The Mistaken Escort's Pleasure: A Liaison Novel (9 page)

“Wanna grab some dinner?” he asked.

“Thank you, Lucian,” she whispered as she turned to face him.
 
She slipped her arms around his shoulders, and right there on the busy sidewalk, she kissed him with all the passion that they had built from day one.

He wound his arms around her waist and lifted her into his arms, until her chest was flush to his, and he proceeded to kiss her until her body grew hot and achy.
 
She wanted to be alone with him, to explore this heat between them, but she was shaken from her fantasy when someone called her name.

“El?”

Lucian lowered her to her feet, and she smoothed out her clothing, not taking her eyes off him.
 
Her body vibrated from the devastating kiss, but when she peeked up at him, the fierce expression on his face made her pause.
 
He was scowling at someone, and when she turned to see who it was, she jerked back when she spotted Tim and Amanda standing so close to them.
 
Lucian hauled her close, a protective arm around her shoulders, and she relaxed into him.

“Hi, Tim, Amanda,” she said.

“Hey, El, I thought that was you,” Tim said.

She flinched at the nickname she hated, but the smiling man took no notice.
 
When she looked at the couple in front of her, she found that there were no lingering feelings for him.

Because of them, she was with Lucian, who made her feel beautiful and comfortable in her own skin.
 
Tim was embarrassed from the way she dressed to the way she styled her hair, and although image didn’t matter that much to her, it became a big obstacle in their relationship.

Amanda was perfect for him because she fit the mold of what he wanted.
 
Tall, blonde, stunning, and dressed the part.

As her eyes shifted to Amanda, Ellie noticed that the other woman couldn’t take her eyes off Lucian.
 
A surge of rage rushed through her, and she felt a growl rise in her chest.
 
She chanced a glance up at Lucian to see what his reaction was to another woman staring at him, but he wasn’t paying attention to her old roommate.

“It’s so great to run into you.
 
You know the wedding is just over a month away, and I wanted to introduce you to Steve before the wedding,” Tim said.

“She has a date,” Lucian growled.

“Oh, oh, I see.”
 
Tim shifted from one foot to the other, and reached for Amanda’s hand in reassurance, but she ignored him altogether.

Without thinking, she blurted, “Amanda, why do you keep staring at Lucian?”

“We have a history,” Amanda said.

The strained silence between the four of them was palpable, until Ellie threw her hands up and shouted the first thing that came to mind.
 
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”

She pulled away from Lucian, and without conscious thought, walked away from the three of them.

She didn’t care who Lucian had dated in the past, because his past was his business, but she was tired of women, including her own friend, being mesmerized by the man.
 
Jealousy clawed away at her chest as she continued walking—to where, she didn’t know nor did she care.
 

When she first met Lucian, she thought that they would look incompatible as a couple, but now, she knew her reasons had changed.
 
Between kissing in the elevator to their day at the museum, her feelings for him were growing.
 
Without knowing when it happened, she allowed herself to hope that something between the two of them would develop into something more.

But reality set in.
 
No one had ever wanted her—not her parents, or Tim—so the hope that something had started to grow was both dangerous and stupid.

Every time he touched her, kissed her, her mind shut down and she let instinct take over.
 
She found herself plastered to his body, craving more than what they had already shared.
 
She was crazy, and he wasn’t the man for her.
 
And the sooner she realized it, the better off she would be.

After walking for close to a half an hour, her mind swirling with hurt and anger, she stopped in front of a coffee shop and stared at the people milling inside.
 
She spotted an empty overstuffed chair in the back corner and pulled open the door, heading toward the back.
 
She plopped down, pulled her legs up, and laid her head on her knees.
 
She closed her eyes, and let the soft murmurs and slow jazz wash over her until she relaxed.

She didn’t open her eyes as familiar arms scooped her up, pressing her close to his chest.
 
He sat back down on the chair, and she curled herself against him.
 
She couldn’t help herself from seeking comfort when he offered.
 
He pressed her face against his neck, and although part of her wanted to revolt, she relaxed into his arms.
 
His hand soothed her, gliding up and down her back, while his other arm kept her firmly against him.

He broke the silence several minutes later.
 
“My assistant had set me up on a blind date with Amanda, several years ago.
 
It was a disaster.
 
She was drunk before we reached the restaurant, and after flirting with every male in the vicinity, I put her in a cab and haven’t seen her since.”

“I told you this wouldn’t work out,” she mumbled.

He jerked at her harsh words, before his voice became low and dangerous.
 
“It will.
 
I told them we were engaged.”

She leaned back until she could see his face, but she couldn’t decipher his look.

“Don’t let them ruin our day.”
 
He paused before he added.
 
“What did you see in him, anyway?”

She shrugged.
 
“I think it was the hope that since we’ve known each other since we were kids, that maybe there would be something more, but I was wrong.
 
He was demeaning, and called me ‘El’ when I asked him not to.
 
Oh, and he slept with my roommate.”

His laughter comforted her, and she couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up her chest.
 
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, laughing until tears streamed down her eyes, and for several minutes, it felt wonderful to let go with him.
 
She cuddled into his chest and blew out a breath.

“You’re assuming that this will end in a disaster, but it won’t.
 
And from this point forward, I will tell you the complete truth.
 
I need to make a confession,” he said.

“Is this where you tell me you’re married, or gay, or a serial killer?”

“I’m not an escort,” he said flatly.

“I know,” she said.

His right brow crooked up in question.

