“By getting out there and having a little
fun, taking your mind off things. I know you’d rather not go to these events
the label has lined up for you, but they could be exactly what you need to take
your mind off Ricky.”
Elle closed her eyes, wishing she could
fall into a deep slumber and wake up to find this was only a nightmare. “This
friend of yours, Caleb—how does he feel about wasting his nights babysitting
me?”
Drake chuckled. “Honey, you’re just about
the hottest ticket in Nashville right now. I don’t know many single men who
wouldn’t give their right arm to spend time with you.”
“So he’s single? The last thing I need is a
jealous girlfriend doggin’ me.”
“Yeah, he’s single. You wanna see a picture
of him?” Drake asked, whipping his iPhone out of his pocket.
“That won’t be necessary.” It didn’t matter
what he looked like. They weren’t dating for real. The scam was just supposed
to keep Ricky at a safe distance. “It doesn’t matter to me—” Elle let the air
seep between her teeth when Drake turned the phone’s screen toward her. “Oh
wow. Why didn’t you tell me he was gorgeous?”
Drake laughed. “Does that mean you’ll do
it?”
Elle would have felt better if he was less
attractive. The last thing she needed was to develop a crush on her paid
escort. She wrinkled her nose when she realized how that sounded. “It’s not
like you’re giving me much choice.”
“Trust me, Caleb’s a great guy. I’ve known
him and his family a long time. He’s doing this as a personal favor to me, and
I’ll sleep better knowing you’re in his hands.”
“I won’t be
in
his hands.” Elle
frowned.
“You know what I mean.” Drake laughed
before kissing her forehead. “I’ll tell Caleb it’s a done deal. He’ll pick you
up tonight at eight.”
Caleb pulled up to the sprawling gated
estate home promptly at eight o’clock. He punched in the security code Drake
had given him and waited for the iron gates to swing open. He seemed to drive
forever before the house finally came in to view. Ostentatious was the first
word that came to mind when Caleb spotted the modern glass-and-stucco
monstrosity.
Hard to believe only one person lives
here
.
It could easily house a family of twelve.
Apparently
Elle Morgan was a paragon of overkill. He cut the engine as he took a deep
breath. He’d thought of backing out half a dozen times, but his conscience
always got the better of him. A man was only as good as his word, and since
he’d given Drake his word, he had no choice but to follow through.
Caleb got out of the car, locked it, and
pocketed the keys before pausing to appreciate the meticulously manicured
grounds. His acre of property was rough and rugged, backing onto protected
conservation land, but he wouldn’t trade his property for hers.
“Hello.”
Caleb looked up, startled by the sultry
feminine voice. “Oh, hi, I…” The sight of Elle Morgan standing on her front
porch with the gentle breeze blowing her hair off her face was a shock he
hadn’t been prepared for. He’d assumed she couldn’t possibly be as gorgeous as
she was in those airbrushed pictures, but he was wrong.
“You must be Caleb.” She smiled, her
expressive brown eyes lighting up. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I heard your
car pull up, and since I was ready, I thought I may as well meet you out here.”
She hooked a thumb over her shoulder, indicating the front door. “Unless you’d
like to come in for a drink before we head out?”
He could definitely use a stiff drink to
calm his nerves, but since he was driving a client, that was out of the
question. Just because he was the boss didn’t mean he played by different rules
than his employees. “I’m fine, thanks.”
She turned around to lock the front door,
and Caleb chastised himself for checking her out. She was wearing a
form-fitting black dress with a plunging neckline and leather sleeves. The
high-heeled leather boots made her legs seem long, but given her height, he
assumed that was an illusion.
“It was really nice of you to agree to
this, Caleb,” Elle said when she cleared the last step. “I’m sure you thought
your days of driving clients around were over.”
“I don’t mind.” Given how sweet and genuine
she seemed, Caleb felt guilty for making such a big deal of his friend’s
request. He opened the car door for her and cleared his throat when she swept
past him. Her musky scent did crazy things to him… like tempting him to pull
her close for a long, slow kiss.
Once she was settled in the passenger’s
seat, Caleb took his time rounding the back of his car. He needed to pull
himself together. He’d never been attracted to a client before.
Compartmentalizing business and pleasure had always been his strong suit—until
Drake threw him with a woman no man with a pulse could ignore. Damn him. How
was Caleb supposed to spend the next twelve weeks pretending to be her lover
and keep his hands to himself?
As he slid into the car, Caleb racked his
brain to think of something to say. He’d always been outgoing, so why was he
tongue-tied with Elle? “Have you ever been to this club?”
“No, and I wish I didn’t have to go
tonight,” she said, wrinkling her nose. Her full mouth formed an O before she
rushed on. “Not because of the company. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. I
just hate these public appearances.”
“Why’s that?” He tried to hide his
amusement. His first impression of her had been sex on heels, but her
mannerisms led him to believe she might be wearing a costume.
“I’m kind of an introvert,” she said,
buckling her seatbelt as they neared the end of the driveway.
He couldn’t help but laugh. “Then you might
be in the wrong business, Elle.”
“Tell me about it.”
“You don’t enjoy what you do?”
“Parts of it.” She stole a quick glance at
him as he shifted gears. “I love performing and writing music, even being in
the studio recording. It’s the interviews and promotion appearances I could
live without.”
“I guess that goes with the territory
though, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah.” She closed a manicured hand around
her glittery designer evening bag. “I used to think it was so crazy when
musicians disappeared at the height of their career. Put out two or three hit
albums and then never make music again.” She looked out the window. “Now I get
it. I get why they’d had enough.”
“Are you saying you’ve had enough?” Caleb
asked, shocked that she was confiding in him so soon after meeting him. He
assumed it was because she trusted Drake and Drake had convinced her she could
trust him too.
