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I have my
reasons.”
    Bess was stunned. She knew he was a player,
but had never expected this. He moved quickly to the intercom and
spoke with the doorman.
    “ Crash is coming up in ten
minutes with my keys.”
    Bess sank down on a stool. Her mind swirled
with feelings, emotion warring with reason. He’d left her wanting
him, aching for him. But the idea of a broken heart scared her.
“You’re a ‘love ’em and leave ’em’ type, aren’t you?”
    “ I don’t hurt anyone. I
date girls who aren’t interested in forever.”
    “ Those skinny
models?”
    “ Yeah. They sure don’t
have what you’ve got,” he snickered, glancing at her chest. Bess
pulled her robe tighter around her body. “They’re career women. The
thought of their bodies distended by pregnancy scares them
shitless. They aren’t looking for anything more than a couple of
nights or a couple of months of fun, dancing, sex, and a famous man
on their arm. I help them get publicity—their favorite
food.”
    Bess sat with her mouth slightly open as she
listened.
    “ Hey, it’s a perfect
arrangement. They get what they want, and I get what I
want.”
    “ And what is it you
want?”
    “ A little attractive
companionship. Someone to have dinner with. I hate to eat alone.
Sex. It works…for both of us.”
    “ And me?”
    “ You’d never fit into that
equation. I don’t want to hurt you. I like you, Bess. Like you too
much.”
    The doorbell interrupted them. Crash was
there with the keys. Whit mooched a ten from Bess for a tip.
    Before returning to his apartment, Whit
stopped in her doorway. “Can I take you to dinner tomorrow
night?”
    “ I thought we were only
friends.”
    “ Can’t friends have
dinner?”
    “ I suppose.”
    “ I know you’re upset about
the cop. Let me buy you a nice dinner. You pick the restaurant.
Okay?”
    “ Sure. Why
not.”
    “ Pick you up at seven.”
With those words, he was gone.
    She heard his door open and close. The ding
of the elevator, followed by a shrieking female voice, drew her
attention.
    “ You bastard! You
son-of-a-bitch! You think you can get away with standing me
up?”
    Banging drew Bess to her peephole. It was
Candy beating on Whit’s door. Bess leaned back against hers and
smiled. “One less model in the life of Whitfield Bass, I think,
Dumpling.”

Chapter Five
     
     
    Bess wrapped the towel
around her chest after her bath. My new
blue dress is perfect for tonight. She
opened her closet door and chewed on a nail. She had the right
shoes, too. Navy sling-backs. Not quite
fuck-me shoes, but close. Underwear? Black lace is perfect under
dark blue. The shimmering, midnight blue
silk brought out the blue in her eyes and made her blonde hair
glow. It had a low-cut neckline and a slim fit, though it didn’t
hug her curves too tightly.
    She looked at Dumpling,
who watched her take special care with her hair, pinning it up on
top of her head with some loose, frond-like curls trailing down her
neck. The dog gave her a stern look. Am I
trying to seduce him? He already said I’m not his type. Yeah,
right. That kiss said it. Am I going down a bad road? Bess stopped questioning herself when she didn’t
like the truth staring her in the face.
    The bell rang at seven on the nose. She
swept the door open to find a handsome man, wearing a charcoal gray
suit, white shirt, and gold tie. His gray eyes widened when he saw
her.
    “ Wow! You always dress
like this for dinner?”
    “ It’s a new dress I bought
to cheer myself up. Is it too much?”
    “ It’s amazing. You
look…gorgeous.”
    She watched his gaze light
on her breasts and stay for a heartbeat too long. She
smiled. I’ve got something those skinny
models don’t have. Breasts! The poor man is breast-deprived. She chuckled.
    “ What’s so funny?” His
gaze shot up to lock with hers.
    She sensed color in her cheeks. “Nothing,
nothing.”
    “ Let’s go. Maybe after two
glasses of wine, you’ll tell me what made you laugh.”
    “