by Mel Teshco
Natalie brushed a hand over her blonde hair she’d pulled back into a severe bun—it matched her mood—before she flicked restless hands over her black pantsuit with its chunky, silver choker neckline.
She sighed. “I know I can trust you girls.” They leaned in and she said, “I was with Amos Drynn last night.”
Eloise jumped up and squealed. “The Amos Drynn? Frankenstein’s Blood, Amos Drynn?”
Natalie giggled, despite her churning emotions. “Yes and yes.”
Eloise’s eyes widened even more. “Was he sexy and dangerous like his pictures?”
Anna sighed. “I’m thinking he’s charming and gorgeous like his rock ballads.”
Natalie pushed her garden salad away. She didn’t want diet-conscious food for lunch, not right then. She wanted a meat pie and chunky fries slathered in gravy. She wanted a tub of hokey pokey ice-cream. But mostly she wanted Amos, naked and in her bed.
Not that she’d ever brought a client home. No. Way. That was inexcusable and reprehensible… if only she could chase the thought out of her head.
“Well?” Eloise demanded.
“He’s sexy and dangerous, but he’s also charming and gorgeous.” She grinned at her friends’ palpable excitement. “And did I mention he’s a little bit of an alpha in bed?”
Eloise clapped a hand on the table, making her wine glass and cutlery rattle. “Holy shit, Natalie! Dare I ask if this means you’ve gotten over Toby?”
Natalie’s smile slipped. “To be honest, I don’t know. When I was with Amos, it was as if no other man existed.”
Anna put a hand over hers and asked gently, “And now?”
Natalie exhaled softly. “And now I’m too scared to trust my instincts.” Thanks to Toby, she’d learned firsthand her instincts sucked. She looked at each of her friends. “Honestly though… enough about me. What about you two, what is going on with your love lives?”
Eloise’s expression shifted into a faraway look. “I can say without a doubt it would be all too easy to fall in love with the Wolfe brothers.”
“But?” Natalie asked.
“But they’ve been getting… possessive lately.”
Anna sighed. “Is that a bad thing? They like you a lot, yes?”
Eloise nodded. “Yeah, I guess they do. Or maybe it’s more that they don’t want to share me with anyone else.”
Natalie frowned. In her opinion, being in love with someone meant being only with them. It was why she never expected anyone to fall in love with her—not with her career she couldn’t leave anytime soon.
Maybe that’s why you chose a married man to fall in love with? Toby was as unavailable as you and he also had just as big a sacrifice as you to make things work.
Natalie couldn’t help but acknowledge the truth. God, she’d been a fool. She also couldn’t help but think she’d unconsciously searched for love after fucking so many men who’d wanted only physical release. She’d become desperate for an emotional return too.
She swallowed past the lump in her throat and turned back to Anna. “What about you?”
Anna’s smile faded. “I make love to many men, but none of them touch me here.” She pressed a fist to her chest. “I can’t help but think I’m broken there.”
Natalie shook her head. “You’re not broken, you’re burned out. This life, it makes a woman jaded.”
Eloise threw her hands up in the air, almost succeeding this time in toppling over her wine. “Are you girls kidding me? We get paid to have men give us orgasms, paid to enjoy what other women give out for free.”
A pair of elderly diners turned in their seats. A gray-haired lady gave them a cold stare even as her companion, a balding, paunchy man, eyed them with barely concealed lust.
Eloise winked at the elderly woman. “You have nothing to worry about. I suspect your husband’s wallet is far too light.”
Anna ignored the matron’s look of horror. Her voice was subdued when she said, “I love sex, don’t get me wrong, but I’m… disconnected, even after the best orgasm.”
Natalie wanted to hug Anna. “At least you’ll never get hurt.”
Not emotionally.
Eloise subsided with a sigh. “Natalie’s right, you’ll keep your heart intact.”
“I’m not so sure that’s a good thing,” Anna said quietly.
Natalie couldn’t help but wonder what Anna hid, and why she’d chosen this profession. But some subjects were better not broached. She’d bet every call girl in the VIP Desire Agency had skeletons in their closets they wanted to keep tucked away and out of sight.
Eloise’s laugh wasn’t jubilant. “All I can say is, I don’t plan on letting any man take away my independence, or control me.”
Natalie felt something tug inside her for Eloise. The gorgeous woman didn’t let much slip, but gaining her freedom after nearly losing it in her home country of Nepal at a young age, had ensured Eloise wouldn’t easily give up her independence.
She almost felt sorry for the notorious Wolfe brothers.
She managed a smile as she pushed back her seat. “Thanks girls for sharing lunch with me.”
Eloise grimaced. “We haven’t exactly cheered you up though.”
Natalie shrugged. “At least I know I’m not the only one with problems.”
Anna nodded, and sucked down some of her wine. “Kate and Claire have a good life now. It’s not impossible we’ll get our own love story.”
Eloise snorted. “Keep telling yourself that and you might even start to believe it.”
Natalie stood. “On that note, I’m going to grab a family-sized meat pie. Then I’m going to eat myself stupid before meeting my new client tonight.”
