by Sloan Storm
He spoke without looking back in my direction.
“You realize, of course, now that I’ve gone out of my way to protect you, you’ll need to be my escort for the remainder of my trip. And when we get back to my hotel, you’ll be expected to begin your service by accompanying me to my room.”
My eyes widened as he finished his thought. Every square inch of my flesh tingled at the thought of his strong hands digging into my arms as he pinned me beneath him. Was he serious and if so, about what part of it? Silence followed his statement and left me to fill the void with interpretation of his intent rather than confirmation of it. At last, the pressure grew too heavy for me to bear. My lips parted in an attempt to form a sentence, speak a single word, hell, I’d settle for a grunt.
Which was, to my horror, exactly what I did.
God help me I grunted at the man.
I know it was a grunt because no sooner had I done it than his head moved on a slow swivel back towards me. His features formed an expression of amusement and surprise. Greyson’s eyebrows drew together in a mask of delight as his eyes fixed on mine.
“Come again?” he said with rising tone.
My entire being wanted to vanish, slip between the cracks of the car seats like forgotten pocket change. My heart stopped mid-beat as I searched for something, anything, to say in response. I tugged hard at his jacket once again, pulling it taut as a corset across my upper body.
Feigning a cough, I sputtered a lie.
“Sorry, my throat’s dry. I had a little cough there.”
Whether Greyson was content with my answer or not, he didn’t reveal it with a response and I was so mortified I looked away almost as soon as I spoke. There was a good reason I was such an awful poker player, after all. I had the sense that when it came to games of innuendo, he possessed far more skill than I. Just then, merciful providence intervened as the limo pulled into the hotel parking lot. As it did, I loosened my death grip on his jacket, slipped it off my shoulders and started to pass it back to him.
A curious look came across his face. “Don’t you want to wear that upstairs? To my room? As I recall, they keep the lobby a bit chilly.”
Clutching the smooth fabric of the jacket, I swallowed hard.
“You want me to come up to your room?”
Greyson leaned forward in the seat across from me and as he did, Armando opened the door for us to exit. He grabbed hold of his coat but didn’t attempt to pull it from my grasp. Instead, with a gentle pressure, he began to pull me towards him. Devoid of any thought to do otherwise, I found myself begin to move in his direction until at last, when I was not more than a foot from his face, he stopped.
“Yes, Maddie. I want you… to come up to my room,” he said in a low, direct tone. “Is that going to be a problem?”
As he talked, my skin tingled. My exposed flesh betrayed me as goosebumps erupted along the length of both of my arms.
“Um, Mr. Sin… I mean, Greyson.” I stammered. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.”
“Well how else are you going to get my schedule for tomorrow? It may be a weekend but I’ve got business to conduct. Once I’m done I’ll require an evening out.”
He paused and leaned in closer still. “You know, the evening I was supposed to have tonight but didn’t get.”
In an instant, my arousal turned to shame as I realized how terribly wrong things had gone since he’d arrived.
What the hell was happening to me? Focus, Maddie. Do the job you’ve been hired to do, damn it.
Immediately, I assumed the most professional posture I could muster.
“Yes, please forgive me. I know things haven’t gone well at all. Of course I’ll come up. Whatever you require of me to make things right, I’ll do. I promise.”
Greyson nodded. A dimple came to his cheek as he smiled. “Whatever I require?”
“Yes,” I replied without a thought.
With that, he gestured towards the open door of the limousine.
“I’ll have to keep that in mind,” he said with a smirk.
An hour and a half later, I’d finished brushing my teeth and spitting out the remnants of baking soda flavor when Katy’s interrogation about my ‘date’ began in earnest. Clad in her favorite pink pajamas, she leaned against the door frame, threatening me.
“Maddie, I swear if you don’t tell me everything that happened, I will make your life a living hell.”
I did a half-turn over my shoulder and raised an eyebrow at her in disbelief. “And if you made threats in clothing that didn’t have bunnies and dollies all over it, I might be worried.”
