Thanks to a freak coincidence, Anna discovered Adam’s betrayal not long afterwards.
She had arrived at a well-known and very exclusive restaurant, and was following the maître d’ to her waiting client when she spotted Adam at one of the more sought-after tables.
Seated opposite him was Inez.
Engrossed in each other, neither had noticed her, which was just as well because in that moment she faltered and turned pale with shock. Reminding herself there was no reason a client shouldn’t book other escorts, she straightened her back and continued towards the man who had booked her for sex that afternoon.
Later she had tried to pry a little information from Maddie, but Maddie was having none of it.
“Hon, you know I can’t tell you anything. Even though we’re friends. In fact,” she continued firmly, “make that because we’re friends.”
“I know,” Anna said despondently. “No harm in trying, though!”
“Why are you asking, anyway?”
“No reason. You know what?” An idea had suddenly occurred to her. “I think I’ll take a couple of days off. Head out of town.”
“That sounds like a good idea.” Maddie’s tone changed to one of approval. “Where are you thinking?”
“Oh, nowhere special. Just somewhere warmer than here.”
“Have you thought about the Greek Islands. According to what I’ve read there are some lovely places down there.”
“Hotels, you mean?”
“Mmm. And knowing how much you like the good things in life, check out Zakynthos before you make your final decision!”
Anna laughed. “Five star?”
“If not six.” Maddie replied.
“You know me too well. I’ll ring you next week when I’m back.”
* * *
Anna realised her error upon inspecting her deluxe suite and the stunning facilities. Her stone villa opened onto a private pool and garden, and from there directly onto the beach, and was furnished in a palette of soft creams and natural elements—limestone, iron, and wood. The bathroom offered a deep soaking tub and a hydro-jet shower. She should have booked for longer.
With only three days at her disposal, she had dismissed any excursions. In fact she had forgone anything other than a lounger and the service of a pool butler. Between short bursts of the novel she’d picked up at the airport she had time to reflect on her situation.
It was only reasonable to expect her popularity as an escort to wane as younger, fresher girls came onto the scene. And that, she told herself, was why Adam had chosen to book not her, but Inez.
She wasn’t particularly friendly with the other girl. It wasn’t deliberate, just that they didn’t move in the same circles. If the truth were known, though, there was something about her that made Anna uneasy. Perhaps it was her overt sensuality, as if she believed the sole reason for her being on the planet was to give and receive pleasure. Even the way she moved suggested a more-than-willingness to please.
Anna had casually asked Maddie how popular the new girl was.
Maddie had laughed. “What do you think? She’s new and exotic. Of course she’s in demand! But things will settle down. They always do, don’t they?”
Anna had to agree.
There was always a surge of interest when a new girl started. Even so, and regardless of the enticingly lucrative earnings, the job wasn’t for everyone. She’d seen a few girls come and go in her time with the agency. Those with the right attitude usually settled in fairly well. Equally as many left within a week or two of starting. Others stuck with it longer, and then one day failed to turn up for a booking.
It was sobering to think she had been with Elite long enough to become somewhat of an expert in the workings of the agency.
She sat up to straighten the creases in her towel and then lay back, pushing her sunglasses farther up her nose and wondering what should she do. Pre-empt the problem of overstaying her time by leaving while she was still at the top of her game? Or wait another year, two even, and try to amass as much money as she could?
She was definitely ready for something new. Adam’s return, and the unexpected fallout, had made that clear. The big question, though, was what to do when she did leave.
It would be impossible to return to a conventional working environment. Not that she wanted that anyway. Working at the bank had been enough to show her she was too independent. It would be worse now.
She was keen, however, to investigate starting up her own business. But doing what? It was not as if she had a craft or trade to fall back on, so baking cookies for local cafés and Sunday markets was a non-starter. Not that she was any good in the kitchen anyhow. And she couldn’t sew to save her life, so fashion was out as well. She also dismissed investing in a women-only gym franchise. There were plenty on offer, but the idea didn’t excite her enough.
Of course she could trade online. Apparently the money was fabulous, and you hardly needed to do anything. The ads popped up all the time when she was surfing the Internet. But she was nothing if not a realist and knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.
Propping herself up, she took a long sip of her Long Island Iced Tea.
It didn’t take long to go over the short list of other possibilities; even so she wasn’t overly concerned. She was under no pressure to make an immediate decision, and if all else failed there was another solution.
Find a long-term partner or husband.
She was a little ambivalent about that, since that role came fraught with its own difficulties. Should she wait until she had fallen head-over-heels in love and then accept whatever level of lifestyle came with the relationship? Or would it be better to put financial security first? She was no different from anyone else who hoped one day to find a loving and supportive partner. But she was also honest enough to admit that after all she had been through, a financially uncertain future combined with the vagaries of an emotional relationship scared the hell out of her.
There was an even bigger hurdle, though.
Who would want her, once he discovered what she had been doing for the past few years?
No. If she wanted a secure future, she needed to start planning it now. Stop putting off the moment. Did it really matter if she had a decent financial cushion? Wouldn’t it be better to downgrade to a less expensive apartment and throw herself into a project, knowing it was make or break?
On the plus side, there would be little time for anything else, and that included men.
She had little idea what such a scheme would involve, but putting aside her own lack of creative skills, there was no reason why she shouldn’t take on an existing business. There were plenty for sale, and they usually came complete with staff. Not only that, it was about time she put all her years of study and her business degree to good use.
Fired with new enthusiasm, she swung her legs off the lounger and onto the baking tiles. The searing heat was almost too much, and she rummaged under the lounger for her Havaianas. It was definitely time to cool off with a swim. Afterwards, she would make an effort and start putting ideas down on paper.