The way she had wetted her lips was too exaggerated, and instead of looking seductive as her tongue came to lick her lips, she had looked like – for the first second or two – she was sticking her tongue out as an expression of disgust.
It had him discreetly coughing this time, the only way to cover his amusement. He had a feeling the ploy was inspired by yet another scene straight out of a porn flick.
“If all you want is a little bit of visual pleasure, then please consider going to a peep show. It’s only a few euros for two minutes, and if that’s not enough, then there’s also an adult theater where you can watch from thirty minutes to an hour.Nin ming bai ma?”
The Chinese businessmen laughed and clapped their hands at her fluent delivery, all of them looking fit to kiss her feet.
When the tour officially ended, the men asked to have their photographs taken with her, to which she haughtily agreed, still very much in character. She posed gamely and patiently with the Chinese businessmen one at a time, striking one different pose after another.
“Group picture,” one of the businessmen yelled.
Everyone cheered and scrambled to crowd towards their tour guide.
The Dutch billionaire stepped forward, murmuring affably, “Let me take the picture.”
“Thank you.”
“Xie xie.”
“You are so very kind.”
The billionaire only smiled as he took the iPhone offered to him and counted one to three before clicking on the camera button on the screen. He wasn’t being kind. If anything, he was being generous because he knew after this tour—-
She was his.
Chapter Two
“And that’s all the client asked for? That I come in casual clothes?” Ilse balanced her years-old iPhone between her ear and shoulder as she struggled to get out of her clothes in the shortest time possible. She had only ten minutes before her next booking, which – albeit totally unexpected – was very much welcomed.
“Ja.”Yes.
The vagueness of the request annoyed Ilse, but a job was a job and she decided to shrug it off. Once she met the VIP, she could play it by ear from there. As she squeezed herself into her jeans, she asked Gloria about Erik.
“On the way to your place already, so there is nothing for you to worry about,” her boss answered reassuringly. “Jan is in good hands, I swear this on my gold-digging heart.”
“Great.” Her voice became partially muffled as she pulled her shirt down. “That’s all I need to know.“Doie!”Goodbye.
Ending the call, she kicked her killer heels out of the way, slid her feet into her sneakers, and then began collecting the pieces of clothing that littered the floor. Shoving them into the bag she had stowed neatly under the bed, Ilse stepped out of the room and smiled gratefully at Charlene. “Thanks for loaning me storage space.”
The sex worker blew her a kiss. “May you be blessed with a huge tip,gekkie.”
“I’ll share it with you if I do.” Ilse tossed the promise over her shoulder as she hurried towards the door. Outside, she broke into a run unceremoniously, uncaring about the way the other people gaped at her, and she made it to her meeting place just in time.
Situated atop one of Amsterdam’s few remaining swing bridges, Café Alles occupied every inch available of the historic steel structure and was a landmark in itself. With walls made entirely of glass, the café offered unparalleled views of the Red Light District alongside a warm, inviting ambience brought in by its cozy table setups and soft, beautiful music that soothed the ears.
As Madilyn Bailey belted out her version ofEarned Itfrom the speakers, Ilse worked hard to catch her breath while rapidly scanning the café for her VIP client.Guy in a pinstriped suit, glass of pink lemonade on his table,Ilse recalled from Gloria’s list of identification marks.
Gotcha.
She found him seated at the end of the bar, and her VIP client turned on his stool almost at the same time, his gaze finding her unerringly.
Oh!
Ilse’s body jerked in recognition.
It was the silent, mysterious guy from her earlier tour!
She stared at him in shock, and even though he stared back at her with equanimity, she had a feeling he was amused by her reaction. It would have been quite disgruntling if not for the fact that she was still struggling to get her composure back.
