by E. L. Todd
“I explained the situation to them. It’ll be fine, cream queen.”
“Do not call me that in front of them.”
“Geez, I won’t. Calm down.”
She took a deep breath. “Just watch what you say.”
“I won’t have a chance because I’ll be too busy kissing you.”
She smiled slightly. “Well, that’s a little better…”
I patted her thigh. “Go get changed.”
“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” she asked in an offended way.
“Well, you usually wear a dress when we go out.” I didn’t mean any offense by that.
“But I like wearing jeans. This is the real me.”
“Then wear that. Baby, you look hot in anything you wear.”
“Good answer.” She kissed my cheek. “Ready to go?”
“Well, I was hoping we could have sex first…”
“Aren’t we going to be late?”
I shrugged. “When have I ever cared about being late?”
She chuckled then opened her purse. Inside was a pair of black handcuffs. “Want to try them out?”
My dick hardened in my jeans and my heart rate immediately picked up. Without saying a word, I stripped my clothes off at lightning speed then sprinted into the bedroom.
Alessandra laughed loudly before she followed me inside.
***
Alessandra was a little nervous before dinner, but I cheered her up with my kisses. “Baby, they already love you. Just chill.”
“But now they know I was lying to their face the entire time.”
“Not really,” I said. “I hired you to do that. It’s your job.”
“And you really think they’ll be happy about that?” She was losing her cool.
“Whether they’re cool with it or not, I’m your man.” I forced her gaze on me. “Now just be yourself.”
“I’m so many different people all the time I’m not even sure I know who that is…”
“Yes, you do.” I gave her a quick kiss before I pulled her inside.
We joined my parents at the table and greeted each other. My parents embraced Alessandra like they always did, but there was a small amount of strain in the air. We sat down and ordered wine while our menus sat in front of us.
“Ash, I’m glad you finally grew a pair and told Alessandra how you felt.” Mom grabbed her menu and scanned it.
Did my mom just tell me to grow a pair? “It was more complicated than that…”
“Either way, I’m glad you finally figured this out.” Mom didn’t look at me when she spoke. “You have something great right in front of you. Never take it for granted.”
I turned to Alessandra. “And you were worried…”
She chuckled slightly.
“So, you’re an escort?” Dad asked. “How’s that?” There wasn’t any judgment in his eyes.
“It’s good,” she said. “I enjoy it. It’s more complicated than just pretending to be someone’s girlfriend. I help people through the holidays and bad breakups. When they no longer need my services, I’m really happy because I know I did my job.”
“I see,” Mom said. “You’re more of an actress than an escort.”
“Yes,” I said. “But it’s easier to explain to clients if we just say escort.”
“And you’ve been doing this for long?” Dad asked.
“About a year,” I said. “The hours aren’t the best but the pay is good and the job is satisfying.”
“As long as you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life,” Mom said.
I was glad they were being so supportive of this. If they met Alessandra initially and knew what she did for a living, it probably would have gone much differently. But since they already met her and loved her, they let it go. “She won’t be doing it forever. She’ll be quitting soon.”
Alessandra shot me a death threat but didn’t say anything.
I didn’t want to revisit that argument but it was going to happen. If she and I had a future together, she couldn’t stay an escort forever. My head would explode and I would murder all her clients one-by-one. I couldn’t be home with the kids while she left and went on fake dates. Perhaps she hadn’t really thought about it, but it was true. The occupation simply wasn’t reasonable.
“Oh?” Mom asked. “Why is that?”
“Because I don’t like her job. She’ll find something else.” I was always honest with my parents so I didn’t see why I should stop that now.
Alessandra wanted to argue with me but she kept her mouth shut since my parents were there.
Smart move.
“I think that’s a good idea,” Mom said. “It’ll be too difficult to be a mother while working that kind of job.”
“Exactly.” Maybe my mom would wear Alessandra down.
Alessandra was dead silent.
We ordered our food then made small talk about the shop. It was nice to hear them ask me questions about my work and what I loved rather than me hiding it from them. Maybe they finally accepted who I was. It’s what I wanted for so long. Who knew having Alessandra in my life was the answer to that.
Our dinner arrived and we continued to talk while we ate. Alessandra was still in a sour mood but she hid it from my parents. I picked up on it because every time I touched her thigh, she pushed my hand away. She would give me an earful later. But I could handcuff her to the bed and blindfold her. Then I could do things that would make her forget all her anger.
I wanted to add pepper to my meal so I turned to Alessandra. “Could you pass the pepper, cream queen?”
Alessandra noticeably stiffened at my words.
I waited for her to pass it.
Both of my parents stopped eating and stared at me with terrified looks.
What did I say?
Alessandra slowly passed me the pepper, her cheeks bright red. Then she kicked me hard under the table.
“Ouch.” I rubbed my shin.
An awkward silence filled the table. It had the weight of a thick blanket. It was suffocating and heavy. We continued to eat but now everyone’s faces were glued to their plates. No one made small talk.
