by Tina Folsom
“There is. Why did you run out on me yesterday?”
Sabrina exhaled sharply. “Why? I don’t come between couples. I might be an escort, but I have my standards.”
“I’m not with Audrey anymore.”
“Well, maybe not at this moment, but you are with her, she made that pretty clear.”
“Holly, Audrey and I broke up before I left New York. She just couldn’t face the truth. Please let me explain. Please. Meet me tonight, and I’ll explain everything to you, and if you then still want me to cancel then, I will.”
“I’m not that stupid. As soon as I’m in your room, you’ll just haul me off to bed, and there won’t be any talking. No thanks.”
“Meet me at a coffee shop. Please. I promise, if after our meeting you want me to cancel, I will.”
Sabrina was torn. She knew nothing good could come from meeting him, but she could also sense the determination in his voice. He wouldn’t agree to a cancellation if he didn’t get a chance to give his side of the events.
“Okay.”
She gave him directions to a coffee shop in her neighborhood and hung up. She should be whipped for agreeing to see him.
Sabrina had chosen the coffee shop around the corner because it was always busy. There’d be no chance he could pull a fast one on her there. And it certainly wasn’t an intimate place. There was no place to hide, no dark corners or niches where he could ply her with his charm.
She would arrive early to stake out the least private area in the coffee shop. She wasn’t going to make this pleasant for him. If he thought he could use his sexy body to change her mind, he’d have another thought coming.
Unfortunately, it turned out that his sexy body came with an extremely sharp mind that had already anticipated her move. As soon as she arrived at the coffee shop, ten minutes early, she saw him. Daniel had managed to snap up the only couch in the place. How he’d done it, she had no idea, since the couch was permanently occupied by somebody or other.
He stood up and waved at her. Grudgingly, she walked toward him.
“I see you’re early too.” He smiled knowingly and pointed to the spot on the two-seater couch next to him. As they sat, she was too aware of his body and his male scent permeating the air.
“Thanks for coming.” He gave her a sincere look. “I’m sorry for what happened last night.”
“Which part?” she shot back.
“Only the part when Audrey showed up. Everything else was perfect.”
“Oh, I bet!”
“Would you please let me explain? Audrey and I were dating for a few months, but things weren’t really going anywhere. I wasn’t exactly the most attentive boyfriend or the most romantic. I guess she felt lonely, and then this week I found her in bed with my attorney. So I broke up with her.”
“Does she know you broke up with her? It didn’t look to me like she did,” Sabrina interjected caustically.
“She knows. She just didn’t want to face the truth. She figured she could get me back if she pouted long enough.”
“So, did she pout long enough?” Sabrina didn’t dare look at him as she asked her question. From the corner of her eye, she saw how he shook his head slowly.
“No amount of pouting will make me get back with her.” Quite unexpectedly, Daniel took her hand. “You’re not getting in between a couple. I’m single, I’m not in a relationship, and I’m free to do what I want.” He forced her to turn toward him.
“Why me? Can’t you just book somebody else? The agency has lots of nice women you can choose from.”
He inched closer to her as Sabrina sank back into her corner of the couch. She tried to pull her hand away, but he didn’t release her. “I feel comfortable with you. I’d like to spend more time with you.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea. Misty doesn’t like us to get too comfortable with our clients,” Sabrina lied.
“Misty didn’t seem to have a problem with it when I negotiated the deal with her this afternoon.” Daniel pulled her hand to his mouth and kissed it tenderly.
His kiss spread a wave of heat throughout her body. “I can’t do it. Sorry. Choose somebody else. There are plenty of women who’d jump at the chance to have sex with you. But I’m not one of them.”
“You’re not interested in having sex with me anymore?” His eyes narrowed.
“No, I’m not.” She couldn’t remember ever having had a bigger lie come over her lips.
He gave her a long look. “Fine.”
Good, she’d finally convinced him that she wanted nothing to do with him. Now all he needed to do was to cancel the booking, and she and Holly would be home free and out of trouble.
