He took a sip of his wine, the idea slightly dizzying. “I have no idea if that will work.”
She shrugged helplessly. “It’s all I’ve got. It’s worth a shot. Anything is worth a shot.”
That sounded like a mantra of sorts. It also dragged down her features and lit her eyes with frustration again.
“And why not another guy? Why pay for someone?” he asked. He didn’t bother pointing out that a snap of her fingers would get her anyone she wanted.
She huffed. “Where am I going to find a man that will volunteer to do all that? I intimidate most men, and Mr. Stereotypical Alpha usually finds somewhere else to be when I come around. And if he doesn’t? He’s trying to manipulate or belittle me in order to protect his fragile ego.” She rolled her eyes. “No thanks.”
He twisted his lips in thought. He knew a few guys like that. They weren’t just intimidated by women; they bristled around anyone more powerful or confident.
Dave’s joke about being afraid of women who could beat him up surfaced in Ethan’s memory. While his friend had (mostly) been kidding, it would stand to reason that a great many guys would shy away from the powerhouse sitting in front of him. She exuded confidence like it was her birthright. It was clear she knew exactly who she was, what she wanted, and where she was going. She’d steamroll the best of ’em to grab her dream with two hands. That kind of power was often seen in highflying businessmen, but it was rarer in women.
What people weren’t used to, they feared. Or avoided. Yes, she had a big, steep ladder ahead of her.
Ethan sorely wanted to see her climb. His mother, God rest her soul, would’ve loved Kaylee’s initiative.
“And your ‘friend’ doesn’t fit the alpha-lap-dog mold?” Ethan asked as their dinners arrived. A fat steak took the place of honor on her plate, next to a potato and vegetables swimming in juices. It matched his order exactly, except she hadn’t wanted chives.
Her shapely lips pulled into a smile. “No. He doesn’t make decisions. Even when I ask him to. It drives me crazy. We only go out to dinner when I already know what I want. If I’m feeling wishy-washy, even a little, I go out with a friend that will choose what we have.”
“So you don’t always like being in control.”
“Ugh!” She made a funny expression. “That sounds exhausting. No.”
“And this friend isn’t your boyfriend—why?” Ethan cut a lump off his steak.
She shrugged with one shoulder and put a small piece of steak into her mouth. After chewing for a moment and then swallowing, she answered, “He and I… We get along, and he is a good friend, but…”
“You’d walk all over him.”
That beautiful blush crept into her cheeks again and she dropped her face toward her plate. “Sadly, yes. He doesn’t have a lot of no power.”
“Then you feel bad for pushing him around.”
Her eyebrows lifted. “How’d you know?”
Ethan laughed. “Because I can’t stand doormat women. I don’t walk all over them often, but when I do, I feel like a real turd.”
“You? Walking over someone? Are you not usually this relaxed and easygoing?”
“I always am. And lazy. Very, very lazy. I can run a woman ragged with requests to get me things. When she just keeps on doing it, it’s great, but then I hear my mom’s voice in my head, yelling at me for being a dick. I always end up feeling bad.”
“Your mom is a strong woman?”
“She’s a skeleton right now, actually.” Kaylee jerked as though she’d been slapped. Ethan laughed again. She took life too seriously. “But she was a strong woman, yes. With a great sense of humor. And an aversion to all things domestic. When I was old enough, I ran the house.”
“You ran the house?” She added a heap of butter to her baked potato. “Did you live on a plantation, or something?”
“I just meant that I organized and took care of everything. We had a cleaning service come every couple weeks, so I managed that. I paid the bills, I did the shopping and cooking, made sure the biweekly gardener did his job and got paid for it—that kind of stuff.”
“And your dad?”
“He died when I was five.”
“Wow. She must’ve had a great job if she was paying for all that, the house, you…”
Ethan finished chewing and swallowed before answering. “My dad was a firefighter. He was involved in a lawsuit regarding asbestos. I’ll save you the details, but he and a few others won the suit not long before he died. That was enough to keep us comfortable, but my mother wasn’t happy with merely comfortable. She was excellent at real estate, you see. She could sell a house to anyone she could get a loan for, but more importantly, she had an eye for good purchases. Anything she didn’t need for us, she saved to buy more property. She was a multimillionaire by the time she died. But you know what? If not for me, she would’ve traded it all for a big art show. She would’ve gone on the lam, hippie style, and only worked on her art.”
Kaylee’s eyes widened. “She wanted to be an artist?”
“Yes. She did charcoal drawings. Not good enough to be a working artist, but she loved it.”
“But she kept with the real estate…for you?”
“Yup. And I kept the house running and myself alive. We were a good team.”
“And so you’re…” She squinted. “You have all that property now?”
Shock ran through him. He sat back slowly. He hadn’t meant to tell her all of that. As a rule, he never talked about what he was worth. The knowledge often strained his relationships with people. Changed their perceptions of him. These days, only Colton, Dave, Noah, and Dick knew his situation. He hadn’t even told Madison or Janie.
He shrugged it off and sipped his wine, playing it cool. “Yeah, but I’m not doing anything with it. If I have to, I’ll sell something, but I’d rather keep it going and pass it on to my kids.”
