“Make sure no one finds out about your little job.”
“Everyone knows I run a hedge fund.” Grant eyed me as if to keep me from screwing myself over. Maybe he had more experience doing this than I gave him credit for. I was starting to get excited, apart from seeing Tom and his walking stick fiancée. If I could pull this off I could have a nice dirty little secret to take with me home as a souvenir. I had a whole new level of secrecy to swear people to.
He seemed much smarter than I gave him credit for, and he was incredibly friendly. I was trying to pick at him and find some flaws. It was getting harder and harder. I kept noticing my gaze focusing on his shirt, trying to find the outline of his abs. I can’t get carried away. I can’t sleep with him. This is just business. It isn’t worth the extra cash or the complication. I straightened my shirt out as we rode up the elevator, all our bags in a cart.
We got to our room on the 8th floor. I was a bit upset as we stepped inside. I forgot to call ahead and ask for a double. There was only one bed in this room, and I didn’t feel comfortable enough to share. I didn’t think that over. That must have been the one detail I over looked. I hoped it was the one detail I overlooked. What else could I be missing? I sat at the edge of the bed and picked at my finger nails.
“So I made a mistake.”
“What’s that?”
“This room.”
Grant looked around the room and tried to understand what was wrong. “What’s missing from this room?”
“A second bed. I forgot to call ahead. I’m sorry. We can get a second room. I’m sure I could find a way to charge it to my parents or something.”
“I don’t think that works with our story. Not unless you have stingy parents.”
“Oh.”
“So do you have stingy parents?”
“No, not really.”
“So don’t worry about it.”
He wheeled our clothes in and put my suitcases on the floor. His followed and he began unpacking. I decided that as long as I’m here, I’m going to try to enjoy it. At least this room has a balcony. I could get some peace and quiet there. If things got bad enough, I could even jump. Was eight stories enough to kill a person?
“Aren’t you going to unpack?”
“What?” I turned back from the balcony to see all his clothes moving from his suitcase on the bed to the top drawer of the dresser. “Oh, no. I don’t unpack at hotels.”
“Why not?”
“It just means more packing up. It’s not like I wear everything I pack.”
He looked at my three suitcases and nodded. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense to me.” He was chuckling as he finished unpacking.
I don’t know why it was so strange to this man. I’m sure he frequently stayed at hotel rooms with women where no clothes were touched other than the ones that they threw off onto the floor. I didn’t understand him. He didn’t seem like he was judging me, or at least it felt like he didn’t have the grounds to. I hadn’t done any wrong to him. Well, except for lie about a skin condition, but that was it. I turned back to look at the ocean. It did look inviting. Maybe I would come clean, just so I could take a dip in it. It had felt good to be bad, though. I liked the thought of having a naughty weekend. I liked thinking that I was doing something that my parents hated without them knowing. I liked not having the consequences of an escort with all the advantage of a boyfriend. I was going to make this weekend my turning point. This is where I would start living life for me and by my own rules. I would please my parent this last time, and then after this I would give up caring what they thought. I was going to be the April of my internal desires and fantasies who didn’t take no for an answer and stopped letting people walk all over her.
“So what’s on the agenda? Just stay snug in this hotel room?”
“No, there will be an informal cocktail tonight. It will be on the terrace, so it should be a great view of the ocean. It’s for all the guests who are flying in tonight.”
“You mean your parents are purposefully putting you through another day of misery than they need to?”
“No one ever accused them of being nice.”
“Yeah, that’s unfortunate.” He changed ties and looked back at me, eyeing my outfit.
“What are you going to be wearing tonight?”
“Oh shit. I’m not sure.”
“Well, we have to match a little. I have some other ties if this one doesn’t match. What dresses do you have?”
All of them. Travis and I had gone shopping yesterday. I hadn’t lost much weight, but I was starting to get a tighter waist. To celebrate he took me on a bit of a spree, and we bought everything except for the store they were in. I could feel myself beginning to panic. I went back to gnawing on my finger nails. “I don’t know. I don’t know. What colors do you have? What do I wear?”
“Calm down.” He walk towards me and put his hands on my shoulders. I hate to admit it, but it did help me feel better. “How about you just show me what you’ve brought. That way we can decide together. Maybe it will help your confidence.”
“Okay, yeah. Maybe you’re right.”
“You don’t have a rash or anything do you?”
What a weird question. I was going to rebut but then I remembered the supposed skin condition of mine. “No. I don’t have a rash.”
“Okay, good. So there shouldn’t be a problem with what you wear.”
We were able to take out a lot of the dresses and limit it to three. One of them was a nude and black striped dress that had an empire waist and mock neck. It was floor length and probably the one I felt the most comfortable in. Dresses this size were like portable blankets.
“That’s good, but what else do you have?”
The next one was a knee length dress that made me feel regal. It was burnt orange and had a boat neckline. It was fairly plain other than the tuxedo paneling on the sides.
“Okay, what else do we have?”
This last one was the one I was the most terrified to try on. It was one of those classic “little black dress” dresses. It was slinky and fit me tight without being too snug. The neck was a deep plunge and showed off my newly pushed-up boobs. It was backless and required I wear either lace or nothing as far as underwear went.
