck naked. She’d gazed down on his cock and watched it grow to life. Maybe some other woman was getting that same view right now.

  Or maybe the woman was in the bed, the covers pulled up to her chin, and Billy was leaning over her, cock hard as he pulled back the sheets. He could be telling her how beautiful and innocent she looked. Maybe he was brushing the head over the woman’s lips, his body shaking from need.

  He hadn’t come after he punished and serviced her that last time. He was probably horny as hell now. She rolled her eyes at herself. She was being stupid. Why did she even care? He wasn’t her boyfriend.

  Yvonne shuffled into the kitchen and handed Georgia her cell phone. “I guess this is yours? Heard the ringing, thought I was having a stroke. Found it under the rug of all places.”

  Awkward. Must have fallen out of her jeans the first time Billy grabbed her. Georgia smiled weakly and looked at the phone. She didn’t recognize the number, but maybe it was someone calling about a job? While she stood there, debating whether to call back, the phone rang again.

  “Hello?”

  “Good. You’re awake.”

  “I—”

  “Have Yvonne let you into the garage. I need you at Playland as soon as possible. It’s programmed into the GPS.”

  “Ok. Why?”

  He’d hung up already.

  “Billy said for me to borrow his car?”

  Yvonne raised an eyebrow. “Wonders never cease.”

  Georgia waited for more, but Yvonne didn’t seem inclined to elaborate. Fine. “Give me a minute.” She took the stairs two at a time, shedding the bathrobe as she ran. She dressed quickly, but her shirt smelled like beer, so she went in Billy’s closet and borrowed one of his clean undershirts. It hung off her. She wouldn’t be winning any fashion awards. She flew back down the stairs.

  “This way.” Yvonne led her through a glass-walled sunroom. Bright green plants and vivid flowers stretched along the stone walkway. “I tend the plants,” Yvonne said, her voice full of pride.

  At the far end of the sunroom was an exit that let them out near a surprisingly deep garage. Yvonne opened the side door and flipped a switch.

  Lights blinked on.

  In front of Georgia were five cars. Four of them were new, and they looked expensive. The fifth was a classic muscle car.

  “Which one do you want?”

  “Oh, God.” She wished she’d never seen them. Billy was either rich or really rich. She suddenly didn’t think his reproduction antiques were fakes at all. No wonder he’d turned up his nose at her crappy little apartment.

  This didn’t sit well with her. And those horrible books… she’d assumed he thought it was funny. Maybe it was his subtle way of telling her she didn’t measure up?

  That didn’t seem like something he would do, but she didn’t know him. She knew what he tasted like, what his cock felt like, and she knew his clean, earthy scent—boy, did she ever know his scent—but she didn’t even know his last name.

  But then, that was normal for the guys she slept with. And Billy didn’t know her last name… except he did. He must have looked up her address in her employee file the night before. In fact, he knew a lot about her if he’d read her file. She never should have come back to his place. She should have sent him on his way and added him to her rolodex of booty calls.

  “Are you ok?”

  “I’ll take that one,” she said, pointing to a sleek, blue roadster.

  “Keys should be in the ignition.” Yvonne shuffled to the wall and pressed a button. The garage door smoothly rose.

  Georgia slid into the car. Not surprisingly, the interior was spotless. So maybe she knew one thing about Billy.

  She turned the car on, and it purred to life. She fumbled with the GPS, her spirits rising. He wouldn’t ask her to come if he was training a new hire. Maybe he’d pitched his idea to the higher-ups and they’d approved him already.

  She parked next to Billy’s older model sedan. When she got out, she realized she didn’t know where to go. Surely not to the Sleeping Lady area? But he hadn’t specified. She called him and went right to voicemail.

  She waited a few minutes, then squared her chin and walked to the Sleeping Lady headquarters with long, certain strides. Maybe if she acted like she hadn’t been fired, no one would give her that pitying look. When she walked through the door, both Prussia and Elaine looked up. Prussia’s eyes went round. “Georgia! What are you doing here? I mean I’m thrilled to see you, but what a surprise. Look, Elaine, Georgia’s here.”

  Elaine grunted and turned the page of her newspaper. Georgia got a glimpse of a headline about the ghost of Elvis impregnating three nuns.

  “I’m… looking for Billy.”

  “Haven’t seen him,” Elaine barked without turning her attention from the tabloid.

  “Sorry, hon,” Prussia said, screwing up her cute face. “Sven is covering for him today.”

  Sven. Georgia didn’t need to ever see that guy again. “Is there a main office? I don’t remember seeing one when I toured.”

  Prussia hopped off her chair, her bright red hair cascading around her like a halo of fire. “I’ll take you.” She came around the desk and looped her arm through Georgia’s. “Nice shirt,” she said. “Your boyfriend’s?”

  Georgia blushed. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

  “Really? Because the way Billy tore into me yesterday, yelling that I shouldn’t have let you leave…”

  Georgia turned her face so that Prussia wouldn’t see how uncomfortable she was. “I, um, had something of his.” That something happened to be an extra-large anal plug that Georgia hadn’t been able to remove before fleeing the scene of her humiliation.

