“You’re really not letting me in?” Zach widened his stance and crossed his arms over his chest. His muscles tensed, and I couldn’t tear my gaze away.
“You’re not on the list. And Jagger hates you,” I said. Zach said he was an escort, and all I could think about was what he’d look like if he stripped out of his jeans and T-shirt, and how much of his body those tattoos covered. I knew Jagger used to escort, but since he didn’t any more, it didn’t seem as… real. Zach was real, all right.
He grinned at me, and if he were any more aware that I was drinking him in, he’d hand me a straw. But he wouldn’t make things easy, and neither would I. “We haven’t seen eye to eye on his life choices recently. Which is why I’m starting a new agency,” he said.
That made more sense. Jagger cost Zach his job, but it still didn’t explain why he was here. “I can’t let anyone in who’s not on the list.”
“You didn’t tell me your name.” He looked me up and down, like the answer was hanging out somewhere between my cleavage and my high heels. Did my boob slip out? A quick glance down confirmed it hadn’t. His gaze gave me that burning, tingling feeling, like the beginning of all my other bad ideas—when I got way too enthusiastic about something that was none of my business.
I’d be coy and not give it to him, but he was already pissed about not getting into the party. I totally planned on letting him in, but I was having fun busting his balls. Plus, he was freaking gorgeous, and it had been a while since a man had paid this much attention to me. Even if he just wanted to get past me. I didn’t plan on acting on it, maybe only getting fodder for my next date with my battery-operated boyfriend. “It’s Shannon.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said, like the reward was yet to come.
“Likewise.”
“How long have you worked for Jagger?” Zach leaned against the door frame. He jerked his head toward the party, but his body language changed. For a second, he relaxed, but now he looked like he was ready to make a run for it. “Here she comes. Like a cranky old nun with a wooden ruler.”
I shouldn’t have laughed, because he was talking about Leah, but from the knotted expression on her face, if she had any sort of implement, she would’ve rapped his knuckles with it. It was a good thing I didn’t let him in. My prospective new landlords wouldn’t be interested in hearing about the great job opportunity I squandered because an escort with huge biceps winked at me.
“What the hell are you doing?” she asked. Crap. I wasn’t sure if it was directed at Zach or me, and I’d never seen Leah mad before. She narrowed her eyes to slits and landed her gaze on Zach.
I let out the breath I was holding.
He licked his lips and shoved his hands in his pockets, like he was used to her treating him this way. “It’s a pleasure as always, Leah,” he said, breaking the stare down to glance over at me. He widened his grin, like he thought this was hysterical. “I was wondering when you’d come over and greet your guests, or if you and Jag would show everyone how you met. What do you call that? An interactive exhibit?”
“If we decide to go that route, you’ll be the first person I call.”
“I’ll make you a millionaire.” He stepped closer to her. “You know how much a woman will pay for a good fucking.”
She put her hands on her belly, like she didn’t want the baby to hear the conversation. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Absolutely nothing. I was just asking Shannon if she wanted to make over my apartment.”
He totally wasn’t, but I knew better than to get caught in the crosshairs of this battle. Jagger joined us, and I’d never in my life been so happy to see him. He slipped his arm around Leah’s waist.
Leah nodded at Zach, looking triumphant as the tension left her body. I was so glad I didn’t let him into the party. But I didn’t understand why he was so hell bent on getting into a place where he wasn’t wanted. Big chunks of this story were missing.
“Do I need to turn the hose on you two?” Jagger asked with a fake grin.
Leah squeezed his arm. “Not at all. I was just telling Zach what a fantastic coworker Shannon’s been, and I asked him if he knew when Claire planned to arrive.”
How would Zach know about Claire? But at least Leah wasn’t pissed at me.
Zach stepped closer to me, and he might as well have drawn a line between us and them. “Funny thing about that. I was just telling Shannon what a great coworker you were, Jag, and I wanted to know what she was doing after the party.”
