Living in Sin (The Escort Series) (27 page)

“Did you hear her when she said, ‘last time you enjoyed yourself?’ That means they’ve been together before. That means he lied to me about knowing her. Em, you know I hate when people lie to me more than anything else. I don’t know what they’ve got going on, but she was all over him at the wedding, and I should have known something was up then. I can’t believe I’m so stupid.”

“Stop! You’re not stupid. You’re a girl falling for a guy, and hoping he’d be a good one. They are out there, Adrienne. There may not be many good ones, but there are some. That does not mean you’re stupid, it means you’re just ready to find the one and willing to take that leap of faith when you think you have him. You trusted him to be honest; you trusted that he cared for you. You’re not stupid, he is, and I’m going to be sure he knows that.”

We go back to the bar and although Jace isn’t there, we spot Troy.

“Have you seen Jace?” Emilie spits out as soon as we get near him.

“Uh, I think I saw him head towards the front door. Why? What’s up?” I’m sure he can tell when two women are fuming.

“Nothing. We’ll be back.”

We storm off towards the front door. I don’t know what I’m going to find, but my heart is beating out of my chest and my body feels hot. I’m shaking with anger, and I don’t know if I want to punch him or her first. They’re both in the wrong. They both knew each other and kept it from me. Was it a fun game to them to have some sort of secret? Is that why Vivian said what she did at the wedding? Was her intention to make Jace think I didn’t want him? Her mom did say she was evil.

When we get outside there are a few people mingling out front, smoking or waiting for a cab. No Jace or Vivian though. We walk a little further down towards the side of the building and spot Vivian right away. How can you not spot someone who’s dressed up like a prostitute? More skin is visible than clothes, it’s disgusting.

She turns and sees us. Surprise grazes her face before a smug look takes its place.

“Well, look who’s here,” she says snidely. “If you’re looking for Jace, he’s already gone to get the car.”

“For who? You?” Em asks.

“He wouldn’t leave with you,” I spit.

“Oh really? He’s fucked me already, I’m sure he’ll be okay with me leaving with him in his car.”

I’m taken aback by her bluntness momentarily.

“Are you really surprised? I know you thought of him as a man-whore, and you’re right. I was first. He was with me first. You mean nothing to him. You’re just another pussy for him to stick his dick in.”

“He said he didn’t know you. So you must mean even less. Did you know that he denied even knowing your name? That’s gotta sting. He doesn’t want to admit that he’s been with someone like you,” I snarl.

She goes quiet momentarily and looks to the parking lot.

“You wanna know something about your man, Adrienne? I bet it’s something else he didn’t want to admit. Something else he kept from you.”

She pauses, looking back and forth between me and Emilie. An evil, devious smile appears on her face.

“Honey, Jace is an escort. He’s paid to be with women. He has no need for you, because he gets it elsewhere all the time.”

I’m literally stunned speechless. I can’t think of anything to say in response. Jace an escort?

“Why would we believe you?” Em asks.

“You don’t have to believe me. Ask him. Maybe he’ll tell you about our night with two other women,” she says with another snide smile.

Jace has always been honest about sleeping with other women. He’s said he’s had threesomes and has had plenty of different experiences, but I never imagined he got paid to do it all. That means he’s probably been with way more women than I thought.

“So what you’re saying is that you had to pay him to get him to sleep with you? You want to try and act all high and mighty, when you paid him to fuck you. At least he was with me because he chose to be. I never had to pay him anything. So you can try to hurt me with your fucking information, but if anything, that should make you feel worse.”

Even though I’m hurt and pissed off at Jace, I won’t allow her to know that. I won’t give her the opportunity to kick me while I’m down. I may go wallow in my sorrows later, but right now, Vivian will never get the pleasure of thinking she broke me down.

“You’re such an awful person that no man would willingly want to be with you. I pity you for having to buy love and attention. If I were you, I’d be embarrassed. You’re pitiful.”

I turn and stalk off in the opposite direction, back towards the front door. Emilie is quick on my heels.

“Did you see her face? Fuckin’ priceless!” Emilie laughs.

I don’t respond. I’m too pissed to say anything. When I get to the front door, I realize that I don’t even want to go inside. I have no idea where Jace is but I’m in no mood to hang out in a club.

“I think I’m gonna go home,” I say to Em. “You can stay if you want, but I’m just gonna catch a cab.”

“Are you crazy? Of course I’m coming with you. I don’t want to be here if you’re not here.”

There are a few cabs outside so we quickly climb into one and head home.

“Are you going to talk to Jace about all this? Do you believe her?” Emilie asks.

“I’m sure I’ll talk to him, but not tonight. I need some time to think about everything. As far as believing Vivian? Maybe. I know she’s a bitch, and her mom even warned me away from her, but she also knows escorts. Remember that night at the club? She knew Charlie and told us about him. Plus, Jace hasn’t told me anything about his job. Until tonight, I assumed opening clubs and things was what he did. I thought maybe he just owned a bunch of places. He’s talked about being with lots of women, but how they didn’t mean anything to him. He even told me that I’m the first woman in a long time that he
wanted
to be with. It makes sense,” I say with a shrug.

“Maybe. How do you feel about that, though?”

I let out a long, sad sigh. “I don’t know. If this is true, he’s slept with way more people than I thought. I know that shouldn’t matter, but what if I’m not enough? A man who has probably been with all kinds of different women, done it all kinds of different ways, had every fantasy come true doesn’t stay satisfied with one woman. This means he could still be sleeping with other women, and that is not okay! Not only that, he lied to me! I asked him about Vivian when I saw her all over him and he said he didn’t know her, not even her name. He could have told me the truth then.”

