Escorting the Billionaire by Leigh James
Audrey
I bitch-slappedmy common sense into submission, and I nodded at him. “Yes,” I said. “That’s a yes.”
James pulled me into his arms, where I felt safe and loved, and I was almost shocked by the depth of his feelings for me.
I knew who he was now. I knew what happened next.
Even though it was scary to let myself be vulnerable, my love for him outweighed my fear. My feelings were like a riptide, a force of nature carrying me along. If I struggled against them any harder, I would go under and be lost. I knew that now. I’d tried to run from him, and it was no use. Turning away would only hurt us both.
I had to be strong, only in a different way than I was used to.
Everyone was drunk at dinner, and there were no signs of stopping. Cole grabbed a bottle of Patron and started pouring tequila shots, passing them down the long table. “Hair of the dog,” he called. “This might be a boot-and-rally sort of vacation.” I watched as everyone took a shot, including Mrs. Preston. She gave me a quick, sharp look afterward, and I was on my guard.
“I’d like to make a toast,” Todd said and stood. “First of all, to Evie for agreeing to marry me. I would have been in sad shape if she’d said no.” He leaned down and kissed her, and everybody whooped and clapped.
“Second, I’d like to thank my parents and Evie’s parents for hosting such a beautiful wedding celebration. It was perfect in every way. Thank you for organizing and for, well, paying.” Everyone laughed.
“Third, I’d like to thank my brother James for being my best man, and for taking time out of his busy schedule to actually go on vacation for once. I have a feeling I should really be thanking his girlfriend, Audrey, since James has never been this relaxed in his life. So cheers to James and Audrey. And cheers to all of you for joining us on this happy occasion. To the hair of the dog!” Todd said and knocked back his shot.
“The hair of the dog.” Everyone clinked glasses and drank their tequila except for me. The way Celia was looking at me made me think staying sober was the right course of action.
Jenny leaned over to me after the toast. “Can we take a break?” she asked.
“Sure.”
She grabbed my hand, and we walked from the oceanside restaurant to the main part of the resort. “I just need a little space,” she said, looking back at the table. Cole was talking to Todd and James.
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No. No it is not.”
I waited until we found a private bathroom; we went in and locked the door. Jenny was looking as lovely as ever in a black maxi dress, her skin bronzed and glowing from this afternoon. Her hair hung in loose curls over her shoulders. “What’s wrong?” I asked.
“It’s Cole,” she said. “He told me he doesn’t want me to go back to work after this.” I just waited a beat, letting her talk on her terms. “He said he wants me to be exclusive.” Her berry-stained lips turned down in a pout, and she blinked back tears.
“Is that a bad thing?” I asked. “You don’t want to be exclusive?”
Jenny looked grim. “It’s not that,” she said. She gritted her teeth and then examined them for lipstick in the mirror. “It’s that he said he’d buy me an apartment, buy me whatever kind of car I wanted, blah blah blah.”
“Oh. Huh.” I paused for a beat, trying to understand why she was upset. Jenny lived in a crappy studio apartment in Dorchester. She’d always wanted a rich John to buy her and set her up as a mistress. “And that’s bad?”
“Yeah, it’s bad, Dre,” she said. “’Cause that’s not what I want.”
“What do you want?” I asked, confused.
“More.” Jenny rolled her eyes at herself in the mirror. “Jesus, you’d think I was some kind of amateur. I shoulda never come on this trip.”
I rubbed her arm. “It’s okay, Jenny. But did you tell him how you felt?”
She snorted. “No fucking way. He told me he didn’t want me to go back to hooking after this trip. So I told him to make me an offer I couldn’t refuse, ya know? And he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. It was just the wrong one.”
“I think you should talk to him,” I said. “Just like you told me to talk to James. Remember? When you told me to be brave?”
“I’m not you, Dre. It’s not possible to clean this up,” she said, motioning to herself, “put it into a Volvo, and pretend it knows how to play tennis. Do you understand?”
I nodded while I watched my friend carefully blot her eyes. “I don’t know if Cole cares about Volvos and tennis, Jenny. But I’m pretty sure he cares about you.”
