Tempting BAD: VIP Spin Off (24 page)

Of course he would know what I was thinking.

D: You’re not really saying it. You’re typing it… so it doesn’t really count.

I clicked on the voice text option and said, “I’m going to like being your friend, too,” and clicked send before I could dwell on it.

D: I think I may masturbate to that.

I laughed so hard my head fell back.

D: I’m only half serious… I know what your pussy feels like when you come, and how your face gets flushed and your breathing gets heavy.

Two can play this game…

I took off my nightie, lay on my side barely covering my breasts with my arm, and angled my knee over my sex. You could still see enough, but not everything. I took a picture and clicked send. He didn’t reply for several seconds.

D: I had to rub one out real quick.

I laughed again I couldn’t help it.

D: Kidding… I dropped my phone. You’re just full of surprises aren’t you?

B: You haven’t seen anything yet.

D: I look forward to it.

B: Good night, Devon.

D: Sweet dreams, Bambi.

The next morning, as I was drinking a smoothie and watching the news, my phone chimed with a text message.

D: Thanks for the picture last night, it really helped. I hope you have a great day; I know I will.

I giggled, I actually fucking giggled. I didn’t reply and went about my morning. I needed to have brunch with Madam and some of the VIPs. We did this at least once a month just to catch up. Madam held them at The Cathouse and everything was always catered.

I was the first to arrive.

“Brooke baby, how are you darling?” she asked, pulling my hair in front of my face.

“I’m good, Madam, how are you?”

“Fabulous, so what’s new? Let’s catch up before the rest of the VIPs arrive,” she said, taking a seat at the head of the table. I sat beside her.

“Not much,” I replied, sipping my mimosa.

“Darling, you’re glowing… I take it you had a great time with Jimmy last night. He already booked his next appointment with you.”

I nodded. “Yeah… he was fun.” I knew he wasn’t the reason for my glimmer, but I didn’t tell her that.

“I don’t have you set up for any dates for a few days, if you’d like to spend some time with your family. How are your parents?”

I shrugged. I honestly didn’t know if my dad was still a client, nor did I care to find out. I visited them once a month and that was enough for me. They never asked what I was doing and I never informed them either. It wasn’t any of their business.

My life was mine.

“It was nice to see Ysabelle a few weeks ago. Don’t you think?”

“Of course.”

“She looked… content,” she emphasized the word. “It’s hard going from this lifestyle to being Susie Homemaker.”

“I think she’s happy.”

“I think she’s blind, but love will do that to you.”

“Yeah, it will,” I agreed.

She smiled. “That’s why you’re my favorite, Brooke baby, that’s why you’ve been here the longest. That’s why I consider you my right-hand woman. You are VIP, just like me and just like Ysabelle.”

I nodded, even though I didn’t have a clue what she was talking about with Ysabelle.

Me, on the other hand…

I was VIP.

She was right about that.

It took three rings for her to answer her phone.

“So, we’re advancing to talking on the phone versus, text messaging? Our friendship is getting a little serious, Devon, I don’t know if I’m ready for all that,” she teased.

“What are you doing for the next two days?”

“That’s random… I actually have the next few days off and I was going to see my parents.”

“You’re close with your family?”

“Why did you ask what I was doing?” she asked, changing the subject. I knew she wasn’t going to answer
,
but I had to try.

“Want to go to New Orleans?”

“New Orleans? Right now?”

“Yeah… that’s the plan. I’ll pick you up in two hours.”

“You’re being serious?”

“Have I ever said something just to say it?”

“I need more than two hours to pack.”

“No you don’t.”

“What about our flights? I could get the private plane—”

“I handled it. It’s all taken care of. Text me your address.”

“Just meet me at Madam’s penthouse.”

“Am I ever going to know where you live?”

“Give me three hours and you have yourself a traveling partner.”

I shook my head, stubborn little thing. “I’ll see you in two,” I said and hung up.

When I pulled up, she was waiting outside with her Rimowa luggage in hand. I popped open my trunk and got out of the car.

“You know we’re only going for two days, right?” I questioned, grabbing her second bag that weighed more than the first.

“A girl like me needs options.”

“As long as you packed some sandals and sneakers.”

She cocked her head to the side. “What? I don’t own sandals and I only wear sneakers to the gym.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Then it looks like we’re going to have to do some shopping when we get there.”

“Devon—”

“Get in the car, Bambi,” I interrupted, opening her door.

She looked at me like I had two heads.
Hasn’t anyone ever opened a car door for her?

She shook her head and stepped in. We drove to the airport in silence and we walked side-by-side through the terminal. I handed the boarding pass to her.

“Wait… this says coach.”

“You’re very observant.”

“I’ve never flown coach.”

