by S. E. Lund
MrBigShot69: Hey, Lexi, I'm running late. I'll be there in about ten.
While I waited for her response, I ate my California rolls and pondered what I’d say to her, and whether I would tell her my evil plan or let her think I merely needed a date. In my texts and emails, I'd told her that I was dateless because of a recent breakup. I most likely could have gotten a date on short notice if I wanted one, but my goal was to teach Eric a lesson.
I hadn't had a serious relationship since my ex fiancée and I split over a year earlier, but Lexi would probably already know that once she realized who I was. My breakup with Jenna had made the local gossip columns, and was all that was talked about amongst my family and associates for a month after the wedding was cancelled at the last – and I mean last – minute.
Instead, I told her about my more recent breakup with Felicia just to satisfy her curiosity, not wanting to reveal the real reason I was hiring her or who I was until I had her sign the NDA.
Higher class escorts, so John told me, were familiar with them and were used to signing to protect the identities of their wealthier or more famous clients. As the adoptive son of one of Manhattan's most famous business moguls and partner in a deal that would crack over two billion, I would likely be immediately recognizable to Lexi.
I patted the NDA in my jacket pocket and took out my cell, wondering where Lexi was.
She finally responded about five minutes later.
Lexi911: I’m not waiting forever. I have places to go and people to see…
Was she already at the food court? I glanced around but didn't see anyone who fit her description. I responded right away, hoping to catch sight of her responding.
MrBigShot69: Are you there already?
ALEXA: No, but I'm on my way. Be there in five.
MRBIGSHOT69: Be right there. What are you wearing, so I’ll know who you are?
Lexi911: Uh, uh, uh. I get to see you first and then YOU get to see me if I decide to do business with you. Sorry, but those are my rules.
MrBigShot69: Okay, be coy. I’ll see you when you get here.
I watched the entrances for the next five minutes but she must still be on her way and didn't want to admit she was late.
I sat back and waited, wondering what Lexi of 9-1-1 Escorts looked like.
John assured me she was hot.
I hoped he was right…
Chapter 3
Alexa
* * *
My stomach was all butterflies as I considered my approach to the food court at the Columbus Circle Mall, which was far enough away from my apartment that I likely wouldn’t know anyone.
When I arrived, customers had filled almost every table. I got a plate of sushi, and sat at the back of the section so I could watch the entry and exit, as well as the tables outside the sushi joint. There were about twenty customers seated in the section as well as a handful getting sushi at the store.
I blended in with my hoodie and jeans, my hair pulled back into a ponytail. I even wore my Yankees ball cap, pulling it down low so that no one would look twice at me. I was as plain as plain could be.
My eyes darted everywhere, looking for a man in what I expected would be a business suit, with something obviously red on his person to signify who he was. Maybe a red tie, or a red kerchief tucked into his suit jacket breast pocket.
I checked my watch, and ate half-heartedly, my stomach not quite settled for fear he’d know who I was.
How could he know who I was? My cell number was private. All he’d get if he tried to track it down would be a provider and there were millions using the same service. He had no idea what I looked like.
The food court was busy with dozens of customers coming and going and almost every table was full. There were a few potential Mr. Big Shots in the seating area – men of his age dressed in expensive looking business suits, but I could only see the backs of their heads. I took in a deep breath and tried to relax, leaning back, deciding I was going to enjoy myself and stop worrying. This would be one of those stories I could tell my best friends forever.
Remember that jerk of a guy who was trying to hire an escort for a fundraiser? Yeah, what a total jerk!
About five minutes later, I got a text and was tempted to answer right away, but then, at the last second, I worried that he might be watching to see who answered their cell and would know who I was, so as much as I wanted to check my cell, I didn’t.
I waited five minutes and ate my sushi. To amuse myself, I read the front page of the New York Times that had been left behind on the table, scanning the headlines absently, pretending to care. About five minutes later, I nonchalantly checked my cell, and saw that the text was from MrBigShot69 saying he’d be a few minutes late. I texted a response.
