“Why are you not angry with me?”  Court took a large swallow of beer and stared at his brother across the table.

Cal shrugged.  “Why would I be?  I know you don’t like to hear about my work life, but this is what I do, Court.  I have sex with women for money.  I would have done exactly what you did.  Of course, I wouldn’t have thought to sucker her into an extra ‘get to know you’ date, so thanks for that.”

He winked at Court and took his own swallow of beer. 

Court frowned at his brother.  “Cal, this woman is sweet and a little fragile.  Do you get that?”

“Yeah, yeah.  I’ll admit though – I’m not thrilled that she’s never been banged before.  I’ve done a few virgins in my time and half the time they just lie there.”  Cal was checking his text messages and Court gritted his teeth.

“Cal!”

“What?”  Cal gave him a look of frustration.

“This is important.  You need to be gentle with Julie.  She’s not like the usual - ”

Cal laughed.  “Jesus, Court.  Now you’re trying to give me sex tips?  I hate to tell you this brother but I’ve got skills in the bedroom and I don’t need your advice.  The woman will be completely satisfied, trust me.”

“That isn’t what I meant,” Court said through gritted teeth. 

Cal was busy checking his phone again and Court raked his hand through his hair.  Maybe Julie would chicken out and not even make the appointment.  He kicked Cal under the table and Cal gave him an irritated look.

“What, Courtney?”  His twin only called him by his given name when he was angry with him and Court glared at him.

“Kiss my ass, Calvin.  Julie probably won’t even set up another appointment but if she does - ”

“You don’t give yourself enough credit.  She called Vanessa this morning and set up the appointment.  I’m taking her out tomorrow night.”

“What?  That soon?”  Court stood and paced restlessly back and forth.

“Yes.”  Cal gave him a curious look.  “What the hell is up with you, Court?”

Court, his stomach churning, made a sudden decision.  “Cal, I want you to let me take your place.”

“What?  Why?”

“What does it matter?  I want to take your place.”

“No, man.  I need the money.  I won’t hear back from that investor guy for a couple of weeks.”

Court rolled his eyes.  “You can keep the goddamn money, Cal.  I’m going on the dates with Julie.”

“Why?”  Cal asked again.  “What is up with you and this chick?  I’ve never seen you this worked up over a woman before.  Is this girl like incredibly hot or something?  I mean, she was cute in her picture but something’s got you all hot and bothered.”

“It’s not like that,” Court said.  “In fact, I’m going to do my best to convince her not to go through with this deflowering thing.”

Cal looked up from his phone.  “Whoa!  No you are not!  I told you that I’m already on thin ice with Vanessa.  If this woman calls and complains about me, Vanessa will fire my ass.”

“She won’t put in a complaint.  Julie is very sweet and innocent, and I want the chance to convince her that she should wait for the right man.  Someone who won’t think of her virginity as a burden.”

“Someone like you?”  Cal raised his eyebrow at him.

Court flushed.  “What do you care?  You’ll be getting paid to sit at home and drink beer.”

“Good point.”  Cal tipped his beer to him.  “Fine.  You can go on the date with Julie the Virgin but you have to promise me that you don’t fuck this up.  If Vanessa finds out what we’re doing she won’t just have me fired, she’ll have my balls on a platter.”

“I won’t fuck it up.  Give me Julie’s number.”

Cal shook his head.  “That’s not how it works.  You can’t call her or text her unless she gives you permission.  And even if she does – trust me, it’s not a good idea to contact her outside of your scheduled appointments.  Very few escorts contact their clients outside of working hours.  It’s frowned on by the agency because it usually means you’re making some extra money self-contracting, if you get what I mean.”

He drained his beer and set the bottle on the table with a loud thump.  “I’ll text you her address.  You’re picking her up tomorrow at four for your ‘date’.  I had Meagan at the agency tell her it was casual dress.  Got it?”

“I’ve got it,” Court replied.

“One last thing - if it goes past four hours, you need to text me and let me know exactly how much longer it was.  Do you understand?  I’ll need to send in the information to the office so they can bill her credit card the extra charge.”

