Sophisticated for the Night

by C. J. Fallowfield

  ‘Good evening, Miss Beresford. May I say how stunning you look tonight and how good it is to see you again.’ I couldn’t help the corners of my lips lifting into a smile, as she froze on hearing my voice. I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw her hand fly up to her chest, as she started to breathe faster. Excellent, my charms hadn’t worn off. She still wanted me, not half as much as I wanted her though, of that I was convinced. I wanted to blow off the premiere and drag her back up to her suite and spend the whole night fucking her. In fact sod the suite, that was wasting valuable time just getting up there, time when I could have my tongue down her throat tasting her again. Her pupils widened as she finally locked eyes with mine and she took a startled breath. I swallowed hard, the sexual tension arcing between us was almost unbearable. My cock flexed, as if it knew she was there, it knew being buried deep inside her warmth was the only place I’d ever been truly happy. Summer Beresford had redefined the meaning of the word for me, since that one night together. Her eyes suddenly changed, the look of adoration and pure sexual need, was suddenly replaced with a flash of anger.

  ‘Mr. Steele, what the hell are you doing here?’ she demanded. Shit, “Mr. Steele” just sounded all the more hot in that velvety, sensual tone of hers. I loved that she had fire in her belly, it turned me on even more, if that were possible. Those eyes of hers, the purest of bright blues, pierced my very soul. But the anger in them betrayed how much I’d unknowingly hurt her.

  ‘I needed to see you again,’ I replied with a shrug, as if that would cover everything. She glared at me for a moment, looking confused, then reached for the door handle. ‘Where do you think you’re going?’ I questioned, wondering if she’d realise that James had locked the doors to avoid her getting out.

  ‘This is the biggest night of my life. You suddenly show up, uninvited, after ignoring my last booking request, send me flowers and quite possibly the blue lace knickers I’m currently shitting myself in and you wonder why I don’t want to deal with you?’ she responded, with a scowl that made me want to spank her, then fuck her into submission.

  ‘You’d rather it were Daron Beck sitting here?’ I shot back, as I leaned forwards and placed my elbows on my parted knees. ‘Is that why you’re angry?’

  ‘I’m angry because I was already nervous enough, without finding you here instead of Daron, Mr. Steele.’

  ‘You’re seeing him?’ I asked as I frowned. That delicious fluttering feeling I’d had in my stomach only moments before, was suddenly replaced with a ball of white hot burning anger.

  ‘Not that it’s any of your business, but no, I’m not seeing him. No girl in her right mind would see Daron Beck, Mr. Steele.’

  ‘It’s Logan, not Mr. Steele,’ I reprimanded. Calling me that was just turning me on even more, not to mention the fact that she obviously despised the man I’d been getting myself worked up over.

  ‘Calling you Logan implies familiarity. I’m just the stupid girl who paid you to sleep with her, then got rejected on my second attempt at a booking.’

  ‘I didn’t reject you, I never got your email until the weekend.’

  ‘Don’t lie to me,’ she bit back. ‘I detest lies.’

  ‘I’m not lying. I only got your email on Sunday,’ I replied. It was the truth, she didn’t need to know it was because I’d blocked her address and deleted her file, only for Ian, computer genius extraordinaire, to restore it when I freaked out about Daron accompanying her tonight.

  ‘Be man enough to admit that I was just a client who paid you to seduce her, I was sexually lacking and you didn’t want to see me again. I’m a big girl, just as I can handle Daron and his unwanted advances, I can handle you not wanting me.’

  ‘Are you sure about that, Miss Beresford? Your voice and hands are shaking,’ I retorted, as I fought against the overwhelming urge to reach out, grab her and yank her onto my lap as I took her mouth in a possessive kiss. I wanted to brand her, to bite that slender bare neck and let everyone around the world today see that she was already taken. Already mine.

  ‘I already told you that I’m nervous,’ she responded, as she blinked a number of times and I saw tears forming in her eyes.

