Call My Bluff

by Elizabeth Knox

  I was an escort, not a prostitute, and it was a distinction that some of my clientele didn’t seem able to grasp.

  In a full-on rant, I moved deeper into the room and kept complaining, dancing from foot to foot while shoving down one thigh-high. I kicked out my foot several times and shook it off, hopping again to push the other down, “I’m sick and tired of men who can’t take no for an answer. So, fuck it, I’m done. It’s time to swallow my pride and go back home to Indiana to my alcoholic, bat shit crazy dad, and take a job waiting tables at Beula’s. I swear! If one more creep tries to shove his shriveled hand up my dress—“

  I looked up in the middle of my crazy lady rant after tossing the second thigh-high in the general area of the patent red leather couch, and it was then that I realized my boss wasn’t alone.

  Across from him sat a man who, at a quick glance, looked to be in his mid-thirties. He was the sexiest thing I’d ever laid eyes on, and my face heated in mortification right along with the rest of me.

  He had a serious face, all rigid lines, and steely gaze. And those steel-gray eyes were staring dead at me.

  No.

  They were studying me.

  Assessing.

  As if I were some kind of fungus grown on a Petri dish in a lab, or on a plate of forgotten leftover lasagna found in the back of the fridge.

  I froze where I stood, shoeless, gaping jaw, and horror coursing through my veins.

  The tan-skinned, heavy man who ran Lush, the high-end escort agency that I was contracted with, grinned at me and spoke, “Hello to you too, Har. Please, won’t you barge in and interrupt my meeting?”

  I forced myself to unfreeze and rolled my eyes. So, yeah, I’d barged in, but I’d seen Rico angry, and this wasn’t that. There was concern because over the years that I’d worked for him, he’d gotten to know me, and he knew what hid underneath the ranting. He knew I was getting closer and closer to reaching my breaking point. I’d only kept the job so long because it paid well enough to cover my expenses and my brother’s long-term care. It was also because I loved the hell out of Rico.

  But three months ago, my brother had died and that had left me all alone in the world, except for my boss.

  When I’d stood alone, but for Rico, as my brother was laid to rest, I’d decided that there had to be more to life than what I had.

  So, I’d quit.

  Well, I’d tried to quit, but Rico offered me a higher cut and my pick of clients. It didn’t suck to have a higher percentage in my pocket, so I’d signed a contract. I’d work for another six months, or as long as it took to buy out my new contract, and then I was free to go wherever I wanted with his blessing, and I’d walk away with enough money to start my life somewhere else.

  I knew why he’d done it. He was worried about me.

  Right then, we both knew I was blowing smoke. I couldn’t leave him. I’d given my word, and he was the closest thing I had to family that cared.

  But I could moan and bitch and whine about it while he listened with a placating smile and then shooed me off.

  Tonight had been a one-off, because another of his long-time girls, Veronica had needed to stay home with her kid, and I was the only girl available from the client’s choice of preferred escorts. I could have turned it down and risked Rico losing one of his best clients, but hindsight was 20/20. Now, he’d lost the client anyway because he didn’t tolerate a man doing anything his girl didn’t want.

  Honestly, I should have freaking known that it would backfire on me. I had stipulations in my contract for a reason. And backfire it had, spectacularly, in a way that meant I found myself cornered in a coat closet, pinned against a wall, and being groped against my will by a man bordering on geriatric who outweighed me by at least a hundred pounds. A knee to the balls had gotten his attention and realizing his fuck-up, he’d started apologizing, but too little, too late. I called Ted, Rico’s driver and jack-of-all-trades and he’d driven me here.

  Rico held up a placating hand and said jovially, “Mami, you know how I love to listen to your little snits, but my companion and I have business to see to. Business that doesn’t involve you, I’m afraid.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  It had to be one of the high-rollers. They were in town for a championship underground blackjack tournament, a championship that was being played off the books, and only the best of the best were invited. The winner was walking out with a crap-ton of cash.