As I finished speaking, she crossed her arms at her chest and glared at me.
“Hah, hah, hah,” she said.
While she guffawed, I placed my electric toothbrush back in its charger, switched off the bathroom light and sidestepped my nosy roomie.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Katy warned as I passed by her.
As I walked away, I heard her footsteps hot behind me. She made quick little strides, marching down the hall after me like a tiny general.
Waving her off as I entered my bedroom I declared, “If I told you what happened you wouldn’t believe me, anyway.”
I spun around and plopped down on my bed. Before I’d even finished moving, I looked up to see Katy standing directly in front of me with her hands on her hips.
“Try me,” she said.
I inhaled a deep breath. When she acted this way, there was no stopping her from getting whatever she wanted. I’d get no rest if I didn’t do as she demanded. As I looked up at my bunny-clad best friend, I realized that without her, I wouldn’t have this job to begin with. If for no other reason than that, I owed her a recounting of the evening’s events.
“Fine,” I groaned. “I’ll tell you, but I’m warning you. There’s no happily ever after.”
About fifteen minutes later, Katy went from a standing position to sitting cross-legged at the knee to at last propping her chin in her hands with her elbows on her knees as I concluded. She hesitated for a moment before speaking and then stirred to life with a sudden flail of her arms.
“Wait, wait, so you’re telling me that Greyson Sinclair, billionaire playboy, beat up some random guy in line at the club because the guy called you a hooker and then after all that, he invited you back to his hotel room where nothing happened. That’s what you’re telling me?”
I nodded as she finished. “Yes.”
“You’re a goddamn liar, Maddie Olsen!” she exclaimed. “You really expect me to believe you resisted someone that hot who did something like he did for you?”
I shook my head as she finished. “I didn’t resist him, Katy.”
“What do you mean? You didn’t resist? You said you didn’t do anything with him.”
“Right. I didn’t.”
“Hang on, I’m confused,” Katy began, as she pointed her index finger at me. “You said you didn’t resist but you didn’t do anything with him. That doesn’t make any sense.”
Falling back into the mattress with a thud, I groaned, “Believe me it’s not like I didn’t want to… Don’t want to… It’s just that he…”
“What?” she said. “He what?”
“He didn’t do anything. After we got back to the hotel, he invited me up to his room. I went. Believe me it wasn’t like I resisted, but he never tried a damn thing. All he did was go over his schedule. That’s all. He’s not interested in me. That much is obvious.”
The chair Katy sat in squeaked as she leaned back in it and roared with laughter.
I closed my eyes and exhaled. “It’s not funny, Katy. It sucks!”
After a good ten seconds or so, Katy got up from her chair, walked over and grabbed my arm. Tugging on it, she pulled me into a seated position and then pointed to a mirror across the room that hung on the back of my bedroom door.
“Maddie, I’ve had to do this twice now! Have you looked at yourself in the mirror? What man, especially a man with the a
ppetite of Greyson Sinclair, wouldn’t be interested in…” she stopped mid-sentence and made a sweeping gesture directed towards my body and then continued, “well, this!”
As much as I appreciated what she tried to say, it was obvious my point didn’t come across as I’d hoped.
“I don’t know, he just wasn’t,” I said with a shrug.
Her brown hair bobbed to and fro as she shook her head in disagreement. “Well, you must have done something to turn him off, Maddie. Simple as that.”
I grabbed the edge of the bed, pushed myself up and walked past her towards my dresser. “Uh! Katy! That’s not a nice thing to say. And besides, it seems to me you’d be happy that nothing happened.”
As I finished speaking, I wrapped my hand around the brass fixture on my dresser drawer and pulled it open.
“Why would I be happy about that?” she asked. I had my back to her, but I could tell from her tone she grew more exasperated as she tried to understand.
Pulling out my favorite oversized t-shirt, I slipped it on over my head. As I walked back towards my bed, I said, “Well, you know, because I’m keeping it ‘professional’.”
