Chapter Three

“JC, man, what’s with you today?”

“Huh?”

JC turned to look at his colleague, Dominic “D-Trix” Sandoval. His younger friend was staring worriedly at him and it took a moment for JC to remember where he was. The entire day had been a blur of press and questions. He didn’t remember half of what he said or did. He didn’t even remember ordering the turkey sandwich that was sitting in front of him.

“Dude, you’ve been out of it all day,” D-Trix said. “I dunno how you managed to answer any questions, because your head has definitely not been with us.”

JC sighed. It was true that he had been on autopilot. His time with *NSYNC had afforded him the ability to give interviews without really being mentally present. It was a pretty good trick, especially when he had a lot on his mind. That day, his mind had been focused solely on the events of the night before. He couldn’t stop himself from thinking about the mysterious woman who had suddenly appeared and then disappeared from his life. It was like she had stripped him of any other conscious thought.

“Yeah…I guess I’m just tired,” JC said vaguely, taking a half-hearted bite of his sandwich.

“Yeah, okay,” D-Trix mumbled. “Not for nothing, JC, but you gotta snap out of it. You may be answering the questions, but it’s pretty obvious that you don’t wanna be here.”

“I don’t wanna be here,” he replied honestly.

“I don’t think any of us do, man. But ya gotta pretend, y’know?”

JC sighed. As much as he loved his job – and understood completely how big of a blessing it was – there were moments when he wished he had chosen a life as one of the anonymous masses. For one thing, he wouldn’t have had to deal with cameras shoved in his face every moment of the day but more importantly, he wouldn’t have met her.

“I’m…I’ll be right back.”

Ignoring the confused look on his colleague’s face, JC walked out of the hotel suite where they had been giving interviews and looked around for a quiet corner to place his phone call. He found solitude in the nook with the ice machine, and pulled his disposable phone out of his pocket.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Scott. How may we service you today?”

“I, um…I was wondering if I could book the same woman as last night for tonight. Marlowe.”

“I can check with her scheduler and get back to you. Would you like me to book someone different if she’s unavailable?”

“Um…no. And, er…if she has another, um, appointment, just know…I’m willing to pay double.”

There was a pause on the other line before his contact cleared her throat. “Double?”

“Yes.”

“What time should I say?”

“Same time.”

“I will check with her scheduler and get back to you.”

“Thank you.”

JC hung up and let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. Marlowe’s inexplicable disappearing act the night before weighed heavily on his mind. He had thought they had been having a nice time; he knew he certainly had been and he was confident enough in his sexual abilities to think that she had enjoyed herself too. But then she had just…left.

Under normal circumstances, he would have just shrugged it off; maybe even called for another girl to pass the rest the night. But there was something about her; something intriguing. She distracted him to the point of frustration and he didn’t understand why.

“JC?”

JC spun around to see his assistant looking at him. He sighed. “Is it time?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, I’ll be right there.”

The young woman gave him a perplexed look, but then shrugged and walked back to the suite. JC took a deep breath, trying to realign his mind to the task at hand. He had made the phone call. There was nothing more to be done until he heard back.

~ * ~

Kit awoke with a pounding headache and a deliciously sore throb between her thighs; a memento of the mind-blowing sex she had had the night before. She groaned, stretching as she lay in bed for a few more minutes, glancing at the clock. It was nearing two in the afternoon. She had been sleeping for almost twelve hours. Clearly, her body had needed the rest.

She had come straight home after unceremoniously rushing out of the hotel, and had opened a bottle of tequila. It was not normally her drink of choice, as she knew what it did to her. But it was the quickest way for her to get drunk so she downed several shots before collapsing on her bed. The headache was a painful reminder of why she avoided the deceptively smooth drink in the first place.

As she was contemplating the merits of getting out of bed versus staying in the prone position for the rest of the day, her phone rang. She winced, the high-pitched ringtone serving as a notice that her impromptu exit the night before had definitely put her job in jeopardy.

“Hello?” she said.

“Hey Marlowe. It’s Jess.”