Sabrina shifted on the couch to get up, but his arm pulled her back down before she’d even had a chance to lift herself up.
“I said fine, no sex. But I didn’t say you’ll get out of the booking.”
She glared at him, shocked. If he didn’t want sex, why hire an escort? What was wrong with this man? “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. You’ll call the shots when it comes to sex. If you don’t want to sleep with me, I won’t force you. But you’ll come to the wine country with me this weekend. I’ve reserved us a little bed and breakfast for tomorrow night. And you’ll share my bed. And I’m allowed to kiss you.”
She was so screwed. How was she supposed to not want to have sex with him when he insisted on them sharing a bed?
“You’re crazy.”
“Be that as it may, that’s my compromise, you spend the weekend with me, as well as the evenings and nights when we’re back in town, and you’ll sleep in my bed. I’ll make no attempt to have sex with you unless you want me to.”
Daniel seemed serious about the proposal. But she didn’t understand him. “Why would you book an escort knowing she doesn’t want to have sex with you? That’s the most hare-brained idea I’ve ever heard.”
He shrugged. “I like your company, with or without sex.” He moved his head closer to hers, looking suggestively at her lips. “Maybe you should say yes right now, before I have to use other means of persuasion, which might not be appropriate for a neighborhood coffee shop.”
Sabrina shot him a shocked look. “You wouldn’t!” Would he really embarrass them both and make out with her right in the middle of the coffee shop where everybody could see them? He couldn’t possible have in mind to touch her the way he’d touched her before when they were alone.
Looking at the wicked glint in his eyes, she realized he had no scruples. And knowing that he was from out of town, he probably didn’t even care if he embarrassed them. He didn’t have to come back here day after day to get his coffee. She did.
“Baby, you have no idea what I’m capable of.”
His lips brushed lightly against hers in a barely-there kiss.
Sabrina gasped instantly. “Okay. But you have to keep your side of the bargain. No sex.”
“As long as you keep to yours. You share my bed, and you’ll let me kiss you.”
Seconds ticked by until she finally nodded in agreement and Daniel pulled back and smiled. “I’m glad we finally agree. Even though, this could have been fun.”
She cringed when she saw his wicked smile before he broke out in hearty laughter.
“Come, I’ll walk you home so I know where to pick you up tomorrow morning.”
“No, that’s not necessary.” It was better if he didn’t know where she lived. “And besides, it’s against company policy.”
“Ms. Snyder authorized it since I’m taking you out of town tomorrow.”
He took her arm and led her out of the shop.
As they arrived at her building, he took her hand into his again. “Bring some casual clothes, we’ll be touring the vineyards in Sonoma. And a swimsuit. There’s a pool at the place we’re staying. I’ll pick you up at 9am.”
He kissed the palm of her hand then let it go.
“Daniel,” she started.
He locked eyes with her. “What?”
She
shook her head slowly. No, she couldn’t tell him the truth. “Nothing. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Good night.”
When she reached the flat and opened the door, Holly was waiting for her.
“And? Is he going to cancel?” she got down to the most important question immediately.
Sabrina shook her head. “No, he’s picking me up tomorrow morning to go to the wine country for the weekend.”
“Are you okay with that?” Holly asked softly.
“I think you should stock up on ice cream, because when he leaves and goes back to his normal life in New York, I’m going to need comfort food. A lot of comfort food. Holly, I’m so screwed.”
Her friend instantly wrapped her arms around her and took her into a tight bear hug. “Is he that bad?”
Sabrina sobbed uncontrollably into her friend’s shoulder. “No. He’s that good,” she wailed.
Holly gently stroked her hair. “Oh, sweetie, just try to enjoy the time you have with him, and maybe it’ll all turn out all right.”
***
Daniel had debated whether to spend the evening with Sabrina, but he didn’t want to push her. He needed to tread carefully from now on. He had to make her trust him, and this would be a slow process.