  ‘Daron Beck isn’t worthy of you, Summer. He’s a player who’s abusive to women. I didn’t like the idea of you drinking a load of Kir Royales while in his company, in case he took advantage of you later.’

  ‘You remembered my favourite drink? As well as my favourite flowers?’ she whispered, as she cocked her head to look at me surprised.

  ‘I remember everything about you, Summer. So as James has already set off and you have no other way of getting to your premiere in time, how about I set the record straight and you can tell me to go to hell after?’ I advised, as adrenaline from seeing her finally kicked me into action. ‘You have no idea how badly I wanted you to make another booking. I’ve never found it difficult to walk away from a woman the morning after, but the morning I left you was hell. I’ve thought about you every single bloody day, multiples times. You may have booked an appointment the first time we met, but you were never “just the girl who paid me to seduce you” and you weren’t lacking. It was the best night of my God damn life and I know that you felt our connection too, don’t try and deny it.’ I could hear the anger in my voice, making it shake. How else could I convince her that she was more than she thought?

  ‘What are you trying to say?’ she asked, looking at me confused.

  ‘I’m not sure even I know, Summer. I just know that I didn’t want you spending tonight with him and that I needed to see you again. I haven’t come up with some master plan, or a schedule of events because this isn’t a booking, this is me. It’s just me Summer, accompanying the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, to the biggest night of her life, so she has some support and doesn’t have to worry that any minute I’m going to force myself on her, which you would have done with him.’

  ‘I’m the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen?’ she asked quietly, as she studied my face for my reaction.

  ‘Yes,’ I responded instantly. I couldn’t help myself, her hands were knotted in her lap, her fingers twisting around themselves, so I reached out and parted them, both of us inhaling at the electricity that sparked when we touched. I held both of her hands in mine, my thumbs stroking the back of them, feeling the softness of her skin as I rubbed. ‘You’re not just a client to me, Summer. I like you. I really like you. I needed to be here for you, with you.’

  ‘It was you a few months ago, that was parked by my house, wasn’t it?’ she asked, taking me by surprise.

  ‘Yes,’ I nodded. ‘How did you know?’

  ‘My neighbour saw your car. We don’t get many fancy cars in our street, we don’t get many cars period. She told us that she’d watched a handsome young man sitting in some flash car, occasionally rubbing his eyes and muttering, sometimes banging his hands on the steering wheel, looking frustrated. She was wondering if she should call the police. I didn’t want to get my hopes up that it was you.’

  ‘You wanted to see me again?’ I asked, unable to stop the grin that spread across my face. Her cheeks went the most adorable shade of pink as she hung her head.

  ‘Yes,’ she whispered, so quietly it was barely audible. ‘You know I did, I tried to book you again.’

  ‘So you only wanted Logan Steele, not me?’ I asked with another frown, feeling deflated all of a sudden.

  ‘I only know Logan Steele, the highly recommended escort. I haven’t met the real you, not yet,’ she replied, as she looked back up and held my gaze.

  ‘You have no idea how little truth there is in that statement, Summer. I was more myself with you than I’ve ever been with any other client,’ I retorted, feeling annoyed that she still didn’t believe me. But there again why should she? ‘I’d never made love to a woman until that night, not held them and watched them sleeping, never felt protective over them, driven them home in my own car the next day. I’ve never missed anyone after a booking, either. I told you I’
ve thought about you every day and I wasn’t lying,’ I added firmly, really hoping she’d see I was telling the truth.

  ‘I’ve thought about you every day too,’ she replied, as she blushed again and I felt my chest expand. ‘I’m still not sure what that means.’

  ‘Does it have to mean something right now? Can’t we just accept that we’re attracted to each other, that we’ll spend the evening together and see how it goes?’

  ‘I … I’m not … I’m not sure we can,’ she stuttered, as she quickly pulled her hands out of mine and shrank back into the corner.

  ‘Why not? Is there someone else? Are you seeing someone?’ I asked, not sure if I wanted to know the answer.

