Masters for Hire

by Ginger Voight

  “Are you jealous?” I challenged. “Or are you just pissed because you’re going to have to eat alone for the foreseeable future?”

  His mouth drew into a rigid, angry line. “Fine,” he muttered as he tossed the paper on my desk. “Take your time off. You’re right. You need it to get your head straight.”

  He slammed out of my office before I could respond. Simon peeked in, just to make sure I was okay. “I got my time off,” was all I could offer with a tired shrug.

  Afterwards, I stared at the roses on my desk for a long time. What a successful marketing tool, I thought. Not only would he tantalize me for another date, but he could make Oliver seethe with jealousy in the process. I could tell by the smirk on Devlin’s face when we were at the party that had been fun for him. Since he knew that Oliver and I worked together, he probably figured this bouquet could bring him double the return for his money.

  It was probably part of the fantasy, to make me all giddy that there were two men fighting over me. What better way to make a woman feel special, beautiful and desired? The problem was that Oliver was emotionally incapable of fighting for me. He was just going to be an entitled dick about it all.

  I sighed as I read the card again. Thanks for the amazing weekend. Let’s do it again soon. XOXO Devlin.

  I reached for my phone, where I pulled up Devlin’s contact information. I hesitated only a moment before I typed, “In the mood for a wedding?”

  He didn’t respond right away, which made me nervous. In fact it made me regress ten years to a silly, insecure teenager, wondering if I had said something wrong and screwed everything up. I ended up taking lunch in my office, just so I wouldn’t miss the call when it came. If it came.

  The longer I waited, the more discouraged I got. I realized that by the very nature of his job, he could be on a date with someone at this very moment. He could be fucking someone at this very moment, the same way he had fucked me nights before. He could be romancing her the way he had romanced me, with pretty words, pretty flowers and special attention.

  Why did that bother me so much more than telling Oliver to find himself another fish?

  It was after four before Devlin responded. My heart raced when I read, “I’m up for anything with you, beautiful. Just tell me when and where.”

  “Friday night. Vegas. Staying a week.”

  There was another lengthy pause before he responded. “Let me clear up a few appointments, and then you can make arrangements through the agency. Deal?”

  I had to swallow the bitter distaste regarding the business transaction, even more so when I saw his weekly rate. But I already knew that he was worth each and every penny of those twenty-five thousand dollars, and then some. And I deserved to get what I wanted for a change. I had had it up to my ears with Oliver, and Father, and Cabot’s. Only one thing could screw my head back on straight–and that was a week fucking the sexy hunk of man-meat known as Devlin Masters, a magical witch doctor who knew exactly what I needed exactly when I needed it.

  It sounded positively heavenly, despite the steep price tag.

  “Deal,” I sent back.

  Lucy met me at the house when I returned home that evening. She had a suitcase with her. “Gus and I decided we’re going to stay away from each other till Vegas. If you can stand having a roomie again, that is,” she said with a smile.

  I laughed as I let her in. “And I suppose staying at your parents’ house is out of the question.”

  “Well, I thought about telling mother what I wanted to do, but I figured the kinder thing would be letting her have her little fantasy. I just told her I needed some space, and if she gave it to me, I’d go through with her freakshow.”

  “Please tell me you didn’t call it that to her face.”

  “It wouldn’t matter if I did. Once I apologized and said, ‘I’ll go through with it if,” she stopped listening and went right back to planning. Probably best all the way around. The wedding will give her something to do.”

  I nodded and we both sank onto the sofa. I still couldn’t sit there without thinking about Devlin, so I changed the subject. “Speaking of planning, have you given any thought to the kind of wedding you want?”

  “Besides small, quiet and way, far away from my mom?” she quipped. “I don’t know. Now that I can make my own choices, I’m not sure where to start.”

  Fortunately for Lucy, these were skills right in my wheelhouse. I ordered Chinese delivery and then we opened up my laptop to research her alternatives.

  “Gus says he’s open to anything, so that helps. I think he’d be willing to marry me dressed like Elvis on the deck of the starship Enterprise speaking Klingon.”

