by Nolon King
But it seemed crazy that Frank would spill the beans and risk the consequences for his own actions.
Maybe I was panicking. Boys talked shit, and calling your friend’s mom a hooker was probably typical pre-adolescent shit talking, nothing to be worried about.
Except that it was true, and if Alec was upset enough to hit his friend, then maybe he knew deep in his heart that it wasn’t a lie.
Mr. Butler watched us, probably wondering what would happen next.
Me too.
Lynette turned toward me and I braced for the worst.
Her hand found my arm and I was flooded with panic.
But then, shaking her head, she said, “I am so, so sorry, Natalie. There is absolutely no excuse for that. I am so embarrassed.”
I couldn’t believe it, or stop myself from straightening my shoulders and acting at least a little bit miffed. I mean, I had to if I expected to sell the role.
“That really is a horrible thing to say, but boys are boys, and it’s not like Alec is innocent. He should never have hit Drew, no matter what he said. So I’m sorry, too.”
We settled back in our chairs, both of us looking at Mr. Butler.
“So, what’s next?” Lynette asked him.
“As you know, we have a zero tolerance policy on fighting at Constellation, regardless of who started the fight.”
“We get it, Alastair,” Lynette said, using his first name in a way I wouldn’t dare. Maybe you could do that when you covered tuition for children that didn’t belong to you. “Now can you please just tell us what we’re supposed to do with our boys?”
“Both Alec and Drew will be suspended for two days.”
Lynette turned to me. “Sound fair to you?”
“Sounds fair,” I agreed.
“Two days. Anything else?” Lynette looked at Mr. Butler expectantly, clearly done and wanting to go.
“No, Mrs. Wilder, there won’t be any other punishment. But I would strongly suggest that you spend the next couple of days talking to Drew about what language is and is not appropriate, in or out of school.” He turned to me. “And Alec needs to understand that intelligent men do not solve problems with violence.”
“I promise we’ll have a nice long talk, tonight. And then another tomorrow. Where are they now? I assume we should just take them home with us?”
“They’re both spending some quiet time with Ms. Dougherty.” Then after the subtlest glance my way, he added, “They’ve been in there a while.”
We walked toward the Quiet Room, a rather cavernous space on the far side of campus that only a school like Constellation would be pompous enough to have. I usually appreciated such things, but right then a trip to Disneyland might have annoyed me.
We were silent enough to be practicing for our own spell in the Quiet Room, when Lynette finally broke the quiet.
She stopped walking and said, “Why haven’t you answered any of my calls?”
I stopped too, then turned to Lynette. Her eyes were big and wet.
“I’m sorry,” I said, feeling suddenly and inexplicably terrible. I couldn’t think of anything that didn’t sound lame, but I tried anyway. “Things have been hard with Ryan, and I … I’ve been doing a terrible job of managing my time.”
Lynette looked at me like she didn’t believe a word I was saying, but was trying her best to figure it out.
“I’m trying really hard to be your friend, Natalie, but I’m sick of you making it so difficult.”
Then she walked ahead of me without another word, and went to pick up her demon spawn.
Chapter Nineteen
Friday Evening …
My body had already betrayed me.
Bennett booked me again, and as I got ready to see him, I was already wet.
I changed into a fresh pair of panties, feeling even guiltier than usual. Weird, since I was also over the moon and halfway to Mars. Plus anxious, excited, and a little afraid of how much I liked him when I couldn’t afford to like any of my clients.
Also, a little embarrassed about our prior encounter. I worried that the booking was a punishment.
I’d never had all of these feelings together, but it had been a long time since I’d felt even half of what I was feeling now, getting ready to see a man with the sort of aroused anticipation I’d once reserved only for Ryan.
I was pretty sure that I was going to enjoy tonight more than I should.
It wasn’t safe, and that was turning me on, too.
Seeing him again would be awkward, and exhilarating. I was grateful for the closure. After feeling so desperate and confused in the aftermath of our last encounter, he’d been a constant itch in my brain. I would think of him at the oddest times.
I had given it up for free in a restroom. If that wasn’t the bottom, then it was inches above. Why would Bennett pay a premium for what he had already gotten for free, and in the most undignified way?
Mostly, why was I staring in the mirror, acting like a fucking teenager?
Because Bennett had become my fantasy. My escape, in the same way that I was an escape for the men who paid to be with me.
I imagined our evening as I drove to meet him, picturing things that would never happen, and that didn’t need to. There was beauty in the fantasy. Why shouldn’t I get what my clients got? And wasn’t I lucky that someone was actually paying me for the experience? I didn’t care what happened with Bennett. I couldn’t imagine an order of his that I would refuse to follow, since he already told me that he wasn’t into the one thing I told him I wouldn’t do, and I was already wet enough for anything else.
He wanted to meet at the Mill, an odd place for a tryst. The shopping is great, and so are the restaurants. It’s the best place in the city to see a movie. But unless he’s wanting to fuck in public, which I couldn’t imagine, considering his high profile, I didn’t really get the location.
