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“Can I ask why you’re staying at a hotel rather than your home?” I asked.
“We decided to sell—but we’ll discuss the reasons when you’re here. Jacqueline already booked a suite for you and your brother.”
Stepbrother.
I cleared my throat, my gut tightening and groin tingling. “We’re sharing a room?”
“No. She got you both suites of your own. Check-in is at four, so you can settle in and dress for dinner.”
Thank fuck we wouldn’t be tossed into close proximity because the last time I’d been near Preston, I’d almost caved to my need to touch him in ways that would have caused a complete disaster for all parties involved.
Agreeing rather than continuing an argument I wouldn’t win, I wished Dad a good night, or what was left of it. It was closing in on eleven.
I would need to reach out to Sean, who managed the gay branch at Elite, but it was late, and he and his professor boyfriend were probably fucking. Or in bed at the very least. I could wait until the following morning to drop the news of having to leave over Valentine’s Day weekend.
Sean had stated once that he couldn’t wait for the day when some ginger grabbed hold of my heart and stuck a fork in it like Matteo had done to him. Little did he know, that had happened years ago, long before he’d met his Teach.
And in one week, I would be faced with the man my thoughts couldn’t quit. No one would ever compare to Preston, even though I’d often joked with Sean about finding a redheaded lover and having his babies.
I’d only ever wanted Preston. No one else.
That was why escorting had been an easy decision when Sean had asked me to join Elite. Dating and a relationship weren’t in my future, so the easiest way for me to find release outside my hand was through a booking agency.
Unbelievable pay was the whipped cream topping, and pretending Preston was the man I pleased every time was the cherry on top.
A shiver slid down my spine at the thought of seeing him in the flesh again. The hairs rose on my nape in some sort of premonition.
I had a feeling Dad hadn’t been lying about things changing.
But never how I wished for whenever I managed to catch sight of a star in the city’s night sky.
Chapter 8
Preston
“Your presence is required next weekend.”
Typical Jacqueline. She didn’t bother asking me if I had plans.
Huffing quietly to myself, I pushed back from my desk where I’d been doing some backdoor sneaking into a computer system for a client. Hacking came naturally and padded out my bank account that already overflowed. But it was work easily done from home, something that didn’t require being among people.
Cell pressed to my ear, I strode out of my office, needing movement to release some of the nervous adrenaline that always coursed through me whenever she called. That was usually a couple of times a week to check up on me, unfortunately.
Jacqueline cared about me in some fucked up way, or so I told myself. But if she knew the truth…
Guilt slammed me in the gut, and I hated—despised—that I had to hide myself from the one person who ought to love me unconditionally. But she’d proven she wouldn’t do that with Nancy, so what hope did I really have?
Best to keep my distance as much as possible and cross my fingers she never found out who I was in the deepest parts of my soul—and the man I longed for.
“I can’t make it,” I tried, already knowing the denial was simply a waste of my breath.
“You can, and you will,” Jacqueline stated firmly as I’d expected.
While I’d grown quite a bit taller than her five and an inch or two height, she still ruled like Napoleon, never accepting no as an answer to any of her demands. “We’re having a family dinner at The Bloomberg at seven, and I’ve already booked a room for both you and your brother.”
Shit.
My eyelids slammed shut, and I sank onto the edge of my couch, pinching the bridge of my nose. Considering my ardent and taboo crush on Drake wouldn’t relent, I refused to see him as anything other than the perfect man who fit me and my issues like a puzzle piece.