  I turned my gaze back to the man. He still studied me intently, his face shuttered, and thoughts indiscernible. It was almost as if I could feel his fingers lightly tracing over my skin as he took me in from head to toe. I bit my lip and grappled for control.

  It was my job to be cool and poised at all times, in all situations, so instinct kicked in and I grinned playfully and batted my eyelashes at him while purring to Rico, “Who’s your friend?”

  Rico chuckled, on to me and my shenanigans, but the other man’s face shifted, almost imperceptibly.

  He totally liked what he was seeing.

  I refused to let him see my mortification and pulled my seductress shield up. I couldn’t tell if he was buying it, so I ramped it up a little. I added a sway to my step as I walked a little further into the huge office.

  I was refusing to think about the scene I’d caused with my shoes and hose. Besides, men thought bare feet were sexy, right?

  I approached the desk and perched on the corner, swinging my legs around, I bent in, resting my chin on my curled fist, elbow on my slanted knees. I grinned at him, giving him knowing eyes and preparing to play with him, then Rico ruined my fun when he tossed a friendly, but firm, arm around my shoulder and eased me off my perch.

  When I was standing, feet once more to the cold floor, he gave me a gentle but firm push toward the door and said, “Your fun’s over, Mami. Time for you to go. We can talk later about what’s on your mind.”

  I deflated a little. I didn’t really want to talk about what was on my mind. Not now and not later, but there was a part of me that knew I had to make a change, and I was being a brat coming in here like this. As we hit the door, I turned and said softly, “Seriously, Rico. I think I want out. I think it’s time I get away and make a fresh start.”

  His face softened, and he brushed a lock of hair behind my ear, “With Edgar gone, I know you need to escape, but I’m damned if I’ll let you go back to that motherfucker that raised you. We’ll talk about it later. Come by the house tomorrow night for dinner. We’ll hash it out and find a solution.”

  I studied his face and nodded. What else could I do? He was going over and beyond what anyone else in his shoes would. He loved me and wanted what was best.

  It didn’t stop the guilt from hammering through me.

  I stopped in the hall to pick up the shoes I’d tossed and moved to the elevator.

  I felt like I was on display the whole entire way.

  Chapter Two

  I hadn’t even made it through the door of my apartment when my cell rang. Checking the display, I saw Rico’s name. I kicked the door shut with my bare foot and tossed the shoes across the room with one hand and dropped my keys on the side table with the other. I was breathless when I answered, “Hello?”

  He took a deep breath and then asked, “Do you really want out? You’re done?”

  His tone of voice stopped me dead in my tracks. He was being careful and cautious. Two things that the boisterous and lively Rico rarely was.

  I swallowed and spoke, “Well, yeah. I mean, I know we have a deal, and you went out of your way to help me, so yes, but I’m not abandoning you.” I waved a hand out in front of me, struggling for words, “I was mad, but you know that you’re the only family I have. There’s no way I’d ever betray that.”

  His voice lowered a few octaves and warmed when he said, “I don’t doubt your affections, mi amor. I don’t doubt your loyalty either. I have an interesting,” he hesitated before finishing with a sigh, “proposition for you.”

  Inexplicabl
y, my heart rate skyrocketed, and I fumbled to reach for the couch, easing down, as dread filled me. “What kind of proposition?”

  Damn. Even my hands were shaking.

  “The man that was in here earlier?”

  “The high roller?” I asked.

  He chuckled and confirmed, “The high roller.”

  “What about him?”

  “He’s only in town for this one week, and then he’s going out of town for a while. A long while. He needs an escort for the week and he’s offered to buy you out of your contract.”

  Huge, gargantuan moths came to life deep in my stomach and practiced their best swan dives. “He’s willing to give you the quarter of a million dollars I agreed to make for you? Is that what you’re saying?”

