Dark Escort (4 page)

“Why not?”

“We had…a weird thing last week.” I thought it was odd we hadn’t spoken since. Joey usually texted me throughout the week.

“A weird thing?” he asked. “Is that how you describe hook-ups?”

How did he jump to that conclusion?
“No…when I told him I had a date he acted weird. That’s all.”

Cato sipped his glass again and held his silence.

I tugged him along and made introductions to people I worked with. As the inheritor of the wine company, I had to make a good impression to everyone my father was connected with. People were nice, for the most part, but they were also fake. If my family lost everything we had, they wouldn’t still call us friends. They would ride in the limo with us, but the second it broke down and we needed a cab, they would bail.

Cato had impeccable manners, and like he was a completely different person, he was charming and funny. He had a quick wit and easily made everyone adore him. He was making such a good impression I wasn’t sure if I was paying him enough money.

When we walked away from the crowd, I spoke quietly to him. “Why don’t you use that charm on me?”

His happy countenance disappeared the moment there wasn’t an audience. “It didn’t seem like it worked.”

“You haven’t tried.”

“Actually, I have.” He headed to the bar without telling me what he was doing. He ordered a scotch, downed it with a quick swallow, and then slowly made his way over to me.

What was I missing? He was so vague and said all these ominous things.
What was the deal?

He returned to my side. “Now, where are your parents?”

“Do you have a problem with me?” I blurted.

He lowered his hand from my waist for a moment and regarded me coldly. The look was icy and covered in frost. I didn’t even need him to answer the question at that point. “I’m doing my job and I’m doing it well. So, what does it matter? You don’t strike me as a kind of woman with deep emotions.”

Again, he was subtly insulting me
. “If I did something to offend you, I’m sorry.”

He looked away and put his arm around my waist. Let’s meet the parents.”

The subject seemed to be dropped. I couldn’t figure out why Cato was being so disgruntled toward me. What did I do to him? But he was right. He was doing what I paid him to do, and he was already causing ripples through the crowd. Now it was too late to back out and switch him with a different escort. I’d have to deal with him and his odd prejudice.

Mom and Dad were talking quietly together. Dad wore an Armani suit, and his slightly gray hair matched the color. His mustache was the same color, and he wore slightly large eyeglasses. Mom was seven years younger than him, and their age difference was obvious. She was good-looking for her age, and she still ran marathons religiously. She was a typical trophy wife, someone my dad married solely for her looks. When they spotted us, Mom’s jaw was practically on the floor. Dad did a double take, clearly surprised I brought a man to the benefit.

“There they are,” I said quietly to Cato.

“I could tell she was your mom without you pointing it out. You look a lot alike.”

“Thanks…I think.”

“It was a compliment.” He pulled me close to him then approached my parents. “Good evening, sir. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Cato shook his hand and introduced himself.

Dad was impressed from the beginning. “I didn’t realize my daughter was bringing a date, and such a charming young man.”

“She’s the charming one, sir.” He turned to me and gave me an affectionate look. It seemed genuine to everyone else, but I knew it was just an act. He made it abundantly clear he didn’t fancy me.

I gave him a fake smile in return and acted like I adored him.

Then Cato approached my mother and swept her off her feet. “I would have thought you two were sisters.”

She blushed and waved his comment away. “I’m much younger than my husband, but it worked out well.” She rubbed Dad’s shoulder. “He gets more handsome as he ages.”

“You guys look really happy,” Cato noted. His arm snaked back to my side. “I can only hope I’ll have something like that someday.” He gave me a particular look, saying a lot without using words.

Man, he was smooth.

My parents watched us intently.

Then Cato made small talk with my parents, keeping up with their aristocratic tones and customs. He fit right in, like he belonged at this benefit. But then I remembered he did this for a living, so he had a lot of practice.

Cato politely excused himself then headed to the bathroom. When he was gone, my parents immediately rounded on me.

“I didn’t know you were seeing someone.”

“Where did you find him?”

“What about Joey?”

All the questions came out at the same time. I felt like I was in a batting cage and the ball machine wouldn’t stop throwing high-speed baseballs at me. “We’ve been seeing each other for a few weeks and I really care about him. I think this is going to go somewhere.”

Mom’s eyes shined with joy, but there was also apprehension. She turned to Dad, having a silent conversation with him. I knew they were rooting for Joey, hoping we would settle down together. We’d been friends since we were kids. I wasn’t sure why they thought anything would ever happen between us. Men had come and gone from my life and Joey was never one of them.

“Honey, maybe you should at least give Joey a chance,” she said gently. “You guys are so perfect together.”

I tried not to snap. I knew she meant well. “Mom, no. It’ll never happen.”

“Even if you don’t love him, the marriage is so convenient,” Dad reasoned. “He’s your best friend and business partner. That was the original reason marriage was practiced.”

A loveless marriage was ideal for me. I would never love anyone else for as long as I lived. It wasn’t an option for me, and it never will be. I understood why my parents wanted a relationship with Joey to happen. It gave me what I needed.

But I didn’t want that. “No.”

Mom lowered her voice. “I was always under the impression that…”

“Things change.” I didn’t want to hear her say it. Even after all these years, it was still too painful. Perhaps repressing my emotions was making me feel worse but I couldn’t confront them head-on. I simply wasn’t strong enough. “I appreciate your concern but Joey isn’t right for me. He and I can still be great business partners as friends. It’s what we’ve always done.”

