by Dez Burke
“You think this is funny, don’t you?” Jordan growled, glaring at him.
And with that, Tommy simply collapsed into laughter. Jordan waited with cool patience for several minutes as Tommy figuratively rolled on the floor in helpless mirth.
“Look, I’m sorry man,” Tommy gasped when he could finally breathe and speak at the same time. He was holding his belly and he strove to get his merriment under control. “I know it’s low, laughing about it, but you’ve got to see there’s a light side in this situation somewhere.”
“I don’t see it,” Jordan said, deadpan. “I don’t see how the hell this can be funny. I just got a call this afternoon from a strange woman named Tiana, and she has effectively booked me for an evening. Attending a wedding with her might not be so bad, but what if she is expecting other services for her money? Is that even legal?”
Tommy was staring at Jordan. “No. And to get around it the website explicitly states no sexual favors in exchange for money, but hey, it’s an escort site. What the hell do you think she’s paying for? Think about it. That’s so…hot, man.”
Jordan glared at him again, but he had to admit, it was. And that was part of the reason why he hadn’t had the heart to stop her; part of him had been curious to find out what exactly this woman wanted. His curiosity had been pricked; once he got to realize she may not be in on the prank, but was actually an innocent client-to-be, he’d started having the strangest ideas…
Jordan was the kind of guy who liked to try everything at least once, and he certainly had some experience with some other out-of-the-ordinary stuff. He’d even been cuffed to a bed once or twice, he’d confess. But at least, he’d done these things with a girlfriend, someone he knew and trusted. So why was he even considering maybe pulling off the bluff and actually meeting this strange woman?
“You’re thinking of doing it, aren’t you?” Tommy asked, breaking into Jordan’s thoughts. His voice was hushed, and tinged with something like envy. “You sly old dog.”
“I don’t know!” Jordan exclaimed. “I’m not sure what one does in a situation like this. I mean, when she called me and started talking, I just blanked out. It was like I was on some joke TV show. I kept expecting someone to burst in and say I just got “prank-called” or something.”
Tommy let out a “whoosh”, and then said soberly, “Look, you don’t have to do this, Jordan. Just call her up and tell her the truth. I mean what if she’s some psychopath serial killer? I don’t want anything to happen to you.” He actually looked sincerely concerned. Jordan was touched, really.
“Neither do I,” Jordan muttered. “So how can you help me? You’re a lawyer; you must know someone good with investigating. Is it possible to find out who posted my profile?”
Tommy stroked his chin thoughtfully. “You know, I might actually do. There’s this guy, some kind of hacker, but officially, he works as a computer programmer. He helped me out with a simple case of online identity theft some months ago. He just might know how to find the person who’s done this. Maybe trace the computer or IP address or email from where it was posted…”
“Great,” Jordan said, gripping Tommy’s shoulder. “Get him on it. I really don’t want to involve the police just yet.”
“Why not?” Jordan…,” Tommy said warningly, as his friend rose to his feet. “Come on. Don’t do it, man…”
Jordan glanced guiltily at Tommy. “What are you talking about? I just…I just want to meet her okay? It will be my chance to apologize and tell her the truth. It might be embarrassing, for both of us. But I’d rather see her face to face and explain what’s happened. Apparently she really needs a date for this big wedding she’s attending. She was saying something about it being her first time trying out a male escort…”
“And now you’re going to ruin it for her. Forever,” Tommy said, suddenly grinning. “I mean, think how she’ll feel when she finds out the first escort she chooses is not even an escort. And this is actually risky for her as well as you. Extremely risky. She’s acted really carelessly I must say. The actual process of booking a proper independent escort is usually, far more detailed and systematic - which is for her own protection. There are actual agencies for this sort of thing; so that way both the client and the service provider can be sure that there’s an element of security if something goes wrong.”
It was Jordan’s turn to stare at his friend. “How do you know so much about this? Have you tried an escort before?”
“Hey, due to my job I get to know about a lot of procedures, okay? But yeah, I have had an escort before – a female one,” he confessed with a goofy grin. “Tried it when I had to go to Australia for a conference. And trust me, it was great. She was really classy, just like any woman you’d see walking around this law firm. Most of these ladies are independent escorts; which means they work for themselves, call their own shots. They can happen to be anyone from a former beauty queen to your dentist. Anyway, mine was sexy, beautiful. Spectacular assets. She showed me around town, and we went to the theater and then dinner. And then back in my hotel room…” He widened his eyes expressively. “Mind blowing.”
“How come you never even told me any of this?” Jordan accused.
“What? Strait-laced you? I didn’t want to have you judging me,” Tommy said with mock affront, then grinned. “Seriously dude, I just did it one time on a whim. I was bored, in a strange place, all alone…I just did it for the hell of it and it was fun. I might actually consider doing it again since I got so lucky the first time. Unlike this new “client” of yours,” he added with a bigger grin, sitting back on his chair. “Seems like such a pity that of all the hunks on the site, it had to be you, the one guy who’s actually not even an escort.”
