Escorts and Thieves (8 page)

When he was back in New York he’d do something about it, try to find a woman to complete his life. Maybe he could fulfill one of his mother’s wishes after all:
bambini.
But for now, he needed to concentrate on the deal.

After a long shower, Daniel got dressed and made his way down into the lobby to get to his first meeting of the day. Before he could ask the doorman to call him a taxi, a hotel employee tapped him on the shoulder.

“Mr. Sinclair. This was left for you last night.” The man handed him an envelope. His name was handwritten on it. The letter felt rather thick to the touch.

“Thank you.” Curiously, he opened it, discovering cash together with a note. He read it and stopped in his tracks.

Daniel. You’ve given me too much already.

It wasn’t signed. Holly. She’d rejected his gift. He didn’t understand why, and he had no time to think about it now. He had to get to his meeting.

The entire morning, he didn’t have a single minute to reflect on Holly’s note. Several new issues were raised regarding a contingency that hadn’t yet been met, and he needed to concentrate on the issue at hand. Everything could still fall apart if he wasn’t careful now. Too many things were riding on this deal.

Daniel was glad when it was time for lunch. He’d arranged to meet Tim at a downtown restaurant. They’d met the night he’d flown in and already caught up on the latest events, particularly on the breakup with Audrey.

“You look exhausted, Danny.” Tim was the only one who called him Danny besides his parents. With his blond shaggy hair, Tim was the picture of a surfer dude and didn’t look a bit like the financial whiz kid he actually was.

“Didn’t get much sleep.” A wicked grin stole itself onto his lips.

Tim immediately caught on. “You dog! You fucked the escort. Who would have thought?”

He simply shrugged. “Don’t make a big deal out of it. She was cute.” She was more than cute, but he wasn’t about to share his experience, not even with his best friend.

“So, tell me more.”

“Get your kicks out of somebody else, Tim. I’m not sharing my sex life.”

“You have a sex life with an escort?”

“Subject closed.” He changed tracks. “Thanks for setting me up with the attorneys. I’ll meet them tomorrow morning. Just as well, we’re running into a few snags with some of the contingencies.”

“Anything major?” Tim had a business mind just as sharp as Daniel’s and was always at hand to bounce ideas off of.

“Nothing the attorneys won’t be able to manage. But I’ll probably have to stay a little longer than I anticipated.”

“Sounds good to me. Hey, a few buddies and I are going to see a show tonight. I’m sure we can get you an extra ticket. The cast is from London and—”

“Sorry, can’t. I’ve got plans already.” He didn’t, but he was about to make plans. The note Holly had left intrigued him. She was an escort. She worked for money, so why hadn’t she taken his tip? What escort in her right mind would reject extra money?

9

Holly was anxiously awaiting Sabrina when she returned home.

“About time!”

Sabrina gave her a stunned look. It was only about six o’clock, her usual time to return from work. “What’s wrong?” She was instantly on alert.

“He requested you again.”

Her heart missed a beat. She didn’t need to ask who
he
was.

“For tonight. You have to get ready now.” Holly was all excited and literally jumped in the air.

“But, I can’t. This was a one night thing. I can’t continue doing this.” As much as she’d enjoyed the night with him, she couldn’t continue pretending to be Holly.

“Sweetie, you’ve got to. If I show up instead of you, he’ll call the agency, and Misty will find out. She’ll fire me. Please. I’m sure this is the last time. He’s from New York. He’ll go back in a few days.” Holly’s voice was pleading. “Have I ever asked you for anything?”

She was right. She’d never asked for any favors apart from the one the previous night and now this one. Actually, it was really just one favor stretched over two nights.

Sabrina felt torn. One side of her wanted to see Daniel again and continue where they’d left off, the other was scared of the consequences. She couldn’t get involved with him, not with a man who slept with escorts, well, okay, pretend escorts.

“Holly, please. This won’t work.”

“You liked him. You said the sex was good. So, please just do this for me. Just tonight.”

Against her better judgment, she felt herself nod. “But this is the last time.”

“Promise.”

