Call Girl Read online

  Without turning around, he asks, “What would you like to call me?” He’s not being playful when he says it, either. I stay quiet. I’m unsure about how to answer. I don't even know what the hell I’m doing here, much less what he expects of me. “Ethan.” He never drops his direct stare into my eyes as he walks back toward me.

  The way Ethan looks at me can be very intense. It’s like how you would envision a vampire looks when they want to suck the blood out of you. Hungry.

  I wonder what he thinks when he looks at me. It feels like he’s drinking in every inch of my body. Everywhere his eyes touch makes me feel like I’ve lost a part of myself in him.

  “Take your coat off.”

  Please. I let the jacket fall from my arms, and his fingers softly touching my arms sends a pulse of heat through my body. I go to pull the chair out, but Ethan beats me to it. He takes a napkin and places it on my lap. He lingers there like he wants to say something but pulls away when we hear a knock at the door.

  As he goes to answer the door, I pull my phone out and send Ms. Jackie a message.

  Lexi– Does Ethan know that we don’t have sex with, or date our clients?

  I may be wrong, but the looks he gives me and how he gets in my personal space makes me feel like he wants more from me.

  Ms. Jackie– Yes, I gave him the contract with the rules. Everything okay?

  I replay the contract in my head. One Call provides women as a date in a public place. The call girl is paid to be present at a social function, such as a cocktail party or a business dinner. They're not paid for anything other than their time. We provide companionship only. Kissing is allowed if the situation requires it, and both the call girl and client are in agreement. No sexual favors will be provided, including blowjobs, handjobs, etc.

  Lexi– Yes, I think. He just seems very intense. Will message you when I get home. x

  Putting my phone down, I jump when I feel his hand on me. He scared the shit out of me.

  Ethan plates the food with wrapped chicken, vegetables, and some fancy sauce on the side. He pours me some more wine before sitting down next to me.

  “This looks very nice,” I say. I need to make this comfortable, otherwise I won’t be able to work with him in the future. “Next time, I'll have to make you dinner.” I smile as I cut some of my chicken.

  “Open.”

  Please. I look over at him as he brings his fork to my mouth. My eyes are wide as I watch him feed me. Slowly shutting my mouth around the fork, his eyes remain fixated on my mouth. I close my eyes, and a small moan leaves my throat. The chicken with the orange sauce is amazing. Opening my eyes, I look at Ethan. Fuck! If the devil wasn't smiling before, he is now.

  I take a sip of wine and look out at the nightlight of San Francisco. “Have you lived here long?” I ask, trying hard to move past what just happened.

  “Five years or so.”

  “It’s a wonderful place. Do you—”

  “Do you like your job?” he cuts in. I notice he’s not really looking at me, but more like past me.

  “Yes. How else would I be able to buy Jimmy’s?” I smile at him. I love my shoes. One day I hope to own as many as Carrie does from Sex in the City.

  Ethan’s eyebrow lifts as he catches my gaze. “Jimmy?” he asks me.

  “My shoes, Jimmy Choo.” I point to them with a smile. He doesn’t reply, but takes a quick look at them and returns his attention back to his food.

  Looking back outside, I take little side glimpses of him from the corner of my eye. He never does just one thing and he never stops moving. He's either messaging on his phone, looking out the window or looking over at me as I eat my food.

  I have no idea what to make of this night. I’m uncomfortable because he's not telling me what he wants from me.

  Finishing my dinner, I push my chair back and start toward the kitchen to place my dishes in the dishwasher.

  “Sit.”

  Please. Why can’t he just say please? I look over at him and slowly sit back down. As he's walking away, I take another look around. I thought the purpose of me coming today was for us to get to know each other a little. That way it would be easier when I attend events and such with him. But I’m not learning anything new about him. Maybe I should google him.

  “I didn’t know what kind of desserts you liked, so I got an assortment of them.” He puts down a plate full of different mini desserts, cheesecake, chocolate cake, and chocolate mousse. There are so many to choose from.