I glanced at Leah. I hated being caught in the middle of this, since there was something at play here, and no matter what I did, I’d have to live with the outcome. Zach piqued my curiosity, but I wasn’t sure if I was first-date-level curious.
Maybe go-get-a-coffee curious.
Or some-sexy-texts-that-lead-nowhere curious.
Definitely not one-night-stand curious.
But those tattoos…
I moved here to pursue my career, and I couldn’t follow the first bad idea that came my way right off the deep end.
“Why don’t we all go out together?” Jagger suggested.
That was the last thing I expected after Zach’s declaration that Jagger hated him and the tension between him and Leah. It made me more curious about Zach. I should’ve begged out of the invite, but I wanted to get a better feel for Zach, then I could choose my own adventure with a safety net. Judging from Leah and Zach’s matching glares, I was the only one who liked Jagger’s idea.
Zach gestured at Leah’s belly. “Your girl can’t go anywhere.”
“I’m pregnant, not on the no-fly list.” Leah rolled her eyes.
“We’ll get something to eat. They’ve got orange juice everywhere—”
“I’m still on the breakfast kick.” Leah interrupted Jagger and squeezed my hand, winning the current round of tug of war.
“You two can do whatever after that. I want to talk about the wedding while we’re all together.” Jagger tugged Leah into him, and she looked up at him and grinned. Nothing would make her forget her rage faster than the reminder she was about to be his wife. The wedding was Christmas day, and it sounded like Zach scored an invite to that event. Interesting. That was far more exclusive than First Friday, and neither Jagger nor Leah welcomed him into the gallery. Much more was at play than any of them let on.
Zach nudged me. “When was the last time you had a chaperone on a date?”
“Last time I was here.” I punctuated my confession with a laugh when he gave me a what-the-hell look. “Jagger almost threw down in the middle of the dance floor. I went out with a loser who tried to roofie my drink.”
“Fucker.” Zach shook his head, then leaned in as close as he could without touching me. From our handshake, I knew his hands were rough and strong, but as heat rolled off him, I wanted something I wasn’t ready to ask for. “Believe me when I tell you I’ve never drugged a woman to get her into my bed. And I’ve had absolutely no complaints,” he said.
I gulped, and I’d do anything for some relief from the heat. “I don’t expect you would.”
Jagger grinned. We were speaking a language he understood all too well. Much better than I did, although I didn’t have to ask for a translation. He patted Leah’s arm. “Why don’t we get back to the party?”
He led her away, and I had no idea what to do about Zach. Leah looked back at me several times, like there was something she wanted to tell me.
“Looks like we’re going on a double date.” Zach wiggled his eyebrows.
“Yeah.” I was still reeling from that exchange.
“You okay with that? I was sort of kidding…” He trailed off and ran his hand over his hair. It was short and wavy, and popped up in his wake. “But I’m not sorry Jag suggested it.”
“Me neither.” I didn’t believe that Jagger hated Zach, as Zach claimed, or he would have never suggested we go out together. I wouldn’t read too much into Jagger’s motives, but I wouldn’t mind looking at Zach
for the rest of the evening.
“It gives me a chance to pick your brain about how you got all this to happen.” He gestured to the room. “You know what? Fuck that. We’ll have a meeting about that some other time, and we can be formal and businesslike. Just so you know, I’m awful at that. Big surprise, right? Tonight, we’ll see where the night takes us.”
A piece of me hoped it was to his bed. Zach was hot as hell, but that wasn’t all. The tension between him and Leah made the muscles low in my belly clench. And with this date, I’d have plenty of chances to draw that out of him. From the sheer fact he was still here, I figured out he’d go to any length to get what he wanted. It was something we had in common.
Stop getting ahead of yourself. He’s only talking to you because you’re in the way of what he wants.
“Am I getting into this party, or what?” he asked, flashing a crooked grin. It was hot, but it wasn’t enough to get me to cave.
