To Be With You (3 page)

If hiring escorts is what you know to be the answer to your problems then do it and don’t worry about me.

Just be careful who you choose when you get to this Club Blue place. Pick someone who isn’t a slimer, please? Don’t just pick your usual blond, tanned jerk. Don’t forget to write me
;
it’s really interesting. I didn’t even know clubs like that existed.

I hope things are going well with your writing. Things are good at the dojang. I have two new teachers so I’m just not needed as often. Which I suppose is success, but you know me. I like teaching.

Anyway, keep in touch.

Sean

N
icole approached the large wooden doors knowing that Club Blue had to be behind them. She wrapped her hand around a handle, took a breath, and then pulled, hard.

She stared around the room as it opened up in front of her. Gray granite sparkled in flecks of silver across the floor. Deep blue walls rose to a glass ceiling with the night sky displayed beyond it. Blue blown glass lamps in exotic shapes hung from the ceiling by invisible tethers, floating like jellyfish in the sea. And the back wall opposite her was one long glass window, from which she could see the city, all lit up and quiet. Just this view was worth the price of membership.

“It’s tinted,” said a voice to the left.

Nicole shifted to look over at a blond man reclining languidly on a blue velvet settee. His face was sharp and beautiful, and his feathered hair shone silver in the blue light of the club.

“No one can see you up here.” He stood, beckoned her with his hand, and walked over to the window. “But you should see the view. It’s absolutely beautiful.”

She joined him. “It is.” She turned from the window to the man next to her. “I hadn’t expected it to be so beautiful.” She meant the club, but she could have been talking about the man sitting before her. He was androgynous, almost ethereally beautiful.

“My name is Justin,” he said. “There’s only three of us here tonight for your preview. Me and another top host, and a newbie we’re training. Of course I’m number one.” He winked at her. “Should we go meet the others?”

“Sure.” She followed Justin to the front of the room. Next to Justin’s settee was a couch. An auburn haired man with glasses sat balancing a Kindle on his knee beside a tall, dark haired man that stole her breath. He looked up at her and she wasn’t sure if his eyes were really that blue or if the club’s lighting was playing tricks. He had smooth, coffee skin and straight, hard features. Both looked up at her as she approached. The man with the Kindle gave her a soft smile, and the dark haired one crumpled his forehead and sort of frown-smiled. Nicole grinned back, but there was something about the dark one that made her feel off-kilter.

Justin waved at his settee. “Go ahead and sit here. I’ll grab a seat with—”

“John.” The black haired man said, standing up and cutting Justin off. He reached his hand out for her to shake it. “I’m John.”

“I’ll sit with John.” Justin sent John a look she couldn’t interpret.

The man with glasses stood up and came over and held out a hand as well. “I’m Jason.”

“I’m Nicole,” she said, scooting back against her settee, both to be as far as possible from all of them and to get the best look. The blond was her type. Jason was the type you’d take home to mom. And John seemed familiar somehow. Somewhat like Sean, the same way the Hulk somewhat resembled Bruce Banner. Just a very slight resemblance.

“So what do you do Nicole?” Justin asked.

“Read. Not much,” she said, pulling her eyes back to the rest of the group.

“Jason, you hear that?”

“What do you like to read?” Jason asked.

“Everything. Trashy romance novels in particular.” She smiled and rested her chin on her fist.

Both men just stared at her for a moment, as if waiting to see if she was serious, then laughed.

“High standards to live up to,” Justin said. He stood up and went to a counter at the other side of the bar. “Would you like a drink?”

“What do you have?”

“Just soda, some juice. No alcohol on the job, and we had trouble with having hot drinks in here so no coffee.”

“No thanks.” Nicole looked over at John, who was looking everywhere but at her. She surprised herself by moving over to his couch. She felt drawn in by him. So big, and so nervous.

“So you’re new, hmm?”

“Yes.” He spoke in a low voice and avoided her eyes.

“You know, you remind me of someone I once knew.”

“Yeah?” He looked at her this time, blinked long, dark lashes.

“Yes,” she said. It had to be Sean. No one could have such blue eyes. But Sean was still in Idaho, wasn’t he? And Sean would never trick her like this. And that little baby-faced boy couldn’t possibly have grown into this huge man. Impossible.

