Learning the Hard Way Read online

  “I’m free,” Dina said.

  How could she say no? Actually she could have but curiosity got the better of her. “Sure. Why not? It’s been a long time since I’ve been relaxed, plucked, waxed and painted up.”

  “Then it’s a date. And, Ava?” Dina cleared her throat.

  Ava listened intently to Dina’s pearls of wisdom she began to impart. “Yes?”

  “No snorting when you laugh.” She complemented her request with a chuckle of her own.

  For that, Ava couldn’t stop laughing or snorting.

  “She’s a lost cause.” Dina laughed with her.

  “But she’s our cause, and our friend.” With Vonda’s sobering statement, Ava stopped laughing.

  This whole plan could be a very good thing or blow up right in Ava’s face. She didn’t know how the ladies had convinced her that going out with a paid escort to a company function could work. Now that the date train chugged along, she didn’t want to get off. She had to see this thing through…for the other women. Right, she would do it for them. Yes, that seemed convincing.

  * * * *

  “Dude, are you serious?” With a wide clown-like smile plastered on his face, and his body hunched over like he was ready to explode, Gross couldn’t hide his excitement.

  As much as Troy didn’t want to succumb to his friend’s request, he realized that getting a jump on life didn’t have to just mean a new career. While he searched for the next Miss Right, in the meantime he could accompany a few Miss Deep Pockets.

  “As much as I hate to say it, I’ll do it.” Troy avoided looking at his friend. When Gross remained quiet, Troy brought his attention to him.

  “No, man. I want to hear you say it so I know you understand what you’re getting yourself into.” Like a silent movie villain, Gross rubbed his hands together.

  Troy released an exasperated sigh. “I will be your step-in gigolo while you whore yourself with one of your Johns. Or do you call them Janes?”

  Gross pointed to Troy. “I’ll take that as a yes. Thanks, T. I owe you.”

  “Just let your employer know that I’ll only be available for at least one call the week you’re gone. After that, I’ll decide if I’ll do any other, uh, dates while you’re away.”

  Gross patted Troy’s shoulder as he started to walk by him. To arrest Gross’s attention, Troy grabbed his friend’s arm.

  “Don’t screw me. A week. You stay out longer, don’t bother calling me or coming to my house.”

  “You got it. A week and that’s it.” Gross waved his hands like an umpire calling a player sliding into home plate safe.

  “And my life is not for sale.” Troy shook his head.

  Gross cocked his. “What are you talking about?”

  “What I do in my personal life, my BDSM side, is not a part of this equation.” He would do a lot for his friend, but compromising himself wouldn’t be one of them. “What it is that I do isn’t a part of some package. There has to be some connection along with a conversation that happens before I put my hands on her in that way. For that reason, I won’t be doing any disciplining.”

  “Understood. I think they tweaked your description on the website so it’s not so in-your-face about your lifestyle.”

  Troy blinked. “They tweaked the description instead of taking down my profile completely like I’d asked you to?”

  Gross gave him a sheepish grin.

  “One booking. Take down the profile once I’m booked.” He marched back to his desk chair. “And one more thing.” He took a seat. “When I say my life is not for sale, I’m also talking about my penis. No sex.”

  Gross blinked. “You sure, man?”

  “This coming from a guy who called his clients old and said dipping them in the Atlantic wouldn’t make them wet.” He opened the book for his ethics class. As soon as he cracked the spine as parted the pages, he thought about Ava. Dr. Kushnell.

  “Yeah, but a couple can be hot. Plus, they don’t mind tipping a little extra.” Gross raised his eyebrows.

  “Unless the woman I sleep with can help me become a teacher, I’m not doing it. I’m simply going to be her escort. That’s it.” Troy would have to find his dream woman, who would want to support his goals along with getting a getting a good flogging, from somewhere else.

  Gross showed Troy an okay sign with his hand.

