River Read online

  River

  Escorts #5

  E. L. Todd

  This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this novel(s) are fictitious or used fictitiously. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher or author, except in the case of a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

  * * *

  River

  (previously published as Seductive Guest)

  Copyright E. L. Todd 2016

  1

  Meadow

  Nathan Maxwell was something of a dream. He was definitely the strong and silent type, but he didn’t need to say much because his eyes said it all. They were dark and deep, having no depth to the endless chasms. I could stare at them forever, watching every thought pass his mind in the blink of an eye. Perhaps I only envisioned I knew his thoughts because I knew him better than anyone. Being his assistant gave me an insight to his life. I knew all his habits and mannerisms. I even knew how he liked his coffee on a scientific level.

  Nathan was tall, almost a foot taller than I was, and every day he looked delicious in his crisp suit. He never wore the same suit twice, and I liked being surprised every morning when he walked into the office. The only thing he recycled was his tie. I recognized those from time-to time.

  I’m not sure when this obsession started. It began as an innocent crush. I’d always had a thing for Nathan since I started liking boys. He was a few years older than me, so naturally, I thought he was unattainable. When his father offered me the job to help me out, I said yes, but not for the money. Stupidly, I hoped if we spent more time together he would notice me. I wouldn’t just be a family friend he saw often. I wouldn’t be the girl he knew from childhood. I would be a woman he found attractive.

  But a year had come and gone and that had yet to happen.

  I wasn’t sure what the problem was. Male attention came easy for me. I’d been offered modeling gigs before, but naturally, I turned them down. Posing in front of a camera was no fantasy of mine. But if other people saw me as a desirable woman, why didn’t he? Was it my hair? My clothes? I watched the women he went out with and studied them. It didn’t seem like he had a preference. He just liked them beautiful.

  I was sitting at my desk, fantasizing about how Nathan would look this morning when the elevator chimed its arrival. I quickly adjusted myself and tried not to make it obvious I was eagerly waiting for him to walk onto the floor.

  The doors opened and he stepped out, wearing a gray Hugo Boss suit. It fit his broad shoulders to a T. When he walked, his jacket opened slightly and revealed his narrow hips. His stomach was flat and hard. I knew that because I’d seen him shirtless a few times. Those were wonderful afternoons.

  I stared at him, the air leaving my lungs. Every morning I was amazed by how beautiful this man was. He had bright blue eyes, nice cheekbones, and thin lips I wanted to grab with my teeth. He had a strong jaw covered with a light formation of facial hair. He shaved every other day. I was even familiar with his hygienic behavior.

  He approached my desk with his satchel over his shoulder, reminding me of Indiana Jones without the whip and hat. “Morning, Meadow.”

  I took a deep breath and inhaled his scent. The smell of his familiar cologne burned my nose but it was so worth it. “Hi…” I knew I sounded like a stupid schoolgirl but I couldn’t control myself.

  Nathan didn’t seem to notice. “How was your night?”

  “Good,” I blurted. “Yours?” I wanted to know every detail of his life.

  “Great,” he said. “Is this mine?” He pointed at the coffee on my desk.

  “Oh yeah.” I pushed it toward him. “I got it just the way you like.”

  “Thank you, Meadow.” He flashed me a smile.

  Oh my lord.

  “Any messages?” he asked.

  “They’re sitting on your desk. Your dry-cleaning is there as well, and Mike is having your car washed.”

  “Great. Thank you.” He carried his coffee as he walked into his office. But then he stopped and turned around. “Actually, my nephew—”

  “The gift is sitting on your desk. It’s already wrapped.”

  He glanced into his office and turned back to me. “How did you know…?”

  “My dad mentioned it. And it’s a remote control helicopter.”

  Approval came into his eyes. “What would I do without you, Meadow?”

  “You’ll never have to find out, Nathan.” God, I was pathetic.

  He gave me a smile that forced me to squeeze my thighs together. The area between my legs burned. I wished I wasn’t so pathetically obsessed with this man. He was a regular guy like everyone else. But he made my heart flutter like no one else.

  Danielle stepped out of the elevator and reached my desk. “Wow, this place is sleek.”

  “I know,” I said. “Nathan likes it in a very specific way.”

  “What kind of company is this again?” She shouldered her purse and kept looking around. She wore a tight black dress with a gold necklace around her throat. Her brown hair was in voluptuous curls.

  “Architect.” I told her that a hundred times but she never remembered.

  “And where is the love of your life?”

  “Shh!” I shot her a death threat. “Someone might hear you.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You wear your heart on your sleeve, Meadow. He probably already knows.”

  I sincerely hoped not. That would be the most embarrassing thing in the world. “Where do you want to eat?”

  She shrugged. “Somewhere that serves alcohol.”

  “It’s noon,” I reminded her.

  “But it’s five o’ clock in London.”

  I tidied up my desk before I grabbed my purse. “I’m in the mood for a sandwich.”

  “Do they have alcohol at the deli?” she asked seriously.

  “Maybe you should invest in a flask.”

