11. Jenny
JENNY
Greta and Florence looked outraged. “We’re going to get you thrown out of here, Cole Bryson! If it’s the last thing we do?—”
Luckily, the elevator doors closed, sparing us from the rest of the Windsor sisters’ tirade.
I turned to Cole. “I probably shouldn’t have said that.”
“Oh no. Youdefinitelyshould have said that. They deserve it—they’re notorious for complaining about everybody in the building.”
“What’s their problem?” I asked.
“They’re rich, bored, and think they’re better than everyone else.” He shrugged. “They’re pissed that I don’t invite them to my parties—I have professional athletes over all the time, including Chase Layne, the New England quarterback. The Windsorslovehim. So they’re mad I don’t include them in my reindeer games.”
“Your reindeer games?” I laughed.
“You know what I mean. They’re bitter. So they’re always trying to get me, and everybody else in the building who has a life, thrown out.” He shrugged again. “They’re probably interrogating poor Amari right now, asking questions about you.”
“Good thing we didn’t tell him the truth—because they’d be calling the cops on you again.” I fluffed my hair as the elevator silently ascended.
“Those sisters need to get a life.” Cole frowned. “They serve on every charitable board in the city, so you’d think they have a decent bone or two in their body. That’s not the case.”
“People don’t show the world their real face,” I said. “Look at the internet. You think any of those pictures are real? Nah. It’s all fake.”
He watched me carefully. “You’re not fake.”
“Yeah, but Iaman escort. So you might want to watch your back with those mean neighbor ladies.” I frowned. “If they find out about me, it could be a real problem.”
Cole shook his head. “We don’t need to worry about the Windsor sisters. They can’t find out about you. It’s our secret, remember?”
I nodded, then promptly forgot about the mean sisters, being an escort, how handsome Cole was, and everything else because the doors opened to the penthouse suite, and I was too stunned to think. The sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, glinting off Cole’s spectacular home. It looked like a movie set. The floors were rough-hewn wood; the couches were leather; the ceilings were vaulted, and a fire magically roared in the fireplace. Everywhere, framing the pristine space, was the glorious view of the Boston Harbor.
I took in a deep breath as if I could inhale the niceness of the place—as if it could cure me of poverty. The penthouse suite was likemagic. It was like money . If money had a human form, it would be Cole—tall, dark, and handsome. If money were a home, it would be his penthouse suite. The energy of wealth radiated throughout the space. If my plants moved in here, they would probably grow into a jungle or something.
“Holy shit !” I practically shrieked. “Are you kidding me? You live here?”
“Holy shit, yes, I do.” Cole laughed. “Can I show you around?”
He held out his arm for me, and I took it. “You don’t have to ask me twice.”
The living room, which I’d been gaping at, was enormous. There were separate seating areas—I counted six couches before finally giving up. Who needed that many sofas? I glanced at Cole, who was explaining that he’d worked with the architect and interior designer to make the space comfortable. “You know,” he gestured around the enormous living room, “it just said ‘home’ to me.”
I laughed so hard I snorted. “It’d say ‘home’ to me, too! I’d move into your freaking pantry!”
Cole started laughing. “I guess I sound like a dick, huh?”
I shrugged. “Not really. It’s just crazy—who wouldn’t want to live here? It’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen!”
“Really?” Cole sounded touched. I heard a note of little boy pride creep into his voice.
“ Really. Coley, are you kidding? You’re on top of the world!” I went and gaped out at the water. There were sailboats on the harbor, and a fishing boat with lobster traps stacked on it chugged by. “I could look at this view all day,” I mused.
“Itisnice, huh?” He came up and wrapped his arms around me from behind.
I leaned back against him. I could feel an erection stirring, and I was glad. I’d almost forgotten that Cole was a client, not a…friend.
Not a boy… friend?
I wasn’t surewhatI thought he was. Still, the conversation between us was so natural that I’d actually forgotten I was on a job. But I’d do well to remember my place. He wasn’t paying me to be his pal; he was paying me to be his escort.
“Do you want to show me the rest of the place?” I asked. I was actually excited to see his bedroom—a first for me. I was genuinely curious to find out what he had going on underneath that suit. That wasn’t like me; I’d never admit it to anyone, but I never enjoyed sex with my clients. It was just a transaction for me. The sooner it was over, the better.