I looked down at my clipboard—not that I could read it, because my hands shook so hard. They were the good shakes, that hadn’t come often enough with my ex. “Sorry. It’s invite only.”
He widened his eyes. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
“Nope.” I choked back laughter.
“What am I supposed to do until our date starts?” He gave me another onceover.
“You can hang out with me,” I said. “Maybe I’ll change my mind.”
5
Zach
The last two, three hundred dates I went on were bought and paid for. My clients filled out a survey and sent it in with their deposit. They all wanted some variation of the same thing. To pretend they were something they weren’t, and to go to bed with me.
Shannon wasn’t getting within a mile of my bed. Not because I didn’t find her attractive—I did. And that was the problem. The last thing she needed was to be tangled up with someone like me. There was no happily ever after in escort land. Only repeat clients. She watched it play out with Leah and Jagger. Okay, so it worked out for them, but only after they lost everything.
But I couldn’t make myself walk away.
“What do you want to do tonight?” The first rule of escorting was to give the client what she wanted. She wasn’t a client, but it was the only thing I had to go by. Otherwise, I didn’t indulge in anything more serious than a hook up. I liked to keep things simple.
“I’m starving.” She bit her lip, and I waited for her to say something else. The line was gone, but she hadn’t let me past the door.
I’d planned to bring Brandon with me tonight. Get him acquainted with our best clients. I didn’t care what anyone said—nobody came to First Friday for the art. It was about being seen, and no matter where they were, new escorts got all the attention. Not that I ever brought one to First Friday, but I’d been around this group of women long enough to know what they liked. My plan was to build Brandon in Jagger’s likeness, and they’d be clamoring to get their hands on him. Man, I hoped this guy could fuck. That was the only wildcard. One of our clients would surely be down for a free training session.
He couldn’t get a sitter tonight, and now I was glad I didn’t bring him. Shannon was making a fool out of me, keeping me out here. I should’ve left when she started giving me shit about not having one of her engraved invitations. I knew this was a bad idea, but I wanted to know how the hell she turned First Friday into such a success. And what she could do for me.
And my business.
“What are you in the mood for?” I asked.
“Leah wants breakfast, so—”
“I didn’t ask what Leah wanted; I asked what you wanted.” I had to tamp down my Leah-induced rage. She was the catalyst for my life falling apart. Because of her, I lost my job and I was hanging on to my best friend by my fingernails.
Shannon rolled her eyes. “If you let me finish, I would have said I’d cut a bitch for some French toast.”
I laughed. “Nice. Should I be concerned?” I held up my hands and backed away, as if she threatened to arrest me. I did have some cuffs back at the apartment. A place I was definitely not bringing Shannon. Not tonight.
“I’m from Detroit. I can hold my own.” Her hand was back in her ponytail. “I think she said there was a place on the beach that served breakfast all day. What were you thinking?”
Take you to the beach and see what you look like without that dress on was on the tip of my tongue, but Shannon was teaching me a thing or two. Patience. Restraint. “Way to throw the plan-making back to me.”
“Absolutely.” She put down the clipboard and hugged her middle. Her cleavage strained against the neckline of the dress, and I had no complaints. “You know the city. I don’t,” she said.
“What shoes did you wear?” I glanced down at her feet. I’d been distracted by the freckles, the ponytail, and the cleavage. I’d been missing out. The dress ended at the top of her thighs, and her long, bare legs went on forever. She shifted her weight from one leg to the other, in her sky-high heels with a band aid sticking out of the top of the shoe. I let my gaze linger, and from the flush that dappled her thighs, I was making her uncomfortable. I wondered when was the last time that someone made Shannon feel like the center of the universe. Or if it had ever happened.
“I’ve got sneakers out back.” She lifted one of her feet and dragged it along her calf. I was underestimating her.
“Good. Then let’s go to the boardwalk. Beach on one side, all the lights from the hotels on the other.”