“Yeah, I’ll let you know.”  Court stood and started toward the door of his brother’s apartment.

“Court?”

He paused in the doorway.  “Yeah?”

“Don’t get me fired.”

“I won’t,” Court said firmly.  “Text me her address.”

 

* * *

 

She was waiting nervously in the hallway when he rang the doorbell.  She waited a beat and then opened the door.  Cal smiled at her before letting his gaze drift over her body and she blushed.  He was wearing jeans and a dark green t-shirt that clung to his upper body.  She stared for a long moment at the bulging biceps in his arms before making herself look away.

“You look beautiful, Julie,” Cal said warmly.

“Thank you.  Am I – is my outfit appropriate?” 

Mary had taken her shopping yesterday and helped her pick out her outfit.  She was wearing a dark pink empire-style dress.  It hugged her breasts and flowed loosely down her body to her knees.  Mary had squealed over the way it showcased her chest but Julie had chosen it because it hid the bulge of her stomach and her thick thighs.  It was autumn and a bit too cool for the sleeveless dress but she had a dark brown cardigan to wear over it.  It was soft and warm and it made her more comfortable to have her arms hidden.

Mary had frowned over the cardigan, insisting that no woman wore a cardigan on a date, but Julie had refused to budge.  Mary had finally allowed her to wear it when Julie promised not to button it up.

Now, Cal gave her another warm, appreciative look that made her entire body tingle.  “Yes.  You look amazing.  Really.”

“Thank you,” she replied.

Court tried not to stare at Julie.  It was obvious she was feeling self-conscious and he still couldn’t believe that she didn’t have at least some idea of how gorgeous she was.  The dark pink of her dress highlighted the paleness of her skin, rather than washing her out, and he could hardly stop himself from touching her dark hair to see if it was as soft as it looked.  She wasn’t wearing makeup, just a touch of something glossy on her lips and he studied the curve of her bottom lip.  He had the ridiculous urge to suck on it and he cleared his throat loudly.

“You have a lovely home,” he said politely.  He’d been a little shocked when he’d pulled up to the address that Cal had texted him and seen the size of the house.  It was a literal mansion and he peered interestedly over her shoulder at the paintings that adorned the walls of the wide hallway.

“Thanks,” she said briefly.  “So should we get going or…”

“Yes, absolutely.  Wait – are you wearing comfortable shoes?”  He glanced down at her feet.  She was wearing flat sandals and he nodded his approval. 

“Yup, those’ll do.”  He held out his hand and after a brief hesitation she took it.  He waited while she locked the door and then took her hand again and led her to his vehicle.

She looked in surprise at his battered truck as he opened the passenger door. 

“What?”  He raised his eyebrows at her.

“Nothing,” she said quickly.  “It’s, uh, I guess I thought an escort would drive like a sports car, or something.”

“That’s my other car.”  He winked at her and she smiled shyly at him before climbing into the truck.

“So, where are we going?”  She asked curiously as he drove down the street.  He drove with an easy confidence and she smoothed her dress down as he turned left and accelerated.

“It’s a surprise.”  He grinned at her.  “But, if you ask me nicely I’ll give you a hint.”

She laughed.  “Please, will you give me a hint?”

“Well, since you asked so sweetly.  You’ll need comfortable shoes.”

She laughed again.  “That’s not a hint.”

“Sure it is.”

“It is not,” she argued.

“I’ll give you one more hint,” he said teasingly.  “A sweet tooth is required.”

She mulled that over as he drove through the streets until they were on the outskirts of the city.  She gasped softly at the large Ferris wheel looming in the distance.

“The fair!”  She grinned delightedly at him.

“That’s right.”  He returned her smile.  “The fall fair is going on and I thought it would be fun to go.  What do you think?  We could always do something different if you want.”

“No.  The fair is a wonderful idea,” she replied.

“Great!”  He turned off the highway and she leaned forward and stared at the fairgrounds as they grew closer.

“I’ve never been to a fair before,” she confessed.

“You’re kidding.”

“No, my father didn’t approve of them.  He said they were full of thieves and liars.”