Her eyebrows rose. “You have kids?”
“No. But I hope to someday.”
“Ah.” Her calculating eyes stayed trained on his face. “So you are saving everything you make from rent and whatnot? Because otherwise I’m wondering why you are in this line of work.”
He had to hand it to her: she didn’t miss much. Smart women were much harder to brush off. He smiled. It kept him on his toes.
“In truth, I joined the business because of the other guys. My buddies.” He told her about starting with four, and why two were gone from the website. He shrugged, having never revealed this part of his life either. “Since my mom died, they’ve become my family. A backup family, even if it is a crazy venture that started as a joke. They wanted to go for it, so I stuck with them and went for it. Here I am.”
A smile worked at her lips. “I see. Bro code.”
He’d never thought of it like that, so he shrugged. He didn’t much care what she labeled it, as long as she understood where he was coming from. For some reason, suddenly that was the most important thing.
“How far do you go back with your buddies?” she asked.
“I met them after high school. They all knew each other before that, though.”
“I see.” She eyed her steak, half eaten. After a moment of hesitation, she went back for another bite. Apparently, that was the interrogation over.
He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “So, when is this dinner you speak of?” he asked, going back to his own steak.
“Next Thursday. I’m not sure I’ll need a date.”
He chewed for a moment. “You do need a date, but you’re not convinced I’ll work out. I will, I assure you. In the meantime, I have a horrible surprise for you.”
Kaylee paused in reaching her fork forward. “A horrible surprise?”
Ethan delighted in her confusion. He loved making people try new things, especially ones they initially shrank away from, or presenting them with situations they might find uncomfortable. At the very least, they had an interesting experience. At the most, they learned someth
ing about themselves.
He had a gut feeling that he needed to give Kaylee this horrible surprise. Had to. And right now.
“My mom used to do this to people all the time. It was a hoot. Most of the time. Sometimes it worked out badly.” He dabbed his mouth. “I’ll take you to a place for dessert and give you the surprise. Oh man, you’ll hate it.”
Four
Kaylee knew she was staring at him with an incredulous expression. No words would come. He was completely whack-a-doo. She was used to stupidly hot guys being jerks, but this was the first one she’d met who was certifiably crazy.
He raised his hand for the waitress. When she came over, all smiles and gushing platitudes, he asked for the check.
“Do you want a box?” she asked Kaylee.
“Do I… What?” Kaylee said dumbly. Her thoughts moved too slowly around Ethan. “Oh. No, thanks. I’m fine.”
“You don’t eat leftovers?” Ethan asked after the waitress had gone.
“No. I mean, besides pizza and Chinese food. I usually eat those for breakfast. But I never take anything else home.”
“Gross.” Ethan poured the rest of the wine, splitting it equally. “So I’m going to go ahead and pay for this dinner. And refund your money for the date. I’ve just hijacked your gig. Truth be told, I didn’t want to— Here you go.” He handed off his card to the waitress. His beautiful, clear eyes came back to rest on Kaylee. Shivers came out of nowhere, covering her body, as she fell into his entrancing stare. “I didn’t want to do a gig tonight. I can’t stomach doing too many anymore. They’re getting…dull. So this is an awesome surprise. We can have some fun.”
“No…” The check came back in record time, and before she knew it, she was being guided out of the restaurant. His large hand rested on the small of her back. Heat wormed through her middle and flowered, filling her.
“Where’s your car? Can we leave it here for a while?” he asked.
“No.” When they were outside, she stepped away from him, giving herself space. The cool breeze of fall ruffled her hair, thankfully clearing her mind. “I’m going to go home. I’ll reimburse you for dinner. And the gig, or whatever, will be paid in full. Thank you for the offer of dessert, but I’ll have to pass.”
He waggled a finger at her. “It is crazy to leave with a perfect stranger, I know. A prostitute, no less.” A woman passing by startled and gave Kaylee a narrow-eyed stare. Kaylee wasn’t sure if she was being judged for hiring a prostitute, or if the woman thought she was one. “But when was the last time a multimillionaire prostitute asked you to dessert?”
“What—”
“Exactly. Never. So live a little. You’ll hate it, I promise. But hopefully, after the initial hate, you’ll love it. Let’s try it out and see. C’mon.” He passed a ticket off to a valet.
“But—”
“I’m excited. This might end up a horrible surprise for me, too. One I will cherish.” He rubbed his hands together.
An Audi pulled up and stopped. Ethan started forward, opening the passenger door while handing off a tip. The valet thanked him and they both turned to her.
“I don’t—” She shook her head and looked at his outstretched hand. It would be lunacy to take it and let him drive her away. He’d just admitted as much. It wasn’t only that he was a perfect stranger; he was a paid perfect stranger. But something—his open gaze, maybe, or his relaxed demeanor—had her waffling.
The hand that was reaching for her lowered. A small smile flirted with his lips and his eyes started to glimmer. He swung his other arm up and rested it on top of the door, leaning on it. Waiting for her to make a decision.
He’d tried to get his way without hesitation. She’d put on the brakes.
That fact tickled him, she could tell.
