Chapter One
Lucian
“If I don’t have a date with me tonight, Monique will have her hand on my cock before the first course is finished.” My friend and employee, Aidan Spencer, tries unsuccessfully to hide the smirk on his face at my prediction. Unfortunately, or fortunately, whichever way you want to look at it, we both know I’m right. Monique Chandler is always on the prowl and right now, her sights are set on me…again. Fucking her was one of the biggest mistakes I’ve made recently. No pussy is worth that kind of Hell, especially when it was a sub-par fuck, at best.
“Yeah, that must be a tough problem to have. I guess I could run interference for you. Do you think she would have her hand on my dick by the end of the evening?”
I laugh saying, “Be careful what you wish for. That is one bed-hop you might want to rethink. She’s a fucking viper. As much as I want to discuss your future sexual conquests, right now I need a date.”
“Maybe you should have thought about that before you dumped Laurie last week. You couldn’t put that off until after dinner tonight?”
I prop my legs on the desk, crossing them at the ankles. “No, Laurie punched her own ticket when she laid down the ultimatum. I grant you, the timing was less than perfect, but I have never caved to threats, and I’m not going to start now. The only thing she gave a damn about anyway was the balance in my bank account.
“Well, at least you didn’t have to waste a lot of time moving her out of your place. Did she ever actually see the inside of it?”
I stare at my friend before answering, “You know better.”
Aidan shakes his head. “I don’t understand that, Luc.”
“What’s to understand? My home is mine. I don’t intend to spend my life with any of these women, so why complicate things?” Shooting him a smirk, I add, “You’re not exactly playing ‘happy home’ with any of your women, either, so why bust my balls?”
“There’s a difference between me and you, my friend,” Aidan says. “I’ve actually had women in my home and in my bed. You dated Laurie for months, and she never even walked through your place? Fuck man, how did you even explain that to her?”
I raise a brow at the question. “I don’t explain myself to anyone, Laurie included. She will have someone else on the hook by the end of the month, anyway.”
Aidan rocks back in his chair smiling. “I think you are giving yourself too much credit, my man; she will have someone else by the end of the week. Of course, he will probably be well-advanced in years, but if the money is there, I’m sure Laurie can overlook everything else.”
Smiling at his accurate assessment of Laurie, I nod in agreement because it’s more than fucking true. I mentally brace myself. Damn, this next question is going to hurt. “I really hate to ask, but do you know anyone who would be available to accompany me tonight and not think I’m going to be picking out china with them next week?”
Aidan looks surprised but recovers quickly. “I know I’m going to catch Hell for this, but I do know someone. Well, not really a specific someone, but I know a place that can help.”
Another of Aidan’s whores, just perfect. They are strictly women you keep behind closed doors. “Do explain that statement. If this involves anything that’s going to get me five-to-ten years, I’d rather pass.”
“Please reserve your judgment until I’m finished. I…um, have on occasion had the need of a date at the last minute. A friend of mine recommended a service that provides dates for executives. It’s mostly college students. I have never had a problem with them.”
I’m momentarily speechless, which doesn’t happen often. “You mean an escort service, don’t you?” Has he lost his mind?
“Yes, but it’s not what you think. There is nothing illegal about it. They don’t provide lap dances or sex; it is strictly business. Although, I wouldn’t object to the other things if they wanted to throw that in.”
“I can just see how this would look if word got out that I had to resort to hiring my dates. Surely, you know of someone else? You go on a different date every night, man.” Now I know where all the dates were coming from. When did he start buying women, for fuck’s sake?
“Yeah, I know a lot of women Luc, but none who won’t chase you for months after the date. You just got rid of Laurie; I don’t think you want to jump right back in the shark-infested waters so soon. I’m telling you, this is the perfect solution for tonight. I’ll even set it up if you want.”
I run my hand through my hair, wanting to growl in frustration. Has my life gotten to the point where I am seriously considering Aidan’s suggestion? Recalling the last dinner I attended where Monique cornered me outside the men’s room, practically sticking her tongue down my throat, makes me look at Aidan and say, “Do it. Get an address for me to pick her up. I don’t want to spend all evening hunting a stranger in the parking lot of the restaurant. If this turns out bad, you’re fired.”
Aidan smiles, knowing my threat doesn’t hold substance. We have been friends for most of our lives and always have each other’s backs. We first met back in elementary school. He was getting his first-grade ass kicked by a third grader when I jumped onto the back of his tormentor. I grabbed Aidan’s hand and jerked him to his feet, and we proceeded to deliver a few kicks of our own to the bully before we were pulled into the principal’s office. From that moment on, we were inseparable. I’d never admitted to Aidan that I almost pissed my fucking pants that day when I jumped on that asshole for him. I’d been scared out of my mind and was grateful the bastard had tripped from the surprise attack and done most of the work for me.
Aidan had grown up with the standard house, dog, and white picket fence. He was an only child whose parents doted on him. I lived with my Aunt Fae; my parents died in a car accident when I was five, so my dad’s sister had taken custody of me. When I reached twenty-one, I took the sizable inheritance from my parents and bought my first company, an ailing software firm that was operating in the red. Within a year, I had turned it around, and Quinn Software was born. Back when the other kids were reading comic books, I was reading Business Week and the Wall Street Journal. At twenty-nine, I was at the top and everyone wanted a piece of me, especially the women. With the weight of responsibility I carried, sometimes twenty-nine had never felt so damn old.