  “If you say so.” Prussia leaned in. “Look, I’d be the last one to rat out you or Billy, and since you don’t work here anymore—” There was a question in her voice.

  Georgia snorted. “No. I’m still fired. I was pretty much the worst Sleeping Lady in the history of Sleeping Ladies.” She paused, wondering how long that history was. Adult Fantasy Playland had been open for about a decade, but other sex theme parks doubtless had similar exhibits.

  “Then you and Billy can date and no rules broken.” Prussia nodded her head firmly. “So now I can tell you that he’s a good guy. I’ve been working here for five yea
rs and I’ve never seen him do anything unprofessional. He’s not the kind to just run after every hot piece of ass, you know?”

  It wasn’t really a question so much as a statement, but Georgia said, “I hadn’t known. I don’t really know much about him. He’s fun to spend time with. That’s all we’re doing, just hanging out a little.”

  “Hoo boy,” Prussia said, rolling her eyes. “I’ll take ‘A river in Egypt’ for 200, Alex.”

  “What?”

  “Nothing. I’m sure you both know what you’re doing.” They’d reached a nondescript office building, three stories high. It was surrounded by short, precisely trimmed bushes.

  “I wish I could meet someone,” Prussia sighed. “It’s like… I’m surrounded by sex, but I honestly can’t remember the last time I got laid. Probably should throw out my razors, wrap my cooch in mothballs and take up sewing. That way I can turn my unused lingerie into wedding gowns for my cats.”

  “I… don’t even know how to respond to that.”

  “Just come to their weddings.” Prussia walked her through the doors and right up to the security guard. He was a heavyset man with a bristly mustache that reminded Georgia of a push broom.

  “Frank, is Billy in his office?”

  “Think he’s in a meeting with Sebastien.”

  Prussia stiffened noticeably. “Billy’s expecting us. Can you—?”

  Frank nodded and sauntered over to a phone embedded in the wall. He pulled down the phone, dialed a number and talked into the receiver in a low voice for a moment. “Go on up,” he said. He ran the words together so it sounded like “gone up,” and it took Georgia a second to decipher what he’d said.

  The women stepped onto the elevator. When the door closed, Prussia combed her fingers through her hair. “How’s my makeup?”

  “Fine. Why?”

  “Baby girl, you don’t know. Sebastien could give Billy a run for his money. I mean, the man is hotter than sin, and he’s got this aloof thing, like you can never tell what he’s thinking. And he’s real quiet except when he wants something. You’d think that talking hurts him.”

  Georgia tried to imagine that. “Sounds creepy.”

  Prussia scrunched her forehead. “Never thought of it like that. But he’s definitely not creepy. He’s…” She shook her head.

  “Prussia, are you at a loss for words? I don’t believe it.”

  “How do I look?”

  “Gorgeous,” Georgia said truthfully.

  The door opened and Prussia led her toward an office at the end of the hallway. Her demeanor had completely changed. The gregarious, confident Prussia had been replaced by an insecure twenty-something. It was kind of funny.

  “Watch this,” Prussia said as they neared the closed wooden door. “Like magic. Three, two, one…”

  The heavy door swung open. Georgia looked up and spotted a sensor.

  As they entered, Billy and a tall, blond man both stood. Billy was dressed in tight jeans, stylish cowboy boots and a white, button-down shirt that was clingy enough to make Georgia’s breath catch. It set off the bronze of his skin nicely. She wanted to pin him to the wall and lock her legs around him.

  Billy touched her elbow. “Georgia, this is Sebastien. He owns Fantasy Playland.”

  Sebastien shot Billy a funny look before extending his hand. “Your reputation precedes you,” he said. His tone was so polite that Georgia couldn’t decide if he was making fun of her or not. She looked into his eyes, a lovely slate blue, and saw a twinkle there. That was a hell of a deadpan. She’d have to make sure never to play poker with him.

  For a moment the four of them stood there. Georgia could almost feel Prussia’s blood pressure rising. The woman was really uncomfortable with silence.

  “Guess I’ll return to my post,” Prussia said, suddenly animated.

  “Wait,” Sebastien said.

  Billy faced Georgia. “Sebastien likes my idea of running seminars on how to pleasure women. We’ve been talking through the details all morning. Weekends we could do regularly scheduled seminars here, and during the week we’d travel to other sexual amusement parks in the area.”

  Georgia held her breath. Billy wouldn’t be telling her this if she didn’t play some part in it, but she wished he’d get to that point sooner than later. Next to her, Prussia was twisting a lock of hair around her finger like a nervous schoolgirl.

  “You’re a perfect fit,” Billy continued. “You’re beautiful but not threatening. You’re wonderfully reactive. Much more so than most women. You’d be a natural. And we’re compatible.”

