Lawful Escort
Page 34
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Holly nodded. “She’s an attorney.”
Now it dawned on him. At the reception she’d simply reverted to being herself. No wonder she’d been able to handle Bob.
“Hastings Law School?”
“How did you know?”
“She mentioned it at the reception I took her to. I thought she’d trip herself up. I guess I didn't have to worry.” He paused, now serious. “Holly, tell me what’s going on. I don’t understand why she did it.”
“Why? I’m very persuasive. She knew what was at stake for me. I just wish I would have never asked her to do it.” She gave him a serious look of her own.
“What do you mean? She wasn’t with anybody else but me, was she? Has she done this before?” Anger boiled up in him again. If somebody else had touched her, he’d be ready to kill him.
“No! It was just you. So you tell me something now. Why the hell was she crying her eyes out last night? What did you do to her?” Holly moved forward to emphasize that she wanted an answer.
“She cried? Oh God, I’m an idiot.” Daniel raked his hands through his hair.
“Hey, I'll be the first one to agree with you if you give me more details.” Holly sat back, clearly getting ready for a juicy story.
“Last night my ex-girlfriend showed up at the hotel,” he explained.
“Oh, boy. That's not a good start.”
“It didn’t end well either. I think Holly … sorry, Sabrina thought I was cheating on my girlfriend with her. She didn’t know that Audrey is my ex. She just showed up thinking she can have me back.” He winced at the memory. Now he understood why Sabrina had run. It wasn’t some company policy to get out of the firing line between couples. She’d left because she felt betrayed by him.
“And, are you taking her back?” Holly wanted to know.
“Audrey? Not in a million years. The woman is completely shallow and self-absorbed. Unfortunately, she managed to make Sabrina think I was still with her. So she ran off. And I haven’t been able to get in touch with her since. I called the office last night after she left, but they wouldn’t give me any information.” He paused and looked straight at her. “You have to help me.”
“Help you with what?”
“I want Sabrina back.” It was straight forward. He wanted her.
“Excuse me, but didn’t you hear what I said earlier? She’s not an escort.”
Daniel gripped Holly’s forearms and made her look at him. “Holly, I want Sabrina back. I need her.”
“Are you crazy? She’s not for sale. You can’t just book her.” She shook her head and pulled out of his grip. “What the hell do you want from her?”
He couldn’t answer that question, not if he didn’t want to admit to himself why he wanted her and why he got angry every time he thought of another man touching her.
“I need to tell her the truth about Audrey. I don’t want her to think I’m some cheating son-of-a-bitch. Please, you have to tell me, where I can find her.”
“And let her know that you know she’s not an escort?”
“Excuse me? Of course. I’ll clear everything up with her.”
“The hell you will!”
Was this woman crazy? What reason could she possibly have for not telling Sabrina the truth?
“If she finds out that you know she’s not an escort, she’ll be horrified.”
“Horrified?” He had no idea what Holly was talking about.
“She doesn’t trust men, because too many assholes treated her badly. Before you, she hadn’t had sex in three years. Now I finally get her to let go of her inhibitions, and you’re going to destroy it all by telling her you know she’s not an escort. Fabulous!” Holly huffed indignantly.
“Why would that destroy anything?”
“Because she only slept with you because she thought she’d never see you again, so you couldn’t hurt her. And besides, she felt safe because she could pretend to be somebody else. She could pretend it wasn’t her having sex with a stranger. She could pretend it was me.”
And then it dawned on him. “You planned this?” Startled, he looked at her.
“It took me long enough. I had to wait for the right man for her.”
Her admission shocked him. What kind of person would knowingly send her friend into the lion’s den?
“You couldn’t have known that I’d be the right man. You could have sent her in with some pervert. Are you crazy?” Daniel was furious.
Now it dawned on him. At the reception she’d simply reverted to being herself. No wonder she’d been able to handle Bob.
“Hastings Law School?”
“How did you know?”
“She mentioned it at the reception I took her to. I thought she’d trip herself up. I guess I didn't have to worry.” He paused, now serious. “Holly, tell me what’s going on. I don’t understand why she did it.”
“Why? I’m very persuasive. She knew what was at stake for me. I just wish I would have never asked her to do it.” She gave him a serious look of her own.
“What do you mean? She wasn’t with anybody else but me, was she? Has she done this before?” Anger boiled up in him again. If somebody else had touched her, he’d be ready to kill him.
“No! It was just you. So you tell me something now. Why the hell was she crying her eyes out last night? What did you do to her?” Holly moved forward to emphasize that she wanted an answer.
“She cried? Oh God, I’m an idiot.” Daniel raked his hands through his hair.
“Hey, I'll be the first one to agree with you if you give me more details.” Holly sat back, clearly getting ready for a juicy story.
“Last night my ex-girlfriend showed up at the hotel,” he explained.
“Oh, boy. That's not a good start.”
“It didn’t end well either. I think Holly … sorry, Sabrina thought I was cheating on my girlfriend with her. She didn’t know that Audrey is my ex. She just showed up thinking she can have me back.” He winced at the memory. Now he understood why Sabrina had run. It wasn’t some company policy to get out of the firing line between couples. She’d left because she felt betrayed by him.
“And, are you taking her back?” Holly wanted to know.
“Audrey? Not in a million years. The woman is completely shallow and self-absorbed. Unfortunately, she managed to make Sabrina think I was still with her. So she ran off. And I haven’t been able to get in touch with her since. I called the office last night after she left, but they wouldn’t give me any information.” He paused and looked straight at her. “You have to help me.”
“Help you with what?”
“I want Sabrina back.” It was straight forward. He wanted her.
“Excuse me, but didn’t you hear what I said earlier? She’s not an escort.”
Daniel gripped Holly’s forearms and made her look at him. “Holly, I want Sabrina back. I need her.”
“Are you crazy? She’s not for sale. You can’t just book her.” She shook her head and pulled out of his grip. “What the hell do you want from her?”
He couldn’t answer that question, not if he didn’t want to admit to himself why he wanted her and why he got angry every time he thought of another man touching her.
“I need to tell her the truth about Audrey. I don’t want her to think I’m some cheating son-of-a-bitch. Please, you have to tell me, where I can find her.”
“And let her know that you know she’s not an escort?”
“Excuse me? Of course. I’ll clear everything up with her.”
“The hell you will!”
Was this woman crazy? What reason could she possibly have for not telling Sabrina the truth?
“If she finds out that you know she’s not an escort, she’ll be horrified.”
“Horrified?” He had no idea what Holly was talking about.
“She doesn’t trust men, because too many assholes treated her badly. Before you, she hadn’t had sex in three years. Now I finally get her to let go of her inhibitions, and you’re going to destroy it all by telling her you know she’s not an escort. Fabulous!” Holly huffed indignantly.
“Why would that destroy anything?”
“Because she only slept with you because she thought she’d never see you again, so you couldn’t hurt her. And besides, she felt safe because she could pretend to be somebody else. She could pretend it wasn’t her having sex with a stranger. She could pretend it was me.”
And then it dawned on him. “You planned this?” Startled, he looked at her.
“It took me long enough. I had to wait for the right man for her.”
Her admission shocked him. What kind of person would knowingly send her friend into the lion’s den?
“You couldn’t have known that I’d be the right man. You could have sent her in with some pervert. Are you crazy?” Daniel was furious.
