Free Indulgent Pleasures by Karen Erickson Page A

empty and now that I’m home more often, I want to do something with it.” He paused again, the silence expectant, full of tension. “So maybe do you want to come over to my house tomorrow? After you get off work?”
    “That sounds perfect.” It was exactly what she’d wanted to do.
    “Then I’ll call you after I land. We can make more solid plans then.”
    “Okay, have fun. Fly safe.”
    “Thanks Stephanie.” His voice caught, as if he wanted to say something else but then he cleared his throat. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
    “Bye.” She pushed end on her phone and slipped it back into her purse, spinning her chair around to find Caleb still standing there, sorting through his letters.
    “Was that lover boy?”
    Irritation flashed through her along with a healthy dose of panic. Had she said Justin’s name anytime during the conversation? Had she dropped any leading clues that would make Caleb suspicious?
    Damn his hide for spying on her conversation. Damn herself for not walking away when she’d taken the call.
    “None of your business,” she said as haughtily as she could muster, tipping her nose in the air. She’d learned from the best after observing Zoe in action for so long and she hoped like hell she looked like a snobby bitch.
    “Ha, well that’s a dead giveaway. Does he know you’re exposing all of your exploits in the magazine?”
    “Of course,” she lied. “Do you tell your conquests what you’re doing?”
    “Hell, no. First of all, there’s too many of them and they’d all start claiming they were the one I was writing about. Half the time I don’t even give them my real name.”
    “You’re disgusting.” He was a total slime ball and even worse, he was proud of it.
    “Yeah keep telling yourself that. You know you wouldn’t mind a piece of the action.” He paused and she wondered if a light bulb went on over his head. “Wouldn’t that make a kick ass article? Each of our perspectives on our one night together? I bet Zoe would love it.”
    “Never going to happen, Caleb. I’m not interested.” No, not after she’d sampled Justin. She was afraid he’d ruined her for any other man.
    “Please. Just a couple of weeks ago I caught you giving me the eye.”
    Had she? She doubted it but once upon a time, she had found Caleb attractive. That would’ve been before the great column contest and the exposing of his true colors.
    “I have never given you the eye. Must’ve been your overactive imagination.” She shook her head.
    “Yeah, whatever. I’m still approaching Zoe with the idea. I bet I’ll eventually convince you to play along.” He smiled, a flash of blinding white teeth set against overly tanned skin. She’d bet money he went to the tanning salon and bleached his teeth on a regular basis. “I bet we could have a great time together.”
    Ack. Yeah right. She didn’t think so. “I have someone, remember?”
    “That dude is temporary, I can tell. You’re just having fun with him.”
    “And you would be permanent? Give me a break.” She rolled her eyes.
    “Hell no, I wouldn’t be permanent. I don’t do permanent. With anyone.” He grabbed his jacket which hung off the back of his chair and shrugged it on. “Think about it. Let’s talk it over with Zoe. I think it’s a great idea.”
    Her jaw dropped open and she watched as Caleb walked away. The man just propositioned her for sex all in the name of their job, all for that stupid column.
    No way would she sleep with him. She could barely stand talking to him and though she had been fast and easy with Justin that was the exception in her normal behavior, not the rule.
    But now that she’d written those articles, did everyone think she was fast and easy? And yes, she’d wanted that column more than anything else for the last six months. Now she found herself unable to tell anyone, too embarrassed to confess to her friends and family she was the one writing it.
    The sexual exploits of Sally Smith were being