Escorting the Player (The Escort Collection Book 3) (13 page)

C
HASE

When I was this upset, there was only one thing that could make me feel better. So I took matters into my own hands.

I called Reggie and asked him if he'd meet me to play catch.

I wanted to call Avery as I drove out to the field. But I felt desperate, off-balance. And in my book, that was the opposite of desirable. I couldn't let her see me like this. My face was still red and puffy from…
you know.

I wouldn't see her until I got my shit together.

I threw the ball repeatedly at Reggie, but my head wasn't in it.

"What's going on?" he asked. "You forget how to throw a football?"

"No. I think I just suck today."

Reggie shook his head. "What are you, hungover?"

"No."

"You stay up too late with that beautiful girlfriend of yours?"

I shrugged, feeling grim.

"Whoa. Seriously, what's your problem?" Reggie looked alarmed. "Is Pax coming back or something?"

I groaned. "Jesus. I hope not."

"So what's up?"

I tossed the football up and caught it, and then I did it again. And again. "Avery's a hooker." I threw Reggie the ball.

Reggie seemed to consider the football for a moment and then lobbed it back to me. "For
real
? They have hookers that look like
that
?" Reggie had been married for over twenty years. He appeared baffled.

I nodded. "For real. Eric hired her so that Jessica and Pax wouldn't make mincemeat out of me in the press and ruin my season.
Our
season."

Reggie motioned for the ball and I threw it to him. "So is she a hooker…or is she your girlfriend?"

"She's a hooker. And she's also my girlfriend." I shrugged. "Maybe my ex-girlfriend."

Reggie scowled at me. "She was your hooker first, and
then
she was your girlfriend. But
now
she's your ex-girlfriend. Got it."

"That's right. I think it is, anyway."

"You don't seem happy. So what're you going to do about it?"

"I don't know what I'm doing about it," I admitted.

Reggie jogged toward me and tossed me the ball. "But you're doing
something
about it." He seemed pretty sure of himself.

"Definitely." I swallowed hard. "But I'm worried that the press is going to find out about her."

Reggie nodded and caught another pass easily. "Of course they will."

I searched my friend's face. "Does it make me a dick that I'm worried about what's going to happen to my reputation?"

"Naw," Reggie said, ever loyal. "It only makes you a dick if you leave that poor girl because you're worried about it. If you really fell in love with her, and you're man enough to face her past, to me, you're a fucking hero." He grinned. "You're my hero, anyway."

"If I haven't told you lately, Reggie, you always make my day."

Reggie ran out for another long pass. After he caught it, he bowed to me. "You're Chase Layne, for Christ's sake. Nothing to be ashamed of. Show everybody what you got. If you're cool, they'll be cool. Right?"

There was a reason Reggie had been married for over twenty years. He knew when to grease the wheel, and he knew how to love someone after he'd seen the cracks in their pavement.

"Right," I called.

T
he next phone
call I made was to Tennessee. To Pax.

"Huh?" he said when he answered the phone.

"It's Chase. Don't hang up."

"I know who it is. But…seriously?" He went quiet for a second and I heard some muffled moving around.

"What do you want?" he finally asked, his voice low. "I just went out back. If Jess hears me on the phone with you…"

"Oh, trust me—I know. Bitches be crazy," I said.

He laughed and then, remembering who he was talking to, stopped himself. "What do you want?"

"I want to talk to Lila."

"Why?" Pax asked.

"Because I want to take her off your hands. I'll let her blackmail me instead. You won't have to give her the fuck-ton of money I know she's looking for."

He sighed. "I don't think Jess'll let me do that."

"So don't tell her. It's not like she's planning on using her money, anyway. Am I right?"

"She wants me to give Lila a million dollars so she'll do an exclusive interview with us," he admitted. "I told her it's not a good time, with the trade and all…"

"Don't do it," I said. "I'm not even saying that to screw you or to protect myself. I'm serious. It's the man code. Jess is taking so much of my money—trust me, she could afford to pay Lila herself. But she doesn't want to use her money. She wants to use
your
money."

Pax groaned. "You know, it doesn't matter. Even if you give the sister what she wants. Jess knows the truth now about your girl. And trust me, she's not going to let it go."

"You let me worry about that. And dude…"

"What?"

"Get a pre-nup."

Pax grunted. "We never had this conversation."

