by Lynn, Sandi
“Call the number on the card, go through the proper channels, and I’ll make sure I’m available that night.”
After breakfast, I went up to my hotel suite to grab my luggage. Pulling my phone from my purse, I called Sasha.
“Hey, Brielle. How’s Texas?”
“Eventful to say the least. I’m going to be heading home today. Derek’s wife had a heart attack and he needed to leave last night.”
“That sucks. I hope she’s okay.”
“Listen, I need you to cancel my appointment for next Saturday with that new client. A gentleman by the name of Caden Chamberlain is going to be calling to hire me for that night. I’ve already met him here in Texas. Screen him anyway. He wants me for the entire night and he’s paying me twenty thousand dollars.”
“Holy shit. For one night? How did you manage that?”
“He was willing to pay it last night after Derek left and I turned him down. He really wants to spend the night with me, so I told him twenty grand and he agreed.”
“Damn, Brielle.”
“He’s the president of a billion-dollar flavoring company. Twenty thousand is pennies to him.”
“Umm, Brielle. I just googled his name. He’s thirty years old and he’s fucking hot as hell. Shit. I’d let him fuck me for free.”
I let out a light laugh. “If we had met when I was Brielle and not on the job, I probably would have.”
“Gotta go, the other line is ringing. It’s probably him. Have a safe flight.”
I ended the call, grabbed my suitcase, and headed to the lobby where Caden was waiting for me and talking on the phone. After he ended the call, he looked at me.
“Damn, you put new clients through an ordeal.”
“Like I said, a woman needs to protect herself.” I smiled as we climbed into the back of his limo.
6
Caden
“I can take you home if you need a ride,” I spoke as the plane landed.
“I have a car waiting for me. But thanks for the offer.”
We unbuckled our seatbelts, grabbed our luggage, and exited the plane.
“I would like to have your number in case I need to speak to you before Saturday.”
“Only regular clients get my number.”
“I see. And who’s to say I won’t become a regular client? But I am paying you twenty thousand dollars for one night, so I think that should include a phone number.”
“You think so?” She cocked her head.
“I do. We have entered into a business arrangement and usually phone numbers are exchanged.”
“Okay then.”
I pulled out my phone and entered the number she rattled off.
“Thank you. I’ll see you next Saturday.” I smiled.
“Are you not going to give me your number?” she asked.
“I’ll be in touch.” I gave her a wink.
“Okay then, see you next Saturday.”
I watched her as she walked away, rolling her suitcase behind her. I followed her into the airport, keeping my distance so she didn’t see me. She went into the bathroom and I waited at the Starbucks across the way for her to come out. I stood there in shock when she walked out.
“I’ll be damned,” I whispered to myself.
She was no longer a brunette, but a blonde. A very sexy and beautiful blonde-haired woman. She disguised herself for her clients. Smart woman. I pulled her card out of my pocket and stared at her name: Emmy Pine. I would guarantee that was fake as well.
I headed home to my Park Avenue penthouse. When I stepped off the elevator, I left my suitcase in the foyer and walked over to the bar and poured myself a drink. Taking it out to the balcony, I leaned over the railing and thought about her. I thought she was sexy as a brunette, but after seeing her as a blonde, it took my excitement to a whole other level. Now she was more of a mystery and I was going to find out exactly who she was. I finished my drink, set my glass down, and headed out of my building to go see my brother Kyle. He was the founder and owner of Upscale, a fine dining five-star restaurant in the Financial District.
“Good evening, Mr. Chamberlain.”
“Good evening, Allison. Where’s my brother?”
“In the kitchen.” She smiled flirtatiously at me.
The place was packed like it always was. To get in, you had to make reservations at least two months in advance. My brother was an excellent chef, which had been his passion since he was a kid. He tried the family business and it made him miserable. The only thing that made him happy was being in a kitchen. He wasn’t an office, sit-behind-a-desk type of guy. He was my older brother by three years, and he was also my best friend.
