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“What the hell! Are you okay?”
“Yeah, but I’ve got a few stitches, a nasty bruise on my temple, and a concussion.”
“Shit. What happened? Please tell me the cops are working on this.”
I shared the story, leaving out how Jasper and I had connected outside of caregiver and injured, and ended with recognizing the knife.
“Why do I have a feeling I’m not going to like where this is going,” Micah asked, his tone low and full of concern.
“Because that blade belongs to one of your clients—and he used it on me the last night I was with him.”
“Goddamnit. It’s the Delaney kid, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
Micah cursed. “I fuckingknewsomething wasn’t right when you requested a few days off, then wouldn’t take him on the other night. What went down?”
“I’d really rather not discuss it, but now I’m faced with the police questioning how I know Joseph and why he would come after me like that.”
“You don’t have to hide the fact you’re an escort, Mason,” Micah said. “How the business is set up and the contract clients sign do not mention sex in exchange for money. There is nothing incriminating on paper. The agreements include an NDA, and they sign waivers…everything is generic wording. Trust me, I made sure I could run an escort service without legal issues before starting EE. It’s no different than people who join a kink club where they submit to a Dom. Lots of times there is sex involved—and the dominant parties are on the payroll.”
Before hiring me, Micah had told me that while we weren’t booked with the intent to have sex with clients, we were required to please them. The expectation and details remained unspoken and unwritten, but his employees didn’t go in blind.
“Lying could cause problems,” Micah continued. “Joseph will have proof of the transactions between him and Elite. He’ll have copies of the contracts. If asked about sexual relations, you can either lie or tell them the truth. There was mutual attraction, a definite connection, that Joseph and you enjoyed each other’s company and hooked up.”
Notexactlywhat had gone down, but I read into what Micah suggested.
That Joseph and I had consented to sex above and beyond Elite’s contract of my escorting him around town.
Micah cared about his employees and ensured we always had the option to say no. Even the paperwork signed by clients reminded them that Elite’s escorts always had the right to shut shit down at any given moment if they didn’t feel safe.
I should have listened to my inner voice that first night I’d been on Joseph’s arm for a private dinner where he paraded me around like I was his sugar daddy. I should have taken heed of the unease eating at my stomach. And I sure as hell should have denied him my dick when he’d climbed me like a tree once behind closed doors.
The boy had been voracious, his sexual urges unquenchable. Even if I were twenty years younger, I wouldn’t have been able to keep up with him. He’d become enamored with me. Obsessed. I learned that after our third “date.”
I should have said no to the second one, but I was good at what I did. The cash was nothing to sneeze at, either. I’d been able to send thousands to Marin to help with their bills. No other job would have afforded me to care for her family.
“Maybe I should just sweep this whole thing under the rug,” I murmured, pinching my nose in attempts to ease my growing headache.
“That’s up to you,” Micah said, “but I’m going on the assumption that considering the shooting mess that happened inside the hotel, the police will continue to investigate Joseph assaulting you just in case there’s some connection between the two events.”
“Fuck.” I dropped my arm to the couch cushion beside me and tipped my head back. “What should I do?”
“You’re going on vacation from work to heal, first of all. Second, you’ll take as much time as you need to figure out what is going to be best foryou. Personally, I would press charges, because what if he does this to someone else? But going after a Delaney will bring a boatload of shit to your front door. They have the money to cause a problem where there isn’t really one to be found. I expect his dad will move mountains to remove any possible stain on his son’s reputation regardless of his innocence or guilt. Somehow, they’ll spin it to make you look like the bad guy.”
I groaned at the truth Micah spoke. “I have to let this go even though I would really like to see Joseph pay for his crimes,” I stated although deep down, I wouldn’t be able to handle the stress. “I have to keep this a secret, otherwise Elite could be under investigation too.”
“You’ve got to do what’s best foryou, Mason,” he reiterated. “Don’t worry about me or my business. I’ve got loopholes in place to protect me. Delaney isn’t the only man in Boston with connections. It’s up to you and what chances you’re willing to take. But I’ll warn you, the case could be big enough the media gets involved. I’ll have your back no matter what you decide. My lawyers are at your disposal if you need them.”
Concern remained long after I blew out a slow exhale while envisioning myself emptying my mind of worry and anxiety. While speaking with Micah had somewhat given me perspective, I wasn’t sure what to do.
Withholding the truth and quitting Elite would make that part of my life a thing of the past, something no one else needed to know about. But how long would I be able to hide what I’d done from Jasper? Would it be better to tell him up front before I got in too deep?
Not even twenty-four hours into whatever had begun between Jasper and I, and I realized there was no easy answer.
I would be heartbroken either way.
Chapter10