  We both made a face. As little importance as Lucy placed on the actual ceremony, it was still a wedding. She wanted to do it right.

  “Okay, indoor or outdoor?” I asked as I pulled up my search engine.

  “Hum. It’s the desert, so we should probably make it indoors. That beaded dress is kind of heavy, and I’d prefer not to be drowning in my own sweat for the wedding photos.”

  “Okay, indoors. And it doesn’t have to be a big venue because it’s just going to be the four of us.”

  Her eyebrow shot up. “Four?”

  I spared her a sheepish grin. “Yeah, I asked Devlin.”

  She practically jumped up and down as she squealed. “That’s amazing! What made you change your mind?”

  I screwed up my face into a scowl. “Oliver.”

  “What’d he do now?”

  “He spent his morning chastising me for spending time with an old college buddy. Like he has the right to stake his claim now.”

  “I’m sorry, Ceece. Men are assholes.”

  “True story,” I mumbled.

  “Well, it’s going to be five, actually. Gus’s sister Mattie is flying in from Texas to be his best man. Ish. Or whatever. She’s a hoot, though. You’ll love her.”

  I smiled. “I’m sure I will. But she’s not allowed to fall in love with my rented boyfriend. I only have enough money in my bone budget for myself.”

  “Wait…,” she started. “You’re paying him?”

  “Yeah,” I replied. “Wasn’t that the idea?”

  “Well, yeah,” she said. “I just… I don’t know.”

  “What?”

  She sighed. “Call me stupid or whatever, but I thought he was really interested in you. I mean, he stood up to your dad and my mom for you, and none of that was in the job description. I thought maybe that meant he actually liked you.”

  I had to laugh. The conversation was positively surreal. Here we were whispering behind our hands like teenagers about the possibility of a boy ‘liking’ me, when in reality I was paying him to fuck me like a dirty, dirty whore. It was ridiculous. “I’m sure he does like me,” I shrugged. “But he likes my money more.” We let that hang there in the air for a bit. “Look, this is his job. And he’s very good at it. Very good,” I emphasized. She already knew the dirty details, so there was no need to explain. “It’s just easier this way. I get the fantasy, and no matter what happens, we have an exit strategy.”

  She nodded. It had been her plan originally, so I knew she knew the deal. “Boy, it’s a dangerous little game, isn’t it?”

  “A little bit,” I agreed with a grin. “But it’s okay. I’m okay.”

  “Okay,” she said, though I was pretty sure she didn’t quite believe me. We spent the rest of the evening scouring the Internet for the perfect venue for her “real” wedding.

  Given the short notice and the unfortunate timing of her elopement colliding with Memorial Day weekend, it took us most of the evening to find something that fit her needs and was available. Finally we settled on a luxury resort hotel with a Parisian theme. Their inclusive packages offered one-stop shopping, with everything from the limo ride from the airport, to a reception in the penthouse suite they could book for a week-long stay for their honeymoon. She chose the smaller chapel because it didn’t look as “churchy” as the bi
g one, and she ordered the flowers exactly the way she wanted them, with jeweled embellishment and strands of sparkly rhinestones wrapped around the stems, a little more bling for extra glamor. She even found the cake that she wanted. It was a simple round cake with pearl and rhinestone embellishment on the white fondant frosting, topped with white roses and ribbon. Inside it was decadent chocolate marble filled in the middle with chocolate cream. She added a top tier our small party didn’t need, just so she could take the top layer home and freeze it.

  She wasn’t always a traditional kind of girl, but there were certain traditions worth keeping, particularly when they involved cake.

  When we collapsed together in bed that night, we both felt as though we had accomplished the impossible. Sure it took a little finagling, and a lot of money, but Lucy had planned almost to the last detail her ideal wedding–something simple, something romantic, something perfectly her.

  My plans for the week were much tawdrier. In order to secure a week-long “date” with Devlin, I had to pay, in advance, for all his travel expenses. Parting with the $25,000 for a week of his company was the harder pill to swallow, but at this point I was beyond shame. Every time I remembered how it felt to be in his arms, I melted to a puddle. It was as though I could simply think of him and spontaneously orgasm, even if they did ring up like some tally on a cash register. Despite it all I wanted more, and that was a dangerous position for a Good Girl like me, especially a rich Good Girl. I had the means to maintain this new obsession for as long as I wanted to indulge it.

