The Job Read online

  Evernight Publishing ®

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  Copyright© 2015 Doris O’Connor

  ISBN: 978-1-77233-538-5

  Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

  Editor: Stephanie Balistreri

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  DEDICATION

  To all my readers who loved this story when it was just a 200 word flash, and wanted me to expand it. Hope you like it.

  THE JOB

  Premiere Companions, 1

  Doris O’Connor

  Copyright © 2015

  Chapter One

  Alex slid her key card through the slot and gasped as the door swung open to reveal the luxurious interior of the hotel room. It wasn’t so much a room, but a suite. She whistled through her teeth even as her unease grew.

  This … this was too much. What on earth was she expected to do for this? The dress draped over the sumptuous bed caught her attention. A shimmering concoction of flowing aquamarine silk, it was beautiful. As she held it up to her, goose bumps broke out on her skin when she noticed the lacy underwear set, sheer stockings and garter belt, plus the killer stiletto sandals she also spotted.

  A far too visible reminder of what this job would entail.

  “You are not expected to sleep with the clients.” Marissa’s instructions rung in her ears. Alex sat down on the bed with an inelegant thump, as she recalled that particular conversation. “Having said that, you might want to. This client is to die for sexy, or so I’m told. He had very particular needs for this assignment. I’ve been desperate to meet him, and if it weren’t for this damn chest infection I would be, but you’ll be perfect. We’re the same size, so he’ll never need to know you’re not me.”

  Therein lay the problem. Alex was indeed not Marissa. Despite her flatmate’s reassurances to the contrary, this client would clearly expect her to have sex with him. No man paid for a hotel room as swish as this one, provided such risqué underwear and not expect payback of some sort. Alex didn’t even want to contemplate how much it must have cost him to pay for the agency.

  Premiere Companions were the elite escort agency in London, or so Alex had been led to believe. She hadn’t quite managed to bring herself to check past the glossy landing site her Internet search had led her to. She’d had a hard enough time getting her head round the fact that her flatmate did … that.

  Alex was no prude, by any means. She enjoyed sex as much as the next girl, but the whole getting paid for it … that was wrong, wasn’t it? Which of course begged the question as to what she was doing here in Marissa’s stead now? The buzz of her phone in the back pocket of her jeans made her jump. She grimaced at the display, and swiped across the screen to take the call.

  The coughing fit in her ear reiterated why she was here. She pinched the bridge of her nose, and waited for Marissa to be able to speak. When she did, the hoarse croak down the line bore little resemblance to her friend’s usual bubbly sparkle, and Alex sighed.

  “Did you get there all right?” Marissa asked, before promptly dissolving into another coughing fit.

  “Yes, I did. I’ve never felt so embarrassed in my life as when I walked up to reception and gave your name. Jeez, Marissa, this isn’t just a room, it’s a freaking suite. This dress alone must cost more than I make in a month at the pub. This is insane. I’ll never pull this off.”

  “Of course you will. You grew up in that mansion after all, and—”

  “I was the housekeeper’s daughter, Rissa,” Alex interrupted her friend.

  “So? The point is you know this stuff by osmosis. You’re far more refined than me. That’s why you’re perfect for this job. Perfect for the agency, period. You’d earn a damn side more than you do in that pub—”

  “Stop it, Rissa.” Alex interjected again. She had to grin at Rissa’s exasperated huff down the line. “If I told you once, I told you a thousand times, this is not the way I want to earn my living. Nothing against those that do, but I’m an actress, dammit, not a…”

  She couldn’t quite bring herself to finish that sentence. When there was no response down the phone, other than Rissa’s wheeze of trying to draw air into her lungs, the silence grew oppressive.

  “Forget I said that. Look, I’m here, I’ll do this … this thing for you, but that’s it. You don’t sound too good, so get back to bed, let those antibiotics kick in and don’t worry about a thing. I’ll muddle my way through this somehow.”

  “You’ll do more than muddle through.” Rissa sneezed down the line, and groaned. “Just remember what I said. The agency carefully vets their clients. He’s a regular. All the girls talk highly of him. I never would have asked you to fill in for me, if I didn’t think you’d enjoy yourself, and fuck the money I lose. I…” Another coughing fit stopped whatever else she was going to say. Alex sighed.

  “It’s okay. You need the money. I’ll be fine. Go back to bed. Bye, Rissa.”

  Before her friend could add anything else, Alex had hung up. She turned her phone off for good measure. Enough of this second guessing stuff. She would just have to get her head in the game, pretend this was a role. Yeah, that should do it.

  After all, she hadn’t attended one of the best stage schools for nothing. It was just a shame, that talent or not, London was swamped with more than capable actresses. Minor parts in plays notwithstanding, her big break still eluded her. Alex pushed the disturbing thought of it perhaps always eluding her firmly to the back of her mind, as she headed for the bathroom.

  Time to get ready to play the part of this mysterious businessman’s girlfriend for the night. Though, if he was such a hunk, as they all made out, why did he have to pay for some girl to hang off his arm for the night? Surely he’d have them queuing around the block?

