Chapter 35 Nico
THIRTY-FIVE
NICO
It doesn’t take long to discuss the sponsorship opportunity. And yet, it feels like it takes too long.
By the time I’m promising to have Lucas look over the contract this week, I’m already itching to get back to Scarlett. I know she’s fine on her own, but I think I’m the one who hates being without her.
I breathe an internal sigh of relief when three of the four men make excuses to leave for the dining hall. I’m just about to make an excuse of my own when the fourth man, a man I don’t recognize, asks me, “So, are you enjoying your time between fights?”
I smile politely and nod. “I’m always eager to get back to fighting, of course, but yes, the downtime has been much needed.”
I don’t understand why he laughs and says, “I bet Daisy’s keeping you plenty busy, huh?”
I frown in confusion. “I’m sorry?”
The man nods in the direction we came from. “Daisy. Your date?”
When I still can’t make the connection, he nods and says, “Ah, did she tell you a different name? Makes sense. Amara’s girls like to switch things up. She was Daisy the nights I had her.”
That’s when it registers. This man knows Scarlett as an escort.
Dread fills my stomach like a lead balloon. Fuck. Why did I never think this would happen?
This is exactly what Scarlett was afraid of. She knew this could happen. Maybe she even knew it would fuck me up.
I was just too much of a na?ve idiot to consider what this would mean.
Or how it would feel.
Because this man has hired Scarlett. Has seen her naked. Has fucked her.
I can’t find the words to respond to this man. Who doesn’t seem to notice, because he just keeps talking.
“Yeah, I was disappointed to leave her behind when I moved to the West Coast. Based on the way things were going, I thought I’d be able to entice her to move out, but…
guess the money wasn’t enough for her.” He chuckles, the sound almost fond.
“I can’t fault her for being her true little gold-digger self. ”
Instantly, rage fills my body. How dare he talk about Scarlett that way.
That the man finally notices. Lifting his palms up in a gesture of surrender, he says, “Sorry, no disrespect meant. It was just always the vibe I got from her.”
I can’t believe my fucking ears. “You got a gold-digger vibe from her?”
The guy actually seems bewildered. “Well…yeah. She’s an escort.” Seemingly in a rush to make me understand, he adds, “Has she pulled the kissing act with you yet?”
I gape at him. “The what?”
He huffs a laugh. “I guess not. No, it’s this little tug of war game she plays. Says she doesn’t kiss clients, even holds off for a couple weeks, and then she ropes you in by kissing you to make you feel like you’re special.” He sighs. “I hate to admit it worked on me. The girl’s good.”
And suddenly, I can’t listen to any more.
It’s too much. The knowledge that this man has been intimate with Scarlett, that what he’s describing is, on paper, the same experience I’ve had with her.
The weeks of fear that I’m falling for the oldest trick in the book, combined with Lucas’s warnings that I am falling for the oldest trick in the book.
All of it twists into a ball of panic that’s threatening to explode.
“Excuse me,” I mumble. I turn away before waiting for an answer.
I manage to stumble back into the ballroom, my gaze desperately darting through the crowd for a glimpse of Scarlett, even though I have no idea what I’m about to say to her.
When the crowd clears, and she finally appears in my line of sight, the knot in my chest loosens slightly.
Until I see her talking to Tyler. The guy who referred me to the agency. And he’s got a hungry look on his face I know all too well.
I’m still pushing past people when she walks away from him. It distantly registers that she seems relieved to see me, but I’m too locked on Tyler to fully consider what that might mean. Thankfully, the moment his gaze meets mine, and he sees the murder in my eyes, he strides off without a word.
Scarlett stops in front of me. “There you are—”
“What was that?” I demand, too sharply, still looking after Tyler.
She jerks back in surprise. “What? Nothing.”
My eyes narrow, my focus finally locking on her. “Don’t lie to me, Scarlett. This doesn’t work if we’re not honest with each other.”
Her hesitation is obvious. And maybe if I didn’t feel so on edge, I might be able to see what it’s hiding. But I am, and I can’t.
“Okay, fine,” she says slowly. “He propositioned me.”
I don’t even blink. “And?”
Her brow furrows. “And what?”
“And what did you say?”
At that, her eyes go wide. “What did I say? What kind of question is that?”