“Perfect. I’ve been wanting to get a better look at some of the art deco hotels—get a feel for the style.”
I waved my hand. “No working tonight.”
“Why not?”
“Because you won’t let me get any work done.” I caught Marianne’s eye, who was in a cluster of clients. The rest of them turned to see who she’d waved at, and their faces lit up when they saw me. I slid my gaze back to Shannon. “Still not letting me into the party?”
“Didn’t realize you had an agenda.” She frowned and tugged on her ponytail. “You want to… sell your services to those women?”
“They’re Jag’s old clients.” I nodded as her mouth fell open. “You know what he did for a living. What I do. I’ve got a roster of guys depending on me to drum up some business.”
“Oh.”
“What did you think you were gonna put on my website?”
“I had no idea.” She turned toward the cluster of women I had my sights on. “Listen, if you have something you’d rather do tonight, go for it. I’ll handle Jagger and Leah.”
I took a risk and stepped toward her.
She didn’t retreat. Defiance and relief radiated from her. She got sexier by the second.
“Why do you think everyone’s here tonight?” I asked.
“To check out the art.”
“Nope. They might see a piece they like and take it home”—and that went for the photographs, too— “but they’re here to be seen. How long have you been in Miami?”
“Two weeks.” She sighed. There was sadness in her eyes, and I wondered if she second-guessed her decision to move here.
“I plan on seeing what you’ve got up your sleeve in the way of marketing, but I can tell you, nothing beats face-to-face contact.”
“It’s just that…”
I knew what she was going to say, because I’d heard it a thousand times before. It didn’t piss me off, but I expected Shannon to be a little more open-minded, since she was working for Jagger. “That I’m selling sex? You’ve got to get comfortable with that, because you’ll be selling it too.”
She let her mouth gape, and she looked back to Marianne’s group. “I know that. It’s… I’m wondering what the hell I’m doing here.”
My plan had been to blow past her and join Marianne in the party, but she stopped me dead in my tracks. Women often told me things they told no one else. I was safe to them, because I wasn’t real. Just a fantasy. But Shannon wasn’t part of that world, and she knew it.
“Sounds like you’ve got a great job with Leah,” I said.
“I do. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for that. But I look at this room, and I can’t compete.”
“Why would you want to?” I asked. “If you were like everyone else at this party, I wouldn’t have spent the last hour negotiating for my freedom with you.”
She laughed. “I was wondering why you hadn’t given up yet.”
“Because I like that you didn’t give it to me.” I hadn’t realized how close I’d gotten to her. Her perfume was spicy and too heavy for the Miami heat. It would linger on someone’s sheets, but not mine.
“Zach, I understand that Jagger put us in an awkward position, but I’m here because Leah wants me to help her build her business. I’m not looking for anything… else.”
“That makes two of us,” I said. Her face fell, and that was why I didn’t do this dating bullshit. Shannon said she wasn’t looking for a relationship, but she was disappointed that I agreed. There was no guesswork to what the clients wanted. They got what they paid for. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go talk to those ladies and make us both some money.”
Shannon stepped aside, and I wondered why she really came to Miami. She could’ve gotten a job anywhere. With a lot more stability than what Leah offered her. She had to be looking for something only Leah could give her.
I kissed Marianne on the cheek, aware I was riding Jag’s coattails. Like Shannon was doing with Leah. I glanced back at Shannon as I exchanged cheek kisses with the rest of the group. They were talking—something about how good it was to see me—but I didn’t hear them. There was a shift tonight, and it had freckles and a perfume that wasn’t quite right for the woman who wore it.
Shannon wanted to conquer the world. Now I understood my motivation to do the same.
* * *
“Nice sneakers.” Not what I was expecting. Shannon left the dress on but ditched the heels for a pair of black high-top Chucks with doodles on the soles. “Do you personalize all your stuff?” I asked.
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