“I’m going to kill you,” Alessandra whispered to me.
“Why?”
She kicked me again. “If you can’t figure it out, you’re hopeless.”
***
“I hate you.” Alessandra smacked her clutch against me once we were in the apartment. “I told you not to call me that in front of them.”
“It slipped out, alright? It’s not a big deal.”
“Not a big deal?” she shrieked. “You humiliated me.”
“Look, you really think my parents think we aren’t having sex? My parents know how I am, Alessandra.”
She chucked her clutch at me. “Argh!”
When she growled like that it was pretty hot.
“Your parents must think I’m a whore.”
“No, they don’t. They think you’re my better half.”
She gripped her skull. “I’ve been embarrassed a lot in my life but that has to be the most humiliating thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“They probably forgot about it by now.”
“No, they didn’t!” She stomped her foot.
“And I doubt they even know what that means.”
“They aren’t stupid, Ash.”
“I don’t know…have you talked to them lately?”
She pointed at her front door. “Just go. I don’t want to hear you speak right now.”
“But I have more to say.”
“I don’t care! How dare you tell them I’m quitting my job.”
“You are.”
“I’m sorry my job bothers you but I’m not walking away from it.”
“This is what’s going to happen. You’re going to quit and I’ll cover your bills until you find something new.”
“But I don’t want something new,” she barked. “I don’t want to have a boss and sit in a cubicle a
ll day.”
“This job isn’t practical and you know it. How do you expect to ever have a serious relationship when you do this for a living? You’re acting like I’m crazy for having a problem with it but I can guarantee any other guy would. You really see yourself doing this when you’re a wife and mother? Let me tell you right now, my wife isn’t going to be an escort. I told you if I ever settled down, I would be insanely possessive and never let a man even touch her arm. You wanted me all to yourself and you got what you wanted, but there’s a lot of extra shit that comes along with it.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and stared me down.
“It’s just a job, baby. You’ll find something else.”
“How would you feel if I asked you to quit?”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “It’s not the same thing and you know it. How would you feel if I went out every weekend and held some girl’s hand and wrapped my arm around her waist while I pretended to be madly in love with her in front of her family? Don’t act like that wouldn’t make you uncomfortable. We both know it would.”
She released a breath of defeat.
“Quit your job and we’ll go from there.”
“I can’t look at you right now.” She turned on her heel and walked into her bedroom. “Just go.” She slammed the bedroom door shut when she was inside.
I sighed then looked around the room as I tried to figure out what to do. I spotted the handcuffs on the couch and an idea came to me. I snatched them then walked into her bedroom. She was getting ready to go to sleep.
I threw her on the bed then handcuffed her wrists to the headboard.
“What the hell are you doing?” She tried to escape my hold but it wasn’t working.
“Now you can’t get away from me.” I pulled down her bottoms and her panties.
“Ash, seriously don’t. I’m not in the mood.”
“Neither am I.” I wanted to strangle her, actually. I pulled my clothes off and shoved a pillow under her hips.
“Ash, I said no. Now uncuff me.” She tried to slip her wrists through the hole.
“Sorry, baby.” I found her entrance then slid inside. “We have to have make up sex.”
“But we aren’t making up,” she growled. “I’m still pissed off at you.”
I thrust into her. “Because of that cream queen thing?”
“Yes,” she hissed.
“Well, I’m sorry.” I gripped her hips and pounded into her.
Her protests slowly diminished as my cock ring hit her in the right spot. Within seconds, moans escaped her mouth and she bit her lip in enjoyment. She pressed her palms to the headboard and thrust back into me.
Sex always made everything better.
I leaned over her and gave her a slow kiss. “I love you, cream queen.”
“I love you too, cock ring.”
I smirked from ear-to-ear. “I like that name.”
“Then I’ll call you that in front of your parents.”
I laughed. “I dare you.”
Alessandra
“Shelly, I need to tell you something.” I sat at my desk and looked across the room at her.
She was playing solitaire, like usual. “Yes, I know Brad got back together with his ex. And she’s still a troll.”
“No, not that.”
“Then what?” she asked.
“I’m thinking about quitting.”
She stopped playing and set the cards down. “Quitting this job?”
I nodded.
“Why?”
“It’s a long story…”
She narrowed her eyes. “Ash. There, that was the short version.”
I cringed. “Yeah…”
She nodded in understanding. “It’s okay, Alessandra. I get it.”
“You do?” I asked in surprise. “I assumed you would be upset or tell me not to let him boss me around.”
“It doesn’t sound like he’s bossing you around,” she said. “It sounds like you’re making this decision on your own. And the guys who owned Beautiful Entourage before we bought it sold it for that exact reason. They settled down and got married and their women weren’t happy about their profession. I think it’s not absurd for Ash to feel uncomfortable by what you do.”
That wasn’t the reaction I was expecting.
“My only comment is…don’t quit your job and change everything for him unless he’s the one.” She searched my gaze for a reaction.