“Do not try to turn my airplane pep talk around on me,” Jenny said, her voice jagged. “This is totally different.”
“If you say so,” I said, unconvinced. “But you had some pretty good advice. I’m just saying.”
Jenny blew out a deep breath. “What about you and James?” she asked, changing the subject. “You looked a lot happier in the pool earlier. Are you all better?”
I nodded at her. “He asked me to move to California with him.”
“I knew it,” she cried. “I knew it! I could tell just by looking at him. You’re gonna live happily ever after.”
“I don’t know about that,” I said.
“I do.” She looked at me levelly. “I know it’s gonna happen.”
“Jenny, I see the way Cole is with you. I think he’s in love with you.” I hesitated to say it because I didn’t want to be wrong and make it worse. Still, I’d seen the way he looked at her. I believed there were real feelings there.
“I thought he was, too,” she said, returning to her reflection and fluffing her hair. “But it must have just been that thing with his balls. I do it exactly the way he likes.”
She smiled at me. “I’m not even mad at him, though. He’s great. I’m mad at me. I think I got too inspired by my own pep talk. I’m the one who started hoping—and that was a dumb fucking move. If I hadn’t hoped, I’d be psyched that I was getting a South End condo and a Range Rover. Now all I’m doing is crying.” She blew her nose loudly.
“You should give him a chance,” I said. “See what he has to say for himself.”
“I’ll think about it,” she said and gave her hair one final fluff. “In the meantime, I need some liquid courage to keep up with these people. Rich people sure drink a lot, huh?”
Much to my chagrin, we passed Celia Preston on our way back to the restaurant. “May I have a word with you, Audrey?” she asked. She looked at Jenny. “Alone?”
“Of course, Mrs. Preston,” I mumbled. Jenny shot me a worried look but obediently headed back to the table; Celia was not someone you said no to. “What can I do for you?”
“You could start by doing what I asked,” Celia said tightly. “And stop digging your acrylic claws further into my son.”
“Excuse me?” I asked.
“You heard me. We agreed that you would break up with James after this trip. I want to make sure you keep your part of the bargain.”
“Excuse me,” I said again. “I never agreed to break up with James after this. You asked me to. I said I would think about it. You offered to bribe me. I said I would think about it. I promised nothing.”
“You’re going to promise me now,” she said, her voice dangerous.
“No. I’m not.” I shook my head. “I’m not going to do that, Mrs. Preston, even though that’s not what you want to hear.”
She grabbed my wrist painfully. “You listen to me. I told you before—I know you have feelings for my son. You need to do what’s right for him. Don’t be selfish, Audrey. Don’t ruin his life by dragging him down with you.”
“Just because I’m not wealthy like you doesn’t make me a bad person,” I said. “I think you’re being a little dramatic.”
“Being poor doesn’t make you a bad person,” Mrs. Preston said. “Being a hooker does.”
I felt as if she’d punched me in the gut. Inside, I was reeling. Outside, I tried to appear unruffled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied. “Are you feeling well?”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about.” Celia let go of my wrist and I rubbed it; she had a surprisingly strong grip. She studied my face. “I know all about you and your little friend in there,” she said, motioning toward Jenny. “Don’t look so surprised, Audrey—you’re not the first whore I’ve had to keep away from my sons.”
“What?” I asked, my voice coming out small.
“Once I realized that my son was going to fight to keep you, I did some investigating. Rather, I hired someone to do some investigating. When you have money, position, and means, you can do things like that, dear. I’m sure you wouldn’t know. And I found out all about you. The fact that you’re not an orphan, and you’re not a student. I also found out about your mother and your brother. I saw the low-class neighborhood where you really live. I know all the little secrets you’ve been keeping,” she said.
“My secrets are none of your business,” I said. My voice sounded faraway to my own ears and I felt sick, remembering the limousine that had slowly driven down my street the morning after the wedding.