Emilie nods in agreement. A few minutes of silence goes by before she speaks again.

“Do you think Troy and those other guys are escorts, too?”

“I hadn’t even thought of that, but it’s possible. They all know each other somehow.”

“Plus, did you hear that one guy say something about how the other guy had just started or something?” Emilie says.

“Yeah. So how would you feel if Troy is an escort?” I ask.

“I really don’t know. I don’t think I could be with someone and be okay with them leaving and knowing that when they do, they are going to go sleep with someone, or even just spend time with them! I’m too jealous for all that.”

“Em, I knew this was going to happen. I knew he’d let me down. It was just a matter of when.”

“Maybe it’s not true,” she says unconvincingly.

“Maybe not, but I’m leaning more towards it is. They were in the bathroom together. You saw that. It’s just he was so nice. He did so much for me for our date, and said he wanted to get to know me more. We were learning more about each other and having a good time. Don’t you think being an escort is something you should tell someone right away?”

“Would you have stuck around if he did tell you?”

“I…I don’t know.”

“And he probably knew that. Maybe he was just trying to keep you around as long as he could. You can’t be mad at him for wanting you around.”

I don’t respond. I can’t. The lump in my throat is swelling and I know if I try to talk, I’ll just start sobbing.

We pull up to Emilie’s place first, and after she gives the cabbie her money, she leans over and hugs me. It’s then that a few tears fall down my face.

“Just talk to him, okay? If you find out that he did cheat on you, then you let me know and I’ll cut his dick off. Can’t fuck anybody without a dick.”

A small laugh escapes despite my mood. “Thanks, Em.”

She slips out and the cabbie drives me home. Once I get there I strip my clothes off and drop onto the bed. I leave my cell in my purse in the other room, and try not to think about what Jace is doing and who with.

I don’t know how much time has passed, but I hear my phone from the other room. I drag myself out of bed and walk to my purse to retrieve the phone. Before even looking at it, I go right back to bed and lie down.

I scroll through the notifications for text messages, missed calls and voicemails. All of them are from Jace and Emilie. The first text is from Jace.

Jace:
Babe, where’d ya go? I’ve been looking through the club.

Jace:
Adrienne, this isn’t funny. Where are you? I’m worried about you.

I look at the time stamps and notice it was probably shortly after I left that he sent those. After those messages, he called three times, but didn’t leave a message. He texted again.

Jace:
I need you to let me know that you’re okay. Please.

Several more calls came through and he left a few voicemails, but I don’t want to hear his voice right now so I leave them alone. Em started texting and calling me about two hours ago, at one in the morning.

Em:
Adrienne, Jace is freaking out. He’s been looking for you.

Em:
Okay, seriously. Troy just called me. He wants to know if I know where you are. What am I supposed to say? I didn’t answer, but he’s only gonna keep calling.

Em:
Dammit, Adrienne! Don’t be mad at me.

She left a voicemail too, but in order to hear hers, I’d have to listen to Jace’s, so I don’t bother.

Em:
I left you a message, but I’m going to tell you again. I told Troy that we saw Jace leave the bathroom with Vivian and what Vivian told us. I’m sorry, but I can’t let them think you’re missing. I told Troy to let Jace know that you don’t want to talk right now, but that you’re fine.

A few more calls from Jace came through after that, but he didn’t leave a message and he didn’t send any more texts. I feel bad for making him worry, but I’m still pissed, so I don’t feel too bad.

I toss the phone on the bed next to me and go to the bathroom. While I’m in there, I hear the phone ring again, but don’t rush to answer it. After washing my hands, I go back into my room and grab the phone. Jace. I let out a shaky breath. I know I need to speak with him soon, but I haven’t thought about what I’m going to say yet. I usually pre-plan my arguments. I need to figure out what I’m going to say and then plan for whatever response he might have. Ugh.

While I’m still holding the phone, I receive a text message from Jace.

Jace:
Adrienne, please give me a chance to talk to you. I’m sorry. I need to explain, but I want to do it in person. Please.

I can feel his desperation in the message. My heartstrings are being pulled, and I know he deserves a chance to explain himself, but I don’t think I’m going to like what he has to say. I don’t want to break down and be a crying mess in front of him. He’ll have to make do with talking on the phone.

Without responding to his text, I dial his number and with my heart in my throat, wait for him to pick up.

“Adrienne,” he says softly, almost relieved.

“I don’t want to meet up right now. You can explain over the phone,” I say, trying to stay strong.

I hear him let out a breath. “Okay.”

When he doesn’t say anything else, I let out an exasperated sigh. “Jace, did you fuck Vivian?”

“Yes.” His answer is simple. One three letter word, and yet it breaks my heart.

My heart beats faster, my body grows warm with anger, and I feel the lump in my throat again. I try to push forward and not allow myself to cry.

“Are you an escort?”

“I was. I’m not anymore.”

“Since when?”

“Only a little while,” he answers sadly, like he knows the answer won’t appease me.

“Were you an escort when we met?”

“Yes.” Again, that tiny little word crushes me.

I have one last question. One question that will determine what happens from here.

“Did you fuck anybody else after me?”

Silence. I can hear him breathing, but that’s it. I’m holding my breath and hoping for an answer I know I’m not going to get. His silence is answer enough.

“Adrienne, let me explain.”

“Good-bye, Jace.”