Lawful Escort
Page 40
“It’s nice to have parents, who are still together and love each other,” she mused.
“Yours aren’t? Still together, I mean?” Daniel asked somewhat surprised.
She shook her head. “They divorced when I was fourteen, but at least they both stayed in the same town. During the week, I lived with Mom and on the weekend with Dad.”
“Were you torn between them?”
“Sometimes. But frankly, I learned to play them.”
Daniel raised an eyebrow. “You mean manipulate them?” A smile curled around his lips.
“That sounds harsh. I just knew how to get the best of both worlds. Nothing wrong with that, especially since I was in the middle of it all.”
“So, how good are you at that manipulation game of yours?”
Sabrina laughed. “As a businessman you should know never to show all your cards. It’s like playing poker.”
“The only poker I’m interested in playing with you is strip poker,” he retorted quickly but kept his eyes on the road.
She had to hand it to him. No matter what subject they were talking about, he managed to bring it back to sex every time. He might have promised her to not force her to have sex with him, and she trusted him to keep his word, but it didn’t mean he was going to keep the subject off the table.
She’d have to be careful not to have him trip her up. If she wasn’t vigilant this weekend, he’d have her tumbling into his arms in no time. She couldn’t allow herself to let her guard down and give him another chance at hurting her. The damage he’d caused was already big enough.
Even though she’d accepted his explanation about his ex-girlfriend Audrey, she wasn’t truly convinced that he was honest with her. No man would spend thousands of dollars for a few days with an escort without expecting to have sex with her. He was up to something, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it.
After they left the highway to find the turnoff that would bring them to the little bed and breakfast he’d reserved for them, they go lost for a short time. She was surprised when Daniel stopped to ask a passing farmer for directions. She knew plenty of men who would have rather driven around in circles than admitted they were lost.
He smiled at her as if he knew what she was thinking. “We should be there in a couple of minutes.”
The place he’d chosen was a dream. They’d arrived at a working vineyard, which operated a small bed and breakfast. But unlike other bed and breakfasts, this one had a few little cottages dotted around the large estate. One of those would be theirs.
Daniel dropped their bags in the living room as they stepped into the place after picking up the key from the main house. There was a small kitchen to the left of them. It would be sufficient to make coffee in the morning.
Sabrina walked through to the bedroom. It was furnished with a Queen size bed, night stands, and a dresser as well as a couple of comfortable chairs. The en-suite bathroom had both a tub and a shower. The French doors in the bedroom led out to a large terrace spanning the entire width of the cottage.
But the view was something else. As soon as Sabrina opened the doors and stepped out onto it, she was mesmerized. Looking down from the top of the hill on which the cottage was perched, the vineyard stretched out into the valley. Gently rising slopes on either side surrounded the rows and rows of vines.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered.
“Breathtaking,” she heard his voice behind her, his breath caressing her neck. “You think you’ll enjoy staying here for the weekend? Even if you have to put up with me?”
She turned her head and gave him a soft smile. “Even if I have to put up with you.”
His eyes caressed her, but he made no attempt to touch or kiss her, which surprised her. “Come, let’s go for a walk around the vineyard.”
Daniel offered his hand, and she took it without hesitation as they left the cottage and wandered down the path, which led through the vines. The sun was already hot and pleasantly touched her skin while she strolled along the dirt paths with him, her fingers intertwined with his.
It was a casual touch, not the purely sexual touch she was used to by him. She wondered what had brought this change about. Even when they’d met at the coffee shop the night before, he’d been full of barely contained desire. But now he’d turned into the sweet guy from next door. He was funny and entertaining, and apart from the few sexual innuendos he’d made in the car, he’d shown no sign of wanting to seduce her.
It had felt as if the further away from San Francisco they’d driven, the more he’d left his seductive side behind. His easy going demeanor relaxed her, and it felt as if the tension from the last few days finally left her body. Even the unpleasant and potentially dangerous situation with Hannigan faded into the distance.