  “Thank you. I do have a sweet tooth.” I take a bite of chocolate mousse and never have I had anything that tasted so smooth in my life. It's so light and silky. I take another spoonful and smile at this simple pleasure.

  “Oh my God, that’s good.” I can feel him watching me as I finish the mousse. Putting the small bowl down I look at him. He's leaning back in his chair with his arms across his chest.

  “Do you have your planner with you?”

  “Yes.” I get up and pull the book from my bag. “I'll let Ms. Jackie know which days I’m with you, so she can book my other clients around everything,” I say. Sitting back down, I notice his body tense.

  “How many do you have?”

  “Four, including you.” I open my planner up to this week. “So—”

  “Tomorrow, I would like you for breakfast and dinner.”

  I wish he would let me finish a sentence without cutting me off. “I can do breakfast, but I’m busy in the evening. What time, and where would you like breakfast?” My pen hovers above the page ready to write whatever he says next.

  “Here, at eight. Are you with another client tomorrow night?”

  I watch him carefully before I say anything else. He's still leaning back in his chair, but there's a visible clench of his jaw. “I don’t have clients in town, but I do have a date.”

  His body relaxes a little, but then tenses back up again. “Cancel.”

  I look at him in surprise. What? I don’t think so. I need to have sex. It's no longer a matter of want. It has been a few months and I'm now in the need category. I open my mouth to tell him, but he speaks first.

  “Cancel it. End of discussion.” He stands up and walks away from me.

  I’m left with my mouth wide open. How dare he? I can’t work with him if this is how it's going to be. I'll have to talk to Ms. Jackie about this.

  I stand up and put my coat on. “I’ll be here for breakfast, but I won’t be canceling my dinner date.” I turn to face him. He wants to demand I cancel my date, but it’s not happening. I'll stand firm.

  “See you at eight.” Ethan opens the door and when I get closer he hands me the bottle of wine I brought with me. “Don’t bring anything.”

  Ignoring him, I walk out of the apartment and down the corridor. As I wait for the elevator to arrive, I take my phone out and send a quick message to Ms. Jackie.

  Lexi– We need to talk!!

  I know Ms. Jackie will fight me about this, but I have a gut feeling that he wants more than what we provide.

  Ms. Jackie– Meet you at your place.

  Even though it’s late, I knew she would come talk to me.

  ***

  As soon as I walk in the door, I go to the kitchen and open the bottle of wine I took with me. I fill my glass up and take a huge gulp. God, I needed that. When the doorbell chimes, I open the door to let Ms. Jackie in. She sits down on the couch and I tell her what's on my mind.

  “He wants more, doesn’t he?” I ask. I know he does, but he’s not outright asking for it. Walking over, I sit on the chair and watch her look through her bag.

  She looks up and studies me. I can see the answer in her eyes. “I don’t know.”

  If he does want more from me, then why the hell is he being such an asshole to me? I mean, wouldn't you be nice to someone you liked? Does he like me? I finish the wine in one go. My decision is made. I can’t have him as a client anymore.

  “He emailed me this. I think he sent it while you were still there.” Ms. Ja
ckie looks down at the pile of papers. “I’ve canceled your breakfast with him and have told him you will need time to think about this. On Thursday, we'll all sit together and talk about it.” She puts the papers on the table and leans back in her chair.

  “No.” I look at her. “Answer one question, Ms. Jackie. Why are you bending the rules for him?” Why is she willing to change everything for him when she hadn't for anyone else in the past?

  “Ethan is a big businessman in town. His work is always top-notch.” She stops and leans forward. “I can see how much he likes you, but he also knows you would never give him a chance unless he was a client.”

  “That's very true. He’s rude. He doesn’t even talk to me—”

  “Listen, I hear you have a date. Go enjoy your date, and then take a few days off. Read this when you’re calm, then we'll talk about it on Thursday,” she says, placing her hand on the papers.

