Still, I have never even kissed a girl and my desire for Dallas has evaporated with the prospect of getting caught.
It’s not that she isn’t sexy. It’s more like whatever trance I was just under has vanished and I know that the best thing to do is to get the job done and get the hell out of here.
Dallas gets down on his knees and puts her breasts in his mouth.
“C’mon, join us,” he mumbles and waves me over.
I glance over at the table with the laptop.
My bag with the copy is all the way across the room. This is going to be quite a challenge.
Focus, I say to myself. You can do this. Just think.
It’s not a problem unless there is a solution.
And there’s a solution here.
“Let’s move over to the bed,” I suggest.
25
When he surprises me…
I walk over to the bedroom and stand with my legs and arms apart holding on to the two French doors. The sections of each door are made of glass but luckily, they are also covered in curtains for a semblance of privacy.
“You must be new,” the escort says. “I don’t think I’ve caught your name.”
My heart drops. Dallas can’t suspect that I’m not who I say I am.
“I’m not new,” I say, taking my finger and running it down one of her breasts. When I reach her nipple, I give it a little pinch. “I just switched over from another outfit. I’m Abigail.”
“It’s a pleasure,” she says, opening her mouth and grazing her tongue along the edge of her teeth. “I’m Rosemary.”
“Okay, ladies, I’m ready,” Dallas says, lying down spread eagle on his back.
“I don’t think you are,” Rosemary says, climbing onto the bed.
I wait a moment for them to lose themselves in each other’s bodies.
“I’ll be right there,” I say. “My mouth is a desert.”
That part is true.
I want to clear my throat, but I cover it with my hand instead to not mess with the mood.
I open the door and then quickly close it behind me, but not all of the way through so that the lock doesn’t make a sound.
Once I’m outside, I don’t waste any time.
I grab my bag, rush across the living room to the desk with his laptop and make the switch.
In the kitchen, I turn on the water in the sink to make it seem like I’m pouring myself a glass and then slip through the front door.
Holding the handle so that it doesn’t make a sound as it closes behind me, I only let out a small sigh of relief once I get to the fire escape.
Running down the stairs, I put on my trench coat, only slowing down my gait when I reach the lobby.
“What are you doing here?” I ask when I run into him in the parking lot.
“Get in,” Nicholas says from behind the wheel of his BMW.
“No, I drove your car here.”
Without missing a step, I unlock my car and I get in.
My phone rings when I pull out of the hotel’s parking lot and disappear down the winding highway along the coast.
“What the hell were you thinking?” He demands to know as soon as I answer.
“Thanks for sending in the other escort,” I say sarcastically. “That made things a lot easier.”
"You weren’t supposed to go. The deal was off.”
Anger starts to build up in the pit of my stomach.
“Who the hell do you think you are, talking to me like this?” I demand to know.
“I’m…I’m,” he says, stumbling for the right word. “I’m your fucking boss.”
“No, you’re not. You’re my partner.”
“Oh, is that right?” he asks, his tone oozing in derision.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“The last time I checked, one partner usually doesn’t arrange everything and pay the other a salary. Only a boss does that.”
I hang up the phone, hitting my palms on the steering wheel. As expected, he calls back.
I don’t answer.
He keeps calling. I refuse to answer.
After three attempts, he gives up.
I drive in silence around a few bends. The GPS lady on my phone warns me that I have to turn in 0.2 of a mile. That’s the exit onto his property, but that’s the last place I want to go right now.
When she tells me to turn, I keep going. She tells me to do a U-turn so I turn her off completely. Not going anywhere in particular, I press down on the accelerator.
I don’t see Nicholas behind me and it seems like he either turned onto the road toward his house or just fell behind. Either way, I wait for a phone call but it doesn’t come.
I take a few more turns around the cliffs before pulling onto a turnout and parking the car. There’s a narrow path leading down to the beach. I make my way down carefully since I’m no expert in walking in heels, even if they are wedges.
The beach is wild and deserted.
It looks like man hasn’t touched it in centuries.
The sand is soft but covered in naturally occurring debris.
I find a spot away from the splinters and driftwood. I pull my knees up to my face and rest my chin on top. I listen to the swishing of the water as it comes and goes in a continuous rhythm and then take off my shoes, burying my toes in the sand.
“I’m sorry,” Nicholas says, walking over to me.
His voice breaks my concentration but doesn’t frighten me.
“What do you want?” I ask.
“I want to apologize.”
“For what?” I ask. “I thought you were never wrong.”
This seems to hurt him, but that’s exactly how I mean it.
I do want to inflict pain. I’m angry at him for following me here.
I’m angry at him for ruining my surprise. I’m angry at him for lecturing me as if I am a kid who did something wrong.
I turn my face toward him. Shrugging my shoulders and lifting my chin, I wait for him to talk.
“I’m sorry for saying that I’m your boss.”
I nod.
“But…
“But what?” I ask. “You realize, of course, that this ‘but’ negates your whole apology.”
“Well, that’s not what I mean to do.”
“Well, that’s what you are doing,” I say. “You’re justifying and that means you’re not really apologizing.”
Nicholas sits down next to me.
“Why did you go there?” he asks.
I bite my lower lip and stare into the distance.
“I knew I could do it and I did,” I say, sitting up straight.
“You did?” he asks.
By the tone of his voice, I can tell that something is different. Slowly, I turn my head toward him. His eyes are lit up like it is Christmas morning.
“That doesn’t change anything,” I point out.
“No, that’s where you are wrong,” he corrects me. “It changes everything!”
26
When we talk…
Nicholas and I sit on the sand for a bit staring at the waves crashing just below our feet. There are so many things I want to ask him.