The Escort (3 page)

“What guy?”
Court asked suspiciously.

“Just - don’t
worry about it, okay? Please, can you take my place?”

“She’ll know it
isn’t you, Cal. There’s no way I can – “

“She won’t!”
Cal assured him. “We’re identical twins. Our own sister can’t tell
us apart half the time.”

“I’m not having
sex with some pathetic, desperate woman, Cal. I’m tired and hungry
and it’s been a bitch of a day. Our shipment of lumber didn’t come
in and we’re way behind on the construction of the Stanton
building. I’ve got two guys out with injuries and I have four
meetings tomorrow.”

Cal sighed
heavily. “You don’t have to have sex with anyone. It’s an initial
meeting. It’ll be half an hour tops. You just have to meet her, be
your usual charming self, and then go home. That’s it, Court.”

“Cal…”

“I am begging
you. If this thing doesn’t work out tonight then I need that job at
the escort agency more than ever. You know I’m drowning in
debt.”

“And whose
fault is that? If you hadn’t – “

“I know, I
know. Give it a rest, would you?” Cal said wearily. “Please, Court.
Half an hour, that’s it. All you have to do is talk with her. She
won’t be expecting anything else.”

Court
hesitated. He suddenly wished bitterly that he hadn’t answered
Cal’s phone call. “Cal – “

Sensing
weakness, Cal forged ahead. “The woman is super cute, Court. I’ll
text you her picture. Who knows, you might even enjoy yourself.
It’s been months since you and Janine broke up. All you’ve done is
work the last six months. C’mon, I need your help.”

“Goddammit!”
Court sighed. “You owe me, Cal. Do you hear me?”

“I know.” Cal
said eagerly. “I’ll text you her picture and the address of the
coffee shop. I’m supposed to be there in just under an hour so get
your ass in the shower. And wear something nice – not your usual
jeans and a t-shirt.”

Before Court
could reply, his twin had hung up, and he tossed his phone on to
the couch beside him and groaned loudly. What the hell was he
getting himself into?

* * *

“How are you
feeling?”

“Nervous as
hell.” Julie replied. She studied herself in the mirror as she held
her phone to her ear.

“Don’t be
nervous. What are you wearing?” Mary asked.

“Just jeans and
a t-shirt. The guy already knows I’m desperate. I didn’t want to
look even more pathetic by dressing up for just coffee.”

“What
t-shirt?”

“What?” Julie
frowned.

“What t-shirt
are you wearing?”

“I don’t know.
Just a t-shirt. It’s blue.”

“Change into
that pink shirt. The one that I bought you a couple of years
ago.”

“It’s too
small.” Julie replied.

“It isn’t. It
makes your tits look awesome and with your dark hair and pale skin,
pink is your best colour.”

“Mary – “

“Change, Julie!
I mean it, or I’ll come to the coffee shop with the damn t-shirt
and wrestle you into it in front of him.”

“Fine!” Julie
dug through her closet until she found the t-shirt. She dropped the
phone on the bed, yanked her shirt off and struggled into the pink
one. She picked up the phone as she frowned at her reflection.

“It’s too
small. It makes my gut look huge.” She grumbled.

“No, it
doesn’t. Besides, he’ll be too busy staring at your breasts to even
notice your stomach. Now, don’t overthink this alright? Just go,
meet the dreamboat that is Cal, and have a good time. Think of it
like your interviewing him for a job. If you don’t like him,
there’s plenty more fish in the escort agency sea. Make sure he’s
the right one for you, okay?”

“Oh my God.”
Julie groaned. “What does it matter? I just need him to be good in
bed and show me what the hell I’m supposed to do, remember? Who
cares if I don’t like him? Besides, he’ll probably take one look at
me and run screaming.”

“He’s already
seen you.” Mary said patiently. “You sent that picture to Vanessa,
didn’t you? That means he’s seen it and obviously he likes what he
sees because he’s meeting with you.”

“Or, he just
really needs the money.” Julie muttered.

“Stop it,
Jules. Go and have fun. Don’t think about losing your virginity to
him, at least not at this meeting. Just enjoy having coffee with a
good looking guy, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah.
Listen, I have to go. I’m supposed to be there in half an hour and
if I don’t leave now, I’ll be late.”

“Alright. Have
fun, Jules.” Mary made a kissing noise into the phone and hung
up.