And then Tommy shrugged. “But then again I can understand why she may have picked you out. I mean here’s a guy offering “gentleman company” and willing to spoil her in the comfort of her home or restaurant. Promising to be a true gentleman with impeccable manners, providing stimulating yet relaxed conversation, and all wrapped in a superb athletic build…”
“Let me see that,” Jordan yelled, and he came back behind the desk to check out what Tommy was reading from the screen. Jordan hadn’t really taken the time to thoroughly view what had been written on his own “page”; he’d been too thunderstruck for much to really register.
But as he read on, he was getting more and more interested in this…case. This looked like a woman who’d been missing some attention, perhaps one who needed a man who had an extra touch. Maybe she wanted someone to make her feel special for the night.
He kept thinking of her, with her unconsciously sexy voice which had contrasted with her cool, methodical manner. Was she those types of women who had the calm, reserved exterior, but who actually liked to get hot and wild in the sheets? Jordan was seriously, seriously considering the options open to him here, and how he could use, not to his advantage, but at least, to give the woman what she wanted.
And to warn her, of course. Didn’t she realize the danger? She hadn’t even known how to properly book an escort. Women like that could get themselves in trouble. He decided he’d have to make sure he did meet with her and straighten out some things, just so the next time, she’d take more care.
Screw that. You’re doing this for you.
That inner, accusing voice made him blink as he decided maybe it was true: he wanted to do this crazy, dumb and stupid thing, and just because he could. She would never even know the difference. And in the end, they’d both get what they wanted. Not a bad prospect was it?
“As your lawyer and your friend, I’m begging you not to do this,” Tommy was saying, breaking into his thoughts once again. “Jordan, you’re supposed to be focusing on finding the culprit and also getting your name and face off that site. You really shouldn’t be playing the gentleman companion this weekend, no matter how the prospect appeals to you. And if I’ll be honest, to me.”
He was grinning again, as if unable to help himself. He sighed
when he saw the decided look on Jordan’s face. “What if you meet her, see she’s not what you were expecting. Maybe she’s not your type of woman at all.”
Jordan shrugged. “I’d still go through with it. I mean, isn’t that what escorts do? They don’t just turn people down based on physical appearance or if they aren’t their usual “type”. They’d end up with a drastically slim log of clients if they’re that picky. No, she sounded hot, and I’m sure she is. She even told me a bit about herself and what she’ll be wearing so I’d recognize her in the lobby of the country club where I’m meeting her. I don’t know, Tommy…but the more I think of this, the more I think I can pull it off. Let me give the lady the good time she’s looking for.”
Tommy smiled shrewdly at his friend. “Yeah, so magnanimous of you. But you know that you could get in some legal trouble if she finds out you’re not for real?”
For the first time, Jordan grinned with wide humor, as he headed for the door. “That’s why I’ve got such a hot-shot lawyer like you. You’ll be there to pull me out if that eventuality occurs, which I doubt it will.” He threw open the door and looked back for a moment. “Find out who did this, Tommy,” he added more soberly, then left.
Chapter Three
Tiana was not surprised that she had started having cold feet.
She was standing the lobby of the country club, waiting for Jordan to arrive. And yet, she was also having this strong urge to dash out of the room before he appeared. What if this whole thing blew up in her face?
She understood that the concept of exchanging money for companionship could offend some people. But that didn’t bother her. No one would know that the man who would be coming to join her was actually a paid escort. She knew she’d be seated at a table of strangers at the reception dinner anyway.
What she was actually having were those “blind date” jitters - the suspense becoming too much to bear that you weren’t sure you could wait and face your fears. Would she feel attracted to him when she met him in person? Would she get to discover that his profile was photo-shopped and he was not as hot, virile and stimulating as she’d been made to believe?
He was here.
She recognized him on sight. Not only because it was five thirty on the dot as they had arranged, and not even because he was wearing a dark suit and blue tie like he said he would be. No, she knew it was him because once he walked in the door, she recognized his bone-melting smile and his sizzling good looks that even that sexy photo hadn’t portrayed with proper justice.
He’d noticed her too, and she could have sworn he did that same double-take when he caught sight of her. She may have only imagined it though, because his charming smile slipped back into place as he strode up to her.
“Nice necklace,” were the first words he said, his chin tipping to the strand of pearls she’d told him she would be wearing. She had to smile, equally tilting her head in response.
“Now that we’ve established identities…” she began, regaining her poise – and her heartbeat. Next, she was holding out a hand elegantly, as she added, “Why don’t you join me for a wedding?”
He shook hands firmly, and just from that brief yet warm contact, she felt it.
The surge.
That wave of awareness she rarely ever felt but strongly recognized when it happened. That first, simple physical interaction that screamed out “chemistry” to a woman who understood why that was important.
It was important to Tiana, that was for sure. It was the reason she was currently single; the reason she’d dumped her last boyfriend. They’d never had it. And over time, it certainly hadn’t developed - which was what she had foolishly hoped. Also, no one she had met since then had been able to dredge up even a flash of it.
