The Prospect (4 page)

 
Bea’s eyes widened,
suitably impressed.
Even she had heard of the mega successful company
that was into anything and everything. “I’m sorry. What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know,”
Lisa
cried, her fingers tightening in her hair for a few
moments, before she released it and dropped her hands with a sigh. “These were
going to be my most valued clients. They’ve never used our agency before and
this would have been a great way to establish some fantastic working
relationship that could lead to return bookings in future.”

Bea chewed on her
lip, really worried for her stressed-looking friend. “Can’t your agency get
someone else?”

“Not at such short
notice. I just called them and they say it’s all up to me. I’ve rung a few of
my girls, but…” Lisa paused, viewing Bea with interest.

“What?” Bea said,
eyes darting quizzically.

“Bea…I need to ask
you a huge, colossal favor…”

Chapter Two

Long story short,
Lisa had managed to talk her into making the booking and here Bea was.

At first, Bea had
flatly refused, of course…

Bea’s head was
shaking firmly. “Look, I’m truly sorry about the mix-up but Lisa, there’s no
way…”

“Please, please,
please…
”
 
Lisa’s
big blue eyes had been beseeching.

“Lisa, I thought
this was just some pleasant pastime for you. What does it matter if you happen
to lose this one booking? I mean, it’s not like it’s your fault,” Bea said,
already panicking at the thought of having to take Lisa’s place. “I wouldn’t
even know what to do…”

“It’s simple! Just
sit there, make great conversation, a bit of dancing, and it’s over. Nothing
happens that you aren’t comfortable with. And yes, it started out as a fun thing
to pass the time, but now it’s a career I take very seriously. A career that is
helping me put my younger brother through college.”

Bea paused,
thinking of Lisa’s young, bright brother Harry who was now in Harvard. Bea
hadn’t known Lisa was responsible for paying for her younger brother’s
education. Although Lisa’s folks were both gone, Bea had always assumed there
was some kind of college fund going on. Just like she’d been mistaken that Lisa
had some family money that got her to live so extravagantly…Bea felt like such
an idiot.

Lisa sighed deeply.
“Bea, all these trappings I surround myself with – the fabulous clothes,
shoes and jewelry – the fancy car and the regular spa treatments and
trips to the hair salon…they’re just stuff I need to do to play the part. When
I said I was in it all for the glamour, I wasn’t being perfectly honest. It’s
mostly for my younger brother Harry. I want him to have the future our parents
didn’t get the chance to provide for him when they died when we were just
kids.”

Bea bit hard on her
lip. “I’m so sorry, Lisa, I wish I could do something to help. But I’m not like
you. I’m just not that kind of girl. You know me, hardly the social butterfly.
I’ll probably ruin your agency’s reputation for good if I show up. Trust me; you’re
better off cancelling the appointment with the billionaire brothers than
inflicting
me
on them.”

Lisa was suddenly
smiling, cocking her head to the side. “Bea, I’m sure I’ve told you many times
before: you’re hot. Girls like you wouldn’t even have to open their mouths and
you’ll have men drooling. Okay, seriously,” she added when Bea scowled with
feigned offense, “These two guys haven’t met me; they don’t know what I really
look like or what to expect. Sure, they’ve seen the photos in the profile, but
once they meet you, it wouldn’t matter. They’ve heard of my reputation as a
reliable and professional escort, so they’re probably just looking forward to
meeting someone sexy, entertaining, and charming.”

“See, I told you!
That’s
so
not me,” Bea said with a
hint of triumph.

Lisa advanced and
grasped Bea’s face in both hands. “You know what? You were right. This is just
one booking; it’s not the end of the world if I lose them. So here’s my
suggestion. Don’t do this for me, Bea. Do this for you,” she said softly,
compellingly. “I actually want you to try it. Go out and have fun for once.
You’ve been holed up in this flat for months now. The last time you went on a
date was three months ago.”

