Chapter Twelve
Paul
Finally, it was Saturday night.
It felt as if I were still in high school—except in high school I’d had more confidence. Usually, I had a date on Saturdays with clients, but I’d made sure to have the day off. I wasn’t worried about the money I’d miss out on—I was going to be with the most beautiful woman in Vegas. It was worth it.
All week it was hard to see Andi. It was almost as if we were dating, but we weren’t. Every time I saw her, I wanted to just … kiss her. If we were dating, I could wrap her in my arms and kiss her whenever I wanted, but we weren’t so I couldn’t. I had to be a perfect gentleman when I saw her.
During the week I’d had to leave a few times to go on a couple of dates, which felt awkward, but I hadn’t had sex with any of the clients I went on dates with. It wasn’t as if I could get “in trouble” for not having sex with clients. We weren’t hired to sleep with them. We were hired for dates—companionship. If things led to sex, then they led to sex. I, however, had my eye on my new roommate and I didn’t want anyone else, so at the end of the date, I’d tell them I had a nice time and call it a night. I didn’t even care if they re-booked anymore. Each time I thought about forgetting the escort thing. I didn’t need it anymore. I had my new business with Gabe and Autumn and I was happy doing it. Happier. I felt alive now that Gabe and I were shooting again and teaching women how to defend themselves.
When I became an escort, it was my way to forget about Vanessa, but I no longer needed to forget about her and what she’d done. I was ready to move on. Even if Andi and I just went out for the night, it was a step in the right direction.
While Andi got ready in her room, I showered then changed into a pair of dark denim jeans and a black button-down shirt. After combing my hair back, I rolled up my long sleeves and went out to the living room where I waited for her to be ready. When she came out, I wanted to tell her how good she looked in her tight jeans and sparkly top. How good she smelled as she stepped closer to me. How fucking perfect she was.
But I had a plan.
“I’ll pick you up at seven.” I grabbed my keys, my wallet, and my cell phone and started to walk toward the garage.
“Um, it’s 6:55 now.”
“Seven o’clock, gorgeous.” I closed the door to the house from the garage before she could respond. After starting up my Jeep, I backed it out of the garage, drove around the block and stopped in front of our house so I could pick her up for a proper date.
At seven o’clock sharp I stepped out of the Jeep and walked to the front door. I knocked and waited for Andi to open the door. She smiled brightly when she answered it.
“Damn,” I said, dragging out the word. “Gorgeous, you’re stunning.”
She looked down at herself and then back up to my eyes. “Thank you.”
I reached out my hand. “Ready?”
“Is it seven?”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “You’re lucky I love your feisty mouth.” She blushed and grabbed my hand. “You’re cute when you blush.”
“Let’s go, Paul,” she groaned and I laughed. This was going to be fun and I couldn’t wait.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” Andi asked, breaking the silence. We’d barely driven out of our neighborhood.
“How do you feel about heights?”
Her eyes became huge. “Seriously?” I nodded and returned my gaze to the road. “What if I say I don’t like them?”
I shrugged and glanced at her. “Too bad.”
“Paul!”
“Are you scared of them?” I chuckled.
“I’m deathly afraid of them.”
“Aw, gorgeous, you have me. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“You can’t save me from falling to my death.”
I grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes as we stopped at a red light. “We’re not going to fall to our death. Trust me.”
“I trust you. It’s whatever’s in the sky I don’t trust. Which is …?”
“The world’s largest observation wheel.”
“The Ferris wheel on the strip?”
“It’s not a Ferris wheel.” I laughed, shaking my head. “Each pod’s enclosed and can hold up to forty people. Worse case, you can go to the middle and not look down.”
“I don’t know about this, Paul.”
I squeezed her hand. “We’re going to dinner at The LINQ first. You have time to prepare. If you really don’t want to do it when we get there, you don’t have to. But I promise it’s not that bad. Plus it’s the best view of Vegas, especially at night.”
She groaned and turned her head to look at the window and I smiled. She was going to go up on the High Roller even if I had to carry her. I could have taken Andi to any number of nice restaurants on the strip, but we were wined and dined all the time, so I wanted to take her somewhere casual. I wanted to show her Vegas and not have to drive out of town to see the view.
After valet parking, I grabbed Andi’s hand and led her through the casino to the restaurant where we were going to eat. I was starting to get used to having her hand in mine. It felt like a natural thing for us to be doing. Maybe it was because the casino was crowded and it was easier for her to follow me. I didn’t care. I loved the feel of her skin, and if I needed to enforce a death grip, I would.
A few minutes into our walk through the casino, Andi turned her head to me. “First you told me to dress up and then you changed your mind and you told me to dress casual.” It was as if she’d just remembered I said we were going to dinner and not only to The High Roller.
I smiled. “I know.”
“Where are we going to eat then?”
“Why do you always ask so many questions?” We stepped around a group of rowdy drunks trying to decide where to go or something.
“I always know the plan before I do things.”
“Even on personal dates?” She nodded and I stared at her for a beat, trying not to run into people as we walked and then I glanced up. “We’re here.”
“Guy Fieri’s restaurant?”
“Do you watch the Food Network?”
“Sometimes.” She licked her lips and I groaned.
“Hungry?”
“Starving.”
We waited twenty minutes at Guy Fieri’s Vegas Kitchen & Bar to be seated in the rustic bar type restaurant. I chose the place because the High Roller was only about a five minute walk outside the doors. Once we left, Andi could look at the wheel and make her final decision. It was 550 feet tall and took thirty minutes to make a full turn. I knew I could talk her into doing it for thirty minutes, even if I had to wrap her in my arms the entire time.
“Do you always order a margarita?” I asked her after the waiter left from taking our order.
“I’m not much of a drinker, but you can get a lot of different flavors with margaritas and tequila. How about you, what’s your poison? I see you ordered tequila, too.”
“That’s true. I’ve always been a tequila man myself, especially when I can lick it off of you.” I smirked.
She laughed, placing her hand over her stomach. “Wow … okay. How often do you use that line?”
The waiter came back and placed our drinks down. “I’ve never used the line on someone before. Body shots just happen.” I winked at her before I took a sip of my tequila and coke.
“You might have to show me that talent one day.” I choked a little on my drink but before I could respond she asked, “So how long have you been in the business?”
I wasn’t sure why she’d changed the subject. I liked the flirty Andi, and I wanted to lick tequila and salt off of every inch of her, but I didn’t press her on the matter. Instead, I answered her question with a sigh. “Long enough.”
“You sound like you don’t enjoy it.”
Looking into the eyes of the woman asking me the question felt like a million light bulbs going off. I wanted to tell her how I felt about her, but it was hard because I didn’t know how she felt about me. I really liked her. I wanted to see where things could go between us since we lived together. I didn’t want it to be awkward at all. I’d already gotten my heart broken once and I was ready to move on with my life, but I wasn’t sure I was ready to tell a woman I was ready to move on with her. I wanted to get to know her—in more ways than one, but was I ready to actually quit S&R?