The Billionaire's Midnight Obsession

3. The Ship Is Sailing!

"Um, Sheena, do you have a boyfriend? Are you currently seeing someone special right now?" Warren asked.

Sheena shook her head. "No. I'm not seeing anyone right now. I'm single."

Warren smiled, pleased with her answer. "I'm single too, we both are."

Sheena suddenly felt awkward. She doesn't know what to say to him anymore. He is so cheerful, trying his best to make her feel at ease around him, but she feels ashamed of herself, feeling sad and miserable that she was about to enter a new world that the majority consider dirty work.

Warren noticed her discomfort. "Are you okay? Is something wrong?"

Sheena looked at him misty-eyed. "I'm sorry. It's my first time being an escort, so I'm feeling ashamed that I have to resort to this kind of job."

"Oh, don't be sorry. I'm sure you have your reasons. Don't worry, I won't judge you on why you resorted to this kind of job," Warren said gently, trying to be a good listener. Trying to understand her struggles in life.

Sheena fixed her gaze on the floor. She finds it hard to look into his eyes. It was supposed to be her job to make him feel at ease because it was her job as an escort, but it looked like he was the one trying to cheer her up. She felt ashamed of herself. She is not really fit to be an escort, she is such a dimwit.

She was trying to act confident and calm in front of him, but she failed miserably. She bit her lower lip, wanting to leave the place and hide from his penetrating gaze.

An awkward silence fell upon them.

Warren continues studying Sheena's face. She was clearly having a hard time looking him in the eyes. Right now, he can read her mind clearly. She is a reluctant escort, and he fears she will back out and no longer escort him to the island.

Sheena finally raised her head and looked him directly in the eyes. "I'm so sorry, sir. I've changed my mind. I no longer want to be an escort. You can call my agency and ask them to find a replacement to accompany you to the island. I'm so sorry," she apologized profusely.

Oh, no! Warren groaned in dismay. As expected, she had cold feet. But it's quite understandable because she is a newbie in the escorting world.

"What's wrong, Sheena? You don't like to escort me? You don't like me? Tell me what made you change your mind?" he asked, panicking, wanting to get to the bottom of her hesitation and change her mind.

"I'm so sorry. It's not about you, sir, it's about me. It's nothing personal. I think I'm just not ready yet to be an escort. I'm afraid I can't please you because I'm a complete newbie. I really have no idea how to be an escort. I don't want to disappoint you and waste your time. You deserve a much more professional escort. That's all I can say. I hope you understand my situation," she explained hurriedly, not wanting to offend him further.

"I see. I understand your reason." Warren smiled.

"You're not mad at me, sir?" Sheena asked.

"Not really. I truly understand how you feel because it's your first time being an escort. No need to feel ashamed or guilty because you are a newbie. But I have to remind you that you can no longer back out from being my escort. You have to come with me. Don't worry, I will treat you right. I'm safe to be with. I respect women just like how I respect my mother and my sisters," Warren said seriously, trying to make her feel safe in his company.

Warren can't let go of Sheena. She is the type of woman worthy of his time and money. He is interested in getting to know her better. If he let her go today, he's afraid she might slip away from his grasp forever.

Sheena took a deep breath. "Do you still want to hire me as your escort despite my attitude today?" she asked in disbelief.

Warren smiled. "Of course. I won't pick anyone but you. We have something in common, and I think that it is special. It's both our first time, and we should make our first time memorable and enjoyable. What do you think?" he said, winking playfully at her.

"You don't find me cheap at all?" she asked in a low voice.

"No, not at all," he replied in a serious manner. "Let me tell you a secret of mine..."

"What secret?" she asked curiously.

Warren dragged his chair closer to Sheena and whispered in her ears, "I used to be a male stripped in a club before I became a businessman," he confided in a serious manner.

Sheena's eyes widened in shock. "Really? Are you kidding me?" she asked in disbelief, looking into his eyes, trying to see if he was telling the truth.

"Yup. That's the truth about me. I capitalized on my good looks and body to pay my tuition in college. I work as a male stripper because it pays me a lot of money. My father is a billionaire who impregnated my mother, who works as a maid in his mansion. His wife kicked my mother out of the mansion after she learned of the affair. Then, after giving birth to me, my mother married another guy and my sisters were born. Unfortunately, my stepfather found another woman to love and left my mother." He paused for a minute, catching his breath. Talking about his past is painful for him, but surprisingly, he finds it easy to share his past with Sheena.

He just wants to make her feel better and boost her confidence a little bit by sharing with her his dark past before he became a successful businessman.

"So yeah, growing up poor, I worked hard to help my mother raise my sisters. Our life went from hard to easy after I became a full-time male stripper. That's when I earned enough money to help my family financially and also pay my way to college. I'm not ashamed to tell you that I was a stripper once. Because I knew deep inside that it was just a stepping stone to reaching my dreams. Now I'm a successful businessman, and I'm proud of my achievements in life, including my dark past," he added proudly, with no hint of shame in his tone.

Wow! Sheena stared at him, speechless. She didn't expect that this guy wearing a fancy suit sitting beside her was once a stripper dancer. Every inch of him exuded wealth and his demeanor commanded respect.