Anna stood too, her eyes shining with concern. “Look after yourself, we don’t want to see you being a doormat ever again.”
Natalie hugged the young girl. She should be telling Anna to take care of herself too, the petite woman looked too young, too innocent to be in this business.
Instead, Natalie whispered, “Thank you, I will.”
Giving Eloise a quick hug, Natalie left behind enough money to cover all their meals, before she stalked out of the restaurant and into the busy Sydney street, half-choked with pedestrians heading to and from lunch.
The clack-clack of her silver high-heels was lost in the noise of traffic and nearby roadwork as she headed in the direction of a bakery that would make a pie that’d be perfect comfort food. But at the prickling sensation between her shoulder blades, she stopped, then turned and peered into the crowd.
She didn’t recognize anyone in the sea of people, of course she didn’t. She sighed exasperation. The tension inside her was making her overly sensitive and skittish, nothing more. Brushing away the odd sensations, she marched forward and soon lost herself in thoughts about Amos and a growing sense of dread at seeing her new client tonight.
She turned into her destination where scents of freshly baked bread, pies, and cakes caused her belly to churn.
For the first time in her call girl career, she wished she’d never had to rely on her looks. For the first time in her life, she wished a man could desire her more than skin-deep.
A flash of Amos looking at her with assessing eyes—really looking at her, not just her body—sat front and center in her mind. Perhaps it was his interest in the woman beneath that had her question everything lately, made her want more than the empty life she lived.
“Can I help you?”
She nodded at the assistant behind the display case. “I’ll have a meat pie… and an apple turnover please,” she added.
It would be as good a substitute for hokey pokey ice cream as anything else.
Because maybe food would fill the void inside, at least for a short time.
Chapter Five
‡
Tiffany had tucked Natalie away into the further recesses of her mind by the time the agency town car had dropped her off at the Park Hyatt, where her latest client awaited her. She’d also tucked away all thoughts o
f Amos, along with the silly fantasies of wishing she’d chosen a different path to the one she’d taken.
If it wasn’t for her present lifestyle, her once fiercely independent father would now more than likely be living in an old people’s home. Her breath shuddered out. Her father would choose death over that scenario, and being that he was all she had in the world, she wouldn’t lose him, not like that. Not for anything.
She approached the reception desk, her head held high and her wildly tousled blonde hair falling down her back. Dressed in an electric blue mini skirt, leather bustier and thigh-high boots, she hoped her client, William Noble, appreciated the untamed look.
She wouldn’t dwell on the fact she’d dressed with Amos’ approval in mind. He certainly did justice to the untamed look.
After reception handed her the door-card that’d been left for her, she took the elevator to the harbour suite. She sucked in some steadying breaths as the elevator soundlessly took her to her destination. Even her first booking hadn’t made her feel this queasy. Like every decision she’d made was ready to smack her upside the head.
The elevator stilled and its doors slid wide apart and she stepped into an elegant sitting room. Taking a moment to compose herself, she knocked twice on the big single door and then stepped back.
The door swung open and she manufactured a seductive smile… a smile that died the moment her eyes connected to the man who stood before her in a white dress shirt and gray slacks. “Amos?” she squeaked.
What the hell? She felt suddenly lightheaded, as though her world was tilting on its axis. But unless Amos had a twin called William, with the same expertly disheveled blond-brown hair, muscly inked biceps, and self-satisfied smile, then she wasn’t imagining him.
“Tiffany,” he said with a glint in his stare and a twitch to his lips.
“Where’s William?” She managed to croak.
Amos’ smile disappeared. “I organized another VIP escort to cater to his needs.”
She squeezed her eyes shut, vacillating between fury and relief. “You can’t micromanage my entire career.” She shook her head, her eyes flicking open to view his tall, formidable form. How he managed to look even more imposing dressed in his formal gear was beyond her thought processes right then. “How did you even manage to do that?”
He shrugged, looking completely unfazed. “Money talks.”
Which William would have plenty of to even be accepted into the exclusive escort service ran by Maisey.
She exhaled softly, dragging back a little composure. “How much did you have to pay?” She’d bet it was a small fortune to not only appease Maisey, but William too.
“It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that I get you all to myself.” He opened the door wider. “Are you going to come in?”
She arched a brow. “Time is money?”
He smirked. “Kitten, money is the least of my concerns. Time, on the other hand…”
She stepped inside and he shut the door behind them with a decisive clunk. She turned to him. “What exactly is it you want from me?” Her hand lifted and then fell. “Aside from sex?”
In one step, he closed the distance between them, his eyes burning. “As much as the sex is incredible, I do want more from you than that.”
Her pulse jerked, her belly clenching with both dread and anticipation. “Oh?”
“I’d like to further explore what we have together.” His expression sobered. “But while you’re with me, I have one stipulation.”
She pushed aside a flare of rebellion followed as quickly by soul-sucking vulnerability. He paid top dollar for her to do his bidding. She hated that she had to remind herself he was a client, not a lover. “What is it?”
“I don’t want any other man garnering your services.”
She pressed her lips together. Amos had overheard the conversation she’d had with Harry, had then seen her climb into Harry’s car just minutes later. She could hardly blame his proviso.