Celia sniffed in disapproval. “I disagree. You have to understand something.” She looked at me levelly, her unnaturally smooth face a mask of superiority and disdain. “You could ruin my son’s life. Just by being with him. Have you considered that he might hate me enough to do this to me? That he might pick you just to spite me—do you understand that, dear? Do you understand that isn’t the same thing as love?”
“This isn’t about you. That’s not why he’s with me,” I said quickly. “James isn’t spiteful. He’s a good person.”
“See?” Mrs. Preston said triumphantly. “You do love him—I knew it. That’s a good motivator, Audrey. If you love someone, you should do the right thing for them. You are not the right thing for my son. He can’t have anything to do with you going forward. Do you understand?”
“What if he doesn’t care?” I asked. I sounded defiant but inside, I was crumbling. “What if he says what I am doesn’t matter to him?”
Celia Preston paused just long enough to look at me with disdain. “Do you realize that if you have children, they will be like royalty in this country? Everyone will know about them—where they go to school, what kind of activities they enjoy. That their mother was a prostitute. Do you think that’s what they deserve? Their lives ruined because you were too selfish to walk away? Do you think I want my son living like that? Married to a whore?”
I fought back my tears. I wouldn’t let her know she was wounding me. That she was winning.
“I know underneath it all, you’re a decent girl,” she said, watching me. “You’re ashamed of yourself. And you shouldbe, Audrey. You’re infected with poverty and filth. So don’t ruin the man you love. Part of loving is knowing when to let go.”
“Who did you ever love?” I asked hoarsely, my voice barely coming out.
Celia snorted. “I love my sons, Audrey. I love James and Todd both. And I want what’s best for them. And that’s not you, dear. I think you know that,” she said and patted my hand. “Don’t worry. I’ve made arrangements for you to fly back first thing in the morning. And I’m still going to give you some money, like I promised.”
“What if I say no?” I asked.
“Oh dear,” she said, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Too many things could go wrong.”
“What does that mean?”
“Use your imagination,” Celia said wickedly. “I know I will.”
“What the hellhappened back there?” James asked, looking at me in alarm. I must have been as white as a ghost.
“Jenny was upset,” I said.
“And my mother?”
I could feel her eyes on me from across the table. “She just wanted to check in.”
Dinner was already on the table, and I picked at my food listlessly. Holy Christ, Celia Preston had just scared me. Her thinly veiled threat had left my heart hammering in my chest, wondering what lengths she would go to keep me from her son.
I thought about that for a second. And then I dropped my fork on the table.
Celia Preston has been scary since I first met her, I thought, but I’ve never been afraid of her. Until just now.
“What’s the matter?” James asked, his brow furrowed. “Do you feel okay?”
“No,” I said. “No, I don’t.”
“Then let’s go back to our room. I can have room service bring me something.” He stood and clapped Todd on the back. “Audrey’s not feeling well—we’re going to turn in.”
“Hope you feel better soon, Audrey,” Todd called.
I hoped so, too. But I doubted it.
“What is it?” he asked once we were safely inside.
“I don’t know how much I should tell you,” I said, pacing.
He stepped in front of me, and I stopped. “Tell me everything.”
“Well, first of all, before I forget—Jenny’s in love with Cole. He offered to set her up when we get back to Boston. He offered to buy her a townhouse, a car, the whole deal.”
“Okay,” James said, clearly confused.
“She’s upset about it. She wants more. And she’s mad at herself for having feelings.”
“Okay,” James said again. He still sounded lost. “I know Cole cares about her. I can see it on his face. I’ll talk to him.”
“Promise?” I asked.
“I promise.”
“Okay. Moving on, your mother knows that Jenny and I are prostitutes.”
“Huh?” James asked, completely taken aback. “What the fuck?”
I started pacing again, and this time, James got out of my way. “She said she thought you had… feelings for me… and so she decided to have me checked out. She hired someone to investigate me, and she found out that I work for Elena. She knows about my mother and my brother. She found out about Jenny, too. She knows where I live.” I shivered.
“And?” James asked.
“And she’s sending me home on a flight tomorrow morning. And paying me to never come back.”