  “Yes, Har. That’s what I’m saying. He’s setting you up with a nice bonus as well. I offered the other girls, but he wants you.”

  Those moths froze mid-flight, and I felt real fear when I whispered, “I’m not selling my body, Rico.”

  His voice cut through my racing thoughts when he snapped, “You think I would entertain the idea, much less present it to you, if the man wanted a prostitute? Dios Mio, girl, you know better than that. I gave you a home when you and your idiot brother had nowhere to go. I got you papers to cover both of your tracks. I would lay my life down for you, yet you think I would offer you up to a stranger for sex?”

  Real shame trickled through me. It was molten and hot as it choked me from the inside.

  He was right.

  I’d shown up with my younger brother. A brother who had long ago stopped fighting to survive my father’s abuse and had turned to drugs to numb the pain. Rico had literally saved my life. He’d tried to save my brother’s as well, but Edgar refused to quit. He managed to sneak drugs in, no matter what we did to try and prevent it, and it ended the way I’d always feared.

  He found his fix and let his demons win out.

  I’d come home from a job and found him face down in his own vomit. Emergency services had managed to revive him, but there was too much damage, and he’d never woken back up.

  I’d started escorting to make more money so I could afford to take care of my little brother and keep us safe from my father. I’d kept doing it to afford to keep my brother in long-term care.

  I would have never been able to take care of him without Rico having my back, fronting the money to get my brother admitted, and then keeping his best clients for me.

  Rico’d had my back through thick and thin, and he deserved my trust. “I’m sorry. My head’s everywhere. This is weird, right? That’s a whole lot of money. If that’s not it, then what does he expect? Because he has to know after our encounter that I’m not exactly what you would call ‘polite’ company.” I cringed just thinking about the ridiculous little show I’d put on for him.

  He cleared his throat awkwardly, and I could picture him tugging at his collar, the way he tended to do when he was uncomfortable, “That’s the thing. He doesn’t appear to want anything other than your company this week while he’s in town. After this, he plans to pay off your contract and leave.”

  I nibbled on my thumbnail, thinking.

  This all sounded a little too good to be true. I knew better than to hope and dream for a fairy tale. There was no Prince Charming showing up to save the day for me, I’d given up on that dream years ago. I was a lot of things, but Cinderella wasn’t one of them. I’d given up wishing for that the first time I’d spat out a tooth, loosened by the angry swinging fist of a man who was supposed to protect me.

  When I didn’t speak up, Rico kept going, “He’s willing to pay for a separate room for you to use this week, as well as pay for any clothing and accessories that you may need. All you have to do is accompany him for the remainder of this week and take whatever daily necessities you can’t live without. You’ll stay with him at the Laredo until Friday, collect your bonus, and then you’re free to do whatever you’d like when he leaves. I also want you to know that I have other positions you can fill, corporate positions. This can be your very last client.”

  That was more than fair. I knew if I asked, he’d forgive the entire contract, but that wasn’t fair, and that wasn’t the kind of person I was. “I’ll take it. I don’t know about working internally, though. Give me the week to think about it?”

  I knew he was grinning from the inflection in his voice when he said, “Sure thing, Mami. You think about it. In the meantime, you’ll need to be at the office dressed to kill at three-thirty tomorrow afternoon. The first game is tomorrow night, and Nick wants you ready.”

  I stopped and took a moment to really consider it. This was going to change everything. Was I ready for that?

  I pictured the blank look on my baby brother’s face as he’d lain on a hospital bed, machines working to keep him alive. Then I thought about the old man who’d pinned me in the closet only hours before.

  Oh yeah. I was so ready.

  Decision made I said, “Alright, I guess I’ll see you after lunch.”

  It was only then that I realized that Rico had been holding his breath waiting on my response. He let out an exhale and sounded like a load had been lifted from his shoulders when he replied, “Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  He’d been worried about me.

  It was then that I knew I had just made the right decision.

  Chapter Three

  Monday

  Standing in my room, looking at the utter chaos surrounding me, I was worried.