“Gorgeous. This is the dress. I’ll wear this silk tie.”
“I don’t think I can actually wear this out.”
Grant stopped sorting through his bag and went to sit next to me. “Why, what’s wrong with it?”
“It shows off too much.”
“Are you kidding? This shows off the perfect amount. This dress is sexy while still being classy. This dress is bold. It hugs your curves, and it will drive him crazy. He will stay awake at night wondering why he ever left you. This is the dress that make men fantasize and women jealous.”
He was right. I should probably wear this dress if I wanted to make him jealous. It looked good on me, like really good. It looked like I hadn’t gained any weight in the first place. If I was going to be the new April, this would be the dress to wear tonight.
“Are you sure that striped one isn’t better?”
“That one is gorgeous, but this one is drop-dead gorgeous. Trust me, I’ve seen some beautiful women and this puts them to shame.” I couldn’t tell if he was being nice or genuine. I felt like he was hitting on me. I tried to keep myself from falling for him. It’s hard when someone is cute, nice, handsome, and supposedly very wealthy.
“Okay. Wear that tie. I’m going to do my hair and makeup.” I put on a smoky eye and curled my hair back. This was the most I could do without needing a crew to help. I stepped back out of the bathroom, make up done, hair done, and dress on. I saw his eyes. His draw literally dropped. He was being so sweet. He did one of those slow spreading smiles and I could feel my confidence slowly growing back.
“They say you aren’t supposed to wear white to a wedding, but they never warned me about black.”
“I can’t speak right now, you’re so go
rgeous. How did I get this lucky? How did you need a date?” He did a cheesy wolf whistle and made me laugh. I was blushing a lot. I could just say it was my makeup. The little nagging voice in my head reminded me it wasn’t real, no matter how good it felt. I wanted it to be. I want to feel this good forever.
11
Grant
Of all the people in the world to need my service, she was without a doubt the most room stopping. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. It was going to be impossible to come up with an excuse for staring at her this time. Her soft brown hair was swept neatly to the side and curled, and her eyes could melt even the coldest mountain. I could feel myself swooning a bit. I had to stop.
She loved the attention. I saw her blush and become happy. I didn’t know how a woman this gorgeous got to be so self conscious. If she weren’t a client I would kiss her right now and try to keep her from leaving the room the whole night. If she was a car, I was a deer standing in the headlights.
“Close your mouth, you’re leaking drool.” She giggled. I loved her giggle. She had a soft sweet laugh. I was becoming more and more excited to spend this weekend with her.
“You look ravishing. You look enchanting.” I remembered why we were here. “You’re going to knock him off of his feet.” I tightened my tie and offered her my arm. “Shall we go down?”
“We shall.” She took my elbow.
As I walked her to the elevator I could feel my body telling me that this woman was different from the rest. It wasn’t just age difference anymore, and it wasn’t the fact that she was adorable. There was something about the way she was peculiar that I loved. Maybe she would continue to see me after this weekend. I’m sure I could put her dead-beat ex to shame. He was going to rue the day he split up with her. This whole wedding was going to be asking “what happened between you and April” to him. He would have nothing to say other than “I’ve made a huge mistake.”
I could tell she felt good. At first she was hiding when she put this one, but once she got into her high heels and make up, she was beginning to see what I saw.
“So I’m going to meet your mother and father tonight?”
“Yes. Hopefully you won’t have to do too much talking. They have a lot of nagging at me to do anyway.”
“Right. Okay. So we met at a bar and you were wearing this dress.”
“We didn’t agree to that.”
“Let me fantasize.” I felt like I was making her uncomfortable with my bluntness. I wanted her to feel beautiful, but I didn’t want to be off putting.
“Save it for when there are people around.”
“You’re a person too, April.” Maybe I should have waited to shmooze. I didn’t want to come off as a horny escort, even if that is what I was. I just wanted to make sure my client had a good time, and if we had a little more fun than the contract required then it was all for the better. The elevator opened and we went into the terrace.
“Okay, here we go.” She said, squeezing the handle tight. We entered the room, and just as I thought it would happen, everyone was stunned. It could have been shock about seeing the ex-fiancee, but I knew better. It was seeing someone like this in person. It was intoxicating. “Oh no, here comes my mom.”
Just then a pompous looking woman came our way. She seemed as stuck up as I had been warned. I had a way of dealing with these women. Several of my clients are this type exactly. She squeezed April around the shoulders, avoiding messing up her makeup or hair. “Hello, darling. Who might this handsome gentleman be?”
I held out my hand and greeted her. “Grant Taylor. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Where is Mr. Somerset?” April looked over at me and gave me a playful nudge that warned me to cool it.
“I had no idea that you would be coming with my daughter. Tell me more about you.”
“Sure. Let’s get a drink first. Can I get you ladies a martini?”
“You know me so well.” Her mom joked. April motioned to get two. As I walked to the bar I overheard her mom saying “Did you sell your soul for that one?” She didn’t know how close she was.
“We’ve been dating for a few months. I didn’t want him to have to meet the family or my ex. That’s why I didn’t want to come with him.”
