Escorting the Billionaire (The Escort Collection 1)

Technically, under that narrow definition, I was prim.

“Whatever you prefer, James,” she said smoothly, the pleasant smile still on her face like a mask.

“Which do you prefer?” I asked.

“Audrey,” she said. She gave no further explanation.

We reached the ground floor, and this time, I took her arm. From now on, I was going to initiate all contact, stay out in front and in control of every interaction we had. I’d hired her, and I needed her to fill a specific function.

If I changed my mind about the things I needed her to fill, or what I needed to fill, that was fine. But it was going to be a choice, not some stupid reaction to her doe-like eyes and my mystifying, painful erection.

Kai was waiting for us at the curb, a wide smile on his face.

“Mr. Preston,” he said, nodding politely at me, and smiled at Dre. Audrey. She went into the car ahead of me, and I finally saw her glorious ass. It was one that you could grab on to with both hands.

“Don’t smile at her,” I said to Kai as soon as she was out of earshot.

He nodded and dropped the smile immediately. I slid inside the car.

“Why don’t you want your driver to smile at me? We’re the hired help, after all. We should stick together,” Dre said as soon as Kai closed the door. She’d heard me after all. She crossed her toned legs and smiled at me playfully.

“I’m a divide-and-conquer kind of guy,” I said. “I don’t want to get ganged up on.”

“I won’t do that. I promise,” she said.

The car pulled out, and Audrey suddenly laced her fingers through mine. Heat shot through me at her touch, and I winced. I looked at our hands and then at her, my eyebrows raised in a question.

“We’re supposed to be in love, right?” she asked me. “We should probably be able to hold hands. We need to look legitimate. That’s what I’m getting paid for.”

She waited a beat. “Is that okay?”

With no small amount of indignation, I felt my palm begin to sweat.

“Maybe later,” I said. I pulled my hand away and wiped it on my pants. Audrey had the grace to not watch me while I did it.

“Elena tells me you’re a student,” I said, desperately trying to start over.

She looked shocked. “Really? I’m totally not. I’m hooking full time.”

We just looked at each other for a beat.

“Oops. I mean, Elena probably meant my cover—so yes. I’m a full-time graduate student. New England School of Graphic Design.”

“Why’d Elena pick graphic design?” I asked.

My hand was still hot where she’d touched me, but I wasn’t going to think about that.

“She said it was perfect because it’s too boring to talk about. We were going to do law school, but she said your family had a bunch of lawyers in it.”

“She’s right. My brother, Todd—the one whose wedding we’re going to—is a corporate lawyer. His fiancée, Evie, is a lawyer too, but not for long.”

“How come?” Dre asked.

I snorted. “She was just waiting to marry into a pile of money. You know the type, right? Just goes to law school to meet a rich guy?”

A look of distaste crossed her face, but she stifled it immediately. Almost immediately.

“Trust me. She deserves every bad thing I say about her. She’s a twat,” I said and desperately wished that I’d just hired this woman to fuck me senseless. For the first time in years, I felt self-conscious. Every word I said made me sound like a bigger and bigger jerk.