Bound to Her: Three Dates With a Billionaire by Emma Lyn Wild Page A

press can’t tell the difference between a classy escort agency and a cheap house of sin. That would be enough. It’s not your fault, Cassie, it’s mine. All I can say is that I’m sorry.”
    She sat back and folded her arms under her breasts. “Go on.”
    She wasn’t making this easy, but I didn’t deserve that. Finding out she was a paid escort had thrown me for a loop, and I panicked. I had to admit that the thought of her with anyone else also made me jealous as hell. “I wanted to make amends.” I kept my voice soft, and injected a touch of velvet. I’d always had a good voice, and teachers had helped me learn the various parts. In short, how to simulate emotion when I wasn’t feeling it. That didn’t apply now, because I was doing the opposite. If she’d only known it, I wanted to drag her across the table and kiss her stupid. That would take a while, considering her qualifications and intelligence, but I was prepared to sacrifice myself for a good cause.
    “Okay. Since I’m here, I guess I’ll eat.”
    Progress.
    The waiter returned with the menus. I barely glanced at mine.
    “Would you order?” she said, tight-lipped.
    Oh, I’d enjoy this. Every course held something often considered an aphrodisiac. Not that I believed in that shit, but she’d get the message. She did. After I ordered the oysters, she flinched. Then with the beef, I asked for asparagus. If she lasted that long I’d order chocolate and raspberries for dessert. All the food had fancy names, but she understood enough to widen her eyes and glare at me. Then I ordered the wine, a rich French burgundy to go with the beef.
    After the waiter had left, she hissed, “You did that on purpose!”
    “What?” I treated her to a bland smile.
    “All those foods. They’re—well, you know.”
    I shrugged. “Tasty,” I said.
    “Why are you doing this?” She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath.
    “At first I was angry, I’ll give you that.” I was still angry with her, but I didn’t know why. Perhaps because she didn’t trust me enough to tell me what lay behind her working for the agency. Tonight I would find out, one way or another. “But then I admired your enterprise. You could have lain back, or given up, but when the going got tough, you did what you needed to do.” Anger surged in me again, shocking me stupid but this time I recognized it. I wanted her to myself. I didn’t want to share her with anybody.
    The waiter brought the oysters. She took one look at them and shuddered. “I don’t know what to do with these.”
    “I’ll show you.” I shucked the oyster with the knife on the plate and tipped it down my throat. Closing my eyes, I made a sound of appreciation. “Mmm.”
    In a sudden movement she picked up the knife and slid it under the shell, barely missing her thumb. Before she could lose her nerve, she copied my action, tipped back her head and dropped the oyster in. Her breasts moved as she took in a deep breath. She kept her head tipped back before she lowered it and swallowed. “I hate it,” she said.
    “Most people do, their first time.” I shrugged. “Don’t worry. I love them. I can eat yours and mine.” I proceeded to do so, before she could object, and I made fast work of it. The first course hadn’t gone so well, then. But I’d offer her oysters again sometime, in more friendly circumstances. I motioned to the waiter and he took away the plates before she could gag. When she’d first eaten the oyster, I clutched my napkin, ready to help her if she needed it, but she’d been game.
    The beef with asparagus seemed more to her taste. The sommelier poured the red wine, thankfully not expecting me to do the little taste thing beforehand. Perhaps he remembered what had happened in my glory days when I was drinking for ten. That phase of my life hadn’t lasted long, but while it did, my reputation soared in some circles. The wrong circles.
    At least the first course had eased the mood