“And this whole time you were lying. I thought you were ashamed of being single.”
April laughed loudly as a queue to get me back in the conversation. Unfortunately, the bar was packed, and she would have to wait. I had several eyes looking me up and down from both men and women. Some of them were trying to see if I was a threat, and others were hoping that I was one. I wonder which one of these men were Tom. I’m sure it would be more obvious as the night went on. I got the martinis and joined April and her mother again. Her father was now standing there, looking at me with surprise.
As I approached I heard her mom whisper to him “You aren’t going to believe this, honey.” I gave April and her mom their drinks then held out my hand to her father. “Grant Taylor. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“The pleasure is all mine. We were certain that our daughter was in a dating drout. Little did we know she had a catch like you.”
After taking several large drinks April chimed in. “Grant operates a hedge fund.”
“That’s true.”
“It can’t be.” Her mom eyed me, trying to find where my cord was, as if I was a talking doll.
“Oh, but it is.” I took out my business card and handed it to her and her father. I was glad I upgraded to get the nice paper on these so they looked just as classy as I was trying to emanate.
“You don’t say.”
“Oh, but I do.” The conversation about my work continued and brought the attention away from April for a while. I could tell by the look in her eyes that she felt a lot of relief. Talking to her mom was strange. I felt like I was constantly being put to a test, like I was being measured up. April finished her drink fairly quickly.
“Maybe you could get a job as a secretary there, April.”
“Okay! We should go mingle more. I’ll talk to you later, mom.” April grabbed my shoulder and led me around the room. She was tapped on the shoulder and jerked back. “Mrs. Middleton!”
“Hello, sweetie! We are so glad you could make it. It has really been too long. How are things going?”
“They are going well.”
“And how is your writing doing?”
“I’m keeping at it. No bites yet.”
“A rolling stone gathers no moss.” I could tell that Mrs. Middleton already had a few. Maybe April wasn’t the only one who wasn’t too excited about this wedding. “Your writing is so lovely, dear, I’m sure you will get a job. I was so sad when your mom told me that you almost couldn’t make it.”
“Well, here I am!”
“And who might this be?”
“Grant Taylor, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Is this your boyfriend, April.”
“It sure is.” You could tell by the rosiness of April’s cheeks that she was boasting and gloating to Mrs. Middleton. It could have also been the alcohol.
“What a handsome fellow.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
“You take good care of April. She is sublime. Simply magnificent.”
“Don’t I know it.” April looked in my eyes and we traded a glance. She was stunning. The whole world could see it besides her.
“Tell me more about your life, dear. How are things after the accident? Did you heal properly? Do you need help?”
“I’m doing fine now, thanks.” They continued talking like that for a while, catching up. I decided to excuse myself and get a drink of my own. It would be a long night for me, and I was going to enjoy it the best way I knew how.
When I joined them again Mrs. Middleton had to go talk to another family that just arrived. She gave me a hug goodbye and whispered about what a great woman April was in my ear. It was clear to me that Mrs. Middleton was nicer to April than her mother was. Perhaps that was where April’s
self confidence had gone. April snagged another drink and we went to a secluded table.
With my strict diet it didn’t take much to get me tipsy. At this point I was fine, but another glass and I knew that I would be a little bit more cheerful and a little bit warmer. I felt like dancing with April, but I knew that this was neither the place nor the time.
There was a tinge of jealousy in my heart for her. I wished she weren’t still going after this Tom guy. I knew it was hopeless, and so did she. I just didn’t want her to have any feelings for him. It was crazy and stupid, especially since I was used to being the other man. Something about April just made me want to keep her safe.
12
April
I need to take socializing lessons from Grant. He has mingled his way through my friends and family like no one I have seen before. He was able to successfully tame and slay the dragon that is my mother. I have never seen anyone accomplish that before, not even Tom. Not even my dad. I hoped that Mrs. Middleton wasn’t upset by him being here. I wanted her to like him. I at least wanted to feel like he was welcomed. I certainly wanted him there. I wouldn’t be paying him if I didn’t.
Something about Grant gave me confidence. Maybe it was being seen with him, and maybe it was just the way he treated me. He had been a perfect gentleman all night, and the way he looked at me made me actually feel beautiful. All my cares and worries were disappearing.
That is, until I saw Tom. He was standing next to his fiancée laughing loudly at the front. I needed another drink. I got up to get one, but Grant insisted he grab them.
“I don’t want a martini.”
“That’s okay. We can have armeretto sours. You’ll love these.”
He left to grab the drinks before I could ask how many calories were in them. When he got back I was able to finish it in a matter of seconds. It tasted like juice. We got another, and I could tell that they were starting to hit me. I kept staring at Tom, seeing him socialize with all these faces from my past. This was supposed to be me. This was going to be my wedding exactly. It was strange to see it in the position I was. It was almost like hovering over your body after you died. Tom would laugh and his soon-to-be-wife would giggle and they were having the happiest time being the two dumbest people here. Stupid happy. Stupid in love. Stupid life ruiners. “You see that turd in the suit up there? That’s Tom.”
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