  He must have known that, the clever boy. Everything he had done enticed me for yet another encounter.

  But I figured one good solid week of non-stop fucking would be plenty for me to get this bad boy out from under my skin. That was how it worked, right? Every girl needed a heart-stopping affair with a bad boy, to sow her wild oats and give her stories to tell when she was old and gray and things had dried up down there.

  I was going to gorge because I could, and because I needed to. Then maybe I’d stop thinking about him all the time, like he was anything other than some gun for hire. I’d stop picturing his face every time I closed my eyes, or dreaming of how his kiss tasted on my lips. Four hours had been just a little taste to whet the appetite, another marketing tool, no doubt. I figured an entire week together would give me a little perspective. The fantasy had been flawless so far, but surely he wasn’t that good of an actor. Surely I’d see through the shiny veneer and discover just another regular guy underneath, with all the flaws and imperfections that entailed. He could go from being the sex god who rocked my world to an ordinary man, just doing his job.

  Then I could go on with my life, limited to a steady diet of Nice Guys like my father expected. Hell, I would probably marry Oliver one day anyway. I mean, it wasn’t like there were, or had ever been, a throng of possible suitors.

  Until then I deserved one good week of feeling like the most beautiful, most desirable woman in his world. Just once in my life I wanted to feel that from someone, even if I had to pay him for it.

  By Friday, I didn’t even feel guilty about it.

  We drove back to Glendale to pick up Lucy’s new wedding gown, and of course Lucy decided we needed to go back to Tempestuous to pick up some lingerie. Since this was my first, and likely only, tawdry affair with a bad boy, she insisted I do it right. She talked me into changing into the black satin chemise and garters under my retro chic swing dress I had purchased originally.

  We didn’t even bother to drive back to the house before we headed to the airport, where we would meet up with Gus and Devlin. I got more nervous the closer we got to our departure, and not because I was some easily rattled passenger. I racked up frequent flyer miles by traveling to Europe every single year. I was used to air travel, and this was just a puddle jump.

  No, thoughts of Devlin kept me jumpy all the way to the airport. I couldn’t wait till we could get a drink.

  “Calm down,” Lucy insisted. “It’s not like you’re the one flying to Vegas to get married.”

  I grimaced. “Bite your tongue.”

  “So see? It could always be much worse.”

  She thought she was being funny. I couldn’t get thoughts of Devlin, and our hot night together, out of my head. The clock was ticking away until I could have it again. I was an exposed nerve. “God, I think I’m going to puke.”

  She chuckled. “I’ve never seen you so rattled. This guy must have a diamond-studded dick.”

  “With all the money I’ve paid him, it should be.”

  “Is that what’s bothering you?” she asked.

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. Isn’t it weird? Paying for sex?”

  “All a matter of perspective. A woman goes out with a man for six months, eats at all the finest restaurants, accepts all kinds of gifts from chocolate to jewelry, then she ends up rewarding him with sex, finally giving in to what he wants after she gets everything she wants. But if she gets the cash up front, she’s a prostitute. In the end, the outcome was still the same. One is just a little more straightforward than the other one.”

  I shrugged again. I supposed she had a point.

  “Devlin seems like a nice guy. He’s interesting. He’s funny. He’s smart. And if the smile on your face is to be believed, he fucks like a stallion. What’s the difference in your paying him money for a week well spent and losing twenty-five grand in the slot machines?”

  “Maybe,” I allowed, even though I’d never gambled that kind of money in my life. At least, I never gambled that kind of money before I met Devlin Masters. “Just do me a favor. If you see me falling for his romantic crap, slap me. Hard. Don’t let me get all caught up in the fantasy like it’s real.”

  That was my real fear. I didn’t so much mind a sore hoo-hah by the end of the week. A broken heart, however?

  #NoBueno

  “Deal,” she said.

