Page 104 of Courting Gossip (Courting)
Chapter Sixteen
Genieve was nervous and excited when she finally sat down in the blue chair in front of Nina’s desk. All around her, Nina’s blue glass animal collection looked on as witnesses. Today was the day. They were making everything official. Luxxor’s lawyer and the lawyer Brody had recommended for her had worked things out with amazing speed. Nina, especially, had pressed for timely negotiations, but, now that she’d made the decision, Genieve was ready to go too.
The devil was in the details. She was buying a company. A major amount of cash was exchanging hands. They needed to do this right, but she was relieved to be working with somebody she trusted. Nina might be selling the company, but she cared about Luxxor. It was her baby. She’d built it from the ground up. She didn’t want to see it fail.
Genieve watched Nina as she sat behind her desk in a tailored teal-coloured dress. She looked polished and powerful – and anxious. Genieve knew the woman well enough to know what it meant when she toyed with her earring.
‘Are you happy with the contract?’ Nina asked.
She nodded. Two copies sat before her. ‘I read it through.’
Nina had given her the time to do that. She was one of the few people Genieve had confided in. Her boss – soon to be former boss – had never given her anything less than unconditional support.
‘I just have one question.’
Nina lifted an eyebrow. ‘What is it?’
‘Why me?’ she asked. ‘Why not Rielle or Sienna or one of the other escorts?’
It was the one thing niggling at her. Sienna had an advanced degree, and Rielle knew the workings of the company inside and out. Both were more than capable.
Nina smiled and sat back in her chair. She draped her arms easily against the armrests. ‘I didn’t even consider anyone else. You’re the best choice. Sienna is still new, and she doesn’t have the money. I doubt this is the direction she’d want to take her career anyway.’
‘But Jason could—’
Nina held up a finger to stop her. ‘I will not sell my company in any way, shape or form to Jason Sloan.’
No matter how well he treated Sienna, apparently. Genieve held back a smile. The former hockey player and her boss did have a fractious relationship, even though she’d set him up with the love of his life.
Nina rolled her fingertips against the arm of the chair. ‘Rielle is fantastic, but she’s not totally comfortable with what it is we really do here. You are. You know what it means to be an escort. You’ve done the job, and you know our clients. But most of all, it’s the way you can read people.’
Genieve’s eyes went wide.
Nina sat forward and clasped her hands together on the desk. ‘I’ve never met anyone other than me with such insight into human behaviour. You understand people’s wants and needs instinctively. That’s what Luxxor is about, at its heart.’
‘And your new company?’ Genieve asked.
Excitement lit the blonde woman’s eyes. ‘I’m just adding another component. I want to make matches once and see them last.’
‘But with great sex?’
‘Alwaysgreat sex.’ Nina winked. ‘Shall we sign?’
‘I’m ready.’ Genieve laid her hand over the other woman’s. ‘Are you? Are you positive you want to do this?’
Nina turned her hand over, and they clutched one another. ‘I want to take this new step in my life. I want to be happy, and I want you to have the same.’
Genieve took a shaky breath.
It caught when the door to the office opened suddenly. Startled, she looked over her shoulder. She was surprised to see Detective Morgan, but he seemed even more surprised to run into her. He jerked to a stop, and his forehead furrowed.
‘Oh. Sorry, ladies.’ He’d been so focused, he didn’t seem to know what to do.
Nina looked up, and her shiny hair slid over her shoulder. ‘Josh!’
He jerked his thumb towards the lobby. ‘I can wait.’
It didn’t look like he wanted to, though. He was a man on a mission, and Genieve felt like a speed bump he hadn’t expected.
