Dove Read online

  “Shit,” I hissed out, sinking into the chair. “I forgot. Listen, send Lorelai. She’s taken Larry before. Give Larry the usual discount and send my apologies.”

  I could hear Jemima’s surprise. “Is everything okay?”

  I blew out a loud breath. “No. I’ve had a visit.”

  Her gasp was loud. “Jesus, when. Who?”

  “Don’t know him. He’s not a guy from when I was there. Looks like a new one, but then, Viktor’s not stupid. He’d send an unknown.”

  “Oh God.” She blew out her own breath. “Okay, I’ll send Lori. But I’m dragging your sorry ass out.”

  “Jem…”

  “Nope. You know I won’t let you wallow in this. Get Heather and Lizzy and I’ll meet you in Dragoon at nine.”

  “Jem…”

  “Nope,” she repeated. “You know Marcus will stick you with protection now and you’ll have to bring him with you… but hopefully he might liven the night up with his hot piece of ass.”

  I rolled my eyes, dread at the upcoming night already seeping in. Jemima loved – loved – to party. It was what she lived for, and as much as a good night was guaranteed, I just wanted to climb into my PJs, put on old black and white films, and indulge in wine, chocolate, and a few lines of white oblivion.

  “I’ll pay you extra this month…”

  “Nah, you know that won’t work, but feel free to if the overwhelming need to purchase me new shoes just won’t allow you to sleep at night.”

  “Fine!” I said, deep regret already blooming in my belly. Maybe a night of drinking and dancing with my friends was what I needed to give my mind something to focus on other than constantly replaying the look of revulsion in Flick’s eyes.

  Arthur started to orbit the pot plant. “Jem, I have to go. Arthur needs a shit.”

  Jem tutted at my TMI. “Nine o’clock, babe,” she reminded me then ended the call.

  Quickly slipping Arthur’s harness around his round body, I dragged on my coat, opened the door, and gasped when Gary, one of Marcus’ men, stood grinning at me like a mad lunatic. “Bloody hell, Gary. You could have knocked!”

  Gary yanked his hood over his head and stepped off the covered veranda beside me as Arthur pulled me like a nutter across the street. “I know how much you love surprises, Dove.”

  Gary had a thick head of blond hair, always pulled back into a ponytail. His neck, as was custom, was covered in a range of sinister but colourful tattoos, and he always donned a huge, bright white smile. Whatever the situation, Gary wore his permanent smile like he did his tats. Bold and vivid.

  “You for me or Ren?” I asked as Arthur found his usual potty spot on the pavement right outside Mr Williams’ house. He lowered his ass onto the slab of concrete illuminated for his own personal use by the tall lamppost he liked to cock his leg and pee all over.

  “Both.”

  Darkness had descended and the rain beat at us hard, causing me to shiver when a blast of icy air swept across the street, blowing autumn leaves at Arthur. He glared at me as though the weather was my fault as I bent to poop scoop, and he whined all the way back to the house at the disturbance while he tried to do his regular.

  Gary hooked my arm with his and burst into a run. By the time we reached the house we were both laughing hard at poor Arthur’s little legs trying to keep up with us. “You rotten bastard,” I scolded, still laughing as we fell through the front door.

  “Those long legs and you still couldn’t keep up,” Gary mocked, nudging me with his elbow. When he spotted Ren leaning against the kitchen doorframe, watching us, a deep flush rose up Gary’s neck and burst across his face. I sucked in my lips at his reaction to my sister and swallowed down a snort.

  He coughed and pulled his shoulders back. It was obviously a preening exploit, showing Ren just how formed his chest was. Ren smiled warmly and flicked her eyes to the floor. For the first time ever, I witnessed a deep crimson seep into her cheeks.

  Well, well.

  Casually strolling to the fridge, I pulled out a bottle of water and turned back to Gary. “Unfortunately, I’m off out tonight. Ren needs watching more than I do as I’ll be in company. So you’ll have to just watch over her tonight.”

  “You have a job?” Ren asked, finally removing her eyes from the invisible spot on the carpet.