  ‘No,’ came her fast response. I sat back in my seat, closed my eyes and covered my face with my hands as I slowly exhaled the biggest sigh of relief. If she wasn’t seeing anyone, hopefully that meant that my sweet virgin, my sweet and innocent Summer, could still be mine. That thought was quickly shattered with her next statement. ‘I’m not sure it’s a good idea, you accompanying me tonight. This is the night that I’m under the spotlight, it could launch my career. How’s it going to look, if it comes out, that my date for the evening fucks other women for money?’

  Summer

  I hated saying it, but it had to be said. My agent and the producers would be furious. I’d been chosen because of my innocence, I’d been warned not to put myself into any situations that would lead to a tabloid heading of “Summer Beresford, caught in an orgy” or anything else that would tarnish my name or their film, until it had at least broken even, or I was too popular for the headline to adversely affect us all. That was after I’d already paid up for my night with Logan, and I wasn’t about to waste that sizeable amount of money and risk my role in this film, with my previous naivety affecting my ability to act as a sexy confident woman, well versed in the art of kissing, touching, giving and receiving. Logan dropped his hands from his face to look at me and it made me wince to see the look of hurt on his face. I felt so conflicted and confused. He was an escort. A man paid to seduce women, to lie and tell them what they wanted to hear. Yet he was here now, uninvited and unpaid. He’d purchased me flowers and underwear, organised his driver to be here, God knows how he’d got around Daron, because he was as persistent as a dog with a bone.

  ‘It’s not as if I’m about to announce the fact, if a journalist stops me and asks what I do,’ he replied coldly. I had hurt him.

  ‘But what if someone recognises you? If someone sells your story to the newspapers? Do you have any idea what that would do for my career?’ I replied.

  ‘As much damage as it would do to mine. Women pay me handsomely because of my ability to be discreet, Miss Beresford. Anonymity is key. It’s one of my conditions for booking.’

  ‘So was “no contact after the event, unless it is for a new booking,” and you’ve broken that rule tonight,’ I reminded him.

  ‘You have a photographic memory?’ he asked.

  ‘No, but as an actress I have to remember my lines and given I never heard back from you, I read over your contract a few times, to see if there was a one booking only clause.’

  ‘I told you I never got your email, so assume that this is that booking you requested.’

  ‘I haven’t paid you and I couldn’t afford to pay you now, I spent the money on living expenses for the last ten months and helping out my parents.’

  ‘I don’t want paying,’ he sighed. ‘I told you that this isn’t a “job,” I’m here for you.’

  ‘It still doesn’t solve my problem though, does it?’ I retorted, feeling frustrated. Right now I didn’t care how many women he’d fucked in the time since I’d last seen him, I just wanted his lips on mine, kissing me into a stupor, the way he’d kissed me before. The way I’d dreamt of every night. I blinked back some tears. What was wrong with me? Thousands of available men in London and I had to fall for a man who fucked women for money. He frowned as he looked at me, his brow creasing in that sexy way I’d remembered. I doubted there was anything he could do that wouldn’t be sexy. God seeing him in jeans and a shirt had been bad enough, but all James Bond in a tuxedo?

  ‘Then I’m not your “date,” I’m simply a friend and if someone tries to go to the tabloids to expose me, they’ll be handled.’

  ‘Handled?’

  ‘I have connections in very high places, Miss Beresford. Trust me, a story would be squashed before it got to print. Besides, none of my clients can afford to expose themselves as having booked me. Just as you’re worried about your reputation, so are they.’

  ‘Are you sure?’ I asked, my reservations wavering with every second he sat looking at me. Looking like that. The thought of him walking away, had me in a downward spiralling vortex. I craved his touch, to feel his lips on mine again, even if it was just the once.

  ‘I’m sure,’ he nodded. I swallowed, which wasn’t easy given my mouth was so dry from nerves. ‘Why do you still look as if you want to stop the car and run?’

  ‘Because being so close to you is unsettling,’ I replied honestly. All I could think about was blowing off the premiere and letting him make love to me again. I wanted to know if my memories of that one night with him were as good as I thought, or if I’d over romanticised the whole thing.

  ‘Because you find me attractive?’ he asked, as a slight smile played on his lips.

