Page 174 of The Sinner: James

“No. She used to be, but now she works for herself, pretty much under the radar.”

“Really?” I ask, raising an eyebrow. “So young and already on her own?”

Clasping his hands behind his head, he stretches his neck.

“Yeah. Word is she’s that good. She only does call-outs and comes highly recommended,” he says, smiling faintly.

I pour myself another drink.

“We were actually on a waiting list,” he adds.

I whip my eyes at him.

“Come again.”

He nods.

“She’s one of the highest-paid call girls in Manhattan and highly sought-after from what I’ve heard. She’s very selective with her clients and doesn’t do volume, creepy men, or weird kink. She’s the whole temptress experience and makes you feel like a god. Or at least that’s what I’ve been told. A couple of big whales might have her on a retainer, although the way it looks to me, it might be the other way around. In between, she takes clients at her discretion. You can’t find her anywhere. She’s not advertising her services.”

“How did you find her?”

“A friend of mine had told me about her. It’s all word of mouth at this point, and you need to come recommended by someone she trusts to be put on her waiting list.”

“No fucking way.”

My lips curl into an incredulous smile.

“What did your friend say?” I ask.

“She’s worth the money.”

“You talked to her?”

“Nope. She confirmed it with him before he sent me the message.”

“You must be shitting me. How do we meet?”

“A limo driver will deliver her to the party at nine o’clock sharp tomorrow night. She’ll wear a red gown and a ruby-encrusted necklace with a pendant that reads Red. Her name is Red,” he says, flashing a grin.

“Right. And I’m the Wizard of Oz. You have so much fucking time on your hands, Lex. You must’ve gotten really bored with your life,” I joke. “She knows there’s two of us?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Does she know who we are?”

“No. She knows we’ll be waiting for her, wearing ruby-encrusted cufflinks matching her necklace.”

“Are the cameras rolling too? Is this the fucking show I’m signing up for?” I say, laughing.

He gives me an amused grin.

“You said you wanted something different.”

“How much is she charging for this shit?”

“Don’t worry. It’s my treat,” he says.

“That’s not what I asked.”

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