“God, not even thereallygorgeous ones?” Hannah couldn’t say she’dneversleep with a client, but up to now, she’d avoided doing so. There would have to be one hell of a connection before it even crossed her mind.Caroline. Caroline crossed her mind a lot recently. “You do, don’t you?”
“No. To date, I haven’t slept with a single client of mine. I don’t want to go down that path, Del.”
Adele stood beside Hannah, watching her through the mirror. “Good for you. Most people probably feel pressured to go back to hotel rooms with their clients, so yeah, fucking good for you.”
“If I feel pressured by a client, I cut the meeting short. It’s as simple as that. I don’t owe anyone anything, especially not my body.”
Smiling, Adele kissed Hannah’s temple, one arm flung around her shoulder. “Love you, kid.”
“Love you, too.”
Chapter5
The last twodays had dragged on far too slowly for Caroline’s liking. Usually, that would work in her favour since it gave her time to stop panicking, but this evening…she felt no panic. No worry. No shame for being here. Tonight, she felt good about her meeting with Eva. As much as she wanted to see her as Hannah, Caroline knew it would only complicate things. So, Eva it was, and Eva it would remain.
She rolled her head on her shoulders, pushing through the door to Fernando’s. It was a quaint little Italian on the outskirts of town, only seven or so tables available in the entire place. Caroline had wondered initially if it was too intimate, but she wasn’t overthinking it. This was a client/escort relationship, and she wanted to enjoy some fine food.
As she looked up to the small bar area, she caught sight of Eva with her back to the door. The dress she wore plunged to her lower back; part of a tattoo was visible on her right shoulder. The server directed Caroline towards the bar, and as she cleared her throat, Eva turned and beamed a smile.
“Hi.”
Her breath stolen, Caroline dragged herself up onto a stool and tried to compose herself. “Hi. Have you been here long?”
“Maybe ten minutes? I didn’t time the journey properly, so I ended up being a tiny bit early. But that’s fine. This place is gorgeous.”
“It really is. I used to walk past it often and wonder what the food was like. Then the thought of coming in alone was dreadful, so I didn’t bother checking it out for a while. Gail, my best friend, put me out of my misery eventually, and now we eat here at least once a month.”
“So, you can recommend some dishes then?” Eva quirked that sexy brow, all sense of time blown away as Caroline stared at her.
“Y-yes. Of course. Anything is good in here.”
“Good to know. So, how was your week?”
Caroline was interrupted by the server behind the bar. She ordered herself a wine and another for Eva. When Eva opened her clutch bag and took cash from it, Caroline frowned. “I’ll get these.”
“No, you won’t.”
Once they were alone again, Caroline leaned in and lowered her voice. “But I’m supposed to pay for this. Not you.”
“And I want to buy you a drink. I’m well within my rights to do that, Caz.”
“R-right.”
Eva placed a hand on Caroline’s forearm, smiling back at her. “Relax. I’m not one of those who expects every last little thing paid for. This is nice. I want to be here. And I want it to feel less like a business transaction for my own sake.”
Oh. She did? “Why?”
“Because I’m tired of being seen asonlyan escort. I know it’s why I’m here, and I know it’s why you contacted me again…but you don’t seem as businesslike as some of them. I feel more myself around you.”
“Then I’ll have alargeglass of wine,” Caroline said, winking. She appreciated what Eva was saying, that she felt safe with Caroline, but she still had to maintain some kind of business relationship here. If she didn’t, things would go south quick. So a blasé response was all she could manage.
“Large wine it is.”
Caroline sat back and watched Eva talking with the server. This really was the perfect place to spend time together. Caroline loved to go to bars, to dance the night away, but she loved this more. It meant they had one another’s full attention. It meant they didn’t have to shout over the music or be interrupted by anyone at all. It was just Caroline, and it was just Eva.
“So, your week…”
“Oh, fine. Not much to complain about.”