“Now here is the woman that you must meet.” Brady takes her hand, kissing the top. “You’re looking lovely as always.”
The woman looks at me and smiles. “Always such a charmer.”
“Max, it’s my pleasure to introduce you to Cora, the beauty and brains behind Inamorata.”
Long blond hair. Brown eyes. Flawless teeth and smile. Perfect cosmetics. She looks midforties, but I’d bet that she’s older and does a great job of pulling off the look of a much younger woman.
“This is my best mate, Maxwell Hutcheson.”
She holds out her hand and I choose to go with a simple handshake, leaving off the kiss. “It’s a pleasure.”
“How very nice it is to meet you, Mr. Hutcheson. I hope that you’re finding everything to your liking this evening.”
“I’m enjoying the gala very much. Thank you for extending an invitation for me through Brady.”
“It was my pleasure, but your arm is empty, Mr. Hutcheson. Have you not found an inamorata to suit your taste?”
I should choose my words wisely; I don’t want to insult this woman. “Brady and I have spoken to many beautiful and interesting women tonight. I’ve found it difficult to choose one.”
“I’d like the opportunity to change that. Would you be willing to tell me what you’re interested in? I’m certain that I can assist you in finding the perfect inamorata for your needs.”
I don’t see the point. Not a single woman in this room stands out to me but if she wants to try, then let her. “I’m looking for a three-month arrangement with a woman who is willing to remain completely innominate to everyone within my world except me.”
“Obscurity is my specialty, Mr. Hutcheson. I have someone in mind, but she’s fresh out of training. Is that something that you’d be open to trying?”
“Actually, inexperienced is preferable.” I want a true girlfriend experience with this woman. It would be a turnoff if her actions were robotic, as though she’s simply going through the motions like so many times before.
“I have the perfect inamorata for you. She’s brand new so you’d be her first client. The girl is beautiful, intelligent, interesting—the whole package. How does that sound to you?”
Sounds like a definite contender if she lives up to what Cora promises. “I’d like to meet her.”
Cora gestures to the back of the room. “Right this way.”
Brady takes a step to follow and Cora lifts her hand, placing it against his chest. “Only Mr. Hutcheson.”
“Come on, Cora. I’m one of your best clients. I want to meet her too, in case she’s not for Max.”
“All of this is new to her. She doesn’t need to be overwhelmed on her first night.”
Brady frowns and holds up his empty glass. “I guess that means that I’m getting another drink.”
I slap Brady on the back and chuckle. “Sorry, mate.”
“Aye, sure you are.”
I follow Cora through the crowd and eye the pair of women that we’re approaching. One is blond, the other brunette, and it’s the darker of the two who catches my attention. She’s an absolute beauty, and I somehow overlooked her when Brady and I were making our rounds.
Please be the one that Cora was telling me about.
She’s wearing a short black dress, and it fits her body like a glove. Her heels are tall, just the kind that I love. Her chestnut hair is in loose curls, but I can’t yet tell how long it is. I hope that it at least reaches midway down her back. I love long hair. Always have.
She looks up as we approach, and I’m not sure if it’s because I’m so hard up, but I swear that her smile is the sweetest damn thing that I’ve ever seen.
“Doll, I’d like to introduce you to a new client. This is Mr. Maxwell Hutcheson.”
The brunette beauty offers her hand and the corners of her mouth curl upward, exposing a pair of dimples in her cheeks. “Hello. I’m Lou. It’s lovely to make your acquaintance.”
The woman is American. Or at least I think she is. Her accent sounds different—not like what I’ve heard in the past.
“The pleasure is all mine.”
Lou. I wonder if that’s her real name or an alias. I know that I would use an alias in this kind of business if I were her.
“Mr. Hutcheson was on his way out the door, and I couldn’t let him slip away without meeting you. Perhaps the two of you could have a drink together and talk about what he’s looking for.”
I’ve spent the entire evening looking for a woman who made me feel something, and now I’ve found her. “I would love to discuss that with you if you’re interested.”
Her arm loops through mine, and fuck me, just her simple touch sends a jolt to my cock, giving it life. “Lead the way, Mr. Hutcheson.”
3
Caitriona Louden
Maxwell Hutcheson.
He’s tall and fit. Very fit. And the suit that he’s wearing looks killer on him. He’s nothing like what I had pictured in my head when I imagined my first client. This is not what I was dreading.
Dark hair. Light eyes, pale blue I think, but it’s dark in here so I can’t tell for sure. What I do know is that he is one of the handsomest men that I’ve ever seen. And I don’t understand what he’s doing at an Inamorata gala.
I snap back into the present and realize that I’m sitting across from him, staring at his face. It’s as though I’ve forgotten all of my training.
I lower my eyes and face, hoping that he won’t see the heat in my cheeks. I should probably apologize for staring, but there’s no tactful way of telling him that I’m dumbfounded because he isn’t a troll or old enough to be my grandfather.
I don’t get it. Why in the world would this man need a paid companion? Surely women flock to him.
I recall the reasons why many of our clients use our services. They’re busy businessmen, often too engaged in their jobs to have time for dating. That must be it because there’s no way this man would have a hard time finding a woman who was interested in him.
“Cora tells me that you’re brand new. You’ve never had a client?”
His accent is heavily Scottish. You’d think that I would have gotten over hearing it after living in Edinburgh for six years, but the truth is that I still find it sexy as sin.
I look up and smile when my eyes meet his. Yes, I’ve decided that they are pale blue. And kind. I don’t see judgment in them as I am certain that he is analyzing me and my decision to be an inamorata.
I believe that you can see into the soul of a person through his or her eyes. Thoughts. Intent. Opinion. The simplicity in their expression tells a story. It says more than any words they could possibly speak.
The lines around the corners of his eyes. The creases around his mouth beneath his facial scruff. The furrows across his forehead. All of these distinct contours mean that he smiles often, and when he does, it spreads over his entire face.
“Tonight is my coming out, I guess you could say.”
“Then I’ve met you at the perfect time.”
“The perfect time for…?”