For the Night: Complete Box Set (50 page)

Logan

I smiled as an email came
in from Eve, while I waited for James with my bags outside Ray’s garage. He’d
done a run to drop her belongings to her, while I headed back here on the bike
and tidied up.

I could have killed you when I read those
messages, but now I just want to thank you, sincerely. He came. We’re going to
try this and you’ll be proud of me, I’m taking him back to meet my parents, may
as well go flat out and try and drag my parents out of their cave and into the
21
^st
century eh? Thanks again for an amazing fantasy, I have a
feeling you may have just set me up with an even better reality. You’re one
amazing man Logan. I hope she realises that and you get your HEA too. With
fondest regards and thanks. Eve

Wow, I hoped they’d date, I hadn’t expected her to
have the balls to take it one step further, good on her for following her
heart. Though was I that transparent when Summer was mentioned last night? I
sighed again at the thought of her, but was distracted as the Merc’s tyres rumbled
along the cobbles towards me. James pulled up, then jumped out to take my bag.

‘Did you have a pleasant evening, Sir?’ he asked
as we drove off.

‘I’ve had better, but I’ve most definitely had
worse,’ I confirmed, as I thought about Summer’s virgin for the night booking
and then Yasmin Taylor’s filthy for the night one. Both at complete and
opposite ends of the spectrum. I couldn’t wait to get home and shower again, to
get the smell of Eve off me. There was nothing wrong with her at all, she
wasn’t a vile creature like Camilla Domville, or fake and vapid like Yasmin
Taylor, she was your usual run of the mill nice girl with too much money to
burn who, due to her upbringing, believed she’d never be able to fulfil her
biker fantasy in real life, until I pushed her in the right direction. But she
wasn’t Summer. I had sex with Eve twice, and even though I’d faked coming both
times, because she wasn’t my angel, I felt like I’d cheated on her, which was
ridiculous. It seemed we were nothing, so why did I feel so disgusted with
myself?

Eve was somewhere in the middle of the bliss and
the horror range, she was a client that I wouldn’t block and delete, though I
wouldn’t necessarily look forward to my appointments with her, not like I had
with Ava Renshaw, my ménage for the night client. I guessed I had some morals,
I liked women who came to me out of necessity, due to inexperience or neglect.
I much preferred them than the women who just wanted sex for the sake of it,
especially when they were already getting it elsewhere, or at least had the
means to. I pulled my phone out of my pocket again and stared at Eve’s file,
amazed at the guilt that washed over me again. Summer and I weren’t
anything
.
She hadn’t called me, I was free to do what I wanted. Except I wasn’t sure
sleeping with women for money was what I wanted, not if I was going to feel so
dirty every damn time. With the exception of Ava and Summer, I could honestly
say that in the last two years I hadn’t enjoyed myself fully with any client.

‘James, did Summer say anything that morning you
drove her home?’

‘She was … rather distressed, Sir. Very tearful,
so I gave her some privacy. Other than thanking me and trying to give me some
money for helping with her bags and flowers at the hotel, she didn’t say anything
until I dropped her home.’

‘She kept her flowers?’ I thought I understood
women, clearly not as well as I’d thought, if she wanted nothing to do with me,
why keep them? When women were pissed off they normally binned flowers in a fit
of temper.

‘She insisted on carrying them herself, to ensure
that they weren’t damaged. I caught her smelling them and smiling. She did ask
me an interesting question as I dropped her at her parents’ door.’

‘She did?’ I sat up a little straighter, as I
tilted my head to hear him better over the purr of the engine.

‘She asked if I truly believed that you were a
good man, that you could be taken at your word,’ he nodded. I raised my
eyebrows as I waited for him to add his response.

‘And?’ I prompted when it wasn’t forthcoming.

‘Well I didn’t think my response to her needed
stating, Sir.’

‘Consider it
does
need stating, James.’

