Chapter 2 - Pearl

"I was starting to think you were going to stand me up," Noah says, crossing his arms over his broad chest, the shoulders of his suit pulling tight.

His salt and pepper hair is slicked back, the perfect smile in place. It might not meet his eyes, but he seems happy enough to see me again.

Shrugging, I run my hand along the sleek line of the hood of the little sports car, admiring the way the blue light shines beneath the neon lights of the building beside my apartment. "I didn't want to disappoint. You said this was an important event for your company."

"It is." Noah twirls his keys around one finger. "I must ask you to keep our little arrangement a secret though. I wouldn't want my peers to look down on me."

"For hiring an escort, you mean?" I keep my tone light and teasing, letting the words roll right off my back.

It's not the first time, that a man has asked me to keep hush about our arrangement. "Yes."

I am an escort and there is no denying that. Most men want to keep their arrangement with me a secret. The words stopped stinging a long time ago.

The men are nothing but a bit of fun and a way to earn good money. Most of them are a fun time to be around, perfectly respectable, and at the top of their careers, but both sides of the agreement go into the date knowing the boundaries.

Grinning, I hold out my hand. "Can I drive the car?"

He chuckles and looks between me and the car. "You want me to hand over the keys to a McLaren 765LT Spider?"

"Yup," I say, popping the p and giving him a coy smile. "I'm a good driver. I promise."

"And if I let you drive my car, what am I going to get out of it?"

"The envy of all other men at the charity event tonight." I step closer to him, pressing against him just enough to feel the temperature between us climbing.

Lust burns in his eyes as he looks down at me before handing over the keys. "Try not to crash it, Pearl. This car is my baby, and I would hate for anything to happen to it."

Rising to my toes, I press a kiss on his cheek and take the keys from him. "And what about me?"

Smirking, he leads the way over to the driver's side, holding open the door as I slide in. "Something tells me that you're able to survive anything thrown your way. You are a very capable and smart young woman."

"Resilient may be the best compliment I've ever received."

I settle in the seat, loving the way the black cushions form to my body, hugging me as I run my hands over the leather on the steering wheel.

As I pull the seatbelt across, butterflies beat their wings against the inside of my stomach, threatening to break free any moment, and I can no longer contain my excitement.

Noah shuts the door before rounding the car and coming to the passenger side. "If you start the car and press this button, the hardtop will retract."

The car rumbles to life when I press the start button, the dash lighting up with a blue backlight that matches the exterior perfectly.

It takes only seconds for the hardtop of the car to fold, sliding into the back, as the towering skyscrapers of New York City shine brightly above us. Thankfully, the hairspray I put in the carefully styled waves held as Noah gave me directions to the casino. Wind sweeps through the car, making me feel free as I race through the city streets. When we come to a stop outside the casino, I can't help but gasp. The Serpentine is a work of art.

The casino looked like someone had taken the Pantheon and plopped it right in the middle of the Upper East Side. Ivy curled up the columns and hedges lined either side of the long and low marble stairs.

Everything about the casino screamed opulence.

Noah gets out of the car and opens the driver's door. I place my hand in his, letting him help me out before handing the keys to the valet.

A man walking by with a young woman on his arm shakes his head, grinning as he looks at us. "I don't know if I would trust Lissy here to drive my car."

The woman beside the man gives him a chiding look, her nose turning up as she makes a pointed effort to ignore me.

I plaster on a shield consisting of the best charming tactics I have under my belt. "I'm not too terrible of a driver, but I couldn't compare to Noah here. He has his ways with cars, among other things."

When I wink at the man, he laughs and shakes his head.

His attention remains on Noah, but his gaze cuts to me for a second, roaming up and down my body. "Noah is a lucky man. I've known him for years. He rarely brings a woman to these events, so you must be something else if he's eager to show you off to the rest of us."

Noah chuckles. His arm loops around my waist as he pulls me closer. "Wade, this is Pearl. Pearl, this is Wade. He's one of my biggest competitors both on and off the golf course."

I hold out my hand, trying not to cringe when Wade abandons his date, pressing a kiss to the back of my hand. He holds my hand for a second longer than necessary like he's trying to weigh whether he can steal me from Noah for the night.

Not likely with the amount Noah is paying me to be his date for this event. Noah clears his throat and Wade drops my hand.

As he takes a step back, Noah's fingers drift lower to my hip. "We should be getting inside. I want Pearl to meet a few other acquaintances before dinner begins."

Before Wade can answer, Noah steers me toward the stairs. He doesn't say anything as we climb them, but that's fine. I'm too busy looking at the brilliant orange birds of paradise lining either side of the door to care.

Noah is a good man, but if it weren't for this special event, I might not have gone out with him tonight. Well, the special event and his connections here, that's what I'm curious about.

It's not often that an unknown woman would get an invite to some of the most prestigious events in the city. She wouldn't get a seat in the front row to the criminal or corporate world of the dark underbelly. I'm able to see both, and all it costs is a couple of nights a week with rich men looking to lavish me with attention.

We step into the casino and cigar smoke circles the top of the room for only a few seconds before disappearing through the vents. I try to take in the layout of the casino, the slot machines at the front, tempting people to spend a bit of money before they even get to the tables at the back. A bar sits to the side, polished wood and brass railing gleaming beneath warm-toned lights, waiters in white shirts and ties weaving through people in their best black-tie outfits.

Noah loops his arm through mine. "Are you having a good time?"

"Thank you for letting me drive your car. I've never driven one that fast and the handling was a dream." I lean my head on his shoulder briefly, looking up at him like he hung the stars in the sky. "Truly, this is already a wonderful night."

"Well, it's just the beginning." Noah's lips brush against my ear as he speaks. "There's still some gambling to do in the name of breast cancer research."

"How could I resist gambling for such a good cause?"

Noah's hand slides lower on my hip as he guides us to a table near the stage. "You should see the way the other men are looking at you in that dress."

"You have excellent taste." I shift slightly, the antique gold fabric is cascading like liquid on my body, catching the light and shimmering. "I especially love the low back. I never would have thought to pick a dress like this for myself."

"Noah, your date is stunning." An older woman looks up at us as we join a table filled with people dressed in jewel tones, blending with the vintage vibe of the casino.

"Thank you." Noah pulls out a chair, waiting for me to sit before tucking it back in. "Pearl, these are my associates, Connie, Carmichael, and Roger."

I lean closer to them to be heard over the jazz singer currently on stage. "The three of you look amazing together. Did you coordinate your outfits? I must know where you got that necklace, Connie."

Connie blushes, color rising high on her wrinkled cheeks as she touches the little gold pendant hanging around her neck. "It was a gift from my late husband on our first anniversary. I've had it nearly forty years now."

"I wish I could find a love like that one day." I shift my seat closer to her, pegging her as the woman I need to charm to help Noah.

Based on the expensive dress she wears and the crystals dotting her updo, the quantity of them more elegant than tacky, she seems like the kind of woman who would have good connections. Especially if her husband was buying her necklaces that must have cost more than a thousand dollars at the beginning of their marriage.

I nod to Noah. "He's been nothing but a gentleman."

Connie studies him for a moment, the corners of her eyes crinkling. "He's a good man. Still young in the world of business, but he has ideas that are going to be taking the world by storm. Right now, he's eyeing a new investor, but there've been difficulties."

Glancing at Noah I see his attention is caught by movement on the other side of the room.

It's not something. It's someone.

Maxim Orlov.