“Sometimes I think I have.” She leaned her
head against the leather headrest and closed her eyes as they pulled up to a
traffic light.
When he snuck a peek at her, Caleb realized
she looked like a porcelain doll. Too perfect, too flawless, to be real. “Maybe
you just need to take a break? Sometimes a long vacation helps to put things
into perspective for me.”
Elle opened her eyes. “You mean you get
tired of your life sometimes too?”
“Don’t we all?” He gave her a reassuring
smile. The sadness lurking beneath her beautiful brown eyes troubled him. “When
I feel that way, I usually jump on a plane to spend a couple of weeks diving
and fishing. By the time I come back, I’m ready to get back to work.”
“I’ve never taken a vacation.”
“Never?” Caleb couldn’t believe that. She
lived like royalty and earned more money in a year than she’d ever be able to
spend.
“Never.” She smiled. “I mean, I travel all
the time for work, but I’ve never taken a real vacation, you know, for the
purpose of relaxing.”
“I’ve got a place in the Keys. I hop a
flight there on the weekends when I’m not too busy with work. You have a
standing invitation to join me whenever you need a little R&R.” He couldn’t
believe he was inviting someone he’d just met to spend a weekend with him.
“That’s so sweet of you.”
He tightened his grip on the steering wheel
when he imagined her wearing a black string bikini on his quiet stretch of
beach. He’d never been accused of being altruistic, and his invitation
definitely came with an ulterior motive. He needed to change the subject.
“Drake says you’re working on a new album. How’s that going?”
“Good.” She shifted to face him, adjusting
the seat belt. “I love writing music. It’s probably my favorite thing to do.
Sometimes I think about buying an island and just escaping there to write
music. I can only imagine how productive I could be without all of the
distractions.”
Caleb hadn’t given much thought to the
celebrity life, even though his company catered to those basking in the
limelight. “You should think about taking a hiatus. It sounds like it would be
good for you.”
“I’d love to, but I have too many
commitments.” Her smoky eyes glazed over as she slid a hand over her dress.
“Everyone’s earned a little piece of me. Sometimes I feel like there’s nothing
left. I feel empty. Hollow.”
Caleb’s uneasiness grew. “You need to take
care of yourself. Otherwise you’re no good to anyone else.”
“Anyone who goes into this business
understands the rules. They get the trade-offs.” She smiled, but it fell flat.
“I know I sound like I’m complaining. I don’t mean to, but it’s not often I
meet someone who treats me like a real person. Most people just fall over
themselves to snap a picture or get an autograph.”
He grinned, hoping to draw a genuine smile
from her. “That must get old, huh?”
She let her head fall forward and covered
her face with her hands. “You must think I’m a whiny bitch.”
“I don’t think you’re a bitch at all,” he
said gently. “I think you’re honest, and that’s pretty damn refreshing.”
“Really?” She peeked out between her hands.
“Because I feel like I should be asking you for a do-over.”
“A do-over?” He laughed.
“You know, let’s start over, pretend we
just met and I didn’t spend the last twenty minutes burdening you with my sad
story.”
Caleb pulled through the crowded parking
lot on his way to the valet. “Anytime you need to unburden yourself, I’m your guy.”
***
I’m your guy.
Elle let those words filter through her head as Caleb escorted her
into the noisy nightclub. She wondered what it would be like if this was a real
date. If Caleb had asked her out because he was genuinely interested in her,
not because he was doing a friend a favor.
“Jesus,” he muttered, shouldering clamoring
fans out of the way. “If this is what you have to deal with every time you go
out, I can understand why you’d rather stay home.”
Home didn’t feel like home to Elle. She
hated that over-priced mausoleum Ricky had convinced her to buy, more so now
because it reminded her of him. “I’m sorry for putting you through this.”
Caleb scowled at a guy thrusting a phone in
his face to snap Elle’s picture. “Don’t worry about me. It’s you I’m worried
about.” They finally reached the manager’s private office, and Caleb rushed her
inside and locked the door behind them. “The bouncer said we could wait in here
until you’re ready to do your thing. Might as well get comfortable.” He pointed
at the cream sectional spanning one corner of the office. “Do you want me to
get you a drink or anything?”
Elle smiled at his thoughtfulness. Most of
the men she dated couldn’t care less about her needs. She supposed that was the
reason she was still single. “You would really brave that mob just to get me a
drink?”
“I’m sure I’d have no problem making my way
out there again. They’re interested in you, not me.”
“Don’t kid yourself,” she said, easing back
into the over-sized cushions. “Now that you’re linked to me, they’ll be all
over you, wanting to know who you are, how we met…” Elle wished she’d thought
this through before agreeing to use him as her escort. Caleb was too nice to be
dragged into her drama.
He leaned against the closed door as he
crossed his arms. “What’s wrong?”
“I hate that I dragged you into this mess.”
She wasn’t sure if she should divulge her concerns. “Every time there’s a new
man in my life, the press hounds me.”
“Have there been a lot of men?” Caleb
asked, pushing off the door. He crossed the room to sit beside her. “Forget I
asked that. It’s none of my business.”
“My dating history is practically public
record,” Elle said, rolling her eyes. “And no, there have only been a few. It’s
not like I have much time for dating, and the guys who interest me are usually
only interested in my money or status.”
Caleb ran a fingertip over her shoulder.
“Then they’re fools. Hell, I don’t even know you, and I can see there’s a hell
of a lot more to you than your bank account.”
Elle’s breath got trapped in her throat as
his eyes zeroed in on her mouth. She wished she were brave enough to lean in
and kiss him, but she’d never come on to a man. The thought of being rejected
stopped her from following through. “That’s sweet of you to say.”