Escorting Jessica (2 page)

“I don’t know. I have to call him.” She pulled his business card from her pocket and shivered at the memory of his fingers brushing against her backside. Pursing her lips, she toyed with the nondescript card. It bore only his name, phone number, and email. “When do you think I should call?”

“Right now!”

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and stared at the screen. It was only nine. “I don’t want to seem too desperate.”

Amy sighed. “True. But you also don’t want him to think you’re playing games. You know, how young people think they have to wait like three days to call someone. You don’t want him thinking you still try to play by all those outdated relationship rules.”

“Ugh. Dating is so complicated. This is why I don’t do it.” Slipping the card and phone back into her pocket, she glanced at the clock. “I’ll call him in an hour.”

“I’ll remind you,” Amy sang as she skipped away to help a customer.

What the hell was I thinking, saying I’d go out with Trevor Hill?
She chuckled under her breath.
He doesn’t want to date me. He probably wants to sign me up for his dating program or something. Why would he be interested in me?

She had to get her mind off it before she talked herself out of calling him. It was possible for him to be interested, wasn’t it? She’d changed quite a bit since he’d seen her last. Contact lenses replaced her thick-rimmed glasses, and she wore makeup now. She was just as attractive as the next woman. Why couldn’t she date a guy like Trevor?

Pushing the thoughts from her mind, she busied herself with paperwork for the next hour and a half. She’d managed to distract herself so well that she lost track of time until Amy reminded her.

“Don’t you have a phone call to make?”

She closed the filing cabinet and pulled out the card. “You’re right. I do.”

Amy clapped her hands. “No one’s here. Put it on speaker.”

“Okay.” Jessica giggled with giddy excitement. Her heart beat like hummingbird wings as she punched the number into her phone and pressed the speaker button. It rang four times before he picked up.

“Trevor Hill speaking.” What was she thinking putting him on speaker? She was a mature adult, and she needed to act like it. She turned off speaker and pressed the phone to her ear. Amy furrowed her brow and crossed her arms, silently protesting.

“Hey, Trevor. It’s Jessica.” Not knowing what else to say, she chewed her bottom lip.

“Oh, hi Jessica.” She could hear the smile behind his words. “Listen, I’m glad you called, but now’s not a good time. Can I give you a ring this afternoon?”

Her heart sank down to her stomach. Of course he couldn’t talk. “Yeah, sure. No problem.”

“Is this a good number to reach you?”

“Uh huh. It’s my cell.” She fought back the tears that threatened to spill on her cheeks.

“Great. I’ll call you as soon as I get a free minute, okay?”

“Okay. Bye, Trevor.”

Pressing End, she sucked in a shaky breath. What the hell was her problem?
I’m not going to cry. I’m not going to—Damn it!
Tears of anger dripped from her eyes. Crying when she was mad had always been her vice, and she couldn’t think of a time she’d been angrier with herself.

She’d gotten her hopes up that a high school fantasy was about to be fulfilled. Boy, was she a sucker. He was probably laughing with his buddies about what a fool she was. Still the same nerd girl from eight years ago.

“What did he say?” The concern in Amy’s eyes made Jessica choke up even more.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “He...he said he’d call me back later.”

“Oh, my god. Are you crying? Sweetie, that’s nothing to cry about.” Amy rushed around the desk to hug her. “He was busy. No biggie.”

“I’m not crying because he’s busy. I’m mad at myself for getting my hopes up. Ahh! I was such an idiot!” She slapped her hand on the countertop. “He isn’t going to call back. He blew me off.”
Get it together, girl. He’s just a boy.

Amy crossed her arms. “Now, you don’t know that.”

“Yes, I do.” She told her about the incident in science class and how dreadfully embarrassing the whole ordeal had been.

“That was eight years ago. He probably doesn’t even remember. And if he does? So what. If he’s gonna hold that against you, he’s not worth your time.”

She wiped the tears from her cheeks and straightened her spine. “You’re right. He’s either going to call me or he isn’t. I was doing just fine before he showed up, and I’ll keep doing fine if I never hear from him again.”

“That’s the spirit.” Amy picked up a dust rag and wiped down a weight machine. “That was Trevor Hill, right? As in Hill’s Escorts?”

