Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
SATURDAY
Brielle
I was making breakfast for Stella when my business phone rang with a number I didn’t recognize. I declined the call, and a text message came through.
“It’s Caden Chamberlain. I’m going to call you again. Make sure you answer. I need to talk to you about tonight.”
A moment later, it rang again, so I answered it.
“Hello, Mr. Chamberlain.”
“Hello, Emmy,” his low voice spoke.
“If you’re calling to cancel?—”
“No. I’m not canceling. I have a request for tonight.”
“And what is that?” I asked.
“I don’t want you to wear your wig. I want you to come as your natural self. Not in disguise.”
“Excuse me?” I started to tremble.
“I saw you come out of the bathroom in the airport, and your hair was blonde. I would imagine your eye color and the brunette wig you wore were fake. I want the real you tonight. Plus, there will be many high-class, influential, and wealthy people at this event, and I’m sure someone will recognize you if you’re in costume. Truth be told. I don’t want anyone to know I’m bringing an escort as a date.”
Shit. Shit. Shit. What the fuck was I going to do?
“I’m sorry, Mr. Chamberlain, but I only work in disguise. If you’re embarrassed that someone will see you with me, maybe we should cancel our date.”
“No,” he abruptly spoke. “Thirty thousand.”
“What? Are you crazy?”
“Perhaps I am. Come as yourself, and I will pay you thirty thousand for tonight. If you’re worried, don’t be. I already know you’ll be bringing your gun, and I don’t feel like being threatened with it again.”
“I have to go. I’m in the middle of something. Let me think about it, and I’ll get back to you.”
“You have two hours, Miss Pine.”
I ended the call and took in a deep breath. There was a knock at the door, and I jumped. Placing my hand over my heart, I unlocked it, and Sasha walked in.
“Good morning. I need coffee badly. Please tell me some is made.”
“There’s a full pot. I need to talk to you about something, but not in front of Stella.”
“Sure. Okay. Where is she?”
“In her room. But her breakfast is ready. Stella?” I shouted. “Breakfast is ready.”
She came running into the kitchen in her jammies and wrapped her arms around Sasha’s legs.
“Good morning, princess,” Sasha spoke as she leaned down and kissed the top of her head.
“Are you staying for breakfast?” Stella asked her.
“Of course. It’s not that often I get to have breakfast with my favorite girl.”
I set a plate of waffles in the middle of the table and grabbed another plate for Sasha.
“Don’t forget you’re spending the night at Grandma’s. Mommy has to work.”
“I know. Grandma said she’d play Monopoly with me tonight.” She grinned.
“Awesome.” I smiled as I poured some more coffee into my cup.
As soon as she ate, I told her to get dressed, and I’d take her to Central Park for a while.
“What’s going on?” Sasha asked as soon as Stella left the table.
“Caden Chamberlain called me right before you got here. Apparently, he saw me come out of the bathroom at the airport without my wig on.”
“Shit. Was he following you or something?”
“I don’t know. He must have been. Anyway, he wants me to come out of disguise tonight and said he’ll pay me thirty grand if I do.”
“Shit, Brielle. What are you going to do? I mean, for thirty grand, I think you should. What’s the harm? He already saw you. So, if you run into him on the street, he’ll know who you are anyway.”
“I don’t know.”
“There shouldn’t be hesitation. It’s thirty thousand dollars for one night. Thirty. Thousand. Dollars. You’ve never made that in one night alone. Plus, he’s young, hot, and a billionaire. Aren’t you dying to see what he’s like in bed? It’s been a hot minute since you’ve slept with someone that young.”
I sighed. “I know, and there is something about him that intrigues me but also scares me.” I took a sip of my coffee.
“You’ll have your gun. If he tries anything unwarranted, shoot him in the balls.” She smiled. “Plus, you’ve taken plenty of self-defense courses. I don’t think you have anything to be worried about. He’s just a bored billionaire.”
“Maybe you’re right. But I’ve never revealed myself to any of my clients. It’s too risky. I have Stella to think about.”
“Like I said, he already saw you. So, there’s nothing to reveal. Consider it a date as Brielle Winters, not Emmy Pine. Take his money, run, and don’t look back. You are in control and decide whether you want to see him again. That’s if he even wants to book you again.”
I furrowed my brows at her.
“I guess you’re right. He already knows what I look like.”
“THIRTY. THOUSAND. DOLLARS.” She leaned across the table. “One night. That’s it.”
As we were talking and I was cleaning up the kitchen, my business phone dinged, and there was a text message from Caden.
“Have you decided yet?”
“Yes. I’ll come as my natural self for thirty thousand like you offered.”
“Excellent. I want you to go to Bergdorf’s this afternoon and meet with a woman named Lila. She has some dresses for you to choose from for tonight. Dresses that I handpicked. She’s expecting you.”
“I have dresses at home I can choose from.”
“As I said, she’s expecting you. I’ll meet you at the Chatwal Hotel promptly at six thirty. The penthouse suite is on the top floor, P2.”
“I’ll be there, Mr. Chamberlain.”
“Looking forward to it. Again, it’s Caden.”