Brodie hopped down from the desk and looked around for her shirt, which had landed on the back of her couch. Well, that was a big bucket of freezing water. Dressing quickly, she thought about what to say, how to act. Expressing anger or disappointment was sort of like bolting the stable door after the horse had fled. It wouldn’t help. So she decided to be practical.
“If you want to, uh...clean up, my bedroom has an en suite bathroom, second door on the right.”
Kade, utterly unconcerned with his nudity, stalked away. Brodie folded his suit pants, hung his shirt over the back of a chair and tucked his socks into his shoes. Picking up her ruined panties, she balled them in her hands before walking into her kitchen and throwing them into the trash can.
Putting her hands on her hips, she considered the angles. What were the chances of her becoming pregnant? She was on a contraceptive, which she took religiously. Was it even the right time of the month for her to be ovulating? Walking toward the calendar she kept on the side of her fridge, she tried to remember when last she’d had her period. Brodie counted back and pursed her lips. She’d be okay, she decided. There was no need to panic.
“And?”
Brodie turned to look at Kade standing in the square doorway, still naked, still hot. “It’ll be fine. No need to stress, I’m on the pill.”
Relief, hot and sure, flooded Kade’s face, his eyes. “Good.”
Brodie bit her lip, wondering how to phrase her next question. She didn’t want to offend him, but... “Do I need to get myself tested for anything, well, yucky?”
Kade shook his head. “I had a medical three weeks ago and I always use a condom. This is the first time one has broken, I promise.”
Well, that was a relief and a less awkward conversation than she’d thought it would be. When Kade grabbed her shirt and pulled her toward him all thoughts of pregnancy and STDs evaporated. He kissed her, long and slow. “You have too many clothes on.”
Man, how was she supposed to resist when he made her feel all squirmy and hot? “You don’t have any condoms left.”
“You do. I saw some in your bathroom cabinet.”
Brodie pulled a face. She’d bought them years ago, during her sleeping-with-the-IT-guy phase. “They’ve been in there for years.”
“I checked the expiration date, we’re good to go.” Kade’s lips nibbled her jaw. “You good to go?”
“Bed this time?” Brodie asked.
“And in the shower the next.”
Brodie glanced at the clock on her kitchen wall. Twice more in an hour and fifteen minutes?
Well, she’d heard about Kade Webb’s ambition, but she’d never thought she’d see it in action.
* * *
Kade walked out of her bathroom dressed in his tuxedo pants, his white dress shirt hanging loose. While he was showering she’d run a brush through her hair, pulled on a loose cotton sweater and a pair of yoga pants and was now sitting cross-legged on her bed, trying to act like it was an everyday occurrence for Kade to be in her apartment, showering in her bathroom.
“Why aren’t you going to the ball? Surely it’s a good place to promote your business?” Kade asked as he sat down next to her to pull on his black socks. “After all, you came to the lunch.”
“I came as a sponsor, not to tout for business.” Brodie placed her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands. “I’ve got to be careful how I network. It’s not like I can work the room, handing out business cards. My business is based on discretion and most of my clients come to me via word of mouth. Our website and contact numbers are on the program—if someone wants to talk to us they’ll call. I only match guys and I can practically guarantee no man there will talk business to me at the ball, not when they can be overheard.”
“Would I know any of your clients?”
“More than a couple.” Brodie held up her hand. “And no, I’ll never tell so don’t bother asking.”
Kade sent her a quick, assessing look. “I bet a lot of the guys hit on you.”
Brodie cocked her head at him. “Why would you think that?”
“So they do, I can see it in your eyes. As for how I know...?” He shrugged. “Say I’m a guy and I’m looking for someone. Then I meet you and think, hey, she’s gorgeous and nice, I don’t need to look any further. Men are lazy.”
“It happens,” Brodie admitted.
“How do you deal with them?” Kade pulled on his dress shoes—hand-tooled black leather, Brodie noticed as she scooted off the bed and walked over to her dressing table. She picked up her diamond-and-emerald ring and threw it in his direction.