Escorting the Actress (The Escort Collection 2)

"No!" I wailed, then I tried to calm myself down. "I mean, please, don't cut your trip short for my sake! I'm fine. I talked to Lucas this morning—everything's fine."

"You aren't fired?" she asked hopefully.

"No! Everything's fine... I just got out of a great meeting with Lucas. I was just being silly," I lied. "Don't come home yet. Enjoy your trip. I'd feel so guilty if you came back just for me." And trust me, you wouldn't like what you'd find.

"Well… maybe I'll stay for a few more weeks then. We're supposed to visit some amazing temples…"

"Visit them!" I practically shrieked. The literal last thing I needed right now was my mother back in town. "Please!"

"Are you sure everything's okay?" she asked.

"Yes. I promise," I said, steeling myself for the road ahead. "I want this job just as much as you want me to keep it, Mother. So I'm doing everything I need to do."

God help me.

Kyle

Ellie knocked on the trailer door later and told me they were shooting for the next six hours straight, so I just stayed inside and paced. When Lowell finally came in, her face was pale and drawn.

"Rough day at the office?" I asked, handing her a bottled water.

She nodded worriedly. "What about you? You sort of look… distressed."

I looked at myself in the small mirror on the wall. My hair was disheveled from running my hands through it, and my eyes were a little wild. I'd been replaying the conversation I'd had with my father over and over in my head.

She hired me, Dad. I'm working for her.

What the fuck does that mean? he'd asked. Are you her assistant? Who kisses her in public?

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I'm her escort. Her hired date.

What the fuck does that mean? he asked again, but that time, his voice was flat.

It means that when you cut me off, I had no money to eat or pay rent. So I went to work as a male escort. And Lowell Barton hired me.

He hadn't said too much after that. But I knew that he was thinking, and that was probably dangerous for me. And for Lowell.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I'll tell you later. Did it go okay? The meeting?"

She shrugged.

"Are you done for the day?"

She nodded. She obviously wasn't in the mood to chat, which suited me just fine.

"Good," I said, grabbing her hand. "Let's go to the beach."

She surprised me by not pulling away. "Okay, that actually sounds good."

We left the studio and drove in silence back toward her house so we could change. I wasn't ready to tell her about my talk with my dad, and she didn't seem ready to talk about her meeting.

She slowed as we got near her neighborhood—about a dozen cars were parked in front of her house. Photographers, waiting for us. She sighed, and I turned to her.

"Just turn around," I said.