She nodded. “Of course, that goes without saying.”
His expression didn’t waver and she had no way of knowing if he believed her or not. Not when he chose not to discuss anything more on the matter.
Instead, he swept out a hand. “Then why don’t we enjoy a predinner drink.”
So, he was taking her out someplace to eat? She ignored the pang of disappointment. Not being ravished first thing by a client should be a relief for someone of her profession, considering sex was as commonplace as showering morning and night. If only the sex with Amos wasn’t so damn earth shatteringly good!
She pasted on a smile. “Thank you, I’d like that.”
At the bar was a grand selection of quality spirits and wines and he turned and asked, “Would you like a scotch or perhaps a gin?”
“A gin and tonic would be lovely, thank you.”
He poured her a glass and handed it to her before he tipped a generous amount of scotch for himself into a crystal tumbler.
He raised his glass, his eyes glinting under the light. “To an unforgettable night.”
She raised her glass, her belly fluttering. “That sounds… ominous.”
He tossed back his drink in one swallow, his smoothly-shaven jaw looking stark against his white dress shirt. Somehow he still looked like a rock star, despite his groomed appearance. “Not at all ominous. I’m just keen to do ‘normal’ things with you.”
Her belly lurched between yearning and horror. “Normal as in like a date?”
He put his glass down. “Something like that.”
She chugged down her G&T, relishing the burn in her throat. Being with Amos was career suicide. She couldn’t afford to fall for another man, couldn’t afford to have her heart broken and her spirit crushed.
Amos cocked his head to the side. “Is something troubling you?”
She managed a smile. “No. No, of course not.”
His stare sharpened. “Another man, perhaps?”
Heat rose behind her eyes. How did Amos read her so well? Even if she denied it he’d know.
She cleared her throat. “I was recently… hurt by another man.”
His jaw tightened. “A client?”
“Yes.”
“You still have feelings for him?”
Her laugh came out shaky. She hated discussing Toby, hated knowing what a fool she’d been. “I thought… I loved him.”
Did you?
Amos’ cheeks hollowed out, as though carved from marble. “I see.”
She downed the last of her drink before Amos placed a proprietary hand on her upper arm and walked with her out of the penthouse and into the elevator. She sucked in some much needed oxygen, all too aware of the brooding man beside her… a client whose stare burned her flesh and left her nerve endings sizzling with want.
She sensed he wanted to make her forget about Toby, make her aware only of him even before he spoke.
“Now might not be a good time to tell you how much I’d love to ravage you against the wall, muss up your hair even further, and peel your skirt down your thighs.” His voice roughened. “How I’m dying to tear off your thong and lick between the folds of your pussy so I can taste you again.”
She refused to look at him; to do so might just be her undoing. And she wasn’t about to give in to his wishes and be caught with her pants down… literally.
She instead focused on trying to bring her thudding heart rate down, even as her palms moistened along with her sex. The doors of the elevator slid apart, and as they walked through the lobby, it was only his big hand on the small of her back that kept her upright and not falling on to him.
Minutes later, they were in his stretch limousine and heading toward the heart of Sydney. But she was too distracted to ask where they were eating. Not when his big, warm hand drifted beneath her skirt, his rough palm moving up and down her thigh.
Her lips parted right along with her legs. She stared with hungry eyes at the wedge of his arousal in his pants. Damn, she’d never wanted a man so badl
y.
His thumb stroked along the edge of the material of her thong, his stare lingering on her mouth when he said hoarsely, “Should I tell you what I’d like you to do to me right now?”
Her mouth dried with anticipation even as she looked up at him and asked, “How long have we got?”
“Long enough.”
She did a slow lick of her lips before she grasped the fly of his slacks and carefully slid it undone. His hand dropped away from her thigh before he lifted his hips. She dragged his pants down along with his boxer briefs, releasing his swollen cock. She sighed appreciatively. There was surely nothing hotter than a well-endowed man. His pink cockhead glistened with the smallest bead of pre-cum, and she swooped down to lick it from his slit.
She barely heard his harsh intake of breath. Not when his salty essence tingled and danced on her tongue, leaving her wanting so much more. She pulled the head of his cock into her mouth, circling the velvet skin with her tongue and shivering with delight at hearing his low moan.
Damn. She wanted this man with everything she had.
Suctioning his shaft further inside her mouth, she took him to the back of her throat and held him there for a few tongue-swirling seconds before she retreated and then took him in again. She scraped her teeth along his vein-roped shaft and his moan turned into a raspy growl.
She cupped his balls in a hand, gently kneading even as she bobbed her head faster, devouring as much of his length as humanly possible and drinking in his musky scent. Oral sex might be a part of her job description, but she’d never wanted to please a man as much as she did Amos, never wanted to taste the grand finale like she did with him.
His hands curled into her hair as his balls suddenly tightened. He was close, and she knew just how to push him over the line. She nipped his pulsating flesh and his seed erupted. He tasted like heaven.
“Jesus.” He groaned, his hands loosening and then stroking her head.
She released him after she’d drank every last drop, and straightened, her eyes searching his dazed stare. “I think it’s safe to say you enjoyed that as much as I did.”
