by Rion, Paige
“Better get moving. You definitely don’t want him to catch you out there,” the woman from inside calls.
Callie doesn’t need a second warning. With as much grace as she can manage, she sprints the rest of the way to her car.
* * *
She calls Jinny but can’t get her at the apartment. Drumming her fingers on the steering wheel, she tries to busy her mind as she drives. A headache blooms above her brow line, a product of her mood’s quick shift from horror and embarrassment at Rick’s outburst, to exhilarated after fleeing the restaurant, now to despair. Thus far, her first two dates have been a bust, which makes her question whether her escort scheme will even work. Maybe it’s just a rabbit hole? And maybe meeting her deadline for GGF is a lost cause?
You’re getting paid for these dates. Does it really matter that they’re horrible?
Try excruciating. How long can I do this?
As long as you’re getting paid big bucks!
She sighs, trying to suppress the internal argument. What she needs is something to lift her spirits, brighten her day. Then everything will be okay. She won’t feel so awful and she can move on with her next scheduled date—no problem.
She stops at a red light and glances around her. Everything is dreary and gray with the end-of-January freeze. Even the shops look dark and dismal. And as she takes in the city streets, she finds herself, like she does every January, wishing for the thaw of spring.
Her wandering eyes freeze on a display for a store she’s never noticed before. She cranes her neck to get a better view ahead. The bright-red and black sign is like a well in the middle of the Sahara. It reads, “Cherry Bottom’s Boutique.”
Oooh. Is that new? It looks cute.
The light turns green and she finds herself driving straight, toward the shop, when she should be making a left turn instead. Pulling into one of the storefront parking spaces, she gleefully takes in the balloons and the small sign next to the door that boasts, “Grand Opening Sale.”
She gasps and her eyes roam the display window, already zooming in on something she likes. The short-sleeved sweater on the mannequin is the perfect thing for in between seasons.
And is that cashmere?
Before Callie can stop herself, she’s slamming her car door and entering the small store with the excitement of a child. Wide, crazed shopper eyes take in her surroundings—the clothes, handbags, scarves, even handmade soaps and lotions—and she feels her sour mood dissipate.
Yes, I can do this whole dating thing.
She feels the weight of the cash from Rick in her purse punctuate her thoughts, and before she can reel herself in, her gaze lands on a rack of sweaters like the one she saw in the storefront window.
They have pink! Yes, I can keep up with this escort business. No problem…
CHAPTER FOUR
DEAN
The morning rush at Buzz subsides, giving Dean a chance to rest his feet. He picks a corner table and sits down with his iced coffee. Thanks to Jinny blowing off work this morning—for what, he has no idea, except that it’s probably not a good enough reason—he’s been stuck with chatty Sara, the gangly sixteen-year-old who has a crush on him the size of Texas.
He glances over to the counter she’s supposed to be cleaning. Instead, she’s leaning her elbows on it, staring at him with a dreamy expression.
Shit.
He gives her a tight-lipped smile, then angles his body farther away from her. What he really wants to be doing this morning is beating the shit out of himself at the gym. A little self-abuse is the only thing that will help him get his mind back from the never-ending-depths that are Callie. But thanks to his sister, he’s working instead.
I’m going to make her pay for this.
The door jingles, an interruption to his tortured thoughts, and in walks Emmett. He smiles at Dean, then does a double take and frowns when his gaze lands on Sara. He picks up his pace and comes to a stop in front of him.
“Have a seat, brother,” Dean says, shoving a chair out from the table with his foot.
Emmett hooks his thumb toward the counter. “Where’s Jinny? I thought she worked today.”
“Yeah. So did I.”
Sighing, Emmett takes a seat. “I guess I can settle for you.”
Dean flutters his lashes and raises his voice an octave. “Why, thank you, darlin’. Am I every bit as perty?”
“You do have her smile.” Emmett grins, then straightens his face and reaches a hand out to touch Dean’s hair. “And your hair. It’s so soft.” He leans forward and sniffs. “And that smell… Is it Polo mixed with BO? It’s quite lovely. The perfect combo.”
Dean shakes his head. “Dude, you’re so gay.”
