14. Jenny
JENNY
“I just went pee,” I complained to Audrey. “I don’t really need to go again.”
“Fine. I just want to talk to you for a minute.” Audrey steered me past the ladies’ room down the hall to the empty coat check.
She looked around carefully, making sure that no one was nearby or could see us. “Jenny,” she said gently. “Cole hired you through AccommoDating, right?”
“Of course,” I said.
“He seems like a nice guy.”
“He’sawesome, Dre! We’ve been having so much fun.” I grinned and grabbed her hands. “Thank you for doing this for me. Elena’s so happy that James sent her a referral. I told her I was going to rock Cole’s world and make him a regular.”
“Okay,” she said. “I just want to make sure, though…” Audrey bit her lip.
“What?”
“That you don’t think he’s going to buy you, or anything,” she said miserably. “The way you were looking at him out there?—”
“Aw, Dre, c’mon,” I said, laughing. “This isn’t my first date. You don’t think I have an actualcrushon Cole Bryson, do you?”
Audrey looked confused. “Don’t you?” she asked.
I shrugged. “I like hiswallet. I like his thick cock. I like his box seats. I like batting him around like a cat toy.”
“You don’t like him ?”
“Oh yeah—I like him, all right. Who the fuck wouldn’t? He’s wicked hot, and he’s a billionaire! But he’s aJohn, Dre. He’s paying for me to do whatever he wants. And he wants to do lots of things, let me tell you. He’s nasty, and I like it.
“But just because I’m enjoying myself doesn’t make it any less of a job,” I said. “Or any more than a job. I mean—oh, you know what I mean.” Talking to Audrey made it crystal clear: Cole Bryson was a job—one that I enjoyed—but nothing more.
Audrey nodded at me. “I know exactly what you mean.”
“Enough about me. I can take care of myself.” I looked at Audrey. “How’s it going with Mr. Sex in a Suit?”
“Great,” she said, but it sounded like a lie.
“He did fuck you, right? I saw you two out there.”
“He fucked me,” she said, sounding miserable. “We fucked.”
“Was it that bad?” She looked so upset I squeezed her hand. “Dre, are you going to cry or something?”
“No,” she said, but her eyes were totally filling with tears. She blotted them carefully. “Jenny, I can’t cry. His whole family is out there. And they can’t know how we know each other, either.”
“Okay,” I said, my professional training kicking in. “We can handle that. I’ve had to lie to so many wives and girlfriends that the lies just spring out, Dre. And they’re usually pretty good. Don’t worry about that part. But wedoneed to worry about those tears. Tell me what’s going on.”
Audrey shook her head. “I can’t. I can’t talk about it.”
“He hit you or something?” I cracked my knuckles, preparing to go and fight James Preston. “Is he some kind of freak?”
“Nope,” she said.
I immediately believed her. But there was still some problem… If James wasn’t abusing her, and they’d been having great sex, the issue was that she probablylikedhim. Elena warned us all the time that getting emotionally involved with your client was dangerous. It could only lead to heartbreak.
“You cross some kind of line with yourself?” I asked.
Audrey sniffled. “Something like that.”
“S’okay, Dre. That happens to everybody.” I hugged her. “The thing is, nobody knows what those lines are but you. That’s why it’s awesome that feelings and thoughts are invisible . They’re like magic. Nobody knows the truth but you, okay? You’re safe.”
“Okay.” But she sniffled some more.
“So you do what you think is right,” I told her. “And remember, if it gets too bad, just close your eyes.”
“Because then it’s like it never happened.” Audrey nodded. “Jenny, I probably haven’t told you this lately, but you’re smart.”
“I know,” I said. “It’s my secret weapon.” I gave my friend a long look. “And Dre—just because it’s not going to happen for me, doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen for you.”
“What?” she asked.
“You know.” Audrey should be the exception to the “no emotional attachment” rule. She was a good girl, and she was good enough for anybody—including a proper billionaire like James Preston.
She shrugged. “Jenny, it’snotgoing to happen for me.”
I shook my head and pointed at myself. “No billionaire’s gonna buyme. Because I’m a whore, Dre, and I don't even feel bad about it. But you’re different. You're doing this to take care of your brother. You’re actually a good girl. Mr. Suit knows that. I can tell.”
“He’s not going to buy me,” she said.
“He might.” I grinned at her. “Crazier shit’s happened, that’s for sure.”
“What about you and Cole?”
I laughed. “I am going to suck him as dry as I can—him and his wallet!”
