Revealed: A Hype PR and Eye Candy Bookstore Anthology

by Bethany Lopez

  I reached out and took her hand in mine. “No matter who it is, me or any other man, don’t ever allow anyone to make you feel as if you can’t be yourself. Because you should never change who you are to impress someone. You’re a beautiful woman, Emery.” I leaned in a little closer. “I can already see your beauty runs deep and I’ve only known you for a week.”

  I hope she knew what I just told her wasn’t just some line. It was the truth.

  What I found scary was that it wasn’t difficult to share things with Emery. I didn’t find myself holding back for fear of getting too close.

  It was exactly what I had avoided. What I had not wanted.

  But talking to Emery felt like talking to someone I had known for years. She was sweet, and you could almost feel her kindness.

  Everything inside me was screaming walk away, but I knew I couldn’t, not now. Because the idea of any other man getting closer to Emery, inside or outside of this club, left me feeling both possessive and irritable.

  “Dance with me,” I asked, surprising the both of us. It was yet another act I didn’t do often.

  Without an answer from her, I slid from the booth and reached out my head, waiting for her to place hers in mine.

  The moment she was up and secure on her own two feet I led her toward the music room and to the center of the dance floor.

  Soft, delicate music played from the surround sound throughout the room. An alluring melody that instantly gave off that romantic feel.

  It was designed to set the mood for our clients.

  I spun her around placing her in front of me, as I stepped into her space. The front of my body pressed firmly against her, I hooked my arm around her waist and began to move.

  The sway of our bodies together matched the tone of the song and instead of looking directly at her, I chose the safer route. Tilting my head just enough, I rested my chin against her cheek and tried to calm my racing heart.

  She was supposed to be a form of distraction. A pretty woman to fill my time here with. That was it.

  But why did I already feel like that was impossible?

  Why did I feel as if I’d made the biggest fucking mistake when I claimed Emery as my personal hostess?

  Chapter 7

  Emery

  “You two seem to be getting close,” Whitney took the opportunity to press me for information regarding Jake and me. Only there wasn’t much to tell her.

  “I don’t know if I would call it close,” I confessed. “We talk, a lot. We laugh. And yeah we’ve shared a few kisses on occasion, but that’s all.”

  “Last night looked like more than just talking and a few kisses.” She stepped up next to me and bumped shoulders with me.

  She had insisted we needed a shopping trip. It had been months since I could last afford to spend any unnecessary money. It was nice to have the ability to splurge a little. Now that I’ve been working for Sadie for a little over a month, I could afford to buy myself a few things.

  Something low cut, and alluring. Her words, not mine. Apparently Whitney felt I needed to show a little more skin.

  “Well, maybe things will change after tonight,” she added as she pulled a black dress with a plunging neckline from the rack in front of us. “Because this is the dress you’ll be wearing.”

  I started to argue but she was already walking away with the dress in hand and heading straight for the cashier who smiled happily knowing she was about to receive a huge commission from the armload of clothes my very dear friend had in tow.

  Whitney was matched with Walter, a very successful recently divorced surgeon, who enjoyed her spunky attitude and her overactive sex drive. She shared one too many details with me on a regular basis.

  Every time I passed Walter at The Lounge, I blushed as memories of the things Whitney had told me about him rushed through my mind.

  So on most nights I would look at the ground as I passed by in a rush. I’m sure he has already pinpointed me as the strange girl.

  The thought made me smile. If only he knew I had all the details of his sexual likes, dislikes and weird quirks.

  ***

  The atmosphere of the lounge when Whitney and I stepped inside was different from most nights. It was more upbeat and it appeared there were more people than usual.

  We were instantly approached by a few other girls that I had grown closer to while working here and they explained the reasoning for the crowd.

  Apparently it was the birthday of one of the oldest members of the club and Sadie felt the need to celebrate big.

  I hadn’t received any requests from Jake to meet tonight, but I’d hoped he didn’t mind me just assuming that it would be okay to make plans of my own.

  I was still trying to figure out Jake, he was puzzling on a good day and completely confusing the remaining part of the time.

  I was engrossed in conversation with a few of the girls when I felt a strong hand grip my hip and instantly I knew it was him. It was the way he stepped up behind me and pressed his body to mine. I’d gotten used to the contours of his chest, and the erotic way my body reacted to his touch.

  Just the simplest of things with Jake felt like so much more.

  “Did you wear this for me?” he asked, his breath blowing against my ear, and trailing along the contour of my neck.

  I only nodded my head in reply.

  I could smell the alcohol on his breath.

  Apparently he’d started the celebration early.

  I was just about to ask him if he had a drink for me, when I felt his lips against my neck. Tilting my head to the side I remained silent as he kissed down my neck, just before sucking lightly on my shoulder.

  “You are so beautiful,” he whispered. Chills covered my arms and back when the wetness he’d left on my skin reacted to the warm breath released when he spoke. “So sweet,” he added before kissing me once again.

