In book two of The Escort Series, Troy Thompson and Emilie Watson are finally admitting their feelings and thinking about giving a relationship a try.
What happens, though, when being an escort in Sin City isn’t the only problem to worry about when starting a new relationship?
Someone from Troy’s past is back. Carla was the love of his life, his ex-fiancé, and the woman who committed what most consider an unforgivable sin. A sin that forced him to believe he’d never love or trust another woman again.
With Carla doing her best to convince Troy that she’s changed, and showing up to his house with talks of friendship, Emilie is left to wonder if her and Troy’s connection is strong enough to withstand the return of his past.
Is Carla truly back to heal old wounds, and get closure on their relationship? Or is she back to do whatever’s necessary to be the only woman in Troy’s life?
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“Thanks for inviting me. What’s up?
You said you needed to talk.”
She
certainly didn’t take any time getting to business, but I’m not surprised.
Emilie is a no-nonsense kind of girl. I’m suddenly more nervous to have this
talk considering Carla was just here. She kind of threw me for a loop.
“Yeah,
well, I just wanted to talk to you about…well, us.”
“Us?”
Emilie asks before taking a bite of her sandwich.
“Yeah.
We’ve been friends for a little while, and if I’m not mistaken, there’s
something between us.”
I
pause and gauge her reaction. Her eyes go wide briefly while she finishes
chewing her food. After wiping her mouth, she speaks up.
“You’re
not mistaken.”
I
smile. “Good.”
“But,”
she starts.
“But
what?” I ask.
“Your
job. That’s what,” she says matter-of-factly.
“Right.
My job.”
“It’s
kind of a problem,” she says with a small shrug, then takes another bite.
A
smile tugs at my lips. “I can understand that.”
She
puts her food down and turns to face me. “I’m not okay with it, Troy, and I
don’t think I ever will be. I really like you, but when I’m in a relationship
with someone, I want it to be only between the two of us.”
I
nod. “I understand. I appreciate your honesty, and that’s why I’m going to be
honest with you now. Since I started being an escort, I never thought about
quitting. Ever. I’m only realizing now that maybe I’ve done it so long knowing
that it would keep women from wanting a relationship with me. Since my break up
with my ex, I’ve never longed for a relationship. I didn’t want to put myself
in a position to fall in love, trust someone who isn’t trustworthy, and then
get fucked over again.”
She
gives me a small nod, waiting for me to go on.
“I
have trust issues, Emilie. No woman wants a man who has trust issues.”
“Why
do I feel like you’re trying to give me reasons to stay away from you?” she
asks.
“I’m
giving you the honest truth.”
“Are
you telling me that you’re never going to quit?”
I
take a deep breath and huff it out. “I know I can quit and be okay
financially.”
“That’s
not answering my question.”
“Emilie,
if you and I get together, I’m not promising that I’m going to be some perfect
boyfriend. I’m trying to warn you. I don’t trust anyone.”
I
hope she gets what I’m trying to say without me having to say it, because then
it would sound harsh.
“Are
you saying that you won’t trust me?” she asks, unruffled.
I
don’t say anything, but I think that says it all.
“I
see,” she responds. “Are you over your ex?”
My
head snaps up and my eyes meet hers. “What?”
“Are
you over your…”
“Yeah,
I heard you,” I say, cutting her off. “I just wanted to make sure I heard
right. Are you asking if I’m over the woman who I was engaged to, who fucked my
cousin in my own bed? Yes. Of course I am!”
“Then
why are you allowing her and what she did to you dictate your relationships?”
I
open my mouth to respond, but she lifts her hand in the air.
“I’m
just saying, if you’re over her, then leave her and your relationship with her
in the past. Don’t punish me or any other woman for what she did to you. I’m
not her, Troy. I didn’t cheat on you when I promised to marry you. I didn’t
break your heart when I promised not to. You haven’t given me the chance to
promise you anything. I haven’t had the opportunity to prove to you that you
can trust me. I understand that people earn trust, but you’re not allowing me
to show you that you can. When you’re ready to move forward, and done living in
the past, then let me know.”
Me: You
should come over.
A few minutes goes by before he
responds.
Troy: Oh really? And why is that?
I smile at his response.
Me: Oh,
you know. Just to hang out and…stuff.
Troy:
Stuff. I need to know more about this
stuff.
I smile even wider at the prospect of
being able to do some sexting.
Me: Well,
we can finish that kiss.
Troy:
It wasn’t finished?
I sigh.
Me: No,
it wasn’t. I needed to feel your tongue.
Me:
I mean...my mouth did.
I slap my hand on my forehead. Way to
sound stupid, Emilie. This is why you should never drunk text, or even tipsy
text. You say stupid shit. Five minutes goes by before he responds. I was
starting to wonder if I scared him away.
Troy: What if I want my tongue in other places besides your mouth?
My stomach does a somersault and
warmth fills my body. The image of his tongue in other places gets me instantly
excited. I shift on the couch, lying down with my head on the armrest.
Me: I
think that would be okay, but only if I can return the favor.
Again, several minutes go by without a
response. I wonder if he’s just nodding off in bed while we’re texting. With a
sigh, I get up and take my glass to the kitchen. I shut off the lights and
start walking towards my bedroom. Halfway there I hear a noise by the front
door. I jump slightly and look at the clock. It’s eleven thirty at night. I’m
immediately grateful that I locked it after the girls left.
I
creep back through the living room and towards the door. When I get up to the
peephole, I hear a soft knock. Looking through it, I can barely make out a
man’s figure. He turns and looks right at me.
“Troy,”
I say breathily as I open the door for him.
“So,
I think you were saying something about my tongue.”
Isabel Lucero is the author of The Secrets That We Keep and the Amazon bestseller, Living in Sin. She was born in a small town in New Mexico and was lucky enough to escape and travel the world thanks to her husband's career in the Air Force. She's been married for ten years to the love of her life and Jr. High School sweetheart. Her husband is Author W.S. Greer and together they have two of the best and most beautiful kids in the world.
Isabel's love for reading is anything but new, she's been reading since before she was a teenager. She started reading books by Mary Higgins Clark and James Patterson before being catapulted into the indie author world thanks to a little somebody named E.L. James.
She currently lives overseas and is working on book three of The Escort Series. Isabel loves connecting with her readers and fans of books in general. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
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