Ash was such a pain in the ass. He had no filter when it came to his words and he blurted everything out without thinking. He was argumentative and stubborn. He was so full of himself that it was borderline conceited. But I loved him so goddamn much. All the bad and the ugly didn’t change the way I felt. “He is.”
She smiled. “Then I think you’re making the right decision. You’ll find something else.”
“Like what?” I asked. “I didn’t go to college and I don’t have any skills other than being pretty.”
“Be a model.”
I cringed. “Ugh, no. I would never want to do that. I love food too much.”
“You’ll find something, Alessandra. It’s not like this is your passion.”
“But I don’t hate it either.”
“Believe me, working nights and weekends will get old when you’re in a serious relationship. And with marriage and kids…it’s just not practical. I’m all for doing what you want, but his request isn’t totally unfounded.”
“I don’t want to do it just to spite him.” I knew that made me ugly but I didn’t care. “I don’t want him to think he’ll always get his way when he wants something.”
“Tell him he won’t,” she said. “And you’re done.”
“You don’t think I’m a pussy?”
“No,” she said. “Do you have any idea how many dates I’ve been on that went so well but then went to shit the second I told them what I did for a living? Honestly, would you want to date someone with your profession?”
I sighed because I knew she was right. “No…”
“See? If he weren’t Prince Charming, I would tell him to take a hike. But if you really love this guy and you see it going somewhere, you should do it. I know you said he had weird commitment issues. Is that still the case?”
“No.” He told me he loved me and couldn’t live without me. On paper, he seemed like a distant guy, but in real life, he did everything he said he wouldn’t do. He was with me all the time and clingy just like he claimed all the girls were to him. He poured his heart out to me without holding anything back. I was certain all his insecurities were gone.
“Then go for it. If it doesn’t work out and you fall hard on your ass, Beautiful Entourage will always be here.”
I smiled. “Well, thank you.”
“Let me know how it goes…” She picked up her cards and started playing again.
I couldn’t believe I was really considering this.
***
I got a coffee at the shop around the corner and turned to grab a sleeve when I bumped into someone. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry. Did I get anything on you?” I looked at his collared shirt and blazer and was relieved I didn’t see a coffee stain.
“Alessandra?”
I looked into Tony’s face when I recognized his voice. “Oh…hi.” We hadn’t spoken since our painful breakup. I didn’t think about him anymore, and forgot he existed until just now.
“I thought you might be here. I know you used to come here.”
Why was he looking for me? “Sorry I bumped into you like that.”
“No, it’s okay. I crowded you.” He gave me a smile but it didn’t seem genuine. His brown hair was exactly how it used to be. It was a little long and messy. His blue eyes were intense, like always.
“Well, I should get on my way.” I grabbed a napkin and turned around. I had nothing to say to him and I didn’t want to make small talk about shit neither one of us cared about.
“Whoa…hold on.” He moved in front of me. “You need to be
somewhere?”
“Just work.” And I just wanted to get away from him.
“I was hoping we could talk. I tried calling you a few months ago.”
And Ash picked up the phone. I remembered. “What did you want to talk about?” I couldn’t care less what he had to say. The way he tossed me aside was unforgiveable. I didn’t hate him, but I would never be friends with him either.
“I saw you in a restaurant awhile ago…”
I knew the incident but I acted like I didn’t. “Oh?”
“Yeah…you were with some guy and his parents. I was actually at the table next to you…” His eyes fell in disappointment. “I guess you didn’t see me.”
“Nope.” Well, I did and I had a small break down. But after my overdramatic moment passed and Ash put me back on my feet, I kept my head high and proud.
“Well, I was there. It was the French restaurant we used to go to.”
So he remembered but he took his lovely fiancée there anyway. How sweet. “Well, that’s an interesting story. I should be getting on my way now.”
“Whoa, hold on.” He didn’t grab me but he stayed in my way. “So…are you serious with this guy?”
“Super duper serious.” Ugh, why did I have to talk like a child right now? “We’re very happy and I know this is going to last forever.” I wasn’t putting up a show anymore and that scared me a little bit. Tony and I were in a strong relationship but I didn’t necessarily feel that way at the time. But with Ash, I did.
“I see…”
I knew he had a fiancée but I couldn’t act like I knew that. How would I know unless I saw him that night? “What about you? A special lady in your life?” I held my coffee and felt the warmth through the sleeve.
He shifted his weight like he was uncomfortable. His gaze left my face for a few seconds like he didn’t want to look at me.
Squirm, bitch.
“Yes. Her name is Jessica.”
Boring name. “Well, good for you.” I forced a smile and tried to act cheerful. I really couldn’t care less that he had a nice woman in his life, one that he was going to marry. When it came down to it, if Tony hadn’t broken my heart, Ash wouldn’t have come into my life.
How could I possibly regret that?
“I hope you two are very happy together.” But you won’t be as happy as Ash and I.