***

An hour later, Sabrina met Daniel in the hotel lobby. He was dressed in black jeans and a casual shirt and looked even more handsome than he had the night before. He looked up from his newspaper when she entered the lobby and jumped up instantly.

With a few strides, he was there to greet her. He took her hand into his.

“Hi.”

“Hi,” she echoed back.

“I hope you’re hungry. We’re having dinner at a place near Telegraph Hill.”

Sabrina gave him a surprised look. “We’re going out? Am I playing your fiancée again?”

Daniel shook his head. “We’re going out just the two of us.” He let his eyes glide over her body before resting them on her lips again. “And we’re coming back here later.”

The searing look in his eyes was a promise she’d hold him to.

A taxi took them to their destination, and during the entire cab ride Daniel held her hand. When he helped her out of the taxi, his body brushed against hers, and she shivered slightly. Her nipples instantly hardened.

“Miss me?” he whispered into her ear but didn’t wait for a reply. “Come.”

Daniel led her inside. It wasn’t what she’d expected. It wasn’t a restaurant but a large kitchen. Several other couples were assembled as well as three chefs dressed in customary chef’s garb.

“Welcome to Tante Marie’s Cooking School.”

Sabrina shot him an astounded look and caught him grin. “I’ve always wanted to try this,” he whispered to her. “It’ll be fun.”

Tim had told him about the place and that they offered dinner cooking classes for couples. It was so far removed from what Daniel normally did on a date that he thought it would be perfect. He wanted to do something different, and he wanted to get to know Holly and understand why she’d rejected his money. He figured the relaxed atmosphere at a cooking class was the perfect place to do just that.

The menu was simple: a salad, handmade pizza, and a tiramisu. Plenty of wine both during the cooking and during dinner. Enough to loosen anybody’s tongue.

The chefs first demonstrated the preparation of the dishes then assigned the duties to the different couples before they were let loose on the tasks. He and Holly had the task of making pizza dough. Following the recipe to a
t,
they measured the ingredients, mixed them with a spoon in a large bowl, and then emptied them out onto a large wooden board.

“Do you want to knead or shall I?” she asked him.

“Why don’t you start on it, and when your hands get tired I’ll take over.” Daniel stood right next to her watching her every move. They both had donned aprons the school had provided.

Her elegant hands worked through the dough, and he watched her, fascinated. Silently, he stepped behind her and molded his body to hers. He felt her surprise, but she didn’t move away.

She fit perfectly into his chest, and he knew instinctively that he would have the best sleep of his life if he could only spoon her and nuzzle his head in the crook of her neck. That’s what he wanted, have her stay with him the entire night and fall asleep with her cradled in his arms. Later, when they were back at his hotel, he’d ask her to stay until morning.

Reaching his hands forward, he placed them onto hers and helped her knead the dough while he put his cheek to hers.

“Why didn’t you take my money last night?”

She stiffened.

“You deserved it,” he assured her and continued moving her hands with his through the dough.

“You didn’t need to give me anything.”

“Why?”

“It was more than enough.”

“What was more than enough?”

“What you gave me last night.”

Daniel needed to get to the bottom of this. “The money I paid to the agency?”

“No. That’s not what I meant.”

“Please, Holly. What did you mean?”

“Nobody has ever made me feel this good.”

His hands stopped. “But—”

“Nobody,” she repeated and turned her head to look at him. “You’re the best lover I’ve ever had.”

Looking into her green eyes, he believed her. His mouth found hers without thinking. He lost himself in a deep kiss. Hungry as he was, he all but devoured her, losing any sense of time and place.

Sabrina wasn’t sure whether she should have told him, but he’d been so insistent, and at this point what would be the harm if she told him the truth? And the truth was he was the best lover she’d ever had. Not that she’d had that many, but even if she had, she was sure that he would still be the best.

When she felt his demanding lips on hers, she wished they were back at his hotel, where she could rip his clothes off. She was more than aroused by his kiss and felt her panties getting soaked with warm moisture oozing from her core.