  Nathan’s glass doors opened and he approached my desk holding a folder. When he looked up, he spotted Danielle. His eyes narrowed on her face and he discreetly looked her up and down, noting her legs specifically.

  My heart fell into my stomach where it burned in acid.

  “Nathan.” He extended his hand to shake hers. Whatever reason he came to see me was forgotten.

  “Danielle.” She returned the handshake. “I’ve heard so much about you. Meadow says you’re the best boss ever.”

  He flashed her a heart-warming smile. “She exaggerates. She’s just a meticulous worker. I really don’t know what I would do without her.”

  This was my worst nightmare.

  “So, you two are friends?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” Danielle said. “We’re just headed to lunch.”

  “That sounds like fun,” he said. “Meadow needs a break every now and then.”

  I hated that he kept talking about me like I wasn’t there. “Did you need something, Nathan?”

  He reluctantly pulled his eyes away from Danielle and looked at me. “Yes, I need you to fax these to accounting. But it can wait until after lunch.”

  “Okay.” I took the folder from him and tried not to scream. Watching him check out my friend was torture. Why did he check out every pretty girl that came to the office? Since I knew so much about him, I was acquainted with his personal life. While he was ambitious and hard working in his professional life, he had a serious weakness for beautiful women. He went from girl to girl without any intention of settling down. Even if I just had a night with him I would be happy. But my greatest fantasy was being the woman to change his entire life. It was so stupid, I knew that. But a girl could dream, right? “Well, Danielle and I should get going.
” I stood up and came around the desk, trying to get Danielle away from him.

  “It was a pleasure meeting you.” He stared at her intimately, giving her his best charm.

  I couldn’t handle this anymore. “We’ll be late for our reservations, Danielle,” I said as I gently pulled her elbow.

  She caught on. “It was nice meeting you too,” she said over her shoulder.

  Once we were in the elevator and the doors were closed, I started to breathe again. I definitely wouldn’t have Danielle meet me at the office again.

  “I understand your obsession,” she said as she faced the doors. “ He really is one fine specimen.”

  Why did I have to be in love with my boss? “It’s distracting…”

  “He’s never asked you out?”

  “Not once,” I said with a sigh.

  “I’m sorry,” she said.

  “Yeah.” I didn’t want to think about it anymore. It just made me feel hopeless.

  I knocked before I stepped into his office. “John wants to know if you’re free to hit the green this afternoon?”

  He looked up from his desk, in the middle of making a note on his iPad. “Not today.”

  “Okay.” I stepped out.

  “Meadow.”

  I entered his office again. His hair was slightly messy but it looked good on him. His blue eyes seemed to sparkle by their own light. Everything about him drew me in. Why couldn’t he be ugly? “Yes, sir?”

  He spun a pen through his fingers while he looked at me. “Your friend Danielle…is she seeing anyone?”

  My legs felt useless and my heart raced in my chest. I had the strong urge to cry and I didn’t know why. Nathan never gave me any indication that he even remotely knew I was alive. Why did I continue to let this bother me? “She’s gay.” I blurted it out without thinking. I wouldn’t be able to handle seeing my friend with the guy I was obsessed with. It would be mental torture.

  “Oh.” He cocked an eyebrow in surprise. “I didn’t realize that. I’m sorry.”

  I wanted to tell him all my friends were gay. “It’s quite alright. Are you leaving soon? It’s past five.”

  He released a deep sigh. “If you weren’t here to throw me out I’d be here all the time.” He dropped the pen he was holding and leaned back in his chair. A sketch of a building was in front of him.

  “Then good thing I’m here,” I said. “You need to have a life.” There was a teasing tone to my voice.

  “You’re a good secretary, Meadow. The best one I’ve ever had.”

  It was a compliment but it didn’t make me feel good. It only reminded me that I was only his secretary and I would always just be an employee. “Thank you. I do my best.”

  “You should head home,” he said. “I’ll leave when I finish up.” He picked up the pen again.

  It was clear something was on his mind. He seemed particularly down, and I didn’t think it was because Danielle was unavailable. “Everything okay, Nathan?”

  He stared at his sketch for a moment before his eyes met mine. “Did you envision a different life for yourself? Or is this the life you wanted?”

  It was a deep question. “No, this isn’t how I expected my life to play out. But that’s not a bad thing.”

  He spun the pen in his fingers.

  “Is this not how you imagined your life?”

  He was quiet for so long I didn’t think he would answer. “It’s lonely at the top, sometimes.” He was open and vulnerable like this once in a while. And I suspected he wasn’t like this with anyone else but me. That aggravated me more. Why was I invisible to him? I was the only woman who really loved him for who he was. I understood him at an innate level.

  “Because only a few people can make it to the top,” I said. “And people will always try to tear you down. Don’t let them.”

  His eyes glanced to mine. “You’re too smart to be working for me, you know that?”

  “I do,” I said honestly.

  “But I wouldn’t want you to ever go anywhere.”

  I’d fantasized about him saying that to me, but in a much different context. “I like it here so you don’t need to worry about that.”

