‘I’m recording you, Sir. That way I can play it back later.’
‘I need a contact at the film company. I want to ensure that Miss Beresford has a ticket for a plus one, namely myself, without her knowing in advance. I don’t want her to have the opportunity to say no. I’ll also need her dress and bra size, if it’s changed, and information as to who her stylist for the night is, as I’ll want to choose the dress myself.’
‘We’re talking a lot of people that we may need to offer an incentive here, Sir. What’s the budget?’
‘Whatever’s needed to ensure that I know where Summer is that night, wearing what I chose and has no idea when the limo turns up, that it will be me accompanying her and not Daron fucking Beck. Understood?’
‘Perfectly, Sir. When is this premiere taking place?’
‘Next Saturday.’
‘I’d better get on it and, Sir?’
‘Yes,’ I replied, feeling my heart pounding with the adrenaline surging through my system at the thought of seeing her again.
‘I’ve checked and there was one booking request that had been blocked.’
‘There was?’ I shoved the paper to the side and sat up straight, feeling ridiculously happy that she’d wanted to see me again. ‘When?’
‘A month after the initial appointment. I’ll arrange to have it put back into your inbox. Anything else for now?’
‘No that’s all, but I will be having a clear out of clients and I may transfer some of them over to a colleague. Would that be a problem?’
‘No, you’ll just need to give me his email and with his permission I can set up file storage facility like yours, where I’ll transfer over the client files you suggest. Are you retiring?’ he asked, sounding surprised.
‘Retiring?’ I laughed. ‘No, just trying not to overload myself that’s all.’ I shook my head and beckoned with my two forefingers as Trey appeared with a towel around his waist and pointed his thumb back towards the bedroom, obviously worried he was intruding on my call.
‘Very well. I’ll make a start today on your requirements and just send me an email with a list when you’re ready to relinquish some of your contacts,’ Ian confirmed.
‘Excellent, thank you. I want updates as soon as you have them on each area please.’
‘Not a problem,’ he replied. ‘If you check your email, the information you asked me for last night is there.’
‘Thank you, Ian. As ever, you never cease to amaze me.’
‘Anytime,’ he chuckled as we hung up.
‘Everything ok?’ Trey asked as he sat opposite me.
‘Perfect. I’ve ordered you a full English with extra sausage, bacon and toast. Is Ava still asleep?’
‘She is. I think we wore her out,’ he grinned. ‘Count me in for any repeat performances.’
‘How’s your client list looking currently?’
‘Pretty decent in terms of volume, a bit lacking in terms of quality,’ he shrugged.
‘I may be able to help you out on that front. My client list is currently too large and too demanding of my time. I’d be prepared to release some to you, if they were agreeable.’
‘Seriously?’ Trey looked at me amazed.
‘I’d propose that I first let you see their photographs, no names, and a list of the fantasies they requested that have been completed to date. If you feel you can work with them, I’ll forward your photograph to them and advise them that I’m no longer available, but I’m recommending you as my replacement. If they confirm this is acceptable, I can arrange to transfer over the files to you on a number of conditions.’
‘Name them,’ Trey shot back as he sat forward in his chair with his elbows on his knees.
‘You continue to use Ian Smith for all vetting and background information. He’s not cheap, but he’s the best in the business and you’ll more than cover his fees with the type of clientele that I’ll be giving you.’
‘That’s fair.’
‘You treat my clients as if they were still mine, that means going above and beyond. No cutting corners, they pay top whack, they expect the best. Luxury accommodations, expensive lingerie and accessories and for you to dress in custom-made suits, not these off-the-rack ones you’ve been wearing. I’ll put you in touch with my tailor. These are women of means and your fee will more than cover your costs and leave plenty for your commission. I’ll work with you on planning and costing the first five bookings for each of them, to ensure you’re working to my high standards. Recommending you reflects on me and I won’t have my reputation tarnished if you’re not meeting the standards I’ve already set. I’ll expect a seventy-five percent cut of the commission for those first three bookings, fifty percent for the fourth, twenty five percent for the fifth and then you’re on your own and the profit is entirely yours. At that point you’ll have full ownership of that client moving forwards. These terms are non-negotiable. I’ve spent five years working my arse off to secure this calibre of clientele and I’m not giving them away for free. Any questions or objections?’
