by Sandi Lynn
When I was eighteen, and right before I was scheduled to attend NYU, my mother was diagnosed with cancer and had to undergo many rounds of chemotherapy. Because she was so ill and missed a lot of work, she was fired and lost the shitty health insurance she had right before she was diagnosed. I had to put college on the back burner so I could get a job and take care of her. The problem was, the job I got waitressing didn’t pay shit, even with the tips. She was getting further behind in her bills. Not only her everyday living expenses, but also the high medical bills that were rolling in. We were on the verge of getting evicted. I did the best I could, but it was never enough and we were both sinking fast.
One night, I ran into a woman named Marie who was having dinner with some people at the restaurant I worked at. When she stepped outside to have a cigarette, she saw me crying. She walked over and asked me if I was okay. I tried to play it off as if it were nothing, but she knew better. She got me to talk about my situation, and after she heard my story, she offered me some help. She told me how she was an escort and that she was getting ready to retire from it, but she didn’t want to leave her clients high and dry. She said I was a beautiful woman and asked me if I’d be interested in trying it out. I’ll never forget what she said.
“Listen, darling, you’ll make more money in one month than you do for an entire year working at this place.”
I didn’t have a choice at the time, and I knew it would only be temporary until my mother and I could get back on our feet. She coached me, taught me the ropes, and when I was ready, she sent me some of her clients. I hated it, but I loved the money. These men paid me well, which allowed me to pay off my mother’s medical bills and help us get back on our feet.
I escorted for two and a half years before I decided to get out of the business because of a man named Daniel. He was, or so I thought, the love of my life and swept me off my feet from the moment he looked at me. We dated for a month and trying to hide what I did for a living was difficult. As far as he was concerned, I worked as a home health aide with crazy hours. So I quit and ended up getting an office job as a receptionist working 9-5. We dated for about six months and I was happy. Happier than I’d ever been, until I got pregnant. The night I told him, he asked me if I was going to keep the baby. I was shocked that he would even ask such a question. When I told him yes, he hugged me and told me he was happy too. That same night, he went out to get us food and I never saw him again.
I gave birth to Stella when I was twenty-one years old. The company I worked for ended up closing its doors when I was on maternity leave. I took some time off looking for another job because I didn’t know what I was going to do with Stella, and needless to say, the little nest egg I had saved from my escorting days ran out quickly between living expenses, hospital bills, and schooling expenses.
As I sat holding her in my arms and stared down at her precious face, I knew I wanted to give her everything she deserved. She didn’t ask to be born and she didn’t deserve her father abandoning her. I wanted a better life for my daughter than what I had, so I knew what I had to do. Only this time, it would be different.
Once my mother went into remission and was cancer free, she got a job as a secretary in a real estate office. She worked the normal 9-5 hours and made barely enough to support herself and help me out. I could change that for her. So after having a long conversation, she agreed to quit and take care of Stella while I worked. This time around, my job wasn’t the couple of hours here and there. Sometimes it consisted of two, maybe three-day weekends. But that was where I drew the line. I was never gone more than three days at a time. And when I came home, I didn’t work for three days so I could spend all of my time with Stella.
My mother knew what I did for work. We never kept secrets from each other. And even though she didn’t like me getting back into escorting, she knew I had to do what was best for Stella. Plus, she liked the money I paid her and the apartment I put her up in.
“Mommy.” Stella smiled as she ran into my arms.
Picking her up, I hugged her tight.
“Hello, baby. How was school?” I asked as I put her down.
“Fine.”
“Just ‘fine’?” I patted her head as we walked to the car.
“It was kind of boring. Hi, Ben.” Her face lit up.
“Hello, little lady.” He grinned.
We climbed into the back of the car and Ben shut the door and drove us home.
“Take your backpack to your room,” I said as we stepped inside. “What do you want for dinner?”
“Surprise me,” she said as she took off down the hallway.
I walked to my office, where I found my friend and personal assistant, Sasha, sitting behind her desk.
“How did it go?” she asked as she looked up from her computer.
“He couldn’t go through with it, so we just talked. I told him to take his wife on a date and buy her some flowers.”
Sasha let out a laugh.
“I’ll flag his account in case he wants to book you again,” she said.
“Good idea, but I don’t think he will.”
“Mr. Willows called and booked you for next weekend. Friday-Sunday. He has an event in Texas he needs to attend. He’s flying you out Friday morning and you’ll be back Sunday night.”
“Good. I like Texas.” I smiled. “Are you staying for dinner?”
“No. Not tonight. I’m teaching yoga over at the studio. In fact,” she glanced at her watch, “I better get going.”
“Stella, Auntie Sasha is leaving. Come say goodbye,” I shouted down the hallway.
Stella came running in and hugged Sasha goodbye.
“You’re not staying for dinner?” Stella pouted.
“Not tonight, missy. I have a yoga class to teach.”