  Gary spluttered and shook his head. “Uh-uh. Marcus will rip my throat out. I’ll let him know and he’ll issue another guy for you.”

  “There’s really no need. I’m out with the girls. Jem has the meanest right hook I’ve ever seen and Lizzy will be equipped with the sharpest heels in history. She could puncture someone’s throat with the things.”

  Gary shook his head and pulled out his phone. “No, Dove. I’d feel better if you were under protection.”

  I blew out a breath. As much as I understood Marcus’ need to keep me under his wing, we would never coax Viktor out if I was always shrouded by a thousand sentries. But shrugging it off, I binned the empty bottle and left the two to flirt while I preened myself for the night ahead.

  Turned out it was Marcus himself who got sentry duty. As much as I liked Marcus and trusted him one hundred percent, he also stopped me from letting my hair down. Whenever me and the girls went on a night out, we liked to forget what we did for a living; me especially. We liked to forget life and all the shit that came with it. I liked to flirt naturally with men, to have fun and to get to know them the normal way. I liked them to flirt back, to charm me, pay me compliments because they actually wanted to, not because they felt obliged to fuss over their purchase. I wanted them to like me because they weren’t paying for me.

  But Marcus’ constant hovering, his fierce glare, and his annoying habit of staring at everyone as though they were serial killers had the men steering clear from me. He was like my obsessive boyfriend, my strict father, and my protective brother all rolled into one.

  Heather nudged me stealthily as her narrow eyes slid towards Marcus who was lingering beside us, but his eyes were everywhere around the room. We’d all had too much to drink and were starting to relax. The DJ had played all the old songs, encouraging us to slide onto the dance floor, and as we dropped back into our seats, I leaned towards Heather when she gestured me closer.

  “You want me to take your man there out back for a bit? Give you a chance of freedom?”

  My mouth fell open as I stared at her. Heather was a good friend, and my next door neighbour. She was aware of a little about my life, not all the horrific details, but she knew I was an escort and she still loved me for who I was. However, she was never interested in men. She wasn’t gay, but she’d never seemed to gravitate towards any bloke, so her offer stunned me.

  Her eyes widened and she giggled. “I didn’t mean like that. I just thought I could tempt him out for a smoke.”

  I giggled with her, her laugh contagious and the amount of alcohol helping me loosen up. “Sure. If you manage it I’ll clean your toilet for a fortnight.”

  I was confident she would never coax him out. Marcus was meticulous, never leaving my side and never once letting his guard down. I knew Heather would never manage to drag him away but I thought the gesture was nice, and it would be fun to watch her try anyhow.

  She scowled at me. “You don’t have confidence in what I can achieve with my curves?”

  I bit my lip and shrugged. “You know I would love you to be assertive with those curves, Heather, but I can assure you, unless you have a semi-automatic pointed at your forehead then Marcus won’t even know you’re there.”

  She leaned forward, a look of determination on her face. “My toilet and my windows for a fortnight!”

  Sighing, knowing I wouldn’t have to clean my loo for a couple of weeks, I gave her my hand and we shook firmly. “Go for it, my stupid, delusional friend.”

  A sly grin slipped over Heather’s face, and giving me a wink, she stood up and meandered over to Marcus. Tapping him on the shoulder so he would lean down to her level, Heather whispered som
ething in his ear.

  Marcus pursed his lips before a slow smile crept over his dark face. Then, amazingly, he took Heather’s hand, slid his fingers through hers, and led her out of the room. She turned to me, winked, and blew me a kiss before the door slid closed behind them.

  I sat gawping like a fish as my best friend handed me a fortnight’s toilet and window cleaning duties. “What the hell?”

  Lizzy and Jem stared as hard as me, their wide eyes moving to me before slowly gliding to the doors then back to me. “What the fuck was in that white stuff?” Lizzy stuttered. “Because I’m sure I’ve just hallucinated.”

  Jem shook her head in disbelief then nudged me. “I see you’ve attracted someone’s attention.”

