July (Calendar Girl #7)(29)

I shook my head. “No, I didn’t. Not that he didn’t try.” I grinned, and he frowned. Okay, moving on. “Then before him was Tony Fasano.”

He cocked his head. “The food guy?”

That made me smile. “Yeah.”

“What did he hire you for?” This time when he spoke, it was a little lighter, carried less of that nervous weight.

“To be his fiancée.” I snickered and Wes cringed. “Best part is why he hired me.” I grinned.

The grin must have given Wes relief because he gave a half-hearted smile in return. “Why’s that?”

I pushed my feet under my booty and got comfortable, setting my glass on the arm of the chair. “In order to tell you that, I have to set the scene.”

Wes’s lips lifted into a crack of a smile and I thought that was definitely a tiny victory. “Okay, shoot.” He leaned back and took a swallow of his whiskey. I loved watching his neck and Adam’s Apple bob with the effort. Everything about Wes interested me, especially now that we were together. Hopefully together for longer than this conversation.

“After I arrived in Chicago, the house help put my bag in a room. It was a huge room, much bigger than I expected, even though Tony lived in a penthouse apartment in the city.” Wes didn’t say anything just waited for me to continue. “When the guy left me there with my luggage, I heard the shower running. You can’t imagine how freaked out I was knowing that I was in a room, probably the master bedroom and a guy I didn’t know, a stranger, was in the shower.” For a chick, this would be entertaining and funny. For Wes…not so much. His jaw clenched and he worked a nice grinding motion while I rushed to continue. “So he opens the door and this huge hulking dude is standing there in a towel and that’s when things get really interesting…” I tried to lead into the whammy but Wes just looked pissed off.

“I won’t hold my breath,” he gripped and I rolled my eyes.

“Well I stood there like a fish out of water, not knowing what to say and then out from behind him, another guy with a towel wrapped around his waist hugged my client. As in bare-chested hugging. As in they’d been in the shower…together.”

That’s when Wes gave me the full, beaming pearly whites. “He’s gay!”

“Don’t you read the news? Pay attention to the gossipmongers?”

He shook his head. “Not at all. I avoid that shit like the plague. It’s rarely based on truth, and usually, just ends up hurting the person they are featuring.”

“Anyway, to answer your question, Tony is gay. Been in a long-term relationship with an amazing attorney named Hector Chavez. Actually, during the month I was there, I became really close with Tony and Hector. More Hector than Tony for obvious reasons,” I winked.

“Obvious,” he mouthed.

I drummed my fingers against my leg and took a drink. “Then before Tony was Alec.” Remembering my time with Alec put that pit back in my stomach. I gave a piece of myself to Alec that month. A piece I never wanted back. Simple truth: I loved my filthy talking Frenchie, and I enjoyed being in his bed just as much. Not more than with Wes, but way up there on the list of great people to have sex with, same as Tai.

“And Alec was the artist,” he grumbled. How he knew that, I couldn’t recall. It’s possible that I mentioned Alec and our time together but Wes wasn’t giving anything away.

Pursing my lips, I looked away and down at my half-filled drink and took another large wallop of whiskey.

“You had a sexual relationship with him.” Wes asked in a way that wasn’t accusing, which I hoped meant it would be okay.

I nodded.

He shrugged and looked out at the setting sun. “But it was just casual, like Gina.”

The mere mention of that bitch’s name made the jealousy flags wave, the green-eyed monster sing, and the two-faced bitch shake hands with the Devil. “Alec was special. He means something to me.” I’d become defensive, not realizing I was showing my hand in a way I hadn’t been ready to deal with.

Wes inclined his head, leaned forward, and rested his elbows on his knees as he steepled his hands together under his chin. “Is that so? Special how?”

Tears pricked at the edges of my eyes. “Alec made me feel beautiful.”

“And I didn’t?” he challenged.

My hackles rose. “You did, but he made me feel like the Mia that everyone didn’t see, the same one I was with you, but not the rest of the world was okay to let out. Forced me to put down the mask and let the world in. I learned a very valuable lesson from Alec.”

“And that was?” His tone was hurt and scared.

“To love myself.”

Wes closed his eyes, inhaled, let out the breath and relaxed. “Mia, you have every reason in the world to love yourself.”

I shook my head. “I didn’t believe it. Not before Alec. Not before his art made me see what everyone else saw. Even though I was broken, was struggling in life, that I’d become an escort because my gambling, drunk father couldn’t hold his shit long enough to take care of his own debts, that I”—I slapped my chest”—“me, Mia Saunders, the waitress from Vegas, deserved more. I deserved happiness. Deserved love.”

“And I don’t give you that?” His voice cracked when he said it.