Escorts and Thieves (11 page)

His search for her was fruitless. The door he’d seen her leave through went straight to the stairs, and by the time he’d reached the ground floor and gotten outside, she was nowhere to be seen. She obviously knew how to make a quick escape, not that she’d seen him, but she probably knew how to get away unseen in case the office staff had noticed anything going on.

His hands balled into fists as he recalled the face of the man who’d come out of the room after her. The thought of that pig’s hands on her made him want to kick somebody, preferably that pig. He had to draw on all his self control not to go back up to the office and pummel that bastard’s face with his fists until his face was bloody mush.

Daniel pulled out his cell phone and dialed.

“Good morning,” a friendly female voice chirped.

“Miss Snyder, please. Daniel Sinclair.”

He was connected instantly. “Mr. Sinclair, how may I help you?”

“I’d like to book Holly.”

“Certainly. What time slot?”

“Exclusively starting from today through the entire next week. She’s not to have any other clients,” he barked into the phone.

“Mr. Sinclair. This is highly unusual. I believe it would be better if we discussed this in my office.”

“Fine.”

“I can see you at 2 p.m. My assistant will give you instructions on how to get here.”

She transferred him back to the girl, who’d answered the phone. After she gave him the address, he cut her off.

“I know where it is.”

Daniel didn’t care that he sounded rude. He was in no mood to be polite. He knew exactly what the feeling in his gut was, but he wasn’t ready to acknowledge it. It was better not to think of it.

He headed for a dive and ordered a stiff drink at the bar. He had over two hours to kill, and while he was sure Tim would have loved to have lunch with him, he wasn’t sure he could face his all too perceptive friend right now. He’d see right through him and call him on it. And then what? He’d have to admit to himself what had happened. No, he wasn’t quite ready for that.

It was easier to kick back a couple of drinks at a bar and pretend to watch sports on the TV that hung over it. Right now, he was all for doing the easy thing. It would get much harder later.

The bartender gave him a look as if he knew what was going on inside his head. “You want nuts with that?”

“Sure.” He hadn’t had any lunch, and he wasn’t hungry, so nuts were as good a choice as any.

As the bartender shoved the bowl of nuts in front of him, Daniel only nodded.

“Can’t live with them, can’t live without them,” the bartender suddenly said.

“Do I look like I want to listen to some clichés?” he snorted.

“Not really, but at least it got you talking.”

“Who says I want to talk?”

“Midday, alone in a bar, hard liquor. Yeah, you’re here for a talk. Seen the type.”

“What is it with you guys? Do you all have degrees in psychology?” Irritated, Daniel sniffed.

“Personally I don’t, but I can’t speak for the rest of my colleagues. So, what’s she done?” he asked casually while taking out a tray of wet glasses from the dishwasher.

“Who we’re talking about?”

“The woman who’s driving you into a bar at midday.”

God, that bartender was one pain in the ass. Maybe he should just finish his drink and leave. There had to be another bar somewhere nearby with a less irritating bartender.

“Why does there have to be a woman if a man wants to have a drink?” He wasn’t going to cave in that easily.

“There’s always a woman. That’s what makes us tick.” The words of wisdom just rolled off his tongue like a penny down a steep street—and just as valuable, Daniel was sure.

He was ready to bite back with sarcasm but thought better of it. There was no need to waste his energy. “So what?”

“So, she doesn’t want you. Is that it?”

“Has nobody ever told you how unwelcome your advice is?” Daniel kicked back the rest of his drink and stood. “Here.” He put a bill on the counter, not bothering to wait for his change. “And just so you know, she
does
want me. And I’m going to make her realize that.”

Daniel strolled through the streets until it was time to meet with Misty Snyder, the owner of the escort service, or rather the Madam. As soon as he entered the elegant but sparse office, he knew she ran a tight ship. The receptionist was dressed in a conservative business suit and wore minimal makeup. There was a waiting area and several private offices.

Nothing gave away the fact that these were the offices of an escort service. There was nothing smutty about it. If anybody saw him in the waiting area, they would think he was here to meet his accountant.

Frankly, he had expected something different, some frills, something over the top, not the neat and clean office he was impatiently waiting in.