“Who?” He picked at his cuticles.

“A boy I grew up with. A dear friend.”

“Oh,” he said. “Sorry. I’m not him.”

“Are you sure you aren’t?” She looked over his face. A long, straight nose, small mouth, wide jaw. It was too hard to say. She wished she had a photo of little Sean to plug into an age progression machine.

“Pretty sure,” he said, turning his attention to the arm of his couch and picking at the velvet.

Justin came up and perched on the other arm of the couch by Nicole. He put an arm up behind her, startling her. “So Nicole, what do you think of Club Blue so far?”

Nicole fought off a shiver and looked up at Justin. She didn’t like people that close when she hadn’t invited them. She fidgeted.

“You’re making her uncomfortable.” John reached behind her and pushed Justin with one hand and toppled him off the couch and onto the floor.

“Ouch.” Justin stood up, rubbing his backside. He glared at John and then faced Nicole.

“Sorry. Next time just tell me to stop, if only to save me from that oaf.” He looked her way, fluttering long lashes. “Do you forgive me?”

“Of course.” She laughed.

“Stop being an idiot.” John made another swipe at Justin who moved out of reach.

“Stop being a grump.” Justin folded his arms.

John growled.

“Both of you stop embarrassing yourselves,” Jason cut in, looking annoyed at being pulled from his book. “What would you like to do Nicole? Would you like to tell us about yourself? Ask questions about us?” He flicked a switch on the Kindle and set it beside him. “Would you like us to tell you about a typical night at the club?”

“Sure,” she said. Justin went back to the settee and John slumped over the arm of his side of the couch. Like she had a disease he didn’t want to catch.

“Well, typically you’d come in just like you did,” Jason said. “It’d be a bit lighter, and there’d be between five and ten men, and maybe 20 women, depending on the night. Coming to the club to hang out is a great way to get to know the different guys. We play games and talk. Very relaxed.”

“We also flirt,” Justin said.

Nicole smiled. “I don’t have a problem with that.”

“Except John,” Justin said. “He doesn’t really. But that actually works for him.”

“Strong and silent type.” Nicole nodded.

“Sure,” Justin said.

John lived up to his stereotype by not responding.

“That’s how it works here,” Jason said. “Every guy is kind of different. Not that we are acting, it’s just how we are. I’m bookish. Justin is flirtatious. John is John.”

“I’ve only been here a week. Stop talking about me like I’m a pro,” John muttered.

“Definitely spices the place up,” Justin said. He stood up and came around to John’s side of the couch. “So fun to mess with too.” He put his hand in John’s hair and ruffled it and John grabbed the hand and maneuvered it behind Justin at an awkward angle till Justin yelped. “Alright! Alright, I’m sorry!”

Nicole could see why other girls were okay with John’s stoicism. He didn’t take crap from anyone, which made a girl feel safe. But he looked a bit like Sean. Then again maybe it had been so long since she’d seen him that she was just looking for him in other men. The Sean she trusted would never lie to her like that.

“Where are you from, John?” she asked.

John looked at Justin and Jason.

“He doesn’t like giving out a lot of personal information,” Jason said.

“I’m from Utah,” Justin offered. “How about you Nicole?”

“Idaho,” she said, looking at John to see any twitch from him. He just looked down at his knuckles as if there was something interesting crawling on them.

“Potato land!” Justin said. “How are the potatoes?”

“Dry,” she said.

“So why Club Blue?” Jason asked, studying her. “What are you hoping to get out of membership?”

“I just attract bad men,” she said. “But I don’t like going to events alone. And I enjoy being with guys. It just seems safer this way.”

“With that idiot around?” John said, pointing at Justin.

Nicole laughed. “I guess so.” She looked at Justin’s sparkling eyes and came to the conclusion that he could be trusted. And Jason was the type that would probably give you guy advice. And John, he was the type who made you want to get back in the dating world because he reminded you how enticing normal men without any flirting ability were.

“So, how do I going about hiring just one of you?” she asked.

