Courting Innocence. Kimberly Dean

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СКАЧАТЬ She drew a never-ending circle atop the piece of paper in front of her. She had a cross-hatch shredder beside her desk to destroy any would-be evidence. Just the idea of staring at a computer screen all day gave her a migraine and made her think of wrinkles around her eyes.

      She sighed, put down her pen and let the softness of the big leather chair wrap around her. ‘But the escorts who’ve been out with her all say the same thing – that she draws out their protective side. She’s pretty and sweet, and they can’t help it.’

      Rielle moved quietly across the room and joined them, taking the seat that matched Sienna’s. ‘We could just do what she wants.’

      Nina’s brow furrowed. ‘I don’t understand.’

      The pretty office manager shrugged. ‘We could try our hand at matchmaking.’

      Sienna looked startled, but Nina was even more perplexed. ‘Who would we match her with?’

      ‘I don’t know, but you’ve got a database full of men. You know their preferences in everything from looks to personalities to hobbies to political affiliations.’

      Sienna gasped audibly. ‘We can’t pair her with another client.’

      ‘Why not?’

      Yes, why not? Nina’s mind was already starting to mull over the possibilities.

      Sienna’s spine stiffened, and her posture turned crisp when she realised the two of them were actually considering the option. ‘Erin’s not an escort.’

      ‘We could tell that to her potential matches,’ Nina said.

      Sienna whipped her head around.

      ‘We have some nice clients,’ Rielle defended. ‘Not all of them are here for the hoochie-coochie. Remember? We cater to people who are too busy to form relationships. That doesn’t mean they don’t want them.’

      ‘Yes, but if they wanted relationships, they’d be turning to real matchmakers,’ Sienna returned. Her chin dipped, and a blush settled in her cheeks. ‘We may be high-class, but we are what we are.’

      ‘There’s no reason we can’t branch out.’ Nina’s foot had stopped its incessant bobbing, and her tension had eased.

      She jotted notes rapidly on her paper tablet. ‘We could be up front with the possible matches we find and ask them if it’s something in which they’d be interested.’

      Sienna went silent. Gathering her hair together, she formed it into a braid. She tied it off quickly and rubbed her temples. ‘You’d keep the same contract restrictions, though?’

      Nina let one eyebrow lift. ‘The no-sex clause?’

      Sienna’s cheeks turned pink. They both knew that had been a difficult clause for her to keep when she’d been escorting Jason.

      ‘I don’t know.’ Nina turned in her chair to stare out of the window of her office even as Sienna made a protesting sound. ‘If we’re matchmaking, I don’t see how we could restrict it. Our responsibilities would end the moment they left the office.’

      And wasn’t that the greatest of ironies? As an escort service provider, she needed that clause to keep her company safe from the authorities. With matchmaking, though, she couldn’t restrict what two consenting adults did in their own time.

      Sienna was now sitting ramrod-straight. ‘I’m against this idea.’

      Nina looked at Rielle.

      ‘I like it,’ the woman said. ‘I don’t know what else we could do.’

      Nina drew in a deep breath. ‘How about this? I’ll put together a list of potential suitors, and we’ll go through them together. None of this matters if we can’t find an appropriate man for Erin.’

      Both her employees nodded, and a compromise was made.

      ‘All right. Let’s get started.’ She stuck her pen behind her ear and finally turned to her computer. She was energised by the new concept. It could have more side benefits than any of them expected, but she needed to think through the dangers, too.

      Because, with that detective lurking around, she didn’t need any more unwanted surprises.

      The three of them stayed late, poring over the lists that Nina cobbled from her private database.

      ‘I don’t like any of these men,’ Sienna said. She pushed away the remains of the chef salad they’d had delivered. Normal work hours had passed long ago, and the sky outside the office’s windows had grown dark. ‘Erin’s interests aren’t going to match those of an accountant or a computer programmer.’

      ‘But Sam is super handsome.’ Rielle pointed at the programmer’s bio with her fork.

      ‘If he can’t talk about anything other than the latest coding language or video games, she’s not going to care.’

      Nina gathered her hair together at the base of her neck as she stared at her computer screen. She was focused on her search terms.

      Erin had called out two men in particular. Both were unavailable – or at least Jason was – and there was no way Nina was going to set such tender flesh in front of Detective Morgan. Or any of her escorts, for that matter.

      No, she couldn’t pair Erin up with either of those two, but she could type in the words she’d use to define them. Her own secret keywords. Hot, dark, built, intense, sexy, smart, Grade A…

      She paused a moment, debating. She nearly hit the enter button, but then added one more. Dominant.

      The list that came back was short. There were only twenty or so names on it. A few were intriguing, but she wasn’t finished.

      She then reversed the search. She knew her men’s preferences, too. For Erin, she used her own observations: sweet, engaging, petite, blonde, eager, wilful, curious. And probably the most descriptive, innocent.

      The list that came back had only five names on it, some of whom made Nina blink. Interesting…She slid the printout across her desk to her employees and waited for a reaction.

      Rielle’s came first. She was nibbling on a cracker, but it broke in half when she read the names. She caught the crumbles haphazardly and shook her head in tight little jerks, rejecting them all summarily.

      ‘Omigosh. He’s a client?’

      Both Nina and Rielle swivelled their heads around fast. Sienna had grabbed the paper and jumped to her feet. ‘That’s it!’

      ‘Who?’ Rielle asked. ‘What’s it?’

      ‘Him.’ Sienna slapped the piece of paper back down on the desk and pointed at the first name on the list. ‘Set her up with him.’

      ‘Colton King?’ Rielle pulled back. ‘He’s sexy and you know – huuuh – but for Erin?’

      Nina’s eyes narrowed. ‘He’s too tall, and, if he has a sense of humour, I’ve never seen it.’

      Yet СКАЧАТЬ