by Hadley Knox
“I’m only kidding.”
“There’s always some truth to humor. I don’t want Derrick, and even if I did, I still wouldn’t sleep with him. He’s now an employee of a company that I’m running, just like you are. I really wish you would exercise even half the discipline that I am.”
“But I enjoy my time with you.”
“And I do, too. But that doesn’t mean that we can give in to these feelings. I put everything I am on the line to succeed in this business because I need the money. As much as I want to sleep with you again, the risk of discovery is just too great.”
“How about one last time?” Greg asked, and I could see through the light that he was smiling.
“No,” I said, pushing him further away.
“Okay,” he said. “I understand your point and see that you’re not budging.”
“Thank you, Greg.”
“Do you want me to hold you until you sleep?”
I hadn’t realized before how vulnerable I felt until just then. With all that was going on, I felt the need to be close to someone.
“Sure,” I said. “But you can’t stay too long. I don’t want anyone to grow suspicious.”
“I promise,” he said.
This time, he didn’t try to kiss me. Instead, he lay down on the bed and pulled me in close. I nuzzled up to him, placing my hand on his chest so that I could feel the comfort of the regular beat of his heart.
The next thing I was aware of was the light from the sun peeking into my bedroom. I woke with a start and the first thing I did was look down at the bed next to me. Greg had left at some point while I was asleep. I could still see the indentation in the mattress and sheets where he had lain.
When I walked into the kitchen, I saw Mike behind the stove working away. He smiled and waved at me when I entered.
Jake and Mallory were seated around the kitchen table, upon which there were several empty plates stacked up in the center.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Mike’s making us breakfast,” Mallory said.
I wanted to faint. The first meeting between the kids and the guys was something that I wanted to facilitate. I had planned this elaborate way that I could ease Jake and Mallory into the situation, but apparently, I didn’t wake up quick enough. It was unlike the kids to get downstairs so fast, and usually they weren’t ready until right up to the time that we were supposed to leave.
Derrick and Ben appeared shortly after from the guest room and joined us at the table.
“What are you making?” I asked Mike.
“I figured I’d make some omelets,” Mike said. “It’s a recipe that my grandmother taught me.”
“What makes them special?”
“I can’t tell you,” Mike smiled. “It’s a secret.”
“Well, I’m excited,” I said as I sat down next to my daughter.
“Hey, Derrick, can you do a favor for me?” Mike asked. “Go get Ray and Greg from outside so that they can eat. I think we’ll be okay for a few minutes without someone keeping guard.”
“Are you sure?” Derrick asked.
“Positive,” he said.
I was impressed with the leadership role that Mike seemed to take with this whole situation. Nobody had nominated him to that position, but he had taken it nonetheless.
When Greg walked into the kitchen, I tried to avoid eye contact with him. That was hard, because I could feel his gaze drilling a hole into the back of my head. When I turned slightly, I could see that my premonition was right.
The meal was more than a little uncomfortable. The kids seemed slightly nervous, because they spent the entire breakfast watching the guys. The guys were completely unsure of what to say in front of the kids, because the two things that linked us altogether, the business and my stalker, were both subjects that I had requested not be discussed in front of Jake or Mallory.
When we were finished eating, Ben volunteered to take care of the dishes since I had to leave immediately to take the kids to school.
“Hey, kids,” Mike said. “Go with Ray to the garage so that I can talk to your mom in private for a minute.”
“Okay,” Jake nodded and pulled his sister with him to follow Ray to the garage.
Mike waited until they were gone before speaking.
“Okay, we have the plan worked out,” he said. “The only thing we’re waiting on is to find out if your sister agrees to take them. If she agrees to it, have her come to your house and pull into the garage at four o’clock today. After you talk to her, let us know.”
“Got it,” I said.
“Greg is going to go with you,” Mike said. “We figured that you need at least one of us on hand in case something happens.”
I tried my best not to react.
After thanking Mike and the guys, Greg and I went out to the garage to find the kids waiting next to the car for us. The drive to school was uneventful and I tried to think of something reassuring to say to them before I dropped them off.
As I pulled into the drop off lane, I realized that I was about to send them on their way and wouldn’t see them for another seven hours. The possibility that something bad could happen to them suddenly dawned on me.
As the car came to a stop, I turned around in my seat to face them. “Keep your cell phones on and on you at all times. If you see anyone that looks out of the ordinary or feel threatened in any way, go to a teacher and call me as soon as possible.”
“Do you think anything will happen?” Jake asked.
“I don’t think so, but I want you both to be prepared.”
They both nodded and got out of the car and took off towards their class. As I watched them leave, a car behind me honked. I didn’t pay them much attention and continued watching them. I wanted to make certain that they made it inside safely.
“It’s okay,” Greg said, putting his hand on my arm.
“I know,” I said. “I just hate this.”