“Never mind. I don’t like your attitude. And I’m a sucker for brown eyes. The blue just don’t do it for me.” Emmett snickers and leans back in his chair. “So, what’s up, Romeo? Haven’t seen you since Hemingway’s the other night, and you were pretty tight-lipped about this girl you’re infatuated with. Any news there?”
“No. Nothing.”
“Dude, come on. You’re seriously not gonna tell me who she is or what’s going on? I’ve been your friend forever.”
“Uh, it’s been six years of your questionable friendship, and no, I’m not gonna tell you.” Dean takes a sip of his iced coffee and folds his hands over his stomach. Ever since his one-on-one match with Jason last week, Emmett’s been badgering him about his “lady woes.” But telling Emmett would be a mistake. After all, he’s trying to get her out of his head, and if he talks about her with Emmett, it’d be like fanning the flames.
“You’re such a dick,” Emmett says, then purses his lips. Dean can practically see the wheels spinning as he zones off. “If you’re not talking about her, then this thing for her must be pretty serious. I haven’t seen you this hung up on someone since…” Emmett trails off before his eyes light up. “Naw. Please tell me it isn’t…”
Dean slinks down farther in his seat and takes another sip of his drink, his cheeks heating.
Okay, so maybe the fact that Emmett would rag on me is another reason I haven’t told him.
“Naw, naw, naw, man! Seriously? Not to sound like a chick, but, like, seriously? You’re still all strung up on Callie, aren’t you? What’s it been, like a bazillion years she hasn’t noticed you now?”
Dean shoots forward in his seat. “Shut up,” he hisses, then glances around as if someone might have heard him in the empty café.
“So, what’s it this time? Did she find the love of her life now and your big, giant heart got broken again?”
Dean glares at him a moment. “Knock it off.”
Emmett sighs and leans forward, shaking his head. “Sorry, man. I just hate seeing you stuck on something that’s never gonna happen. I feel for ya, bro. I do, but Callie Cartwright? She thinks of you as the younger brother she never had. Hell, she even lived with your family for a year after her parents died. She’s your sister’s best friend. Those things never work, and you know it.”
Dean clenches his jaw. Emmett has a point. In fact what he said is dead-on. He knows it, and that’s only another one of the many reasons Dean hates talking about it so much. The situation is hopeless. But in these last weeks, he’s felt a change. Not in Callie. But in himself. It’s something he can’t put his finger on, but he has this growing, unstoppable feeling that this is his time. Suddenly, after all these years, he feels the winds changing, and he doesn’t know why, but he knows more than ever that he needs to finally make a move. If only he could figure out how…
Dean pinches the bridge of his nose. “I know you don’t understand it, but with her—”
“No. I get it. I, mean, Callie’s smokin’ hot. From what I’ve seen of her, she’s a sweetheart, too. And she has that snobby look about her, with all that fancy shit she wears, yet she’s the complete opposite of that. A killer combo. So, it’s cool. I understand why you dig her. I just think it’s time you let it go. Move on. You’ve put her on a pe
destal for far too long. She’s like this unreachable thing you’ve just got to have. Do you have any idea how many girls you could get? I mean…right now.”
Emmett stabs a finger at the table. “Right this second, there are probably twenty chicks I could name that you could call up and say you needed a little ‘stress-release’”—he makes air quotes with his fingers—“and they’d be here in minutes. You’re one of the best ballplayers we’ve got. You’re all tall and built and shit. And sensitive. Chicks eat that crap up. They don’t dig short, stocky, curly-haired bastards like me. You’re lucky as all hell. The gene pool did you good, my brother.”
“Dude, again, you’re so gay.” Dean says, but he’s not laughing. He’s too caught up in everything Emmett’s saying and the thought of finally letting go of his dream of being with Callie.
I just can’t do it.
He shoves his hands into his hair and says, “Don’t you think I’ve tried to get lost in other girls? You don’t think I want to move on? I’ve gone out with plenty of chicks, but none of them are Callie.”
Emmett groans and rolls his head on his shoulders.