  This was the first time Jake took it upon himself to make the first move and I had to admit, I loved it. Yes having control of the pace and steps we took was empowering, but as I said before, I never knew what it was he was thinking. And that always made me hesitate with him.

  So instead of thinking tonight, I did what he told me to on the second night we were together.

  I just felt.

  “The things you force me to feel.” He was now whispering random things and I wasn’t sure if he meant for me to hear them, but I heard every word. And the feelings his words were invoking in me made me wonder what it was that was truly happening between us. “You’re not supposed to make me want more.”

  I was still so confused. Yet all my mind could focus on was the way his lips continued to tease my neck and shoulder. His hands had now slid around my waist and were resting very low on my stomach.

  And my heart was beating so fast, I swear I could hear the whoosh sounds in my ears.

  I turned in his arms when I could no longer take the little he was giving me.

  I wanted more.

  Jake didn’t seem surprised by my movements, only pleased that he now had full access to my lips, which he took full advantage of.

  Being in a room full of other people wasn’t a concern since it was that type of club. No one thought twice about a couple making out. Now when things got a little heavy it was time to move to a more secluded area, which was now the level we had reached.

  Jake began gliding his hand up my thigh and the silk material of my dress was rising with his grip.

  When I felt his fingertips skim over the hem of my panties, I pulled back and looked up at him.

  His eyes were hazed over and he wore a sloppy grin on his face.

  “Maybe we should move this to another room,” I suggested and he showed no signs of hesitation.

  As we moved along the hall, he continued to touch me and at one point he gripped my hips and pushed me back against the wall, covering my mouth once again with his.

  We were only a few feet from one of the private rooms when our heated session was interrupted
by the sound of another female voice.

  “Jake, could I possibly talk to you for just a moment?”

  We both pulled back from our kiss to find Sadie standing only a few feet away.

  “I’m a little busy here, Sadie,” he replied and she remained in the same place giving him a stern look.

  “It’ll only take a minute,” she assured him.

  The atmosphere suddenly grew tense so I stepped around Jake and told him I would wait for him in the Midnight Lounge. He didn’t look pleased but nodded his head just before I walked away.

  Chapter 8

  Jake

  I watched as Emery moved toward the opposite end of the hall before I turned back to Sadie. My body was humming from the way Emery felt against me and I wanted nothing more than to finish what had been brewing between the two of us for weeks.

  The fact that Sadie chose that very moment to interrupt our activities, well frankly, it pissed me off.

  “What the fuck was that all about?” I asked, running my hand over my face before reaching up to grip the back of my neck. My head was spinning from the alcohol I had consumed; mixed with the adrenaline, it was a dangerous combination.

  “I thought we discussed earlier that you felt you needed some distance from Emery.” She stepped closer and lowered her voice. “You said you were getting too close, Jake. And we agreed that the best solution was to pair her up with someone else and for you to move past this; it’s what you wanted. So what are you doing?”

  I hung my head, still with my hand gripping the back of my neck tightly. What the fuck was I doing?

  This was my business, hell I’d even helped Sadie set up the rules. As a lawyer I was the one responsible for the contracts that both the clients and hostesses signed. And I was the one standing here violating almost every clause.

  “Can you call me a cab?” I asked her without even looking up at her.

  “Sure,” I knew Sadie well enough to know that she didn’t like this any more than I did, but she was only looking out for me.

  “Will you tell her I had to leave?”

  “Of course,” she assured me. And still I remained looking at the floor. Until I spoke my next words.

  “Who will you match her with?” the entire idea of it just made my stomach turn but I knew it was for the best. I’d crossed a line and started feeling something for Emery when it was all just business. A contract between two people that gave us the ability to have fun yet once we walked out of The Lounge we were meant to act as complete strangers.

  My problem was I couldn’t stop thinking about her.

  “We have a new guy,” Sadie announced. “He’s a colleague of Walter’s. Just moved to the area and looking for something to help blow off steam at the end of a long day. With his work schedule he doesn’t have time to date, so The Lounge and its services seem like a perfect fit.”

  It did, I had to agree. But because he was getting the girl I wanted, I couldn’t have disagreed more. Only I kept that opinion to myself.

  “I’ll be waiting in your office, until my cab arrives.” I didn’t say anything further on the matter. I didn’t argue and fight her on placing Emery with another man, I just walked away without looking back.

  Had I met her outside of The Lounge, had she not been contracted as one of our hostesses, things would be different. But this was her job, she agreed to the terms of the contract and signed it willingly.

  She didn’t want more.

  We couldn’t want more.

  ***

  I had avoided going to Sadie’s for close to a week. We kept in contact through emails and phone calls but I made up one excuse after another of being unable to get away. Complaining dramatically about a new case that arrived on my desk that need my full attention.

