by Leigh James
I was working my way down the list.
"Elena, it's Chase Layne."
The madam cleared her throat. "Mr. Layne. It's so nice to hear from you. Is everything okay?" I could hear the strain in her voice. I didn't want to imagine what sort of calls she was used to getting from clients.
"Everything's fine. Avery's great. That's actually what I was going to talk to you about. I'd like to buy out her contract."
"I'm sorry?" Elena asked. She sounded stupefied, as if I'd suddenly slipped into a foreign tongue.
Now it was my turn to clear my throat. "I said, I'd like to buy out Avery's contract."
"Are you firing her?"
"It's more like I'm retiring her. She won't be coming back to work for you. Ever."
"I see. Congratulations. Avery is a very good girl. You know she was only doing this because she was trying to take care of that sister of hers."
"I appreciate you keeping this confidential."
"Of course, Mr. Layne," the madam said smoothly. "Please keep me in mind for referrals for your friends. As you know, I have the best girls."
"Will do," I said, relieved that she no longer had the very best girl.
Now I just had to make her mine.
Chapter Twenty-Three
AVERY
Just as I was about to crack open another bottle of wine, Chase sent me a text.
CHASE: Get dressed for dinner. Picking you up in an hour.
AVERY: You don't even know where my apartment is!
CHASE: Chase is wise. He knows all.
Even though he acted like a fuckwad yesterday.
AVERY: I'm not up for dinner.
CHASE: Do you have plans with your real boyfriend?
AVERY: Just stop.
CHASE: I'll be there in an hour. I'll carry you to the restaurant if I have to. So you better get dressed, because you're going out either way.
I sighed and obediently threw on a dress, my emotions see-sawing. I didn't know what to expect. Was he going to say he was sorry? Was he going to tell me it was over, once and for all?
I felt as though I might throw up.
Precisely one hour later, a large SUV pulled up in front of my building.
"Hey," I said, as Chase got out to open the door for me. He looked dashing in a dark suit.
"Hey," he said, softly. His eyes were red and puffy, as if he'd been crying.
I wanted to reach out and pull him to me, but I didn't dare.
We slid into the back of the car in an awkward silence as the driver pulled down the street.
"How have you been?" he asked.
I shrugged in answer, afraid my voice would wobble.
"Am I taking you away from other plans? With you-know-who?" he asked.
I shot him a dirty look. I clearly sucked at lying.
"I didn't think so." Seemingly satisfied, he turned and looked out the window. "We're meeting another couple for dinner."
"Huh?" I asked, surprised. Company was the last thing I wanted right now.
"It's my friend Cole Bryson and his wife. He owns the Rhode Island Thunder. It's a Bruins farm team. Have you ever heard of him?"
I shook my head. "No. Why are we meeting him for dinner?"
"I want you to meet Cole's wife. I thought it would be good for you."
I was immediately suspicious. "Why? Who is she?"
Chase looked straight ahead. "Cole met Jenny when she was on an assignment. She used to work for Elena. At AccommoDating."
I wondered if that was the couple my waitressing friend, Kylie, had told me about. "Did they get married somewhat recently? On an island or something?" I vaguely remembered the story she'd told me.
Chase nodded. "That sounds right. Eric heard about them, and that's how he found Elena. So really, Jenny and Cole are responsible for us meeting. It was like they set us up without actually setting us up."
I groaned. "Is this some sort of escort support group?"
"No," Chase said, his voice stubborn. "I just wanted you to see that there's another couple, living and breathing right here in Boston, who met the same way that we did. And they're still together."
"The problem is, Chase, that whoever this Cole Bryson person is, he's not you. You are the star quarterback for the Warriors. You are in the spotlight, and you have a legacy to protect. No offense to the Rhode Island Thunder, but it's not really the same thing."
Chase shrugged. "It's just dinner. Just listen to what Jenny has to say."