“Uh…hey, Jess,” Kit said, slightly confused. She was certain her boss would be the one to fire her. It was a little insulting to think that after all the time she’s spent working for La Donna Dolce and money she had made them, she would be fired by the scheduler.

“You seem to have a fan,” Jess said, her voice a little too chipper for Kit to deal with in her current state.

“I’m sorry?”

“Your client last night. He wants you again tonight.”

Kit frowned. “Really?”

Jess chuckled. “You seem surprised.”

“Well…I…I didn’t get that “repeat customer” vibe from him.”

“Well, he seems eager. Shall we tell him you’ll be there?”

“I…I don’t think so. I’m…I’m not feeling very well, to be honest.”

“Really? That’s a shame, because he’s willing to pay double what he paid last night.”

Kit sighed. Aside from getting into the job because of the emotional emptiness, she also had an exorbitant amount of student loans that needed to be paid off. She had done well since she had started working there, managing to pay down more of her debt than a normal twenty-something would, but she still had a ways to go and she hadn’t saved nearly enough to be able to manage unemployment without selling a few pints of blood.

“Marlowe?”

“Yeah, okay. Can I call you back?”

“Sure. You should know…he was very specific. Apparently he told his contact that he didn’t want anyone but you.”

“Of course he did,” Kit mumbled. “Alright, give me a couple of hours to see how I’m feeling.”

“Okay.”

Kit hung up and immediately called another number.

“Hey there, stranger,” a warm, bubbly voice answered. “It’s weird, I was just gonna call you.”

Kit smiled slightly in spite of herself. Tara Christie had been Kit’s friend and mentor when Kit had started at La Donna Dolce almost two years earlier. Now the high-flying mistress of a wealthy film producer, Tara kept in contact occasionally, serving as Kit’s touchstone on professional issues.

“Oh yeah?” Kit said.

“Yeah. I’m in New York. J.J. has some meetings here, so I decided to take the old Amex Black out for a spin on Fifth. Wanna keep me company?”

“I...um…well…”

“Alright, sweetie, what’s up?”

“I have…an issue.”

“Something that should probably be discussed in person?”

“Yeah. And preferably not while dress shopping at Barneys.”

“You at home?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

Kit hung up with a relieved sigh. If there was anyone who would be able to help her think through her predicament, it would be Tara. Tara had gotten out of the game when she had fallen for a client. She would know how to proceed.

~ * ~

“Alright, I’m here. What happened?”

Kit shut the door behind Tara, motioning for her friend to follow her into the living room. She had managed enough energy to shower and put on some presentable clothes, but neither had given her any more clarity on the situation.

“I connected with a client last night,” Kit said, collapsing onto her sofa as her friend sat in a chair opposite her. “And he wants to see me again tonight.”

Tara leaned forward. “Talk to me,” she said.

“I…it’s all a little strange,” Kit admitted. “I was walking through the lobby of the Four Seasons yesterday morning and I noticed this man staring at me. I didn’t think much of him…I mean, he was very handsome but had one of those looks to him – you know, a cocky certainty that every woman is just dying to sleep with him?”

Tara nodded and Kit continued. “Anyway, I gave him a cold stare and went to meet a friend for brunch. Then I got a call for an appointment – British businesswoman, cold and dispassionate – at the Four Seasons last night. I thought it was ironic, you know? I guess I should have suspected something then, really.”

Tara frowned. “The client was that guy from the lobby?”

“Yes. Apparently he’s well-known at the agency. He only comes to New York a few times a year but when he does, he always gets a girl. He had a great reputation, so I wasn’t really worried but when I got to his room…”

“It was the guy from the lobby,” Tara repeated.

“Yes,” Kit said. “And…I don’t know. He just wasn’t what I expected. I mean, physically he’s just my type. Tall, lean, dark hair, light eyes. Cheekbones that defy gravity. And he has this…this sinful lower lip…”

Tara smiled slightly. “You must be referring to Mr. Scott.”

Kit looked startled. “You know him?”

