Escorting the Billionaire #3 (The Escort Collection) (4 page)

M
y head was pounding
. “You know I won’t let you go anywhere—not without me.”

“You should let me finish ’cause that’s not all she said,” Audrey whispered. A blush was creeping up her neck, which was never a good sign.

“What else?” I asked. Ice-cold fury was pulsing through me. My mother had crossed her final line with me. “What else did she say?”

She held up her fingers to count my mother’s grievances, ticking them off like a list. “She said that I was going to ruin your life if I stayed with you. She said you were dating me just to spite her. She said that our children would practically be famous, and everyone would find out about my past. And that the kids would have to live with the fact that their mother used to be a whore.”

“Audrey,” I said, “we already discussed this.”

She looked up at me and let out a shaky breath. “It’s a little different when you hear it from a third party.”

“She’s not just any third party—she has an agenda.”

“She told me her agenda was to protect her family. That’s the only motivation she has, James.”

“That’s bullshit. She doesn’t know anything about family. All she cares about is the
image
of family.” I stopped her from pacing and pulled her to me. Her skin felt hot to my touch. “I told you she was never going to accept us. What does this change?”

She looked up at me. “She threatened me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I asked her what she would do if I said no. If I stayed. She said that she would think of something.” Audrey pressed her face against my chest. “She…she was a little scary, James.”

I stroked her hair. “She can’t do anything to you, babe. I won’t let her.”

Audrey looked back up at me. “What exactly do you think she’s capable of?”

“I wouldn’t put too much past her. But what do you mean? What are you worried about?”

“I’m not sure.” She paused for a second. “But I know I don’t want to tear your family apart.”

“You can’t tear my family apart—there is no
together
in my family. My mother is a nightmare; my father does nothing to rein her in. That leaves Todd and Evie. Todd already cares about you. Once he knows I love you, he’ll welcome you into the family with open arms. Evie will follow suit. And that’s enough for me, Audrey. I don’t care about my mother. The worst thing she can do is disinherit me. You know what? I don’t even care if she does. I went out and made my own fortune. I don’t need her money, and I don’t need her. I don’t need anyone except for you.”

I just held her for a second. “Can you live with that, Audrey?” I asked.

“I want to,” she said.

“That’s all I’m asking,” I said, smoothing her hair. “But I think maybe it’s time we scared
her
a little. She’s past due.”

T
he valet knocked
on our door the following morning at seven a.m. I gave him six crisp five-hundred-dollar bills. “Please tell Mrs. Preston that Miss Reynolds left as expected,” I said, nodding at him. “Off you go.”

“Why’d you do that?” Audrey asked, padding out to the kitchen in my T-shirt. She turned the coffeemaker on and squinted at me, clearly still half-asleep. “I’m so confused.”

“I’m just looking for the element of surprise,” I said. “It’ll be fun to see my mother’s expression at breakfast.”

“You have a weird idea of fun,” Audrey said and yawned. “You want some coffee? You’re gonna need it.”

My mother’s face at breakfast wasn’t as exciting as I’d hoped. Unfortunately, she’d injected so much filler into it before the wedding it couldn’t move that much. “Good morning,” I said to her at the buffet. I pulled out a chair for Audrey at her table, and I sat down in between them.

“Ah,” she said, looking pointedly at Audrey. “I see you’re determined to enjoy the rest of your vacation.”

“We’re planning on enjoying lots of things. And she’s not going anywhere, Mother,” I said, spearing a piece of cantaloupe off her plate. “Audrey’s agreed to move to California with me after this.”

“Is that so?” my mother asked benignly.

“Yes, that’s so.” Audrey was tense beside me, but I refused to let my mother get under my skin. I wanted to see her crack, just a little, but that was going to take patience. My mother was the Ice Queen. It was going to take a blowtorch to get her to melt.

And even the blowtorch method would require some patience.

“What are you going to do for work out there, Audrey?”

Audrey looked pale. “I haven’t decided yet, Mrs. Preston.”

“I’m sure you have quite a resume. You’ll find lots of willing, ready, and able employers in California.” She gave her an in ice-pick smile.

