by Kira Barker
I had absolutely no drive to dress up and reapply the layers of makeup I’d taken off when I came home, but considering where I was heading, I couldn’t just turn up in my yoga pants, hair in a messy bun. Well, technically I could, but I didn’t want to risk it. Darren might have seen me at my worst already, but that didn’t mean that he’d appreciate me waltzing into his office like that. Because that was exactly what I was going to do.
The sun was setting by the time I climbed out of the cab in front of the skyscraper that Moss, Moss, Hunter, and Teele had their offices in, occupying the upper two floors. I knew the lobby well enough but had avoided making it past the bank of elevators so far.
Being here on my own rather than on business felt strange, but it was that very same positive vibe I’d felt on our recent weekend trip. Even so close to my home turf, not everyone knew who I was or what I did. Not everyone associated the sleek dress and perfect hairdo with making a living fucking people. And I really, really liked that.
It was only when I got off the elevator that I found the first flaw in my plan. I’d never been up here, so I didn’t know where Darren’s office was. I also didn’t know what to tell the receptionist when she asked me—politely yet blandly—who I was here to see.
“Darren Hunter.”
She seemed to wait for more, and when I didn’t volunteer any further information, a light frown appeared on her face.
“You don’t have an appointment, Mrs.—“
I wondered if I should have acted offended because of the moniker, but instead just smiled back at her.
“If he’s with a client right now, I can wait here.”
There was a sprawling sitting area right next to her, after all. I’d never had the doubtful pleasure of dealing with a law firm firsthand without a previously set up appointment, but apparently they didn’t get many walk-ins.
“I’m afraid I can’t—“ the girl started, but cut off when a vision in a black-and-white checkered sheath dress swept in.
Alison gave me a look that reminded me a lot of the lion meeting the gazelle, and I wasn’t exactly cast as the carnivore.
“Penelope? What a surprise seeing you here,” she trilled as she came closer, extending her hand. I shook it without hesitation, hoping that my smile looked warm rather than fake.
“So good to see you again, Alison.” That at least should establish that I wasn’t a stranger to who was running this business. Not that the receptionist seemed to care much, or even looked taken aback at the boss herself interjecting.
“Are you here to meet Darren? I thought he was with a client still.”
“For another hour, and he told me expressively not to interrupt,” the girl behind the polished desk replied quickly.
“I was in the neighborhood,” I offered, trying to quell the hint of irritation rising inside. “I’m happy to wait, or return at a later, more convenient time.”
Alison made an offhand gesture.
“Don’t be silly. You are always welcome here. Come on over to my office.” To the receptionist she shot off a quick, “We’ll have coffee.” That she might have more important things to do—or I might prefer a different beverage—was not up for debate.
With a bland smile of my own, I followed Alison as she started walking down the hallway. We passed several doors until she stopped at the corner where she led me through the only open one. That it was her office was not a question; taking up what I presumed was easily half the space of my apartment, the corner room reeked of elegance and class, but also steel sheathed in velvet. Next to her degrees, there was only one impressionistic piece of art decorating the walls, with two statues rounding up the interior design side of the room. Comfortable chairs and a sofa beckoned to stay, but it was really the windows, spanning two entire sides of the room, that drew the eye. The city lay sprawling outside, befittingly kneeling before its queen. I wondered if she actually enjoyed all that pomp or whether it was just for show.
She led me over to the sofa after giving me enough time to drink in the sights, the receptionist hot on our heels, bringing espressos in tiny mugs, no cream or sugar provided. I didn’t mind, but it underlined the message Alison’s office was screaming at me—I might be welcome here, but only on her terms.
Thanking the girl, I took the proffered drink, then waited for Alison to take a sip before I did the same. Strong, perfect, but that was to be expected.
And then I waited for her to stop studying me like a cat looks at a most delicious mouse. Gazing back at her as relaxed as possible, it was easy to fall back to yet more feline analogies.
“What really brings you here today, Penelope? I laud your discretion with our staff, although it is entirely unnecessary. You are hardly the first companion of Darren’s who has made it here, although he’s usually better with the planning.”
Allowing myself a small smile, I put the coffee down on the table in front of me.
“Actually, this is really just a surprise visit. I found myself with some free time on my hands and figured, why not? I might as well swing by Darren’s office and see if he was done for the day.”
“Interesting,” Alison murmured, pursing her perfect red lips. “Does your madam approve of you not keeping to your hours, or however you set up your schedule?”
I shrugged. The thought of just how much Brigitte would disapprove made me actually feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
“With high-profile clients, I’m not counting the minutes. In that, I believe, our professions aren’t that different.”
Her snort was not exactly ladylike, but very Alison. The smile that followed looked a lot more candid than those she’d shown me before.
“Actually, I think our professions are very much the same in a lot of ways. Although you might enjoy it a lot more when you have to bend over and take it than I do.”