She stared at
her reflection again and started to reach for the blue shirt before
stopping herself. So what if this one showed off her belly? The guy
would possibly be having sex with her – he’d be seeing a hell of a
lot more than her stomach.

* * *

Court, slightly
out of breath from his dash across the parking lot, rushed into the
coffee house. He was nearly ten minutes late and he scanned the
room anxiously, looking for a woman who even remotely resembled the
picture Cal had sent him. Knowing his luck, the picture was ten
years old and she wouldn’t look anything like –

“Excuse me,
Cal?” A low voice to his right had him swinging around. He stared
down at the woman standing beside him. She was wearing jeans and a
pink shirt and he thanked God that he hadn’t listened to his
brother and dressed up. He had worn his customary jeans but had
swapped his t-shirt out for one of his few dress shirts.

He let his gaze
travel over the woman. She was short, although at 6’4” just about
everyone was short to him, and curvy in all the right places. Her
shirt hugged her breasts and he had to force his gaze not to linger
on them. She was wearing open-toed sandals and he could see her
toes, their nails painted a soft pink, peeking out from them.

He checked out
her breasts for a second time. He was a boob man, always had been
and always would be, and the woman standing in front of him had an
impressive rack. He could almost picture how they would look as he
cupped and kneaded them.

The woman
cleared her throat nervously and he tore his gaze away from her
chest and to his face. To his horror she was bright red with
embarrassment and looked like she was about to cry.

“I’m sorry.”
She whispered. “I think I should leave.”

“What? No,
wait.” He held his hands up. “I’m Cal. You’re Julie, right? I’m
sorry that I’m late. Traffic was terrible and I didn’t realize how
long it would take me to get here. Please, forgive me.”

“I – that’s
alright.” She whispered again. She still looked like she was going
to cry and he groaned inwardly. If he blew this, Cal would lose his
job.

Get your
shit together, Court!
He berated himself fiercely.

He took a deep
breath and smiled at the woman. “Let’s get a coffee and talk.” He
put his hand in the small of her back, frowning slightly at the way
she was trembling, and led her to the counter.

“What would you
like?” He asked.

“Oh, um, just a
latte would be fine.”

Her voice was
amazing. Low and husky with a warm richness to it that made his
groin stir. It was a voice that practically forced a man to think
about sex. To imagine hot nights and the naked flesh of a warm and
willing woman underneath him and moaning her need.

He cleared his
throat roughly. Jesus, he had to get control of himself.

“Great.” He
gave her another confident smile and ordered her latte and a black
coffee for himself. They waited patiently for the coffee, neither
of them speaking, before he led her to a small table near the back
of the shop. It wasn’t overly crowded in the shop but he had a
feeling the woman wanted privacy.

Julie, her
hands shaking so badly she could barely hold on to her cup, sat
down with a thump. She stared down at her coffee and willed herself
to calm down. Cal was even better looking in person and she felt
even fatter and frumpier than usual next to him. He was like some
sort of ancient God, all tanned skin and hard muscles, and she was
acutely conscious of her pale skin and the way she jiggled. She
took a quick peek at him.

Surprisingly,
he looked as nervous as she did, and a thread of despair went
through her. He obviously didn’t like what he saw and was trying to
figure out a way to get out of the meeting. He had been ten minutes
late, she had actually been about to leave when he came rushing in
the door, and he could barely look her in the eye when she had
approached him.

She blinked
back the tears that were threatening. So what if Cal didn’t like
her? She would simply find another escort who did. Although,
perhaps she wouldn’t aim quite so high this time. She’d find
someone else who didn’t look like a model with his perfect teeth
and cheekbones and clear green eyes that –

His hand
touched hers and she jerked and hissed with pain when coffee
sloshed out on to her hand.

“Oh my God. I’m
sorry.” He mopped the coffee off her hand with a napkin and gave
her a sheepish look. “I didn’t mean to scare you. Are you
alright?”

She nodded and
inhaled sharply when he took her hand in his. Her hand was
swallowed by his large one and as he stroked the spot where the
coffee had burned her, she shivered at the feel of his rough
calluses. He didn’t have the hands of an escort, she thought
vaguely. He had the hands of a man who worked outdoors for a
living, of a man who made his money through hard labour and sweat
and –

“I’m sorry,
Julie. Let’s start again, okay? My name is Cal. It’s really nice to
meet you.”

