Lexi
Shit, shit, and shit! My flight got delayed, and it’s already five in the afternoon. Now I have to rush home, shower, and get to Ethan’s apartment, all in less than two hours. God, just kill me now. I may as well give him a heads up so he can’t get mad if I'm late.
Lexi– I just landed. My flight was delayed. Sorry.
I sent Ms. Jackie a message as well to let her know what was happening. I want to give him as little ammunition as possible if he goes to her and tries to complain.
Ethan– Okay.
I don’t know what kind of sin I have committed in my past to deserve such an awful punishment as tonight will be. Sitting through dinner with an uptight dick who thinks he’s better than me, and denies me the decency of a true conversation, is going to be pure hell.
Walking around the bedroom, I see so many choices of what to wear. Since this is a casual dinner, I decided on a cute little summer dress. After a spritz of my Dior perfume, I grab my keys and leave. I remind myself repeatedly on the drive over to be professional. There will be no surprises since I already know Ethan will be an ass, but he's the client, asshole or not.
I drive down to his apartment singing along to the music playing loudly in my car. It helps get rid of the nervous jitters. I brought wine, and now I don’t know why. I guess I figured it was the polite thing to do. Aren’t you supposed to bring a gift to the host?
Knocking on the door, I plaster on a smile as it starts opening. Ethan is on the phone, and he waves me in without even a glance in my direction. Asshole.
Putting the wine on the kitchen counter, I watch him walking toward me with the phone still to his ear. He looks at the bottle of wine and shakes his head. Well, I guess the wine was a bad idea. He still hasn’t shaven. It's a good look on him. It makes me want to run my hands over it to see how it feels.
He walks to the other side and pours a glass of wine from the bottle in his stash. I roll my eyes with a tilt of my lips. He must be annoyed I brought my brand of wine. Standing in front of me, he hands me the glass then walks away.
“Yes, but I said I wanted that file finished today… I don’t care that I only gave it to you this morning… Fine, but before you go home tomorrow it, better be on my desk.” He puts the phone down and then turns toward me.
As he walks over, his eyes don’t leave mine. He stops in front of me then leans in closer. The sound of him inhaling my scent is loud in the quiet room, but then he moves back and grabs his wine glass off the table as if he didn’t do something strange. “I have wine. You didn’t need to bring any,” he says as he walks away.
I let that one slide and don’t reply. “Would you like to be called? Mr. Knight or Ethan, tonight?” I ask. His text message didn’t give me much information about how the night is to be played out.
Without turning around, he asks, “What would you like to call me?” He’s not being playful when he says it, either. I stay quiet. I’m unsure about how to answer. I don't even know what the hell I’m doing here, much less what he expects of me. “Ethan.” He never drops his direct stare into my eyes as he walks back toward me.
The way Ethan looks at me can be very intense. It’s like how you would envision a vampire looks when they want to suck the blood out of you. Hungry.
I wonder what he thinks when he looks at me. It feels like he’s drinking in every inch of my body. Everywhere his eyes touch makes me feel like I’ve lost a part of myself in him.
“Take your coat off.”
Please. I let the jacket fall from my arms, and his fingers softly touching my arms sends a pulse of heat through my body. I go to pull the chair out, but Ethan beats me to it. He takes a napkin and places it on my lap. He lingers there like he wants to say something but pulls away when we hear a knock at the door.
As he goes to answer the door, I pull my phone out and send Ms. Jackie a message.
Lexi– Does Ethan know that we don’t have sex with, or date our clients?
I may be wrong, but the looks he gives me and how he gets in my personal space makes me feel like he wants more from me.
Ms. Jackie– Yes, I gave him the contract with the rules. Everything okay?
I replay the contract in my head. One Call provides women as a date in a public place. The call girl is paid to be present at a social function, such as a cocktail party or a business dinner. They're not paid for anything other than their time. We provide companionship only. Kissing is allowed if the situation requires it, and both the call girl and client are in agreement. No sexual favors will be provided, including blowjobs, handjobs, etc.
Lexi– Yes, I think. He just seems very intense. Will message you when I get home. x
Putting my phone down, I jump when I feel his hand on me. He scared the shit out of me.
Ethan plates the food with wrapped chicken, vegetables, and some fancy sauce on the side. He pours me some more wine before sitting down next to me.
“This looks very nice,” I say. I need to make this comfortable, otherwise I won’t be able to work with him in the future. “Next time, I'll have to make you dinner.” I smile as I cut some of my chicken.
“Open.”
Please. I look over at him as he brings his fork to my mouth. My eyes are wide as I watch him feed me. Slowly shutting my mouth around the fork, his eyes remain fixated on my mouth. I close my eyes, and a small moan leaves my throat. The chicken with the orange sauce is amazing. Opening my eyes, I look at Ethan. Fuck! If the devil wasn't smiling before, he is now.
I take a sip of wine and look out at the nightlight of San Francisco. “Have you lived here long?” I ask, trying hard to move past what just happened.
“Five years or so.”
“It’s a wonderful place. Do you—”
“Do you like your job?” he cuts in. I notice he’s not really looking at me, but more like past me.
“Yes. How else would I be able to buy Jimmy’s?” I smile at him. I love my shoes. One day I hope to own as many as Carrie does from Sex in the City.
