CHAPTER 003 - The Escort and The Escape

When the laughter died down, Taste Cake wiped away the tears from her eyes.

"Oh, shoot. That was a good one," she said before sitting down at the table and motioning for him to sit across from her. "I used Tasty Cake for the sign-in on your company's website. Do you wanna know my real name?"

He shrugged and sat down as well.

"Sure. What's your real name?"

But to his surprise, she laughed again. "Isn't that confidential? Do you want us both to get fined? I read the whole contract, you know. It says that the client isn’t supposed to know the escort’s real name, and vice versa."

It was in the contract? he thought.

Shit, and why am I disappointed?

Why does he feel like he's missing out on knowing her real name?

"Hello, Ma'am TeeCay and Sir Jefferson—here are your drinks."

A waiter placed two glasses of water and two cups of red wine on the table. He didn’t remember ordering, but he guessed TeeCay must have said to bring the red wine.

"Here's the menu." The waiter placed two menu booklets in front of them. "Just call me when you're ready to order."

"No, actually, I'm ready to order," TeeCay said, smiling at him. "What would you like, Jeff?"

Why does this feel reversed? Shouldn't I be the one asking that? I'm the guy, and—

"This is the first time I've been here, but I already know what I want. How about you? Would you like chicken, pork, beef, or fish?"

"I'll have beef." He glanced at the waiter, who was ready to write their orders. "Do you have roasted beef?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Can I get roasted beef with vegetables on the side?"

"We have grilled corn and carrots, cheesy broccoli, buttered corn, and mashed potatoes— you can choose two side dishes, Sir."

"Give me grilled corn and carrots, that's all. Thanks."

The waiter jotted down the order before turning to TeeCay.

"How about you, Ma'am?"

TeeCay let out a sweet, big smile. "One fried chicken for me. Grilled buttered corn and mashed potatoes as my side dishes. Oh, and please bring one plate of creamy fettuccine alfredo. Thanks."

The waiter easily listed everything before repeating the orders back to them.

"One roasted beef with grilled corn and carrots for the gentleman, and one fried chicken with buttered corn and mashed potatoes, and one order of fettuccine alfredo for the lady. I'll have them ready for you now, Ma'am TeeCay and Sir Jeff."

Just as the waiter turned to leave, TeeCay stopped him by grabbing his arm. He turned and faced her again.

"When I said one fried chicken, I meant the whole chicken. And when I said one plate of creamy fettuccine alfredo, I meant the big one." She glanced at him and smiled. "Do you also want pasta, Jefferson? That one big plate is just for me."

He bit his lip to hold back a smile. It wasn’t because of what TeeCay said but because of the waiter’s reaction. He saw the waiter’s eyes widen before he corrected what he'd written.

"No, I'm happy with my order. Thanks for asking."

"There you have it, Mark," TeeCay said, eyeing the waiter’s name tag.

"I'll prepare your orders now, Ma'am. Excuse me for a minute."

Once the waiter was gone, TeeCay turned back to him. She placed her hands on the table, interlocking her fingers, and smiled.

"I thought I asked for a tall, dark, and handsome date. But I guess that's not what the agency sent me."

You just described the real Jeff—the man who was supposed to be your date.

And he couldn’t help but laugh because, aside from the "tall" part, nothing else was right. Oh, he was cute, at least.

"Am I the complete opposite of what you wanted?" he asked, smiling a little.

"You're fine."

Wow. He secretly laughed at himself.

You're just fine, Phillian. You're nothing special...

"You're tall and cute, so that's okay," she added, smiling again. Her eyes squinted from the smile, highlighting her round cheeks.

And he smiled back. It was impossible not to. Her joy was so contagious that he couldn’t help but smile along.

"How long have you been doing escort work?"

The smile left his lips, replaced by a grimace at the sudden question. Why did that sound so awkward?

"N-Not long..."

"Are you enjoying it?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "It was okay."

"So, why exactly did you do it?"

He took a deep breath and tried to force a smile. "Are we seriously talking about this? Shouldn’t we be discussing you and what you want to do tonight? This is your night—and we should make it worthwhile. So, please stop asking about me."