Dean sighs. “I’ve tried to forget her, but no matter what, she’s always there. She’s in the back of my head constantly. I’ve even tried avoiding my sister so I don’t have to see her all the time. But she’s like a drug, and I just can’t stay away. It’s a fucking sickness. Callie Cartwright’s like…like my heroin,” he says, fisting his hands in his hair again. His stomach cramps as he pictures her smiling face. “I feel sick.”
“Wow. That’s deep, dude. And some sick shit, too.” Emmett smacks him on the back. “I knew it was bad but…you’re like a masochist or something. It’s like you want to torture yourself.”
“I know.” Dean thinks of Callie’s date last night, and even though the guy was a loser and most of these guys would be, the thought of her going out with another turned his stomach. And suddenly he has to tell someone what’s going on.
The words stream out of his mouth before he can stop them. “She’s doing this…thing right now, and it’s driving me crazy. You know how she’s interning at the huge finance place, right?”
Emmett nods, and his eyes narrow as he listens.
“Well, apparently all that expensive crap she buys and wears has put her in the hole pretty good. She might lose the position that she thought for sure was hers after graduation. And so she’s desperate. She kind of…” He pauses, playing with the straw in his cup. “…started an escort service.”
Emmett’s eyes widen. “Whoa.” He lowers his voice. “Like prostitution?”
Dean screws up his face and flicks him in the forehead.
“Ow!” Emmett’s head snaps back and he rubs the strawberry mark blooming on his head.
“No. Douche,” Dean says.
“Jeez. Okay, asshole. No need to get violent.”
“An escort basically goes on a date for money. So, in short, a bunch of rich, lonely, lame idiots—”
“I get the picture,” Emmett says, rolling his eyes.
“These guys pay her to go out with them. That’s it. They’re only paying for her companionship. And not that kind of companionship,” he says, warning flashing in his eyes.
“Huh. A young, hot thing like Callie? That sounds…I don’t know…unsafe or something.”
“Exactly! Thank you.” The pent-up air whooshes from Dean’s lungs in relief. “I tried to tell her and Jinny that, but they’re so blinded by the fact that this is easy money that they don’t see the risks.”
“That’s because they’re not dudes,” Emmett points out.
“Exactly. They’re thinking like chicks.”
“Yeah, they don’t realize that when a guy’s with a hot girl, ninety-nine percent of what goes on in his brain is sex. Hell, even with a non-hot chick, it’s seventy-five percent of the time. We just imagine a better version of her in our heads.” Emmett grins as if he’s imaging something at that exact moment.
Dean’s smile disappears. “Yeah, and that’s why you’re never dating my sister.”
“Hey, losers.” The voice, like nails on a chalkboard, makes Dean shudder.
Angling his head, he sneers at Jason. How the hell did he come up on them without him noticing? “The last time I checked, you were the one that lost our little match the other day.” The muscles in Dean’s back tense as he speaks.
“Maybe. But I’ll win the next one. And this time, the stakes will be higher. Much higher.” Jason smirks.
Dean narrows his eyes. Something about Jason’s tone tells him there’s a hidden meaning he isn’t getting.
“How long have you been here? I didn’t hear you come in.” Dean assesses him. He’s got his normal cocky stance, chin held high, and he’s holding two to-go cups, indicating he’s been there a couple minutes, rather than seconds.
“Long enough. But it’s time for me to jet.” He backs away from their table. “I’ll see you two ladies later.”
“Later,” Emmett says, as Jason opens the door. Then he turns to Dean. “What a tool.”
Dean nods, but his gaze is still on Jason, who’s making his way across the street onto campus. “Do you think he heard us?”
“What? Talking about Callie?” Emmett follows the direction of Dean’s gaze. “Nah. I doubt it. He would’ve had to stand there listening. He’s a jerk, but he’s a narcissistic jerk who only cares about himself. I don’t think he’d give two shits about your personal business.”
“Yeah. You’re probably right,” Dean says, but he’s not so sure. If there’s one thing he knows about Jason, it’s that he doesn’t like to lose. And somehow, Dean senses he has something up his sleeve.
“So, the important thing is what you’re gonna do about this fatal attraction of yours. Cuz it’s killin’ ya, man.”
Dean turns back to Emmett, feeling the weight of his unrequited feelings for Callie pressing down on him, smothering him. He’s not sure he can take another day of her not noticing him. But how to change it?