"Fine. Just put the sister on the phone."

I
was working
my way down the list.

"Elena, it's Chase Layne."

The madam cleared her throat. "Mr. Layne. It's so nice to hear from you. Is everything okay?" I could hear the strain in her voice. I didn't want to imagine what sort of calls she was used to getting from clients.

"Everything's fine. Avery's great. That's actually what I was going to talk to you about. I'd like to buy out her contract."

"I'm sorry?" Elena asked. She sounded stupefied, as if I'd suddenly slipped into a foreign tongue.

Now it was my turn to clear my throat. "I said, I'd like to buy out Avery's contract."

"Are you
firing
her?"

"It's more like I'm retiring her. She won't be coming back to work for you. Ever."

"I see. Congratulations. Avery is a very good girl. You know she was only doing this because she was trying to take care of that sister of hers."

"I appreciate you keeping this confidential."

"Of course, Mr. Layne," the madam said smoothly. "Please keep me in mind for referrals for your friends. As you know, I have the best girls."

"Will do," I said, relieved that she no longer had the very best girl.

Now I just had to make her mine.

A
VERY

Just as I was about to crack open another bottle of wine, Chase sent me a text.

I sighed and obediently threw on a dress, my emotions see-sawing. I didn't know what to expect. Was he going to say he was sorry? Was he going to tell me it was over, once and for all?

I felt as though I might throw up.

Precisely one hour later, a large SUV pulled up in front of my building.

"Hey," I said, as Chase got out to open the door for me. He looked dashing in a dark suit.

"Hey," he said, softly. His eyes were red and puffy, as if he'd been crying.

I wanted to reach out and pull him to me, but I didn't dare.

We slid into the back of the car in an awkward silence as the driver pulled down the street.

"How have you been?" he asked.

I shrugged in answer, afraid my voice would wobble.

"Am I taking you away from other plans? With you-know-who?" he asked.

I shot him a dirty look. I clearly sucked at lying.

"I didn't think so." Seemingly satisfied, he turned and looked out the window. "We're meeting another couple for dinner."

"Huh?" I asked, surprised. Company was the last thing I wanted right now.

"It's my friend Cole Bryson and his wife. He owns the Rhode Island Thunder. It's a Bruins farm team. Have you ever heard of him?"

I shook my head. "No. Why are we meeting him for dinner?"

"I want you to meet Cole's wife. I thought it would be good for you."

I was immediately suspicious. "Why? Who is she?"

Chase looked straight ahead. "Cole met Jenny when she was on an assignment. She used to work for Elena. At AccommoDating."

I wondered if that was the couple my waitressing friend, Kylie, had told me about. "Did they get married somewhat recently? On an island or something?" I vaguely remembered the story she'd told me.

Chase nodded. "That sounds right. Eric heard about them, and that's how he found Elena. So really, Jenny and Cole are responsible for us meeting. It was like they set us up without actually setting us up."

I groaned. "Is this some sort of escort support group?"

"No," Chase said, his voice stubborn. "I just wanted you to see that there's another couple, living and breathing right here in Boston, who met the same way that we did. And
they're
still together."

"The problem is, Chase, that whoever this Cole Bryson person is, he's not you.
You
are the star quarterback for the Warriors.
You
are in the spotlight, and you have a legacy to protect. No offense to the Rhode Island Thunder, but it's not really the same thing."

Chase shrugged. "It's just dinner. Just listen to what Jenny has to say."

We were meeting them at a restaurant called Ministry, which was a trendy, upscale restaurant filled with long wooden tables and teeming with candles. The hostess delivered us to the table where Cole and Jenny Bryson were waiting. Cole was tall and striking, with black hair, a gorgeous face, and a twinkle in his eye. He had his arm wrapped tightly around his wife. Jenny looked at me with an open expression of approval on her beautiful face. Dirty blonde curls tumbled over her shoulders and her breasts were on prominent, jiggly display beneath a black, curve-hugging dress.

"Oh my God! You must be Avery!" She jumped up and sprang at me, pulling me in for a hug. "Coley told me so much about you! You're with Chase, huh? Chase is my favorite quarterback ever!" She patted the seat next to her and jerked me down. I landed in the seat with a surprised
thump
.

"You want some wine?" Jenny asked me. She emptied the bottle of Chardonnay into my glass without waiting for an answer or for a server to pour it.