Instantly dragging her back into bed with him wouldn’t work, as much as he wanted to do just that. That’s why he’d suggested to her that she would be the one to initiate sex. Maybe it would give her the safety net she needed. And he was willing to keep up his end of the bargain, as hard as it was for him.
He had to work on a slow seduction without her even noticing what he was doing. Holly was right, Sabrina could be easily scared away if she found out too early that her whole charade had already been discovered. She felt safe now, pretending to be somebody else, but how would she react when she knew her cover was blown? The only way to make her safe after that was to replace her cover with trust.
Daniel sat across from Tim during dinner at a small neighborhood restaurant.
“Let me get this straight. You want to romance an escort?” Tim grinned from one ear to the other.
“As I’ve already told you, she’s not a real escort,” he pointedly corrected his friend.
“Semantics. Nevertheless, she slept with you for money.” Tim was clearly having fun needling him and would continue as long as he could get away with it.
“She didn’t take the money, her friend did.”
“So she slept with you because …? Help me out here, Danny.”
He frowned. “What? You think I can’t attract a woman without shelling out money? Maybe she found me attractive. Is that so far fetched?” Tim was pushing all his buttons, and he knew it.
“Calm down. I’m just messing with you. Of course she found you attractive. Hell, I find you attractive.” Tim’s voice was a little too loud for the small restaurant, and several heads turned into their direction.
Daniel rolled his eyes, and Tim just chuckled. “Relax. This is San Francisco. Nobody cares.”
“Easy for you to say, you’re a Californian. I’m from New York, remember?”
“How could I forget? Maybe you should move out here. Life’s much more relaxed. I bet even you wouldn’t be that uptight here.”
“I’m not uptight,” Daniel barked indignantly. Maybe just a little uptight.
“Of course, you are. But I think the San Francisco air is having a good effect on you already. Barely in town for a few days, and here you are, dating an escort. Now if that’s not liberating, I don’t know what.” Tim sipped from his wine.
“Would you stop calling her an escort. Her name is Sabrina.”
“How are you going to introduce her to Mamma and Dad?” Tim liked referring to Daniel’s parents as if they were his own.
Daniel’s mouth dropped open.
“Don’t look at me like you haven’t thought this through. I know you too well.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Daniel gave him a frustrated stare.
“When did you last take a couple of days off to go out of town on a vacation?”
Daniel opened his mouth, but Tim stopped him.
“Don’t answer that, ‘cause I know the answer. You can’t remember when. Funny. During the entire time you dated Audrey you didn’t spend one lazy weekend with her anywhere. Yet suddenly, you’re taking a weekend off to take the hot little Sabrina up into the wine country without a business meeting in sight. So why would that be? Go ahead, you can answer that.”
Daniel shook his head. “I’d rather hear your theory.”
“Very well. ‘Cause the high and mighty I-don’t-want-any-messy-relationships Daniel has finally fallen for a real woman. No more plastic girlfriends like Audrey et al. Congratulations, my friend, I hope she feels the same way.”
Tim lifted his glass in toast to Daniel, who just sat there, shell-shocked. He’d known it deep down, but had been unwilling to accept it, because it seemed so impossible. The jealous rage he’d felt when he’d seen Hannigan and thought he’d been one of her clients had been a clear indication of his feelings for her, but he’d tried to ignore it.
He, Daniel Sinclair, didn’t fall in love with a woman in two days, especially not one he, at the time, had believed to be a prostitute. Yet, the fact that he’d treated her more like a date than an escort from the very beginning, had shown him that there’d been something special right from the start. Right from the moment when she’d stood at the door to his hotel room.
“Tim, I think I need help.” Daniel gave his friend a serious look. “I can’t afford to screw this up. And I’m already walking on thin ice with her.”
Tim rubbed his hands. “In that case, we’ll have to devise a little plan of action.” He looked at his watch. “We have about fourteen hours, plenty of time to put a few things together. Come on, eat up, we can’t dilly dally.”