  No, he wouldn’t find his dream woman doing this. Someone willing to get her dates from an escort service had to be desperate with low self-esteem. Then again, what did it say about him that he would be willing to be her escort? God help Troy if he made the biggest mistake of his life.

  Chapter Four

  Ava’s body tingled, and the feeling had nothing to do with being fresh from her all over body waxing, her massage or getting her hair done. She broke her attention from staring at her reflection in the mirror when the front doorbell chimed.

  No, don’t answer it right away. Take your time. Wait for it. She smoothed her sleek hair behind her ears, decided the look matched that of a bookworm and quickly put it back in its original spot.

  Another doorbell chime sounded but this time a knock followed. Her need to please kicked into overdrive as she snatched her purse from her bed, slipped on her black platform pumps, and ran to the door. After a deep breath, she opened it.

  A squatty man wearing a chauffeur’s outfit huffed when Ava opened the door. As soon as she stepped onto her porch, the limousine driver waddled down to the long, black Hummer. Vonda’s cousin didn’t let her down.

  After locking her front door, Ava sauntered toward the luxury ride. In her long, strapless red dress, she felt sexier than ever before, even more than with her brief, clandestine relationship with Richard. She scooted herself to the far corner in the back area that was big enough to fit about twenty people.

  Now it was time to pick up her mystery date, the one Dina had set up for her. She wasn’t very clear on whether she had planned on using an escort service. Even during their day of beauty, the ladies had kept mum.

  It took all of about twenty minutes, winding through suburban neighborhoods to get to his home. When the limo stopped, Ava took the opportunity to move over to glance at the house.

  The large ranch home looked rustic and out of place among the contemporary two-story houses. With little exceptions, the house looked like a modern log cabin, complete with a stone chimney. Large stone-covered pillars drew her focus to the porch.

  Minimal landscaping punctuated the simplicity of the residence. Trees lined the property with small shrubbery standing guard around the house. She didn’t see any plants, nothing that colored the property.

  She hoped that the man she would be meeting didn’t match his outside décor, hard and cold on the outside without any color or creativity. Why would she care, though? It wasn’t like she was about to meet the man of her dreams, her Mr. Right or even her Mr. Right Now. If this man was an escort, he probably had seen more vaginas than a gynecologist.

  When she heard the front door slam, Ava scurried over to the far side of the limo again and waited. She glanced through the window to see if she could see him. If the portly driver hadn’t been blocking him, she could have gotten a great view.

  The door opened. Ava sat up taller, crossed her legs, and allowed her dress to fall open at the slit to show off her legs. Just because she wouldn’t be sleeping with the rent-a-date didn’t mean she couldn’t tease him a bit.

  As soon as he got in the vehicle, his back to her, she noticed his broad shoulders and wide back. She didn’t know guys like these existed in an escort service. The driver closed the door.

  As he turned to face her, he said, “Hi, my name is—”

  Ava’s date faced her and they both stopped. She stopped breathing. He just didn’t move, leaving his hand frozen in midair.

  “Mr. Whitten.”

  “Dr. Kushnell.”

  The night just got interesting.

  * * * *

  As the Hummer sped down the interstate, so did Troy’s
heart.

  The first one. The first damn set up and it’s with his fucking professor? What are the odds?

  “Dr. Kushnell.” He ran his hand over his hair.

  The rented monkey suit that arrived at his house earlier that day constricted his movements. The tightness may have been a good thing. Staring at his teacher in her stunning red dress and her toned legs awakened his resting cock.

  “In light of the situation, I think it would be okay to call me Ava.” She rubbed her forehead. “So you’re a—”

  “I’m your date this evening.” He extended his hand again, hoping for acceptance. “Call me Troy.”

  To his surprise, she allowed a small laugh to escape before she shook his hand. “You’re bound and determined to get me to call you by your first name.”

  Troy smiled at her, his way of easing the tension permeating the back of the limo. For as long as he lived, he would never forget the softness of her hand. “If you don’t mind me asking, why would a woman like you need to be set up?”