“Hey bro. Nice surprise.” He grinned as I walked into the kitchen.
“Hey.” I grabbed a bacon-wrapped scallop from the aluminum pan sitting on the counter.
“You’re just in time. I was going to take a break. Did you eat?”
“No. Not yet.”
“Marcus, put a plate together for me and Caden and bring it in back,” he spoke.
“Sure thing, boss.”
We walked to the small room off the side, which was where parties were held. Taking a seat at a table, Kyle handed me a bourbon.
“Thanks.”
“How was Texas?” he asked as he took the seat across from me.
“I was there one day, and it was eventful to say the least.” I arched my brow as I took a sip of my drink.
“Eventful in a good way or a bad way?”
“Depends on how you look at it. I met a woman at the hotel and there was something about her that caught my attention very quickly.”
“Like?”
“She was sexy, poised, smart. Someone I wanted to fuck very badly.”
“I take it you didn’t?”
“No. She turned down my offer.”
“Offer?” His brows furrowed.
“I offered to pay her twenty thousand dollars for the night.”
He chuckled as Marcus set our plates down in front of us. “What is she, an escort or something?”
“Yeah. She is. She was with Derek Willows and he had to fly out due to a family emergency.”
“You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Dead serious.”
“Why the fuck would she turn down twenty grand, and why didn’t you just call her agency?”
“She doesn’t work for an agency. She works for herself. She has a screening process that all clients have to go through first. Wait, it gets better.” I smiled. “She left her phone on the bar, so I went up to the suite she was in to give it back to her. The door opened and I didn’t see her, so I stepped inside. That was when she pointed a gun to the back of my head.”
“Oh my god.” He laughed. “What did she think? You were going to rape her or something?”
“I guess so, since she had a gun pointed at me. I explained to her that I was only there to give her back her phone, which she left down at the bar.”
“She sounds like a psycho.”
“She’s not. She was being cautious, and I admire that. It made her sexier in my eyes.” I smirked. “Anyway, she lives here in New York and I offered her a ride back on my jet. She accepted and I’ve hired her to attend an event with me on Saturday night.”
“At what cost?” His brow raised.
“Twenty thousand.”
He sat across from me and slowly shook his head.
“You’re seriously going to pay her twenty grand for the night?”
“Yes. I am. I know she’ll be worth every penny. I can feel it.”
“Are you bored or something? There are women lining up all over the city trying to sleep with you for free and you’re going to pay some escort?”
“I can’t figure it out myself. All I know is there’s something about her that intrigues me. Anyway, it’s only one night. Once I fuck her, I’ll get her out of my system and send her on her way.”
“Good luck, brother. I hope she’s worth the money.”
&
nbsp; 7
Saturday
Brielle
I was making breakfast for Stella when my business cell phone rang with a number I didn’t recognize. I declined the call and a text message came through.
“It’s Caden Chamberlain. I’m going to call you again. Make sure you answer. I need to talk to you about tonight.”
A moment later, it rang again, so I answered it.
“Hello, Mr. Chamberlain.”
“Hello, Emmy,” his low voice spoke.
“If you’re calling to cancel—”
“No. I’m not cancelling. I have a request for tonight.”
“And what is that?” I asked.
“I don’t want you to wear your wig. I want you to come as your natural self. Not in disguise.”
“Excuse me?” I started to tremble.
“I saw you come out of the bathroom in the airport and your hair was blonde. I would imagine your eye color was fake as well as the brunette wig you wore. I want the real you tonight. Plus, there are going to be a lot of high class, influential, and wealthy people at this event and I’m sure someone will recognize you if you’re in costume. Truth be told, I really don’t want anyone to know that I’m bringing an escort as a date.”
Shit. Shit. Shit. What the fuck was I going to do?
“I’m sorry, Mr. Chamberlain, but I only work in disguise. If you’re embarrassed that someone will see you with me, then maybe we should just cancel our date.”
“No,” he abruptly spoke. “Thirty thousand.”
