"Why don't you go get ready, and I'll take you back to The Daily Grind for your car so you're not late to your appointment this morning," he suggested.
She nodded and stood, then glanced back at him. "Do you mind if I take a quick shower here and get that out of the way?"
"The bathroom is all yours," he said, and felt an odd, tangible loss when she moved off the couch and stood. "Use whatever you need."
She fingered the collar of his shirt she was wearing. "Since my blouse is shredded, I'll definitely be borrowing your shirt until I get home, if you don't mind."
"Of course I don't mind." As long as you bring it back smelling of you.
She turned and headed out of the living room, and he watched her make her way up the stairs. He ached to follow her, to tell her how he really felt about her, to make her admit that her feelings for him had changed, as well. But Steve knew it was more important right now to give her space to process everything that had happened between them the past twenty-four hours, to bring her around slowly instead of forcing something she wasn't quite ready to face just yet.
Her heart might be there, but her head hadn't yet accepted the truth, and he refused to crowd her, or make her any more wary than she ready was. And ultimately, it was unfair of him to put any kind of emotional burden on her right now, when her focus needed to be on resolving her issues with her cousin.
And Lord knew her issues ran deep. He just hoped that when this mess with Valerie was over, Liz would come to realize that she no longer needed to live her life for others-that it was time she lived her life for herself.
Liz sat as calmly as she could manage, in the chair situated in front of Antonio's desk. Her hands were clenched in her lap, and her stomach rolled nervously as he met her gaze and smiled at her in a way that was easy-going and friendly.
Despite the fact that Antonio pedaled sex for a living, he was, surprisingly, very likable. He was also a good-looking businessman who dressed in high-dollar clothes and jewelry, drove a top-of-the-line Mercedes, and ran what Liz suspected was a multimillion-dollar company. He treated his employees decently and fairly, and from what she'd heard from other operators, that was unusual in this particular business. He also knew how to flatter and bolster a woman's confidence to get what he wanted, and right now that charm was focused on her.
"I'm extremely impressed with your transcripts so far, particularly with your nightly eleven-fifteen P.M. caller," he said, getting right to the crux of his reason for meeting with her. "It appears you've ensnared yourself a steady client who's very interested in meeting you."
"Yes, so it seems," she said, playing along, the warm, sweeping blush on her cheeks very real when she thought about Antonio being privy to the explicit conversations she'd had with Steve. "He's very persistent, too."
"And very loyal to just you, according to the calling pattern he's established." He leaned back in his high-backed, leather chair and regarded her thoughtfully over the fingers he'd steepled together. "How do you feel about that?"
"I'm flattered, obviously, and he seems like a nice enough guy," she said, smiling. "And the extra bonus money coming in from his calls is especially nice."
"Would you like to make more money?" he asked, homing in on that part of her reply, just as she'd intended.
Because of her conversation with Roxanne, Liz knew exactly what he was insinuating, but played it low-key. "Of course I'd love to make more money, but I'm not sure what you're getting at."
"When I hired you on, I mentioned advancement within the company if you performed well, which you have-beyond what most operators accomplish in a month's time." His tone was very complimentary. "A lot of the operators I've employed have advanced on to becoming party girls, which entails attending private parties and catering to a client's requests and desires on a more intimate level. And because I think you're ready to take that next step, I'm going to offer you one of those opportunities, if you're interested."
She feigned a nonchalant shrug. "If there's more money involved, of course I'd be interested."
He seemed immensely pleased by her response. "How do you feel about meeting your client in person and establishing a physical relationship with him?"
If it were with anyone other than Steve, and if it weren't for the sake of needing to make contact with Trixie Lane, Liz would have flatly refused the offer. Hell, she wouldn't even be here right now if it hadn't been for Valerie's disappearing act.
"What's in it for me?" she asked boldly.
He grinned, apparently appreciating her straightforward manner. "Money, of course. A sixty-forty split of a thousand dollars, which is what it costs the client to attend a party."
A thousand dollars. Liz's head spun at the amount he so casually tossed out there. She was stunned and amazed that anyone would pay such an exorbitant fee to attend a fantasy party. Unless… "What do I have to do for that kind of money?"
"Entertain your client for the night, in any capacity he wishes." Antonio shrugged, his expression all business. "Make the fantasies you share with him on the phone a reality."
She'd already accomplished that with Steve, and then some. And now she would be taking their affair into a more public arena, she thought with a shudder, uncertain of what she'd gotten herself into, but determined to see it through.
Antonio went on. "There are many amenities that the two of you can take advantage of and enjoy, along with private fantasy playrooms and sexual stimulants that can be accessed for an extra fee on the client's part."
She couldn't imagine that they'd stick around long enough to indulge in stimulants, or what those playrooms had to offer. Once they had the information they needed on Rob, if they were able to uncover anything substantial at all, she wanted out of there. For good.
She swallowed the hard knot that had gathered in her throat, and pretended enthusiasm. "What do I have to do to set this up with my client?"
"He's already established his interest in meeting you, so tonight when he calls you, extend the invitation for him to accompany you to an Ultimate Fantasy party tomorrow night. If he agrees, then you transfer him over to Doreen, who will handle the monetary details, along with transportation to The Ultimate Fantasy mansion. You'll both be taken there by a private company limousine."
Liz sat quietly, absorbing the details, so very grateful that Steve would be by her side the entire night.
"If you find you enjoy being a party girl, you can make the choice of remaining strictly a party girl, or you can go back to being an operator, or do both. The choice is yours, but the more men you invite to the parties, the more money you make in a night's time."
Liz inwardly cringed, knowing that being a "party girl" was equivalent to working as a high-dollar escort. Was that what Valerie was involved in, of her own choice? The thought made Liz feel physically ill. Then again, she was learning a whole lot of things about Valerie's personality that went beyond the rebellious cousin she'd grown up with and the young girl who'd grown into a woman who needed attention focused on her in any way she could get it. What Valerie was doing was flat-out dangerous, stupid, and selfish to those who cared about her.
And Liz was beginning to wonder if she cared too much.
She immediately shoved that thought to the back of her mind, because it went against everything she believed in when it came to family-even her cousin who'd never wanted to share her mother and father with an orphaned girl who only wanted to be loved and accepted. She'd made a promise to her aunt and uncle to look after Valerie, and it was a responsibility she took seriously.
And disappointing her aunt and uncle again wasn't an option.