Lexi911: I’m not waiting forever. I have places to go and people to see…
I put my cell down and angled it so I could read any response without seeming to check. His reply came immediately.
MrBigShot69: Are you there already?
I didn't want him to know I was already there, so I lied.
ALEXA: No, but I'm on my way. Be there in five.
MRBIGSHOT69: Be right there. What are you wearing, so I’ll know who you are?
Lexi911: Uh, uh, uh. I get to see you first and then YOU get to see me if I decide to do business with you. Sorry, but those are my rules.
MrBigShot69: Okay, be coy. I’ll see you when you get here.
I relaxed and leaned back, glancing around to watch the doors, so I could see him as soon as he arrived. After a couple of minutes, one of the suits a few rows ahead of me stood up. He was facing the other way, so he couldn’t see me. Tall, maybe six three. Well-built from the width of his shoulders under a very well-fitting and expensive looking black suit. Dark hair just a tad too long. When he glanced to his left, I saw a very sharp jaw and just enough scruff to be hot. Sharp regular features. His bangs fell into his eyes in a very sexy way.
God, now he was gorgeous, from what I could see. Armani gorgeous, Candace would say. Then, he picked up his tray and carried it over to the trash, emptying the used plates and plastic cutlery into the opening. When he turned back, I saw his face square on over the top of the Times and my God… Eyes so blue I could see them from where I sat about fifteen feet away. Regular features, square jaw, just the right amount of scruff. A white shirt under a black suit. A dark blue tie…
It wasn’t Mr. Big Shot 69, sadly, for he wasn’t wearing anything red that I could see.
He stood there, glancing around the food court with…
With a red umbrella in his hand.
His gaze passed over the other customers in the court but didn't even stop at me. He kept turning slowly in a circle as if trying to signal that he was there. He was obviously a liar, arriving early, probably hoping to figure out who Lexi911 was by watching who arrived and went to the sushi place.
Just like I had been doing.
He was there when I arrived. I'd seen him from the back, but couldn't tell if he had anything red on him. When he was looking away, I surreptitiously held up my cell and snapped a quick pic of him. Then, I ducked my head down and sent the pic in a text to Candace.
ALEXA: This is MrBigShot69…
Her text was almost immediate.
CANDYC: OMGOMGOMG
CANDYC: DON'T YOU KNOW WHO HE IS???
I frowned. No, I didn’t know who he was. Sure, he was handsome, but I didn't recognize him and apparently, no one else at the mall did either.
ALEXA: Who is he?
CANDYC: Just one of the hottest young soon-to-be billionaires!!! What cave have you been living in? No, wait… I take that back. I know what cave you've been living in… He's Luke Marshall of the Marshall banking fortune. Poor little rich boy whose parents both died when he and his twin sister were kids. They were orphaned and then adopted by the Marshall family. He owns Chatter!!! It's up for sale and will probably earn him a cool billion dollars.
I raised my eyebrows and glanced back at
him – at Luke. He went to the till at the sushi place and ordered something else. I watched as the clerk poured him a take-out cup of coffee. After he paid and exchanged a few words with the clerk, he stood there, glancing left and right, a distracted expression on his very handsome face. No doubt he was looking for someone beautiful, someone high class who would fit in at his fundraiser. Not someone dressed in sweats and a Yankees ball cap, her hair pulled back and no makeup on.
God. Almighty…
Mr. Big Shot 69 – Luke Marshall – was gorgeous…
I quickly texted Candace.
ALEXA: I had no idea who he is. What do I know about tech billionaires? I don't use Chatter. He’s clearly gorgeous. What do I do now?
She didn’t respond and I cursed myself. I could never go through with it. Despite my high school dream of being an actress, I could never pretend to be an escort and go out with him, despite how gorgeous he was.
CANDYC: Don’t go up to him looking the way you do now or he’ll laugh you out of the food court. His adoptive family is old money. His real family is old money. Besides being gorgeous and super rich, he's as blue blood as you can get. You look like a B Boy and certainly not date material for a swanky family dinner...