Katy stepped aside and allowed me to slip in between the sheets. The cool texture of the fabric felt good against my skin, which, for some annoying reason, continued to tingle when I merely mentioned Greyson. I kicked my legs straight and pulled the sheet all the way up to my chin.
After watching my display, Katy shook her head and sat down on the bed next to me.
“Maddie,” she began. “Do you want to sleep with him?”
“Yes… no… I mean, I don’t know,” I said. I yanked my arms out from beneath the sheet and slammed them, palms down, on either side of my body. “This is a stupid conversation, Katy. What difference does it make what I want? He can have anyone he desires; why the hell would he want me anyway?”
Ignoring my self-pity for the moment, Katy looked down at me. “When do you see him again?”
I rolled my head on the pillow and looked up at her. “Tomorrow morning, at eleven. He’s got a meeting at the studio. Oh shit!”
Katy leaned away from me.
“What?”
“Oh, I forgot to get him a dinner escort for tomorrow night.” I groaned. I ‘neglected’ to tell her he wanted me to fill that role. I hoped I could find a suitable replacement and diffuse the situation altogether. Even so, I didn’t need Katy to know anything about it.
Katy stood from the bed as I spoke. “Well, so, just take care of it tomorrow before you pick him up for his meeting. You’ll have time.”
I smiled. At last a shred of good news.
“True.”
Katy wiggled her eyebrows at me before she turned to leave. “Worst case, you can be his date again.”
“Get out!” I yelled. “Right now!”
8
Tonight & Every Night (Grey)
Damn it was hard getting to sleep last night but after an early morning workout, I managed to get my mind focused on the task at hand. Slipping on my shoes, I cradled my phone between my ear and shoulder as I connected with the office of the studio president.
A chipper-voiced woman with a throaty tone answered.
“Yes, Mr. Samuels. This is Greyson Sinclair. He’s expecting my call.”
“Oh yes,” the woman replied. “One moment Mr. Sinclair, sir, I’ll get Mr. Samuels right away.”
As I waited, I took a bite of the last bit of bacon left over from my breakfast. I washed the salty, crunchy pork down with a final swallow of orange juice just as my call waiting beeped in my ear. Pulling the phone away, I glanced down to see Maddie’s number flashing on the display and then looked at the time.
Nine o’clock. Well, at least she’s on time this morning.
Ignoring her call for the time being, I instead returned my attention to the conversation I needed to have about today’s meeting at the film studio. Once that concluded a few minutes later, I finished getting dressed and while I did, someone knocked at the door to my hotel room.
“Yes?” I called out. “Who’s there?”
“Mr. Sinclair,” I heard a familiar female voice say from the other side of it. “It’s Maddie. I’m here to take you to your meeting. That is, if you’re ready.”
I checked my appearance and after giving my tie a final adjustment, I walked across the marble floor of the hotel room and opened the door. As I did, the draft caused by the door as it swung inward brought her scent straight to my attention.
As I looked at her, I permitted the aroma to settle in on me. By my estimation, it was a blend of rose water and jasmine. Fragrant and alluring, it was a damn fine way to start my day, I had to admit. Except for one minor detail, which I would not allow to go unpunished.
“Maddie,” I began. “How did I request you to address me last night? In the limousine? Do you remember?”
Her hand tightened on the strap of her purse as I spoke. She pulled a strand of her blond hair behind her ear as she cleared her throat. “Oh, I… I’m sorry, Mr. Sin… I mean, Greyson. It slipped my mind.”
Satisfied she’d gotten the message, I stepped to one side and gestured for her to enter. She nodded and crossed the threshold into my hotel room. As she passed by me, I grabbed hold of her arm, just above the elbow. Maddie’s eyes locked on mine. Those eyes of hers. In all my years I’d never seen anything quite like them and frankly, they captivated me.
Steeling my resolve, I instead returned my focus to the matter at hand.
“Don’t let it slip your mind again. After all, if I can’t trust you to get my name right, how can I trust you with anything?”