  “Phew,” he said in a teasing voice.

  I started to close the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Nathan.”

  “Meadow.”

  I opened the door again, hoping he would say something I wanted to hear. I wanted him to invite me out for a drink. Even if he bluntly asked me to join him in bed I would take the offer instantly. That’s how hung up I was. “Yes?”

  He stared at his pen for a moment. “Did he call?”

  I knew whom he was talking about. “He calls every week.”

  He nodded and kept staring at his pen.

  “I’m sure he would love to hear from you.”

  Nathan stopped fidgeting with the pen. “I’m sure he would.”

  “You told him I was gay?” She was about to take a drink but steadied her glass.

  “I didn’t know what else to say…”

  “That I have a boyfriend, perhaps?”

  “But I didn’t want him to keep asking when you’re available,” I said. “I figured this was easier.”

  Danielle released a sigh. “Girl, this isn’t natural.”

  “I know.” I covered my face in shame. “Believe me, I hate myself.”

  “Why don’t you just ask him out?”

  I dropped my hands. “Are you crazy?”

  “I ask out guys all the time.”

  “But he’s my boss.”

  “Just ask him,” she said. “If he says no, it’ll hurt and you’ll be able to move on. Isn’t that a good thing?”

  “Or I might get hurt and still be sprung on him.” And that was more likely to happen.

  “Then quit your job.”

  “I can’t do that either,” I said with a sigh.

  “Why not?”

  “It’s the easiest job in the world, the salary is awesome, it comes with benefits, and I have a lot of vacation time.”

  “But is it really worth it when you’re gawking at your boss all day?”

  “Probably not…”

  “When was the last time you went on a date?”

  “Last weekend, actually.”

  “How’d that go?” she asked before she took a drink.

  “Eh.” I shrugged.

  “Eh?” She cocked an eyebrow. “Is that even a word?”

  “It was okay,” I said. “He was cute and we had a decent time.”

  “Did you sleep with him?”

  “Yes.”

  “And how was that? And don’t say ‘eh’.”

  “It was pretty good,” I said. “But I never called him back.”

  “So, it wasn’t that good.”

  I shrugged. “I just didn’t see it going anywhere.”

  She gave me an irritated look. “How will anything go anywhere if you’re hooked on one guy? This is never going to go away unless you do something about it.”

  She was telling me what I already knew. “Yeah…”

  “Do you think he’ll be interested in you one day?”

  I was embarrassed to admit it. “Sometimes I think he might. We have a really great relationship, and I swear there’s a connection there. I feel it and it seems like he feels it too. But he never says anything.”

  “Maybe it’s because you’re his assistant,” she said. “And he doesn’t mix work with pleasure. Or maybe it’s because you’re a family friend so you’re in the friend zone.”

  “Possibly.”

  “Because you are a gorgeous woman,” she said. “But maybe he sees you as a sister.”

  I cringed. “I sincerely hope not.”

  She finished her drink with a deep gulp. “You know what you can do?”

  Danielle didn’t usually have the greatest ideas. “Hmm?”

  “A friend of mine went to Beautiful Entourage and hired a gorgeous man to pose as her boyfriend. Her ex was so jealous that he came back on his h
ands and knees.”

  I wasn’t following her. “You want me to hire a guy to make Nathan jealous? He doesn’t notice me as it is. I don’t think having a guy by my side will make a difference. And I don’t need to pay a man to get him to go out with me.”

  “He’s never seen you with a boyfriend, right?” she asked. “Maybe if he sees another man want you he’ll want you.”

  “I don’t know…”

  “This is your last option,” she said. “Then you need to quit or actively move on.”

  “But why do I need to hire someone?”

  “Wouldn’t you feel terrible playing a guy when you aren’t really interested in him?” she asked. “Because that would make me feel terrible if a guy did that to me.”

  She was right. “No, I couldn’t do that.”

  “It’s a business relationship and it’s exactly what you need. Just try it.”

  I didn’t see the harm.

  She turned serious and leaned over the table. “But if it doesn’t work, you’re moving on. I mean it. Whatever it takes. You’re wasting time pining over a man who thinks you’re as invisible as Casper the Friendly Ghost.”

  A small laugh escaped my lips. “Thanks for putting it mildly.”

  “Hey, it’s what I’m here for,” she said. “And the sooner you get over him the sooner I can sleep with him.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I knew you had an ulterior motive.”

  “I totally understand your obsession with this guy. He’s drop-dead gorgeous. But you aren’t the only one to notice his charms.”

  I would have a difficult time rejecting Nathan if he did want me even though my best friend was in love with him. It would take all my strength to say no. So, the fact she was being loyal meant a lot to me. “Thanks for keeping your legs closed.”

  She smiled. “You got it, babe.”

  2

  River

  I opened my eyes and stared at my ceiling. The sheets were bunched up around my feet, and the closed shades kept the sun from penetrating my apartment. I was aware of the two blondes on either side of me. One hugged me like a personal teddy bear, and the other rested her hand on my chest.