Chapter Twelve

Reed

“Of course, we’d love to,” Milo said over the phone. “You know Jess is welcome at our place anytime. Tania loves having her around. The only bad thing is it gives her serious baby fever.”

I laughed, loving the idea of Milo being a dad. “Thanks, Meathead. I know she’s bored around here, and my culinary skills definitely pale in comparison to Tania’s. I’m hoping she’ll get her to eat more. Jess is losing weight,” I confided in my best friend.

Though Tania’s cooking wasn’t the only reason I was asking for Jessica to stay overnight with Uncle Milo, it was an enticing one for a lovely lady who didn’t have children of her own. Otherwise, she had to put up with Milo’s company 24/7.

“That’s not good. Don’t worry, we’ll have her stuffed with lots of high calorie carb-loaded Polish delicacies by morning.”

“Thanks, Milo. Really appreciate this.”

I heard Milo exhale loudly. A hiss of breath carrying all the implications of the words that remained unsaid.

“You’re welcome. Are you gonna tell me what your deal is, Grunt? Or do I have to cheat it out of you around the poker table?”

“What?” I asked in my most innocent tone, knowing in advance my lack of transparency would push his buttons.

“What important business meeting do you have to attend that will take all night? If I didn’t trust you with my life inside the boards, I’d say this whole thing is pretty fishy. I was only kidding about the Motel 6 thing, but you’re giving me some serious doubts, bro. You don’t have to flash your junk for money. Please tell me you haven’t set up some porn website where you make love to the webcam?”

I laughed into the phone, hoping to defray Milo’s intimations. With any luck, I’d have the cash I needed before he got wind of what I was really up to.

“Comforting to know you think so little of me. Relax, man. It’s a classy dinner affair I have to attend with some potential business partners. They need to see if I can swim with the sharks… play with the big boys, you know. It’ll pay off big if I can impress them with my social skills.”

“Skills,” Milo scoffed. “The only skills you’ve got are fast hands and loose morals.”

“Ah, essential business tools, wouldn’t you say?” I replied with an air of pride. “I’ll bring Jess over around five, okay?”

“You slither like a snake, man, but I still love ya. See you then.”

I disconnected with a smile on my face. Good friends like Milo were hard to come by, and I felt blessed to know him. But my smile spanned ear to ear for other reasons right now. By some stroke of luck, Laurie had asked Irene to set us up again. The Minnesota Madam hadn’t sounded exactly happy about it, but she was a businesswoman after all, and in business, the customer was always right. My balls tightened with anticipation. Could it be possible that Laurie could become my only customer? That would be a blessing sent from heaven. I could help Jess and not become a despicable whore in the process. I’d run around more than a bit in my day, but at thirty-two and a single father, I wanted to be a role model and not a degenerate.

I knew it was a fancy fundraiser of some kind, and for this, I’d need a tux. Since I didn’t own one anymore, I had to head over to Irene’s a bit early to get fitted. Jess whined as I helped her pack her Elsa and Anna overnight bag for the trip to Milo’s.

“What’s wrong, Princess? You love Uncle Milo and Aunt Tania. They’ve got a whole evening planned for you. Board games, movies, you name it. And fudge brownie, I’m sure.”

“I don’t want to go out, Daddy. Can’t you stay home with me?” Her big beautiful eyes looked hollowed and dark. Nothing would have made me happier than to comply, but her sad expression only underscored the need for me to score this gig. To save her, and make those bright eyes dance with life again and spend all the nights in the world with her.

“I have something very important to do, sweetheart. Something that will make you feel better tomorrow, the next day, and all the days after that. Then we can be together all the time. Wouldn’t you like that?”

Her lips formed a pout, then relaxed again. She seemed tired of the fight and nodded in agreement. My heart ached to help her. She was stronger than I’d ever been, and she put me to shame. I would do this.

For her.

***

After dropping Jessica off at Milo’s massive house in a gated community, I drove over to Irene’s condo tower. Again, I focused on the control panel of the elevator to avoid looking outside and watching the terra firma drop away beneath my feet. With a ding, the doors opened, and a gentleman stood outside, waiting to get on board. He stood aside for me, and I recognized him.

Silver-haired and distinguished, he wore a sharp black tuxedo with a brocade cummerbund that both looked fresh off the Irene Sutton racks. Sheridan and Sloane, my mind recited. A businesslike smile washed briefly over his lined features as he entered the elevator without comment. Apparently, the recognition wasn’t mutual.