‘Holy shit man. I can’t believe you’re doing this for me. Are you for real?’
‘I’m for real,’ I smiled, pleased at his enthusiasm.
‘Are you dying or something?’ he asked, looking concerned and I laughed, a deep chesty guffaw of laughter at his serious tone.
‘No. I’m just re-prioritising and can afford to shed some clients. We’ve worked together a number of times, so I know that your stamina and technique aren’t lacking, neither is your enthusiasm. You still have a bit to learn when it comes to the romance and seduction side, but that’s what I’m here for. I’d rather you have a shot than someone I don’t know. You remind me of me when I first started, though I knew how to suck a woman’s clit without removing it,’ I chuckled and he groaned. ‘Think of it as me paying it forward. Why should you learn the hard way, when I have the time and inclination to help you?’
‘I don’t know what to say, I’m … I’m just so grateful, Logan.’
‘Say you’ll accept and I’ll have my lawyer draw up the contract officially, as per the terms I just stated. Once you sign and return it, we can make a start.’ I laughed again as Trey shot to his feet and leaned over to hug me, slapping me on the back a few times.
‘I accept and I won’t let you down, I promise,’ he nodded as he straightened up. He looked behind him at the closed bedroom door, then back at me. ‘Will she be one of the ones you transfer over?’ he whispered.
‘You’d like her to be?’ I enquired with a smile. There was a twenty-four year age difference. I’d have thought he’d have wanted my younger clients.
‘Hell yeah, she’s smoking.’
‘She is, but she’s one of my long-term regulars and I actually like her. Maybe when I’m fully ready to retire in a few more years, if she still wants appointments, eh?’
‘Retire? Please, like that’ll ever happen,’ he scoffed as he headed off to get dressed. I opened my email and went to sit at the desk in the room and wrote down the information that Ian had sourced for me on the hotel letterhead, slipped it into my pocket and answered the door as room service arrived.
I escorted Ava to a taxi outside. She insisted that it would raise eyebrows her coming home in the same outfit, let alone in a Mercedes as well.
‘I really had a wonderful evening,’ she smiled up at me.
‘I did too. It was nice to see you so happy. Even happier than normal. You deserve to look like that every day, Ava. Your husband’s a damn fool to not want you.’
‘You think?’ she asked as she frowned. What the hell was it with her? She seemed to have no self-worth at all.
‘I know. Look at you. You’re a stunning intelligent woman. You just had a twenty-one year old who couldn’t get his fill of you, to the point he asked if he could be included on any future appointments.’
‘He did?’ she asked, looking surprised.
‘He did,’ I nodded as I clasped her face. ‘Trust in yourself Ava. You deserve to b
e the centre of your husband’s world, to be made to feel like you’re special on a daily basis. You shouldn’t have to pay me for that. If he can’t give you what you need, find someone else that will, someone you crave and who craves you in return. You owe it to yourself. Life’s too short to be unhappy.’
‘You sound like you’re speaking from experience, Logan. Maybe if I’m going to think about being brave, you should too. You’re skilled at what you do, but I’ll warrant that doesn’t keep you warm at night in your own bed. What woman would want to share her man with others? Maybe you need to find your someone, so that you can be each other’s craving too.’
‘Trust me, I don’t plan on being in this profession forever, but time is more on my side. Don’t waste anymore of yours on a man who’s too foolish to think that his bank balance is more important than you,’ I sighed as I kissed her forehead.
‘Thank you,’ she whispered as her eyes filled up with tears. ‘You have no idea what last night did for my confidence, what you’ve done for my confidence.’
‘So, do something about it,’ I ordered, as I put a piece of paper in her hand.
‘What’s this?’ she asked.