Not that my clients had any clue about that. I was a great actress.
But Cole was different. A little thrill, a zip of excitement, sparked through me as he led me back through the suite. I was excited to be with him. I wasattractedto him. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt that way about a regular guy. But I knew I’d never felt that way about a John before.
If I let myself think about that too much, it would raise a red flag. Luckily for me, I wasn’t thinking about it too much.
“This is the primary suite.” Cole gestured to the most gorgeous bedroom I’d ever seen in my life. The bed was enormous, somehow larger than a king, and everything was white, gray, and cream. It had a very zen, luxurious vibe.
Cole turned to me. “That’s my bed.”
“I see that.”
“I’m excited that you’re going to be sleeping here for the next two weeks,” he said. “It gets a little lonely with all this space.”
I winked at him, then reached out and slowly undid his tie. “I bet you aren’t lonely that often, Coley. I bet you do just fine.”
A flicker of amusement crossed his face. “True. I’m not exactly suffering.”
“Nah, you’re not.” I slid his tie off real slow. He watched me as if mesmerized, his pupils getting huge. Yes! The billionaire wanted me. Electricity crackled between us, but I didn’t move. I’d taken his tie off. If Cole Bryson wanted something else, he was going to have to come and get it.
Lucky for me, he didn’t make me wait. He secured his hands around my waist and leaned forward. I watched, fascinated, as his gorgeous face closed in toward mine.
“Close your eyes, Jenny.”
I did as I was told. A moment later, his lips brushed mine. Electricity jolted through me. Hot chills coursed down my body, and heat pooled in my belly. Cole pressed his lips against mine again, his mouth slightly open. Fuck. My insides got all squirmy. His big hands roamed my back. He was taking control, and I loved it. His cock grew thicker, pressing against me. Wow. Cole Bryson was a big boy. I wanted to get my hands on him, but I waited, taking my time. Cole was in charge, and I let him dictate what happened next.
He was the client, after all.
I was supposed to give him exactly what he wanted.
I almost slipped into the moment—I almost let go and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Almost. But on some level, I was still self-aware, still protecting myself, still in control. I always had to be like that. It was my survival instinct. That’s how I’d managed to make it in this job.
Cole deepened our kiss, and his hands roamed lower, cupping my ass. Yes. It was getting hot in the bedroom! I almost lost myself in him again. It felt so good. I greedily leaned in for more kisses as he squeezed my ass, pulling me tighter. His bulging erection rubbed against me. The heat built, almost scorching me.
I need him. I have to have him…
Cole’s hands continued to roam my back, exploring as his tongue found mine again and again. We rocked against each other.
“Fuck, Jenny,” he panted as he pulled back. “You’re making me crazy.”
In response, I nipped at his lips and rubbed his cock through his pants.
“You’re naughty.” He laughed, but it was mixed with a moan. “I have to take you. Right now.”
I clutched at him, my hands skimming the hard lines of his muscled body. “Then do it.”
He grabbed my hips and lowered me onto the bed. Standing above me, he stripped out of his coat and unbuttoned his dress shirt. Holy shit , Cole was jacked! His pectoral muscles were smooth and enormous, his vast biceps popped, and his shoulders were broad and muscular. He looked like he could throw me over his shoulder and scale a mountain. I half-hoped he would try.
Who the fuckwasthis guy? Billionaire Batman?
But I didn’t have time to wonder. He stripped out of his pants, and I was face to…well, not face-to-face, but I finally saw his cock. His huge cock. It sprang out in my direction, right at me, aiming for its target.
I instinctively spread my legs. I wasnotsaying no to that thing!
Cole pulled the dress over my head, and his jaw dropped when he saw me. I’m not going to lie—that made me feel good. Really good. I wore a scrappy black laceLa Perlabra and matching thong. I didn’t know much about labels, but I knewLPwas the best. The guys went bananas over it.
“Jesus, you’re perfect.” He stared down at me worshipfully.
“Aw, thanks Coley.” I grinned at him, basking in the compliment. “You’re pretty hot, too.”
“Ha. This is going to be fuckingawesome.”
“So show me,” I said, my tone challenging.
Cole dove in, all over me, kissing and nipping and groping. He was as much of an expert as I was. My bra was gone in two seconds flat. He kneaded and kissed my breasts, sucking on my nipples, driving me wild. Yanking my lace thong over to the side, he groaned when he touched me with his fingers. “You’re so wet, babe.”