  Alex gave a short laugh at her thought processes. Sinking into the bathtub, she sighed in relief, her long blonde hair already piled on top of her head. If nothing else, she would enjoy the luxuries surrounding her for one night. If this fellow got frisky … well, killer stiletto sandals would make a good weapon, as long as she didn’t break her neck wobbling along on them.

  That thought buoyed her along as she made short work of her preparations. She had to give it to the unknown client. The man knew a thing or two about women’s undergarments. It was just as well, Marissa and she were the same size, as everything fit like a glove. Not only that, it made her feel sexy and decadent. Once she’d slid into the shimmering silk dress, she gasped at her reflection in the mirror.

  With the heavier eye makeup Marissa had applied for her, and dressed to kill in this finery, she barely recognized herself. She certainly looked the part. As long as she didn’t make any sudden moves she could even walk in the torture objects on her feet. Alex stuck her tongue out at her reflection, and giggled. Shutting her eyes, she took a deep breath in.

  What was it her coach always said? To act you need to become that person in your mind.

  Alexandra, femme fatal, that was her tonight. Not Alex, who lived in jeans and t-shirt, who couldn’t care less about how the rich and famous did things. Her breathing evened as she cleared her mind and let her worries go. When she opened her eyes again, her mask was firmly in place until the impatient knocking on her door sent her tummy into spasms again.

  “I’m coming, just a minute.”

  A grunt and more knocking was her answer. Seriousl
y? He was early, so what was his hurry? At least she assumed the man trying to knock the hotel room door in was her client. Then again, if he was he would have a key, surely?

  With one last look at the strange woman staring back at her from the full length mirror, she took another deep breath in, wrenched the door open, and promptly wished she hadn’t, as she stared up into a face from her past.

  “Alexandra?”

  Nathanial Longton’s scowl changed into a grin as he slowly ran his gaze over her body, leaving heated awareness in its wake. Her world came crashing down around her ears with a speed that left her breathless.

  No, not you, this is a nightmare.

  Of all the clients, it had to be him. The menace that had hounded her childhood self, had been her teenage crush, and the man who had ultimately broken her heart that awful night all those years ago, when she’d overheard him talking about her. She’d sought him out for his help. Instead she had heard him utter those fateful words. She’d known then it was useless. In her mind she still heard his voice, as though it was yesterday.

  “Mine? Don’t be daft. I don’t fuck the help…Feel free to have a go.”

  ****

  Nathanial’s dark mood lifted somewhat. He couldn’t believe his eyes, when the door opened to reveal Alexandra. A very grown-up, sophisticated, sexy as fuck version of the young woman he remembered. The housekeeper’s daughter had always been beautiful, once she’d left the awkward teenage phase behind, making his libido sit up to take notice of little Alex. However, this older version of her was stunning … and furious. Her green eyes flashed fire, and Nat narrowly saved himself from having the door slammed shut in his face by jamming his foot in the gap in the nick of time.

  He winced at the sharp pain that shot up his leg at the sheer force she’d put behind the movement of the door. Putting all his weight behind it, he shoved the thing open. Alex teetered precariously on her high heels in a bid to get out of the way. Acting on impulse he grasped her around the waist, and stepping into the room, kicked the door shut behind him. Alex gasped at his action and Nat allowed himself a moment of quiet admiration of the fragrant bundle in his arms. With her breasts pressed into his chest, he could appreciate the softness of her curves. Alex was all woman, soft, pliant, not the stick insects the agency usually sent. Her breathing hitched when curling his hand around one perfectly formed ass cheek, he pulled her in closer still.

  “Let me go.” The words were barely above a whisper. Her expressive eyes widened when he bent his head until his lips hovered over hers. This close their breaths mingled, the light floral perfume she wore filled his nostrils, and made him smile. He’d bought that very fragrance for her sixteen-year-old self for Christmas, after his father had given him a dressing down for not having included Alex in the presents he’d bought for the staff that year.

  It had been an impulse buy for a girl with pigtails he could hardly remember. Little had he known that Alex had grown up in the time he’d been away at University. Her smile when she’d opened her present had ripped his heart wide open. That moment had started his infatuation with Alexandra Farrington, which had led him to behave like an ass in the end. Under pressure from his peers, and not at all comfortable with the strength of his newfound feelings for a girl almost seven years younger than him, he’d brushed their connection away, as though it had meant nothing. He still couldn’t smell that particular perfume without thinking of her, and what might have been. The fact that she still wore it ten years later…

  Nat released her with a frown. To mask his reaction to her, he grinned, and pushed his hands into his trouser pockets.

  “Well, well, well, last I heard you were an actress. Your mum was singing your praises in fact. I wonder what she would say if she knew the truth.”

  The feminine growl that erupted from Alexandra’s impressive chest shot straight to his balls. The resulting slap from her palm connecting with his cheek bounced around the room. He blocked the next attempt easily enough. Having imprisoned both her wrists in his hands, he marched her backward until her back hit the wall. Kicking her legs apart, he wrenched her arms high above her head, and crowded her against the cream colored structure.

