I woke with a jolt as the sun streamed in.
“I have to go,” I said, scrambling out of bed to make my meeting.
“See you tonight, Ms. Williams. I’ll send your assignment later,” Jake said, all raspy and sleepy-sexy.
I brushed my teeth, and he fell back to sleep quickly. On my way out of the bathroom, I sneaked one last look at him in bed, the sheets sliding low on his hips. When I’d left the bedroom, he must have shifted because they’d slunk down farther, showing off the curve of his ass.
“More,” I murmured, as if I were devouring a piece of delicious cake.
Because that was quite possibly the sexiest sight ever—Jake sleeping soundly with his gorgeous carved back and ass on display.
As I left, I sent him a text.
Kate: Fine. I’ll admit it. Your ass is spectacular. I snagged a lovely view of it on my way out. It’s hard and firm, and I just wanted to bite it.
Then I pushed thoughts of him away as I headed home, showered, and made it to my meeting in the nick of time.
I’d done plenty of background interviews as part of my job. But none had ever been with someone this good-looking.
Or this interesting.
I found Antony fascinating as I questioned him over coffee about his decision to enter this business.
His brow pulled, and he hummed thoughtfully. “Was it a hard decision to become an escort?” he asked, repeating my question, then he shook his head. “Not at all. I’ve always enjoyed the company of women. Women are fascinating, sensitive, easy to talk to. Sure, at first I was drawn to it with the endgame in mind.”
“Your master’s degree?” I confirmed as I took a sip of my English breakfast tea.
“Yes, and graduate school is not cheap. So I had to make a choice—take out loans or earn enough on my own. But it wasn’t a difficult choice. I meet women from all walks of life, with all sorts of personalities, wishes, aspirations. Every woman I meet, I learn something from—humor, kindness, a new word or phrase, a type of cuisine, an approach to the world. I’m lucky to be able to do this for a living.”
“You’re like a therapist, lover, friend, and companion,” I said.
“Indeed. In many ways, I am. I get to wear many hats. And take off many hats,” he said with a wink.
“You enjoy it.”
“I do.”
“It almost sounds like you might want to keep this job after you finish your engineering degree,” I said with a curious smile. “Do you?”
He shrugged happily. “I might, but that could be challenging. We’ll see.”
“With an aerospace degree, are you hoping to be an astronaut?”
He laughed lightly, like that was an impossible dream. “No. But I would like to build rockets. And this helps make it happen.” He flashed a winning smile, the kind of grin that melted panties and made women drop a cool grand for a night with him.
And that was what the bride had paid for her maid of honor, Sidney, to get lucky. It was an odd realization, sitting across from this GQ-esque man, knowing who he’d slept with the other night.
I briefly wondered if Sidney got everything she needed from him. I hoped so. You go, girl—more power to you.
I cleared my throat, preparing to segue into the main reason for this get-together. He’d talked about being an escort, but I needed to understand more of his mindset while on the job.
“This may be personal,” I said, running my finger along the rim of my mug, “but Trish said you’d be willing to talk about it, and I’d like some insight to plan how to best market the service. Does it feel like work? And how do you make a woman feel special? Or whatever it is she wants you to do?”
He hummed, like he was considering the question, then leaned forward. “Forgive me if I am too forward. But have you ever been with someone who made you feel spectacular?”
A blush crept across my cheeks in seconds. I heated up thinking of last night, of the things Jake and I had shared. Not only the otherworldly sex, but the conversation and then the cuddling. Who knew Jake was a cuddler? But he was—the best kind. All warm and snuggly, spooning me perfectly, brushing gentle kisses against my neck.
But I couldn’t entertain those notions. I had to focus on work, since that was what this weekend was about.
Everything I was doing was for work.
Only for work.
And work included Antony’s piercing question. Had I ever been with someone who made me feel spectacular?
“Yes, I have,” I answered.
He smiled. “Good. Everyone should know what it’s like to feel amazing. And that’s what I want to do for the women who are kind enough to hire me.”
Kind.
Such an unusual word to use in this field.
“Why do you want them to feel that way?” I asked.
His dark eyes were intense, passionate as he answered. “Because when they book me, they believe I can bring them what they want for a night. That I can deliver companionship, pleasure, friendship, a shoulder to lean on.”
“Admirable goals.” For a brief moment, I let myself linger on how that might feel. The past few months, I’d been so nose to the grindstone, so focused on my endgame, that I’d deliberately avoided intimate companionship and the friendship that could come with it. But hearing those words from this man, whose job was to deliver them, made me crave those things just a bit.
Companionship, pleasure, friendship.
That didn’t sound so bad at all.
Maybe someday.
“You might call them admirable, but those are basic human needs, as I see it. And when a woman requests me, I have the chance to give that to her. That’s an honor, and I don’t take it lightly. I want every woman to feel spectacular.”
I let that marinate for a moment as the espresso machines whirred behind us. “Every woman should feel spectacular,” I said, trying that on for size. It might work as a slogan.
His eyes twinkled. “Yes. Exactly. That’s my mantra. I want the women I’m with to feel like sexy angels.”
“Do you make them feel that way?”
He nodded. “I believe so.”
“Do they all want sex?”
He shook his head. “Less than half, actually. There was a client this week who simply wanted someone to talk to. That’s what I gave her. I listened, and she was worth it. She had a lot on her mind and heart.”
I wondered if that was Sidney, but it wasn’t my business to ask.
Antony and I spoke for a bit longer, and I thanked him when we finished and then watched as he left, admiring his frame, his physique, and his kindness.
Funny, how you didn’t think of kindness as a quality you’d look for in an escort, but it was vital, it turned out.
Maybe that was because it was vital in any relationship.
Kindness ought to be the foundation of anything. Of everything.
I noodled on that as I walked to my office. Along the way, my phone buzzed. I grabbed it, hoping Jake was awake.
Jake: Confession: I posed like that this morning just to get you to admit the truth.
Kate: Shameless. You are shameless.
Jake: Kidding. I was deep in the land of nod and just woke up finally. Good to know you enjoyed the view. I enjoyed all my views last night. But let’s talk about tonight, Ms. Williams. I’m taking you out to dinner. I made a reservation at Momofuku, your favorite. See you at seven thirty.