Escorting the Actress (The Escort Collection 2)

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"So," I said, a while later, "not knowing what else to do, I called an escort service. AccommoDating. Everything was confidential, they had insurance… it seemed like the right thing to do. Actually, it seemed like the only thing I could do. I hired an escort to come live at my house, pretend to be my boyfriend, and go to events with me. I needed to make the press more interested in my love life than the fact that I'd just spilled my guts, literally and figuratively, all over the Internet."

My mother swallowed some of her drink. "And they sent Kyle?"

I nodded. Kyle was nursing his own drink and staring out the window, listening to me.

"He showed up, and I freaked out when I recognized him. But I had an event that night, so I took a chance. Best thing I ever did." I looked at him longingly, hating that we had to be apart from each other right now.

"Why is that?" my mother asked sharply.

I lifted my chin. "Because the press love him, Mother. He's brilliant at keeping me on message and in the public eye. And because he's important to me. He's in my corner. I trust him… and I can't say that about too many people."

She snorted. "You trust him? An escort? Son of the man who ruined us?"

Now it was my turn to snort. "Pierce hardly ruined us. You just wanted more money from him. Like a tip for being such a pain in the ass to live with."

It looked as if she tried to raise her eyebrow at me but failed. Probably too much Botox. "You're being really mean, Lowell."

Kyle shot me a look, and I leaned back on the couch, exhausted by dealing with both of our parents. "I'm not trying to be mean. This has been a rough day, and I wasn't expecting you. What are you doing back so early? And where are you staying?"

"I came home because I thought my daughter needed me. And also, really, I needed a change of scenery. I meditated and meditated, and after a while, it just got boring." She finished her drink. "I needed more action."

I groaned inwardly. Of course she did.

"I've got a suite at the Plaza."

Of course she did.

I said nothing, even though I was sure it was costing me a small fortune. Sometimes being rich and famous seemed in direct opposition to my overall financial health.

"Pierce asked about you," I said. "He told me to tell you hello."

"He never got over me." She tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Typical."

"He was trying to be nice, I think."

She shivered. "Ugh. Just talking about him makes all sorts of unpleasant memories come back."

Kyle took that as a cue and stood. "I'm going to give you two a minute alone. It was nice to see you, Caroline. Take care." He nodded at her.

"Thank you. I'll see you… again?"

He smiled tightly. "I hope so." With that, he disappeared into the bedroom.

Caroline watched him retreat and turned back to me. "This is crazy. This is totally out of character for you."

"I don't think that's true. I've always been very solution-oriented. I needed a distraction, so I created one."

She jerked her thumb toward the closed bedroom door. "That's certainly a distraction. He turned out… nicely. Those are quite the biceps."

"There's nothing going on with us," I lied. "It's a business arrangement."

"I don't believe you. And I can't believe my own daughter is lying to my face. You're not that good of an actress, dear."

I counted backward from ten, not wanting to argue with her or, worse, blurt out the truth. I love him, and I'm gonna cut you off this year. I swear it.

"Pierce was asking lots of questions about you," I said, trying to distract her.