“A logical one,” I retort. “You said it yourself: we were going to run into former and potential clients of yours tonight. So. What did you say, Scarlett?”
Fear flashes in her eyes, but I’m too lost to my own to do anything about it. “I said no,” she says in a small voice.
“Why? He didn’t offer enough?”
Scarlett jerks back as if she’s been slapped. “What?”
I know I should stop. I know I should stop. I should take a deep breath and talk myself down from this ledge. But I’m spiraling, and the alcohol running through my veins isn’t helping. My feelings for Scarlett are making my fear that hers aren’t real grow to insurmountable heights. I can’t breathe.
I step closer, my voice dropping to a too-harsh whisper. “Was any of this real? Or have I been a game to you this whole time? Poor, na?ve Nico, falling for the high-class escort. And paying for the privilege.”
Her eyes widen more as they search mine, her chest heaving. “It isn’t like that—”
I don’t let her finish, because all I can picture is another man kissing her. “God, you must’ve gotten a real kick out of making me pay to watch you vomit all night long. That was probably a first in escort history, huh? Did you laugh about it with your madam?”
“Why are you doing this?” she whispers, tears shimmering in her eyes. “What happened when you left?”
I slide my hands into my pockets and say stiffly, “I ran into one of your clients. Another one, apparently.”
Her gaze darts over my shoulder, a nervousness appearing in her expression. “I’m sorry that happened,” she says slowly. “But I’ve never lied to you about who I am. And I told you this could happen.”
I let out a humorless laugh. “Warning me I might run into someone who’s tasted your pussy is a little different than finding out I’ve fallen victim to the same scheme as who knows how many other men, Scarlett.” Then something occurs to me, and I bite out, “If that’s even your real name.”
Hurt colors every inch of her features, but I’m too blinded by my panic to truly see it. “What are you talking about? What scheme?”
I lean closer. “Are you honestly telling me you’ve never used your little no-kissing rule to string men along for more dates?”
Christ, her acting skills are next level. She doesn’t even look guilty.
“You think I did that as a ploy?”
I shrug and lean back. “I have no idea. Honestly, it would be a damn good one.”
She still just looks shell-shocked. “You’re so wrong, Nico. I don’t even know what that would accomplish.”
“You mean other than making men feel special when you finally do kiss them?”
She gapes at me. “I have never kissed a client.”
This time, my laugh is loud and filled with too much pain. “How am I supposed to believe you? This entire time, I’ve been the one who’s been pursuing this relationship. How do I know what’s true if I don’t even know how you feel about me?”
When hurt flashes in her eyes, my immediate reaction is to wrap her in my arms, to comfort her and fight off the pain.
But…I can’t.
Because right now, in this whiskey-fueled moment, all of my worries from the past few weeks, all of the warnings and doubts I’ve tried to shove down, they all come bubbling to the surface.
And I’m too terrified of the thought of losing her to fight them back.
“I…I never meant…” Her words are unsure and do nothing to lesson my panic.
When her eyes dart over my shoulder once again, I can’t stop myself from blurting out, “Trying to figure out which one of your clients you should admit to?”
Her gaze snaps back to mine. When she doesn’t respond right away, just studies me, I squirm for the first time.
“I don’t care who you just ran into,” she says, lowering her voice. “Because it doesn’t matter. He lied to you. He probably saw you kissing me and got angry that I never kissed him.”
A small trickle of doubt drips down my back. My fear is still too big to handle, but for the first time since I left her at the bar, a little bit of critical thinking cuts through the haze of red.
Was the guy lying? I didn’t even consider the option. Between the panic that he might be telling the truth, my feelings for Scarlett, and then the sight of her with Tyler, I jumped straight to Scarlett being the liar.
For a moment, I can only look at her. I’m still vibrating with uncertainty, still too on-edge to think clearly.
In the end, the only thing I can admit is a broken, “I don’t know what to believe.”
Instantly, Scarlett straightens her spine. All emotions disappear from her eyes, a wall shuttering between us as she plasters a mask over her face. It’s the same expression she used to give me in the beginning when she was shutting me out.
“Well, I guess that decides everything, then,” she says with a forced polite smile. “Have a good night, Mr. Price.”
And then she turns and disappears into the crowd.