We were meeting them at a restaurant called Ministry, which was a trendy, upscale restaurant filled with long wooden tables and teeming with candles. The hostess delivered us to the table where Cole and Jenny Bryson were waiting. Cole was tall and striking, with black hair, a gorgeous face, and a twinkle in his eye. He had his arm wrapped tightly around his wife. Jenny looked at me with an open expression of approval on her beautiful face. Dirty blonde curls tumbled over her shoulders and her breasts were on prominent, jiggly display beneath a black, curve-hugging dress.
"Oh my God! You must be Avery!" She jumped up and sprang at me, pulling me in for a hug. "Coley told me so much about you! You're with Chase, huh? Chase is my favorite quarterback ever!" She patted the seat next to her and jerked me down. I landed in the seat with a surprised thump.
"You want some wine?" Jenny asked me. She emptied the bottle of Chardonnay into my glass without waiting for an answer or for a server to pour it.
"I'm excited to meet you. Cole told me about you two." Jenny held up her glass, beaming at me. "So cheers. To true love. And two men who know not to let it go, no matter what the circumstances." She clinked her glass against mine and took a large gulp.
"Um. Cheers." I took another sip of wine. "Congratulations on your marriage."
Jenny flashed me a dazzling smile. "Thank you. Being married's sort of great." She looked over toward Cole and Chase. Chase was watching us with an intent look on his face. "Maybe you'll get to see for yourself soon. Chase seems like he has an emotional boner for you."
"A what?"
"An emotional boner," Jenny explained. "It's like he's sporting wood on his face. He can't keep his eyes off you."
"Oh. Huh." I didn't know what to say to that. "So, you know…Elena?" I didn't want to say too much in public. It was a good thing that Ministry was bustling, because Jenny's enthusiasm seemed unbridled.
Jenny nodded, her face serious. "I do know Elena. She's the one who set me up with Coley." She tossed her hair over her shoulder in the direction of her husband. "Actually, that's not quite the truth. My best friend, Audrey, was going out with Cole's best friend, James. Well, going out with might not be the right term. She was one of Elena's girls, too. Anyway, while she was with James, Cole needed a date. Audrey had Elena send me. The rest is history." She flashed me her huge rock of an engagement ring, fitted snugly next to a diamond-encrusted wedding band. "It was meant to be."
I swallowed more wine, trying to keep up with Jenny's story. "Your friend Audrey… Does she still work for Elena?" The name wasn't familiar, but I certainly hadn't been around the escort service for that long.
Jenny's eyes went wide. "Oh hell no. She and James got married, too. They're out in California now. Cole and I are going to see them in a few weeks."
"So you both married your…" I lean toward her and lowered my voice. "Johns?"
Jenny gave me a satisfied smile. "Yeah, we did. No one gets a happy ending like that, right? It was like we were the Cinderella twins." She leaned closer to me and patted my hand. "The fact that Chase brought you here tonight for a pep talk tells me we might be triplets soon."
I shook my head. I looked briefly at Chase, who was now engrossed in conversation with Cole. "I wish that was true, but I don't think I can be with Chase. He's too much of a public figure." I swallowed hard. "He's such a good guy. If it comes out about me, it'd ruin him. I don't want to hurt him like that."
Jenny watched me intently. "I understand. Audrey and I had a few conversations like that ourselves. Although I was
never one to question whether or not Cole and I had a future together. Maybe I did, at first—you know, I wondered whether it could turn into something that lasted—but deep down I knew he was the only one for me. Turns out, he felt exactly the same way. When fate smacks you in the face like that, there's really no getting around it. You just have to go for it. The rest will work itself out."
Her words made hope surge through me, followed by desolation. Cole and Jenny weren't me and Chase. It was a different situation.
Jenny took another sip of wine, her beautiful, round face contemplative. "Listen, in my experience, there's two types of women who come from our…work background."
She looked around again to make sure no one was listening. "There are the girls who hate themselves because of what they do. Then there are the girls who do it because they hate themselves. You don't strike me as a second type, and that's a good thing. The girls who hate themselves are fucked. The first type has a chance, though."
