The Big Sister - Part One Read Free Page A

entrance a nuisance. I again felt pulled in two directions. If I didn’t know better, I’d say Parker had something for Marcus. Aloof Parker, with the unattainable tease of a proprietress. But the other part of me really wanted to do this — no, needed to — because the deadline for Luke’s school loomed a little too close for my comfort. Making a grand tonight — or more, as Parker indicated — would put me at the tuition finish line and then some.
     
    “Here she is,” Parker said, seeming to notice me skulking at the edge of the VIP section. “Oh, look, Marcus. She kept the boots you loved so much.”
     
    Grinning happily at the lucky break — my only other shoes I had here were my flip-flops or for performances — I lifted the hem of my dress and did a little curtsy.
     
    “You look absolutely gorgeous,” Marcus said, appraising me with warm eyes. I couldn’t help the light blush that crept across my cheeks. I was so used to the anonymity of a large audience. Escort work was different — much more personal, more intimate. I was about to be for Marcus’ eyes and his eyes only. It was a lot of pressure, but it could be so exhilarating.
     
    “You kids have fun,” Parker said, lowering her eyelashes flirtatiously.
     
    “I just need to settle my tab,” Marcus said, reaching for his wallet, but Parker laid her perfectly manicured hand over his.
     
    “Drinks are on me,” she said, smiling. “I insist.”
     
    Butterflies spun in my stomach. I’d never once seen Parker foot the bill for any of the clientele, even the time some idiot put his drink on the stage while one of the girls was dancing and it got kicked onto the carpet. Parker had simply offered the dancer at the time a glass of water to “make nice,” and the girl had proceeded to dump the water all over her torso, putting on a very erotic display for the crowd. Everyone had loved it, and there were no hard feelings.
     
    So why was Parker paying for Marcus’ drinks? Were they really that close? I wasn’t sure I’d ever find out — at least not from my boss.
     

Chapter 2
     
    “I really do love those boots,” Marcus told me as a driver opened the back door of a very nice car for us. I gathered my dress around my rump and slid in across the supple leather seat. The clunker that got me from point A to point B wouldn’t hold a candle to this baby.
     
    “Thanks,” I said as soon as I was settled. “I love them, too.”
     
    Marcus sat beside me and the driver shut the door behind him. For the briefest of moments, we were alone and up close, and the air between us was charged with something. I was more excited than nervous, now, especially since we were away from the mystery of Parker. My boss really could be an enigma sometimes.
     
    “So, how do you know Parker?” I asked, looking to make conversation as the driver took off.
     
    Marcus blinked at me a couple of times, clearly surprised, and I wondered if it hadn’t been the right thing to ask.
     
    “Because she called you all old friends,” I explained. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
     
    “That’s all right,” he said, smoothly recovering. “We do go way back. I’ve been friends with her longer than anyone. We went to high school together.”
     
    “Wow,” I said. It was my turn to be surprised. I’d only been out of high school for a couple of years, but I didn’t keep in contact with anyone.
     
    “I hope that ‘wow’ wasn’t because you were stunned at just how long ago it was that I was in high school,” Marcus said.
     
    “Of course not,” I said, giggling. He was older, that was sure, with silver dusting the hair at his temples. But he was good looking for whatever his age was, the kind of man who would only get more attractive with time. That gave me pause. If he and Parker really had gone to high school together, then she was much older than she looked. Good for her.
     
    “We were very good friends,” Marcus mused more to