Page 49 of Revelation (The Josh & Kat Trilogy #2)

JOSH

“ W hy don’t you shower in my bathroom while I use the shower in the guest room?

” I suggest as Kat and I walk into my house.

We’ve just come in from an awesome day of hiking and climbing rocks in Malibu and we’re both covered in a thick sheen of sweat and dirt.

“I’m gonna take a quick shower and answer a few work emails before we head back out. ”

“Okay,” she says. “Sounds good.”

“Feel free to use the sauna in my bathroom, if you want.” I look at my watch. “We’ve got just under an hour before we need to leave to make our reservation. This place is impossible to get into, so we can’t be late.”

“Hey, you probably take longer than I do, Mr. Exfoliate and Moisturize.”

“You’ve only got one skin, Kat,” I say.

She laughs.

I show her where the towels are and leave her to get to it and then race out of my room to make a phone call in the guest room.

“Hello?” the woman on the other end of the line says.

My pulse is pounding in my ears. “Hey, Kaitlyn. This is Josh Faraday. Just calling to confirm we’re still on for tonight?”

“Yeah.” She exhales. “I really can’t emphasize enough how much trepidation I have about this. I’m really putting my faith in Reed. He said you’re a great guy and that I can trust you completely, so I’m taking a gigantic leap of faith. Please don’t make me regret this.”

“Oh, I know this is a huge favor—and I’m really grateful.

Reed isn’t steering you wrong. I’m totally trustworthy.

I paid close attention at our walk-through-orientation on Tuesday, and I’ll be ridiculously careful and respectful with all your stuff, just like you showed me, I promise.

If I break anything , no matter how slightly, I’ll replace it with a brand new model—and I won’t touch any of the stuff you told me is off limits.

Like I said, this is more for show than anything—I just wanna set the stage for her—really wow her when she opens her eyes for the first time. ”

Kaitlyn clicks her tongue. “Just, please. This could go horribly wrong a thousand ways.”

I don’t like the anxious tone in her voice. God help me if this woman does an about-face and changes her mind. “Hey, how ’bout I throw another ten grand your way, just to say thank you and put your mind at ease?”

“Whoa. Really?”

“Yeah. Maybe the price we originally agreed upon was too low. It’s not like there’s a market for this kind of rental. I don’t want you feeling taken advantage of.”

“Wow, thanks.” Her voice is noticeably warmer. “Yeah, another ten grand would definitely put me at ease. Thanks. You still want me to burst in on you at ten?”

I laugh. “Hell yeah, I do. That’s a critical part of my girl’s fantasy. I’ll time everything on my end so we’ll be ready for you exactly at ten. I’ll leave your plastic sword outside the door.”

“Your girlfriend’s got quite the imagination.”

“Yeah, she does,” I say, smiling to myself. I like hearing the words “your girlfriend” in reference to Kat.

“You’re sure you wanna do the whole sword-fight-thing? I still think it’s gonna be more comedic than sexy, Josh.”

“Yeah, I gotta do it. My girlfriend’s gonna love it.”

Kaitlyn exhales. “Okay. If you insist.”

“My girl’s got this bizarre little script in her head. I’ve gotta stick to it.”

“Okay,” Kaitlyn says. “To each her own.”

“So we’re good, then?”

“Yep. We’re good.”

“What time can we come?”

“Any time. The place is ready for you now. I’ll text the door-code to you. Oh, and I bought some brand new feather ticklers for you to use. They’re on that rack I showed you to use—the one next to the harness.”

“Thanks so much.”

“Please don’t touch anything but what I showed you.”

“I won’t. I promise.”

She exhales audibly for the hundredth time during this short conversation.

“Josh, I know we already talked about this, but it bears repeating: Don’t try to push things too far.

You don’t have a clue what you’re doing and she’s a total newbie.

The shock value of the place is gonna be the main thing, okay?

Don’t try anything other than what I explained to you or else you’re gonna hurt or scare her. ”

“I promise. Thank you. This is just gonna be about role-play. Nothing hardcore, I promise.”

“Please don’t make me regret this.”

“I won’t.”

She pauses. “So can you bring the extra money tonight? All cash?”

“Yup. No problem. I’ll put it outside the door with your sword.”

“Thanks. You’re absolutely sure about that damned sword?”

“Positive. It’s in the script. Gotta do it.” I chuckle. “See you in a bit.”

“Okay. See you soon.”