  I know that Sadie most likely knew it was just a way for me to support my distance, but she didn’t call me out on it.

  It was hard enough imagining Emery with another man, the last thing I needed right now was to fucking see it.

  Chapter 9

  Emery

  It was my third night with Trevor, and it hadn’t gotten any easier. He was the complete opposite of Jake.

  And I was still battling the feeling I had within me over how things took place.

  One minute, Jake and I couldn’t keep our hands off one another and the next I was being told by Sadie that he had to leave unexpectedly, oh and yeah, he’s decided he and I are not the best fit.

  The rejection still stung.

  I’d been immediately paired up with Trevor and since then, those familiar dirty feelings of selling myself came back full force.

  Only Trevor didn’t ease those worries, he only made them worse.

  He continued to remind me of the money he spent to be with me. He would touch me and whisper things that only made my stomach twists in knots.

  It was sickening.

  “I think you and I should slip into one of the rooms in the back, so we can allow you to earn the money you’re being paid.” Trevor slid his hand up my thigh and everything inside me was screaming run. But I was frozen in place as I stared at the entryway of the Midnight Lounge.

  Everything else around me faded away, everything but Jake.

  He was dressed in one of his tailored suits, with a bright blue tie that practically glowed in the black lighting. His hair was tousled, giving the appearance that he may have been repeatedly running his fingers through it.

  And even though I was upset and embarrassed about being tossed aside so easily, I couldn’t look away.

  “What do you say?” It was then I was reminded that Trevor still sat at my side.

  I turned to face him but before I could register what was happening, he gripped the back of my neck and pulled me against him. His mouth covered mine in a dominating kiss and no matter how hard I tried to pull away, he only held me tighter.

  To those around us it would appear as if we were just sharing a heated kiss. The lighting of the room made it hard to see things clearly.

  “I think the best solution for the two of you would be to take this to one of the more private rooms.” It was the first time I had heard Jake’s voice since he tried to convince Sadie he was too busy with me to talk to her our last night together.

  We weren’t a good fit, huh?

  Well, he didn’t seem to think that then.

  “I think you’re right,” Trevor said as he began to use the weight of his body to move mine toward the end of the booth.

  When we were both standing and Trevor gripped my hand firmly in his, he spoke again. “You heard your boss, sweetheart, we need to find a more private location.”

  Boss?

  I looked back at Jake and he was only focused on Trevor. The look he was giving him was one I imagined you would give someone you despised.

  “My boss?” I questioned and it was then Jake looked at me.

  Confused and irritated that he had still not answered the question, I repeated it. “What does he mean, boss?”

  “I’m Sadie’s silent partner. I also own and operate the legal side of The Lounge.” Jake’s expression was solemn.

  We remained in that position staring at one another for I’m not sure how long before Trevor began to drag me off toward the back rooms.

  With each step I took, as Trevor dragged me along I only felt dirtier.

  Had my life really come to this?

  Being forced to be with a man, I truly didn’t care for just so I could pay for my next month’s rent.

  I was ashamed and no matter how hard I tried to fight, it only got worse.

  I could already feel the tears welling and the burning sensations within my chest made it feel as if it was almost impossible to breathe.

  Chapter 10

  Jake

  It was time for me to let go of The Lounge.

  It was something I had battled with since the events with Sommer. Yeah, I know that nothing I could have done would have changed the state she was in. It could have been anyone that she forme
d that obsession with. And in the end, the outcome would have been no different.

  But it was also something that haunted me every single time I entered The Lounge.

  Yes, Emery was a great distraction and during those weeks she and I were together, the horrific time seemed as if it had faded away.

  But it always came back.

  So it was time.

  I was meeting with Sadie today to finalize the buyout. She and I had other businesses but this particular one, I couldn’t be a part of any longer.

  I wasn’t naïve enough to believe that Emery wasn’t part of the decision I’d made to let go. It was just too hard to walk inside the club and take a chance of seeing her there like I did last week.

  In that moment I wanted to grab Trevor around the neck and slam him against the wall, daring him to fucking touch her again. But I couldn’t. And that was something I had to face.

  Emery was only doing her job, I was part of that job.

  But somehow within my mind I allowed myself to believe that she and I could be more.

  And it was in that moment that I realized just how Sommer must have felt. Yes, she was unstable and took the attraction to an entirely different level, but still inside I knew what she felt. Even if it was only a small comparison.

  Sadie was waiting in her office when I entered, a somewhat saddened look on her face. The idea of The Lounge was one we created together one night over dinner and a whole lot of drinks. Never in our wildest dreams did we actually believe that we could pull it off.

  But you would be surprised by the amount of men and women out there who didn’t have time or the desire to mess with all the formalities of dating. They just wanted the companionship of another adult to relieve the stress of a hard day, and when they got their fill, they wanted to walk away and not worry about what the other was feeling or doing.

  A form of relief, not just another stressed relationship to add to their already stressful lives.