Sasha Hathaway and I had been friends since junior high school. She was there for me when my mom was sick and she was there for me with Stella. Not only was she one of my best friends, she was my personal assistant and helped out with Stella from time to time. As far as anyone outside my little circle was concerned, I was a freelance marketing consultant. After Daniel left me, I took some college classes in marketing with the hopes of moving up in the company I had worked for. Little did I know they’d go under and it would become my perfect cover.
Chapter 3
Brielle
The clients who hired me always saw me in disguise. Long brown hair, emerald-green eyes, and a face full of makeup. Never did I allow any of my clients to see my true self. The last thing I needed was for them to recognize me on the street. Plus, it was safer that way. I also never allowed them to know my real name: Brielle Winters. They only knew me as Emmy Pine. When you’re in the kind of business I am, you have connections. Connections that allowed me to obtain a fake ID, credit cards, and bank accounts in my escort name.
“Now you be good for Grandma.” I smiled as I brushed a strand of Stella’s hair out of her face.
“I always am.” She grinned.
“I love you and I’ll see you in a couple of days.” I hugged her tight.
“I love you too, Mommy.”
“Have a safe trip, honey,” my mom spoke as she hugged me.
“Thanks, Mom.”
I grabbed my suitcase and my bag, headed out the door and down to the lobby where Ben was waiting for me. As I sat in the back of the car, I did my makeup and put on my wig. Every time I left Stella, I felt a pain in my heart.
“Have a safe trip, Brielle. I’ll be here when you get back.”
“Thanks, Ben. I’ll see you in a couple of days.” I smiled as I climbed out and he shut the door behind me.
Walking into the airport, I checked in, made it through security, and took my seat in first class, compliments of Derek Willows. He had been a long-time client of mine. Four years to be exact. He was the CEO of Willow Vineyards in California. We met when I was out there with another client of mine. I was convenient for him and only saw him when he traveled. He was mid-fifties, six feet tall
, salt and pepper hair that was perfectly kept and brown eyes. He and his wife Trish had been married for twenty-five years and they had four children. I was his escape. Something he desperately craved. We had become close friends over the past four years. He could talk to me about things he couldn’t with his wife and that took some of the pressure off him. That was what most of my clients told me. It just wasn’t always about the sex. A majority of the time, it was about understanding and just being there to listen to them.
When I arrived in Texas, there was a car waiting for me to take me to the Rosewood Manor on Turtle Creek hotel. When I walked into the lobby, I saw Derek standing there, looking dapper in his designer navy blue suit.
“Hello, darling.” He smiled as he took my hands and kissed my cheek.
“Hello, Derek.” I returned his smile.
He took my suitcase and my bag from me and we took the elevator up to his suite.
“Nice,” I said as I looked around. “So how’s Trish doing?”
“She’s Trish,” he spoke as he walked over to the bar and poured me a glass of red wine. “Devon moved out and now it’s just the two of us in that big house. So you can imagine how things are. It’s like we don’t even know each other anymore. Anyway, how are you?”
“I’m good.” I smiled.
“Business going good?” he asked.
“Yes. Business is really good.”
“Good. I’m happy to hear that. Tonight’s event is formal, so there’s a dress I rented for you hanging in the closet along with some jewelry in a box on the dresser.”
“Thank you, Derek.”
He took the glass from my hand and set it on the table. Bringing his hand up to my face, he softly kissed my lips.
“It’s been quite a while since I’ve had sex, so I’ve been looking forward to this since I booked you.”
After our romp in the sack, he ordered room service for us and we chatted about what was going on in his life and his business before we were to attend the event. While he showered, I touched up my makeup and ran a brush through my brown hair. After slipping into the strapless black form-fitted dress that was hanging in the closet, Derek took the diamond necklace from the box and slipped it around my neck.
“You look as beautiful as always, Emmy.”
“And you look as handsome as always.” I smiled as I straightened his bow tie.
The thing with these business events was I was never the only escort in the room. These types of men always brought escorts with them while their wives sat at home. They had a guy code: I won’t tell if you won’t.
The event was being held outside in the garden area, which was astoundingly beautiful. Waiters and waitresses carrying around trays of champagne and hor d’oeuvres were dressed in black form-fitting suits. Round tables that seated eight were set up with fine white linen and china.
“Derek, it’s good to see you,” a devilishly handsome man said as he approached.
“Caden. How are you? I didn’t know you were going to be here.”
“It was a last-minute thing,” he spoke as his eyes raked over me. “Is she with you?”
“Yes, forgive me. Caden, this is Emmy. Emmy, this is Caden Chamberlain.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He slyly smiled as he extended his hand.
“And you as well, Mr. Chamberlain.”
His fingers wrapped around my hand as his eyes stared into mine. A few moments later, everyone was called to take their seats.
“We’re at table fourteen,” Derek spoke.
“So am I.” Caden grinned.
Derek and I took our seats and Caden sat on the other side of me. I wasn’t going to lie and tell you that I felt comfortable, because I didn’t. Mr. Chamberlain made me very uncomfortable. I didn’t know if it was the way he stared at me with a hunger in his eyes or the fact that he was one hell of a sexy man. He was approximately thirty years old and stood six foot two with sassy light brown hair. He kept it shorter on the sides and a medium length on top, which was swept up, giving him an edgy look. He had a masculine jaw line, which sported a neatly kept five o’clock shadow, chiseled cheekbones, and deep blue eyes. I’d seen many men in my time, but no one that had ever caught my attention the way Caden Chamberlain had.