I looked at her, considering. Just how much had her husband told her? I doubted that she’d wanted to know the details, and in all his gloating, Ray hadn’t struck me as the kind of guy who wanted to be too open about what had gone down between us. In a way, like with so many other clients I likely was his dirty little secret, although Darren clearly, and Alison possibly, knew more about that than I was comfortable with. Or maybe that had just been a random observation, but I doubted it. If Darren’s behind-the-scenes coaching had proven anything to me, it was that coincidence wasn’t something he left room for, and considering Alison had been his mentor, it was not just a lucky guess where he’d learned that from.
“Sometimes,” I replied, inclining my head but still keeping my gaze locked with hers. “And sometimes we just hate to take it up the ass, no matter the circumstances.”
“So true,” she agreed, then dropped the point after a sip of espresso. “I’m still curious why you’d come here. Darren doesn’t usually make a habit of inviting his companions to work.”
“He doesn’t know I’m here, or was planning to come. I hope he won’t be too gruff with me.”
I wasn’t exactly afraid of him kicking me out, but the thought that my actions might incur his wrath had occurred to me. Then again, I could easily handle a bruised ego if he really didn’t want to see me tonight.
Alison raised one eyebrow, looking faintly amused.
“I doubt that will be the case. He seems to be very fond of you.”
I couldn’t remember that anyone had ever talked about me that way, but wondered if she was just being diplomatic.
“That’s always nice to hear,” I offered, uncertain how to respond.
“I’m sure it is,” she replied, a sarcastic lilt coming to her voice. “Which reminds me. It’s probably a good thing I ran into you here. If you don’t mind me asking you a few questions?”
It wasn’t that surprising that she chose to turn our conversation into an interrogation.
“Sure, ask away.”
“What exactly are your intentions regarding Darren?”
Alison’s tone might have been light, but the look she taxed me with wasn�
�t. Glancing away, I tried to find a diplomatic response, but in this moment she reminded me awfully of Brigitte—and like my madam, I doubted she’d take bullshit for an answer.
“I don’t really have any intentions,” I replied after a moment’s hesitation. “I just know that we get along well, and that’s all I’m caring about right now.”
She continued to study me, her face not betraying a single emotion.
“I’m asking because I generally don’t give a fuck about who and what Darren is sticking his dick into, but if things should get more serious, I see it as my personal responsibility to make sure that he doesn’t make decisions that will cost him in the long run.”
Her profanity made my lips quirk up, but I did my best not to let that blossom into a smile.
“Then shouldn’t you be having this conversation with him rather than me? You’ve known him for a much longer time than me, and even I know that it’s highly unlikely that he will respond positively to any ploy I might have. Those are not the games he’s into playing.”
Alison’s stare never wavered, but she cocked her head to the side, studying me more intently.
“That is between him and me. I’d still like to know what you seek to gain from acting like the lovestruck girlfriend all of a sudden? Because if it’s just money you’re after, I can write you a check right here and now that will more than compensate you for the amount you’ll likely lose in the meantime.”
“You mean you want to pay me off so I don’t screw with his head too much?”
The way she flashed her teeth at me was still predatorily, but now real glee seeped into her steely gaze.
“On the contrary. I want to pay you to fuck only him, for as long as he wants you. While he might not say so outright, I know that it bothers him that you keep seeing other clients, and if it’s in my power to put his mind at ease, I will. Just tell me a number, and we’ll call it a deal. I won’t even force you to sign a contract, although I likely should, but you do seem like a reasonable woman.”
To say I didn’t consider her offer would have been a lie, even though I felt mildly insulted by it. But the fact that she offered genuinely intrigued me.
“Why?”
“I trust your word,” she replied.
“Why the offer,” I clarified.
Alison shrugged, steepling her red-lacquered fingers.
“I like that you’re not outright refusing. That would have made me wonder about your business sense, and I wouldn’t like seeing Darren associate with anyone, even if it was just for sex, who’s too stupid for her own good. Let me see… how shall I phrase this? Maybe with another question. Has he offered you the same already?”
I didn’t know if I wanted to reply honestly to that question, so I used the excuse that, very likely, was more valid than my real feelings in the first place.
“I have very good reasons why I never go exclusive with one client only, and a steady stream of income is only one of them.”
“You’re afraid he will become too attached?” she speculated.
“With some,” I admitted. “I am already a luxury good that my clients purchase to indulge in, and for the time we spend together, I’m theirs. That’s part of the deal. But being completely at someone’s beck and call… I don’t know how to describe it. It makes me uncomfortable. So I will have to decline your offer, generous as it is.”
Alison nodded slowly, and I could almost see the wheels turning behind her eyes.
“Very well. Your answer is final?”
“It is,” I replied, feeling as if I’d just tightened the noose around my neck. What made me go on, I didn’t know, but I just couldn’t let her believe that I was such a flighty thing. “But the whole issue might not be up for debate much longer in the first place, so you may not need worry.”
“Is that so?” she questioned, real surprise ringing in her voice.
“Unlike yours, my profession comes with a time limit, and more often than not I feel like I’m rapidly approaching my expiration date.”
Whether it was the sentiment or the phrasing, I didn’t know, but my reply made her let out a brief laugh. Why I even told her was hard to pinpoint, but after my talk with Adam, I felt like there was no need to keep my thoughts completely under wraps.