"I'm excited to meet you. Cole told me about you two." Jenny held up her glass, beaming at me. "So cheers. To true love. And two men who know not to let it go, no matter what the circumstances." She clinked her glass against mine and took a large gulp.

"Um. Cheers." I took another sip of wine. "Congratulations on your marriage."

Jenny flashed me a dazzling smile. "Thank you. Being married's sort of great." She looked over toward Cole and Chase. Chase was watching us with an intent look on his face. "Maybe you'll get to see for yourself soon. Chase seems like he has an emotional boner for you."

"A what?"

"An emotional boner," Jenny explained. "It's like he's sporting wood on his face. He can't keep his eyes off you."

"Oh. Huh." I didn't know what to say to that. "So, you know…Elena?" I didn't want to say too much in public. It was a good thing that Ministry was bustling, because Jenny's enthusiasm seemed unbridled.

Jenny nodded, her face serious. "I
do
know Elena. She's the one who set me up with Coley." She tossed her hair over her shoulder in the direction of her husband. "Actually, that's not quite the truth. My best friend, Audrey, was going out with Cole's best friend, James. Well,
going out
with might not be the right term. She was one of Elena's girls, too. Anyway, while she was with James, Cole needed a date. Audrey had Elena send me. The rest is history." She flashed me her huge rock of an engagement ring, fitted snugly next to a diamond-encrusted wedding band. "It was meant to be."

I swallowed more wine, trying to keep up with Jenny's story. "Your friend Audrey… Does she still work for Elena?" The name wasn't familiar, but I certainly hadn't been around the escort service for that long.

Jenny's eyes went wide. "Oh
hell
no. She and James got married, too. They're out in California now. Cole and I are going to see them in a few weeks."

"So you both married your…" I lean toward her and lowered my voice. "Johns?"

Jenny gave me a satisfied smile. "Yeah, we did. No one gets a happy ending like that, right? It was like we were the Cinderella twins." She leaned closer to me and patted my hand. "The fact that Chase brought you here tonight for a pep talk tells me we might be triplets soon."

I shook my head. I looked briefly at Chase, who was now engrossed in conversation with Cole. "I wish that was true, but I don't think I can be with Chase. He's too much of a public figure." I swallowed hard. "He's such a good guy. If it comes out about me, it'd ruin him. I don't want to hurt him like that."

Jenny watched me intently. "I understand. Audrey and I had a few conversations like that ourselves. Although I was never one to question whether or not Cole and I had a future together. Maybe I did, at first—you know, I wondered whether it could turn into something that lasted—but deep down I knew he was the only one for me. Turns out, he felt exactly the same way. When fate smacks you in the face like that, there's really no getting around it. You just have to go for it. The rest will work itself out."

Her words made hope surge through me, followed by desolation. Cole and Jenny weren't me and Chase. It was a different situation.

Jenny took another sip of wine, her beautiful, round face contemplative. "Listen, in my experience, there's two types of women who come from our…work background."

She looked around again to make sure no one was listening. "There are the girls who hate themselves because of what they do.
Then
there are the girls who do it because they hate themselves. You don't strike me as a second type, and that's a good thing. The girls who hate themselves are fucked. The first type has a chance, though."

"Oh." My voice came out small. "Hmmm."

Jenny arched a perfectly waxed eyebrow at me. "Right? You see what I'm saying?"

I nodded at her slowly. "Jenny, you're smart. I'm really glad I got to meet you."

She gave me a satisfied grin. "Any time, Avery. I like to do what I can to help. My best advice is to not be afraid of a happy ending. If you grow up the way you and I did—and I don't know how you actually grew up, but I'm guessing—you always think someone's gonna pull the rug out from underneath you. And then you spend your whole life waiting for it to happen." She leaned over and squeezed my hand. "But if Chase is a good guy like I think he is, like Cole is, let yourself have this. Stay on the rug."

I swallowed. "It's hard to trust that another person's going to be there. That they mean it…" I let my voice trail off, feeling a little overcome with emotion.

Jenny nodded, sympathetic. "It's easier to believe the bad stuff. But don't. Give yourself a chance to be happy. At some point, karma's gotta give you a little break, right?"

"I freaking hope so."

Jenny grinned. "I freaking hope so, too."