Audrey finished drying her eyes, and I linked my arm through hers. “You ready?” I asked.
She nodded.
“Then let’s go bat some billionaires around like cat toys,” I said, giving my friend a wicked grin.
Our little group was quite popular that evening. Everyone wanted to have a drink with the two gorgeous billionaires and their super-hot, mysterious dates. Even Evie—the skinny, bitchy, bride-to-be—seemed impressed.
She and Todd, James’s brother, were talking to us. Upon closer inspection, Evie was pretty in a snotty, tailored, Boston-proper sort of way. She was wasted, teetering in her fancy shoes as she eyed first James, then Cole up and down.
“You own part of the Thunder?” Evie asked, her flat chest pressed out toward Cole. She looked at him as if he was some sort of rock-star, farm-team-owning Greek God. And she was totally ignoring the fact that he had his arm around me, his date! Not to mention her fiancé standing next to her.
Not on my watch, bitch.
I stepped in front of Cole. “Yeah, he does,” I said. I thrust out my much more formidable chest, daring Evie to come closer.
She was about to say something back when Todd interrupted. “Are you flirting with the best man’s best friend?” he asked his fiancée. They were both slurring their words a little; the cocktail “hour” had been going for three hours straight.
Evie tossed her hair and narrowed her eyes at him. “Sorry, baby,” she said in what sounded like her version of a sexy voice. “Old habits die hard.”
“You mean once a slutty sorority girl, always a slutty sorority girl?” Todd asked, grinning at her.
“That’s exactly what I mean.” She grabbed his tie and pulled him in for a quick, hot kiss. Todd lifted her up, and she wrapped her legs around him. They headed to a dark corner for some serious making out and grinding.
“They’re drunk,” Cole said. He turned to me, eyes ablaze. “But enough about them—you are so hot when you fight for me, babe.”
“That wasn’t even a fight,” I said, tossing my hair. “If you want to see me throw down, just bring that bitch back here.”
Cole looked impressed. “That’s so hot—that’s thebride, Jenny. You gonna fight the bride for me?”
“I would, baby,” I cooed, pressing myself against him. We started seriously making out then, with Cole’s hands all over my ass. Almost getting into a fight with Evie had gotten me all hot and bothered. Howdareshe try and flirt with my man! Hot pride bloomed in my chest as his hands roamed over me. He deepened our kiss. I forgot all about James and Audrey, all about Evie, and all about batting billionaires around like cat toys.
Iwas being batted around, and I liked it.
As the night wore on, the party got increasingly louder. It seemed as though everybody was drinking a lot and having a good time. Todd and Evie were still dry-humping in their corner—I was pretty sure the uptight Preston family didn’t love that !
James and Audrey snuck out a little before midnight. Audrey winked at me, and I gave her a thumbs-up. Cole still had his hands on my ass, just where I liked them.
“Do you want to get out of here, too?” Cole whispered.
“You don’t have to ask me twice.”
Cole was too drunk to drive. He called for a private car. Five minutes later, a black Escalade pulled in front of the restaurant. The driver hopped out, opened the door for us, and then whisked us off into the night.
Being a billionaire didn’t suck.
In the back of the Escalade, Cole threw his arm around me. I snuggled against him. He kissed the top of my head, then yawned. “It’s pretty late to head to the game. Some other ones are coming up, babe. Want to go to one of them instead?”
I’d forgotten all about theThunderand our box seats. The nine rum punches must’ve clouded my thoughts. I yawned, too. “Absofuckinglutely. It’s been a long day. A long one, but a good one.”
“I agree.” He kissed the top of my head again. “I agree.”
We stumbled into the Liberty, and I was relieved that the bitchy Windsor sisters were long gone. Up in the penthouse suite, I carefully stripped out of my dress, hung it up, washed off my makeup, and brushed my teeth. Then I climbed into bed next to Cole and sighed when I rested my head on his insanely soft pillows.
“This is nice, Coley. Real nice.”
He pulled me against his chest and kissed my forehead. “It’s the nicest, Jenny. Especially with you here.”
Cole promptly started snoring.
Sleep eluded me for a few minutes, and I wasn’t sure why. That is until I realized that I was listening to the beating of Cole’s heart and wondering if, just if, he meant what he’d said. It’s the nicest…especially with you here.
Forget about it, Jenny, I thought. He’s just a John.
As Audrey said earlier, I was smart. It was my secret weapon, and I was not above using it on myself.