"Oh." My voice came out small. "Hmmm."
Jenny arched a perfectly waxed eyebrow at me. "Right? You see what I'm saying?"
I nodded at her slowly. "Jenny, you're smart. I'm really glad I got to meet you."
She gave me a satisfied grin. "Any time, Avery. I like to do what I can to help. My best advice is to not be afraid of a happy ending. If you grow up the way you and I did—and I don't know how you actually grew up, but I'm guessing—you always think someone's gonna pull the rug out from underneath you. And then you spend your whole life waiting for it to happen." She leaned over and squeezed my hand. "But if Chase is a good guy like I think he is, like Cole is, let yourself have this. Stay on the rug."
I swallowed. "It's hard to trust that another person's going to be there. That they mean it…" I let my voice trail off, feeling a little overcome with emotion.
Jenny nodded, sympathetic. "It's easier to believe the bad stuff. But don't. Give yourself a chance to be happy. At some point, karma's gotta give you a little break, right?"
"I freaking hope so."
Jenny grinned. "I freaking hope so, too."
Chapter Twenty-Four
CHASE
I dropped Avery off at her apartment after dinner. It had killed me to drive away, but I wanted to give her the space she needed to make a decision.
About me.
Eric was sitting on my steps when I got home. "How's it going?" he asked.
"Haven't heard from you in a while," I said, pushing past him and unlocking the door. "Thanks so much for telling my mom about Avery." I wasn't really mad, but I was still having a WTF moment about it.
"I did that for your own good," Eric said. He followed me in without asking.
I grunted. "What do you want?"
He shrugged. "I know Avery's not here. I figured you might want some company."
"How did you know?"
"I talked to Reggie." He pushed his designer glasses up on his nose. "And Cole Bryson. I just checked in with Avery, too, to make sure she was okay."
I looked at him sharply. "Was she?"
"She's hanging in there," Eric said.
He went to my wine refrigerator and inspected the bottles, pulling out one that he deemed worthy. He opened it expertly and poured two glasses. "So, I've been thinking…" he said.
"Great. That usually gets me in trouble," I said. I gruffly accepted the wine he offered me.
"You should hold a press conference tomorrow."
"About what?" I asked.
"About Avery. And the fact that she's a prostitute. And the fact that you love her."
"I thought you were worried about her being a liability." I took a large gulp of wine. I still felt guilty about that conversation.
"I'm more worried about what you'd be like to deal with if you had to live without her. Which is also why I had your mother come down. I wanted her approval. We're doing this the right way this time, buddy."
Eric was a pain in the ass, but he knew me better than anyone.
"Back to the press conference. My thinking is, why not?" Eric raised his hands. "You're serious about Avery. The fact that she has a past is just something we have to deal with. And it'll be better coming from you than anyone else. The circle's too wide, now. The sister knows. Reggie knows. Martha knows. Jess and Pax know, too…"
I had some more wine and smiled at him. "This is where Chase Layne surprises and delights his agent."
Eric groaned at my use of the third person. "How are you going to surprise and delight me now?"
"I already scheduled a press conference." I gave him a smug look.
"You scheduled one? You?"
I shrugged. "I called my buddy at WRX and told him I wanted to talk tomorrow. I told him to bring friends."
Eric nodded at me, impressed. "I like it. But is it okay if I get involved? Just to give it a patina of professionalism?"
"I'd expect nothing less," I said. "You need to earn that commission, buddy."
* * *
"I'm sorry? What did you just say?" Wes asked me. He ran his hands through his hair, making it stand up in crazy clumps.
"Avery was a prostitute. I hired her to act like my girlfriend. Then we fell in love."
Wes looked stymied as he paced behind his desk for a minute. He finally stopped. "Why are you telling me this, son?"