Her hands, which were resting on the table, raised to her chin. She propped her face on her hand and looked at him, her wide smile still in place. He doubted she heard what he said.

"So, what are you looking for in a woman, Jefferson?"

He secretly rolled his eyes. Looks like she didn’t listen to him earlier.

"Nothing in particular," he answered, then took a sip of wine.

"Come on..."

"That's the truth, I don’t have anything specific I’m looking for in a woman. If I get hit, I get hit, I won't dodge." He took another sip of his wine. 

TeeCay pouted, probably not convinced by his answer.

"Does size matter to you?" she asked, her voice lilting with curiosity.

He nearly choked on his wine. She did not just ask that! He quickly recovered, trying to keep his composure. "How about you? Does it?"

"It depends..." she answered, her grin turning devilish, clearly enjoying the effect she was having on him.

"Depends on what?"

"On which part of the body you're talking about," she replied, barely suppressing a giggle.

Oh... He couldn't help but smile. "Then, I have the same answer for you. It depends on which part of the body you're referring to."

TeeCay’s chuckle turned into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. "What if every part of the body is big?"

"Then that's even better—there’s something to hold everywhere."

Her laughter grew louder, drawing the attention of other customers. And he couldn’t help but smile as he watched her. TeeCay’s happiness was surface-level. He suddenly remembered what his mom once told them:

If someone laughs at simple jokes, they’re either lonely or just a kind-hearted person.

So which one was TeeCay?

"Oh my gosh, I didn’t hire a comedian, but that’s what I got," she said, laughing while wiping tears from her eyes.

He smiled faintly and, not being able to hold back, he asked,

"Why did you hire an escort for tonight?"

"What else? So I could have a date. I’ve never been invited to something like this before."

"Why?"

"I don’t know," she answered with a shrug. There was a smile on her lips, but it seemed forced.

"No one’s courting you?"

"Do you really need to ask that? Of course, no."

"Why, though? You’re beautiful, even though..." Shit.

One basic rule when talking to women was never to mention their size!

"Even though I’m sexy?" TeeCay added to his words. He was about to apologize and explain what he meant when she continued. "You sound like my crush, Jefferson. They used to tell me I was beautiful even though I was big—giving me hope, only to end up disappointed."

He leaned back in his chair and stared at her directly.

"Based on the reason you gave the agency, you hired a date tonight because you wanted to feel supported. What’s going on? Support for what?"

TeeCay laughed again. "Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do, Jefferson? Didn’t you agree to make me happy tonight? You took my booking, you agreed to take me on a date and join me on this adventure tonight. You shouldn’t be asking me personal questions."

"I can't help it—I’m just curious why, at your age, you seem like a desperate woman who’s been left behind and is now chasing after a guy—"

He stopped.

What the hell was he saying? He shouldn’t have said that here. He wasn’t in a position to speak like that. He didn’t even know her well—he knew nothing about what she was going through. And he had no right to know, because who the hell was he? He was just dragged into this stupid job by his friend who was originally hired to do this!

He exhaled deeply and looked down.

Shit, he couldn’t meet her eyes now...

"I’m sorry, TeeCay. I didn’t mean to—"

"Nah—don’t worry about it. I’m used to being talked to like that. This is why I paid someone to date me and make me feel special, even just for one night. Someone who would support me and treat me as an equal." She giggled. "But I guess, even if I paid for someone, I still couldn’t get what I wanted."

His guilt was eating him, and he couldn’t even say a word in response. He was an asshole. He forgot his place tonight.

Damn Jeff...

"You can go home after dinner—I’ll be fine." She forced a smile before picking up the wine glass and taking a sip. She looked away, probably to hide the pain in her eyes.

And that’s when he felt even more miserable.

Before he could think of what to do next, he reached out and gently squeezed TeeCay’s hand. She turned to face him and looked him in the eyes. He smiled at her.

"I’ll be your supporter tonight—you can do and say whatever you want around me. I can be your shoulder to cry on, too. That is, if... you want?"

TeeCay’s eyes shimmered with tears.

"You can treat me as your best friend tonight. And if you want, a lover too. Just tell me what to do, and I’ll paint the whole town red with you."

Shit, Phillian—What the fuck?