He didn’t reply as he pulled into the large parking lot and parked the truck.  The lot was already close to overflowing and she felt a mild thread of anxiety.  Years of being around no one but her father had made her leery of large crowds, and she took a deep breath as Cal hopped out of the truck and crossed in front of it. 

He opened her door and held out his hand.  “Ready?”

She gathered her courage and took his offered hand.  “Yes.”

 

* * *

 

Court took Julie’s hand and squeezed it.  “Are you getting tired?”

“No, not at all.”  She clutched the small stuffed elephant that he had won her at the ring toss game, a little closer.  “I’m having a wonderful time.”

“Good.”  He held out the bag of cotton candy.  “Have some cotton candy.”

She started to reach for it before dropping her hand.  “I’d better not.”

“Why not?”  He frowned at her.

She shrugged.  “I’ve already had a hot dog and a candy apple and I’m, you know, chubby enough.”

He rolled his eyes.  “Your body is perfect.  Have some cotton candy, Julie.”

She flushed and reached into the bag, snagging a large piece of the soft pink candy and popping it into her mouth.”

“Good?”

“Yes, so good.”  She grinned at him like a little kid and he held the bag out to her.

“Would you like some more?”

She took another large handful and he watched as she ate the sugary candy slowly.  When she was done, she licked her fingers and his cock hardened against his jeans as he watched her suck at her long fingers.  He caught a hint of her small pink tongue and he could barely stop from groaning out loud.

“Cal?” 

He realized with a start that Julie was saying his brother’s name and he tore his gaze from her mouth.  She was staring at him and her pale cheeks were flushed.

“Yes?”  He prayed she wouldn’t look down and see the noticeable bulge in the front of his jeans.

“Are you okay?  You have a weird look on your face,” she said hesitantly.

He bet he did.  He made himself smile at her before reaching in and grabbing a handful of the cotton candy.  “I’m great, Julie.  I’m having a really nice time.”

“Me too.  Thank you, Cal,” she said shyly.

“You’re welcome.  Come on, there’s one last thing we need to do before the fireworks start.”

“What’s that?”

“Ride the Ferris wheel of course.”  He grinned at her and took her hand, tugging her toward the giant wheel that lit up the night sky.

“Cal, wait.  I’m not really much of a ride person,” she protested as he led her forward and they stood in line.

“It’ll be fine.  The Ferris wheel is perfectly safe.  I promise.”

They were at the front of the line now and he handed the ride operator their tickets and the man opened up the gate.  He held her hand and led her to the brightly coloured bucket.  He sat down on it and patted the seat beside him.

“Just try it, Julie.  I promise it’ll be worth it.”

Julie took a nervous look behind her.  The ride operator was giving her an impatient look and she smiled weakly at him before sitting next to Cal.  His wide body took up most of the seat and she blushed with embarrassment when she had to wedge her full ass into the seat beside him.  Cal smiled at her and put his arm across the back of the seat as the ride operator swung the metal bar closed and locked it.

He returned to the controls and pushed a lever.  Their bucket moved with a jolt and she gave a breathless gasp of surprise.  Cal rubbed her arm through her cardigan as they moved backwards into the night sky.

“You okay?”

“Y-yes,” she stammered. 

The Ferris wheel ground to a halt as the operator loaded the next passengers in and she squeaked with fear when their bucket rocked back and forth.

“It’s fine,” Cal said soothingly.  He tugged her toward him and she leaned into his warmth.  The air was even cooler now that the sun had gone down and he rubbed her arm again.

“Are you too cold?”  He wasn’t wearing a jacket but his body was deliciously warm and she leaned more firmly against him.

“No.  Why?”  She asked.

“The tip of your nose is red and you’re trembling,” he replied.

“I’m not cold,” she said. 

She was too embarrassed to admit that she was trembling from the feel of his warm, hard body against hers.  She had never been this close to a man before and every nerve in her body was singing.  She was acutely aware of the warmth of his thigh against hers through the thin material of her dress.  Of the way his hand continued to rub her arm and the way his breath stirred her hair.

