The audience’s collective moan filled the otherwise hushedroom.
Gliding on her client’s shaft, the masseuse arched her back and fondled her breasts until they shimmered beneath the stagelights.
So much had changed since the last time Taylor had seen this type of show. Rather than blushing and cringing, she stood with confidence. The woman’s dirty talk, paired with the man’s grunts and groans, made her insides throb, but she ached for the one man who could bring her relief and fill her soul withlove.
Despite feeling heartbroken about leaving, she was returning home with a newfound confidence. That would never have happened if she hadn’t worked for Jagger. By helping him overcome his issues, she’d been forced to confronthers.
As the couple neared their climactic ending, several in the audience fidgeted in their chairs, while one man hurried from thesalon.
Taylor slipped out and over to the registration table, still being manned by Adele and David. The thirty-minute break between shows would allow time to grab her phone and text Jagger. Was he purposefully avoiding the entertainment or had something else detainedhim?
“Adele, can you cover for me?” Taylor asked. “I’ll be back before the next showbegins.”
After Adele agreed, Taylor headed toward the elevators. Once on her floor, she walked down the quiet hall and into hersuite.
Kate, dressed in a gown, sat sobbing on the sofa, a tablet on her lap. “What’s wrong?” Taylor asked as she removed her masquerademask.
Black trails of mascara streaked down Kate’s cheeks and her nose glowed bright red. “I am ruined. He’s ruined. You want to know why bringing back the smut was a terrible idea?” On a loud sniffle, she shoved the tablet at Taylor. “Here’s youranswer!”
As soon as Taylor glimpsed the photo, her stomach dropped. Jagger was sitting in bed with a woman, her nude back to the camera. “Where did you getthis?”
“A reporter staying in the hotel.” Kate started sobbing again. “He’s trashed out of his mind and I blameyou.”
“Ohmygod,” Taylor whispered. She pressed her hand over her heart to soothe the shooting pain. Had she done this? Was she to blame for Jagger’ssetback?
“There’s more than one photo,” Kate croakedout.
Taylor swiped the screen. Jagger was in bed with two women.Ohgod, no. She swiped the screen again. He was kissing the first, while the second snapped a shot of her breasts pressed against his face.Something isn’t right. Taylor swiped back to the first photo and enlargedit.
In addition to Jagger’s hair being shorter, he had a dime-sized mole on his upper chest, near his shoulder. Either this photo had been doctored, or it had been taken a while ago, because he had no distinguishing mark like that on his chest or anywhere else. And she ought to know. She’d stared at his gorgeous, naked body like an artist studies his nudemodel.
Until she could figure out what Kate was up to, she’d say nothing. Despite not knowing where Jagger was, she refused to believe he was drunk and screwing two women. The one thing Kate could count on was Taylor running scared.Not thistime.
“Why show these to me? Shouldn’t you be corralling your drunk client back into hispen?”
“I told you if you flaunted tits and ass, he’d get caught up in it,” Kate said, her voice thick with smugness. “I warned you, but you wouldn’t listen tome.”
“The hotel is sold out.” Taylor hitched her hands on her hips. “Jagger wanted results and he got them, plain andsimple.”
“I’m going to start damage control, and I’d hate to have to rake your good name through the muck. The shit is going to get so deep, I’m not sure I can pull poor Jagger out this time.” Glaring at her, Kate rose. “If I were you, I’d be on the next plane backeast.”
“If you were me, you wouldn’t be such a bitch.” Taylor tossed the tablet on the sofa, and walked away. After shutting her bedroom door, a little smile danced on the corners of her lips.I’m not goinganywhere.
Hoping Jagger had contacted her, she grabbed her phone. And her mouth fell open as she read the waitingtexts.
“Robby taken to ER by ambulance,” texted Jagger. “No idea why. Headed there now. Keep this to yourself. Sorry to miss the erotic show withyou.”
Fifty minutes after the first text, he’d sent another. “Anaphylactic reaction. Doc stabilized him. EverythingOK?”
Oh, no. Poor Robby.“Didn’t have phone until now,” she texted. “Sorry to hear about Robby. Everything’s going great.ETA?”
Tiny dots appeared, and then his text. “Waiting to see if they’re keeping him overnight or discharging. I’ll text you when I know more. How was the firstshow?”
“Sexy. Heading back for the second. Tell Robby I hope he’sOK.”
More tiny dots and then a red heart appeared. She replied with an X and anO.
Before leaving her bedroom, she viewed herself in the mirror. “I’m good just the way I am.” Though she didn’t fully believe herself, she smiled at her reflection. She was moving in the right direction, one step at atime.