I almost laughed out loud at that, but she was right.
ALEXA: I know, I know… I won’t go up to him now. But you’re talking like I’m actually going to go to the dinner with him.
CANDYC: Are you craycray? Of course you’re going to the dinner with him! OMG if you don’t go, I will! I would hit that in a heartbeat. It's the opportunity of a lifetime. OMG Lexa. YOU MUST GO WITH HIM!
I bit my lip and considered. If he had asked me as a woman, as someone he knew socially, I’d be all over him like white on rice. But despite my background in theatre, I couldn’t keep up that performance.
In fact, I felt incredibly guilty that I’d led him on this far. I couldn't lie to him and pretend to be an escort.
ALEXA: I’m not an escort.
CANDYC: Don’t take his money. Do it as an act of charity. He needs a date. You’re doing him a big favor. If you don’t take any money, you’re not technically a hooker. If you volunteer, you’re just a date. If you don’t volunteer, I WILL!
I chewed my lip. I'd be deceiving him if I went through with it. Did he care? He seemed to need someone to attend the family event with him – why I had no idea. He said he needed a date, but how could a soon-to-be billionaire who looked as hot as he did need a date?
ALEXA: Why would he need a date? If he's as rich and famous as you say, I'd think women would be falling all over themselves to go out with him. Explain me that one…
CANDYC: I don't care why he needs a date. He needs a date. Honestly, Lexa. This is the chance of a lifetime. You're nuts if you don't do it. You can work those acting muscles that have gone to waste.
I thought for a moment, wondering if I should, just to be charitable.
ALEXA: I’ll think about it…
Then I chickened out. Instead of meeting him and confessing or sending him a text to tell him the truth, I left. I stood up and walked out of the mall. Before I went through the exit doors, I glanced back and saw he was standing beside his place at the table, his eyes scanning the crowded food court, red umbrella prominently displayed in his hand.
He was looking for some really high-end beautiful escort who charged a cool thousand dollars a night for a straight date, no sex.
He wasn’t looking for me.
* * *
I hopped on a train back to my apartment near Columbia and took out my cell, hoping to see a response from Candace. There was nothing.
There was something from MrBigShot69. I hadn’t heard the text because of the rumble of the train rolling into the station, but there it was.
MRBIGSHOT69: Hey, Lexi, where are you? I’m here waiting with bated breath to see how beautiful you are and how green with envy and jealousy someone will be when I turn up to the fundraiser with you on my arm.
I read his text over, read all his texts over, and felt incredible guilt that I was wasting his time.
LEXI911: Sorry, but I had a last-minute emergency. Have to cancel.
MRBIGSHOT69: Don’t you pull out on me. I need you to attend with me on Saturday. It’s far too late to find someone else. Please… I’ll double your rate. I’ll be a total gentleman.
LEXI911: Can’t you use someone else at the agency?
MRBIGSHOT69: I trust John. He said you’re the best. I’ll triple your rate.
LEXI911: You haven’t even seen me.
MRBIGSHOT69: John said you’re beautiful and smart and that’s as important as looks for this event. Trust me. I need you. Don’t let me down. I’ll quadruple your usual rate.
Four thousand dollars an hour? Man, he was desperate. That just amped up my guilt, so I put my cell away and didn’t look at it again until I got back to the apartment.
As I was climbing the stairs, Candace came running up behind me, take-out coffee in hand from the shop down the street.
“So, you’re going to go to the dinner?” she asked, her face bright.
I shook my head sadly. “I can’t.”
“Why the hell not? He’s like one of the most eligible bachelors in the entire country. He's also write-home-to-momma gorgeous. Armani Catwalk gorgeous.”
“He is gorgeous. Why he’s in need of a date I’ll never know. He said he'd quadruple my usual fee.”