I looked over at her, holding in my laugh. “Don’t worry you’re not going to turn into a pumpkin or anything.”

“We could have flown in a private plane, I can still call—”

“Bambi, hand them your boarding pass.”

She looked at the ticket and then looked back at me. She did it a few more times, before she sighed like a little girl and handed the attendant her pass. Mumbling something under her breath about this being ridiculous. I tried to keep my amused expression to myself.

We walked down the ramp. “I’ll let you have the window seat,” I said in a high voice.

“Oh… you’re going to let me have a lot more than that,” she muttered.

“What was that?”

“Nothing. I. Can’t. Wait.” She replied with a fake smile.

The flight took two hours and we landed at two in the afternoon; an hour behind our eastern time. I flagged down a taxi and I thought her eyes were going to pop out of her head. She sighed again, but got in the cab. It didn’t take long to get us to our hotel near the French Quarter. I rented a small room, seeing as we were only going to be sleeping in it.

Her face said it all when we walked in. “My bathroom is bigger than this room and there’s two beds.” Was the first thing she spoke since we landed.

“That’s right, friend.”

“If this was about money, Devon, I could have handled everything.”

My eyes widened and my head jerked back.

“No… I mean… no… I don’t mean that you don’t have money… fuck that came out wrong. I’m sorry I didn’t mean to offend you. I’m just saying that I’m not really used to this…” she paused and gestured around the room. “…Kind of… lifestyle.”

I nodded. “I’m fully aware that you’re a spoiled brat. I thought this might be a nice change of pace for you. I have money, Bambi, my bar does very well.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “Spoiled brat?”

“I call it like I see it.” I lay on the bed and placed my arms behind my head. She was an entertaining show to watch.

“I wanted that bed.”

I smiled, showing my teeth. “And you just proved my point.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine. We’ll just have to share it.” She plopped down and lay beside me, both of us staring at the ceiling.

“You don’t snore do you?”

I laughed. “Not that I know of.” I made sure to pack extra-strength sleeping pills. Most of the time they worked and I didn’t have nightmares. I silently prayed that this was the case for this trip.

“Are you a bed hog?”

“Nope, but I do sleep naked.”

“Then we have that in common.”

I grinned.

“I don’t like to cuddle either. It makes me hot.”

“It’s a good thing I hadn’t planned on touching you.”

She peeked up at me. “At all?”

“I’m touching you right now,” he answered.

“That’s not exactly what I had in mind.”

The whole trip was nothing like how I imagined it would go, from the coach seats, to the cab ride, to the smallest room known to man.

“What did you have in mind?” he suggested.

I could do one of three things in this scenario.

One… I could seduce him and I knew I’d win.

Two… I could say the magic word and it would be go time.

Or.

Three… I could kiss him.

What I did, surprised me more than anything. I got off the bed.

I didn’t want it to be forced or planned.

I didn’t want to pretend.

I didn’t want to put on a show.

I didn’t want to be a VIP.

Not with him…

What the fuck is wrong with me?

I knew he was just as caught off guard as I was, but he was too much of a nice guy to call me out on it.

“Are you ready? I think you should change.”

I looked down at my outfit. I was wearing a black pencil skirt with a red crop top and red soles. “What’s wrong with my outfit?”

“Absolutely nothing, you look fucking gorgeous. I’m just saying maybe you would like to wear something more comfortable.”

“This is comfortable. This is what I wear,” I clarified.

He put his hands up in the air in a surrendering gesture. “By all means.”

We walked for hours and talked about nothing in particular. He told me about his family and his sisters. He had several nieces and nephews and every time he mentioned one of them, his face would light up. It was endearing to watch. He talked about his mom and how she was his best friend. It was probably one of the sweetest things that I had ever heard before.

When it came to talking about Ethan, he didn’t just light up, he glowed. You could see it from a mile away. I had never seen anything like it before. His mannerisms, his gestures, and even his smiles were like witnessing something exclusive and extraordinary for the first time.

It was then that I realized I hadn’t had a real conversation with somebody in such a long time. I couldn’t remember the last time I really talked to someone, the way he talked to me. It was like he wanted me to know everything about him, like he wanted to share his life with me and I didn’t understand why.

I had been with hundreds, maybe thousands of people and we always talked. Madam was adamant about us being treated like treasured jewels before any sexual thing would happen. We were always taken out to dinner or to a show, a party, it didn’t matter. Something had to happen before the exchange of money could occur. It was her way of having us feel like more than just a VIP.

At times I felt like I was the only girl in the world. I loved that feeling. But talking to Devon and truly getting to know another human being, made me realize that I hadn’t had real conversation with someone in ten years. I lived a life of pleasure where all I had to do was say the word and it was mine. Handed to me on silver platter with a bright red bow.