He runs a hand over his tired face and says, “I know. Trust me, I know.”
CHAPTER FIVE
CALLIE
Callie’s doing a victory dance around the living room when Dean walks in and raises a brow at her. Twirling one last time, she flops onto the couch next to Jinny. Todd is on Jinny’s other side, both arms wrapped around her.
“Thank God I got out of my original date tonight. This is going to be the best one ever. I can’t wait.”
“You’re a lucky bitch. He’s totally hot, our age, and paying you a bucketload.”
“I see you’re real sick,” Dean interrupts as he comes around the couch and eyes Jinny.
“I had lady troubles this morning, if you must know. Cramps. Something you wouldn’t understand. So there.”
Todd’s eyes widen in alarm. “I can vouch. I’d watch your step. She’s a total bear today.”
Callie laughs when Jinny rewards him with an elbow to the ribs. Glancing up at Dean, she takes in his scowl as he rolls his lucky ball from arm to arm. She wonders whether he even realizes what he’s doing or if the gesture is an automatic one. That basketball is like one of his limbs.
He has his moody face on—the one where his mouth is turned into a crooked frown and his eyes are all squinty. But when he stops rolling the ball and turns his gaze to Callie, his eyes soften. “So, what’s up?”
Callie shrugs. She’s not sure whether to discuss her date tonight. Dean seems to completely wig out about the whole escort thing. “Nothing much,” she says.
“What’s all the excitement about?”
She purses her lips, debating whether to talk about it, then figures, why not? She’s going to be doing this for five months. Dean needs to get used to it at some point. No reason to avoid the subject when he’s always around.
“Not a whole lot. I just had a super boring date with some thirty-year-old tonight, but I canceled it.”
Just those words cause Dean’s whole face to relax. Tucking the bal
l under his arm, he smiles for the first time since entering their apartment. “Oh. Well, that’s good. Right? I’m glad you finally wised up. What made you decide to stop your crazy plan?”
Oops. “Oh, no. I didn’t stop. I’m still doing the whole escort thing. I just canceled tonight’s date because I got a better offer. One I couldn’t refuse. I rescheduled the boring guy.”
Dean’s eyes narrow. “What offer?”
Jinny shifts on the couch, turning her gaze on Dean. “This total hottie called her up and asked her to dinner. He’s taking her to a play downtown first, so he booked her for five hours. And he’s paying her double.”
“What?” Dean’s gaze shoots back to Callie. “And you’re taking him up on it?”
Has he gone completely insane?
“Duh? I’m going to make five hundred dollars.”
Dean swipes a hand over his face. “Do you guys have any beer?” He turns without waiting for her answer and stalks to the fridge.
Callie watches as he wrenches the door open and grabs a Rolling Rock. In one swift move, he pops it open and tips it back, looking a little pale. Turning to Jinny, Callie raises a brow. “What’s wrong with him?” she whispers, hooking a thumb toward Dean.
Jinny stares at him. “No idea,” she says, but the look on her face tells Callie she’s deep in thought about his reasons.
Callie shakes her head and stands. “Well, I’m going to go ravage my closet for the perfect outfit. I’m thinking a simple black dress with my knee-high black boots, since it’s freezing. Classic, yet sexy.” She turns to leave, but Dean’s blocking her path to her room.
“So you think there’s nothing unusual about a—according to you two—good-looking guy, our age, who’s going to pay you double for a date? Nothing about that strikes you as strange at all?”
The muscles in his jaw twitch as he stares at her. But Callie’s not to be deterred. She’s actually excited for this date, unlike the others. Even prior to her escort scheme, she hadn’t been on a good date in months. The well of interesting, attractive men had dried up, and now that she has this opportunity, she isn’t going to let Dean’s skepticism ruin it for her. “No. If you must know, he said he’s paying me because he’s had a crush on me for a while and just never had the guts to ask me out. He happens to come from money, so he has it to spend, and he said that this was the only thing that gave him the courage to ask me out. He said, this way there’s less pressure. That, and he couldn’t bear the thought of me dating other men. And so when I told him I already had a date tonight, he offered me double.”