  “Is that any way to treat the man who paid for the pleasure of your company for the weekend?”

  “I’m not, that is … dammit, let me go. She said it was just tonight. What the hell do you mean?” Alex bit her lip. All the fight went out of her, when he simply looked at her.

  “What do you think I mean? Come on, you’re an escort. You know how this works, sweetheart.”

  Alex growled again in that cock-hardening way she had.

  Satisfied that he got his point across he stepped away from her.

  “For the record, I am not an escort. Even if I were, I have no intention of sleeping with you—ever, so you can stuff your money, and clothes. I’m out of here.”

  He had to give it to her, she sounded convincing, but Nat wasn’t that lovestruck idiot anymore. He’d had his eyes well and truly opened back then. His subsequent dealings with the females of this world, had only served to make him more cynical. After all, that’s why he was here. It was far simpler to pay for some arm candy when he needed it, take the sex on offer, and walk away in the morning, satisfied in the knowledge that the lady knew the score. That way there would be no repercussions. No tears, drama, not so subtle claims on his status or bank balance. That had only just recovered from his messy divorce after all.

  With that in mind he really ought to let Alex go. There was too much unfinished business between them. Far too much potential to have all this blow up in their faces, but dammit, he wanted her. Now that he had her here, he was damn well going to see this through. Besides, this was business. He never lost a deal.

  “You walk out of this room, and I’ll be on the phone to your mother to tell her exactly what her darling only daughter does.”

  Alex stopped her hasty steps toward the exit. She swung round so fast her long blonde hair whipped her in the face. Alex stuck it behind her ears with angry jerky moves, and glared at him. Furious as she was her green eyes darkened to the color of moss. Her pale skin flushed all over. Breaths seesawing in and out of her chest, the fabric of her dress strained over her impressive cleavage. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the way her nipples were lovingly outlined. It wasn’t cold in this room, so that could only mean one thing. Despite her protestations, he was sure she felt the chemistry between them as acutely as he did. He would damn well see this through to its natural conclusion this time, come what may. Maybe then he could finally forget about Alex. Surely that was the only reason he’d never forgotten her?

  Chapter Two

  Damn the man. With those coolly delivered words flung at her retreating back, he had the power to destroy her. From what she knew about Nathanial Longton’s reputation, Alex had no doubt in her mind that he would do so without batting an eyelid. The man was ruthless in business. Even more so in his private life. None of his girlfriends ever lasted long. Not that Alex had spent time thinking about him, but the man graced the gossip magazines on a regular basis. As Marissa read them religiously, Alex had caught his brooding image more than once recently.

  Not that any of those images had done him justice. In the ten years since she’d last seen him, he’d filled out from the boyishly handsome to the dark, dangerous, far too sexy male in his prime. The tailor made tuxedo he wore just served to emphasize the width of his shoulders, while the dark scruff gracing his chiseled jaw gave him that mean look that set Alex’s knees knocking. Nat had always had the power to reduce her into a simpering version of herself, much to her annoyance. The years hadn’t lessened the attraction—quite the opposite. Alex knew what she wanted from a man. There was no doubt in her mind that Nathanial would deliver on that score and then some.

  There was also no mistaking the fact that he wanted her as much as her wayward hormones seemed to want him. That much was obvious from the tight set of his shoulders, and the heated intensity in his
amber gaze, as he studied her, hands pushed into his pockets.

  Alex hastily wrenched her gaze away from temptation, and barely resisted the urge to lick her lips. The tailored trousers lovingly hugged the impressive bulge he was sporting. She fought the heat rising in her cheeks, when he noticed and grinned. The action made him look every inch the predator ready to pounce. Alex squeezed her thighs together to relieve the ache in her clit. Really, this whole thing was insane. She ought to be furious with him—was furious in fact—so why then was her body acting as though she was in heat. It was frustrating and arousing in equal measures.

  “Staying then, sweetheart?” he asked.

  Alex’s fingers itched to wipe that knowing smirk of his face.

  “Get off on blackmailing women to do your bidding?” She flung the words at him, inwardly grimacing at the breathy quality of her voice. Her heart beat faster when he straightened up and walked toward her. His long limbed gait ate up the distance between them. Every instinct screamed at her to run away, but her limbs didn’t seem capable of following the demands of her rational brain. Besides where would she run to?

  She was bought and paid for, after all. Alex would do anything to spare her frail mother any embarrassment. It’s why she had embellished her current work situation to her. Mum didn’t need to worry over her. Besides Alex was doing fine. She had a roof over her head and food in her belly, which was a lot more than some people had, so she couldn’t complain really.

  “You have no idea what I get off on, Alex, but if you’re a good girl and do as you’re told, you might just find out.”

  Oh, the infuriating male. His words served to escalate the flame of her arousal into a fever pitch, as he stopped so close to her that the heat off his body scorched her skin. It took every ounce of will power she possessed to not lean into his strength and warmth, to let him take away her worries. Now where had that thought come from, for fuck’s sake?