  Georgia felt her face getting hot. Who knew what he’d say if he kept going? “So, what, there’s a demonstration and then the men practice on me?”

  Sebastien tilted his head. “Hadn’t considered that.”

  Billy’s jaw flexed. “We didn’t reach a decision about the hands-on segments. Employees could be used, or we could limit the seminars to couples. Or a combination. But those are minor details. What do you think?”

  Getting touched by Billy and getting paid for it? And employees weren’t allowed to date, so the discomfort she’d momentarily felt that morning would never be an issue again, right? “I think it’s great.”

  Sebastien shifted toward Prussia. “Amelie went home sick. Contact the partners and tell them that today’s 6:00 meeting is now 4:00 in the Kama Sutra. Round up the managers, too. The numbers are on Amelie’s desk.”

  Prussia fled the room.

  “Excellent idea, Billy,” Sebastien said. “I knew I kept you around for a reason.”

  Billy shot him a warning look, and Sebastien smiled smugly.

  “I think I need a shower,” Georgia said.

  “Follow me,” Billy said.

  “Nice to have met you,” Sebastien called out as they left the room.

  As soon as the door closed behind them, Georgia whacked Billy’s chest with the back of her hand. “You should have woken me.”

  “Why? I needed to talk to Sebastien alone before going to the partners with this. There wasn’t any reason to disturb you.” He looked her up and down. “We’ll have to pick out a nice outfit for you, too.”

  “So this is gonna be like another audition?”

  “Yes.”

  “What do I have to do?”

  Billy smiled. “Don’t you worry about that.”

  Georgia peeked out between a gap in the curtains. The Kama Sutra was small for a theater, but it was packed. She gawked at the group of well-dressed men and women in the front row. The women were covered in jewelry, and the mens’ suits looked expensive. So that’s who she had to impress? Why couldn’t they have done this in a smaller room? Excited spectators stood along the back wall and crowded the aisles. There was no way they were all managers. There were too many of them.

  “That has to be a fire code violation,” she muttered.

  “You’re a fire code violation.” Prussia pressed a cool glass of lemonade into Georgia’s hand. “You look gorgeous.”

  She felt gorgeous. Billy had taken her to Fantasy Playland’s spa. He instructed the employees to pamper her, and they’d done it. First she got a relaxing massage. Then she’d been exfoliated from head to toe. She’d received a manicure and pedicure. Plus the most intimate wax she’d ever had. They’d covered her skin in a shimmery, fragrant tropical lotion that tingled pleasantly. Her wavy hair had been trimmed and styled into sexy, loose curls. Finally the makeup artist had worked magic, applying an eyeshadow, eyeliner and mascara combo that made Georgia’s eyes luminous.

  She was dressed in a lacy white chemise. Her breasts, which she considered her best feature, filled out the front nicely. The lacy white panties were adorable—she wondered if they sold them in the gift shop. White kitten heels completed the ensemble. When she arrived at the Kama Sutra theater, the first thing she did was sneak into the ladies’ room to snap a photo of herself with her cell phone. She wanted to remember this moment forever.

  But when she’d returned to the dressing ro
om, Prussia was walking in with a photographer who held the largest camera Georgia had ever seen. “Promo shots,” Prussia said with a wink. “My idea. I mean, they’ll want to advertise this thing. Ok, break a leg, sweetie.”

  That’s when Georgia begged Prussia to stay. It hadn’t been hard to convince her. Prussia had handled everyone and everything with a natural ease, all the while chattering away and keeping Georgia relaxed. At least, until now.

  “Five minutes to showtime,” Georgia said. She felt sick to her stomach.

  “You’re going to be wonderful. Just relax and let Billy do what he does best.” She wiggled her eyebrows provocatively. “Now drink before I pinch your nose and pour it down your throat.”

  Georgia sipped the lemonade.

  “Goddamn,” Prussia said. “That’s so not fair.”

  Georgia turned and almost dropped her glass. She hadn’t seen Billy since he’d left her at the spa, but apparently he’d been getting ready as well. He waved over a man with a clipboard and began discussing something with him. Georgia took the opportunity to check Billy out. He wore nothing but a small white towel around his waist. His muscles, though, rippled under his bronze skin. He must have spent the last few hours pumping iron or wrestling rhinos or whatever he did to stay in shape. Georgia took a deep gulp of the lemonade. It did nothing to dampen the inferno suddenly raging inside her.

  His black, luxurious hair flowed to his shoulders. Billy had superb genes; there was no denying that. He was lucky. Tall and perfectly proportioned, he was a natural athlete. She looked at his small nipples, hair swirling around them. She followed the dark trail of hair down the middle of his six pack, and it led her right to heaven. Shame he was wearing the towel, but if he hadn’t, he’d have started a riot and she’d be at the fore of it.

  She shifted uncomfortably. The idea was for Billy to show how to get a woman turned on, but she was already horny. An uncomfortable memory of her Sleeping Lady audition reared its ugly head. If she messed this up, Billy would probably never talk to her again.