“They’re going to be fine,” he assured me. “Now you better pull forward or I’m afraid the lady behind us is going use her car to push us out of the way.”
I did just as he said and started the vehicle forward. What I wanted to do was turn around, go back into the school, and sit with my kids all day to make sure that they were okay.
We still had two hours until we were supposed to meet my sister, so we drove back to the house. I almost forgot about the actual business until my new work cell phone rang. Once I had booked that client, my cell phone rang again.
“The Madam of Suburbia,” I said, greeting the second caller.
“Yes, I’m calling to inquire about your services,” the woman said.
Something about her voice was so familiar. I couldn’t quite place it, but her identity was on the tip of my tongue.
“Yes, what are you interested in?”
“I thought I already said. Your services,” she said forcefully, the irritation was evident in her tone.
“I understand,” I replied. “We have a variety of companions for you. What sort of companion were you interested in.”
“I just want a hot one,” she replied. “I mean one that’s got those big chest muscles and a stomach I can wash my clothes on.”
It was obvious what she was looking for. But the way she said ‘can’ really struck me. He tone was a little on the nasally side, and it was that fact I honed in on while trying to recognize her voice.
“All of our men are good looking,” I said. “Can you narrow down just what precisely you find most attractive about a man?”
“Honey, I don’t really care as long as he’s good looking.”
There it was. I could only remember one person that said the word ‘honey’ just like that. Dixie Tittle lived four doors down from me and now she was on the phone trying to hire a gigolo. I wanted to burst out laughing, but I had to contain myself.
She was one of those women who looked like she had been pretty once. But that was before all of the booze, the cigarettes, and t
he two husbands. She still tried to take care of herself by dressing nice, but she had let her health go to a large degree and even though she was only in her mid-forties, she looked at least ten years older. If anyone needed the Madam, Dixie did.
“I’ve got just the man for you,” I said. “When would you like to schedule the session?”
“I’m not doing anything right now,” she said.
I was a little taken aback at her urgency. It was strange to think that I could actually have one of the guys over there in two minutes or less, but I couldn’t do that for fear Dixie would become suspicious.
“I can have a guy there in thirty minutes,” I said finally. “How long would you like to book him for?”
“How about four hours?”
“That’s a long time. Most people book for one or two hours.”
“Does it really matter?” she asked abrasively. “I asked for four hours and will pay for four hours.”
“I guess you’re right. I apologize.”
“Honey, you need to work on your phone etiquette.”
I smiled. She was right; I certainly needed to work on my phone skills.
“He’ll be there in thirty minutes. We accept cash only and he will pick up the payment once he arrives.”
“Do you need to know the address?”
Oh crap, I thought. I already knew the women’s address, but she didn’t know I knew. How awkward would that be if I sent him over there without having asked her for the address?
“Yes, I was about to ask for that. May I get your address?”
She gave me the address and then hung up the phone. I had written it on a sheet of paper, and when I set my work phone down, I looked up to see Ben and Mike staring at me with smiles on their face.
“Are you that uncomfortable on every phone conversation?” Ben asked as he pushed his glasses up further on his nose.
“No, that particular one was especially excruciating. She happens to be the lady that lives down the street.”
I reached up and handed the note to Mike.
“Is this one mine?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said.
“Why me?”
“This lady hasn’t had a man in a while,” I said. “And she is particularly … I’m not sure how to say it nicely.”
“Just say it. We’re all adults.”
“She is particularly horny. She’s a strange case. I think the best thing for her right now is that she needs a man who can really get into it.”
“You mean as in rough?” he asked.
“Maybe not rough as in hitting, but definitely don’t hold back.”
Mike laughed. “I think I understand your meaning. I got it. So I’ve got to be there in thirty minutes?”
“Yeah, I figured that was okay. I know we have all of this going on, but we can’t stop the business. You’ll just be down the street and you’ll be done about the time we get back from meeting my sister.”
“We can make this work,” Mike agreed. “You and the kids won’t be here at the house, so there’s not much risk of something happening. That will leave Ray, Ben, and Derrick here to guard.”
“I thought you had work,” I said to Ben.
“I called in sick,” he said.
“That was sweet of you,” I said.
He shrugged it off.
“Can I borrow your shower?” Mike asked. “I want to be clean for my first client.”
“Certainly,” I said. “There is one down the hall past Greg’s room. Towels are in the linen closet.”
“Thanks,” he said as he disappeared.
My heart leapt when my personal cell phone rang. I looked down at the caller ID, and I cringed.
Chapter Twenty-Two
There was just so much going on, that I didn’t feel like taking time away from it all. I had the new business which I was still trying to get accustomed to, and my children and I were being stalked by some crazy guy asking for money that I didn’t have.
Talking to Jeremy Towers would only break me from the tornado that my life had become and send me to some dreamy place that I wasn’t sure could ever exist for me.
