The Hooker
Page 3
Could she have been lost? If she was, why she didn’t just tell me instead of…
Instead letting me think she was a whore and… the images of that night fill my head. Her breasts spilling out of her bra when she took it off, the thick cloud of gold and red hair, how wet and tight she’s been around my cock, her response to my touch, her soft moans… as annoyed as I am by all the unexplained questions, my body reacts to the memories. My fingertips clench, aching to touch her again, to relive the images in my head. I want to know who she is, I want to know why she was at my apartment, and yes, I want to fuck her again.
As Joe navigates through the crowded streets, I wrestle with my impatience to get back to the hotel and find out what really happened on Friday night. I’ve already called the Jed Fray, head of security, to review the security footage from the elevators. I resist the urge to call him again. I know he’ll let me know as soon as he has something.
Almost as if I’ve communicated my thoughts to Jed, my phone begins to vibrate. I glance and the screen, then answer it.
“Yes,”
“We reviewed the footage,” he says without preamble. “The subject came into the lobby at a few minutes past eight and attended a birthday party for a photographer called Chadwick Black at the Oyster Restaurant.”
“and?”
“There seems to have been a heated discussion between the subject and another man outside the restaurant. After that she took the elevator to the ground floor.” He pauses. “Instead of exiting when the elevator opened, she seems to have entered the button for the penthouse. We have the footage of her leaving your apartment early in the morning, but she went straight outside and took a taxi.”
“The man outside the restaurant, do you know who he is?”
“We’re working on it.”
“Find out everything you can, I want to know who she is. Check the guest list for the party, then do a social media check.”
“Already on it.”
“Let me know when you have something.”
Later, when I’m in my study reviewing the videos the security department sent to me, I watch her argue outside the restaurant with a dark haired man.When she walks away from him, she enters the elevator, where the footage shows her wiping tears from her eyes. She didn't even look at the panel when she pressed the button for the penthouse, and At my floor, she seems genuinely confused, as she vainly taps the buttons on the elevator panel, perhaps trying to make it go back to the ground floor.
My desk phone rings. It’s Jed.
“I’m coming up.” He informs me.
“Fine.”
He lets himself into the apartment and comes to meet me in the study, knocking discreetly before opening the door.
“So?” I ask him.
“We’ve been checking the names on the guest list and hoping to find her from there. Then we identified the man she argued with outside the restaurant. He’s Jack Weyland, a senior editor at Gilt Traveler magazine.”
He looks at me, then continues.
“He’s listed on the site as a contributor, along with a headshot.” He hands me a printout, “further along the page we have another headshot, which seems to be the subject.”
I find it almost immediately. The gleaming hair stands out, as well as the sweet half smile on her face. I read the name beside the headshot. Rachel Foster. Features Associate.
I tear my eyes away from her face. “Anything else?”
Jed nods and hands me and envelope. “That’s all we found on her.”
I study the envelope for a moment before I reach for it. “Thank you,” I say, dismissing him. As he leaves, I have a short moment of sanity when I ask myself why I’m bothering. So what if I slept with some girl whose last name I never bothered to ask. Why can’t I let it go and forget about her?
I pull out the contents of the envelope and I have my answer. The first sheet is a picture of her, in color, wearing a t-shirt with her hair in a ponytail. Her arm is around someone but that part of the picture has been cropped out. She’s laughing.
I stare at the sheet for a long time before I go to the next one, where all her information has been neatly typed.
Rachel Foster, twenty four years old, Columbia graduate with a degree in English Literature, features associate at Gilt Traveler.
Jed has even included her home and work addresses, family information, and printouts of articles she has written for Gilt. I stare at the contents of the envelope, confusion giving way to anger.
Rachel Foster is going to have a lot of explaining to do.
The next book in this series, ADDICTED TO YOU, is out now. Find out more at www.serenagrey.com/addicted-to-you
Regardless of whether you’ve read THE HOOKER, to get the most out of these books, DRAWN TO YOU must be read before ADDICTED TO YOU.
Please rate and review this book on Goodreads and as many other sites as you wish. Spread the word about this series and I’ll love you forever. Seriously.
Stay informed by connecting with me at the sites below.
Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Website
You can be the first to find out about New Releases, Deals, Price Drops and Giveaways by signing up for my New Release Alert at www.serenagrey.com/alerts
A Dangerous Man Series
Awakening: A Dangerous Man #1
Rebellion: A Dangerous Man #2
Claim: A Dangerous Man #3
Surrender: A Dangerous Man #4
Undeniable
Swanson Court Series
Drawn to You: Swanson Court Series #1
Find at www.serenagrey.com/books