After dinner, and before the guest speakers took their turn, I got up from my seat and headed into the hotel to use the ladies’ room. When I was finished, I couldn’t find Derek anywhere, so I went over to the bar to get a drink.
“What can I get for you?” the bartender asked.
“I’ll have a gin martini, neat, with a twist of lemon.”
“Excellent choice,” I heard a voice say next to me.
When I glanced over, I saw Caden leaning up against the bar with a smile on his face.
“Thank you.”
“I’ll have the same except no lemon,” he spoke to the bartender.
“You haven’t by any chance seen Derek, have you?” I asked.
“His phone rang, and he walked away to take the call. I haven’t seen him since. Did he hire you to spend the weekend with him?”
The bartender set our drinks down and I quickly grabbed my glass and brought it up to my lips.
“That’s something you’ll have to ask him yourself,” I replied.
He stood there with his drink in his hand and narrowed his eye at me.
“I don’t have to ask him. I already know because there’s no way someone as gorgeous as you would hook up with that old geezer unless you were getting paid.”
I raised my brow at him as I sipped my martini.
“There you are.” Derek ran over to me in a panic. “I’m sorry, but I have to get back to California. Trish had a heart attack and they’re taking her into emergency surgery.”
“Oh my god, Derek. I’m so sorry.”
“If anything happens to her, Emmy.”
I reached out and grabbed hold of his hand.
“She’s going to be okay, Derek.”
“Caden, when are you leaving here?” he asked him.
“Tomorrow morning. Why?”
“Can Emmy fly with you back to New York?”
“That’s okay, Derek. I’ll book a flight.”
“No,” Caden spoke. “You’re more than welcome to fly back with me on my private jet.”
“It’s fine. I’ll pull up the flights now.” I reached in my purse and pulled out my phone.
“I said you’re flying back with me,” he spoke in an authoritative tone. “There’s no sense in paying for a ticket change when you can fly absolutely free.”
“Thank you, Caden. I have to run. Emmy, I’ll be in touch, darling.”
Chapter 4
Caden
She was one hell of a sexy woman, and the only thing I could think about was being buried deep inside her. My cock throbbed at the mere sight of her. She finished her drink, grabbed her purse, and got up from the bar stool.
“It was nice to meet you, Mr. Chamberlain, but I think I’m going to call it a night.”
“How much?” I asked.
“Excuse me?”
“How much for the night? The entire night?”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t work that way.”
“What’s the name of your agency? I’ll call them now and book you since there was a change in your plans.”
“I don’t work for an agency, Mr. Chamberlain. I work for myself.”
“Better yet.” I smirked. “Spend the night with me and I’ll pay you twenty thousand dollars.”
“Twenty thousand dollars for one night?” Her brow raised.
“Yes, because I get the feeling you’ll be worth every penny.”
“Have you ever hired an escort before?” she asked.
“No. I don’t need to. I can have any woman I want at any time.”
“Then go find yourself one. There’s no sense in paying for sex when you can get it for free.” She slyly smiled at me as she walked away.
I threw back my drink and set the glass down
on the bar.
“Meet me at the restaurant terrace tomorrow morning at nine a.m. and we’ll have breakfast together before we get on my plane and head back to New York. At least let me buy you breakfast.”
She stopped, turned around, and stared at me for a moment.
“I’ll tell you what, I’ll meet you for breakfast, but it’s on me. It’s the least I can do since you’re letting me fly home for free. Deal?” she asked with an arch in her brow.
“Okay then. Deal.”
I watched her walk away and step into the elevator. Her five-foot-seven slender body was sculpted to perfection. Judging by the way her cleavage looked in that dress, I would guess she was a natural C cup. All I needed was a little patience and soon enough my lips would be all over those beautiful breasts of hers and my cock would be feeling the warmth of her pussy.
Brielle
I stepped into the suite and kicked off my shoes. Who the hell was I to turn down twenty thousand dollars for one night with a man like Caden Chamberlain? I was stupid, nuts, and certifiably crazy. Derek paid me a total of twenty-five thousand for the weekend. So if I would have taken Mr. Chamberlain up on his offer, I would have walked away with a total of forty-five thousand dollars in my pocket. But I couldn’t. I wasn’t breaking my rule and potentially putting myself in danger. Plus, there was something about him that was taboo, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. I had good instincts and my instincts told me that if I would have spent the night with him without proper procedure, I would have regretted it.
I went into the bathroom to start a bath when I heard a knock at the door. Looking out the peephole, I saw it was Caden. Shit. What the fuck was he doing here? A nervousness settled inside me, so I went back to the bedroom, retrieved my gun from my bag and quickly loaded it just in case. Walking to the door, I placed my hand on the handle, stood behind it, and slowly opened it.