She felt a smile bud and her resolve melt away. Shaking her head, she looked to the side and bit her lip.
There was nothing for it. He had a creepy sort of charm, but for reasons she couldn’t pinpoint, it was too alluring to deny. That, and he respected her hesitation. He knew enough about her personality type not to push. In fact, he seemed to appreciate that she wasn’t rushing into a decision.
She walked forward with an exhale. “You better not try and kill me.”
“I’m much too lazy, don’t worry.” He took her hand and helped her into the car. A moment later, he was sitting into the driver’s seat.
“What happens when this…profession ends?” she asked as he pulled away from the restaurant. “You’ll have to dip into the real estate funds eventually, right? You can’t…do what you do if you have kids.”
“Eventually, yeah. Or I can always do real estate. I’m not nearly as good as my mother, but I make plenty at it when I try. Right now, whoring on an increasingly occasional basis is fine. I used to love getting paid to pleasure women, but now it’s getting a little dull, as I said. The joy is wearing away. Soon it’ll be time to switch gears.”
She frowned when he pulled off on the freeway exit the driver would have used to take her home. Scowled when he took a series of all-too-familiar turns. Then gripped her door handle, convinced she might actually need to make a run for it, as he continued to head toward her house. Finally, they slowed in front of a home two blocks from where she lived.
“Do you live here?” she asked with a tight throat.
“No. My buddy does. All my friends are here for dinner, plus his parents. Welcome to hell. C’mon.” He pushed open his door.
“Wait,” she said, pulling her hands away from her door. “Why did you bring me here?”
“They have dessert.”
“But…”
His door closed with a thud. She stared at it in horror. Then flinched when he turned up on her side.
She poked the lock icon. He tried her door and failed.
His smiling face lowered into her line of sight. “I told you it was a horrible surprise.”
“How do you have friends?”
“It remains a mystery. C’mon, open up. They aren’t that bad once you get into the swing of things.”
“Women always expect me to help out in the kitchen. I can’t help out in the kitchen. I live off of takeout.”
“Colton cooks. You’ll be fine.”
“I break glasses when I wash dishes. My small talk is terrible. Seriously, Ethan. This will be a disaster.” She was shouting by the end, but she wasn’t kidding. She’d learned the hard way that she didn’t have anything in common with the women at these kinds of parties. They always wanted to talk about kids or domestic stuff, and she didn’t know anything about that. Her non-work knowledge was mostly about sports, of all things, since she worked with guys. When it came to clothes, all she knew was suits and slacks. There was rarely a dinner party where she didn’t stick out like a sore thumb, and that wasn’t just because she was eternally single.
“This is the worst,” she mumbled, ignoring his handsome, smiling face. At least this time she wouldn’t be on her own. His weirdness would probably be a distraction to the partygoers. Although, if she was set adrift in the kitchen, she wouldn’t be able to make use of said weirdness.
With a forceful exhale, she grabbed the door handle and pulled before shoving the door open. Ethan backed up and waited near the grass.
She looked off toward her house, so close. She could escape so easily. But the situation was so strange and, dare she say, interesting—so weird and unexpected with an allure of surprise and mystery—that, teamed with the openness in his gaze, she couldn’t help but want to take his hand and willingly go wherever he led her. Besides, if not for this, she’d be at home in a cold and empty house, alone.
“Fine.” She lifted her chin and waited until he moved in close. His hand found the small of her back. “How did you know I hated dinner parties?”
“I knew you’d probably hate this dinner party. Maybe as much as you’ll ultimately come to like it. That’s the joy of horrible surprises. You just don’t know where they’ll lead you.”
; “Well, I can tell where they’ve led you. To crazy town.”
“Yes.” He walked beside her.
“You’re not invited to the company dinner, by the way. I’m just going to throw that out there right now. This is a disaster. You are a loose cannon, and the worst possible person I could bring to that dinner. You’d make them form a thought association between me and a creepy, close-talking psycho.”
“And wouldn’t that be fun?” He ran a firm touch up to her mid-back. A sudden blast of electricity sizzled through her body. She stumbled at the foreign feeling of it.
“Uh oh. Watch your step.” He slowed, clearly thinking she had to relearn to walk. Which was partially true. “My vibe is much better than the dull persona you’re trying for. Here we are.” He rang the doorbell.
“Dull persona?”
“Sure. The hair, the pearls, the black suit. The shoes are the best thing about your whole look.”
“What do you think I should be wearing?” she snapped. “A clown suit?”
“I love this side of you. Passion. Anger.” He made a fist and shook it as footsteps sounded at the other side of the door. “You need to show this side of yourself to Janie. I wonder how it would look on canvas?”
“Who? What?”
Metal clicked before the door swung open, revealing a striking woman in her late twenties with brown eyes, dirty blond hair, and paint splattered all over the front of her black apron. The woman frowned as she stared out at them. “What are you guys doing here?”
“It’s a horrible surprise,” Ethan said, rubbing Kaylee’s back. “This is Kaylee. She paid me to go out to dinner with her as a tryout for a work dinner in a week or so. It’s not going well, but I have high hopes.”
Undertow: Big D!ck Escort Service Page 3