Escorting the Groom (The Escort Collection 4)

My mind raced. "Is this going to be too painful for you—planning a wedding? After what happened? And these don't count as my questions, by the way."

"It won't bother me at all. I was nineteen. Vince and I were going to get married at the VFW. It's not like I get sentimental about it."

I snorted. "Whoever this Vince is, he's fucking crazy. You're gorgeous. Smart. It's not like he could do any better."

"That's sweet," she said. "But my sister has tactics. They usually involve her boobs. And quite frankly, anyone who could be persuaded by her, especially that close to our wedding… I feel like I dodged a bullet."

"So good riddance, right?"

"Good riddance. Right." She looked at me hopefully. "May I please have some more bourbon?"

"Absofuckinglutely." I got up and poured us each another drink. "This leads me to my final question: are you interested in having a relationship ever again?"

Blake eyed me. "No." Her voice was husky. "As in, hell no."

I beamed at her. "So this is going to work out great for both of us." I was starting to feel a lot more optimistic about the whole arrangement.

I should have hired a fiancée a long time ago.

BLAKE

It was officially official: Lucas Ford and I were a perfect match. I was glad I knew the truth about him and that he knew the same about me. Now that I'd glimpsed what Lucas was really like, I was relieved. He didn't do messy emotional entanglements. Neither did I. We had a contract. There were strict parameters, and that was all he wanted.

This was going to work out just fine.

"Well, now that we've gotten that out of the way, what should we do next?" I asked, eyeing the tanned skin peeking through his shirt.

Lucas checked his watch. "I'm going to go to the office for a few meetings. You can do whatever you like. Relax. The whole apartment is yours, and no one will bother you. You can get settled in. And when I get back, we could go to dinner," he watched my face. "…if you'd like."

I smiled at my client. "That sounds great."

"The other thing we have to do," Lucas continued, looking grim, "which will be infinitely less pleasant than a quiet dinner, is to reach out to my father and my sister. They need to meet you sooner rather than later."

"When?"

"Tomorrow." Lucas looked as if he was talking about arranging a meet-up with the local firing squad. "We need to face this head-on."

"You're right. When's your birthday? When do we have to…" I let my voice trail off, uncomfortable saying the actual words.

"We have to make it official in three weeks." He smiled at me. "Maybe that's another thing you can do this afternoon."

"What's that?"

"Plan our wedding."

I took the liberty of exploring the apartment once Lucas left. It was enormous, with views of the Common and the shops on Newbury Street. I'm sure it had cost millions. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to be able to afford a home like this. To have a life filled not only with beautiful things, but with the security of knowing no one could take it away from you. Because you owned it. And because you were free from the vagaries of being poor and worried about it all the time.

I went into the master bedroom and trailed my fingers across the sumptuous four-poster bed. I got to live here for a whole year. Then I would have enough money to buy my own apartment—nothing like this place, but something nicer than I'd ever lived. Someplace safe for me and my mom. I shivered, not believing my luck.

That was because I never had good luck.

I called my mother as I sunk down on Lucas's big bed. I had to make sure she was okay and had everything she needed. She was used to me being out on assignment a lot, but this was going to be a much more difficult separation. I wasn't going to be able to see her while I was working for Lucas. Elena had made it clear: no one could know about my family and my real background. It hurt to know that my mother wouldn't be allowed to attend the wedding, but I was being ridiculous. It wasn't a real wedding, anyway. So why did it matter?

She picked up after the first ring. "Mom," I said cheerfully.

"Hi, honey!" she exclaimed. "I'm so glad you called. How's everything going? Are you on your new assignment?"

"Yep." I kept my tone light.