“And even that
wasn’t a real date,” Bea spoke up, pouting slightly. “Just an after-thought
thing when some guy from admin decided we should meet up for drinks after work.
And it bombed. He got tipsy and tried to paw me in his car.”

“Ugh,” Lisa said
playfully. “Well, tonight honey, you’ll get to meet two incredible hunks. I’ve
heard about them; they’re so hot in Scotland where they come from. Treat
yourself to something different and exciting. And you’ll get paid for it, too,
I promise. You’ll get my fee.”

“It’s not about the
money,” Bea said with a sigh, then looked into Lisa’s pleading face. “You
really think I can pull this off? You really want me to do this?”

“Yes,” Lisa said,
her tone firm as she gazed into Bea’s face. “This just might have happened for
a reason. Maybe this is your chance to just…enjoy a new experience. Have some
dinner and drinks – maybe some dancing, with two very gorgeous and
debonair men. Something to giggle with the girls about over coffee later.”

Bea smirked
humorously. “Lord knows I never have anything to give them to giggle about.”

Lisa laughed. “After
tonight, you certainly will. And I’ve got just the outfit to suit your lovely
curves and coloring. I bought it a month ago in Italy. I knew it wasn’t the
right fit but I couldn’t resist the dress. It looked so gorgeous in the shop. I
always thought I’d have it fitted for me – but now I’m glad I didn’t. It
would be your perfect size. And then your hair, make-up…baby, I’ll make you
look and feel like the amazing beauty you are. And my clients – your
clients – are going to be blown away.”

*

Now, sitting with
the two men known as Ryan and Jason Wallace, Bea was getting the funny feeling
she was the one feeling the blown-away sensation.

She’d been shown to
the table just a few minutes earlier, and she’d instantly wanted to run right
back where she’d come from.

Not that Bea was
frightened of being faced with not one, but two blindingly gorgeous guys
– no. But she suddenly had the feeling of getting into a deep-end
situation that she just might not be able to swim out of in time. Why oh
why
had she let Lisa talk her into this?

Somehow, she’d
managed to smile and take the seat they offered. Something about the way they’d
looked at her, in pleasant surprise and appreciation, had somewhat strengthened
her resolve to stay. One thing she was grateful
for,
was that she’d allowed Lisa to primp and pomp her up to Lisa’s content. Now,
Bea did feel every inch as sophisticated and elegant as she hoped she looked to
her dashing companions.

“I’m Ryan,” the
gorgeous one on her right said, holding out his hand. “And this is my brother
Jason.” He indicted the gorgeous other on her left. Bea swallowed. Damn, they
were freaking hot if looks were anything to go by. And that
accent
! Heavens above. It was Scottish
indeed. Just deep enough to jumble up the meager contents of her belly. It was
a good thing she’d been too anxious to eat all day thanks to the prospect of
going through with the dinner appointment.

Ryan, whom she knew
was the elder, looked just above thirty, with a devilish smile to go with his
blond good looks. In fact both men were deliciously blond, though Ryan’s golden
locks were a lot more tamed and conservatively styled than his rakish-looking younger
brother Jason, who was roughly thirty.
 
With their soft golden curls and square, handsomely tanned faces, they
could easily pass for very sexy, very grown-up Cupids just waiting to plunge
their pair of arrows into an unsuspecting female breast such as hers.
Hmm…
the very allusion made her shiver
inwardly. But why the heck was she letting her mind wander? Barely five minutes
into the “job” and she was already all aflutter.

They both had equal
lashings of virility just rushing at her like a tide, and she felt dizzy just
looking from one to the other.
Focus, Bea.
Focus
.
What would Lisa do?

Well, Lisa probably
met hunky CEOs like these two on a daily basis. Heck, Bea knew she did. But
still…

She drew in a deep
breath and told herself to get into the mood. Just a few hours of playing the
professional and glamorous escort to two hot billionaires, and she could scurry
back into her warm and safe little hole. Free from the very wicked and wild
thoughts that came to mind as she looked into their piercing eyes. Ryan’s a
startling blue, and Jason’s an equally remarkable green. They smiled at her
knowingly, as if well aware of the effect they were having on her. Dredging up
some of her hard-won poise gained from working in a male-dominated IT
environment, she smiled elegantly.

