Page 29 of Shattered Veil
“Getting back to Ella working for you.” Dad sounds flustered but when his phone rings, his jaw tightens. “Excuse me, Mr. O’Rourke.”
“By all means. Take your time.” Balor is polite, though I expect he’d be offended by his new employee taking a call. But with Dad out of earshot, Balor turns his attention to me.
“Ella, Ella, Ella,” he breathes out my name on a lustful sigh.
“I’mnotan escort, okay,” I whisper.
He visibly swallows, disappointment shadowing his eyes. He only sleeps with escorts, and I just put myself in the no-go column.
NowI’m disappointed.
“I paid you twenty thousand dollars.”
“I only asked for five. And can we discuss the jolly green giant you sent to deliver it to me?”
“You mean Trace?” He smirks.
“Does your bodyguard always pay your escorts?”
“Trace is temporary. I usually don’t have a bodyguard.” He pulls at the collar of a crisp cerulean blue button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to show off his tats. Thick bands of ink, a test of pain endurance, are sexy as hell on him. Those are his only tattoos. The rest of his body is like untouched snow. “He was on my brother’s security detail in Las Vegas that day. It was an hour flight, so...”
“Lucky for you. And you can have the money back. I just came up with a fee because...” My cheeks blaze with embarrassment.
“Yeah?” He sits back. “Let’s hear this one. Why did you lie?”
Biting my lower lip, I say, “You wouldn’t have wanted me.”
Scoffing, he tugs on his collar. “I wanted you, trust me.”
“Because you thought I was a hooker.” I take a sip of wine and then say, “I figured I’d never see you again, so why not?”
“There’s more. You’re holding back.”
Balor’s heated gaze fuels me, and opening up to him is easy. “I love sex and wanted to fuck you.”
He squeezes his glass, muttering foreign curses under his breath.
“And since I’m somewhat of a behavioral expert, can we peel back a few layers? Why only hookers?”
“Escorts,” he emphasizes. “Fully vetted, fully tested, high-price, discreetescorts.”
I squirm, remembering how he begged to take off the condom and come inside me. Of course, I was clean, too, after being tested in Australia, fearing Wes was cheating on me on top of everything else.
But I’d stopped taking birth control. I called my gyno and asked for emergency contraception. He’s backed up three months, so his nurse approved three refill packs to hold me over until I can see him.
“Okay. Butwhy?” I press Balor about the escort-kink.
“Because I have no time or interest in a relationship. If your father told you anything about my family and what we do, then you understand I can’t set myself up to be ambushed or blackmailed by strangers. I use a solid escort service becauseI have needs.”
His words spark electric, and I tingle.
“I don’t want a relationship either right now.” I bite my lip, stopping myself from opening up about Wesley. Being bold, I add, “And I have needs, too.”
“Jesus, you’re so damn tempting.” Balor gulps down his wine. “I need a scotch.”
“If I remember correctly, we had a good time.”
“We did.I did.” He puts down his glass and eyes me with a hooded glare. “I would love nothing more than to sink my cock into that wet cunt every night.” I blush as he laughs to himself. “I should have known you weren’t a sex worker.”