Page 5 of Sexy Bad Escort

And he’s promoting Carl Blue? Over me?

The bastard doesn’t even do the work. Heleaves it up to his assistant and takes the credit. Carl’s biggestaccomplishment is pinching the office girls’ butts like he was bornwith the privilege. And Tom gave himmypromotion.

I drop into my leather chair and startripping files out of the drawers while I use my cell to order anUber. I may have quit. Or he might have fired me when I startedcussing about how pathetic his men’s club rules are. Either way,I’m done. But Carl isn’t getting his grubby hands on my work. Iflip the switch on the shredder and start ripping the papers out ofthe files, forcing them into the machine. It groans and grinds.That’s it baby, take it all.

My phone rings and I put it on speaker.“Hello?”

“Hey, sexy, you got a minute?” Dannyasks.

“Not really. I’m in the middle ofsomething.” I have all the time in the world. Or I will when Ifinish trashing the last five years of my life. I have no idea whatI’m going to do after I finish shredding my files. I might ringevery last one of my clients and tell them Pascal Design and Décoris no longer in business. Give them the name of a few of myfavorite competitors.

“I only need two minutes. It’s about thatfavor I did for you.”

He’d been a real champ coming to Yvonne’srescue. She’d gushed about him last night after the event. Her onlycomplaint was that she’d asked him back to her apartment for anightcap and he’d politely declined.

For a full three seconds I’d gaped at myphone. Maybe it was the shrimp, I’d told her. Sometimes he has aproblem with it. He must have been feeling off. Couldn’t imagineanything else that would keep him from his favorite hobby.

I open my laptop and start deletingeverything, including backups. “Can we make this quick?”

“Music to my ears,” he says. “I love a goodquickie.”

“Danny.” How does he manage to always makeeverything into a joke? And almost always about sex? “I don’t havetime for this. I’m hanging up.”

“Okay. The point. I want to go intobusiness.”

“What?” My hand jerks, knocking my phone offthe desk. It clatters to the floor before I can get a hold of it.“Sorry. What did you say?”

“I want to go into business.”

“Doing what?” The last file flutters away tothe trash bin, and I click to empty it.

“Dating,” he says. “Well, escorting,actually. Like I did for Yvonne. I’d be good at it, don’t youthink?”

Picking up the remains of this morning’scoffee, I pour it over my laptop keyboard. Let Tom deal with thatin whatever way he sees fit. “You do have a way with the ladies.From what I’ve seen.”

“Exactly. So why not use it to my advantageand get paid for my services? Rent-A-Danny. Women who never knewthey needed a Danny will get the pleasure of my company. For aprice, of course.”

“I guess.” I pick up an empty cardboard boxthat recently held files and start shoving my personal effects intoit. My synthetic potted fern because I can’t manage to keep a realone alive. The stapler, hole punch, a bunch of pens, a few stressballs with the company logo. They’ll come in handy when I want topretend it’s Tom’s head I’m crushing.

“I’ll be doing what I love and making moneyoff of it.”

Everything is a joke to this guy. It comesthrough in his tone, in the things he says, which is why it catchesmy attention now when that vanishes from our conversation.

“Aren’t you always telling me I need toconsider my future?” he asks.

“Well, yes, but—”

“I want you to be my manager, Ronnie. Hookme up like you did with Yvonne. Help me find clients and book datesand run the business side of things.”

“No. I don’t think…” I glance around myoffice. At the ruined laptop with coffee seeping out of it, a brownpuddle staining the desk, and the stalks of paper that forced thelid up on the shredder and spewed down the side onto the floor.

“Come on, Ronnie. I kind of need you forthis idea to work.”

I don’t have a job. I have no reason to stayin New York. My family is all in Chicago. I’m not even sure I stillwant to chase design as a career right now. A break from designingand a chance to regroup could be what I need. It’ll give me time tofigure out my next step. And Rent-A-Danny isn’t a bad idea. Danny’sright that he would be good at it. He’s hot, too, in a laid-back,couldn’t-care-less kind of way girls seem to like. “You know what?I’m in.”

“You’re in? This could really happen.” Hesounds staggered.

“Sure. Why not?”

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