Outside appearances are indeed deceiving!

She glanced at her friend for a moment. Ashley looked like a rich lady, but not everyone knew about her job as an escort. And now she was about to follow in Ashley's footsteps because she really needed money badly.

"I made so many unpleasant mistakes and decisions in the past, but it all made me who I am today. So no regrets," Warren said, smiling at her, trying to influence her mind.

"Wow! You are amazing!" Sheena gushed.

Warren grinned broadly. "Yup, that's me. I just revealed to you my imperfections. I am what I am."

Sheena smiled, staring at his handsome face for a long time.

"How about you? What's your story?" he asked, wanting to hear her story so he could understand her better and gain her trust.

Sheena shrugged. "I'm just a struggling aspiring actress. Directors and producers wanted to use my body before accepting me to audition for their films, but I refused. That's why I have no projects," she sighed heavily and paused for a moment.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Warren said, his tone filled with compassion.

Sheena continued, "My mother is suffering from Alzheimer's disease and I need to pay her caregiver and send her money for her monthly sustenance. I also need to pay my homeowner because my rent is due next week. I haven't worked for the last two months. So, I'm broke as of now. In desperation, I applied as an escort at the agency. That's how we met," she explained. She no longer felt ashamed to share with him her struggle in life after she discovered his dark past.

"We are indeed soulmates," he jokingly said. "Our history is the same."

Sheena blushed at his joke. Eh? Was he hinting at something?

Warren is good-looking, a good listener and a wealthy guy. How can someone be so perfect?

"With your status in life, how come you don't have a girlfriend yet?" she suddenly blurted out the question that was hovering in her mind after meeting him. Damn! She quickly covered her mouth with her hands. But it's too late for her to retract her words. She can't look him in the eyes out of shame.

Warren shrugged and smiled. "Well, I had a girlfriend before. She wanted to settle down with me and get married, but I'm very busy earning money because I'm tired of being poor. Until one day, she got tired of waiting. She left me and married someone else. After her betrayal, I focused my time and attention on my money-making business both online and offline. Now I have lots of money, but I have no one to marry because I don't have a girlfriend. Poor me," he said gloomily.

Sheena rolled her eyes. "It's hard to believe that you are single."

"Indeed, but that's the truth. If I have a girlfriend, I won't hire an escort. But I'm glad I found you," he said meaningfully. "Do you want to apply as my girlfriend?" he asked jokingly.

Sheena laughed, amused by his question. "I'm your escort to the island, remember?" she reminded him.

His eyes lit up. "Wow! So you no longer want to quit being my escort?" he asked. His eyes flickered with anticipation. He is dying to hear her answer when it's already obvious.

"Yeah, sort of," she replied cheerily.

"Amazing!" He grinned victoriously. His tactic worked. By letting her see a glimpse of his painful past, he finally gained her trust. "Because you finally decided to go with me, I'm going to reward you greatly," he said mischievously.

She raised a brow. "What kind of reward?"

"I'm going to show you a sample of my dancing skills. I will dance for your eyes only," he whispered in her ears, inhaling her intoxicating womanly scent that triggered a stirring in his loins. Shiit! He suddenly became aroused just by inhaling her scent.

Sheena laughed softly, amused by his humorous statement.

He quickly distanced himself from her. The reaction of his body is shocking and at the same time exciting. She stirred a deep longing inside him that he could no longer shove down into oblivion. She awakened the lust and passion inside him that had been lying dormant for a long time. Now, as he stared at her pretty face, he had a hard time controlling himself. He wanted to kiss her lips and take her to his bedroom in his penthouse and make love to her all night long.

Shiit! He's getting aroused faster than lightning. He'd better go now before he does something stupid to her in broad daylight. He might scare her and eventually lose her if he makes his move too soon.

He pretends to browse his phone, then scratches his head. "Um, Sheena. I'm sorry I have to leave now because I have a business meeting to attend in fifteen minutes. Nice meeting you. I will contact you tomorrow regarding our meeting place. Is that okay with you?" he asked.

"Sure. What time?" she asked.

"I'll call you about the time and the address of our meeting place," he said, standing up. He opened his wallet and placed a one-thousand-dollar bill on the table. "I'm sorry, I got busy chatting with you and I forgot to order a snack for us. Order yourself some delicious snacks, keep the change. Bye... talk to you later," he said, and left the cafe in a hurry.

Sheena picked up the money and watched him exit the door. A line appeared between her brows. Why did he leave her with money? She quickly put the paper bill in her wallet.

Ashley left her table and joined Sheena. She couldn't contain her excitement. "So, wazzup? What happened between you two?"

Sheena smiled. "We're fine. Surprisingly, we get along pretty well with each other."

"Good. I'm happy for you, Shen. Your financial freedom starts tomorrow!" Ashley giggled, happy to help her friend.

"I hope so," Sheena said wistfully.

"We shall go back to the agency now and inform Madam Deborah that you and Mr. West got along pretty well with each other," Ashley said, standing up.

"Alright," Sheena replied. Her doubts finally evaporated into thin air after having a pleasant chat with Mr. West.

The girls left the cafe in high spirits. They returned to the agency, signed the contract, then went home.