Chapter Five

Harper

Blood pooled in my toes at the sight of Olivia standing there in her jewels and fancy gown. I’d hoped she’d moved away, or died, in the years since high school. At the sight of her, panic had consumed me. Then nausea. She’d been so evil to me, spreading the Bacon moniker like wildfire through the school. I’d cried for months. If we hadn’t been dirt poor, I’d have forced my mom to move so I could change schools.

I’d been sure she’d recognize me. But then, whenever Reed was present, I was invisible. She hadn’t seen me then, and she hadn’t seen me now. Even though she didn’t call me out in front of Reed, she was still the same hateful, self-absorbed witch she’d always been. Due to my success, I could forgive but never forget.

Bad enough to be blindsided by the re-appearance of Reed Matheson in my life, but Olivia too? I felt like God had it out for me. Maybe I didn’t deserve any true happiness. Worse, she had the nerve to both insult me and come on to him in the space of a single sentence, all with her husband not five feet away. Her massive ego had overflowed the boundaries of decency.

My head spun, but my feet knew what to do. Everything around me blurred except the path to the exit. I’d made a huge mistake and had to put an end to it. My stilettos didn’t even slow me down as I sprinted up the steps and out onto the main street, gasping for breath in the early autumn air. It smelled like rain, and I scanned desperately up and down the curb for a taxi.

I spotted one a half block ahead and hurried toward it, my heels clattering against the concrete as I ran. I pulled the latch on the cab’s door and cast a furtive glance behind me before diving into the back seat. I saw Reed burst out of the theater door, looking in both directions. His eyes fell on me just as I ducked into the safety of the car.

“Pull away,” I yelled to the driver, slamming the door shut behind me and putting Reed Matheson permanently in the past.

From the rear window, I saw Reed take a few running steps after us, but halted as the car began to accelerate. An injured knee probably precluded a foot pursuit in any case. All the bad memories came flooding back, along with my tears. The two of them had hurt me all over again, without even knowing it. But as my thoughts cleared, I recalled Olivia’s words. She’d also hurt Reed with her cutting remarks about his ex-wife. She didn’t care about anyone but herself.

Despite my pain, I felt awful for Reed too. It dawned on me how badly his ex and his agent must have ruined him if he was willing to sell his body for money. Surely professional athletes had some kind of insurance or pension to fall back on? I had more money than I deserved, yet so many others struggled just to survive. In a way, my success stemmed from that struggle, but I’d built MediGo to fill a need, to help those who suffered from pain and illness by connecting them with practitioners, researchers, and support groups.

I sighed and pushed away my tendency to save everything and everyone. Reed Matheson’s misfortune was none of my concern. I shrugged off the invading ghosts of the past. They were history and always would be. Only the future mattered, and my immediate future included a one-on-one meeting with Ms. Irene Sutton, to tell her exactly how I felt about her matchmaking skills. When my chosen date had canceled, she should have called me and waited until he was well enough again to see me and do his damn job.

***

I called Julie first thing the next morning to tell her I wouldn’t be in the office until later. I think I shocked her even more with another announcement about being late than I had by actually leaving early the previous day. I couldn’t even use the pretense of having gone on a bender, as she wouldn’t have believed me. My career persona as an uptight, single, workaholic with no personal life of note was in serious need of an overhaul.

I took the elevator to Irene’s office, ready to ream her out for her poor choice of escort and threaten to take my business elsewhere. Of course, I hadn’t the foggiest idea where that would be. I’d struggled to find Irene’s business on the down low. She didn’t know my true identity because I’d only had to provide proof of funds. Money talked, and everything else walked. Regardless, I couldn’t afford the spotlight of a sex scandal, it would ruin my company and our stellar reputation for helping others.

When I entered her office, she seemed out of sorts. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and a pile of crumpled tissues littered her usually pristine desktop.

She straightened and became all business as she saw me.

