Page 10 of Paradise & Vodka
"I'm meeting the client tonight, and then we leave Monday." I took a sip of the salty-sour yet sweet goodness of vodka and grapefruit juice.
"Should we bet?" Brad questioned.
"Bet on what?" I furrowed my brow.
"If you'll joinThe Fallen," he clarified.
"You think he's next?" Vinny inquired.
"Wait." I held up my hands. "You think I'm going to fall in love with this chick because she's taking me to Fiji?"
"Take it from me," Brad said. "The more time you spend with a woman, the more likely it is you'll develop feelings."
"What was it that Paul said before Brad fell for Cassie?" Galen questioned.
I had no idea what he was talking about until Brad responded, "You'll meet a woman who you'll start to care about, and then before you know it, you'll never want to go a day without her."
"Fuck that." I laughed.
"It could happen," Gabe stated.
"All of you have lost your minds."
"Then, should we bet?" Paul asked.
"Do you all think I'll fall in love next week?" I questioned, and they each shrugged. "All right. I'll take your fucking bet." I shook my head in disbelief, and then took a sip of my drink.Fucking assholes.
"What will it be?" Brad wanted to know. "Money—"
"I think he should babysit if we win," Vinny stated. "Tessa and I could use a night out."
"Oh my God." I laughed. "You guys have really fucking lost your minds."
"Well, not all of us have kids," Brad stated, motioning to himself and Galen.
"Yeah," I agreed.
"Then what would you want?" Paul inquired.
"Let's just bet money," I argued.
"Fine," Brad agreed. "How much?"
I shrugged. "A grand?"
"A grand for each of us?" Galen asked.
"Yeah," I confirmed. "When I win, you each own me a thousand bucks."
"And whenwewin, you oweeachof us a thousand?" Gabe questioned.
I thought for a moment. I wasn't going to lose, so I took the bet, even though I would get the short endifI failed. The guys didn't make the money they used to make—or like I made—as an escort. I could afford to give them each a thousand dollars, but I wasn't going to fall in love in a week. That would be crazy.
"Yeah." We shook, and the bet was on.
Fucking suckers.
Mark had set up drinks at Marché Bacchus, a French bistro with outdoor seating on Lake Jacqueline, as the first meeting with my Fiji client. It was perfect for getting to know each other, and for the type of date that it was, I needed to knoweverythingabout Ashleigh. For starters, I needed to know what she looked like. That was the only issue I had when it came to dates: new clients were always blind ones. They knew what I looked like, but it was always a surprise for me. It didn't matter in the end because it was my job, but when Ashleigh walked in, I was slightly taken aback.
