Page 42 of The Publicist
“Buy a girl a drink?” she coos, placing her slender hand on my forearm.Sure, why the hell not! What have I got to lose at this point anyway?I call the bartender back and motion to the woman.
“Whatever my friend here wants, put it on my tab.”
“I’ll take a chocolate martini, please.” She giggles.You’ve got to be kidding me.I think back to the women I used to sleep with, and this is the exact kind. Skinny, blonde, and ditzy. What the hell was I ever thinking?
“I’m Candy, by the way.”
“Is that your real name, sugar?” I ask, not believing it.
“It can be if you want it to be, Caleb.” It all makes sense. She’s a prostitute looking for her next victim. I’ve never had to pay for sex, and I’m not about to do it tonight. I am however genuinely curious as to how much she makes.
“How much you charging, honey?”
“Three hundred bucks for an hour. You pay a little more, and I’ll be willing to do more.” She smiles and takes a sip of her drink.
“What if I just wanted a kiss from those pretty lips of yours? How much would you charge for that service?” The drinks are beginning to make my filter fly out the window. I know I shouldn’t be doing this, but old habits die hard.
She smiles, and I can see the blush staining her cheeks, even in the low light of the club. “I’d let you have a taste for free.”
I lean closer, and I can smell the vodka on her breath. My lips touch hers, gently. She puts more force behind the kiss, but it’s not right. It’s not Quinn’s pouty lips, and I’m not enjoying it. I pull back, and she smiles, fluttering her eyes open.
“Wow, that was some kiss. I might even be willing to cut you a deal if you can keep kissing like that.”
I smile at her, but it doesn’t reach my eyes. Everything brings me back to Quinn, and I’m getting mad all over again. I look down at my phone and see Quinn is calling me again. I ignore her call, allowing it to go to voicemail, and then I do the one thing that makes my heart break; I block her. I can’t talk to her right now. I’m not in the right frame of mind. I thought I loved her. What an idiot I must be. She told me it was just a girl’s night out, so why was Tait there?
I pocket my phone and down the rest of my drink before ordering another one. I’m feeling great now. The whiskey has warmed my cold, dead heart. I want to dance and forget everything for the evening.
“How much for a dance?”
“Dancing is free.” I hold my hand out for hers, and we move on to the dance floor, the other patrons pressing us closer together until our bodies are molded into one. She’s grinding on me and, against my mind’s wishes, I am getting hard. She turns and sticks her ass right against my crotch and grinds it into me. This is, for all intents and purposes, a standing lap dance. “I could make you feel good, baby. Want to get out of here?” She reaches out and cradles my hardness in her hand, rubbing her fingers over it enough for me to groan. “What do you say, big boy?”
I must be thinking with my dick because I can’t believe the next words that leave my mouth.“Sure, come on.” She clings on to my arm as I lead the two of us out of the club. The cameras are flashing as soon as I walk outside.Fucking paparazzi. I glance over at Candy, and she is looking up at me adoringly, then does the one thing that makes my blood go cold. She reaches up, places her fingers on the side of my face so I am looking at her, and she kisses me on the lips. It’s not a long kiss, but it’s long enough for the cameramen to crazy.
They start shouting out questions about Quinn and if things are over because of her hooking up with Tait. They ask if this is payback because she hooked up with him. And the worst one—if we are in an open relationship.I would never allow someone to lay their hands on her.She is mine. No, she’s not anymore. Clearly, she didn’t want me. If she did, she wouldn’t have done it.
The car finally arrives, and the two of us climb in. She climbs on to my lap and starts trying to kiss me, her too short dress riding up.
“I can’t do this.” I push her back, and she gets out of my lap, sitting next to me. She looks put off, staring out the window.
“What’s your real name?”
Her head whips in my direction, her voice barely above a whisper. “Candice.”
“Candice, that’s a nice name.”
She blushes. “Thanks.”
“Candice, can we talk instead?” She looks like she’s waging an inner war. “If I promise to pay you, can we just talk?”
She seems to perk up at the prospect of getting paid. “Sure, I guess that will be okay.”
“How did you get into his line of work?”
“It pays the bills. Plus, I’ve always been told I have great legs.” She chuckles.
“Yes, you do have nice legs.” I smile and continue. “Have you thought about going into a different line of work?”One that doesn’t have you hooking up with the scum of Denver.
“Listen, I know what you probably think of me. I’ve heard it a ton of times. This is just an interim job though. I’ve been doing it for only two years, and it helps me pay for school; otherwise, I never would have been able to do it. I have one more year, and then I’ll have my degree and can stop.”