  ‘Is there a woman that doesn’t?’

  ‘Well I’ve yet to meet her,’ he chuckled with a cocky grin, that instead of pissing me off, only made him even more appealing. ‘But I don’t care about anyone else. Do you find me attractive, Miss Beresford? Do you want me, the way I’ve wanted you for the last ten months?’

  ‘Yes,’ I breathed and watched him nod his approval.

  ‘So no one since me has compared?’

  ‘You can’t ask me questions like that,’ I protested, as I felt my cheeks heating up.

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘You just can’t, that’s very personal.’

  ‘It’s personal to me, I highly doubt anyone has pleased you more than I did that night, but on the off chance they did, I need to know how I stop sucking in any particular area.’ He was teasing me, the way he said “sucking” had me shiver. He knew there’d been no one else, he had to know.

  ‘I think you know that I had no problem with your “sucking” when I last saw you. You’re teasing me.’

  ‘No, but I’d like to,’ he grinned, before looking at me seriously again. ‘I’m serious, Summer. I want to know if you’ve had sex with someone who made you feel better than me?’

  ‘No, ok? Happy now?’ I retorted, looking at him annoyed.

  ‘Not yet. So how many men have there been?’

  ‘How many women have there been?’ I shot back.

  ‘This isn’t about me,’ he replied quickly.

  ‘Then why should it be about me? Why should I answer questions that you’re not prepared to?’

  ‘Very well, if we leave my job out of it, because that’s all it is, a job, just like your acting, there’s been no other women. I’ve not slept with anyone in my personal life.’

  ‘That’s not an answer, job or not. You want to hear me say a low number to make yourself feel better, yet I’m expected to accept that you’ve probably slept with more than forty women since our night together, and I’m being conservative.’

  ‘With no emotional attachment, there’s a difference.’

  ‘Your rule is no emotional attachment, you’re obviously well practiced at switching off your feelings,’ I reminded him.

  ‘Yet here I am, without payment.’

  ‘Yes, here you are. You turn up out of the blue, hijack my evening, ask me inappropriate questions and you seem unwilling to explain to me exactly what you want from me. You’re a very infuriating man, Logan Steele,’ I uttered.

  ‘I told you why I’m here, I came for you. I want you, Summer. Tell me you haven’t thought about my lips on yours? Kissing you, making you groan my na
me again? Sucking on your nipples, teasing that big clit of yours with my tongue, before I sink my cock into you and make you sob with pleasure?’

  ‘Stop,’ I moaned, just hearing him say things like that made me want to scramble over to him and kiss him. Could he really be serious? He wanted me, really wanted me? What did that mean? A one off thing, or a relationship? I jolted in surprise as he suddenly swung himself around and sat next to me, his hip touching mine and I had to remember to breathe. ‘My dress, it’s expensive,’ I warned, as I gently tucked it out of the way.

  ‘I know, I bought it for you.’

  ‘Logan,’ I sighed as I looked at him. Just how much had he spent on me? ‘I have nothing to give you in return.’

  ‘Yes, you do. Say you’ll let me accompany you tonight, to spend the night with you again. If it goes well, we talk about what that means tomorrow.’

  ‘I just … Logan I …’ I closed my eyes as my head and my heart argued. I wanted to believe he was sincere, he’d gone to so much trouble, spent so much money, but what could he possibly see in an ordinary girl like me? I gasped as I felt his hands clasping my face and opened my eyes to see his perfectly clear grey ones staring intently into mine.

  ‘Do you have your lip gloss on you?’ he asked randomly, in a seriously deep sexy tone.

  ‘Yes, why?’ I asked, perplexed. He was too male to want to wear makeup, surely?

  ‘Because you’ll need to reapply it, as I’m about to convince you that you want me by your side,’ he stated, his chest rising and falling as rapidly as mine was, to have him so close to me, touching me. Just to have that connection made me forget all about his other women, all that mattered was him here, in this moment, with me. ‘And I think feeling my tongue in your mouth again, might just do that.’