“That is
enough
,” I snapped, furious. “The only reason we’re still here is for Todd. I want you to know that Audrey told me everything you’ve said. You can be as horrible as you like. But you need to know from me—your son, who you claim to care so much about—that your behavior will change nothing. Audrey and I will simply cut you out of our lives and our future. That’s your choice, Mother.”

My mother turned to me, her eyes softening a little. “Please don’t say things like that, James. You’re always too harsh with me.”

“You’re the one who’s been too harsh. I’m done. Audrey is part of my life now,” I said. I grabbed her hand from the table, lacing my fingers through hers. “I love her. You can’t scare her off, and if you don’t treat her with the respect she deserves, you’ll never hear from me again.”

“James,” my mother said, “if you choose to have a relationship with Audrey, I will support that. I didn’t realize you were this serious.”

She forced herself to smile at us. “I can be pleasant, see? You never give me any credit.”

“That’s because you don’t deserve any,” I said.

She nodded and clutched her mimosa, her hands looking old to me for the first time. “You might just be right about that, dear.”

“
W
ell that was horrible
,” Audrey said after breakfast. “But at least she seemed appropriately chastened.”

“Don’t believe it for a second,” I said. We were changing to go on a snorkeling excursion with Todd, Evie, Cole, Jenny, and some of the others; I would be happy to put some distance between my parents and myself right now. “My mother is a lot of things, but sorry is rarely, if ever, one of them.”

“Do you think that was just for show?”

I considered it for a second. “Yes. More for me than for you.”

“So where does that leave me?” she asked.

“By my side. Where I can keep you out of her way.” I leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.

“Are you going to wear that black bikini again?” I asked. “’Cause I don’t know if I can take you out in public like that.”

She laughed. “Do you want me to wear a one-piece instead? Or a tankini?”

“Hell no,” I said.

She went to change, and a few minutes later, she called to me from out back. I went out and found her in the outdoor shower, the water running hot and steam rising up around her. She was waiting for me in the very black bikini that I’d cautioned her about.

As predicted, I got hard just looking at her.

“Let me just take care of you now, baby,” she said and got on her knees. She started to stroke my balls, which got heavy at her touch. “That way we can relax and enjoy the snorkeling.” She undid my swim trunks and took me immediately in her mouth, licking and sucking my hard length until I couldn’t see straight.

Five minutes later I came so hard I forgot my name. But not hers.

Never hers.

I
pulled
Cole aside down on the dock. “How’s it going with Jenny?”

“Awesome. She’s incredible. I’ve never met anyone like her.”

I raised my eyebrows at him. “Are you talking about her in a sexual way? Or as a person?”

“I didn’t realize it was necessary to parse this out,” Cole said. “But I meant both.”

“What’s going to happen after this trip?” I asked.

“What’s going to happen with you and Audrey?” he asked in a challenging tone. “I asked you first, if you’ll remember. Back in Boston.”

“I asked her to move to California with me,” I said. “I love her.”

“To borrow Jenny’s phrase: Ho my frickin’ God, James. I’m so proud of you.” He clapped me on the back and grinned. “I knew it.”

“Well, you were right,” I said, grinning back. “Now I want to know if I’m right about you.”

“Huh,” Cole said. “This should be interesting.”

“I think you have real feelings for this girl,” I said. “I think you might just have an emotional boner for her.”

Cole looked at me thoughtfully and nodded. “It’s obvious, right? It’s
big
.”

“It’s not as big as mine, but you can still see it.”

“Ha,” Cole said. He watched Jenny as she laughed and talked to Audrey. “I think I might be in love with her.” His jaw clenched as he said it.

“She told Audrey you offered to buy her a house when we get back.”

“That’s right,” Cole said. “I asked her what she wanted, and she told me she wanted a South End condo and a Range Rover. So I said done and done.”

“What if that’s not all she wants?”

“What do you mean?” Cole asked.

“What if she wants you to be her boyfriend?”

“I frickin’ hope she wants me to be her boyfriend if I’m buying her a South End condo and a Range Rover.” He looked at me, confused. “Is she upset or something? She wouldn’t even do that thing with my balls last night.”

“Cole, please—”

“No, but she always does it. And I didn’t know what was wrong. She wouldn’t tell me. And she’s not usually like that. She’s always open with me. And I mean
really
open—”

“Stop,” I said, holding up my hands in mock surrender. “Please,
please
spare me the details. All I know is that she told Audrey what you offered her and that she wants more.”