Mom and Dad fell silent, losing the argument.

Fortunately, Cato returned and his arm moved around my waist. “Did I miss anything?”

“No,” I said. “Nothing at all.”

***

Cato ate with perfect manners and I didn’t have to keep an eye on him. He made appropriate conversation with the people joining us at the table, keeping his hand on my thigh as he did so. It was unfortunate we didn’t get along personally because he seemed like a wonderful guy when he wasn’t sending jabs my way.

I sipped my drink and noticed Cato and I hardly spoke. He spoke to strangers easier than he spoke to me. He even traded phone numbers with a man from my office so they could go golfing sometime. Would anyone think it was odd that Cato and I hardly spoke to each other?

“Having a good night?” I asked.

“The food is good.” That was all he said. He didn’t even answer my question.

“And the booze?”

“That’s even better,” he said. “So, did I help you reach your goals?”

“I think so—for the most part.”

“Meaning…?”

“My parents still want me to be with Joey. They accept you and even like you, but they find our relationship a little odd.”

“Why?”

“I just don’t usually date.”

That caught his interest and he turned his full attention on me. “Why is that?”

I didn’t want to talk about it—especially with a man I hardly knew and who was rude to me most of the time. “I just don’t.” I took a drink after I spoke, something for me to do so I wouldn’t have to look at him.

He backed off. “Maybe they want you to get out a little.”

I ignored the jab because he didn’t know what he was talking about. If he’d known what I’d been through, he’d shut his mouth and stay quiet.

Fortunately, the auction began and people bid on different bottles of wine, including a very special one that was two hundred years old. That sold for a whopping half a million. I was surprised people thought it was worth that much. At least it was going to charity.

Cato kept his hand on my thigh but remained silent. He and I didn’t speak much because there was nothing to talk about. Perhaps he was just a good actor, but I wondered why he could be so pleasant to everyone else but me. Did he not respect me because I paid for his time? That would be hypocritical. I wish it wouldn’t bother me.

But it did, for some reason.

After the dinner was over and people began to mingle again, I grabbed another drink and walked around with Cato. I made a few more introductions, and by the end of the night, Cato seemed to have met everyone important.

“That’s a lot of names to remember,” he said.

“You get use to it,” I said vaguely.

Cato remained by my side, being affectionate with me like a man deeply in love.

I sipped my wine and looked around the room when I came upon a face, I knew so well I froze. Joey was watching us together, and he didn’t look happy at all. He was ghostly white and bloodless. His expression was blank but his eyes were full of disappointment.

Should I talk to him? What would I say?

“That’s Joey, isn’t it?” Cato said without looking directly at him. He was talented at talking about someone without making it obvious.

“Yeah.”

“Makes sense.”

What did that mean?

“Should we talk to him?” he asked. “How do you want to proceed?”

Sometimes he behaved like a robot. “I guess we should. I don’t understand why he’s being weird.”

The corner of his lip upturned in a smile. “You really can’t figure it out?”

“Do you know something I don’t?” I snapped slightly, getting sick of his little comments coming at the most unsuspecting times.

“All I had to do was look at him and I figured it out.” His voice carried his indifference. Offending me didn’t bother him in the least.

“Then enlighten me.”

He turned to me, coming dangerously close to my face. “When a guy doesn’t like seeing you with another guy, it usually means he wants to fuck you.”

His crude words didn’t surprise me even though he’d never spoken that way before. “Joey doesn’t want to fuck me.”

He released a sarcastic laugh. “Woman, you are blind.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“You’re blind no matter what I call you.” He kept his arm around me but the touch felt cold.

I refused to believe that. Joey and I had been friends forever, and if he had feelings for me he would have said something by now. There was no reason to bide his time. “Let’s go. And be polite.”

“Have I been anything else this evening?” he demanded.

“To me you have.”

An annoyed look came into his eyes and he turned away.

Whatever
. “Come on.”

Cato held me close as we approached Joey.

Joey didn’t look at me. His eyes were glued to Cato. He looked him up and down, sizing him up. There wasn’t that usual welcoming look on his face. Joey had the ability to make anyone feel welcome no matter how out of place they felt. But now he just stared at Cato like he was a nuisance at the party.

Cato extended his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Katarina has told me so much about you.”

Joey took it but he dropped the embrace quickly, like he didn’t want to touch him for a moment longer than he had to. “Likewise,” he said coldly.

An awkward silence filled the room.

We stared at each other, unsure what to say.

I cleared my throat. “Having a good time?”

“Yeah.” He didn’t elaborate or try to carry the conversation. It was completely unlike him. He glanced at Cato again before he turned back to me.

There was clearly something on Joey’s mind but he wouldn’t admit it when Cato was there.

I turned to Cato and tried to be affectionate. “Babe, can you excuse me for a moment?”

“Sure.” He walked away, probably glad to be rid of me.

Once he was out of earshot, I turned to Joey. “What’s going on, Joe?”

“I don’t understand your meaning.”

“You’ve been weird since we had lunch. What’s the deal?”

“Deal?” he asked. “Nothing.” He put his hands in his pockets and kept looking at different things, the floor, people nearby, anything but me.

“Did I do something to offend you?”

He stared across the crowd like I wasn’t there. “He’s good-looking. Where did you find him? At a gym?” His voice was full of loathing.

“No. Why do you ask?”