Dead silence follows that statement. Bethany is completely unapologetic, sitting up proudly, sipping her champagne, and waiting for my reaction.
And what is my reaction? I don’t even know how to feel about what she just said.
My instinct is to recoil. I don’t like the thought of a woman being taken advantage of by rich men. But then, Bethany doesn’t look like she’s being taken advantage of. In fact, she seems confident as hell.
“You mean like… a full-on escort?” I ask lamely, unsure how to ask her if she means sex or not.
“Yep. As in, I have sex with my boss. He loves it. I love it. It’s win-win. I don’t want a boyfriend right now, and I have an insanely high sex drive. I get laid regularly and thoroughly whenever I want, pretty much. Plus, I earn a ton.”
There’s a high-pitched laugh from the main room, and Bethany’s eyes move to the large window, lingering there for a second. The other girls are all in their bikinis, about to come and join us.
“A lot of the girls in there don’t know what I do. They think I’m just a regular EA, but I feel like it could work for you.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Why?”
“Because you’re working crazy hours just to survive, and that’s not sustainable. You can’t do it forever. With this job, you could get all that precious time back, and your bank balance will be a lot healthier, too. Plus, you’re gorgeous, and you lookinnocent as hell. The clientslovethat. If you’re interested, I can give you the contact details for the agency. It’s calledSterling House. It’s very high-end, and they look after their girls. I work with eight or so other women who I know pretty well, and we all love the job.”
I can feel Hope watching me, not sure what expression is on my face, but I’m sure I look as astonished as I feel. I want to refuse outright. The mere idea feels alien and wrong.
Can I really sell my body to someone like that? But then… is it all that different from an OnlyFans?
I stare at Bethany, dumbfounded, not sure what to say.
She shakes her head a little. “Don’t tell them you’re a virgin, though. They won’t hire you.”
I shoot a vicious glance at Hope, furious that she’s told her my secret, but she’s staring at Bethany in amazement.
“How the hell did you know she was a virgin?” Hope asks.
Bethany snorts. “Like I said, you can’t fake that innocent vibe, and youlistenedtonight, but you didn’t participate in the stories. You’re such a knockout, too. You’ll get a lot of work.”
I drain my glass.
“Think about it,” Bethany says, relaxing back in the tub. “No pressure, but it would mean regular hours and only one job. You’d never have to worry about money again.”
Chapter 3
Amelia
“Are you absolutely sure about this?” Hope asks, as I signal to turn right, my GPS flashing for me to take the exit.
“Not really. But it’s worth a try,” I say, glancing at her smiling face on my phone screen. My cell is balanced precariously on my dashboard as I talk to her on speaker.
It’s been three weeks since the bachelorette party, and today is the day of my interview for my new job with Sterling House. Hope has called me repeatedly to try and talk me out of it, and she sounds no less worried than I feel.
“I can’t believe you took Bethany up on her offer. I thought you’d run in the other direction.”
I chew my lip. “I probably should have, huh? But the women at Sterling House were great when I went in to talk to them. I got good vibes from them.”
“They don’t know you’re a… virgin, right?” she asks.
“No.”
“So what exactly are you going to do when you have to fuck the guy?”
My stomach flips. “Uh… improvise.”
“Jesus, Mia, this isn’t a joke,” Hope murmurs. “Bethany called me today to tell me who you’ve been assigned to. It’s supposed to be confidential, but she did me a favor and found out from her friend who works the desk. This Crawford guy… I don’t know. She says he’s pretty ruthless. Goes through women fast and moves on. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
