His Escort

Chapter 7

I let my eyes roam over the magnificent porch as the front door swings open.

Jesse excuses me to walk in first. He is quite the gentleman. A wide corridor leads from the door to the living room. All the walls are painted a pure white and the luxurious white furniture in the spacious living room takes my breath away.

I take in the surroundings swiftly and when I turn back to Jesse, he is looking at me with his hands stuck in his pockets.

"Nice place you got here." I tell him and he shrugs carelessly like it's nothing.

"Have a seat. Would you like something to drink?"

"No, thank you. I really shouldn't be here. Meg will be worried."

"You can just call her, you know?"

I take my phone from my bag and I dial her number. She answers on the first ring and she is yelling in my ear. I place the phone on the table until the yelling is over before I stick it back to my ear.

"Hi Meg, what's up?"

"You know what's up Ava. What the hell is going on?"

"Why? What happened?"

"I came back home to find the paps at our doorstep. They were asking me whether you are indeed pregnant with Jesse's kid. Are you pregnant?"

"What did you tell them?"

"I told them to stick their questions where the sun don't shine."

"You didn't."

"I did. I also threatened to unleash our dog on them if they didn't leave."

"Meg, we don't have a dog."

"They don't know that. So back to the initial question, are you pregnant? Why didn't you tell me? How can you do that to me?"

I close my eyes before letting out a sigh.

"I'm not pregnant. I told you I only met Jesse last night. Those paps are just spinning tales."

"You need to tell me everything. I'm your best friend. Come home, Ava."

"I will come as soon as it stops raining. Promise me you will be home."

"I will be home. Wait, are you with Jesse right now?"

"Yup."

"Wow okay. See yah."

She hangs up and I hold my face between my hands. She will grill me to hell and back. She can be worse than the paparazzi when she wants to.

I sit on the all white couch while Jesse turns on the TV and slumps on the couch beside me. I'm not surprised when I realize our faces are plastered on the TV screen.

There's famine in the world, accidents, fires, politics, sicknesses yet those people choose to sit down and talk about us. What a misplacement of priorities.

"Where did the pregnancy rumor come from?" I ask Jesse who is busy going through his emails.

He shrugs like he couldn't care less.

"They come up with anything they want to."

"And there's nothing you can do to stop the pregnancy rumor?"

He looks at me then, his eyes searching mine.

"Does it bother you?"

"Somehow. I don't want people thinking that you are leaving Kate because you knocked me up. That's just wrong."

"Okay. I'll have my PR team address that."

"You know you'll basically be confirming that we are indeed having an affair."

"That's the idea, Ava. I told you we need to step up our game if I want to get the required reaction from Kate."

"And your brother?"

He c***s an eyebrow at me.

"What about him?"

"Have you confronted him?"

He ignores me and turns back to his phone.

"You talk too much. I'll ask David to come and take you home."

"Is your brother a touchy subject?"

He grits his teeth.

"Can you not do that right now?"

"Of course."

I keep my eyes on the TV as I wait for David. Our photos from the restaurant earlier today are all over and I fight a groan. Every single person thinks that I'm a hopeless mistress.

The front door opens and David walks in. He appears to be a bit taken aback when he sees me and I know he didn't expect to find me here. He quickly assumes his hard expression as he walks to us.

Jesse looks up from his phone and acknowledges him with a nod.

"I need you to take Ava home. Make sure you walk her to the door and call me once she is safely inside."

David nods stiffly.

"Okay Sir."

"I'll call you at nine. I hope you'll have arrived to a decision before then." Jesse is talking to me and I shake my head.

"I'll call you in the morning. I need to be sure before I make the decision."

"Okay. Six thirty in the morning."

"Nine."

"Ava?"

"Yes?"

"Six thirty."

"I will call you at nine, babe".

He sighs.

"Just go already. I have work to do."

"Go to bed. You barely slept last night."

He gives me a menacing look and I know it's time to shut up and go. David is staring at me and for some reason he makes me feel very uncomfortable. I walk ahead of him and when we get to the door, he holds up an umbrella for me and leads me to the car.

I slide into the back left seat of the black Audi and David closes the door behind me. It's raining lightly and it's a bit misty outside. I close my eyes and lean back on the backrest.

*Flashback

Two and half years ago.

"Wow! You're really talented!" Shane exclaims with humor as he watches Meg. She is stuffing food into her mouth which is already full.

"I'm famished." Meg whines and I shoot her a look.

"Why are so thin? You eat like a pig!"

She rolls her eyes at me.

"You're my best friend. You should be on my side."

"Not when you are trying to eat the whole cafeteria."

She is eyeing my half full plate and I push it to her. I'm already full. She smirks happily and digs into my meal as well.

"Are you sure you've had enough?" Shane asks me, his hand encircling my waist.

"Yeah, I'm full."

"We can share mine."

"No I..."

"Come on baby. Have a bite."

He forks a piece of steak and tries to feed me. I keep my lips pursed. Meg is watching us and laughing and I grin when Shane pouts beautifully.

I open my mouth to take in the bite. I then let my eyes scan the cafe and the scene on the far end of the room catches my eye. I gulp and choke on air.

Shane is watching me with worry and I keep my eyes fixed on that particular table. He follows my gaze with a small frown.

My mother is making out with an elderly guy I've never seen before. They are seriously kissing and she is tugging at his white hair.

I gasp involuntarily when she gropes him and they stand up, their arms around each other as they walk to the door.

"I bet the old man will get some in the car." Shane says wistfully and I glare at him, standing up and picking my bag.

