CHAPTER 5

George wrapped his other hand around my neck and brought his lips to my forehead. Warmth and tingles travelled through me at the contact. It had been so long since I had a touch like that—tender, gentle, almost loving—that I almost forgot one of the rules of my life.

No personal feelings for clients or any of their actions.

“What are you doing?”

“After politely dismissing herself from Mr. Wayne, my mother traveled across the room to Mrs. Roy. Once there, she will have proceeded to tell her the story of how we found each other again after seven long years of being apart, and isn’t it great how we’re reconnecting? And don’t we look so good together? And Mrs. Roy will have agreed and voiced how beautiful our babies would be,” he replied in a hushed tone with a hint of amusement. “And this will happen with every one of my mother’s friends throughout the night. I’m merely keeping her happy, Gina.”

“George?” An older lady approached us, and George winked at me before dropping his hands.

“Mrs. Wayne. May I say how lovely you look this evening?”

“You may, but it won’t get you anywhere. Well, maybe a little.” She looked at me and winked. I smiled politely.

“Mrs. Wayne, this is Gina McCartney, my date for this evening. Gina, this is Mrs. Wayne, my mother’s closest friend. Her husband is an investor in our company.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.” I shook her hand.

“And you, my dear. Cathy has told me how the two of you met. How wonderful you found each other again after all this time!”

Here we go.

****** ***** ****** ******* ****** ******

“Is that everyone yet?” I whispered in George’s ear. “I’m not sure how many more times I can listen to “How delightful you ran into each other!” and any and all variations of that sentence.”

George laughed quietly into my hair. “Most, but not all.”

I groaned. “How about an escape outside for five minutes?”

“I think we can manage that.” He wrapped an arm around my waist and, keeping his head down, pulled me through the room to the doors. We slipped out, surprisingly unnoticed, and ran into the waiting elevator. Neither of us said a word until we reached the sidewalk.

I stepped from his hold and cross the street. The wall overlooking Elliot Bay was cold and rough when I places my arms on it and leaned forward. The cool night breeze teased through my hair, and I closed my eyes into it, taking deep breaths. On nights like tonight, when so many things were expected of me, it was hard to stay composed.

I’d take the fucking over the escorting part of this job every time. It was simple and I knew exactly what was expected of me. It was planned and it was controlled. It was in my comfort zone, but this…

Escorting is improvisation. Every word, every look, every movement. It was all spur-of-the-moment actions and decisions. None of which I could dictate.

“Why do you do this?”

“I thought I put that in the personal box.”

“You did.” George smirked in that dangerously sexy way that did stupid things to my stomach and leaned against the wall next to me. “But I’m asking again.”

“I do it for the same reason other people work. I need to pay the bills.”

“Really?”

“Is it that hard to believe? Really?” I turned my face toward him. “When my parents died, I lost everything. I was at college and suddenly lost my home and all my financial support. By the time my fees were paid, there was next to no money left. I couldn’t get a job, so I went to my aunt’s old agent.”

“Monica?”

“She took me on and gave me a job. Aunt Leila let me move in with her during breaks from school, and by the time I was twenty-one, I had enough money saved to put down the deposit on my own house.”

“Impressive. So you do it for the money?”

“Well I certainly don’t do it for the lack of fucking orgasms.”

“That bad, huh?” His smirked changed to a grin.

“George, there’s no reason in the world anyone would do this job except for the money. Besides, I’m not paid to orgasm. I’m paid to make them. And occasionally, I’m paid to be a date for pretty little rich boys like you.” I smiled back.

“Pretty little rich boys who pay more than necessary in desperation to please their parents with a beautiful girl?”

“Exactly.”

“Then it’s a good thing you’re worth every cent, isn’t it?”

I stood up straight, my eyes on his. “That’s what they tell me.”

George’s eyes flashed with an emotion that disappeared too quickly for me to register it. He held my gaze for a long moment, seemingly looking right through me and my façade. He toom a step closer to me and held out his arm.

“Shall we go back inside?”

“Are they likely to send out a search party?”

“I wouldn’t put it past my mother.”

I looped my arm through his, focusing both my mind and my body on the job. Not the past. Ours or otherwise.

“For the record,” he sais as we walked through the lobby, “she probably thinks we sneaked off to make out like teenagers.”

“I think your mom is too excited about this totally coincidental meeting.”

“You and me both, Gina. That was an impressive story you told earlier, by the way.”

“Thanks.” I reached up and fluffed my hair slightly.

“What are you doing?”

“Making it look like we snuck off to make out like a couple of teenagers.” I winked and gave myself a final once-over in the elevator mirror. We crept back into the ballroom and I wiped under my lip, removing a bit of imaginary smudged lipstick.

A tantalizing smile teased his lips, his eyes flicking to my mouth. He paused for a moment and rose his thumb to my mouth, rubbing it over the same spot I just touched.

“Missed a bit,” he breathed, running it across my bottom lip. I held my breath at the intimate touch and his eyes found mine again. “Got it.”

“Good,” I muttered.

He led us into an empty corner, his hand firmly placed on the small of my back.

I ignored the pounding of my heart and subsequent heating of my body as he pulled me into him, pressing our sides together. “Do you think anyone noticed we disappeared?”

“Not sure.” He looked around. “But they definitely noticed we came back.”

I followed the direction of his gaze to his parents. Cathy was whispering in George’s dad’s ear. Brad had a smile on his face, a mixture of amusement and pleasure that made me bite the inside of my cheek in a reaction that was all too genuine.