“What? Are you crazy?”
“Perhaps I am. Come as yourself and I will pay you thirty thousand for tonight. If you’re worried, don’t be. I already know you’ll be bringing your gun and I really don’t feel like being threatened with it again.”
“I have to go. I’m in the middle of something. Let me give it some thought, and I’ll get back with you.”
“You have two hours, Miss Pine.”
I ended the call and took in a deep breath. There was a knock at the door and I jumped. Placing my hand over my heart, I unlocked it and Sasha walked in.
“Good morning. I need coffee bad. Please tell me some is made.”
“There’s a full pot. I need to talk to you about something, but not in front of Stella.”
“Sure. Okay. Where is she?”
“In her room. But her breakfast is ready. Stella?” I shouted. “Breakfast is ready.”
She came running into the kitchen in her jammies and wrapped her arms around Sasha’s legs.
“Good morning, princess,” Sasha spoke as leaned down and kissed the top of her head.
“Are you staying for breakfast?” Stella asked her.
“Of course. It’s not that often I get to have breakfast with my favorite girl.”
I set a plate of waffles in the middle of the table and grabbed another plate for Sasha.
“Don’t forget you’re spending the night at Grandma’s. Mommy has to work.”
“I know. Grandma said she’d play Monopoly with me tonight.” She grinned.
“Awesome.” I smiled as I got up from the table and poured some more coffee into my cup.
As soon as she was done eating, I told her to go get dressed and I’d take her to Central Park for a while.
“What’s going on?” Sasha asked as soon as Stella left the table.
“Caden Chamberlain called me right before you got here. Apparently, he saw me come out of the bathroom at the airport without my wig on.”
“Shit. Was he following you or something?”
“I don’t know. He must have been. Anyway, he wants me to come tonight out of disguise and he said he’ll pay me thirty grand if I do.”
“Shit, Brielle. What are you going to do? I mean, for thirty grand, I think you should. What’s the harm? He already saw you. So if you run into him on the street, he’ll know who you are anyway.”
“I don’t know.”
“There shouldn’t be a hesitation. It’s thirty thousand dollars for one night. Thirty. Thousand. Dollars. You’ve never made that in one night alone. Plus, he’s young, hot, and a billionaire. Aren’t you dying to see what he’s like in bed? It’s been a hot minute since you’ve slept with someone that young.”
I sighed. “I know, and there is something about him that intrigues me, but also scares me.” I took a sip of my coffee.
“You’ll have your gun. If he tries anything unwarranted, shoot him in the balls.” She smiled. “Plus, you’ve taken plenty of self-defense courses. I don’t think you have anything to be worried about. He’s just a billionaire who’s bored.”
“Maybe you’re right. But I’ve never revealed myself to any of my clients. It’s too risky. I have Stella to think about.”
“Like I said, he already saw you. So there’s nothing to reveal. Consider it a date as Brielle Winters, not Emmy Pine. Take his money, run, and don’t look back. You are in control and you decide whether or not you want to see him again. That’s if he even wanted to book you for a second time.”
I furrowed my brows at her.
“I guess you’re right. He already knows what I look like.”
“THIRTY. THOUSAND. DOLLARS.” She leaned across the table. “One night. That’s it.”
As we were talking and I was cleaning up the kitchen, my business phone dinged and there was a text message from Caden.
“Have you decided yet?”
“Yes. I’ll come as my natural self for thirty thousand like you offered.”
“Excellent. I want you to go to Bergdorf’s this afternoon and meet with a woman named Lila. She has some dresses for you to choose from for tonight. Dresses that I handpicked. She’s expecting you.”
“I have dresses at home I can choose from.”
“Like I said, she’s expecting you. I’ll meet you at the Chatwal Hotel promptly at six thirty. The penthouse suite is on the top floor, P2.”
“I’ll be there, Mr. Chamberlain.”
“Looking forward to it. Again, it’s Caden.”
