Page 31 of Escorted

“What arethey?” When Ander hesitated, she added, “It might be good for me to know, so Idon’t accidentally ask for one of them.”

“I doubt thatwould happen. I’m pretty good at sizing people up. You’re not into anything Iwon’t do.” He spoke easily, naturally, and he looked relaxed and gorgeousstretched out on the bed wearing just a pair of silk boxers.

Lori privatelywondered whether or not she was uncomfortable at his intimate knowledge of hercharacter—or at least at how deeply he believed himself to know her. “So youreally won’t tell me?”

“I won’t domen,” he began.

Lori blinked.It wasn’t what she expected him to begin with.

“It does comeup,” he explained at her blank look. “Not as much now, since I only workthrough referrals. But I used to get a lot of requests.” He shook his head.“It’s just personal preference. I work with women.”

Lori nodded,somehow pleased with learning this fact about him, although she recognized hersatisfaction as irrational. “What else?”

“I no longer dothreesomes. I allow a third to watch but not to participate.”

“Why not? Whatif both of them are women?”

Ander’s lipgave an almost imperceptible twitch. The first one tonight. The sight of itmade her happy. “Honestly, a threesome is too much work. It’s too hard to focusenough on two women at the same time. I invest a lot of thought andconcentration into each engagement, and I can’t work as effectively if myattentions are torn between two women.”

“Interesting.”She was starting to feel a little weird now. She couldn’t help but wonder howmuch work and focus having sex with her had cost Ander. She pushed through thefoolish worry and prompted, “What else?”

“I don’t doanal sex.”

“Why not?”

“For a numberof reasons. It takes a lot of time and effort to make the act comfortable, andit’s done best with a level of trust that doesn’t exist between me and aclient. I provide romance, and the logistics of anal tends to spoil the mood.Plus, it’s just too hard on the condom.”

“It is?”

Ander noddedand blew out a breath. “The percentage of breakages is much higher with anal.Not even the higher price I could charge makes it worth the risk.”

Lori didn’thave to prompt him to continue his list again. He went on, “I don’t do hardcoreS&M. There’s not a high demand for that with my clients anyway, and itdoesn’t happen to be one of my talents. I refuse to do anything that has thepotential to do physical harm. No whipping, caning, significant bondage,cutting off airways.”

Lori stared athim. He wasn’t looking at her, but his face was perfectly sober.

“It’s not worththe risk to me,” he explained. “Obviously, I’d be as careful as possible, but Ican’t guarantee no accidents or flukes. As I said, there’s not a high demandfor it anyway with my clients. They’re looking for romantic fantasies, for themost part. So I don’t do anything beyond silk bindings for a limited period oftime and the occasional spanking.”

“Huh,” shesaid, mulling over what he’d told her. She’d honestly had visions of himperforming all kinds of sleazy acts of depravity and she wasn’t sure what tomake of his calm, rational explanation of his professional choices.

“Are youdisappointed in my white-bread ways?” he asked, with another twitch of hislips.

She giggled.“Don’t laugh at me. I just never thought about it before. I don’t blame you forbeing as careful as possible, though. You’re fortunate in that you’re able tochoose only what you’re comfortable with.”

“Yes. In that,I know I’m fortunate.”

Something soberentered the mood between them with his comment, and they lay in silence for afew minutes.

Then she asked,“Have any of your clients ever fallen in love with you?”

His face grewoddly still. “Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know.I just wondered. You’re a really attractive man who’s really good at sex. Andyou usually act out a romantic role, if I understand you correctly. It must behard for some of your clients to separate fantasy from reality. That’s why Iprefer it this way.” She gestured between their bodies to capture her point.“It keeps things clear.”

Ander noddedslowly, not meeting her eyes. “Yes. Some of my clients have fallen in love withme. Or at least, in love with the fantasy I give them.”

“What do youdo?”

“Nothing,unless they approach me outside of our professional engagements. If they do, Ino longer do business with them.”

---