‘Look at it when I’m gone, but if it makes your heart beat faster, your stomach do that thing you women all rave about and fills your head for the rest of the day, promise me you’ll do something with it,’ I asked as I opened the taxi door for her and helped her in. She looked up at me confused, but nodded as I closed the door and tapped on the roof. I stood watching as she disappeared, then let out a heavy sigh. Here was me condoning her husband for being more invested in amassing even more money than he could possibly spend and ignoring his personal life, when I was just as culpable of the same crime.
I strode over to where James was patiently waiting by the car and he opened the rear door for me.
‘Morning, Sir.’
‘Morning, James,’ I smiled as I ducked in and he closed the door. I waited until he pulled out onto the main road before speaking. ‘Thank you for the paper this morning.’
‘You’re welcome,’ he nodded in the mirror’s reflection.
‘You’re not going to ask me anything?’ I enquired, surprised. He’d not been lacking in opinions on Summer over the last few months.
‘No need to, Sir. I’ve already been put on alert by Mr. Smith that I’ll be collecting you on Saturday evening, doing a detour to Miss Beresford’s address and taking you both to Leicester Square in the limousine. The only thing I’m unclear on is when I’ve picked you up after the premiere, where I’ll be taking you both.’
‘Hmmm. I’m still unclear on that myself,’ I sighed. Assuming she didn’t slap me and force me out of the limo for surprising her, after ignoring her last email.
‘I’m sure when you’ve both got over the shock of seeing each other after so long, you’ll soon think of something. If you don’t mind me saying so, I’m pleased that you’re seeing her again. She’s a very nice lady and you can’t carry on with this career path forever.’
‘I don’t mind you saying so. She is very nice but this is nothing to do with me. I couldn’t leave her open to the potential of that shit corrupting her.’
‘A touch of the green eyed monster then?’
‘I’d have been fine with her going with anyone else, not him,’ I retorted.
‘Whatever you need to tell yourself to sleep at night,’ James chuckled. I shook my head. He was too observant for his own good. I would have hated seeing her in print with anyone. I checked my phone again, wondering if Ian had transferred over that message from Summer eight months ago, and felt my heart skip its steady beat as I saw it in my inbox. I took a deep breath before I opened it to read.
Dear Mr Steele. You may not remember me, but I booked you for a “Virgin for the Night” fantasy last month.
I might not remember her? Jesus baby, if only you knew the truth.
I wondered if you’d be able to accommodate me again? I feel like I have so much to learn and you were so gentle, kind and respectful that I’d like for it to be you that teaches me everything that I need to know.
You have no idea how much I’d have loved that, I thought with a sigh, before reading on, trying not to imagine how many hours of practice she’d put in with someone else in the meantime.
You did so much for my confidence in just one night. I can only imagine what a few more sessions with you will do for me. I don’t know why, but I just trust you to take care of me. I really hope that I wasn’t too inexperienced for you and that you’ll want to take my booking again. I don’t have a fantasy to play out. I’d just like you to teach me more. I want to learn everything I can so I know how to please a man. I hope to hear from you soon. Kind regards, Summer
O trust me, I’ve imagined plenty of sessions, I said to myself as I pinched the top of my nose. She needed her confidence boosting and I’d fucking blocked her email and never replied. What would that have done for her self-worth? Probably bloody shattered it, along with her trust in me. She’d think that she was shit sexually and that was why I’d ignored her, when the damn opposite was true.
I wiped my face with a towel as I finished a particularly vigorous workout in my gym. I felt seriously tense. It was already Thursday, two nights until I saw her again. I’d never felt nervous about meeting a woman, never, but Summer did things to me that no other woman ever had. I pulled my phone out. I didn’t need to look at her message again, I’d memorised it by heart, but I had to look at it to remind myself that she had wanted to see me again. That she trusted me. I was surprised to see another message in my inbox, from Ava. She was fairly consistent and never booked more than one session every couple of months. It hadn’t even been a week since our ménage. I opened it up to read it.
