Escorting the Billionaire (The Escort Collection 1)

“Let’s try to have fun for the rest of the time we’re together,” she said quickly, in an earnest rush. “I was just thinking about it—I had fun yesterday. I can’t remember the last time I had fun. I didn’t think I was capable of it, to be honest.”

“I don’t know if I can commit to that,” I said. “Being around my family is usually the opposite of fun.”

“You’ve been handling them pretty well,” she said, shrugging. “Just thought I’d point that out.”

“Because you’re the pointer-outer of things,” I said.

“That’s right.”

I laughed in spite of myself. I wasn’t sure how I’d gone from berating myself about her to suddenly asking her to wear something sexy and pouring her wine, but it was like I could suddenly hear the clock ticking. She was only mine through next Friday. This was all I was going to get.

“I’m sorry about before,” I said, “after I picked you up. I can get a little moody sometimes.”

She shrugged, forgiving me easily. “Well, I’m sorry I said your mother needed a bitch slap,” she said.

“She does need a bitch slap,” I said. “You might have to show me how to give her one.”

“It’d be my pleasure.”

* * *

I put on my nicest dark suit, which was saying something. Audrey put on a cocktail dress with a plunging neckline. It was black, and it was very sexy.

I sucked in my breath, hard, when I saw her.

She was wearing black high heels, and her hair was loose and glossy around her shoulders. Her breasts looked fantastic—perfectly round and alert, like only a twenty-two-year-old’s can. Or Jennifer Lopez’s.

“Is this approved?” she asked.

“Yes,” I said, completely monosyllabic.

My cock twitched just looking at her.

“You look dashing, as usual,” she said and linked her arm through mine.

Kai averted his eyes when we came outside so I knew that it wasn’t just me—Audrey really was stunning. I felt stupidly proud then that she was with me, that no one else could have her.

I didn’t let myself examine the irony of that particular train of thought.

Audrey

Ministry was insanely beautiful. There were lush flowers and candles everywhere. We sat on reclaimed church pews at the table. Evie’s cousins and their besuited husbands sat on my left; James sat on my right, protecting me from his parents. He’d said hello to them but otherwise wasn’t speaking, concentrating instead on his food and on me.

To my simultaneous delight and horror, I’d caught him looking down my dress several times.

Todd was across the table from me. “Are you getting excited?” I asked.

He beamed at me. “You have no idea. It’s the best feeling in the world.”

He was earnest, as James had said; he was also open and kind, very unlike James.

“Evie told me about the flowers. Everything is going to be so beautiful,” I gushed. I couldn’t help myself. I liked Todd, and even if Evie was a total c-word, he was excited to marry her.

“She and my mom have taken care of every detail,” Todd said. “It’s easy for me. All I have to do is show up.”

James snorted. “And be married to her,” he said. I noticed that he was on his third bourbon, and I frowned at him.

“What,” he said, not bothering to make it a question.