“Hey, lovebirds, are we going to get that pizza dough any time soon?” a voice pulled them out of their embrace. The couple who was assigned with preparing the toppings for the pizza grinned at them.

Daniel chuckled. “Pizza dough, coming right up.” And then he gave her another searing look and whispered just for her to hear, “We’ll continue this later.”

Sabrina so desperately wanted to sit down to stop her knees from shaking. How this man could turn her weak like this with just one kiss was beyond her. Daniel gave her a knowing look. Oh yes, he knew exactly the kind of effect he had on her. Maybe it had been a bad idea after all to tell him that he was her best lover. Like he needed any more encouragement.

The food was better than what they could have eaten at a five star restaurant. They sat together at a long communal table with the other couples, chatting, drinking and complimenting each other on their cooking skills.

They were engaged in a conversation with the couple sitting opposite them, who had introduced themselves as Kim and Marcus.

“You guys are either newlyweds or engaged to be married, am I right?” Kim asked curiously. Her husband nudged her in the ribs.

“Don’t be so nosy, honey.”

“That’s quite all right,” Daniel replied. “So, what makes you think that, Kim?”

“You guys obviously can’t keep your hands off each other, no offense. That’s what we were like at the beginning too. Do you remember, honey?” Kim gave her husband a sheepish look.

“Sure do,” he replied and planted a wet kiss on her neck. She laughed out loud.

“Sorry, Marcus is obviously regressing to that time.”

He grunted humorously. “Where did you guys meet?”

“A friend’s party.”

“Internet,” Daniel said almost simultaneously.

Sabrina shot Daniel a nervous look.

“I mean, I was going to sign up for some internet dating service,” Daniel back-peddled.

“But then, my friend threw a party for all her single friends,” Sabrina helped him.

“And we were supposed to all write up our bios at that party. You know, how we were going to describe ourselves for that internet dating service. And Holly helped me write up my bio, and one thing led to the next.”

Good save. She smiled at him, and he smiled back.

“That’s hilarious,” Kim exclaimed. “I’m curious. How did you describe him?”

Sabrina had more improvising to do. But this was easier than she thought. She would just describe him the way she saw him right now.

“Handsome Adonis seeks Goddess of Love on whom to bestow carnal pleasures in exchange for undying love and devotion.” The words rolled easily off her lips, surprising herself.

She caught Daniel’s stunned look.

“Wow!” Kim’s voice came from across the table.

“And that’s when I realized that my Goddess of Love was sitting right next to me, so we left the party without signing up for the internet dating service,” Daniel added and gave her another hungry look.

After dessert was served, it quieted down, and they left the school, escaping into the fresh evening air.

“Thank you,” Sabrina said to him. “It was so much fun. Come, now I want to show you something.”

He raised an eyebrow. “What do you want to show me?”

“A fabulous view over the Bay, and it’s only a block away from here.” She knew of a staircase, hidden away off Green Street, which ran in between several homes and ended at a little viewing platform affording a breathtaking view over the Bay. They walked up the steep street and came to a halt midway.

The staircase was to their left, but to Sabrina’s surprise there was an iron gate blocking the entry.

“Oh, no, it’s locked.” She was disappointed. It would have been romantic to look out over the city and the Bay from up there. She turned away. “That’s a shame.”

Daniel saw her disappointed look and pulled her back. There would be no disappointments tonight. “How do you feel about trespassing?”

“Trespassing? You wouldn’t!”

“Why not?” He felt like a rascal as he grinned mischievously.

“We could get arrested!”

“As long as they lock us up in the same cell, I don’t care. Come, take off your shoes, and I’ll lift you over the gate.”

Daniel wouldn’t take no for an answer. He bent down and slipped one shoe off her foot, then made her lift the other leg to free her from her other shoe. Since he was already down at her feet he thought nothing of using the opportunity to run his tongue from her ankle to her knee.

She panted heavily, and he gave her a suggestive look. He loved making her all nervous and shaky. “So, do you want me to help you over the gate, or do you want me to kiss every inch of your body right here in full view of every passerby?” He gave her a look that would tell her that he had every intention of carrying out his threat.