And yet, just now, with this perfect stranger, this totally gorgeous, virile-looking hunk of male, she had felt that definite force of electricity. It sent that long-forgotten shiver down her spine; doused her like a bowl of water, hitting her with the sudden wish that she could say, you know what, scrap this stupid wedding. Let’s just go off somewhere and …
But she restrained herself, and smiled calmly enough as he finally withdrew his hand and tucked her arm into his. He hadn’t taken his eyes off her, and she hazarded a guess that he had maybe read her mind, from the way a pleased smile tilted those gorgeous lips of his. It was hardly possible, and yet, maybe it showed on her face that the boss’s wedding was the last thing on her mind right then.
But Tiana drew in one more calming breath, and strained to focus. This was business. An arrangement. She was paying good money for this, she reminded herself – and it was time Mr. Jordan began to earn every cent…
***
Jordan hadn’t known what to expect. Her voice on the phone had hinted at well-educated, confident, sexy black woman. And Tiana turned out to be all that and more. She was, in fact, stunning.
She couldn’t be called “chunky”, but she was certainly filled out in the right places. He wasn’t an expert on such matters, and yet he figured she had to be at least a very curvy size. He thought of what Tommy had warned him about; that maybe she wouldn’t be his type. But hell, whatever type Tiana was, she was definitely his. Jordan’s ex-girlfriend had been reed-slim, with the perfect “model” looks and body. But then Jordan had found out long ago that the model-thin image and size were not always a defining factor when it came to what was sexy, or attractive.
One thing was for sure: Tiana looked sexy and attractive. He liked how she wore her hair, done in a wavy style pinned close to the sides of her head. Very feminine. It made her features all the more open to scrutiny, and certainly she had nothing to worry about in the looks department with her even caramel skin, a nice, smooth forehead, perky nose, and full, inviting lips.
Her eyes were a bright, arresting brown, thickly lashed and piercing. It cut right through him every time she looked at him in that speculatively sensual way of hers that made his blood steam up. She seemed ready to leap right at him, Jordan sensed, and just the discovery of having her so attracted to him was making him forget all his good intentions.
The truth was: he’d finally decided to come clean. Realized that there was no way he could get away with deceiving her. He’d told himself this over and over, as he’d driven here to meet her. That first crazy impulse he’d felt in Tommy’s office had cooled down into common sense. He’d warned himself that he couldn’t let her go on thinking he was something he was not. He couldn’t proceed with this farce, knowing he was tricking an unsuspecting female.
But then he’d come in, taken one look at her in that alluring emerald green dress, and he’d felt something kick him in the guts.
I can’t deny it; I want her badly, Jordan decided. Their gazes kept locking and he wondered if she knew exactly what she was doing to him. How she was making him ready to forget all his codes, his principles – his sane judgment, just to see where all this would lead.
You could just tell her the truth, a voice told him simply. Let her know that this was all a massive mix-up, and then confess that you are attracted to her anyway. And who knew? It could still end splendidly, for both of them. She could laugh it all off with him and say, what the hell, let’s carry on regardless.
But no…this way was far, far more fun.
Thrilling, even. Having her seated beside him, thinking to herself that here was a man who was ready to do her will, to please her in every way she desired – on her terms – stopped Jordan from coming out with the truth. He looked into her big, startling brown eyes, and he knew that he’d face the consequences, whatever they were, much later. Tonight, he was her paid escort. And he was going to make every second, every dime worth it…
***
“Are you allowed to tell me about yourself?” Tiana whispered, her tone half-teasing.
Their first course had arrived at the reception, and she was sipping on her wine glass as she waited for him to reply. She’d spoken to Alyssa about it and while her friend had advised Tiana not to say an
ything about other women or his past clients, Alyssa had still sounded thrilled that Tiana had taken the plunge and also, that she’d picked Jordan.
“Make sure you enjoy yourself and save all the juicy details for me later,” Alyssa had giggled with glee.
Tiana had thankfully taken the time to do some reading up on escort etiquette, and understood that, as Alyssa had advised, there were some questions that were bad taste and off limits. Like why was he doing this, getting paid to provide companionship to unknown women? Especially when he looked like someone from a designer cologne ad – like a guy who could easily be found on one of those Forbes’ top ten CEO lists or something. Come to think of it, his pastime as a high-priced escort probably bought him a better lifestyle than she could boast of as a PR rep. Whatever the case, he suited her needs just fine.
Damn.
It was hard taking her eyes off him even for a second. He looked early to mid-thirties, and seemed much like a guy who’d be as comfortable in a high-powered suit than in surf-boarding gear. He certainly seemed fit enough for it. His looks were clean-cut, chiseled. His hair was raven-black and sleekly trimmed. His clothes appeared very expensive, tasteful and well-fitting.
She glanced at his hands, wrapped around his wine glass and shivered. They certainly looked capable of providing pleasure, if one could tell just by looking. They were nice, blunt-tipped, man’s hands. Well-manicured, with a nice dusting of dark, silky hair on the surface, trailing up past the band of his expensive-looking watch and into the sleeve of his shirt and jacket. Tiana was intrigued. He really was superbly kept – but then, being a “gigolo”, a male escort or whatever it was proper to call him, must pay well in his case.
He seemed to take his good time before replying to her question, as he wiped at his lips with his napkin.
“Of course,” he said at last, smiling easily. “What would you like to know?”