“I didn’t invite—ohmygod!” I blurted, slapping a hand over my mouth when realization dawned. Flynn’s smirk turned into afull-blown grin, and I groaned and covered my face. “You’re the-the—fromFoxy’s?” I asked, whispering the last word.
He nodded. “I’m surprised you don’t remember hiring me.”
I gaped. “I didn’t hireyou.I-I...I was drunk and felt miserable. I was desperate because I am an idiot with a big mouth, and I didn’t know it wasyou!”
Flynn raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “You didn’t see my photo?”
I frowned. “What photo? There was no photo, which I thought was a huge oversight on the company’s part.”
Flynn took out his phone and tapped away on the screen for a moment before turning it toward me. It was his profile from Foxy’s Rent-A-Date, but where I’d seen a large blank box was a photo of him lookingaaalllkinds of sexy.
I pulled out my phone to bring up the contract I’d saved, which had apparently failed to load the photo, and showed him.
His gaze darted down and then laughed.
“So, you hired a guy without seeing a photo? You really were desperate.”
I scowled. “You saw my request I assume, so you know the blunder that led to me needing to hire a date. Of course I’m desperate!”
His white teeth flashed again, and I internally gave a whimsical sigh.
“Hang on,” I said and held up my hands. “I know you get to have some say in who you accept a contract from. All my information was there for you to see. You had to have known it was me and for whose wedding I was attending. You still came?”
Flynn tucked his phone away again and nodded. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
I glared. “You wouldn’t miss seeing me in my most mortifying of moments, or you wouldn’t miss showing up to your cousin’s wedding when you know it’ll tick him off?”
His grin was knowing and devious. “We both know you can’t lieto save yourself. I’m assuming that hasn’t changed over the years. I wanted to help you out.”
I squinted at him and his eyes danced with laughter.
“Seeing you was absolutely the driving force,” he admitted with a sexy little smirk. “But pissing off Ellis was a definite highlight.”
“Don’t swear,” I chastised immediately, the words pure reflex. Flynn chuckled, and I couldn’t help the way my lips curved at the sound.
He shook his head. “Same old Chiara. Except now you get drunk and hire male escorts.”
My mouth fell open in shock. “So, you-you’re...yousleepwith women for money?” I asked, astounded.
“Would if make you think less of me if I did?” he asked jokingly, but there was a sliver of seriousness in his emerald eyes.
“No,” I said at once, leaning forward. “No, I don’t believe people who have sex for money should be devalued or penalized. People who do strenuous manual labor are literally using their bodies every day to do their jobs, and no one has a problem with that as long as someone else is profiting more in the long run and their bodies are being used in a way government supports,” I started.
When he continued to stare at me, my mouth kept running, unable to stop now that I’d started.
“People having sex for money is much harder to track, especially if cash or goods is preferred as a payment method. The government can’t profit from that, or prove a transaction was made and that it wasn’t just recreational sex. Sex workersshouldbe a recognized job and maybe if it were considered less shameful, there would be less trafficking and less sexually transmitted diseases because then it could be properly managed, and healthcare would be easier to access.”
Flynn’s eyes grew wide, and a smile spread over his face before he gave a short bark of laughter. “I didn’t expect an essay-style response, but I should have known better when it comes to you.”
“Sorry,” I said, my cheeks warming.
He reached across the table to place a hand on my wrist, and my gaze jumped to his at once. “Don’t apologize. I’ve always found that fascinating about you. And I happen to agree with everything you said. But just to make things clear, I’m not an actual escort. The contracts state specifically that we are not required to have any sexual intimacy with our dates.”
I nodded. “I did see that, but I wasn’t sure if that was just a legal cover. Since there are no plans on sleeping with my rented date, I didn’t really care,” I admitted.
“No, Foxy is legit. She doesn’t provide sex-workers, just dates.”
I raised an eyebrow. “And you’re telling me you’ve never slept with a date before?”