I didn’t really give a shit, but I couldn’t help but ponder the circumstances under which an established, married, local lawyer would be visiting Irene Sutton’s establishment. He could be just renting a tux. Or he could be an escort like myself, but that wasn’t likely. More likely he was a regular client, and if so, that’d make him a cheating, established, married local lawyer. And it couldn’t happen to a better person, his plastic bitch of a trophy wife, Olivia Sheridan. She was a dead lay. I knew it, and obviously, he did too.

I brushed the amusing thoughts of her laying like petrified wood beneath me aside and strode to Irene’s suite. She’d picked out a slick number that fit me perfectly or so she said as she wiped some invisible dust off the breadth of my shoulders. It did look good in the mirror. The lady knew her stuff, in either line of work.

She scanned me up and down in appraisal.

“You look good,” Irene said, unusually tight-lipped. “You’re lucky she’s giving you another chance, so I’m warning you. Don’t screw this up, Reed. Laurie could be a lucrative client. For both of us. Her pockets are as deep as the Mississippi.”

“Hey, I’ve been waiting for this. You know I won’t blow it. You can trust me.”

“We’ll see about that,” she said, crossing her arms, and assailing me with one last scalding look.

What crawled up her pants today? Maybe that was her problem. Nothing had been in her pants in ages. But I couldn’t imagine that. Not when she had access to all the hottest guys in Minnesota.

“The limo is waiting for you,” she said. “You’ll be picking Laurie up on your way.”

Her tone smacked of dismissal, and I didn’t have to be told twice.

“Fine by me,” I said and headed for the door. “Have a nice evening.”

“Reed?” I stopped with one hand on the doorknob and turned my head toward her. “Don’t forget our plans for a training session.”

I tossed her a cavalier grin. She looked regretful for her stern words a moment ago.

“Just tell me where and when,” I said, reiterating my earlier reply.

Damn. She did want something in her pants. And I was pretty sure it was me, which explained a lot. She was jealous that I was seeing Laurie. A shiver of disgust crawled up my spine, but I tamped it down. Anything for my Jess. And pissing off Irene wouldn’t get me the cash I needed. The older woman lusting after me was a complication I didn’t need, but I refused to let it bother me. I was on my way to fuck the woman of my dreams and get paid for it. Did life ever get any better? Yeah, it did. When my beautiful angel was cancer free. That was when it would get better.

***

Laurie Arnold looked like a million bucks as our driver ushered her into the limo. And judging by her residence, she had millions in her pocket, too. So much for Laurie being a big, fat liar. So, she wasn’t lying about her success but could she still be lying about her place at MediGo? I still found it odd that she wasn’t mentioned anywhere on the company’s extensive website.

It wasn’t winter yet, but she settled into the luxurious back seat next to me wearing a sexy red gown and a silk cape that set off the platinum perfection of her shiny hair. A diamond necklace graced her delicate collarbone, but my attention fixated on the sparkling blue eyes north of it.

“Hi,” she said with a sweet, genuine smile that contrasted with her provocative outfit.

Her blonde hair was swept to the side with her long bangs over one eye. Skip the dinner. I wanted to eat her right there, figuratively and literally. Split those lovely legs beneath the fancy dress and suck her clit to an orgasm before we even reached the venue. I couldn’t wait to taste her. But then, I’d probably end up addicted to the sweetness of her nectar, and that couldn’t be good for my ultimate goal.

“Hi,” I said in a gritty tone, unable to disguise the raw lust in my voice. Every inch of silky skin beckoned to me, inciting my eyes, lips, and tongue. “You look wonderful.”

The twinkle in her eyes said she wouldn’t mind being devoured by my lips and tongue. Shit. How would I ever get through this damn dinner so I could get my dessert?

“So do you. I’m glad you were available on such short notice.”

“I’m all yours,” I said and meant it.

In. Every. Fucking. Way. Possible.

“Good. Because I have something I need you to do tonight. It’s important.”

More important than fucking your brains out?

“I know. I would have done it for you before, if things had worked out right.”

She shook her head, an appreciative grin on her lovely face.

“Well, yes, that and something else. Something really important.”

I cocked my head in curiosity. What could be more important than making her scream my name as she yanked my hair out by the roots while I ate her pussy?

“Such as?”

“You’ll see.”