Page 15 of Gin & Jewels
Me:I think I’ll manage.
Parking my black, limited edition, four-door, Ford-150 in the parking lot of the gym, I cut the engine and got out. Being able to drive a luxury vehicle was another perk of the job. Life was good.
All the guys worked out at Club 24, and most of us were good friends with the owners. In fact, I always wondered why the youngest brother, Blake Montgomery, never asked us how to get into the game. From what I knew about him, he would be good at escorting—he was good-looking, and the women seemed to love him.
I checked in with the front desk and made my way to the room that Gabe used for his class. He really did have a sweet deal getting in with the Montgomery brothers. Like me, he’d left the military before he could get retirement from the Army, and I was happy that he’d found something he loved to do and could help others. Helping others was something I loved to do too, and that was why I didn’t hesitate to offer my assistance since Paul was going to Quantico.
“Hey,” I greeted as I walked into the room where Gabe and Autumn were setting up. I expected to see Paul since he hadn’t left for the FBI yet, but he wasn’t there.
“Hey,” Gabe greeted back.
I hugged Autumn. “Where’s Paul?” I asked.
“Some top-secret shit or something to get ready to go to Virginia,” Gabe replied.
I laughed, watching Gabe take out thick mats. “Top secret? He’s not even in the FBI yet.”
“You know how Paul is,” Autumn countered. “He’s silly and makes a big deal about everything.”
I nodded. That he did and the dude was always making us laugh. “So what do you need me to do?”
“Just watch this time,” Gabe replied.
A few minutes later, women started to walk into the room. I watched as Gabe and Autumn introduced themselves and shared their backgrounds: Gabe, an ex-Army captain, and Autumn, a victim of domestic violence. Gabe explained that I was going to be an instructor soon as well.
Throughout the class, the attendees partnered up to practice chokeholds, grabs, and simple takedowns. Each one took turns trying to take Gabe down as though he were an attacker. He explained how some of them who were having a hard time could breathe better if they slightly moved his arm from around their necks, not letting the attacker keep the upper hand. He showed them vulnerabilities on his body that they could hit to stun him or knock him off balance, and he showed them weaknesses in his hold that they could exploit to get free. Even though I was combat trained, it amazed me how, even in practice, a woman would freeze when someone attacked them from behind. It was scary to think about it, especially since Seth’s wife, Cat, and Vinny’s soon to be wife, Tessa, had both been kidnapped. But what made me even more excited to help out my friend was that Gabe taught them how to analyze the mechanics of a hold instead of just panicking, and I knew I could do the same.
My group of friends was trying to better the world, and I wanted to be a part of that change, too.
Most of my dates were beautiful, successful, intelligent women who didn’t have time for a relationship or needed something extra in their life. For someone who didn’t truly date before I became an escort, it still amazed me how I could pull it off as though I’d been doing it for years. I’d never had an official girlfriend before, but that didn’t stop me from learning how to be the perfect boyfriend when I needed to be.
A few days after I returned from Tennessee, I accessed Saddles & Rack’s back office on my phone and saw that I had a girlfriend experience date booked for Sunday afternoon and evening. The woman wanted to include going ring shopping. I didn’t know what a woman gained from having a fake date take her shopping for rings. It wasn’t as though I was proposing marriage to the stranger, but what I had learned in the years I’d worked at Saddles & Racks was that women just needed to feel special and wanted, so if I had to spend a few hours pretending as though I would one day propose to this woman, I would.
This would also be the first time I’d ever shopped for rings, and I didn’t exactly know what I was doing, but I was going to wing it like I did a lot of my dates.
The instructions were to pick Leslie up at her hotel room at the Venetian, so after leaving my truck with the valet, I made my way to the room number that was provided. When the door swung open, I was slightly taken aback. Leslie was beautiful with long blonde hair, stunning green eyes, and legs for days. Usually, the women who wanted a boyfriend experience had a hard time getting a boyfriend for whatever reason, and I didn’t think Leslie would have that problem. Ever.
“You look beautiful, hon.”
“Thank you.” She stepped back for me to enter her suite. “Can I get you a drink?”
Since we were in a hotel room and the bar was limited, I didn’t think she’d have the makings for a Negroni, so I said, “Gin and tonic if you have it.”
“Sure thing.”
“How long are you in Vegas for?” I asked, moving to the window to check out her view. Of course, it was a view of The Strip. It was mid-afternoon, and not as glamorous as it was at night with the sparkling lights, but it was still a place people flocked to.
“Just the week. I’m here for a convention.”
“Oh? What do you do?”
Leslie handed me my drink. “I’m in pharmaceuticals.”
“Ah, so you get all the good drugs.”
She laughed as she sat on the couch. “Something like that.”
I took a sip of my drink and sat next to her, casually resting my hand on her bare knee that was exposed beneath her black skirt. I set my glass on the coffee table. “Are you excited about tonight?”
