Chapter 3-1
1177 Words
Chapter 3
Heat shot through my veins like strychnine. Had he really consented for me? How dare he? I was going to say yes, but would have appreciated a choice in the matter. I spun wheels to Kate’s place and stormed into her apartment without knocking. “Why didn’t you tell me it was him?”
She looked dumbfounded and followed me into the living room. “Who?”
I collapsed on to the couch. “Jake Sutherland.”
Her eyes bulged. “The Jake Sutherland?”
“Oh, you know who he is?”
She squinted one eye and tilted her head to the side. “Of course. Who doesn’t know who he is?”
“Me. I don’t pay attention to all that celebrity crap. I only know because I Googled him on the way here.” She hadn’t answered my question yet and it was bothering me. “Why didn’t you tell me it was him?”
She lifted her chin and looked me dead-on. “I didn’t know anything about it. Friday was going to be our first date.”
She was off the hook. Apparently, no one had told her about this client either. I relaxed knowing my friend wasn’t part of a scheme to withhold information from me. “I can’t do this job.” I raised a hand to protest, jumped up from the sofa, and paced from wall to wall.
Her mouth gaped into a wide-open state of shock. “What? Why?”
“Flies are going to get in your mouth. Better close it.” I flopped down on her couch again and flung an arm over my eyes.
The sofa dipped and I peeked over my arm.
She waited for me to spill.
I sighed and sat up. “He’s so mysterious. He didn’t provide a profile and Rosalyn wasn’t much help. She let it slide as if it didn’t matter. It’s the first time I’ve seen her budge on the rules.”
“What? Rosalyn didn’t give you the client’s profile info?” Kate frowned and looked confused.
The room was spinning and my throat was dry. I coughed. Now I was the sick one. I fanned air through my shirt. “No. She said he was an important man, as if that was supposed to suffice. If he’s so rich and important, why can’t he get a normal date?”
“What did she say about you quitting?” She asked.
The nerve endings in my temples ached. I massaged them, closed my eyes and grunted out an answer. “She was strangely agreeable and that’s what was even more freaky. I don’t know what she’s got in her back pocket.”
Kate nodded. “Aren’t you overreacting?”
I grabbed a red velvet, square pillow and hugged it. “I don’t know. This guy…he’s not like anyone I’ve seen before.”
She rubbed her chest. “Have you Googled him?”
“Of course.” The first thing I did when I got in the car was Google the hell out of him. “It’s the internet. How do I know if what I’m reading is accurate? And why the hell didn’t he fill out the damn profile? Reading about how his company stock performed last quarter tells me nothing about the man!”
She shifted and crossed her arms. “If you were a haughty-taughty billionaire, would you waste time filling out a profile with an escort agency?”
The corner of my mouth dragged into a frown. I had become thoroughly confused about escort agencies and the men who used them. The more I looked at it, the more perplexed I became. “Would I ever use an escort agency?”
“Hmm, good point. Is the date still scheduled for Friday?”
My mind raced. Friday was just around the corner. I pushed some strands of hair off my clammy forehead. “Yes. Charity auction. All I have to do is dress up and accompany him. It’s just one night, Kate.”
She stiffened and tightened her lips. “Yes. Just one night,” she said, staring at the floor.
Heat flooded my nostrils as I scrutinized her. “What is it you’re not telling me?”
She jerked up, her pupils widening as she made eye contact. “Nothing.”
“Okay,” I said, letting my voice trail higher at the end.
She slumped her shoulders and watched me from the corner of her eye. “It’s rare that any client hires an escort for one single night,” she confessed.
She was right, I just didn’t want to face that fact. “One date with me, I’m sure he won’t want anymore. I’m not exactly the most beautiful one there.”
Her eyebrows furrowed. “Hush, Chloe. Do you not see how many heads you turn when you walk around?”
It was nice of her to try and make me feel better about my looks, but deep down we both knew I was no super model. Not even close. “He chose you, a gorgeous leggy blond. Not me,” I reminded.
“Who cares. It’s just an agency photo and looks aren’t everything. If I had your brains, I wouldn’t even be in this busin…” She bit her bottom lip, then tucked both lips inward as if trying to stop her mouth from spouting the truth.
An uncontrollable smirk formed on my face. “Exactly. One date and I’m done. I’m off to college. Hopefully he’s not some psychotic murderer.”
She tilted her head to the side and widened her eyes. “Did he look psychotic?”
Arousal spread through my body as I imagined his sinful eyes and robust jawline. I wanted to linger my tongue there to taste every inch of him. I pushed the thought away and squared my shoulders. “No. He looks totally and utterly boring. Not my type at all.”
Kate did a double-take, arching an eyebrow. “You got a thing for this guy, don’t you?”
I massaged the back of my aching neck. The last thing I need is for her to get the idea I’m interested in him. It wasn’t true and she’d never come back and replace me if she thought I liked him. I needed her to return to work, not try and match me to the nearest lonely bachelor. I lifted my chin. “Absolutely not.”
Her eyes lit. She jumped up from the sofa, groaning on the way up, and placed a hand on her hip. “You like him.”
I licked my lips and gnawed on my cheek. “Kate, sit down, you’re sick.”
“Chloe Madison, you got the hots for Jake Sutherland and it’s written all over your face.”
I don’t care what’s scribbled on my face, I’m not bending the rules for a client. “I would never in a million years fall for anyone from the agency.”
- Writer