8
Brielle
After taking Stella to the park for a couple of hours, I dropped her off with my mom and headed to Bergdorf’s. When I arrived, I asked for Lila. After waiting a few moments, a tall, lanky, dark-haired woman approached me.
“You must be Emmy.” She smiled as she held out her perfectly manicured hand. “I’m Lila.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Lila.”
“You as well. Follow me and I’ll take you over to the fitting room where your dresses are hanging.”
When I walked into the fitting room, I saw three dresses hanging on the hooks. One was red, one black, and the other a champagne color.
“Mr. Chamberlain specifically picked these three out for you. Try on whichever one you want first and we’ll go from there.” She smiled. “I’ll be right out there waiting.”
I rolled my eyes as she left the room and stripped out of my clothes. The first dress I tried on was the red one. It was an off the shoulder mermaid gown by designer Zac Posen. Before I slipped into it, I glanced at the price tag: $4,990. Good lord. I’d never worn a dress this expensive. I put it on and walked out of the room to show Lila.
“Beautiful. Simply beautiful. What do you think?” she asked.
“I like it. It’s a perfect fit.”
“I like it too. If you didn’t notice, it also has an extended back train. Go try on another one.”
The second dress I tried was a champagne-colored, Samar-beaded glitter tulle gown with a plunging neckline by designer Jenny Packman. This dress was a little cheaper priced at $3,990. I walked out of the room and stepped in front of the three-way mirror.
“That’s lovely, but I feel the red dress was more you,” Lila spoke.
“That’s exactly what I was thinking. I’ll go try on the last one.”
I pulled the embroidered-tulle, V-neck mermaid gown by designer Monique Lhuillier from the hanger and slipped into it. This was the one. I stepped in front of the three-way mirror and
Lila walked over to me.
“Oh my. Simply gorgeous,” she spoke. “What do you think?”
“I think this is perfect for the evening.”
“I agree.” She grinned. “Go change into your clothes and we’ll head over to the shoe department. I have the most perfect Jimmy Choo shoes that will be stunning with that dress.”
After changing and trying on the Jimmy Choo stiletto black heels with the peep toe, she placed the dress in a garment bag, the box of shoes in a department store bag and handed them to me.
“Have a wonderful evening. You’re a very lucky woman to be in the presence of Caden Chamberlain.” She smiled.
I forced a smile and thanked her.
“By the way, should I return these tomorrow?”
“No. No, darling. They’re yours to keep. Mr. Chamberlain purchased those for you.”
“Oh. Okay. Thank you.”
I texted Ben and told him I was done and, on my way out of the store. When I walked out the large glass doors, he was standing there waiting for me.
“Looks like you did well,” he said as he grabbed my bags.
“That’s ten thousand dollars’ worth of stuff you’re holding.” I smiled. “Apparently, Mr. Chamberlain wants me to stand out amongst all the other women tonight.”
“Considering what he’s paying you, you should.” He smirked as he opened the car door for me.
Caden
I tucked in my shirt, put on my cufflinks, dabbed on some of my Armani cologne, and put on my black tuxedo coat. Standing in front of the mirror, I made sure my bowtie was straight. Walking over to the safe in my closet, I opened it, removed thirty thousand dollars in cash, and tucked it into my bag. Heading down to the lobby, I climbed in the back of my limo and had my driver, Charles, take me to the Chatwal Hotel. When I arrived, I was promptly greeted by the concierge and handed my keycard. Stepping inside the suite, I set my bag in the bedroom and then walked over to the bar, where a bottle of bourbon was waiting for me.
Finally. I had waited for this night all week. My desire to fuck Emmy Pine grew deeper every day. It was all I thought about and it was all I wanted. One night with her was all I needed. I wasn’t a patient person and the anticipation of discovering what was underneath her clothes was killing me. I called down to the bar and had them bring up a gin martini, neat with a twist of lemon. She’d be here in a few minutes and I was sure she’d want a drink before heading down to the event.