Page 59 of Playboy Billionaire

“Some were, then there were the gay men that needed cover, those were the dates I loved. We laughed and partied…I had several gay guys that called on me several times a month. I got to meet a ton of actors and directors by the way, so I figured eventually it would pay off, I’d be discovered.” Penelope grimaced, recalling her naiveté.

She took a sip of wine, “I had begun noticing a change in Camille. Subtle at first, she would get irritable and moody, snap at me over nothing. Then she became depressed and withdrawn.”

Her phone pinged again, she glanced at the message and frowned, then continued. “I was having my own problems. I had several incidents with a couple of my clients. One guy became obsessed with me. He was a total tech geek, one of my wealthiest and most frequent clients. Then there were the rich dirty old men I’d accompanied. A few came on way too strong in the back of their limos. One of them got rough. I went to the boss and he told me to lighten up. He suggested I could make a hell of a lot more money if I did put out.”

Dolly’s eyes widened and she put her hand over her mouth. “Oh my God! That’s terrible. He sounds like a pimp!”

“Yes, I told him he’d better do a better job of screening my clients or I’d quit. I’m ashamed to admit, but I had let a few of the men I’d escorted kiss me, no biggie, but that’s as far as it ever went, I swear! You may be wondering why I didn’t quit? Stupidity and bills. Plain and simple, I was making so much money it was hard to give it up.”

“Oh Penny,” she looked so sad that Penelope teared up again.

“Fast forward…the billionaire computer nerd, Josh, began to get possessive and demanding, wanting me all to himself. He offered me everything short of the moon. He wanted me to quit and marry him. He said I was too sweet and innocent to be escorting lecherous old men for money.”

“What was he like? Any sparks there?”

“God no! He freaked me out. He was obsessed with me. Ironically, the very last escort date with him changed my life. It was a political fundraiser. He was a big donor to the senator up for re-election. Huge fancy gala. Celebrities, the governor, the who’s-who list in attendance.”

“I’m scared to hear what’s coming next.”

“I fell in love.”

Dolly gasped, “That’s definitely not what I expected to hear. I thought you said there were no sparks?”

“Ha! No, not with Josh. There was this up-and-coming, might I add, young, gorgeous and ambitious, district attorney at the party. From Nevada. He had his life mapped out, grand plans for his political future. His dream was a senatorial run.”

“We hit it off immediately. He was intelligent, funny, charming, and completely smitten with me. He sat next to me at the dinner…we couldn’t take our eyes off each other. We laughed and talked; I was half in love by the end of the night. It was mutual.”

“What did your date think of all this?”

“He was furious. At first, he was so busy schmoozing with the elite that he didn’t notice I wasn’t paying any attention to him. When he finally did notice, he practically dragged me out of there, then berated me the entire trip home. That’s when I decided to quit. Done!”

“What happened to Mr. Dreamy? Did you have time to exchange numbers?”

“No, but the next day three dozen long stemmed roses were delivered to my home, followed by a phone call. He’d managed to get my name and number from the host. He also found out I was an escort, but he didn’t care. He wanted to see me again.”

“I said yes. On our third date we made love. He was my first. Of course, he was stunned to find out that I was a virgin. We fell hard for each other, dated for about six months whenever he was in town. By then some small parts were trickling in, my name was getting out there. It was an exciting time. Then…” Penelope bit her knuckles. “I got pregnant.”

“What?” Dolly’s eyes widened.

“Yes. It was a shock. I was terrified…but I was kind of excited too.”

“How did he take it?”

“Not very well. He said he wasn’t ready to start a family. He wanted me to get an abortion. I refused.” Dolly looked so sympathetic that Penelope choked up for a minute before continuing.

“We continued to see each other when he was in town. He had promised to pay for my medical costs and to financially provide for the baby, but that it was important for his political aspirations not to be linked with me or the child.”

“Bastard!”

“Looking back, I can’t believe how naive I was. A small-town dumbass simpleton. I’d taken everything at face value and thought I knew it all and was savvy enough to handle anything thrown my way…not.”

“One day there was a knock at my door…it was Mrs. Emily Warren, his wife. To say I was upset is an understatement, I was devastated. She had photos of us, even one of us entering the OBGYN office together. I was obviously pregnant, my belly swollen, his arm around my waist. She also pulled out pictures of his kids, all three of them.”

“Oh Pen, I’m so sorry.”

“I was shattered. I loved him so. There I was, nineteen, pregnant in LA, and alone. Emily Warren made me promise not to tell Graham about our meeting. I had to promise I’d never reveal how I found out about his double life. If I didn’t go along with that, she would ruin me. I was to break up with him and never make contact again.”

She took a deep breath then continued, “When I confronted him about his marriage, he begged me not to end it. He swore we could still have it all. He claimed I was his one true love. And that his marriage was a sham. I told him I wouldn’t share him or break up a family, I couldn’t add homewrecker to my list of sins. I ended it and told him I never wanted to hear from him again.”

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