ask, drizzling syrup over my breakfast. “Are you still friends?”
Talent’s eyes dart away, and he scratches the back of his neck. “No.”
“Is that why he wasn’t at the gala?” I cut into my French toast. “Because when I met you at the coffee shop, you told me he meant well. Now Hush is in trouble, Naomi tried to run me over, and Phillip seems to have disappeared.”
“Why do you think they’re connected?” he asks indifferently, as if the idea is ludicrous.
“I didn’t say they were.” I push my plate away and bring my knees to my chest, turning to watch the ocean fourteen stories down. “Inez won’t talk to me, you’re being cryptic as fuck, and I feel like my life is spinning out of control.”
“Lydia, look at me.” Talent reaches over and rests his hand on top of mine. “Inez is trying to protect you from something, and I think you should let her. When I go into the office tonight, I’ll ask about Naomi and see what I come up with. If she’s trying to hurt you, I’ll make sure she’s stopped. And Phillip Vogel is not a problem. Our friendship went bad and it has nothing to do with me, you, or Hush. He’s been a fuck-up for a long time.”
I search his eyes for signs of mistrust, but I don’t find anything and take his word for it.
“Take this time to figure out what you want to do with your future,” Talent continues. He slides my plate of food back in front of me. “You’re not an escort anymore, Lydia. Now’s your chance to be anything you want. Go to school. Don’t go to school. Build a fucking empire or destroy one. You have my full support.”
“It’s not that easy, Talent.”
“Lydia, there’s going to be a lot about our relationship that isn’t easy, but never selling your body again isn’t one of them. No one is ever going to touch you again.”
“You sound sure of yourself.”
He sits back in his seat and smirks. “I’ve never been so fucking sure of anything in my life.”
A life full of possibilities isn’t one I ever dreamed of, and it’s hard to accept good fortune with grace because good fortune has never given a fuck about me. I’m overlooked by chance and disregarded by destiny. Struggle and misfortune are my longtime companions, so why would they suddenly abandon me now?
Because Talent Ridge is incredibly easy to love?
Because I haven’t heard from Inez in two weeks?
Because for the first time in ten years, my body belongs entirely to myself?
I feel like I’ve spent the last fourteen days walking across a frozen lake, and it’s only a matter of time before the ice breaks and I drown. I’m not on solid ground despite what Talent believes.
Talent and I spend as much time together as we can, which involves me working around his schedule because he’s a big-time businessman and I’m a high-end escort on furlough. Talent disagrees, but until I can meet Inez face-to-face, I’m still one of her whores.
“I didn’t realize lawyers worked so many nights,” I say to him one afternoon while we have lunch in his office. We spend most nights together, either at my place or his, but twice in the last week Talent’s been at the office well after normal business hours.
“We have a client who requires unique accommodations,” he says without further explanation.
Camilla has gone on more dates without incident, and she doesn’t need advice from me beyond what outfit to wear. Without my clients, guiding Camilla, and while Talent’s at work, I find myself reaching farther and farther outside my comfort zone without committing to anything too life-altering, like going back to school.
I start small.
Instead of running on the treadmill, Dog and I run around the neighborhood every morning and even try Dog Mom’s coffee. Yael drives me to the shopping district one afternoon, and I buy clothes a slut wouldn’t be caught dead in. And on an evening Talent isn’t stuck in the office with his brother and dad, he teaches me how to drive.
“Put the car into drive and take your foot off the brake and slowly press on the accelerator,” he encourages patiently. “It’s an automatic transmission, so the car will practically drive itself.”
With both of my hands on the steering wheel, one foot on the brake and one on the gas, the car does not drive itself. We lurch forward so quickly, I panic and forget which pedal is the brake