Jessica furrowed her brow. “Escorts?”

Amy cut her gaze to the floor. “I mean, it sounds like a pretty common name. There could be dozens of men named Trevor Hill. It’s probably not the same guy.”

“Wait a minute. Do you mean...like prostitutes? He said he ran a dating service.”

“Umm, well, I don’t think they call male escorts prostitutes. I mean, you can just buy a date to an event or something. I don’t know if they offer sex or anything like that.”

Tilting her head, Jessica tried to comprehend what Amy was saying. Amy put her hands up in a show of innocence. “I’ve never used one. I overheard one of our customers telling another about it. Her sister needed a date to a big fundraising event or something. Apparently it’s really popular with the up-and-ups.”

“Interesting.” What else could she say? If it was as innocent as paying for dates to big events, she supposed she could live with that. Trevor did say that he
ran
the business, so maybe he didn’t offer himself up.

Maybe.

Chapter Three

With a glass of chardonnay in one hand and the remote in the other, Jessica flipped through the channels as Chaz the cat snoozed in her lap. Apparently he was destined to be the only man in her lap for the time being. She wasn’t surprised Trevor hadn’t called her back. Disappointed, yes. But surprised? She’d only have been fooling herself if she’d said she was.

It didn’t matter though. At least she could finally close the door on that fantasy. Johnny Depp could still visit her.
In my dreams...

With a heavy sigh, she settled on watching Ghost Adventures reruns on the Travel Channel. What a way to spend Friday night. She set down her glass and found herself dozing off within minutes. Normally, the show intrigued her. But since she’d seen the episode twice already, she found it hard to focus.

Her eyelids had just begun to flutter closed when the phone rang. Jessica jumped, sending Chaz flying across the sofa with a hiss. “I’m sorry, baby. Mommy was just startled.” The cat narrowed his eyes at her but slinked back into her lap without protest.

She didn’t recognize the number on the caller ID. “Hello?”

“Hey, Jessica. I’m so sorry I didn’t call you back earlier. I was swamped at work.”

No way. Trevor?
“Umm. That’s okay. I was pretty busy, too.”
I’m such a liar. Oh, well. He doesn’t need to know that.
She pushed Chaz onto the floor and he landed with a grunt. Such an ungraceful cat. She stood and paced her small living room, waiting for him to speak.

“So, it was good to see you this morning. You looked amazing.”

“Thanks.” Her voice squeaked. “You, uh...haven’t changed a bit.”

His melodic chuckle rang in her ear. “Thank you. I try.”

She giggled and put a hand over her mouth to stop herself. She would not get her hopes up again.
Yeah, right.

“So, Jessica.” Her knees went weak at the sound of her name coming from his lips. “I really wanted to take you out to dinner. To spend some time with you, but...”

Yep. Here it comes. The big letdown.

“But I’m swamped for the next few days.”

“Oh, that’s okay. It’s really not that big of a deal. I—”

“Yes,” he interrupted her. “It is. I want to see you.”

You do?

“Are you free for lunch tomorrow? I know it’s last minute.”

“Yes!” She couldn’t stop herself from blurting out the answer. “It’s my day off. I’m free.”
Way to not sound desperate.
But she didn’t care. She was going on a date with Trevor Hill. What would her old friends say?

“Great! Do you want to meet me at Max’s at noon?”

“Sounds perfect. I’ll see you then.”

They got off the phone, and Jessica jumped with delight.

“Mommy has a date tomorrow, Chaz!” She looked at her feline companion and grinned. He answered her with a flip of his tail as he strutted to the bedroom. “You might have to find a new place to sleep soon.”
I hope.

Pirouetting, she danced to her closet to pick out an outfit. What should she wear on a date with a man like Trevor? What k
ind
of man was Trevor? She sank onto on her bed and contemplated. Eight years had passed since she had last seen him. What had he been doing in that time, aside from opening an escort service?

A chill ran down her spine. Was he a pimp? For male whores? She pushed that thought out of her mind as soon as it entered. There was no way. He seemed so professional; he had it together. Jessica’s cousin was a prostitute, and she was a mess. Always strung out on this drug or that. Even when she tried to clean up, she still looked the part.