Dear Logan, I wanted to thank you most sincerely for a wonderful night on Saturday. The way you and Trey looked after me, the pleasure you brought me meant so much, as did your repeated kind words. I wanted to let you know that I won’t be booking anymore sessions, because of what you did for me. I’ve no idea how you found Farrokh, but you were right. I felt as if a million butterflies had been released in my stomach when I saw his name, address and telephone number. I kept looking at that piece of paper for three days until I plucked up the courage to ring him. My heart felt as if it were going to beat out of my chest as he answered. We spoke for hours, catching up and laughing. Because of what you’ve done for me I’ve found the courage to admit defeat with my husband and have asked for a divorce. The guilt of what I’ve been doing hasn’t helped, though I’m aware that if he’d been a better husband, I wouldn’t have had to resort to seeking you out to start with. I’ve decided to go back home to my family in Iran. Farrokh is single too, though I have no idea if we could try and make it work, even though my father would still disapprove, I’d like to give it a try. Even if not, I hope to find a man better suited to me than David was. A man who’ll treat me with the kindness and respect you always have and make me feel like I’m the centre of his world. Thank you for showing me how things could be, how they should be. I’ll always be grateful and I’ll always remember how wonderful our times together were. You are a special man, Logan Steele. You may argue that it’s your job, but it takes a unique man to place the happiness of a woman above his own, to do what you did for me all those times, and for reuniting me with the man I’ve never forgotten. I hope one day that you find a woman who can make you such a priority in her life. One for whom the butterflies can never be tamed. You deserve it. With warmest regards and fondest memories, Ava.
I huffed out a surprised breath. She’d finally done it. She’d realised that she deserved to be happy in all areas of her life and had made a major change towards making that happen. Good on her. I really hoped that if this Farrokh was the love of her life, that she’d be his and it would all work out for her. She had always been one of my favourite clients, she reminded me a lot of Summer. Summer. I sighed as I thought of the brunette who’d taken such a hold of my thoughts, waking and sleep
ing. I opened her email and scanned it again and just like every time I read it, my finger hovered over the reply button, but I stopped myself. I’d be seeing her again in two days and if she was going to be pissed off with me for tricking her after ignoring her, better I deal with it face to face, when I had her trapped in the confined space of the limo. I’d have to turn on my full repertoire of romance and charm to bring her back around, which for once, I wouldn’t need to fake. I opened her restored file and looked back at her picture and felt that weird twisting sensation in my stomach again. I definitely had “the butterflies” for this woman. My dreams really didn’t do her justice; she was even more attractive than I remembered.
“Are you retiring?” Ian had asked. As I looked back down at Summer’s photo, the thought that she could be the one woman to make me want to retire crossed my mind. I’d give it up in a heartbeat if she’d have me, the real me that was, the man buried beneath “Logan Steele.” I sighed heavily to know that she’d never see me any other way, to know that she’d never want me that way. Not the way I wanted her. I should leave her to go to this premiere alone. Daron Beck may have been the reason I started this insane plan to hijack her for the night, telling myself it was to protect her, but the fact was, I just couldn’t resist seeing her one more time. Having her one more time.
Actually this was me talking, who was I kidding? I’d be having Summer Beresford more than once on Saturday night. And if she thought she could put up any objections to that, she had a lot to learn about me.
Sophisticated for the Night
It had been over nine months since I’d deflowered Summer Beresford, in her Virgin for the Night fantasy. Nine months where she’d plagued my thoughts, both in my personal and professional life. I’d resolved to never take another booking from her. I’d never got emotionally attached to a client before; it didn’t bode well for me. Especially not when she obviously just saw me as the guy she paid to take her virginity and nothing else. I didn’t take rejection well. When I read that her co-star Daron Beck had set his sights on her and planned to accompany her to their movie premiere next week, it made my blood boil. His reputation for sleeping with his leading ladies was nearly as legendary as my reputation for being the best in the business. He, on the other hand, wasn’t so respectful of women. The thought of him putting his hands on her, if he hadn’t already, or treating her badly, made my mind up. I was about to do something I’d never done; take a former client out without her paying me, and I wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Next week I’d be accompanying Summer to her premiere, whether she liked it or not.
For the Night - Complete Box Set Page 24