  My legs wobbled like rubber as we made it through security at the Los Angeles International Airport. We had chartered a small private jet for the trip, to give us a little more privacy and freedom. All I knew was that for about forty-five minutes, I would be locked in a small space next to probably the sexiest man I had ever met, and I wouldn’t be able to jump his bones until we got to our hotel suite in Vegas.

  I wasn’t sure if I could stand the wait, particularly when we met up with the guys at the airport terminal. Devlin wore casual slacks and a black button-down shirt, which he had left open to the second button, and he looked absolutely yummy as he sat in one of the seats, one leg crossed over the other as he made small talk with Gus.

  The minute he saw me, his face broke apart into a wide smile. Though my heart equally leapt to see him, I had to remind myself, rather firmly in fact, that I would be smiling like that too if someone just paid me a cool $25,000 to spend a week together.

  Like a true gentleman, he sprang to his feet as I approached; greeting me with a tight hug that nearly lifted me right off the ground. His muscles rippled around me and the heady scent of his expensive cologne marched right up my nose to tickle my brain.

  “Hey, beautiful,” he murmured against my ear. “I missed you.” He punctuated the sentiment with a long, possessive peck on the mouth, something Oliver would never be caught dead doing. Public displays of affection were terribly uncouth.

  And yet here was this stunning man, letting the entire airport–or at least those around our gate of departure–know that I belonged to him. Butterflies did the merengue in the pit of my stomach as he set me on my feet. “Ditto,” I responded the second I could catch my breath.

  He pulled away to hug Lucy, who practically launched right into his arms. “I’m so glad you could come,” she said as she soundly kissed his cheek. “We wouldn’t be doing this if it weren’t for you. You saved my sanity. You don’t even know.”

  He squeezed her tight. “What are friends for?” He turned back to me, winding an arm around my shoulders. “Besides, I love Vegas. One of my favorite cities in the world. A
nything can, and does, happen,” he grinned down at me. I trembled against him.

  Within minutes we had boarded the 8-seater private jet, where a uniformed flight attendant popped some champagne for the trip after we settled down into the sumptuous leather bucket seats. Fresh flowers sat upon the table–hydrangeas, Lucy’s favorite.

  Devlin lifted his glass. “To a memorable weekend full of romance, passion and dreams coming true,” he said with a charming smile that teetered right on the edge of being a smirk. “Salut!”

  “Salut!” we echoed as we toasted our trip.

  He reached for my hand, bringing it to his lips for a kiss as he held my gaze. Lucy, whose seat faced ours, winked at me before she turned her attention to her fiancé. “I’ve missed you so much,” she said to Gus as she grabbed one of his hands with both of hers. “I never want to be apart from you again.”

  He gave her a confident smile. “After this week, there will never be a need.”

  Indeed, his declaration gave us all tremendous perspective on the importance of our journey. This wasn’t just some pleasure trip. This was a week that would change the lives of my best friends forever. No longer would they be mere boyfriend and girlfriend. They would be married, committed; bonded for life, two halves of the same whole. It was a heady decision for anyone to make, but for the first time in a year, I was certain that Lucy was ready to make it. She wasn’t frazzled at all, mostly because she had been allowed to stay in the driver’s seat making all her decisions, rather than stuffed in the trunk of her mother’s clown car. Lucy wasn’t nervous, she wasn’t sad. The tears that appeared in the corner of her eyes were happy ones, not those of an emotional breakdown, one conniption fit away from being dragged away by men in white coats.

  This was my bestie. In charge of her life, sure of what she was doing. It just reinforced that we were doing the right thing. She deserved to have her wedding her way, and this was the only way she could make that happen without laying all of her mother’s perfect plans to waste.

  I watched them happily cuddle and coo with an absent smile on my face. I never once begrudged her any happiness, but I felt a pang of jealousy that she had it all figured out already. One of life’s major questions had already been answered for her. She never had to wonder if she’d ever find the one who would love her unconditionally, who would move heaven and earth to be with her, whose only priority in life was making her happy. For three years solid, their bond had been strong. Taking that next step was a no-brainer. There were no doubts, no fears. Just excitement for the journey they were about to embark upon together.