I scoot toward the edge of the bed, more confused by the second. “Interview?”
He ignores me. “When I was combing through applicants, I specifically sought out the ones who collect admirers. You’ve had three so aggressive that you had to cut ties—one who progressed to a full-on stalker. Tell me about that one, the restraining order one.”
I sit here a bit dumbly, struggling to make sense of what’s going on. Interview?
This is the strangest fucking evening, I swear to God. I try to keep up as I reach behind my back and tug the zipper back up. “There’s not much to tell, really. It’s not unusual for clients to become admirers. I tried to be as nice about it as I could; I even tried to keep seeing them until it became clear that… it was becoming destructive for them. They were too consumed with me. That sounds really arrogant; I apologize.”
He smiles faintly, pulling a cushy leather chair from behind its desk and taking a seat in front of me. “No, it doesn’t sound arrogant. These were all after they fucked you? Were they pathetic men?”
I shake my head, recalling each of them in my mind. “No. Well, one was a bit of a sad sac, but the other ones broke the stereotypical mold, for sure. In fact, the one who went stalker was the hottest of them all.” I review his question and realize I forgot to answer part of it. “And yes, it was after we had been sexually involved.”
“Do you consider yourself a nice girl, Madison?” He halts, frowning slightly. “That’s not your name. What’s your real name?”
At this, I hesitate. “We’re not supposed to give out our real name. Specifically because of situations like the one we’re currently discussing.”
This amuses him. His handsome face lightens as he regards me. “Just tell me your name.”
“I really…” I really don’t want to tell a gangster my name. I didn’t even want to come here tonight. I don’t do high-profile like this. Though, as crazy as this man is reputed to be, I can’t say I wasn’t tempted on an academic level. Studying him in an intimate environment would be kind of cool.
It’s not going the way I expected, though. Whatever this is, he doesn’t even want to have sex with me. I don’t know why I’m here.
He awaits my answer.
“Carly,” I say, on a sigh. “My name is Carly.”
“There we go.” He gives a curt nod of approval. “And do you consider yourself a nice girl, Carly?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“Do you enjoy your job?”
“Do I enjoy fucking men for money?” I ask, lifting an eyebrow. “It’s not what I envisioned for myself when I was a kid, if that’s what you mean. But it’s helping me meet my goals and cover my responsibilities, so it’s fine for right now.”
“Would you like a different job? Similar, but different.”
I’m highly suspicious of any job this man could possibly offer me. “What kind of job?”
“A long-term position. You’d still be fucking for money, but only one client, and he would never know the nature of your relationship.”
I cross and uncross my legs, looking away from him. “I’m not comfortable with that. I don’t want to trick anybody. I don’t like hurting people.”
“Don’t think of it as hurting or deceiving him,” he advises. “Think of it as doing him a favor. Helping him move on. He’s hung up on someone from his past and I want you to sneak into the empty space she left and fill it. He may require excessive patience and understanding. He’s possessive, so for the duration of your assignment, you’d have to be loyal. If you’re not, it will get ugly. If you get soft-hearted and decide to tell him, it will get much uglier. He has a violent temper, but as long as you’re careful about not provoking it, you should be fine.”
My eyebrows rise and fall. I adjust my skirt. “As tempting as this offer sounds, and as flattered as I am that you’re offering, I’m afraid—”
He holds up a hand to stop me. “This isn’t an offer. This is your future. It can be a nice one, if you choose to make it nice. Or it can be a chore if you choose to be difficult. Whether this is a good or bad thing depends entirely upon your attitude.” He reaches inside his suit jacket and draws out a few photographs. As he leans forward to hand them to me, he adds, “There’s room for stability and advancement in this position, too. Once you get him over her, I don’t care what you do with him. He doesn’t excel at letting go, so if you want to keep him, that’s a realistic possibility.”
“If I want to keep the violently angry man you’re paying me to seduce…” Before I can finish that ridiculous sentence, my eyes land on the man in the photographs. For a moment, I forget how to speak. This is the assignment? He’s hot as hell. How does this man need someone to hire a hooker for him? This doesn’t make any sense at all.