I swallowed hard. "Because Jessica and Pax know about it. And they're in talks to do a reality television show. They're going to be doing a ton of press, and I believe that this will be part of what they're talking about. Also, Avery's sister's threatening to go public with it."
West blinked at me. "The fact that Avery was a prostitute. And you hired her."
"Correct."
Coach and I looked at each other for a beat.
"When were you thinking about doing a press conference?"
I shook my head. "Later this morning."
Wes raised his eyebrows at me. "Where the hell's Eric at?"
"He's at the house, plotting." I shrugged. "He's on board with this. He also told me I had to tell you the truth."
Coach slumped down into his seat and sighed. "You think?" He scrubbed his hands over his face. "This is going to be an interesting season."
"It'll be okay." I hoped.
"We're going to stand behind you no matter what. This team has had a great run because of you."
"Thank you. I appreciate that," I said. "I didn't plan this. I'm sorry."
A glimmer of humor sparkled in Wes's eyes. "You can't help who you fall in love with. That's what I told Pamela when I left her for Angie, anyway."
Coach got a divorce last year, but he'd never spoken about it. "How'd that go over?"
Wes grunted. "About as good as the news that your girlfriend's a prostitute is going to go over."
I nodded at him. "Fair enough."
Wes grunted again. "Who said anything about fair?"
* * *
I usually only spoke to the press after our regularly scheduled games. I swallowed hard as I adjusted my tie and took one last look in the mirror. You're doing the right thing, buddy. And, for once, it's for the right reason.
Her.
Avery was the one. I'd worked hard my whole life to get where I was, but it wasn't going to mean anything if she wasn't by my side.
Eric met me at the entrance to the conference room. "You okay?" My agent looked a little pale himself, but he seemed to be holding it together. Probably for my sake.
I shrugged. "I'm passable."
Eric looked around. "There's a lot of reporters here."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
"You'll be all right. You're Chase Layne." He clapped me on the shoulder.
"Did you tell Avery about this?" I'd been worried she would try to talk me out of it, so I hadn't called her. I missed her so much it was killing me.
"Don't worry. She'll be watching," Eric said.
"I appreciate it. Everything you've done."
He grinned at me and his eyes sparkled. "Especially setting you
up with Avery. I love that I get credit for that, especially because you were giving me so much shit."
"I'm sure I'll be hearing about it from you for the rest of my life."
"You know it," he said as we headed into the room, both of our chests puffed out beneath our best suits.
I took a deep breath to steady my nerves. Every single news outlet was here and the crowd was rowdy, buzzing with excitement. It wasn't every day that Chase Layne called an emergency press conference. I nodded at Wes and Tim, the owner, already seated up on the stage.
I climbed up on stage and got behind the podium, smoothing my tie. Wishing it was beer o'clock, I cleared my throat. The room settled quickly. "Ladies and gentlemen, members of the press and management, thank you so much for being here this morning." I swallowed hard as dozens of eager faces—faces I'd known for years—watched me expectantly. "You know I don't often call press conferences…"
One of the reporters I knew raised his hand. "Are you announcing your retirement, Chase?"
I nodded at him. "Hey, Pete. I'll be talking about that, too. But if it's okay with you guys, and ladies, I don't want any questions. Maybe at the end, for a few minutes, but that depends on how well you behave." I grinned at them as I felt the curiosity level rise palpably in the room.
"All right," I continued. "So all of you know a lot more about me than you probably should. You know I'm in the process of getting a divorce. You know that I'm now dating a smart, kind, and beautiful young woman. But what you don't know is the truth about her past." I paused as what felt like a thousand flashes went off.
"I asked you here today so that I could be the one to tell you, and to also ask that you continue to respect my team and my own family's privacy during this time. This will be my final season with the NFL. I was going to wait and announce that later, but it's an important piece of why I'm here today. As you all know, football is my life. I've been looking forward to this season my entire career. I intend to play every game to my fullest, and I intend to win as many games as I can for this team. Because I love this team. This team is my family."