“More than a condo and a car?”

“Yes, Cole.”

“Like what?” he asked, thoroughly perplexed.

“Like
you
. In the condo and in the car.”

“I was planning on being in the condo and in the car,” he said. “That’s sort of the point.”

“You should tell her,” I said. “Just be really clear. Sometimes they need to hear it with an exclamation point.”

“Sounds like you, bro,” he said and gave me a lopsided smile.

W
e snorkeled all afternoon
, laughing and talking and enjoying the beautiful surroundings. I finally got a minute alone with Jenny on the boat when the others were in the water. The captain was out of earshot, checking his instruments.

“So, are things better with you and Cole?” I asked. They’d taken a long walk down the beach earlier. Since then, they’d been holding hands and kissing, looking very much together. “You two seem like you’re being very
romantic
.”

“I decided to talk to him. Like you said.” Jenny took her sunglasses off and stuck them on her hat, so I could see her eyes. They were brimming with happiness.

“Being brave was
your
idea, if I remember correctly,” I said.

“That’s right—’cause I’m so wicked smart,” Jenny said and laughed. “He told me he
loved
me just now, Dre. He said he wants to move in with me when we get back.”

“That’s so awesome,” I said, because no other word would do. Jenny was my best friend, and she was finding happiness that she thought she’d never have.

“It is pretty frickin’ awesome,” she agreed, her eyes still shining. “We can double date,” she said, “and it’ll be box seats all the way, baby.”

“It’s crazy, right?” I asked. “Who’d have thought?”

“Me,” Jenny said. “This is where I get to say I told you so.”

“You did,” I admitted. Then I sighed. There was a black cloud hanging over me, in spite of the bright sunshine. “But it’s not all fun and games, unfortunately—last night, after we went to the bathroom? Mrs. Preston cornered me, remember? She hired a private investigator to find out about me, Jenny. She knows that I’m an escort. She knows about you, too.”

“She’s evil,” Jenny said, crossing herself. “I can’t stand to be in the same room with her. What’d she say?”

“She threatened me and offered to pay me off to go away. You know. Pretty much what you’d expect.”

Jenny snorted. “Did you tell James?”

“I did. He’s furious,” I said. “He told her this morning that I’m moving in with him and that he loves me.”

“I just got the chills.” Jenny ran her hands up and down her arms. “What’d she say?”

“Not too much. I don’t think she wanted to make him any angrier,” I said. “But just watch out for her. She’s a barracuda.”

“I can handle her.” Jenny tossed her curls. “It’s just too bad I can’t use a spear gun on her bony ass.”

W
ith all the
sunshine and the happy news about Jenny and Cole, I almost forgot about Mrs. Preston and her threats. Almost.

When we got back to the resort, James went with Todd and Cole to have a beer and smoke cigars. Wanting to give them some guy time I begged off, citing a desperate need for some shade. I was headed back to the safety of my villa when Mrs. Preston practically jumped out of the bushes and grabbed my wrist again.

“
Ow.
Jesus,” I said. “Were you waiting to ambush me?”

“Something like that,” she said, giving me her best fake smile. A shiver ran down my back. “Where’s my son?”

“With Todd and Cole. But within shouting distance,” I said. I wasn’t sure if that was true, but she didn’t know that.

“Why didn’t you get on that plane this morning?” she asked.

I took a deep breath. “Because I love your son, Mrs. Preston. And he actually loves me back. I can’t just leave him because you don’t approve of me.”

I looked at her for a beat. “I’ve listened to everything you had to say about how I’m not the right person for James, and I actually agree with a lot of it. But the thing is, Mrs. Preston, we really do love each other. When that happens, all the things you’re supposed to do—like get on a plane and accept a bribe from your boyfriend’s mother—those things don’t make sense anymore. The only thing that makes sense is staying together.”

She dropped my wrist, and I took a step back.

“I’m sorry to let you know that, despite what I said this morning, I still do
not
approve of your relationship.” Celia studied my face. “My son might be more sentimental than I’d realized.”

“Maybe he’s just happy,” I said, rubbing my wrist. “It’s been a long time. I just wish you could be happy
for
him.”

“He can’t marry a hooker,” she said matter-of-factly.