“It’s nice to
meet you as well.” She forced herself to look at him. He was giving
her an easy, confident grin and she tried to return it. It came out
more as a grimace than a smile and she flushed again.

“You’re a
little nervous, huh?” He said gently.

“Yes. I’ve um,
I’ve never done this before.”

“That’s
alright. I haven’t either.” He replied.

She stared at
him in confusion and he grinned and winked at her. “Sorry, I was
going for funny.”

“Oh, of
course.” She gave him a more natural smile and he squeezed her hand
before releasing it.

“So, what do
you do for work, Julie?” He asked.

“I – I don’t
work.” She replied softly. She could feel the blush rising over her
pale skin again and she cursed inwardly.

“Are you from
around here?” If he found it odd that she didn’t work, it didn’t
show on his face.

She nodded.
“Yes, I was born and raised here, actually.”

“Me too.” He
replied. “Do you have any siblings?”

She shook her
head. “No, I’m an only child. How about you?”

“A brother and
sister.” He took a sip of his coffee. “Being an only child, you
must be close to your parents.”

“My mother died
when I was a baby and my father died six months ago.”

“I’m so sorry.
Jesus, that’s rough.” He gave her a look of sympathy. “Do you have
any other family in the city?”

“No. My mother
was an only child and my father has a sister but they weren’t
close. I’ve never even met her.”

He was still
giving her that look of sympathy and she forced herself to smile at
him. She didn’t want his pity, especially not over a dead man that
she had both feared and loathed. “Are you close to your
parents?”

“Yes. Actually,
our entire family is close. My mom and dad both come from big
families and most of them live here in the city. We have family get
together’s at least once a month. It’s hectic and chaotic and
there’s about fifty kids running amok, but it’s fun.”

She smiled
wistfully at him. “It sounds like fun.”

He took another
drink of his coffee before setting it on the table. “So, what do
you like to do for fun, Julie?”

“Well, I um, I
like to read and I –
don’t say knitting, don’t say knitting
– and I like to knit.”

Goddammit!

“What do you
knit?” He asked politely.

“Oh, mostly
scarves and hats. Sometimes I get real crazy and knit a
blanket.”

He laughed and
she blushed again. “It’s kind of an old lady hobby.”

“Not at all. My
mom knits.” He hesitated. “Wait, that didn’t come out right.”

She laughed,
she couldn’t help it, and he grinned boyishly at her. “My mom’s not
that old, I swear.”

“Right.” She
was staring to relax a little and she took another drink of coffee,
happy when her hand didn’t noticeably tremble.

“Who’s your
favourite author?” He asked.

“Stephen
King.”

“Me too!” He
gave her a look of delight. “I used to save up my allowance to buy
his books when I was a kid. I’d have to sneak them past my mom, she
didn’t think they were appropriate, and I’d stay up all night
reading them. Scared the hell out of myself more than a few
times.”

She smiled as
he continued. “I’m not as fond of some of his newer works. His
classics though, I can’t get enough of them. I’ve read them
numerous times. Which book is your favourite?”

“The
Stand.”

“That’s in my
top five. I really loved the gunslinger series, but I hated how it
ended. Did you hear they’re thinking of turning it into a
television mini-series? I can’t see how they would manage that
without destroying it. I mean, it’s difficult at the best of times
to turn King’s work into - ”

He paused and
gave her a sheepish look. “Sorry, I’m running off at the mouth.
Let’s talk about you.”

“There isn’t
much to say.” She replied.

“I don’t
believe that. A pretty girl like you must have lots of great
stories.” He winked at her and she blushed so hard she could feel
sweat breaking out on her forehead.

This wasn’t
working. She had no idea what to say to the incredibly gorgeous man
sitting across from her and she felt like a complete and utter
fraud. He was doing the best he could to make it feel like a coffee
date when it really was nothing more than a work meeting for him.
She took a deep breath. She didn’t want to pretend this was a date,
it would only make her feel more pathetic. It was better to lay out
the cards exactly as they were and let him decide if he wanted to
continue or not. She didn’t know if they were given a choice or not
by Vanessa, but she wanted to make damn sure that the man in front
of her knew exactly what she was looking for. If he wasn’t
interested he could simply tell her, and she would find someone
else at the agency.