Mastering the Art of Love (The American Soldier Collection 2)

Her mind raced as she thought about this type of work. She could do this. She could make this kind of money doing something she enjoyed, and she didn’t even have to have sex. Holy shit!

She jumped up and twirled around her small apartment thinking that if she could do this, she could put a dent in those college loans and that damn bank bill that came every month. She was so excited and felt a bit of relief and hope that she could slowly begin to dig herself out from under the weight of debt, and she thought of Freda. She owed her so much. The woman truly was an angel, and perhaps one day she could repay her in some way that would truly let her know how much Freda meant to her.

She smiled knowing that tonight she would go to bed warm and happy for the first time in ages.

* * * *

“We need to do something, Jax. I’m not going to stand by and let other men touch her, escort her around galleries and parties as if she belongs to them. We have to make her see that we mean business,” Jameson said as he ran his fingers through his hair.

Jax wasn’t surprised by his brother’s words. He felt the exact same way. They hadn’t slept well at all Saturday night or Sunday night. It was Monday, they were in the office for a few hours now, and all both of them kept thinking about was Mariana. At least they knew she hadn’t left the party with Liam to go to his hotel. Not that Mariana was like that, but they didn’t trust Liam or any other man with their woman. God, those words stung so hard. She wasn’t theirs yet, but she would be.

“I’m thinking, Jameson. I agree with you, we discussed this for hours, remember.”

“This is insane. You’re the one who always takes what you want. I’ve seen you with women, Jax. You dominate, you control and demand, and they comply. This situation is going too far.”

“She’s not like those other women, Jameson. She made that clear Saturday evening. I thought we were making progress until Tara showed up.”

“God, that woman is an animal. She had no boundaries whatsoever. She attacked me. You saw her. I couldn’t stop her fast enough. I kind of felt badly for telling her that I would never be interested in a woman like Tara but it had to be said. She recovered quickly though. Did you see her with that guy in the hallway? ”

“I was there Jameson and I saw how Tara attacked you, but so did Mariana and, man, did she send daggers our way. But that’s a good thing.”

“A good thing. How could you say that, Jax?”

“Because, she looked pissed off and jealous. From there on out, the rest of the evening she really played up being with Liam. We know that she’s an escort and that was a business job. There was nothing to worry about.”

“I’m not too sure. Liam looked very interested, especially as he kissed her good night.”

“It was on the cheek, Jameson.”

“He touched her, he hugged her, he pressed his lips against her skin. Fuck!”

Jax pulled out his cell phone. “You’re right. We need to take action.”

Jameson watched as Jax began to talk with Freda.

“So you want to book up all her Saturdays for the next three months?” Freda asked, and he could hear her shock.

“Yes. Jameson and I would like to lock in on her available dates of service. We have a busy schedule ahead of us.”

“I can arrange this if you are certain, Jax. I’ll need deposits on these. I was actually going to call you to see if Jameson or yourself were available as guards. I have three men scheduled for dates with her and they aren’t regulars. If you can’t handle this—

“Not a problem. We can handle security for her. Just name the nights. But also send us a contract for her available dates and we’ll send the deposit. We need her this Friday and Saturday.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Jax, her first availability isn’t until next month.”

“Next month? What? How? She just got started,” Jax asked in shock, and he looked at his brother who had his fists by his sides.

“She made quite a wonderful impression Saturday night. I have some heavies calling to book her. You’re actually the tenth person who called this morning. The phone started ringing on Sunday. She’s going to be busy. As a matter of fact, I need to call her and see how her schedule with work and school is for this week. There’s a special event on Thursday night. Oh, I’ll have to call you back, Jax. I’ll pencil you in for Saturdays starting next month and I’ll have Alvin call you to talk about what dates she needs security for.”

“Wait, Fridays, too, remember?”

“Not certain I can do that. I need to go, Jax. I’ll let you know. Bye.” Freda hung up, and Jax stared at his phone in shock.

He slammed the cell down on his desk and they both heard the crunch of plastic.

“What? What does she mean a month?” Jameson asked, and Jax explained. Now he was angry.

“That’s over ten dates, ten men that will hold her, hit on her and try to—”