But the customer — Bennett — is always right.
Meet me in front of Crossroads.
There he was, standing in front of the shop like he wasn’t one of the world’s most famous men, holding a bag like it was no big deal, just like any other shopper. He wasn’t perfectly lit like he was in movies, but the sun did a nice enough job, even if it made him look glossy rather than matte. And handsome wasn’t a strong enough word to describe him. Bennett was rugged but beautiful. Chiseled, yet silken. Fire and ice and all the degrees in between.
I approached with a coquettish smile. “Are you waiting for someone?”
I wasn’t sure whether to kiss him on the cheek or the mouth, or nothing at all. I was so used to meeting my clients in private that I had yet to learn the protocol for greeting one publicly.
“I feel like I’m always waiting for someone,” he said with a smile, and I wondered exactly what he meant.
I nodded at his bag. “Did you go shopping without me?”
“I did not.” He raised the bag and shook it. “This is just stuff I needed to get.”
“So what’s in the bag?”
“Underwear.”
“Just underwear? That’s a big bag.”
He shrugged. “I wear a new pair every day. I knew I was getting low and I don’t like other people buying my underwear for me, even if I’m okay with them buying everything else.” He laughed. “It’s stupid, I know.”
“It’s not.” I didn’t want to say what I was thinking, that Crossroads was expensive, the kind of store I’d never even dared to go inside. I bet that underwear cost well over a hundred bucks a pair, and to him they were disposable.
“So what are we going to do?” I smiled to let him know that I would be happy with anything.
“We’re going shopping.”
“Great.” I could hardly believe that he was paying me to go shopping with him. “What do you need?”
“I don’t need anything,” he said. “We’re shopping for you.”
My hand went to my breast. “Me? Why are we shopping for me?”
“Because I want to.”
Then Bennett held out his arm, waiting for mine.
My heart was doing somersaults.
We went into Mirror Mirror. It wasn’t my favorite place to shop in the Mill because the prices were too prohibitive for me, but it was my favorite place to look. I’d been in there a few times and only made a single purchase: an indigo scarf with the most delicate edges, spatters of lavender and black and a dusting of white. Half off, the scarf was almost 500 dollars. Stupid idiot purchases like that are exactly what had gotten me into this mess. I felt sick, considering the compound effect of all my impulsive, impetuous behavior.
Then I thought, These days, five hundred dollars is twenty minutes’ worth of work.
Still, I was watching every dollar. With Olivia demanding her devil’s ransom, I had to be stricter with my spending than ever.
As soon as we were inside the shop, he said, “Pick anything you want.”
“Anything?”
“I always say what I mean, Elle.” He raised his bag to remind me. “Remember how much I just spent on underwear. I’m not stupid with my money, but the small things stopped mattering a long time ago. Anything in this store is still a relatively small thing to me.”
I stepped closer to him, blew my lightest breath in his ear, and said, “Underwear is important. I’m glad you buy the best.”
Bennett liked that; I could hear his breathing speed up. I continued to whisper. “But I can’t wait to take those boxers off of you so that I can put your cock in my mouth.”
I reached down to check my work, found that I’d done a serviceable job, gave his semi a pet just to let it know that we’d be getting better acquainted later, and kissed him on the cheek before pulling away.
“Thank you,” I said.
And then I went shopping.
I was ready to go after the first thing I tried on, but Bennett was not. I couldn’t believe that he really wanted to sit there in Mirror Mirror while he was paying me. Ryan would never do that, not ever, even for free.
I tried on seven things. Seven. I stopped feeling bad after the third one because Bennett was going to buy something for me, and that’s what test drives were for.
The fifth was my favorite. Bennett’s too.
It was black, but with a sort of sheen as light washed across it. The straps were thin, two on each side and woven together like lovers who couldn’t bear to part. The fabric fell to just below my knee, and felt like someone was kissing the skin there. Silky and soft, thin but not in a way that exposed me.
Holding it in my hands, I wanted to cry. “It’s the most beautiful dress I’ve ever seen.”
“It’s yours,” he said.
There had to be a catch.
“Why are we really here, Bennett?”
“Why are you having such a hard time believing that I really wanted to go shopping?”
“I don’t … it’s just, there’s gotta be something more, right?” I laughed and touched him playfully on the arm. “I want to make you happy. If you tell me, I can do a better job. Do you want to rip this dress off of me? I’ll be sad, but okay.” I laughed again. “Same if you want to cum all over it. Really, I just want you to see you smile, and know that I’m the one who put that smile there.”
He shook his head, lightly laughing. “It’s nothing like that.”
“Then what is it like?”
“I did have an ulterior motive.”
“Of course you did.” I smiled. “Can you tell me more?”
“I can tell you that I wanted you to pick out something to wear for an upcoming business meeting.”
“What else can you tell me?”
“That was all I was planning to tell you for now.” Then he stared at me, like he wanted to devour me.
So when was he going to do it?
“Can you change your plans?” I asked.
“If you can change yours.”
