Chapter 6 Scarlett
SIX
SCARLETT
This guy is way too hot to be hiring an escort.
I knew what he looked like, of course, but I wasn’t prepared for what he looked like. I wasn’t prepared for the way he would look at me.
He looks both sweet and rugged, somehow. It’s clear his nose has been broken a few times, but even with the scars and crooked feature, his eyes are soft and he’s wearing a half-smile. And the first time that dimple popped out on his left cheek, I just about melted.
He’s dressed simply in jeans and a dark-gray Henley. Add in his wavy brown locks that I want to sink my fingers into and the intoxicating smell of whatever cologne he’s wearing, and I’ve been lost in his aura since I walked up to him.
Normally, a good-looking man wouldn’t make me question why he’s calling me. Plenty of guys are hot and assholes. But not Nico. He’s like a walking green flag.
Amara was right.
I want so badly to ask him why he called the agency, but I can’t. I have to play the game.
“So…you’re from Philly?” I ask instead, shifting in a way that makes Nico look at my legs. “Did you grow up there?”
Sure enough, his gaze drops, then quickly lifts to my eyes. His throat bobs on a swallow as he nods. “Born and raised,” he says in a rough voice.
“I’ve never been,” I say conversationally. “Would you recommend it?”
“I think everyone should visit,” he answers with a shrug. “It’s a great city. Great restaurants, fun bars, plenty of history. I almost like to think of it as a smaller, more manageable New York City.” When I let out a thoughtful hum, he tilts his head and asks, “So, you’re from North Carolina?”
South Carolina, actually, but I keep my agency profile close enough to the truth that it doesn’t feel like a huge fib.
I nod. “Born and raised,” I parrot with a smile.
“That’s a big move, coming to New York,” Nico comments curiously.
“Just a little,” I tease with a smile.
He hesitates. “Can I ask what brought you to the city?”
“I just needed a change,” I tell him honestly.
It took me a little while to figure out how to navigate the personal questions on the job.
When clients don’t want sex, they want conversation, and even though most of that tends to focus on the client, it’s still natural for people to ask about me.
There’s a level of security in vague answers that I use to protect myself, but it’s also essential to sprinkle some of the truth in.
It makes it easier to weave the spell they’re looking for.
“Was that a culture shock?” Nico asks me.
I blow out a breath. “Definitely. I thought I could prepare myself for it, but there’s no preparing for this city. Especially at nineteen.”
Shoot. I didn’t mean to let that detail slip out.
I know Nico picks up on it because his eyebrows lift. Maybe he can even tell that I hadn’t intended to tell him that, because he doesn’t press it.
I hurry to shift the topic to something I can use to figure out why he called the agency.
“So, when you’re not fighting, what do you like to spend your time doing?” I ask, casually dropping my hand to the side table so I can touch his hand again. “Any fun hobbies?”
I think Nico might be able to read me better than I was expecting because his gaze drops to my hand before looking out at the bar with a thoughtful expression.
“I can’t remember the last time I did something fun,” he muses. “I mean, outside of the occasional dinner with my brothers.”
Interesting. Maybe I’m just some fun he’s looking for?
“So you’re close with your brothers?”
He nods. “I’m close with my whole family. They’re my best friends.”
What does that feel like?
I shake away the errant thought before it can sour my mood. I need the focus on Nico.
“That’s sweet,” I say, gently moving my hand to his. “It’s really refreshing to hear that from a man.”
His eyes drop to my hand and stay there. I’m half-wondering if he’s going to pull away, he’s staring so intently. But after a moment, he wraps his thumb tentatively around mine.
When he lifts his head and our gazes meet, there’s a low simmer of fire in his eyes. He’s affected by my touch.
Good.
“So…if dinner with your family is the only thing you do outside of the gym, it sounds like fighting doesn’t leave time for much else in your life.
” I brush my thumb over the back of his hand, momentarily distracted by the sight of them.
They’re calloused and rough; they look like a man’s hands. “That sounds pretty stressful.”
His gaze burns. “It— Yeah, sometimes it’s a little stressful.” Something flashes in his eyes, too quick for me to read. “In all honesty, it’s one of the reasons I called you.”
Now we’re getting somewhere.
I lay my escort voice on thick, stepping fully into character. I’m here to do a job, after all. Not get distracted by a hot guy with an adorable dimple.
“I can absolutely help with that,” I purr, sliding my finger up and down his forearm.
To my surprise, Nico stops my touch by gently grabbing my hand. My eyes dart up to his and widen.
“Do you have any fun hobbies?” he asks.
For a moment, I can only blink at him. I was two seconds from asking if he wanted to go upstairs, and he stops me to ask about hobbies? Who is this guy?
I can’t remember the last time I tripped over an answer during an appointment. But right now, I can only open and close my mouth in surprise.
“I guess that means we both work too hard,” Nico comments softly.
This is not how this conversation was supposed to go. There’s nothing sexy about this, nothing that might make the client feel good.
What am I doing?
I need to redirect us. Get this back on track.
“If you could spend a rest day doing anything, what would you do?” I manage to ask.
A warmth lights in his eyes that I am entirely unprepared for. His lips lift in the barest hint of a smile.
“I’d come see you.”
My cheeks heat at that. As does the rest of me. He’s…flirting with me.
And in a way that’s making me feel like a teenager with her first crush.
“I thought I was supposed to be the one doing the charming,” I whisper, unable to take my eyes off him.
He doesn’t look away either. “Trust me. You are.”
I can feel my pulse hammering in my neck, my skin growing hot at his words and proximity. Who’s seducing who here?
I glance at his lips before I can control the impulse. I don’t ever kiss clients, but suddenly, all I can think about is what kind of kisser Nico would be.
Would he be gentle? Take his time? Or would he flip a switch and become an animal?
I have to clear my throat before I can bring myself to ask, “Do you want to go someplace a little…quieter?”
For the first time, there’s a flash of indecision in his eyes. Does he not want to include the physical aspect in his booking? Did I read him wrong?
But then that heat flames right back to life. “Only if you do, Red.”
Somehow, the nickname makes me even hotter for him. I’ve never before been excited to sleep with a client, but with Nico…
I stand from my chair and extend a hand to him.
“I would like that very much.”