“And what will you do after you quit? I don’t believe that a woman as calculating as you likely are, and as good at your job as you are, would take such a drastic step without an exit strategy.”
“Several, actually, but I haven’t decided yet. It’s good to have options.”
“Indeed,” she agreed, about to say something more, but in that moment we were interrupted by the door swinging open, admitting Ray.
My immediate response was to tense, but I forced myself not to move, let alone activate, a single muscle. His smile was provocative enough to turn that into a harder task than it should have been, but considering how Alison kept studying me, I knew that it was for the best to just act as if his presence didn’t affect me. And really, if I remained with Darren, I would have to learn to deal with Ray, because, like me, I didn’t see him going anywhere soon.
“What a pleasant surprise to see you here,” he practically cooed in my direction after bending down to press a quick kiss onto his wife’s temple. Offhanded as it was, the gesture was oddly intimate, making me feel terribly out of place. That this was likely deliberate didn’t help much.
“Penelope came over to surprise Darren,” Alison said with a playful pout toward her husband. “I don’t exactly know her hourly rates, but they are likely less than I pay you, and you never just up and surprise me.”
I had to leave it to Ray. The smile he replied with was a dazzling but real one.
“Then again, not everything that happens between us is always all business, or wouldn’t you say?”
That was definitely my clue to beat it, and I got up with as suave a motion as I could manage without actually hurrying. Both of them turned their heads in eerily synchronicity and looked at me.
“I’ll wait in the foyer,” I offered. “I’ve really kept you from work far too long.”
“Oh, don’t be stupid. You can wait in Darren’s office,” Alison replied, smiling brightly. “Ray can show you the way.”
Just like that, we were clearly both dismissed, and like the good little worker bees that neither of us were, we beat it. There was no sense in running from Ray; besides, I knew that he’d likely have gotten a kick out of it, so I didn’t even try. Instead, I regarded him levelly as he gave me a completely unnecessary once-over, then made a gesture farther down the hall around the corner.
“After you.”
I refrained from pointing out that I was already aware that he had a thing for my ass, and tried to walk with the least bit of hip action possible on high heels. Ray was all gallant gentleman, getting the door for me as we stepped into a similar, if somewhat smaller office than Alison’s.
Looking around, I’d kind of expected Darren’s office to resemble his home, but there wasn’t much of what I’d come to recognize as his personal style in here. Everything was kind of minimalistic and sleek, rather on the impersonal side. Expensive, no question, but there wasn’t a single knick-knack anywhere in sight. It could have been any office, if not for his name on the door.
“So you’re actually stupid enough to fall for him,” Ray murmured from somewhere way too close to me, but I did my best to ignore that.
Turning around to face him, my knee bumped along his, and of course he didn’t step back to stop intruding into my personal space. I regarded him evenly, then gave him my best sincere-looking artificial smile.
“Remember how much you paid me?”
His smile could have been a carbon copy of mine.
“And how could I forget? You were worth every single cent.”
“So nice of you to say that,” I simpered and let my smile grow. “And do you want to know exactly why that is the case? Your ongoing, undimmed satisfaction for paying me enough to buy a used sports
car for little more than one hour?”
“Please do enlighten me,” he replied and leaned closer, although I’d thought that impossible. I held his gaze, unperturbed.
“Because I gave you exactly what you wanted, because that’s what I deal in: complete customer satisfaction. You wanted me to be the slightly stuck-up bitch who thought it was beneath her to even deal with you and who hated every fucking minute of being put in her place. Well, guess what? What worked so well with you, works just as well with every other guy I bend over for.”
A sliver of doubt crossed his features, making me want to high-five myself, but chances were that he still knew that he was seeing right through me. But just being able to plant that seed of doubt—and maybe souring that perfect experience for him in hindsight—was worth it. Then his smile became just a little more sincere.
“Do you even still know who the real you is? Or is it all just different facets, different roles you slip in and out of, depending on what is required of you?”
“Does it matter?”
He hesitated, then shrugged. “Not really. But want a word of advice?”
“No.”
That didn’t hinder him to impart with it, though.
“Take what you can get, and then leave. Don’t get stupid, and don’t think you can play him. Because if you think I’m a disgusting piece of shit and he’s your savior, you need to get your head checked. I may be a lot of things, but at least I’m honest.”
With that, he turned around and left. I kept staring at the closing door until it had clicked shut, then got a grip on myself. It would have been so damn easy to just ignore Ray and move on, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that he at least thought he had a point with all the cryptic messages he left.
Sighing, I took another look around, and sat down on the sofa that was a darkish brown copy of the one in Alison’s office. Getting out my phone, I scrolled through my emails, but before long I heard voices outside and put it away.
Not ten seconds later, the door opened, admitting Darren and two other men into his office. Both were a little older than him and didn’t exactly look like the clients I had pictured him with. For one, they didn’t look like they could afford him, the gaudy gold watch on the older man’s wrist aside. “Mobsters” was what came to mind as I looked them over carefully, but I didn’t need to set up an appointment with my shrink to know that I was just projecting, based on Adam’s accusations. For all I knew, they could have been incognito or just suffering from horrendous taste.
