I turn a little red. “It’s not what I do.”
“I know that. You’ve been really lucky.”
“It’s not luck,” I say. “My clients are decent people.”
“I know, I know. You’re careful. Still, sooner or later, you were going to get one that just wants to fuck you. Sounds like you lucked out.”
I sigh and stretch. “I wish he just wanted to fuck me. Honestly, I could deal with that, but there’s nothing about sex in this contract. It’s just… I call him Daddy and we spend a week together.”
“Then you get paid.” She laughs, shaking her head. “I don’t get how you can’t see how lucky you are.”
“It’s not like that.” I glare at her.
“Sounds like you’re about to make millions of dollars. Aria, after this, you can do whatever you want. Pay off your loans, buy a freaking house, go to law school. Hell, you could move somewhere, invest the cash, and live off the money forever.”
I bite my lip. I know she’s right. The money is a huge deal. It’s just, I haven’t been thinking about the money.
I’ve been too busy thinking about Brady.
“He scares me a little bit,” I tell her.
“You think he’s dangerous?”
“No, not like that. It’s more of like…” I trail off, biting my lip again. “How I feel around him.”
“Oh, shit. Are you thinking about finally giving it up?”
I glare at her. She knows about my virginity, and she’s not shy about that subject.
“No,” I say.
“Oh, come on. This is perfect. You have your rich older hottie taking care of you for a week. You’re already calling him Daddy. You might as well let him teach you everything he knows.” She laughs and sits down in an armchair across from me. “He probably knows a thing or two.”
I glance away. He definitely knows a thing or two or three…
“I just can’t,” I say finally. “It goes against all my rules. And anyway, what about my other clients? I still care about them, you know.”
“They’re just clients,” she says. “You’re still a person, right?”
“Yeah,” I say.
“Live a little, Aria. Hell, if I could switch places with you, I totally would.”
I sigh. I know she’s right. I’m probably overanalyzing this.
It’s just, I don’t like that he owns me now. I’ve never wanted to be owned by a man in my life. I’ve built my whole job around controlling every situation, around keeping that control. I’ve always been the one on top, driving the conversation, deciding what we do and when we do it.
Now though, Brady’s the one in control. He’s the one calling the shots.
And that freaks me out.
But Zoe is right. It’s only one week. After this…
I never have to see Brady again.
Strangely, that thought doesn’t excite me at all.
“What’s the guy’s name, anyway?” she asks.
“Brady Price,” I say.
She purses her lips. “Brady Price,” she echoes. “Brady Price… Hold up.” She gets up and walks across the room, grabbing her laptop. She flips it open, types for a second, and carries it over to me.
On the screen is a local Philly news site. The headline reads, “Philanthropist Brady Price to be Recognized.”
Underneath, the article goes on to talk about how Brady Price, one of the wealthiest entrepreneurs in Philadelphia, is being honored for his generous charitable donations at an awards dinner tomorrow night.
“Is this for real?” I ask her after skimming the article.
“Sure is. Saw it just like a half hour ago when I was reading the news. What a crazy coincidence.” She scrolls to a picture of Brady wearing a suit and smiling, clearly some kind of PR photo. “He’s really hot.”
“He looks better in person,” I mumble, staring at his picture.
She laughs a little bit. “Rich, smoking hot, and into charity… damn, girl. For your sake, I hope he’s into giving more than just his money.”
I glare at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
She grins and waggles her eyebrows. “I’m talking about his dick.”
I groan. “Okay, okay.”
“You know, giving you his dick. Like, with sex.”
“I get it.”
“Lots of dirty, filthy, disgusting, hot as sin, steamy—”
“I get it!” I hop up from the couch. Her laptop nearly falls but she grabs it just in time.
“Geez, relax. I’m just teasing you.”
“I know.” I stalk into the kitchen and get myself some water. For some reason, my heart’s beating really fast.
“Anyway, look, the guy seems decent enough. You should just stick it out. You’ll be okay.”
“Yeah. Right.” I drink my water, head spinning.
“I gotta get back at it. Let me know if anything happens.” She laughs again and shakes her head. “You lucky ass bitch.”
I give her a smile as she gathers her stuff and retreats into her bedroom.
“Don’t forget the exam!” I call after her as her door shuts.
I sigh and sip my water. Brady is being honored for charitable donations…
I can’t see it. Honestly, I just can’t. He doesn’t seem like the charity type at all. He seems more like the type to buy women and try to make them call him Daddy.