“Mr. Sinclair,” a middle-aged woman greeted him and shook his hand. She was dressed in an equally conservative business suit as her receptionist and wore her hair in a loose bun. She was attractive and gave him a charming smile.

“Ms. Snyder.”

“Eva, show Holly into the conference room as soon as she arrives,” she instructed her receptionist before she directed him toward one of the doors. “Please.”

“Holly is coming here?” Daniel asked as soon as the door closed behind them.

“Yes, I find it prudent to discuss such lengthy bookings with my employees. We don’t want there to be any misunderstandings later.” She gave him a serious look.

“That’s very wise.”

“Especially given your request of exclusivity, I feel that Holly needs to agree to all terms. Don’t you think so?”

Daniel could tell she was curious why he required exclusivity, but he wouldn’t say more than he absolutely had to in order to strike the deal. He was an experienced negotiator and knew not to show his hand. “I agree.”

“You’ll of course understand that the daily cost for such a booking will be higher than what you’ve been paying for her evenings. Since we won’t be able to charge her out during the day, we’ll have to factor this in.”

Misty was a shrewd business woman, he could tell. She was already positioning herself so she could get the best price from him. If she only knew that money was no object when it came to Holly.

The truth was he didn’t care if she charged him five times the going rate, as long as it guaranteed that he could be with Holly and no other man laid a hand on her. And the sooner this happened, the better.

“There’ll of course also be a cancellation fee should you decide to terminate early.” Misty searched his face for any objection to her suggestion. There’d be no early termination. By the time the end of the week rolled around, he’d have Holly right where he wanted her, and—

The door opened, interrupting his thoughts when a young blond woman stepped in.

“Eva said to come right in, sorry.”

Misty waived her in and pointed to a chair. “Sit down, Holly. I’m just going over the terms and conditions with Mr. Sinclair.”

Holly?
Daniel jerked and stared at the woman. This wasn’t Holly. This had to be a mistake. This wasn’t
his
Holly. The blond woman looked directly at him as if she wanted to tell him something, but she didn’t say another word.

Realizing something was fishy, he addressed the Madam. “Ms. Snyder, would you mind if I talked to Holly privately for a few minutes?”

Misty raised her eyebrows and seemed to debate whether it was safe to leave them alone. “I’ll be right outside.”

“Thank you.”

As soon as the door shut behind her, Daniel turned back to the blond woman.

“Who the hell are you, and where is the real Holly?”

“I am the real Holly,” she insisted.

“Listen, I don’t know what kind of bait and switch operation this is, but don’t take me for a fool. I’ve spent the last two nights with Holly, and that’s the Holly I want.” His tone was determined. If they tried to play him, he’d make sure they’d be sorry later.

The blonde pressed her eyelids together quickly, then looked back at him. “God, I had no idea this would happen. I was sick that night I was booked to see you, so I had somebody fill in for me. Misty doesn’t know.”

A sense of relief flooded through him. “No problem. Just tell me what her name is, and I’ll book her. No offense.” He’d have to get used to calling her a different name, but that was the least of his problems.

“Well, that’s a problem.”

“That’s not a problem. I’ll just tell your boss that I changed my mind and then book your colleague.”

Holly shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She nervously flicked her hair back over her shoulder. “She isn’t a colleague.”

“You mean she’s from a different agency?” Daniel was getting impatient. He didn’t want to waste his time here. Every minute he was separated from
his
Holly meant some slimy guy could get his hands on her.

“Who is she? Do you want me to call Ms. Snyder in here?” If he had to threaten her, he would.

Holly held up her hand to stop him. “I’m sorry, I can’t tell you.”

Daniel got up. “I’d better discuss this with your boss.”

“She’s my roommate. She’s not an escort,” Holly stopped him.

The implications of her words didn’t immediately register with him.
Her roommate. Not an escort.
He fell back onto the chair.

“Hold it! What did you say?”

“She’s my roommate.”

“No. Not that.”

“She’s not an escort.”

“But …” He stopped. “But she was with me. The last two nights.”

“Because I was sick,” Holly explained. “Misty would have fired me if I hadn’t taken the booking, so I talked her into it.”

