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The trust he puts in me shatters me. Locking my arms around his neck, I brush my lips back and forth over his, creating just enough friction to pull a shiver from him. “Next time you come over, we’ll try something different…”
He nods, but he’s still hesitant.
There’s only one thing for it—I’ll have to show him.
Aiden
I’m not quite surewhat I’ve just agreed to or if I’ll enjoy it, but when Catherine pushes to a stand and casually goes back to packaging the cookies, I decide to let it go for now. As much as entrusting someone with that control over me scares me, Catherine would neverpush me to a point of discomfort. I don’t know why that’s true, but I believe it.
So, letting it go for now, I try to redirect us both to the matter at hand: The operations at 2045 Clementine Lane. “How do you find your clients?”
Catherine doesn’t balk at the question. She answers without hesitation. “They find us. We’re a licensed escort bureau with an LLC, website, and contact information listed online. There aren’t that many registered bureaus out there…”
“Not word of mouth?”
“Not really. People don’t tend to confide in others when they’ve paid for the attention.”
“And Antoinette manages all of your clients?”
“She does.” Catherine snaps a lid onto a Tupperware container as she keeps talking. “Toni knows us all better than anyone. And she cares, you know. So, it’s not just dividing the clients equally. It’s apairing, of sorts.”
“She matches you?”
“Yeah. I guess you could say that.”
“Does she vet all clients beforehand?”
“Yes. Once a client is a regular, or a Repeat, she doesn’t run them through the process again. But all the Newbs are subject to a basic background search. You know; arrests and warrants, bankruptcies, property records, credit…”
“Run by? Toni?”
“No. She works with a PI. They have an annual contract that covers most of what we need.”
“Do you have this PI’s name?”
“Primrose P-”
“Proper,” I finish for her.Of course. If there was one PI who’d never tell me anything about a client, it’s Primrose.
“You know Prim?”
“She’s…” I think of how to describe the major pain in the ass that is Primrose, and go with, “well-knownin the industry.”
Catherine laughs. “Oh yeah, that’s Prim. She’s about as subtle as a shark out of water, but she’s good.”
I don’t delve more into that—it’s not important. “So, Toni doesn’t take last minute clients? Unless they’re Repeats?”
Catherine thinks over her answer before replying. “We don’tneedto hustle for the work at this point. We can’t meet demand, so there’s no stress to book a client we don’t have the green light on.”
“How does she update you on your upcoming clients?”
“We have a debrief most mornings at eleven. Except Sundays.”
“And you all have to be there?”
“In theory. Even though we don’t work every day, we won’t know that until Debrief. Lizzie was the only one who missed it regularly.”
I hate to ask the next question. I don’t want to put Catherine in an awkward position. AndIdon’t want to know the answer. And, still, it’s important. “Are you required to have sex with all your clients?”