“Oh honey, of course I know him. How do you think he got the reputation he has?”

She felt her heart plummet. “So…you’ve slept with him.”

“Yes. And I can understand why you connected with him. He’s a very talented lover.”

“Yeah,” Kit replied softly, looking down.

Tara sighed. “Sweetie, everyone has at least one client that makes them feel those butterflies. Mr. Scott didn’t really do it for me…he’s a little too skinny for my tastes…but he is charming.”

“Yeah, but…it was more than that. It felt different.”

“Different how?”

“Well, for one thing, I’ve never been that turned on by someone. Ever.”

Tara arched an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yes. The sex…it was explosive. He pulled sensations from me that I haven’t experienced before. He was passionate and aggressive but then…there was this moment where everything slowed down and he was tender.”

Tara’s brow furrowed. “I don’t think ‘tender’ would have ever been an adjective I’d have used to describe him.”

Kit sighed. “Well, he was. And he has this…sexy/sweet thing going on that throws me off. Also…what’s with him giving out his first name? Is it, like, a power thing?”

Tara looked startled. “He gave you his first name?”

Kit’s brow furrowed. “Uh…yeah. Does he not do that?”

Tara chuckled. “No. In fact, I don’t think I ever had a conversation with him. He was just a “let’s get to it” type of client with me.” She frowned slightly. “Come to think of it, that’s what most girls liked about him. He doesn’t talk.”

“Well…it’s not like we had an actual conversation. But…he made me laugh. I mean…my real laugh.”

Tara smiled slightly. “You like him, don’t you?”

“I think so.”

“And because of that, you’re not sure you want to see him again.”

“Right.”

“So don’t see him. Tell Jess that you wouldn’t feel comfortable with it.”

“But they’re going to ask why.”

“Trust me, honey, they won’t.”

“Won’t it reflect badly on him?”

Tara shrugged. “Maybe. Does that matter?”

“Of course it matters. I don’t want to blacklist him from La Donna Dolce just because I had an emotional reaction him.”

“Then tell them that you had an emotional reaction to him.”

“But then they’re not going to trust me.”

Tara sighed. “Honey, I love you, but your making my head hurt.”

Kit sighed. “I know the feeling.”

“The way I see it, you have two options. Either you call and say you can’t see him and you give them a reason why, or you bite the bullet and go tonight.”

Kit nibbled at her lower lip, thinking. “What if I went tonight and told him that I didn’t want to see him? Is he the type of guy to take that kind of thing badly?”

“I honestly couldn’t tell you, babe.”

“He said he’d pay double. He didn’t want anyone else.”

Tara sucked in a breath. “Seriously?”

“I don’t know what to think of that.”

Tara chuckled. “I’d be flattered.”

“Yeah,” Kit said. “But at the same time…he’s still paying for me.”

“Well…that’s what you do, sweetie.”

“I know.”

“You can always get out of the game.”

“I know that too. I honestly thought that I might have to…I kinda…ran out on him yesterday. He paid for the full night and I bolted before midnight. Don’t worry, I left the money,” she added when Tara opened her mouth.

“I wasn’t going to mention anything about that, though I think it’s a little dumb considering you’re gonna have to eat that twenty percent commission fee,” she said. “What I was going to say was, if you ran out on him last night, and not only did he not turn you in but he wants to see you again…I’d go.”

“Really?”

“Look…when I met J.J., I knew there were sparks between us. It scared the ever living shit out of me. I did everything I could to repress my emotions – I even tried to sabotage our encounters by being late, or rude, or clingy…all those things that are guaranteed to alienate a client. But he kept asking for me. It took me awhile to realize that he knew exactly what I was doing, because he was just as scared about how he felt about me as I was about him.”

Kit smiled sadly. “Yeah, but your story is an anomaly, Tara. Your type of happy ending is not the type we normally get in our industry.”

She laughed. “This is true, but if there’s something that experience has taught me, it’s that anything is possible.”

“So you think I should go?”

“What do you have to lose?”

Kit remained silent, unwilling to answer that question just yet.