  “You already told him yes, didn't you?” I look at my empty glass. She's hiding something from me, I can feel it.

  “Yes, I have. I promise nothing will happen unless you sign as well. I know Ethan can be intense, but I also know he would never hurt you. He just needs time to open up. I'll talk to you on Thursday.” She stands up, kisses my cheek, then leaves.

  For God's sake, this is ridiculous. I know that the no sex rule will still stand because, no matter what, Jackie would not agree to that. So, what's written in there that's different from what I already do?

  Ethan

  I was having a lovely dinner with Lexi, then she had to ruin it by telling me she has a date. It really pissed me off when she told me she wouldn’t cancel when I told her to.

  I still don’t know what it is about Lexi that has me drawn to her. Last night, all I wanted to do was kiss her. Twice I had to stop myself.

  “Hey, Knight.” I look at the doorway. I’m a little perturbed at having my thoughts interrupted, but it’s my old buddy Travis, so I’m ok with it.

  He's been the only friend I’ve kept since college. I wasn’t very open to making friends, but Travis had a way of always being there. When I started the mall business, I did it alone. I made every penny myself. I didn’t trust anyone enough to help me. Inevitably, the business grew so large that I needed help managing them all, so I called Travis. He didn’t need much convincing. He was on board and started the following week, and I haven’t regretted the decision to hire him once. He takes care of any problems we have with any of the malls and is now helping me get the London mall opened.

  “Hey, what’s up?” I ask, throwing the file on the table.

  “Just wanted to see if you want to join us at the bar tonight.” Travis sits down on the couch on the other side of the room.

  I go every now and again with some of the guys just to feel connected to someone other than myself and my mom.

  I typically stand at the bar and watch the crowd. “Sure.” A few hours with the guys beats sitting at home wondering how Lexi’s date is going.

  “You might even get lucky, Knight.”

  Travis is another one that hated Angie and tried to warn me about her. Luckily, he hung around after things went downhill for me. God knows I needed something other than a whiskey bottle for a friend, and I’m thankful he was there. I should have listened to everyone telling me she was a gold digger. Travis is a good friend but the whiskey bottle is what gets me through most nights. But, there's no amount of alcohol that can take away the hatred I still have for her.

  “Well, we both know what you will be doing tonight,” I laugh.

  Travis sleeps with a different woman every night. I keep telling him to stop fucking around, but his answer is always the same. ‘I’m a thirty-two-year-old man. I’m rich and too good-looking to settle down.’

  “How can anyone say no to this? Just look at me.” He’s sitting there waving his hand over his body. I lean back in my chair and shake my head at his antics.

  “Text me the time and which bar. Now, get out of my office and go get the plans ready for London,” I tell him. I want this deal done by the end of the month and to have it opened this time next year.

  “Will do, boss-man. See you tonight.”

  Selena walks in as Travis leaves. She had better have some good news on getting a good teacher for the center. It can’t be that hard to find a good one. Emily has shot down every teacher that I thought was good enough to work at the center. Emily says nothing less than a five-star teacher will do. So, I told Selena to look outside of California. I even told her to consider new teachers fresh out of school.

  “Mr. Knight, I have spoken to three teachers. One has just finished college and has no work experience. The other two have worked in schools for over ten years.” She places the three folders down in front of me and continues. “The one from Washington may not have any experience, but she was top of her class and she comes highly recommended by her instructors who have nothing but remarkable things to say about her,” Selena says, pointing to the one on top.

  “You can leave now,” I tell her. I’m not worried about hurting her feelings. She’s been with me from the start and is used to my abruptness. Only once did she try to sass me, but it didn’t work out too well for her. I told her that if she ever even thought about speaking to me that way again, I would make sure she never worked in California again.

  ***

  I spent my entire day going through the files on the teachers Selena gave me. I agreed with her about the teacher in Washington and told her to call and see when she could come in for an interview.

  Walking into the bar to meet Travis, a woman slips in front of me, but I ignore her and continue walking over to the bar.