“Oh, Laurie. Excuse me, I wasn’t expecting you. I trust everything went well last night?” She quickly tossed the used tissues into her wastebasket. Part of me wanted to make it personal and ask her what had caused her distress.

“It did not. In fact, it was a disaster. I felt I needed to tell you personally. I’m not convinced your company is the right fit for me.”

Irene looked panic stricken and started wringing her hands. I appeared to have added to her anxiety over whatever had caused her so much emotion.

“Oh dear, I’m so terribly sorry. We have an excellent customer satisfaction rating. I’ll rectify the situation immediately. Tell me what happened.”

I glanced down at my shoes for a moment. It was my own fault just as much as Irene’s. As much as I’d love to spin a yarn and blame the whole damn thing on Reed, he’d really behaved like the perfect gentleman. He really tried.

“I didn’t say anything yesterday because I know you had to supply a replacement on short notice. At the time, I didn’t think it would be a problem, but…”

I sighed and looked up at her face that registered genuine concern. She’d slipped on her glasses to disguise the puffiness around her eyes, and I suddenly felt sorry for the woman. Nearing sixty, her glam team had done an excellent job. However, a pervasive sadness showed through her façade. I sensed she was just as lonely as her clients.

“Reed went to my high school. He didn’t recognize me because I’ve changed a lot since then. I thought it would be fun, a lark, pretending to be someone else. He was very popular at school.”

Irene forced a smile and nodded. “Yes, I’m sure he was. He’s still a very good looking man. A former pro athlete. He’s very new to the business, so I apologize if he said or did something unprofessional.”

“It’s not that. I just couldn’t go through with it. At intermission, we happened to bump into someone else from school, someone who… just underlined what a mistake I’d made in thinking this process would be right for me. So, I left.”

“I see,” Irene said, nodding. “Again, I do apologize. I don’t want to lose you as a client, Laurie. You’re a very successful woman, and I sincerely want to help you. Referrals are the main source of new business for us since we can’t use a normal advertising platform. Allow me to arrange another escort for you, no additional charge.”

“Thank you, but I’m not interested in a freebie. I do want you to keep the fee for last night, though. It wasn’t Reed’s fault, and I trust you won’t tell him what I’ve just told you.”

“Of course not, and it’s very generous of you to honor the agreement.” Irene recovered her smile, no doubt glad to hear her profits wouldn’t suffer over the incident. She held up a polished index finger. “I have someone else in mind since your original choice is still regrettably ill. Just a moment.”

She went to her computer screen and brought up a photo. This had better be good, I thought and sucked in a breath at the image that displayed. A dead ringer for David Beckham, and just as muscled. I ogled the expanse of pecs and washboard abs in the full-length shot, not to mention the attractive bulge in his boxer briefs.

“Do you like him?” she asked.

“He looks very… gifted.” I cleared my throat. “Why is he not wearing clothes? Most of the other photos I saw had men dressed in designer suits.”

“Cody is a special case. He’s a former underwear model. You might have seen him in ads or catalogs for Under Armour and Saxx. His career ended because of a scar on his back. Weightlifting injury. Like most young men in their twenties, he didn’t plan well for his future. Spent all his earnings on drugs and women. He’s clean now but poor.”

“Oh, I see,” I said, not quite believing his equipment existed in real life. Maybe he modeled for ‘MyPackage,’ too. He appeared to have a great one. Hopefully, it wasn’t just for show, or fake. “He’ll do. Make it happen, Irene. You know I want to, um, lose my physical impairment as soon as possible.”

“I understand. I’m sure Cody will take excellent care of you.”

Mission accomplished, no harm no foul. I headed back to my own office. This Cody might take care of my physical needs, but twinges of guilt began to filter in over Reed and the fiasco of last night. I had no way of contacting him, except through Irene. Did I owe him an apology? I didn’t think so. He would get his money, even though I’d run out on him, not the other way around. It sounded like he needed the cash. Besides, memories of the friendship we once shared—and the way it ended—were beginning to haunt me. Could I separate my past feelings for him from the present? I wasn’t so sure.