Trevor carried himself like a businessman. A successful one at that. His service was obviously upscale. Legitimate. It had to be. And so what if he sold sex? It was just one date.

***

Trevor took a drink from his glass of Scotch and opened his high school yearbook to Jessica’s picture. His cock swelled at the site of her deep, dark eyes and sable hair. Just the thought of running his fingers through her silky locks got him more worked up than he’d been in ages.

But he had to be careful with this one. He would easily take her to bed within hours of their first date if he let himself. If she wanted him like he wanted her. That’s why he had faked a busy schedule and made a lunch date. No chance of taking her home if he had to go back to work.

Jessica was more than a potential fuck. If she could accept what he did for a living, if she could embrace it, he could see himself spending forever with a girl like her.

And if she freaked out and bolted? Well, at least he got a second chance with her. Life didn’t give many of those.

He ran his finger across her picture and closed the book. How could spending five minutes with the woman stir up so many forgotten emotions inside him? She’d broken his heart when she faked that headache to get out of being his lab partner in high school.

And he knew she’d faked it. He’d seen her after lunch that day and she was fine. But she’d made her feelings known. She’d wanted nothing to do with him.

Today was different, though. He could feel the desire emanating from her porcelain skin when he was close to her. He could see it burning in her eyes. She was definitely interested in him now.

But he had to take it slowly. Even though his business revolved around sex, she meant so much more to him.

Chapter Four

Jessica woke up at six, buzzing with anticipation. Her hands shook as she loaded the coffee machine and put out Chaz’s breakfast. She had to burn off some of this nervous energy, or she’d be a babbling klutz on her lunch date.

She got dressed in workout clothes, set her iPod to her favorite upbeat playlist, and headed out the door for a run. Katy Perry blasted in her earbuds as she tried to think about anything but her upcoming date.

But the more she tried not to think about it, the more the thoughts invaded her mind. By the time she finished her hour-long run, she’d gone through at least six different conversations in her head, each outcome different based on Trevor’s anticipated responses.

Of course, her favorite was the one where he told her he’d been in love with her since high school, and he wanted to spend forever with her. But what was the likelihood of that happening?

Her least favorite involved him taking her out only to secure his girlfriend a spot at the gym. There was a waiting list for membership, after all. Surely that wouldn’t happen. She just needed to stop thinking about it.

She bounded up to her apartment, taking the stairs two at a time, and headed straight to the shower. The steam and rhythmic fall of the water always helped clear her mind.

House cleaning and reading occupied her the rest of the morning, and at 11:45, she put on a fresh coat of lipstick and headed out the door. Max’s was only a few blocks from her apartment, so she walked the short distance.

She wore dark jeans and a teal beaded tank that showed off her arms as well as her tapered waist. A pair of nude wedge sandals added two inches to her five-foot seven, but she still wouldn’t match Trevor’s height. Maybe next time she’d wear the three-inch heels.
Whoa, girl. Next time? First I need to make it through
this
time.

He greeted her at the door with a sparkling smile that melted her. His sky-blue button-up accentuated his already amazing gray eyes. With the sleeves rolled to just below his elbows, he appeared casual chic.

Jessica returned his smile. “I see you got the memo. It’s blue day.”

He looked at his shirt and then at hers. “Yeah. Thanks for sending it to me. I would’ve forgotten.”

“No problem.”

He opened the door and followed her inside. Cool air caressed her skin, causing goose bumps to rise on her arms. She shivered.

“Are you cold?” He placed his hands on her arms and rubbed them to warm her up. Electric tingles shot up her shoulders, tightening her nipples into hard pearls. Thank goodness she wore a padded bra.

“I’m okay. Just adjusting to the temperature. It happens all the time.”

“Table for two, please,” he said to the hostess. He slid his fingers down her arms, leaving a trail of warmth with his touch. Then he took her hand in his as they followed the hostess to their table.

Her heart raced, and she prayed he wouldn’t notice the sweat that slickened her palms. They slid into their seats across from each other, and she opened her menu as the waiter approached the table. Trevor ordered a beer, and Jessica asked for a glass of pinot. Hopefully, the wine would calm her nerves.