  I followed the direction of her eyes as she tried, unsuccessfully, to be covert. A tall man was staring at me as the bar propped him up by his elbow. His look wasn’t invasive or in the least bit threatening. His honey eyes were locked on me but his expression was soft, almost inquisitive. He had a thick head of dark blond hair, stylishly cut into a messy crop, but it was his smile that captured my attention. It was wide but gentle, soft, and covered the whole of his handsome face. His light grey shirt pulled across his chest, his muscles causing the material to strain against his skin, and as my eyes raked over the length of him, his tight hips displaying how lean he was, I shivered in appreciation.

  His smile grew wider, which I thought would have been impossible, when he noticed me blatantly checking him out.

  Lizzy kicked me gently under the table when he pushed off the bar and strolled over to us. I couldn’t help but admire his relaxed gait, the way his strong thighs pulled the fabric of his trousers tight across the muscle and notified me that his legs were just as lean as his torso.

  “Hi.” He smiled down at me when he reached me, his eyes fixed on me. “Jamie Anderson.”

  He thrust his hand out to me, my eyes dropping to look at how his long fingers shook slightly. He was nervous.

  “Why are you nervous?”

  I couldn’t help but be suspicious of everyone. Knowing Viktor was sending guys after me made me guarded. I wondered if it would be easier if I wasn’t aware of what was coming. I couldn’t relax around anyone. However, Jamie’s grin slipped into an uneasy smile, and for a moment he dropped his gaze from my face to the floor. Then, lifting his eyes back to me as if amused by my candid question, he looked at me directly, his tongue running across his teeth to moisten his dry mouth. “You’re beautiful. Any man would be nervous about approaching you.”

  Jemima looked up at him in awe, a deep sigh resonating from her. Lizzy twisted her lips in amusement.

  Jamie let out a small chuckle and rolled his eyes at himself. “Can I buy you a drink?”

  I studied him. I didn’t get a bad vibe from him but I had to be careful. I looked around the room for Marcus then realised that Heather was most probably giving him a blowjob out back. But then my eyes found him at the other side of the room. He was leaning on a column, clearly trying to screen himself from my view but giving Jamie a fierce glare as he texted furiously on his phone. The sneaky cow. Heather had evidently dragged Marcus out of one door and he had reappeared through another, hiding from me. I’d get her back.

  “Please,” Jamie muttered quietly, grabbing my attention from Marcus. His cheeks flared with colour and I realised he was a very shy man. He was completely different to what I usually went for. But then again, I’d never really had much luck when it came to men. Not that it mattered much because once they found out what I did, they always ran in the opposite direction. But what would one night in Jamie’s company hurt?

  “Thank you.” I smiled. “That would be nice.”

  I slid out of the booth that I shared with my friends. Jamie blew out a breath as if my acceptance granted him a moment’s reprieve from his nerves. “Okay.” He nodded firmly and smiled. He blinked when I pressed my hand against his.

  “Lead the way, Jamie Anderson.”

  His nerves were quite sweet. He was a good-looking man and usually they came across as egotistical, yet I didn’t get this from Jamie. He was timid and anxious.

  “I don’t bite,” I whispered into his ear when he stood rooted to the spot, staring at our joined hands as though I was going to send a shock of electricity through him.

  His eyes snapped up to mine. He shook his head and chuckled at himself. “I’m sorry. I’m not very good at this.”

  I allowed him to lead the way to another booth. He slid in opposite me and hailed a passing waitress. He looked at me expectantly, silently asking what I wanted to drink, and I gave my order. Marcus stormed past me, his glare making me shift uncomfortably. He joined the girls and started talking rapidly to them while he continued to text speedily on his phone. I knew he was asking Jem if she had got Jamie’s name so he could run checks on him.

  I sighed. This was my life, and to be honest, it was shit.

  When I looked up at Jamie, I sighed.

  “Is this okay?” he asked quietly, signalling to the booth we were sitting in. “We can join your friends if you’d feel better.”

  His consideration made me smile. “You’re very sweet.”

  He blinked at me, his brow creasing faintly. “Then what’s wrong? I’m sensing you’re not quite happy that I asked you to join me.”