God, his Holly wasn’t an escort. “She’s not an escort. She’s a real person?”

“Thanks a lot!”

“Sorry, didn’t mean it. She’s not an escort. She’s … What’s her real name?”

“Sabrina.”

“Sabrina.” He let it roll off his tongue and immediately knew it suited her so much better. Then he suddenly remembered the incident at the law offices.

“If she’s not an escort, what the hell was she doing with that pig at the office?” Daniel was angry just thinking about it.

“What pig at what office?”

“Brand, Freeman & Merriweather. She was there this morning and came out of somebody’s office all ruffled.” He gave Holly a questioning look.

“The pig you’re referring to is Hannigan. He’s been harassing her ever since she started working there.”

Anger flared up from his gut, and he slammed his fist on the table. “I’ll kick the shit out of that bastard.”

“Get in line. I’ve got first dibs on that asshole.”

Daniel settled back into his chair. It pleased him that Sabrina had a friend, who was willing to go to bat for her. He gave her a smile. “She works there?”

Holly nodded. “She’s an attorney.”

Now it dawned on him. At the reception she’d simply reverted to being herself. No wonder she’d been able to handle Bob.

“Hastings Law School?”

“How did you know?”

“She mentioned it at the reception I took her to. I thought she’d trip herself up. I guess I didn't have to worry.” He paused, now serious. “Holly, tell me what’s going on. I don’t understand why she did it.”

“Why? I’m very persuasive. She knew what was at stake for me. I just wish I would have never asked her to do it.” She gave him a serious look of her own.

“What do you mean? She wasn’t with anybody else but me, was she? Has she done this before?” Anger boiled up in him again. If somebody else had touched her, he’d be ready to kill him.

“No! It was just you. So
you
tell me something now. Why the hell was she crying her eyes out last night? What did you do to her?” Holly moved forward to emphasize that she wanted an answer.

“She cried? Oh God, I’m an idiot.” Daniel raked his hands through his hair.

“Hey, I’ll be the first one to agree with you if you give me more details.” Holly sat back, clearly getting ready for a juicy story.

“Last night my ex-girlfriend showed up at the hotel,” he explained.

“Oh, boy. That’s not a good start.”

“It didn’t end well either. I think Holly … sorry, Sabrina thought I was cheating on my girlfriend with her. She didn’t know that Audrey is my ex. She just showed up thinking she can have me back.” He winced at the memory. Now he understood why Sabrina had run. It wasn’t some company policy to get out of the firing line between couples. She’d left because she felt betrayed by him.

“And, are you taking her back?” Holly wanted to know.

“Audrey? Not in a million years. The woman is completely shallow and self-absorbed. Unfortunately, she managed to make Sabrina think I was still with her. So she ran off. And I haven’t been able to get in touch with her since. I called the office last night after she left, but they wouldn’t give me any information.” He paused and looked straight at her. “You have to help me.”

“Help you with what?”

“I want Sabrina back.” It was straight forward. He wanted her.

“Excuse me, but didn’t you hear what I said earlier? She’s
not
an escort.”

Daniel gripped Holly’s forearms and made her look at him. “Holly, I want Sabrina back. I need her.”

“Are you crazy? She’s not for sale. You can’t just book her.” She shook her head and pulled out of his grip. “What the hell do you want from her?”

He couldn’t answer that question, not if he didn’t want to admit to himself why he wanted her and why he got angry every time he thought of another man touching her.

“I need to tell her the truth about Audrey. I don’t want her to think I’m some cheating son-of-a-bitch. Please, you have to tell me where I can find her.”

“And let her know that you know she’s not an escort?”

“Excuse me? Of course. I’ll clear everything up with her.”

“The hell you will!”

Was this woman crazy? What reason could she possibly have for not telling Sabrina the truth?

“If she finds out that you know she’s not an escort, she’ll be horrified.”

“Horrified?” He had no idea what Holly was talking about.

“She doesn’t trust men, because too many assholes treated her badly. Before you, she hadn’t had sex in three years. Now I finally get her to let go of her inhibitions, and you’re going to destroy it all by telling her you know she’s not an escort. Fabulous!” Holly huffed indignantly.