“Lucian, you’re a very successful businessman.
 
I looked into your company, and wow—just wow.
 
There is no way that you would be an escort.
 
You have no problem attracting women.
 
You made my friend drool, and she mentioned to me that if I screwed this up between us that she is willing to step in.
 
Her words, not mine.”

“I’m going to ignore that, and trust me, love, I have no interest in your friend.
 
Are you angry at me for telling you I was an escort?”

She shook her head.
 
She wasn’t.
 
“Is Rebecca your sister?”

“Of course she is.
 
Her husband, Gabriel, is my best friend, and he wanted me to try to talk to her about cutting down her hours because she’s three months pregnant.
 
She works more than I do, and I was trying to convince her to cut back.
 
Gabriel was delusional to think that I had any influence over her.”

She nodded, knowing that he was telling her the truth.
 
She had found over the last couple of weeks that when he was adamant about something, he wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“What I don’t understand is why you would pretend to be an escort, of all things?”

“Because of you.
 
I was enthralled the first moment I spotted you.”

She groaned and pressed her face against his chest.
 
“I hate it when you say things like that.”

He was still for a long moment.
 
“Why?”

“It makes it harder to stay away from you.”

He held her in the silence and worried about her words.

She didn’t believe them, but there was one place their relationship would lead, and in the end, she would be hurt when he moved on.
 
Each time she saw him, like the night before when he had knocked on her door, surprising her, she would forget that they weren’t dating.
 
The logical side of her brain would shut off, and she led with her feelings.
 
Everything in her craved the man, and each moment they spent together made her awareness of it palpable.

“I don’t want you to stay away from me, because I have no intention of staying away from you.
 
You’re a beautiful woman, and on top of that, you make me laugh and forget about everything else in the world but you.
 
I want you, more every day, but I needed you to know the truth before we went any further.”

“You have to forgive me, but I don’t have the greatest track record when it comes to trusting other people.”

He nodded.
 
“I understand, and we have all the time in the world to get to know each other.
 
I’m not going anywhere, love, I promise you that.”

She would have to wait and see, but for now, she was content to spend as much time with him as she could and let tomorrow sort itself out.
 
She stood and smiled, reaching for his hand.
 
He interlaced their fingers, and they walked out of the shop together.

“I’m starving,” she muttered.

“So am I,” he growled.

Shivers skittered throughout her body, and she wanted what his voice promised.
 
She stopped in her tracks and caught a flash of emerald flames as his gaze dropped to her mouth.
 
Her tongue darted out, brushing against her bottom lip, and he reached for her, pulling her close.
 
It wasn’t until someone bumped into her that the spell was broken.
 
He reached for her hand again, walking up the street.

“It’s dangerous to look at me like that.”

“You started it,” she breathed.

He hid a smile behind her hand as he lifted it to brush his lips against her skin, and continued to lead her through the crowds on a busy Saturday night.

“Did you tell Tim we were engaged?” she asked.

He stopped in his tracks and when he opened his mouth, she thought that he was going to deny it.
 
She braced herself for the answer she didn’t want to hear.

“Yes.”

She blew out a breath.
 
“Well, that complicates things.”

“Why?”

“Because Tim knows both Ben and Nina, and the man could never keep his big mouth shut.”

“Are you worried because it’s going to hurt their feelings?” he asked.

“No.
 
Nina will hound you until you marry me, and Ben…”
 
She shrugged.
 
“I have no idea about Ben.”

Ben had a huge problem with Lucian, and made his hostility known the night before.
 
She had never thought of her friend in any other way, but the way he acted, it was if he claimed her for himself and Lucian was poaching on his territory.
 
She had two huge problems with that.
 
One, he had no right—even as a friend—to dictate who she dated, and two, if he wanted to ask her out, he had five years to do so.
 
She would have turned him down, because she didn’t want to destroy their friendship.

Until Lucian, she never felt this longing to be with a man, and to never let him out of her sight when they were together.
 
What she had felt for Ben went no further than friendship.

“And Nina isn’t the best keeper of secrets.
 
Before long, the entire company will know.
 
Your name is an easy Internet search away, and who knows what will happen then.”

“You’re worried about me?” he asked.

She nodded her head, wondering why he wasn’t.
 
“Of course I am.
 
You own a giant tech company, and people think that any connection, no matter how distant, is a connection.
 
I don’t want you being harassed by someone who thinks our engagement is a stepping-stone to bigger and better things.”

He pulled her into a small alcove, away from the sidewalk, and proceeded to kiss her breathless.
 
If he hadn’t been holding her up, she would have sunk to the ground.

“You are an amazing woman.”

“That doesn’t solve our problem,” she said.

“There is no problem, love, no problem at all.”

Chapter Ten

Of course, Ellie was right about people’s reaction to the news that she was engaged to Lucian Cole, the owner and founder of Thomas Cole Technologies.

First thing Monday morning, her office was flooded with visitors asking about how they met, when they were getting married, why she didn’t have a ring, and other private questions that she ignored.
 
She spoke to people in departments she’d never met, all because of one infuriating man.
 
Her life was flipped upside down, and she spent more time fending off the sudden interest in her, all because of Lucian.

She couldn’t regret meeting him, but she had no idea why he would tell anyone they were engaged.
 
Each time she spoke to Lucian, he would remind her that the attention would die down, and they would soon move on to other things.
 
Whenever he would reassure her, she would growl at him and he’d laugh.
 
His laughter and reassurance made it somewhat bearable.