"I have to go."

"Hey baby, I was just joking. Was that offensive?"

Meg touches his hand.

"Let her go. We need to leave. We'll see you later."

"Do you two know that couple by any chance? ". He asks with a frown and meg scowls at him.

" We . will. See. You. Later. "

Then she drags me from the cafeteria.

A car is leaving the parking lot when we get outside and I stare helplessly after it. I'm fighting the tears that are filling up in my eyes.

My mom is cheating on my Dad.

End of flash back.

"We're here, ma'am." David is talking to me and I blink twice. I have this habit of zoning out every time I start thinking.

I smile up at him before getting out of the car. The rain has ceased falling and darkness is creeping in.

David walks me upstairs to my apartment and he stands there until I close the door behind me. He is quite good at following instructions.

Meg is sprawled on the couch with a bag of potato chips in hand. She gives me a once over and switches off the TV.

"Spill." She tells me without wasting a second and I smirk at her.

"I missed you too."

She rolls her eyes.

"This is not the time to get sassy with me miss smart pants. What's the deal between you and that son of a gun? You are making headlines!!"

I sigh, dumping my bag on the couch beside her before sitting on the armrest to tug off my shoes.

"He wants me to move in with him."

She spins her head so fast to look at me that I almost laugh.

"Jesse Anderson wants you to move in with him?"

"In layman's language, that's about it."

She narrows her eyes at me.

"Jesse is an ass."

"No he is not." I'm frowning as I walk to my bedroom and Meg follows me. We both sit on my bed. Her eyes are wide and almost scared and her face is pale.

"He is, Ava. People are just too polite to point it out."

"Meg, I've spend a lot of time with Jesse since last night and he is a good person."

"He is cheating on his fiancee four days to their wedding and he doesn't care about making it public! You are helping him ruin his fiancee's life."

"Get the facts right, okay? She cheated on him, not the other way round. She slept with his brother. He is just paying me to make Kate jealous!"

"And you bought that bullshit? Of course a man will lie to get what he wants! He only wants to get into your pants, Ava. Since when did you see women cheating a mere four days before their wedding?"

"You think Jesse lied to me?"

"No. I know he lied to you. If Kate did cheat on him, why isn't he telling the paps about it? Huh? Why is he protecting her?"

"I don't know, maybe because he loves her?"

She scoffs.

"He is parading you as his w***e to everyone in the world just to prove how much he loves Kate? Please. I bet every single word Jesse ever told you was a lie."

Her words are getting to me and I'm thinking that maybe Jesse did lie to me. There's no evidence whatsoever that Kate cheated on him. If she really did, why isn't he telling the media about it? When she called him earlier today, she didn't even try to apologize or anything. She was acting too calm; too normal. Again, why would she cheat on him? He is... Everything!!.

I give Meg a resigned look.

"I think you're right."

"Of course I am. I've always been the smarter one between us."

"What baffles me is why he is willing to pay me three times the usual rates just to move in with him."

"I told you. My best guess is that he wants to get into your pants. A man can do anything to get laid once he identifies the target."

"At the expensive of his marriage?"

She shrugs.

"Now that's the part I can't figure out. My point is, be careful. Get those dollars from him if you have to but stop being so trusting. You should know better after what Shane did to you."

I groan.

"Can you please not?"

"Fine." She exclaims while lifting her hands in surrender. "I'm famished."

"I'm not hungry. Order pizza or whatever."

She sulks and gets off my bed. She looks at me for a few seconds and I c**k an eyebrow at her.

"What?"

"If you are having s*x with Jesse, you should just tell me."

"We already had this talk, Meg. I only met that guy last night. I'm not that reckless!"

"Then why are you posing as his mistress, letting him hold your waist and s**t?"

"Because he is paying me. We're only putting a show for a couple of days then everything will be back to normal."

She crosses her arms, moving to lean on the wall.

"Do you realize that you won't be getting clients after this show?" My mouth drops open and she continues. "No one will want to be escorted by Jesse's ex mistress. They will be scared of him."

"Oh my God." I groan while slumping on my bed. "I f****d up! What do I do?"

She shrugs.

"I don't know. You can leave Jesse and whatever deals you two are having for good then make a press statement that you were never romantically involved with him. That will clear your name."

I frown at her.

"That will ruin Jesse's reputation. "

"And you care so much about it?"

"Somehow. He treated me well the whole time I was with him. I would never do such a thing to him."

She lifts an eyebrow.

"Are you falling for him?"

"What? No! He is in love with Kate, okay? I don't want him."

"Then follow my advice. Call him and tell him off. Talk to the paps tomorrow and tell them the entire thing was an act then go back to your escort job. You need the money and I'm sure your regular clients have been asking for you."

I hold my face between my hands.

"I'll think about it."

"Don't think. Just do it."

Then she turns on her heel and walks out of the room.

I lie on my bed trying to get the facts straight. Meg is always right. Now that I think about it, I find it weird that there are no rumors whatsoever about Kate cheating on Jesse. Did he make the entire thing up? I wonder what his intentions with me are.

Did I misread his intentions? I took him for a good guy!

Sighing, I take my phone from my bag and dial his number. He answers on the third ring and for some weird reason, his voice gets my heart in an overdrive.

"How is my favorite escort?" He asks with humor and I grin despite myself.

"Breathing. I have your answer. I can't move in with you."

"Why?"

"I just can't. Sorry Jesse."

I hang up and toss my phone on the night stand. I sink into the pillows and I make a mental note to call the agency first thing in the morning to inform them that I'm ready for clients.