Dark Escort Read Online Free PDF Page A

girlfriend before. If I didn’t know he was straight, I might wonder if he was gay. “Come on, it won’t be that bad.”
    “Socializing with snooty people who can only discuss how much money they have? There are a million other things I’d rather be doing.” At least I would have a date. He was pretty quiet and didn’t say much. But, he might be interesting.
    “It’s not my cup of tea either but at least there will be free food—and booze.”
    “Booze is good.”
    He took another sip of his soda then tapped his knuckles on the counter lightly. His eyes were downcast, and his thoughts seemed to be elsewhere. When he finally gathered his ideas, he spoke. “How about we go together?” His eyes turned to my face and he watched my reaction.
    Uh…this was awkward.
    Joey continued to watch me, his eyes guarded. But I knew he was hoping for a yes.
    “Actually, I already have a date.” He’d never asked me something like this before so I wasn’t prepared to give the answer.
    He stared at me blankly, like he was still waiting for me to respond. Then his eyes fell noticeably. His shoulders relaxed like there was no strength left in his muscles. He looked away, a quizzical expression on his face.
    I looked down because I didn’t like his reaction.
    Then Joey turned his gaze on me, still caught off guard. “A date?”
    I understood his skepticism since I never brought a date to anything. I never dated anyone and I never brought anyone around the family. “Yeah. His name is Cato.”
    “Cato…” He said the name like it was displeasing.
    “We’ve been seeing each other for a while…I thought I’d bring him around.”
    Now he looked appalled. “You’ve been seeing someone?” Disbelief was in his voice. “When…how…what?” He completely lost his composure and wasn’t the calm and cocky friend I knew.
    “We met through mutual friends and…it just happened.” I tried to be as vague as possible. I was a terrible liar and I couldn’t pull off something complex. The less detail I gave, the easier I’d be able to carry this story.
    “How long has this been going on for?” His food was abandoned.
    “I don’t know…a while.” Stay vague.
    “Oh.” He nodded. “Oh…” He nodded again. “I see.”
    I’d never seen Joey react that way so I wasn’t sure what to say.
    “Cato…” He said the name again, letting it roll off his tongue.
    “Yeah…” Why was this so awkward right now?
    He ran his fingers through his hair, catching looks as he did it, and then stood up abruptly. “Actually…I have somewhere to be. I’ll talk to you later.” He wouldn’t look at me as he spoke.
    “Joey?”
    He walked away without turning back.
    The waitress brought the tab and left it on the counter.
    Joey always insisted on paying for everything, and it was even more odd for him just to storm out like that. He was clearly flustered and uncomfortable by what I said. I wasn’t sure what to make of it.
    What just happened?
    ***
    I did my hair in an elaborate up do and applied dark eye shadow around my eyes. I wore a maroon gown that reached the floor, and it reminded me of the color of the grapes we used on the vineyard.
    Right at six, Cato knocked on the door.
    My escort was exactly what I paid for. He was extremely good-looking and got right to the point. He didn’t insert fillers into conversations, and he did what he was told.
    It was the best investment I ever made.
    But he did look familiar. I couldn’t quite put my thumb on it. Perhaps I’d seen him on a billboard or in a magazine. With looks like that, he was obviously a model on the side. He had the large muscles of a man who hit the gym often, and he had a dark side to him. I could tell he was dangerous even though I couldn’t exactly explain how I knew that.
    I opened the door and tried to hide my reaction to him. He wore a three-piece black suit with a gray tie. It fit him to a T and he looked like a million dollar man. His shoulders were outlined