  With her arms crossed, she carried an indignant look when she asked, “What do you mean, a woman like me?”

  Streetlights along the interstate illuminated her face in intervals. Each time a light lit up her face, he lost his breath. “Beautiful.” It was the only word he could utter as an explanation.

  She lowered her arms and shifted in her seat. Then she shook her head. “I can’t believe it. The first time I have a date in months and…” Ava turned to Troy when words failed her.

  “You never answered my question on why you would need a service to get a date.”

  “As long as you’re on the payroll for your time tonight, I’ll only say what I need to say.”

  Troy straightened his back, not accustomed to being dismissed. Ava remained tight as a drum.

  “So where are we going?” When she didn’t immediately answer, he figured that she would be giving him the old heave-ho. “Look, did you want the driver to drop you off and take me back home? I know this must be awkward for you, me being your student and all.”

  “And you don’t feel strange about the situation?” Without her glasses, she still carried that professorial appearance.

  “Should I?”

  “I’m an ethics professor.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “And you’re a—”

  “A man on a date.” He nodded toward the window. “We’re here. Last chance. You want me to stay or go back home?”

  The driver parked then slammed the door when he got out.

  Ava chewed her bottom lip, then stopped. From the way she smoothed the pad of her index finger over her plump lower lip, she must have realized what gnawing her lip did to her perfect makeup job.

  The driver opened the door closest to Troy.

  When no one moved, the driver asked, “Am I at the right place?”

  Ava cleared her throat and picked up her small red purse. “Um, yes, you are.”

  Still no one moved.

  Troy took charge of the situation. “Give us a moment, please.” He pulled on the door to give them privacy without shutting the door completely.

  He leaned in close to Ava. Her scent smelled like pure sex in a bottle, like roses dragged across her wet pussy and then dabbled over her body. He took a deep breath before he continued.

  “This is just a date to one event. No one has to know the truth between us.” Troy reached out to hold her hand but stopped himself.

  Her eyes widened. “Dr. Wunderlund.”

  Troy felt his eyebrows furrow. “Who’s he?”

  “The first time you came to my office, he was the man who walked in on us.”

  “Walked in on us. You make it sound like he caught us doing something.” Had that man been able to read Troy’s mind, he would have caught Troy thinking some scintillating thoughts about his professor.

  Since Ava had made the comment, had she been thinking about Troy in an inappropriate way, too? Did she truly desire him as much as he wanted her?

  No. He’d already told himself no matter what, he wouldn’t discipline or sleep with his date. This turn of events shouldn’t change that plan.

  She covered her eyes with her hand.

  He held her wrist and brought her hand down so that he could look in her eyes. “Will he be here tonight?”

  She looked pensive for a moment before shaking her head. “That’s right. I’m here in his place.”

  The situation seemed too farfetched. Troy didn’t want to see this night through without getting to know this woman. “Even if he was here, unless you said something to him after I left, you never acknowledged that I am your student, right?”

  Ava held a pensive expression on her face before she finally shook her head.

  “And I didn’t call you my professor. As far as he knows, we could be friends, right?” Only he knew with the way he looked at her that he wanted to be more than just friends.

  She shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “Do your thing and whenever you’re ready to go, we’ll go. I won’t say a word to the other students in the class or to anyone else.”

  She crossed in front of him. “This is crazy. My job—”

  This time he lowered his voice so that only she could hear him. “I promise you. No one will know.”

  “Dinner and that’s it.” With the assistance from the driver, she exited the Hummer.

  Troy wasn’t too far behind her.

  From her actions, he knew this would be one hell of a night. Each time Troy tried to get near her, Ava would move away. When she couldn’t get away from him fast enough, she sent him on errands to get him away from her, like fetching her champagne, which he noticed she never drank. She would put the glass to her lips, see someone she knew, and then start talking for a while.