“We’re not getting married,” I said, refusing to let her under my skin. “We’re going to live in sin first.” I fake-smiled at her, and I meant it.

She drew herself up to her full height, as if she was preparing to make an announcement. “Audrey, I believed you had my son’s best interests at heart. Now I see that you are letting him control you. Either that or you are too selfish to see that you’re about to destroy him.”

Fury bubbled inside of me. “I’m not being selfish. I love James, that’s all. And he’s not controlling me, Mrs. Preston—and you are not a candidate for that position, either.” I remembered what she’d said about Evie: that she was perfect for Todd because she was easy to control.

“Oh, you’ve made that clear,” Mrs. Preston snapped. “I can see now that you’re a problem, and that you’re not willing to work with me to become part of the solution. It’s too bad. Because now you really will break James’s heart.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It
means
that there is no way on God’s green earth that I am letting a twenty-two-year-old hooker have a relationship with, let alone move in with, my oldest son. Something bad will happen to you, dear. These things have a way of working themselves out. It’s Preston luck,” she hissed.

All of a sudden the sunlight was too bright on my face; I felt dizzy, my world scrambled. Celia had told James it was “Preston luck” that his high school girlfriend had been killed.

“Holy fuck,” I said.

She looked at me innocently, and an icy fear spread over my exposed skin. “Indeed. See you around, Audrey,” she said.

I
realized later that
, of course, she’d actually admitted nothing.

Celia had just confirmed my worst fears about her. I paced through the villa, jumping at every little sound. Finally James came back, and I unlocked the door for him. He was loose and happy; he looked sexy and tan and he smelled like beer.

He watched me pace back and forth, a quizzical look on his face. “Audrey,” he said, “we’re in paradise. You’re supposed to be relaxing. It doesn’t look like that’s working out too well for you.”

I clenched and unclenched my fists. “I ran into your mother on the way back here.”

“Great,” he said, rubbing his face. “What’d she do now?”

I stopped dead in my tracks. “You’re going to think I’m crazy.”

“My
mother
is crazy.”

“She actually is, James,” I said, fiddling with my hands nervously. “She threatened me.”

“She threatened you yesterday.”

“This was a real threat,” I said, watching his face. “She said that I would never move in with you. That something bad would happen to me first. And that Preston ‘luck’ would take care of it.”

James was looking at me but it was as if he wasn’t seeing me.

“What?” he asked finally. “What were her exact words?”

I swallowed hard. “
‘Something bad will happen to you. These things have a way of working themselves out. It’s Preston luck.’
”

“Are you sure?”

“It’s sort of branded into my memory by fear,” I said.

“Holy fuck,” James said.

“That’s exactly what I said.”

“
S
he killed Danielle
. Or arranged to have her killed…” James was sitting on the bed, still looking but not seeing. “I can’t believe this.”

“She didn’t admit to anything, James. She just used that phrase, and it was like a lightbulb went off for me. But she doesn’t know what you told me. And no matter what really happened, she
didn’t
actually kill her—she was home with you when Danielle died, right?”

He nodded numbly.

“So it wasn’t her. Not directly, anyway. Maybe she felt she was responsible for making Danielle so upset that night—maybe that’s what she meant.”

“My mother’s not really a loose-ends kind of person. If she’d wanted Danielle… permanently out of the picture… I don’t think she’d leave it up to chance,” James muttered. He sounded sick. “I just hadn’t thought she was capable of something like this. I underestimated her—or maybe I was overestimating her, now that I think about it.”

“Do you think she hired someone? Or had something done to her car?” I’d run through the list of possibilities earlier as I’d paced, waiting for James to come back, filled with dread as I’d imagined the different scenarios.

James nodded. “Either one of those is a distinct possibility.” His eyes finally focused on my face. “I can’t believe I never considered this before. I feel sick.”

“You were just a kid when it happened. And you can’t blame yourself for not thinking your mother could have
killed
someone. That’s not in the normal repertoire of maternal behavior.” I shivered just thinking about it.

“And now she’s threatening to hurt you.” James reached out for my hand. “I’m so sorry I’ve dragged you into this mess. I can’t even believe this is happening right now.”

“That’s because it’s unbelievable,” I said, squeezing his hand.