“That’s strange that he’s so desperate to use you,” she said and followed me into the living room after locking the door behind her. “You sure it was him? He was almost married last year but they called it off the week before. I wouldn’t think someone like him would have to resort to an escort service.”
I nodded. “He had a red umbrella with him. It’s not raining today.”
I handed her my cell and she read over his texts. “Aww,” she said and shook her head. “That’s sad. I kinda feel bad for him.” Then she looked at me. “You should go anyway. If you don't, I will. Honestly, Alexa. You should go.”
I frowned, unsurprised that she’d suggest it. Taking risks was how she rolled.
“You’re seriously nuts and I'm even nuttier to listen to you,” I said as I plopped down on the sofa. “What if he decides he wants some dessert?”
She sat beside me on the armrest. “What if you decide you want a few bites? He’s a total babe. I’d do him. If you feel guilty, do it as an act of charity. The guy is clearly desperate.”
“I couldn’t,” I said, although a jolt of adrenaline went through me as I considered going with him anyway. He was so gorgeous.
“He’s filthy rich, Lexa. Have you ever been with a man who's filthy rich?"
I shook my head. "Nope."
"See? You'll get to check it off your bucket list." She grinned at me. "He has no credit card limit. It’ll be a dinner. You’ll wear something classy, and engage in small talk with rich people. He wants someone brainy. You’re a brain. Talk to them about international treaties or the balance of power in the Middle East. Do it!”
I bit my bottom lip in doubt, but a smile came over my face. “Should I?”
“Yes!” she said and squeezed my shoulder in a hug. “Think of the story you can tell everyone when we meet for brunch on Sunday…”
I let out a huge sigh. “I don’t have anything really classy to wear.”
“Call Suzanne,” she said. “She’s got really nice clothes from when she worked for that designer. She must have something you could wear.”
“What do you wear to an evening with family at Cipriani Wall Street?”
She shrugged. “A little black number with heels. A tiny silver purse. Your hair and makeup done. A red lace pushup bra and matching thong…” She wagged her eyebrows.
“I can’t believe I’m actually considering it,” I said with a laugh, considering it seriously. “I could always confess to him that I’m not really an escort, and tell him the whole truth.”
“Of course you could,” she said. “This
is an opportunity of a lifetime. To help out a fellow human being, even if he is a dickhead rich boy. He's a hella good looking dickhead rich boy. You'll get to go to a classy dinner, drink champagne with the rich and opulent. Practice your acting skills.”
“You’re first rate crazy,” I said and made a face. “And I must be to even consider it.”
“I am first rate crazy. You love me anyway,” she said with a mischievous grin.
“I do.”
I took out my cell and decided to text him back, still torn but determined to follow through despite my reluctance. I didn’t have to accept any money. It would be just me doing it so he had a date. A simple act of paying it forward.
A good deed.
“Come over here,” Candace said, sitting at her computer. “Let’s check him out.”
She googled Luke Marshall, and for the next hour, we read everything we could get or hands on about him. His Wikipedia page detailed his family, the death of his parents and adoption by the Marshalls, his education and his startup, Chatter. It even had a link to his ex — Jenna Cornwall. We googled her name and there were dozens of images of her, taken by various gossip columnists.
She was stunning. Dark hair, perfect features, classy clothes… In every picture, she looked beautiful. There were a few of her with Luke, before their breakup.
There were a few articles about the wedding being called off due to mutual agreement.
Luke looked so happy in those pictures…
After we’d had our fill of snooping about Luke Marshall, I went to my own computer and read over his emails and then I re-read his texts.
I thought – what the fuck are you doing, Alexandria? What would your father think?
My father, the upright law-abiding honest-as-the-day-is-long father, Air Force officer who valued truth and honesty above everything else. What would he think if he knew I was masquerading as a high-class hooker so I could go on a date with a newly-minted soon-to-be billionaire?
He'd give me a withering look that said everything I'd need to know.
LEXI911: Look I really must say no. I'm so booked this weekend that I can't make the time you want. I've got a client earlier in the day and then one after you. I need some down time…