  I’d never had overnight clients. I didn’t even know what the protocol was for such an occurrence. I mean, would I need to keep on a full face of makeup? Could I take sweats?

  This was a huge decision.

  I needed sweats.

  I lived in them when I wasn’t dressed to the nines to hang off some old rich guy’s arm.

  Fuck it, I decided. I was taking them. I’d hide in my room if I had to. I wasn’t compromising on my comfy off-duty clothes.

  Over the next half hour, something strange happened. My inner crazy person peaked out, realized this was her time to shine, and then took over.

  When it was all said and done, I had two suitcases packed.

  For one week.

  I needed clothes for five days, I wasn’t moving in with the man. I was losing my freaking mind.

  Ed would be laughing at me and my overthinking and overpacking if he were still here. He’d say something like, “Calm down sis. It’s a dude who watched you take your clothes off and rant like a madwoman, he already knows you’re a lunatic.”

  When he was sober, my little brother was hilarious. I missed him so damn much.

  I took one more look at the mess around me and sighed, tossing the balled up sweat pants into my suitcase. I needed to sit on it to get it to zip, and all I could hope for was that it didn’t spring open and send a thong flying in the client’s direction, or something equally as mortifying. He’d already gotten an up close and personal gander at my legs.

  Nope. I wasn’t going to think about that just then. I’d have enough time to ponder the utter wreck that I was when all of this was said and done.

  I wheeled my suitcases out and locked the door behind me. Halfway to the elevator, I panicked at the prospect of leaving something on and burning the old building down, so I spun on a heel, since I was dressed to the nines as requested, and hurried back to my door.

  I checked everything from the coffee pot to the straight iron before taking a breath and forcing myself back out. When the elevator dinged, I had one last flash of panic, what if I’d left the refrigerator door open?

  Nope. That was ridiculous. In all the years I’d lived here, I’d never left the door open to anything. I was a creature of habit, and I was procrastinating. I sucked in a deep breath and forced myself to take that one step over the gap between the floor and the elevator and stared at my reflection as the doors slid shut, and I lurched downward.

  I was pretending that my stomach wasn’t flipping and turni
ng at the prospect of seeing the drop-dead gorgeous Nick again.

  I climbed into the car that Rico had sent for me and greeted the driver cheerfully, “Hey, Ted! How’s it going?”

  The man behind the wheel tossed a friendly smile over his shoulder before pulling out onto the street and saying, “Doin’ just fine, Miz Spencer. How’re you?”

  I answered him honestly, on a laugh, “I’m a nervous wreck.”

  He braked at the light and turned back quickly, assuring, “Nick is good people. You’re in good hands.” Turning back to face the front, he continued, “My advice? Enjoy it. Drink a little too much, have fun, and go out on a great time.”

  I grimaced, “Rico told you I’m out after this?”

  He nodded his head, “That he did.”

  He turned left when he was supposed to turn right. I typically wasn’t one to tell someone how to do their job (this was a lie; I so totally was), but I really didn’t want to be late to something this important. I cleared my throat and said, “Ah, Ted? I think Rico said that I should meet Nick at Lush?”

  I asked it as a question, but it was only so I didn’t feel as guilty about pointing out his error.

  He snorted, and his shoulders bumped up once in humor before he informed me, “Change in plans, Miz. I’m to take you straight to the Laredo and take you up to Nick’s suite.”

  There were a few things I wanted to dissect there, but first and foremost I demanded, “Ted, why is it that I’ve been asking you to call me Harlow for almost five years and you still call me Miss Spencer, but this stranger comes along, and you call him by his first name?”

  I couldn’t stop the snark from flooding my voice. I was genuinely hurt. He’d known me for years, but this new guy pops up, and suddenly they were on a first-name basis.

  Such B.S.

  “I’ve known Nick for years. He’s a pain in the ass, you’re a beautiful lady.”