The feelings I got from seeing his name on my caller ID were all good though. The first image in my mind was that of the Eiffel Tower.
I picked the phone up and greeted him.
“Hello, Lana,” he said.
“Hey, Jeremy,” I replied.
“I just wanted to call and see how you were doing,” he said.
“I’m great,” I lied. “Just working hard on my novel.”
“That’s wonderful to hear,” he said.
“How are you doing?” I asked.
“I was sitting here, trying to outline one of my later chapters and I’m having a really hard time concentrating.”
“Writer’s block?”
“You could say that, although writer’s block usually indicates something that the author has trouble identifying. I know the exact source of my block.”
“And what is that?”
“You.”
That was all he said. After he uttered that one word, he didn’t say another for several seconds. The pause echoed like a stone being thrown into a canyon, and although neither of us was talking, I could hear the silence as if it had taken on a life of its own.
I opened my mouth to speak, to ask him what it was about me that kept him from writing, but I found myself without the words. Ben was still staring at me, so I got up from the table and walked into my bedroom.
“I fear I’ve been too forward.”
“No,” I said, as I closed my bedroom door.
“I can’t explain it, but every time I go to write a word down, all I come up with is your name,” he said. “Ever since meeting you the other day, I have become smitten with the mere thought of you.”
“That is kind of you to say.”
“They’re not just words.”
“Nobody has ever spoken to me like that.”
“Not even your ex-husband?”
“No, Frank was a simple man and not good with words. Even if he had been wordy, he never expressed his feelings so openly.”
“I wish I could see you,” Jeremy said. “I really need to see you.”
“I wish I could, too,” I said. “But I do have a lot going on right now.”
“Can I stop by soon?”
“That’s probably not a good idea.”
“Yeah, I guess a guy at the house right now wouldn’t be best for the kids, huh?” he asked.
“I want to be careful when it comes to introducing them to whoever I’m dating.”
“So we’re dating?”
“I guess you could say that.”
“Well, I will let you get back to your writing,” he said. “I’ll try to get you the first few chapters for editing soon.”
“I look forward to getting them,” I said.
We said our goodbyes, and then I hung up the phone. Sitting down on the bed, I thought about Jeremy and the soothing sound of his baritone voice. The voice was as sexy as he was in person, and I dreamed of a day when I could get past this whole financial dilemma and could move on with him. He was the whole package: brilliant mind, creative intellect, and sexy on both the inside and out. Paris was going to be heaven.
When I went back inside, Greg and Ben were sitting on the couch talking. Greg animatedly waved his hands in the air, apparently in the middle of some juicy story. When I appeared, he stopped, so I couldn’t figure out what they were talking about.
He turned and looked at me. When I saw his green eyes staring back at me, my mind was filled with this image of both Jeremy and Greg standing next to each other. Their respective stances symbolized the difference in how I felt about them and all the emotions that those feelings elicited.
On one hand, I had Greg, the man who sat on my couch and had made himself so readily available for me. What he provided for me was raw animalistic passion. Sex with him had been so intense that I saw angels descend from heaven and the
ocean opened up, giving me the power to move into this new segment of my life. Without his intervention, the way in which he reached inside of me and opened up my worldview, my sense of self, I never would have established the confidence to solicit the men in my life so that we could come together in a cooperative effort to benefit all of our positions.
However, there was a limit to what he could offer me. Even if he weren’t an escort and could remain sexually faithful to me, it still wouldn’t be enough to make us an ideal match. I barely knew him, but I was already skeptical that there was much more to him than the debonair attitude he exuded. He seemed defined by sex and sex only. Even if other layers existed, they were so deep down and buried under this ego and lack of pragmatism.
Jeremy, however, provided so much more. I had spent even less time with him, but something told me that he had so much more to offer. He was handsome, maybe not in that heart stopping, cover-of-a-romance-novel way like Greg was, but he was still easy on the eyes. He was at least forty, but I could tell that he still had the hardness of body that could make twenty year olds jealous. His fast mind churned out bestseller after bestseller, and his sales numbers were one of the few from medium level publishers who could consistently produce the sales numbers that he had.
Somehow, I felt like I had to choose between these two men, but then there didn’t seem to be much of a choice there. Despite the electricity I felt when I was with Greg, I knew that he wasn’t the right choice for me.
“Are you okay?”
I shook my head to clear away the thoughts. Greg had stopped talking to Ben and was staring at me. I realized that I was just standing there in the entrance to the living room.
“I’m okay,” I said finally. “Just thinking.”
“About what?” he asked.
“This meeting with my sister; I’m not looking forward to this at all.”
“You’ll be fine,” he said. “Are you about ready to go?”
“Yeah,” I said.
Before we left, I gave my work cell phone to Ben with instructions on how to answer and schedule an appointment. He looked like he could handle it, but I felt uncertain about the voice on the other end being a male. It just didn’t seem right.