I reached down and positioned his throbbing cock against my wet, exposed slit. When I rubbed up against him, both of us cried out.
We were getting into the foreplay pretty quick. I never orgasmed with clients—never—but I could already tell this time was going to be different. Something was building inside me, a fire that threatened to burn out of control. He slid his hard length up and down, his tip grazing my clit. Oh my God…
He did it again, and I cried out, my back arching. Buckle up!
Part of me was afraid. Losing control wasn’t safe for a girl like me.
“Oh, fuck Jenny. You’re so wet for me,” Cole said, sounding smug. He increased his pace, hips thrusting as he slid his cock back and forth against my slit. I lost myself in the rhythm as he increased the speed, rubbing my swollen clit in time with his furious thrusts. I was overwhelmed by him, by the sensation of him possessing me—but I wanted him inside, deep inside. I wanted him to fill me up and drill into me, come inside me, scream my name.
What the hell, Jenny? asked the voice in my head, but I was too far gone to listen.
“I can’t wait.” His voice was strangled. “I have to take you now.”
He penetrated me slowly and then all at once. My eyes rolled back in my head.
“Fuck!” Cole thrust slowly at first, making sure that he wasn’t hurting me, and then started to take me hard. My pussy gripped him, meeting him thrust for thrust, grinding onto the base of his shaft.
Yes.
Fuck yes.
Give it to me.
An energy started buzzing through me, my whole body vibrating. I was going to come, and hard. WTF? I reached down and stroked Cole’s balls, and he grunted in pleasure. He was lost in the moment, the veins in his muscular body bulging as he pounded into me. The more I stroked him, the harder he thrust.
“Babe, oh babe —” He exploded inside me, and the fullness from his orgasm pushed me right over the edge.
“Cole— Cole !” I screamed his name as the sensation tore through me, the pleasure eclipsing everything else. The muscles in my sex spasmed, clenching, greedily sucking him dry. I flew higher and higher, leaving everything behind as I became one with my body, one with Cole.
“Yes, fuck yes , Jenny.” Still thrusting, Cole spent himself into me.
I reached the apex of my orgasm, experiencing a pleasure I’d never felt before. I was so high, so free, given over to the gift of absolute abandon. Holy fuck. I didn’t even know where I was until I came to, breaking back to the surface, my body still undulating with the aftershocks of intense pleasure.
Cole finally collapsed in a sweaty heap by my side. He opened one eye and looked at me.
I opened one eye and looked at him.
And then we both laughed.
“Well,” Cole said, an easy, lazy smile on his face. “That was…something.”
“Sure was, Coley. It sure was.”
He threw his arm around me, then promptly closed his one eye and started snoring.
I stared at Cole, watching him sleep.
I’d been doing that for a long time. Too long.
I was Cole Bryson’s escort. He owned me; I was his. That in and of itself wasn’t a problem, although as I’d lain there, I realized there absofuckinglutely was a problem.
The problem was that I’d just had an orgasm. An intense one. With a client. And it had been easy, no manual stimulation required.
That had never happened to me before. Never as in, never ever .
And… I’d lost myself for a moment. I couldn’t help it—the control I prided myself on had evaporated during our sex. That control, that vestige of clarity, was the secret part of me that no one else knew about. Not my clients, not Elena, not even Audrey.
I never let myself lose control ofmyself. It was the only thing I had left. My dignity, my pride, my sense of safety—I’d let all of those things go a long time ago. When you grew up the way I did, you learned real quick that survival trumped everything else. And survival meant staying aware. It meant not trusting anyone a hundred percent, not ever, not deep in your heart. It meant always keeping a little bit of distance. It meant staying aware no matter what—even if my eyes were closed and I was pretending what was happening wasn’t happening. It meant protecting your heart at all costs.
I’d slipped a little, just a little , in Cole Bryson’s big, fabulous bed. Maybe it was because of his big, fabulous cock, or the fact that he’d made me laugh, or the way he’d casually thrown his arm around me and made me feel like a billion bucks. Maybe it was all the money I was earning.
Maybe.
Or maybe it was something else.
Either way, I knew that I had to be vigilant. I liked watching Cole as he slept. I liked his big bed and his big cock. I liked him .
But that didn’t mean I was ever going to let myself slip again.