  “Knight, she was up for it,” Travis says in the way of greeting.

  “Not interested,” I yell over the bar top to the bartender for a whiskey neat, then turn around and watch the people enjoying their time together.

  “You need to get back out there, dude. How about that group?” Travis points to the group of girls in the corner booth. “I mean, the redhead looks like a wild child,” he says, turning to one of his friends.

  As I'm scanning the room, my eyes stop at the three girls dancing on the dance floor. There's no way I would forget those legs. My eyes roam upward and see the woman that has been on my mind all day. Lexi Jackson.

  She hasn’t seen me, and continues to dance with the other girls. Stepping closer, I see her mouth moving, and all I can think about is the way those lips would taste. I’m not able to take my eyes off her. Watching her move to the music is the sexiest thing I’ve seen. That little dress she’s wearing shows off her gorgeous legs. If she were mine, I would never let her leave wearing something like that. I don’t want any of the dicks in the place gawking at what will soon be mine.

  “Your drink.” Travis nudges me. Not taking my eyes off Lexi, I take the drink from him. “Who are you eyeing up?” I don’t answer him. I keep watching as a guy walks up behind her and puts his hands on her hips. She takes a quick look at him then starts dancing with him. “Fuck me. That woman can dance, and those legs…”

  “Keep looking at her,” I say. My tone is sharp and biting and close to a snarl. He doesn’t question me as he moves his eyes away from her.

  “I’m just looking. He’s the one touching her.” Travis nudges his head for me to look over to her again.

  Drinking my whiskey in one swig, I slam the glass on the bar top and walk over to the dance floor. I tap the guy on the shoulder and shoot him a glare, letting him know I mean for him to take a hike. Without even blinking an eyelash, he leaves. Smart guy. I would have pounded his head in had he tried to fight me for her.

  Placing my hand on Lexi’s hip, she stops and slowly turns around. The look on her face can only be described as icy. She's displeased, to say the least.

  “You look sexy, but this dress,” I gesture to the tiny thing she's wearing, “You won’t be wearing it again.” There's no way I’m having anyone looking at her the way I am right now.

  “A
re you following me?” She takes a step back but can’t remove herself from my hands that are firmly placed on her hips.

  I pull her closer to me again, making sure there isn’t any space between us. I can smell her perfume, along with a whiff of what must be her strawberry shampoo.

  “I’m here with friends,” I say, with a tilt of my head toward the bar. I know Travis is watching me. He's probably thinking I’m finally about to let someone in, but he’s wrong. I won’t let her in. Deep down, I know she's no different.

  “Didn’t think you had friends.” She lets her body relax and begins moving to the music with me. “You don’t strike me as the dancing type person,” she says, looking up at me.

  “Not only do I know how to dance, I do it well. I’m amazing at many other things, too.” I bring my mouth closer to her ear and I hear her sharp inhale. “Would you like me to show you?” I whisper.

  The music changes and the tempo slows down. As the first chords of Train’s Drops of Jupiter start playing, I pull Lexi even closer, placing my hand around her back.

  “I don’t have sex with assholes,” Lexi replies, and I can’t help but smile. Licking my lips, I move closer to her.

  “Who said I was talking about sex,” I whisper against her lips. Her shivers are all I need to know she’ll be back for more.

  With that parting remark, I walk away and join Travis at the bar. He gives me a look, but I say nothing to him.

  “You know she’s just rolled her eyes at you,” Travis says.

  Ethan– I saw that.

  I watch her as she takes out her phone and reads the message. She looks up at me, then puts it away before going back to dancing with her friends.

  “She’s going to be a handful,” Travis says with a humorous tone.

  Turning around to the bartender, I point to my empty glass for a refill. “She will be,” I say downing the drink and asking for another before turning back around to watch her dance. I'm going to make sure that Lexi agrees to what Jackie and I spoke about. Just watching her move to the music, I know I want her.