Ethan’s eyebrow lifts as he catches my gaze. “Jimmy?” he asks me.
“My shoes, Jimmy Choo.” I point to them with a smile. He doesn’t reply, but takes a quick look at them and returns his attention back to his food.
Looking back outside, I take little side glimpses of him from the corner of my eye. He never does just one thing and he never stops moving. He's either messaging on his phone, looking out the window or looking over at me as I eat my food.
I have no idea what to make of this night. I’m uncomfortable because he's not telling me what he wants from me.
Finishing my dinner, I push my chair back and start toward the kitchen to place my dishes in the dishwasher.
“Sit.”
Please. Why can’t he just say please? I look over at him and slowly sit back down. As he's walking away, I take another look around. I thought the purpose of me coming today was for us to get to know each other a little. That way it would be easier when I attend events and such with him. But I’m not learning anything new about him. Maybe I should google him.
“I didn’t know what kind of desserts you liked, so I got an assortment of them.” He puts down a plate full of different mini desserts, cheesecake, chocolate cake, and chocolate mousse. There are so many to choose from.
“Thank you. I do have a sweet tooth.” I take a bite of chocolate mousse and never have I had anything that tasted so smooth in my life. It's so light and silky. I take another spoonful and smile at this simple pleasure.
“Oh my God, that’s good.” I can feel him watching me as I finish the mousse. Putting the small bowl down I look at him. He's leaning back in his chair with his arms across his chest.
“Do you have your planner with you?”
“Yes.” I get up and pull the book from my bag. “I'll let Ms. Jackie know which days I’m with you, so she can book my other clients around everything,” I say. Sitting back down, I notice his body tense.
“How many do you have?”
“Four, including you.” I open my planner up to this week. “So—”
“Tomorrow, I would like you for breakfast and dinner.”
I wish he would let me finish a sentence without cutting me off. “I can do breakfast, but I’m busy in the evening. What time, and where would you like breakfast?” My pen hovers above the page ready to write whatever he says next.
“Here, at eight. Are you with another client tomorrow night?”
I watch him carefully before I say anything else. He's still leaning back in his chair, but there's a visible clench of his jaw. “I don’t have clients in town, but I do have a date.”
His body relaxes a little, but then tenses back up again. “Cancel.”
I look at him in surprise. What? I don’t think so. I need to have sex. It's no longer a matter of want. It has been a few months and I'm now in the need category. I open my mouth to tell him, but he speaks first.
“Cancel it. End of discussion.” He stands up and walks away from me.
I’m left with my mouth wide open. How dare he? I can’t work with him if this is how it's going to be. I'll have to talk to Ms. Jackie about this.
I stand up and put my coat on. “I’ll be here for breakfast, but I won’t be canceling my dinner date.” I turn to face him. He wants to demand I cancel my date, but it’s not happening. I'll stand firm.
“See you at eight.” Ethan opens the door and when I get closer he hands me the bottle of wine I brought with me. “Don’t bring anything.”
Ignoring him, I walk out of the apartment and down the corridor. As I wait for the elevator to arrive, I take my phone out and send a quick message to Ms. Jackie.
Lexi– We need to talk!!
I know Ms. Jackie will fight me about this, but I have a gut feeling that he wants more than what we provide.
Ms. Jackie– Meet you at your place.
Even though it’s late, I knew she would come talk to me.
***
As soon as I walk in the door, I go to the kitchen and open the bottle of wine I took with me. I fill my glass up and take a huge gulp. God, I needed that. When the doorbell chimes, I open the door to let Ms. Jackie in. She sits down on the couch and I tell her what's on my mind.
“He wants more, doesn’t he?” I ask. I know he does, but he’s not outright asking for it. Walking over, I sit on the chair and watch her look through her bag.
She looks up and studies me. I can see the answer in her eyes. “I don’t know.”
If he does want more from me, then why the hell is he being such an asshole to me? I mean, wouldn't you be nice to someone you liked? Does he like me? I finish the wine in one go. My decision is made. I can’t have him as a client anymore.
“He emailed me this. I think he sent it while you were still there.” Ms. Jackie looks down at the pile of papers. “I’ve canceled your breakfast with him and have told him you will need time to think about this. On Thursday, we'll all sit together and talk about it.” She puts the papers on the table and leans back in her chair.
“No.” I look at her. “Answer one question, Ms. Jackie. Why are you bending the rules for him?” Why is she willing to change everything for him when she hadn't for anyone else in the past?
“Ethan is a big businessman in town. His work is always top-notch.” She stops and leans forward. “I can see how much he likes you, but he also knows you would never give him a chance unless he was a client.”
“That's very true. He’s rude. He doesn’t even talk to me—”
“Listen, I hear you have a date. Go enjoy your date, and then take a few days off. Read this when you’re calm, then we'll talk about it on Thursday,” she says, placing her hand on the papers.
“You already told him yes, didn't you?” I look at my empty glass. She's hiding something from me, I can feel it.
“Yes, I have. I promise nothing will happen unless you sign as well. I know Ethan can be intense, but I also know he would never hurt you. He just needs time to open up. I'll talk to you on Thursday.” She stands up, kisses my cheek, then leaves.
For God's sake, this is ridiculous. I know that the no sex rule will still stand because, no matter what, Jackie would not agree to that. So, what's written in there that's different from what I already do?