‘I assured her that with the exception of Mr.
Davenport, no one I knew rivalled you for your decency, and if you had implied
that she was more to you than just a client, then you were being genuine and
heartfelt. I told her that she could trust in both you and your feelings for
her, without reservation, because regardless of your rather …
colourful
choice in career, if my youngest daughter were to bring home a man like you, I
would be more than happy to give my blessing for her to continue dating you.
Should I not have said anything? Have I crossed a line?’

‘No, James, as ever you always know the right
thing to say and I can’t begin to thank you for your faith in me.’

‘I’ve grown very fond of you, Sir.’

‘As have I, of you.’

‘You’ve no idea what that means to me, Sir.’

‘Nor to me, James, you’re a very special man. I’m
a little concerned that we’re starting to sound rather gay though.’

‘We are rather,’ James chuckled. I waited a while,
not sure if I wanted to hear the answer to the next question in my mind.

‘Did she say anything in return to you?’ I asked
eventually.

‘Just that it was nice to have her feelings
reaffirmed by someone who knew you better than she did. She seemed a lot
brighter as she said goodbye and closed the door.’

‘Thanks,’ I replied, as I rubbed my hands over my
eyes. I just didn’t get it. All the signs said that she was upset that we’d
decided not to take our sexual relationship further, that she really did feel
something for me, something more than friendship, that she believed what I was
telling her, that she was more to me than one of my clients. So why hadn’t she
contacted me? Even if she’d lost my number, she had my email address. I’d been
prepared to cancel all bookings for her, even if we were only going to be
friends, for however long it would have taken for her to finally trust me,
which for a sexual guy like me was one hell of a big deal. The minute I thought
I’d lost her, I’d tried to revert back to being emotionally detached, going
back to my life as it was before I met her, but Summer had opened the sluice
gates and now my emotions were flowing freely, I couldn’t seem to turn them
off. I punched the back of the passenger seat in frustration, forgetting I’d
already fucked up my knuckles yesterday and grimaced at the sting of the
leather sticking to my still raw flesh. James said nothing, just kept his eyes
on the road ahead. He knew when he could push me for answers and he knew now wasn’t
the time.

I leaned back in the seat, tipping my head back
onto the headrest as I closed my eyes. I was screwed. I wasn’t going to get
over Summer quickly, I knew that, but if sleeping with clients and faking
coming was going to make me feel like this, it seemed fucking her out of my
system wasn’t going to work either. I may have lost her, but maybe she was my
wake up call. She’d been sent as a reminder of what life could be like, how
being with someone I really cared for could feel. I’d been young and
impressionable when I got into this business, I was only twenty-four at the
time and the lifestyle and money spun my head, at the time it was more
important than settling down and going steady.

I really believe if I hadn’t met Summer I’d have
happily carried on for years, oblivious that maybe I’d want something more, but
I had. I had to accept that she’d changed me, she’d made me focus on what was
important in life. Maybe taking a break from this gig would do me good. Trey
could look after my client bank, I trusted him. The deal we’d agreed when I
transferred over some of my excess clients, when applied to all my current
ones, would ensure my savings were substantially topped up for the foreseeable
future. I had my personal training business I ran from my basement, which gave
me an above average income. I had no debts of any kind, my apartment, a sexy
sports car, my motorbike and all the clothes and watches I’d ever need. I also
knew that I could go and work at Davenport Technologies if ever I was really struggling,
he’d nagged me often enough and said the door was always open. I let out a
large sigh.

‘You would tell me if there was anything I could
do, wouldn’t you, Sir?’

‘Actually, there may be,’ I nodded, as I opened my
eyes. ‘How would you feel if Trey Douglas was to require your services?’

‘I’m not sure I’d have time to fit him in, between
you, Mr. Davenport and the old ball and chain, demanding so much of my time,
much as I’d love to.’

‘Actually much as I hate to do this to you, I was
thinking I wouldn’t need your services on such a regular basis anymore.’

‘You’re cutting back on your appointments?’ he
lifted his eyes to look at me in the mirror for confirmation.

‘I’m thinking of stopping my appointments, giving
it up and focussing on my day job,’ I shrugged.

‘For Miss Beresford?’

