There are a hundred ways this could go wrong, but I can’t get her to talk to me any other way. I need to understand why she lied to me. Maybe then I can move on. I swore I wouldn’t let another woman near my heart, and yet Aspen just waltzed right in and snatched it from right under my nose.
The only rule tomorrow night is—don’t fuck Aspen.
It should be pretty easy not to break, considering she doesn’t even want to be in the same room as me, unless that room is a kitchen.
Chapter 17
ASPEN
“Five grand to have dinner with a guy! That’s insane, Aspen. I love hanging out with you, but that’s a crap ton of money for one date.” Jude says this to me every time I take a job with the escort agency.
“What can I say… I’m good company.”
“You’re banging hot. That’s the real reason. I can understand a wealthy businessman wanting to have you on his arm. Are you ever tempted to spend the night?”
“Do I ever consider becoming a whore? No, I don’t care how hot a guy might be or how much money he has, I would never cross that line.”
“I’m sorry. I was only messing with you. Has something happened?” Concern etches itself in the furrow of her brow. “Did one of those assholes proposition you?”
“No. My boss found out.”
“The chef?” She dumps herself down on my bed, sitting cross-legged and reaching for one of my pillows. “Shut up! What did he say?”
“He called me a whore.”
“What? How did he find out anyway?”
“We were at a black-tie event. I was with my client, and he saw us together. First, he assumed I was cheating on him.” “Shit. You knew this was a possibility when you’re dating the guy.”
“Was. Not anymore. Not after how he lost it.”
“You’ve barely told me anything about him. It’s not like you, Aspen. What aren’t you telling me?”
“I don’t have to tell you anything. I’m a big girl. I can deal with my own shit.”
“We tell each other everything. Or at least I thought we did.” I can’t stand to see her so disappointed in me. I seem to be doing that to everyone right now. Her crestfallen expression fills me with guilt. I just figured it would be easier to maintain the terms of the NDA. Ryder is a huge part of that, and how could I gush about him or the stuff we’ve been getting up to at Venom? I know by his standards we’ve been ‘vanilla,’ but I’d want to tell Jude every little detail, and it took place in a building I’m not allowed to speak about.
“I’m not proud of myself, Jude. It’s nothing you did. And at this point, it doesn’t even matter. Whatever arrangement we had is over now. He thinks I’m no better than a cheap hooker.”
“If you like him, just talk to him.”
“I don’t want to. He made up his mind about me that night, and if that’s the man he wants to be, then I want nothing to do with him.”
“Are you going to quit your job?” Jude picks at a loose thread on my pillow.
“I’m not sure. The past few weeks have been torture.”
“This happened weeks ago?” she blurts out in anger.
“I’m sorry, Jude. It’s complicated.”
“So uncomplicate it.”
“I’ve almost got enough to start my own restaurant. A few more months of working as an escort, and I can quit and go my own way.”
“So, why not just quit the job with Mr. Sexy Chef?”
“Because no matter how much of an ass he is, I’m learning so much that will be invaluable to me for the future.”