“Just talk to us,” Justin said. “Tell us the date and we’ll check our schedule. Hope does all the pricing. Some of us give discounts to super pretty girls though.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her. He wasn’t good at it so instead of waving they just went up and down uncoordinatedly.

“It’s very easy,” Jason said, opening his Kindle again.

“What if I get turned down?”

John looked up when she said this, as if he knew she could only mean him. That he alone seemed surly enough to turn a client down.

“No one would turn you down unless his schedule was full,” Jason said. “And if it was, he would help you find someone else.”

“You can also talk to Hope,” Justin said. “She has our schedules and can tell you who is available on any given night, and check with the host herself if you’d like. Some women prefer that.”

“I probably would,” she admitted. She stood, brushed off her skirt and slung her purse over her shoulder. “You’ve been so patient answering all my questions. Thank you so much.”

“Take care, Nicole.” Justin waved. “Make sure one of the security guards walks you out, unless you’d like one of us to.”

“A guard will be fine.” She smiled. “Goodbye Justin. Goodbye Jason.” She looked at John. “Goodbye Sean.” He didn’t respond, just looked confused like the other two. “I mean John. I’m sorry. Goodbye John.”

He waved slightly and went back to looking at his knuckles.

Nicole pulled open the door, feeling that her simple, safe solution was not as simple or safe as she’d hoped.

As soon as the door shut behind Nicole, Jason and Justin turned to glare at Sean.

“John?” Justin said. “What was that?”

“Yeah.” Jason said.

“Do you know her?” Justin said. “Cause you were seven kinds of awkward, even for you. I mean a rock has a better personality than you had in there.”

“More welcoming, too.” Jason said. He and Justin quickly high-fived then glared at Sean.

Hope opened the door. “I saw it too from the monitor. What exactly is wrong with you tonight?” She stood in front of him and tapped her foot. “You nearly scared her off.”

“I did not,” Sean said. He looked at each of their faces and then shrugged, sitting back against the couch. “I know her, okay?” He was tired of lying, so he told them the story.

“I like it,” Justin said. “Beauty and the beast. I’ll help too. I’ll be extra flirty so you can come to the rescue. She has a serious bubble.”

“Like you could threaten anyone, Justin,” Hope said.

“No!” Sean said. “Leave her alone. This isn’t about me winning the girl.” He shook his head. “Seriously don’t do anything to cause her pain.”

“I’m not sure I think this is a great idea, but I’ll let it go, for now.” Hope sighed. “Just make sure you still serve your other clients. Everyone has to pull his weight. Even hopeless romantics with noble motives.” She left through the back door.

Justin slapped Sean on the back and followed him into the elevator, quickly ducking Sean’s return swing. Jason was quiet on the ride down.

Sean was too, until he was struck with a new thought. “You don’t think she knew it was me, do you?”

“No,” Justin said. “Wait, she did try to call you Sean when she said goodbye. Maybe it was to trick you?” Justin said.

“Maybe it was just because I remind her of him and she slipped?”

“No, I think maybe she had some idea that it could be you,” Jason said.

“On that note, isn’t this going to be a big mess when she finds out you’ve been lying to her?” Justin said. “We are willing to help you with this, but maybe you should think about that and decide if you really want to go through with it or just come clean.”

Sean was already thinking about it. If he came clean, she would hate him. If he hid it, he could keep her safe until it didn’t matter if she hated him. Decision made. Maybe.

D
ear Sean,

Can we instant message tonight? I know you have AOL email, so you have to have instant messenger.

Hope you get this tonight,

Nicole

Dear Nicole,

Of course. My username is Seantkd2004. I’m on now. What’s your username?

SeanTkd2004: Hi.

Nickynickchick: Hi there.

SeanTKD2004: So what did you want to chat about?

N: I went to the club for the first time tonight.

S: You did? Already?

N: Yup.

S: How was it?

N: Weird.

S: Oh? How so?

N: Well, there was a tanned blond guy there.

S: Typical. Who else was there?

N: A guy with glasses.

S: Cool.

S: What were they like?

N: Wait. There was one other one.

S: Oh. Sorry.

N: That’s the weirdest part. He looked like you.

S: ???

N: He did!

S: Do you even remember what I looked like before?