‘No,’ I shot back. ‘It seems no matter how honest
I was with her, how well you sang my praises, or how much it hurts me to admit
it, she’ll never see me as anything but an escort, James. I think I need to do
it for me. She’s just made me realise that there’s more to life than making
money this way. I need a change, I need
to
change.’

‘Please tell me that you’ll ring her and tell her
this excellent news?’

‘You’re not mad with me?’ I asked, surprised.

‘Of course not, Sir. I’ll miss our weekly banter,
I think of you as a friend, but you have to do what’s right for you and quite
frankly I’m amazed you didn’t come to this realisation sooner. Please don’t be
concerned on my account. I already told you that Mr. Davenport pays me a ridiculous
wage and he’s hardly ever in London to take advantage of my services. I could
retire tomorrow and live quite comfortably, I do this because I enjoy it.’

‘You have no idea what a relief that is to hear,
James. Though I promise I’ll still use you for special occasions, you won’t get
rid of me that easily. I’ll keep in touch.’

‘I’m very pleased to hear it, Sir. Maybe sleep on
it and if you still feel the same way in the morning, you could give Mr.
Douglas my phone number, after you ring Miss Beresford tonight of course.’

‘I won’t ring her,’ I sighed as I shoved a hand
through my hair. ‘She deserves someone better than me and look at what’s
happened to her this week. Her career’s taking off, she’ll be too busy to think
about having a boyfriend, especially not one with my rather sordid history. She
won’t be lacking for money or offers from men, she doesn’t need me complicating
her life.’

‘Excuse me for saying so, Sir, but as it seems
I’ve unofficially been fired I’m going to speak my mind. You’re an arse sometimes,
a stupid bloody arse.’

‘I beg your pardon?’ I looked at him startled.

‘The woman is
infatuated
with you, I can
see it, yet you seem blind to the fact. A woman doesn’t get emotional over a
man she doesn’t care about, she doesn’t cherish flowers he sent, she doesn’t go
all googly eyed and blush every time he looks at her. You are
Logan Steele
.
You make things happen. Your job is to know everything there is to know about
your date, to make her the happiest woman alive for that one night, yet you
seem determined to ignore those skills you’ve perfected with the one woman you
actually want to make happy for real. Women need to be pursued, wooed and made
to feel like they are safe in your charge, that you’ll put their needs first,
that you’ll go to the ends of the earth for them. You do it for your clients,
yet with Miss Beresford you’re turning the tables, expecting her to chase you.
Would Logan Steele let a woman he liked be in control of moving things forward?
No. He’d be the one calling the shots, not leaving his number hoping she’d ring
him the next day.’

‘Are you quite done?’ I snapped. ‘You seem to have
overlooked one key bloody fact, James. I’m not Logan damn Steele. He’s the mask
I wear, the superhero suit I don for my job. He doesn’t come into play in my
personal life and definitely not with
her.
’

‘No, I’m not done. You’re the one overlooking the
fact that you
are
Logan Steele. Maybe not in name, but deep down you’re
one and the same. I think with her you’ve tried so hard to be different, that
sometimes you forget that you’re a dominant man. A dominant man doesn’t sit
back waiting to be called. He pursues, relentlessly, until he gets what he
wants. Logan Steele wouldn’t quit, he wouldn’t give up on Miss Beresford just
because his pride was wounded. He wouldn’t take no for an answer. Now pick up
your damn personal phone out of the side pocket and ring her. Tell her you made
a mistake, that you’re packing it in and you want to take her on a date and do
it now. Don’t make me pull over and kick your scrawny bloody arse,’ he
bellowed. I looked at him stunned. I’d never heard him be anything but calm,
controlled and respectful and he rarely swore. Part of me was furious at the
way he’d called me out, but he had a point, even with Lucy, my ex, I was the
one in charge. I called the shots. I huffed out a surprised breath. He was
right
.
Logan wasn’t a complete act. I
was
organised, methodical and dominant
too. I needed to set aside my indignation that she hadn’t called and pursue her
doggedly, until I got what I wanted. And I wanted Summer damn Beresford like
I’d never wanted anything in my life.