“Nice to meet
you…both,” she said with feminine demureness, shaking their hands lightly in
turn. How was it possible that just that casual gesture of a handshake from
both of them had equal whippings of electricity?

She drew in an
inaudible breath. It would really have been much easier if there’d been someone
else to pair along with these doubly delightful devils. Seriously, which two
guys booked a date with just one escort? Bea remembered asking Lisa this same
question as Lisa had put finishing touches to pinning up Bea’s lustrous dark
brown hair.

“It must simply be
their personal preference. Perhaps, like some men, these brothers enjoy the
idea of lavishing their attention on one woman. Just count yourself lucky and
enjoy,” Lisa had teased.

Bea had made a face
at her flat mate then, but she wasn’t being so disdainful now. Oh, no way.
Because these two guys were more than ample distraction for any
right-thinking woman.
Individually they had their special masculine
appeal – but together, they were quite utterly overwhelming.

However, Bea
remembered the part she was to play. Save the day, leave with dignity and a
sense of fulfillment that she had at least, done something spontaneous for a
change…

***

“It’s a pleasure to
meet you too, Miss Hamilton. Bea,” Jason said with a small smile, as he slowly
withdrew his hand from hers. “I must confess you’re very much different from
what we expected. From your photos, you were distinctly blonde.”

Bea resisted the
urge to bite on her lip. “Well…I’d like to start off by apologizing. I’m not
Lisa Kendrick whom you were expecting to meet tonight. I’m...I’m Bea Hamilton.
I had to fill in at the last minute for my um…colleague who had an urgent
emergency.” She saw their eyes narrow, and added quickly, already taking up her
purse, “Look, I’ll understand if you don’t like the idea of me taking her
place. I’ll leave right away and perhaps you both can reschedule her when…”

“You
misunderstand,”
Jason
said, a slightly lifted hand
making her pause in her rush. “What I meant is that, I find you a pleasant
surprise. Quite honestly, far preferable to what we imagined.”

“Oh,” Bea said
quietly, settling back slowly into her seat and fighting down the pink from her
cheeks.

“Jason is right,”
Ryan drawled, and her eyes flew to his. “Your colleague, Lisa came highly
recommended from one of our business contacts. In fact, it was he who insisted
on making an appointment for us with a professional escort. Something about
giving us both a “treat”.” Ryan smiled, and just that simple gesture was enough
to make Bea blink as somewhere deep in the juncture of her thighs, she
quivered. Bloody hell what were these guys made from? Pussy magnets? They were
dangerous to her very much neglected hormones.

Ryan added
smoothly, “I can assure you that suddenly, my brother and I are quite glad we
changed our mind about refusing the kind offer. You see
,
we don’t really do escorts.”

I can tell
; Bea almost blurted. Looking at these two,
they’d never need to pay a dime for female companionship. If anything, they’d
be batting off the ladies left and right. And not just due to
their
billions. Even Bea could tell that they gave out that
special aura that appealed to the deepest and darkest needs in a woman’s soul.
Thank goodness, Bea thought with an inner sigh, that she was virtually immune
to such tendencies. Oh, they were desirable no doubt, but knowing they were
beyond her reach and could never be anything but her charming dinner
companions, made her feel somewhat secure and relieved. Since she knew there was
no chance in hell she could have them, she could rest easy.

“I understand, and
I’m glad that we’re getting to share this lovely evening together,” Bea heard
herself say with a courteous, very escort-ish smile and demeanor. Once again,
she noticed both their gazes narrow speculatively, as the brothers sent each
other a brief, unfathomable look.

At last, Ryan
turned to her with another of his gorgeous smiles. “Well, shall we order?”

Chapter Three