Holly sighed impatiently. “Do you really think we’re amateurs? We get bios and detailed background checks on anybody who books us. Trust me, we know who we’re dealing with. Why do you think you pay through the nose for our time? All that background work has to be paid for somehow.”

“You knew who I was?”

She nodded. “Pictures, birth date, social security number, birthmarks, family background, gossip, jobs, investments. When I saw your picture I knew she’d like you. Hell, I would have done you, but—”

“—you were sick that night,” he sarcastically completed her sentence.

“No. I have the constitution of a horse. I took some stuff to make myself throw up so it would look realistic. Otherwise she would have smelled a rat. So, there’s no way you’re going to tell her now that you know she’s not an escort. She’s not ready for that.”

Holly crossed her arms in front of her chest, a sure sign that she wasn’t going to budge.

“Fine. For now. But I’m not going to let her continue thinking I lied to her about Audrey. I’m going to fix this. So you, Holly, will help me just the same. I’ll book Holly for the next week, and you will make sure she will take the booking.”

“You can’t be serious!”

“Oh, I’m dead serious. You’ll tell her today that as of tomorrow morning she’s with me.”

“She’s never going to agree. She thinks you lied to her. She’s hurt.”

He wouldn’t be dissuaded. “That’s why you’re going to give her my cell number and have her call me tonight.” He wrote his number on a card and handed it to her. “Tell her whatever you have to. Tell her if she doesn’t want to take the booking, she’ll have to convince me to cancel with your boss, otherwise you get fired. I need to speak to her.”

Reluctantly, Holly put his card into her bag. “Had I known how stubborn you are, I would have never asked her to do this.”

“You know what, Holly? If it had been you that night, I would have never had sex with you. No offense, you’re a gorgeous woman, but I wasn’t looking for sex that night. I just needed somebody to fend off those single women at the reception. But when I saw her, everything changed. And I’m not just going to let her go.”

“Remind me again why I’m helping you.”

“Because you love your friend,” he responded simply. “And because I could still get you fired if I told your boss.”

Daniel got up. “I will pay the entire exorbitant fee your boss suggests since we don’t want anybody to smell a rat. Whether you give the money to Sabrina or not, doesn’t matter to me.”

“She didn’t take the money for the first two nights. Flat out refused it,” Holly admitted.

He smiled and relaxed. “I figured as much.” She hadn’t taken his tip either, and the thought of it pleased him now that he knew who she was. If Sabrina needed to pretend she was an escort in order to be with him, he’d play along—for now. Until he could figure out a way for her to trust him enough to be with him because she wanted to and not because he paid for it.

“Hey, buddy. One more thing: if you hurt her, I’m coming after you to kick the living daylights out of you.” Holly gave him a firm stare.

Daniel nodded. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

7

“No, I’m not doing this again,” Sabrina announced angrily. “I’ve had enough. You’ll just have to go to Misty and tell her.” She stormed into her room and slammed the door shut behind her. Seconds later, it opened again.

“I can’t. She’ll fire me,” Holly retorted as she stepped into the room. “The only way we can get out of it is if you can make him cancel the booking from his side.”

“And how am I going to do that?”

Holly handed her a card with a number. “Call him, and tell him you can’t do it. Tell him you find him disgusting, whatever it takes to make him cancel.”

“I don’t want to talk to him!”

“Well, I’m afraid that’s the only way this is going to work.”

Sabrina stared at her friend. She didn’t understand why Holly couldn’t be more supporting. After all, she’d helped her out of a jam, and at least she could be more understanding about her refusal to see Daniel again. She could make up any excuse with Misty to get out of the booking, but she flat out refused to do just that.

Instead, Holly insisted that Daniel was the one who cancelled so she would be out of trouble. Perfect.