8
When the door bell rang exactly at nine o’clock, Sabrina knew who it was. She took her small travel bag and cast a look back at Holly, who stood in the door to her bedroom wiping the sleep out of her eyes.
“Breathe.” Holly gave her an encouraging smile. “You can do this.”
Without another word, Sabrina left the flat to meet him downstairs. Daniel looked relaxed in his shorts and polo shirt as he leaned casually against the hood of a red convertible. A large grin spread over his face as soon as she approached him.
Sabrina felt his eyes taking her in from head to toe despite the fact that they were hidden behind his sunglasses. She’d opted for a pair of shorts and a tank top as well as flat sandals. The weather report had promised a scorching hot weekend even in San Francisco, which was unusual. Up in Sonoma County, where they were headed, it would be a good ten to fifteen degrees hotter.
He greeted her with a friendly kiss on the cheek. “You look great.”
After stowing her luggage in the trunk, he held the door of the car open for her and closed it after she’d taken her seat.
Minutes later, they were weaving through light traffic making their way to Golden Gate Bridge. It turned out to be a smart idea to leave early. Since it would be a fog-free day, San Franciscans would use the opportunity to soak up the sunshine at the various beaches around the Bay and the Ocean, and all roads leading out of town would be choking with traffic later.
Daniel made light conversation during the entire drive north, telling her about his family back East, his temperamental Italian mother, and his American father.
“No, I’m an only child, unfortunately. I always hoped for a little brother or sister, but it just didn’t happen. They sure were trying, constantly.” He gave her a sheepish sideways glance.
Sabrina laughed. “Are you saying you listened in on your parents having sex? That’s gross!”
“It was hard to avoid. My mother is a very vocal woman. When I couldn’t take it any longer, I finally got them to move my room to the other side of the house. Now that was a relief. As much as I love my parents, I didn’t need the mental pic
ture of them in bed together. It can really screw a kid over.”
“Have you inherited any of your mother’s traits?” As soon as she asked the question, Sabrina realized how its meaning could be completely misconstrued. And it was. Nothing escaped him.
“You tell me.”
Her cheeks burned, and she knew she blushed down to the roots of her hair. Of course he had to pick up on the sexual meaning, typical him.
“I mean her temperament and her physical appearance.” Sabrina tried to bring their conversation back on the straight and narrow.
“I’m not exactly a five foot two, curvy woman,” he started, grinning from one ear to the next, “but I did inherit her dark complexion, her eyes, and her hair. I got my physique from Dad. He’s quite an athlete. He’s a great tennis player, and he swims daily. Mamma tries to keep up with him as much as she can.”
Sabrina looked at him from the side and could instinctively imagine what he would look like thirty years older. Still the same flawless body but with some gray around his temples, a few more lines on his face, around his mouth and eyes, and still the same wicked smile.
“It’s nice to have parents, who are still together and love each other,” she mused.
“Yours aren’t? Still together, I mean?” Daniel asked somewhat surprised.
She shook her head. “They divorced when I was fourteen, but at least they both stayed in the same town. During the week, I lived with Mom and on the weekend with Dad.”
“Were you torn between them?”
“Sometimes. But frankly, I learned to play them.”
Daniel raised an eyebrow. “You mean manipulate them?” A smile curled around his lips.
“That sounds harsh. I just knew how to get the best of both worlds. Nothing wrong with that, especially since I was in the middle of it all.”
“So, how good are you at that manipulation game of yours?”
Sabrina laughed. “As a businessman you should know never to show all your cards. It’s like playing poker.”
“The only poker I’m interested in playing with you is strip poker,” he retorted quickly but kept his eyes on the road.
She had to hand it to him. No matter what subject they were talking about, he managed to bring it back to sex every time. He might have promised her to not force her to have sex with him, and she trusted him to keep his word, but it didn’t mean he was going to keep the subject off the table.