  I felt guilty. He was evidently a nice guy. And I was…

  I swallowed. “It’s not that. I’m glad you asked me to join you but…”

  “But?”

  My mouth dried. I hated this part but I knew he had a right to know who I was. “You seem like a good guy, Jamie.”

  “You don’t like good guys?”

  I smiled at the waitress when she slipped our drinks in front of us on the table. Jamie slid her a tenner, giving her a smile of his own and thanking her. Her teeth sank into the side of her lip with his attention. He was very handsome, and his attentiveness made her blush. However, as if unaware of her lingering look, he turned back to me, waiting for my answer.

  Waiting until the waitress reluctantly disappeared, I fiddled nervously with my drink. “I’m a prostitute, Jamie.” There was no other way to say it, really.

  He tensed, his eyes widening slightly. His mouth fell open a little as he nodded slowly and glanced at my fingers running around my cold glass.

  He sucked on his lips then cleared his throat. “Okay. I appreciate your honesty.” He lifted his eyes to mine then smiled. “But do you think we can start with your name?”

  “You actually want to know after I just told you what I do?”

  He genuinely looked confused and nodded. “Yeah, I’d like to know your name.”

  “Dove Holland.” I couldn’t help the twitch of excitement in my gut. My job guaranteed that I could never have a relationship, and I understood that men couldn’t handle that part. I knew I would struggle to fall for someone if they were out screwing other women every night. Yet a part of me was ready to settle down. I’d amassed enough money for what I needed, and although this life was difficult to leave behind, I knew I was ready. Ready for retirement, if you wished. However, I also knew I would never be able to merely up and leave. The past has a nasty habit of chasing you, and when it catches up with you it always brings with it the bullet from the gun you fired many years ago.

  “Dove.” His voice was soft, as if he was tasting the single syllable of my name. “That’s unusual.”

  I rolled my eyes and nodded, taking a sip of my drink. “My mother was unusual.”

  “Ahh.” He nodded in understanding. “I like it. A creature of serenity.”

  I shivered at the tone of his voice but brushed it aside. “That’s my sister.”

  He frowned.

  “My sister’s name is Serenity. She hates her name more than I do.”

  He tipped his head, musing over my statement. “Oh, I don’t know. At least it’s something you won’t forget.”

  I snorted. “It would be hard to forget her.”

  He smiled gently. “She
obviously means a lot to you.”

  “Yes.” Then changing the subject, I asked, “So, do you have siblings?”

  “I have two brothers. Both are older than me, and both are absolute arseholes.” We both laughed. “But we look out for each other.”

  “It’s how it should be. Life gives many things, but support and love are earned.”

  He regarded me closely for a minute. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.”

  He swallowed back his nerves. “I’m not up with the… sex industry much but… well… is it like you see on the TV? Do you actually stand on street corners.” He diverted his eyes, his cheeks heating with his question.

  I decided honesty was the best way to go. He seemed genuinely interested in me as a person, which was a novelty for me. “No.” His eyes eventually lifted back to me when he realised I was being open with him. “I’m what you probably know as a Madam.”

  He stared, slightly shocked. “So it’s your business?”

  I nodded. “Yes.”

  “Wow,” he breathed. “So how does one actually find themselves in that industry?” Noticing me tense, he shook his head, guilt riding across his face. “I’m sorry. I’m being too personal.”

  I smiled, gulping at the lump in my throat. “What do you do, Jamie?”

  He looked nervous for a minute. I felt myself go rigid with anxiety. “Jamie?”

  He grimaced. “This isn’t going to sound too great now.”

  I frowned, wondering what he meant. “Why?”

  He clicked his tongue then looked at me. “I’m a police sergeant.”

  My eyebrows shot high. “Oh.”

  Regret covered his face and he shook his head. “But I’m not vice or anything. I want to be honest with you like you have with me.”

  God, I needed a fag, or a line. Why did this always happen to me? It was like I was cursed where relationships were concerned. “You lied to me,” I whispered angrily.

  He blinked and shook his head, telling me he didn’t understand.

  “You told me you don’t know anything about the sex industry, but as a cop, you’re bound to.”