The flex in her arm softened in my grip as she stared into my eyes. Her mouth drifted open as she started to speak. “You can, I promise.”
“I can what?” I replied.
“Trust me. You can trust me.”
Without a word, I smiled, nodded and released her arm from my grasp. After, I turned my back to her and walked back across the room to get my belongings. Ten minutes later, we were in the back of the limo headed to the studio. Since my correction of her in my suite, Maddie hadn’t said much of anything.
Unlike our other rides together in the car, this time she sat to my right. Out of my peripheral vision, I noticed her sorting through a small stack of papers, which she kept in a manila folder.
“Everything in order for this evening?”
She held a pen between her lips as she leafed through the paperwork in her lap. After I’d finished with my question, she paused for a moment and glanced in my direction.
“Mmm, hmm,” she replied.
“Good.” I said, shifting my gaze out the car window. “I should be done with my meetings no later than eight o’clock tonight. Where are we having dinner?”
Just then, I sensed all motion from her cease. I allowed my head to drift back to the right just enough to see her fidget in my peripheral vision.
“Um…” she muttered. “We are having dinner?”
I turned my head back and looked at her. “Yes, that’s what I said. Why is that a surprise? With whom were you expecting me to have dinner?”
Maddie hesitated for a moment before she winced. “Well, I sort of already…”
I angled my upper body in her direction. “Already what?”
She folded her hands together and placed them on top of the stack of papers. “I already arranged for an escort for you tonight. Her name is Lynne.” She paused for moment and rifled through the pages before producing a photo.
Turning in my direction, she offered the picture to me. “Here, this is her. Isn’t she beautiful?”
Taking the picture from Maddie, I shook my head as I spun it around and got a good look. I glanced at it for an instant before I turned it sideways, tore it, then turned it sideways once more, tearing it again before I dropped it to the floor in eight pieces.
“Uh!” Maddie scoffed. “Why did you do that? Wasn’t she pretty enough for you? Isn’t that what you want?”
I gl
ared at her as she looked at me, dumbfounded.
What the hell was wrong with this woman? Didn’t she know how fucking stunning she was? Why would I want some bimbo from an escort service when I’ve got her?
“Greyson, I don’t understand what is going on,” she said as she leaned over to try and pick up the bits of the shredded photo from the floor of the limo.
Before she could grab them, I placed my size twelve shoe over most of them, blocking her.
“I’ve already told you what I want, Maddie. Don’t make me repeat myself any longer. You will be accompanying me, tonight and every night, for the rest of my trip here. Am I making myself absolutely clear on that point?”
After failing to retrieve the bits of Lynne’s image from beneath my feet, Maddie leaned back into the seat next to me and nodded her head. “Yes, I understand. I’m sorry. I just thought you didn’t really mean it when you told me that before.”
Satisfied she’d received my message, I interlaced my fingers in my lap. “I always mean exactly what I say, Maddie. Life is too short to mince words, especially in matters of business… and beauty.”
I noticed her head turn a fraction in my direction before she spoke. “Um, okay,” she replied. “I’ll make the necessary changes. Eight o’clock you said?”
As she finished speaking, we pulled onto the lot of the studio and the limo began to slow. I ran my fingers through my hair and glanced at her.
“Yes. Eight o’clock. And not one minute later.”
9
Desperate Times (Maddie)
When the limousine pulled out of the film studio’s parking lot, I had the sudden realization I was in the midst of my first cash flow crisis as a business owner. Chewing my lower lip with my upper teeth, I took a mental inventory of what I’d spent Greyson’s entire deposit on and it didn’t take long to realize where it went.
Aside from all the money I’d put down around town to secure the long list of things he rejected when he got here, I was in deep with the additional payment I made to secure Lynne’s escort services. Unfortunately for me, the closest she would get to Greyson Sinclair was the sole of the ten thousand dollar loafers he used to squash her face with not fifteen minutes earlier.
