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With a switchblade.
I shut my eyes tightly and made myself block it out. It was over, and he’d managed not to cut me. He’d paid me. And that was all that mattered.
I was just drying off when my cell phone rang. “This is Dre,” I said formally, knowing full well that it was my almost-former boss, Elena.
“How are you, Dre?” She asked. She was being fake nice to me, I knew. She was still pissed about that thing I’d done.
I was pissed at her, too. Elena hadn’t been giving me any work lately. That’s why I’d spent the afternoon with Mr. Switchblade, who I’d found online.
“I have a top assignment for you,” she said. I immediately perked up. “James Preston. The real-estate mogul. Have you heard of him? He’s been in the tabloids—one of those Hottest Bachelors lists.”
“No,” I said. I wasn’t exactly up on my real-estate moguls or my tabloids. Outside interests were luxuries I couldn’t afford.
“Even better,” Elena said. “I need someone who can be genuine with him. This is an extended assignment, Dre. Two weeks. Incredible money.”
My mind flashed immediately to my brother, Tommy. I got a lump in my throat. “I’m listening,” I said over it.
“Mr. Preston needs a date for his brother’s wedding. There are related functions as well—including a family trip to the Caribbean the day after the wedding. He wants you to pretend to be his girlfriend. His family needs to believe that you’re a couple.”
“Why isn’t he bringing an actual date?” I asked.
“He’s not seeing anyone right now. He said his family was difficult. They’ve been giving him a hard time about his bachelor status—so he wants a date as a buffer.”
“Huh,” I said.
“He also told me he wants this to be a business transaction, no strings attached,” she said. “He’s a professional, and he needs a professional. He wants you to attend these functions with him, pay you afterward, and then say goodbye with a clean slate. If you perform per the terms, you’ll receive a third of the full fee. In this case, that’s over sixty-five thousand dollars for two weeks’ worth of work.”
My mouth dropped open, gaping.
“Do you understand?” Elena asked.
“Hell yeah,” I said, because money I understood. What was less clear was why a billionaire real-estate mogul had to hire an escort for his brother’s wedding. If he’d made a “Hottest Bachelor” list, someone must want to date him…
But really, it didn’t matter. There was no way I was letting this assignment go to another girl. Not a real-life girl and not another escort. Sixty-five-thousand dollars would be life changing for me.
“You can do this, Dre. Be polished. Your best self. Just like that girl you were when you first came to me,” Elena said.
I peered at myself in the mirror. My hair, long and brunette, hung wet and dripping over my shoulders. My face was red and blotchy from crying in the shower.
I was a wreck.
But if I let myself block out everything that I’d done—including the things I’d done earlier today with Mr. Switchblade—I could see myself the way I used to be. Before this. What I’d become.
“I’d love the assignment. Thank you so much for thinking of me,” I said quickly. “That money will help out so much.”
“I know it will,” Elena said. “That’s why I know you’ll do a good job. This needs to seem natural. No fuck-ups. If there are any problems, that’s it—you’re out for good. And I know how much you need this.”
“I won’t let you down, Elena,” I said, trying to sound upbeat. “When do you want me to come in?”
* * *
The good thing about working as an escort was the money. And the clothes. The bad part was the guys who cried, or who hit you, or who were just plain-old weird.
There was a lot of weird.
Elena hadn’t given me any assignments for a whole week, so I’d been taking in strays I found on an online “dating” site. The money wasn’t enough to cover my rent, let alone Tommy’s, and there were plenty of weirdoes out there. Mr. Switchblade was Exhibit A of that.
So I was relieved to go back to AccommoDating, Inc.’s South End office the next morning. Located on Tremont Street, the office was airy elegant. It was also easily accessible from the Financial District, where most of our wealthy clients came from.