“Yours aren’t? Still together, I mean?” Daniel asked somewhat surprised.
She shook her head. “They divorced when I was fourteen, but at least they both stayed in the same town. During the week, I lived with Mom and on the weekend with Dad.”
“Were you torn between them?”
“Sometimes. But frankly, I learned to play them.”
Daniel raised an eyebrow. “You mean manipulate them?” A smile curled around his lips.
“That sounds harsh. I just knew how to get the best of both worlds. Nothing wrong with that, especially since I was in the middle of it all.”
“So, how good are you at that manipulation game of yours?”
Sabrina laughed. “As a businessman you should know never to show all your cards. It’s like playing poker.”
“The only poker I’m interested in playing with you is strip poker,” he retorted quickly but kept his eyes on the road.
She had to hand it to him. No matter what subject they were talking about, he managed to bring it back to sex every time. He might have promised her to not force her to have sex with him, and she trusted him to keep his word, but it didn’t mean he was going to keep the subject off the table.
She’d have to be careful not to have him trip her up. If she wasn’t vigilant this weekend, he’d have her tumbling into his arms in no time. She couldn’t allow herself to let her guard down and give him another chance at hurting her. The damage he’d caused was already big enough.
Even though she’d accepted his explanation about his ex-girlfriend Audrey, she wasn’t truly convinced that he was honest with her. No man would spend thousands of dollars for a few days with an escort without expecting to have sex with her. He was up to something, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it.
After they left the highway to find the turnoff that would bring them to the little bed and breakfast he’d reserved for them, they go lost for a short time. She was surprised when Daniel stopped to ask a passing farmer for directions. She knew plenty of men who would have rather driven around in circles than admitted they were lost.
He smiled at her as if he knew what she was thinking. “We should be there in a couple of minutes.”
The place he’d chosen was a dream. They’d arrived at a working vineyard, which operated a small bed and breakfast. But unlike other bed and breakfasts, this one had a few little cottages dotted around the large estate. One of those would be theirs.
Daniel dropped their bags in the living room as they stepped into the place after picking up the key from the main house. There was a small kitchen to the left of them. It would be sufficient to make coffee in the morning.
Sabrina walked through to the bedroom. It was furnished with a Queen size bed, night stands, and a dresser as well as a couple of comfortable chairs. The en-suite bathroom had both a tub and a shower. The French doors in the bedroom led out to a large terrace spanning the entire width of the cottage.
But the view was something else. As soon as Sabrina opened the doors and stepped out onto it, she was mesmerized. Looking down from the top of the hill on which the cottage was perched, the vineyard stretched out into the valley. Gently rising slopes on either side surrounded the rows and rows of vines.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered.
“Breathtaking,” she heard his voice behind her, his breath caressing her neck. “You think you’ll enjoy staying here for the weekend? Even if you have to put up with me?”
She turned her head and gave him a soft smile. “Even if I have to put up with you.”
His eyes caressed her, but he made no attempt to touch or kiss her, which surprised her. “Come, let’s go for a walk around the vineyard.”
Daniel offered his hand, and she took it without hesitation as they left the cottage and wandered down the path, which led through the vines. The sun was already hot and pleasantly touched her skin while she strolled along the dirt paths with him, her fingers intertwined with his.
It was a casual touch, not the purely sexual touch she was used to by him. She wondered what had brought this change about. Even when they’d met at the coffee shop the night before, he’d been full of barely contained desire. But now he’d turned into the sweet guy from next door. He was funny and entertaining, and apart from the few sexual innuendos he’d made in the car, he’d shown no sign of wanting to seduce her.
It had felt as if the further away from San Francisco they’d driven, the more he’d left his seductive side behind. His easy going demeanor relaxed her, and it felt as if the tension from the last few days finally left her body. Even the unpleasant and potentially dangerous situation with Hannigan faded into the distance.