I didn’t know what he meant, or why he was looking at me like that, still like he wanted to reach down and slip a couple of his digits inside me, but also expectantly, as if waiting for me to understand.
“What do you want me to change them to?”
“I want to book you for an entire weekend. Next weekend. Will you do that for me?”
I didn’t know what to say. The thought of a week away with him weakened my knees and made every cell in my body start to tremble.
But what was I going to tell Ryan? And should I leave the kids when Alec was getting into fights at school?
Tell Ryan you’re sick of his shit. You don’t have enough to leave, but you do have enough to hire a great divorce lawyer.
But spending the money meant working for Victor longer.
“I have a family,” I waffled.
“I know. It’s a big ask. I’ll make it worth your while.”
You already have.
“Where are we going? How long will I be gone?”
“I’ll get you details soon. I’m still working it out, but I need to know if you’re in.”
I was desperate to say yes, but any excuse I could use to get away from home for a weekend would come off as thin at best and absurd at worst. “What can you tell me?”
“That I’ll pay you twenty-five thousand dollars.” He smiled. “Plus the dress.”
I might have peed myself.
It was already Yes in my head, but I didn’t want to seem too needy or excited. I was a service provider, and Bennett a client. I couldn’t forget that, especially not now.
“Soon. But I really want you to do this with me.” Then he took my hands and reminded me of my place. “You’re Victor’s best, and I don’t trust anyone else.”
“I’ll do it.”
“I can’t wait.” Bennett grazed me with his eyes. “Go in the dressing room and put that back on. I’ll meet you in five minutes. We’re going to have some fun before we buy it.”
I whimpered my excitement, both because I was happy and because it made Bennett happy.
I went into the dressing room, donned my new dress, and then waited for Bennett on my knees.
Chapter Twenty
Saturday Evening, Eight Days Later …
MELINDA
“Pardon me, Mrs. Shelly?”
I turned around. A server was holding a platter of drinks. “I thought you might like a Stoli Doli. They’re delicious.”
“Please,” I said, reaching out to take one. “And it’s Melinda.”
I hated Mrs. Shelly, even from the staff.
It was a divide-and-conquer night for Dominic and I. We were attending the premiere of some second-rate studio’s upcoming lineup, a watering hole for actors who had felt success on the tip of their tongue, but had yet to truly taste it. A great place to scout for potential candidates for next year’s Onyx List. While Dominic was doing that, I was here for a different reason, and one I still seemed to believe in more than him.
I had my own shit to conquer, and that involved meeting my good friend Bennett and his date.
There weren’t many people in the world who knew what Dominic and I were planning with Blush, but among those select few, Bennett was one of the biggest supporters. Especially after the Rosebud leak had exposed so many of their clients.
Bennett wasn’t the first person to tell me about Victor and his little ring of girls, but he was our only client on the inside. Not that I’d sent him to infiltrate the place. Bennett is a buyer, preferring the professional performance and total lack of strings. He likes having a secret. He loves sex with women who love what they do, and paying them handsomely for their time. Escorts were his fetish, and being the friend that he is, Bennett was always happy to share.
I’d asked him if there were any girls over there who he thought deserved better. At first he said that he wasn’t too sure, probably not. But then he called me up and told me that he’d found someone special at Victor’s. Someone he thought I should meet.
I needed someone to handle these girls, but she couldn’t think like a typical madame. We needed some
one smart but maternal, and able to blend into any social setting. Organized yet flexible. A woman who could see the biggest picture in the tiniest details and could also see things from the other side without having to ever turn around. And most important of all, she needed to believe in what we were doing.
Supposedly, Bennett’s date might be that person.
I saw them walk in before he saw me. So I had a moment to study her first.
She was pretty without being ravishing. Her cheeks were round, but her dark hair hung long on either side and made them look thinner. Her smile was true; this woman practically glowed. Her dress was stunning, and if Bennett had done as I suggested and had her select both the shop and the gown herself, then she’d proven to have excellent taste.
She did look a little starstruck, but that was absolutely as it should be at this stage, and also, how could she not be? Even from across the way, I could see it in her eyes, that this was equal parts fantasy and business opportunity, shaken and stirred.
Perfect.
Bennett saw me, waved, and brought her over.
“Melinda!” He kissed me on the cheek and whispered in my ear, “She is a treat.” Then louder, “I’d like you to meet Elle. Elle, this is Melinda.”
“It’s good to meet you.” She shook my hand.
Elle was … mature. But not in an old or stuffy way — I didn’t see a single line on her face — and she didn’t look a thing like the MILFs that littered all of those lesser porn sites with fake tits and toddlers at best. The woman looked like an actual mom who I would like to fuck.
And she was elegant, the way that dress draped her very real body. She looked like a blast in the bedroom after a dignified dinner, and a gourmet at both the blow job and breakfast the next morning.
“How long have you been an escort?” I asked, trying to catch her off guard.
“Either too long or not long enough,” she said without hesitation. “I haven’t decided.”
I laughed, then let that one go. “Have you been to the raw bar yet?”