“Are you sure?”  He asked.

“Yes.”  She made herself smile at him as the Ferris wheel slowly began to turn.  She held her breath as they rose to the top and let it out in a harsh rush when the midway, its lights twinkling and gleaming in the cool air, was presented to them.

“Wow,” she whispered.

She reached for his hand and he held it tightly as the wheel began its descent.  They sat in silence as they rode, Julie smiling with delight every time the wheel carried them to the top.  On their fourth go-around, the wheel ground to a halt as they reached the very top and Julie gasped again. 

She stared around eagerly, her fear forgotten, before turning and grinning at Cal.  “It’s so beautiful.”

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered.

The hand that was stroking her arm moved upward and cupped the back of her neck beneath the soft mass of her hair.  Before she could react, he tugged her forward and pressed his mouth against hers.

Court groaned.  Julie’s lips were incredibly soft and when she gasped against his mouth, he threw caution to the wind and slid his tongue past her parted lips.  She tasted like the cotton candy she had been eating, sweet and sugary, and he brushed his tongue against hers as she made a low and husky moan.

He cupped her face, rubbing her cheek with his thumb as he deepened the kiss.  He explored her mouth with slow, careful deliberateness as she pressed her lush body against his.  The bucket rocked back and forth and he used the motion in his kiss, pressing firmly then lightly on her mouth as the bucket swayed.  She moaned and pressed harder against him, and he sucked on her lower lip before pulling back and smiling at her.

Her eyes were closed and her mouth was still parted and he rubbed his thumb across her bottom lip.  She made a soft little sigh and opened her eyes, blinking rapidly at him.

“Cal, please,” she whispered.

“Court,” he said roughly.

She gave him a confused look.  “I’m sorry?”

“My name is Court.”  He didn’t care what happened.  He couldn’t listen to Julie moaning his brother’s name in that husky, sexy voice.

“Court?”  She was starting to pull back from him and he shifted closer to her, threading his fingers into her soft hair and holding gently.

“The agency asks us not to use our real name,” he lied.

“Oh.”  She bit at that deliciously sweet bottom lip.  “Why are you telling me your real name then?  Won’t you get in trouble?”

He smiled at her.  “Only if you tell them I told you.”

“I won’t,” she said solemnly.  “I promise.”

“I know you won’t.”  He pressed another quick kiss against her mouth as the ride began to move again.

He sat back and she curled into him like a kitten.  He took her hand and rubbed the palm of her hand with his thumb.  She shivered delicately and then smiled shyly at him.

“Court is a different name.”

He grinned widely.  “My parents thought I was going to be a girl so they chose Courtney.  When I was born they were a little surprised.”

“So, they decided to keep the name Courtney anyway?”

He gave a long-suffering sigh.  “My father has a unique sense of humour and my mother agreed to it when he promised to call me Court.”

“And does he?”  She asked.

He laughed.  “Most of the time.”

“I like it,” she announced.  “It’s different and besides, you’re manly enough to pull off a girl’s name.”

“Why thank you, little lady.”  He made a show of flexing his biceps in front of her and she snorted and rolled her eyes as they stopped at the bottom and the ride operator unlocked the metal bar.

Holding hands, they walked down the midway.  There were still crowds of people but her escort was a big man and people naturally moved out of his way as they walked.  It was like that all afternoon and she breathed another silent prayer of thanks.  The thought of being around so many strange people, the possibility of them touching her or bumping into her, had made her more anxious than she realized and it was a relief when no one but Cal touched her.

Court, she reminded herself.  His name is Court.

“Have you told other, um, dates what your real name is?”  She asked.

“No,” he replied.

A little thrill went through her and she made herself tamp it down.  It didn’t matter that he hadn’t told other women his real name.  She needed to remember that this was his job and sharing his real name with her didn’t mean anything.

They were almost to the parking lot and she gave him a timid look.  “Are you – is the date over?  I thought we were going to watch the fireworks.”

“We are, but I have the perfect spot to watch the fireworks.  Trust me.” he replied.

Smiling happily to herself, Julie followed him toward the truck.