  At the fourth glass, Troy decided he wouldn’t be ignored. “You’ve talked to a lot of people tonight, and you never introduced me to any of them.”

  She lifted the amber drink like she would really down it this time. Troy took it from her hand and placed the full glass on a table. In the light, she appeared more gorgeous than he remembered. He’d dated African-American women before. None this stunning or intelligent.

  “Dinner should be soon.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Thanks.”

  Troy put his hand to the small of her back and tried guiding her to a secluded area in the ballroom. “Why don’t we talk a little? I have a feeling you’re just a big bundle of nerves.”

  Ava glanced around him. “I just feel a little foolish and powerless right now.”

  Good. She was talking instead of drinking or ignoring him.

  “I don’t know. You seem to have a strange power over me.” He cocked a smile at the corner of his mouth.

  This time when she smiled, it lit up the room.

  “You’re being very kind.” The way she said it sounded like an apology.

  “Why shouldn’t I be? I’m with a gorgeous, smart woman who I’m sure is completely repulsed by me.” Troy wouldn’t sugarcoat the situation.

  He caught her tone each time she attempted to call him an escort. He wasn’t. He shouldn’t have even had to explain that to her. He was a person and he wanted her to understand that first. Regardless of his perceived profession, he was a human. On another level, she was a woman and he was a man. It should have been that basic.

  “I’m not repulsed by you.” She scanned the area around them. “Not completely.”

  “Let me get you some coffee so that you can stop pretending that you’re drinking champagne.” He needed some separation from her.

  As soon as Troy turned to retrieve a steaming cup he felt a vise-like grip on his arm. He glanced down and had to blink when he saw that the hard hold came from Ava’s delicate hand.

  “Wait.” The fear in Ava’s eyes didn’t match the tough-as-nails woman he’d met a couple of weeks ago in her office and the one who ran his class like a five-star general.

  Troy returned to her side. “Okay, let me in on where the scary monster is,�
� he whispered.

  Ava nodded. “Anson Vartinucci. Doctor Anson Vartinucci. He’s the—”

  “University dean,” Troy said, cutting her off.

  Ava stared at him with wide eyes.

  “What? When I do anything, I like to know everything about it. So I researched the school.” He’d also done a search on the woman in front of him.

  He found out that she went to Princeton to get her degree. She’d even gotten an award for a paper she’d written for a psychology journal magazine.

  “Is that why you came to my office before class started?” She wrung her hands around her purse.

  “Yes. I like to get a feel for my professors.” Saying that conjured images of him with his hands roaming Ava’s perfect body. It was a bad time to think about sex right now. “So why does this guy make you nervous?”

  “Dr. Wunderlund, the head of my department, will be retiring soon.”

  Troy nodded. Getting nervous about a boss’s decision propelled Troy to start his own business so that he wouldn’t have to answer to anyone. He didn’t understand why Ava would be nervous. From what he could tell of her, she epitomized competent, organized, and take charge.

  Her breathing increased. “If I can get through this party, I can show them that I’m a team player.”

  “Really? I would think that other traits would make you a frontrunner.” He stopped a waiter and requested some coffee for Ava anyway.

  “Like what?” She stopped wringing the purse in her hands.

  “Being an excellent educator. Organizing educational events.” He would leave out the part about having a great ass and nice round tits. If those were the criteria, she would be a shoo-in.

  “There’s something else, too.” She shifted back and forth. “Oh, God, why did I think I could do this?”

  Before Troy could ask her why this man worried her so much, he approached them.

  “Dr. Kushnell, good to see you.” The distinguished, mature gentleman, who stood a good foot taller than Ava, extended his hand.

  “Nice to see you, too. This is a nice turnout.” Ava smiled.

  Troy didn’t know Ava that well, but he recognized a fake smile when he saw it. From the way she jerked her hand back and kept from looking at this man in his eyes, he also recognized a woman scorned. Christ, did she date this guy at one time?