thought about Antonio being privy to the explicit conversations she'd had with Steve. 'He's very persistent, too.'
'And very loyal to just you, according to the calling pattern he's established.' He leaned back in his high- backed, leather chair and regarded her thoughtfully over the fingers he'd steepled together. 'How do you feel about that?'
'I'm flattered, obviously, and he seems like a nice enough guy,' she said, smiling. 'And the extra bonus money coming in from his calls is especially nice.'
'Would you like to make more money?' he asked, homing in on that part of her reply, just as she'd intended.
Because of her conversation with Roxanne, Liz knew exactly what he was insinuating, but played it low-key. 'Of course I'd love to make more money, but I'm not sure what you're getting at.'
'When I hired you on, I mentioned advancement within the company if you performed well, which you have- beyond what most operators accomplish in a month's time.' His tone was very complimentary. 'A lot of the operators I've employed have advanced on to becoming party girls, which entails attending private parties and catering to a client's requests and desires on a more intimate level. And because I think you're ready to take that next step, I'm going to offer you one of those opportunities, if you're interested.'
She feigned a nonchalant shrug. 'If there's more money involved, of course I'd be interested.'
He seemed immensely pleased by her response. 'How do you feel about meeting your client in person and establishing a physical relationship with him?'
If it were with anyone other than Steve, and if it weren't for the sake of needing to make contact with Trixie Lane, Liz would have flatly refused the offer. Hell, she wouldn't even be here right now if it hadn't been for Valerie's disappearing act.
'What's in it for me?' she asked boldly.
He grinned, apparently appreciating her straightforward manner. 'Money, of course. A sixty-forty split of a thousand dollars, which is what it costs the client to attend a party.'
A thousand dollars. Liz's head spun at the amount he so casually tossed out there. She was stunned and amazed that anyone would pay such an exorbitant fee to attend a fantasy party. Unless… 'What do I have to do for that kind of money?'
'Entertain your client for the night, in any capacity he wishes.' Antonio shrugged, his expression all business. 'Make the fantasies you share with him on the phone a reality.'
She'd already accomplished that with Steve, and then some. And now she would be taking their affair into a more public arena, she thought with a shudder, uncertain of what she'd gotten herself into, but determined to see it through.
Antonio went on. 'There are many amenities that the two of you can take advantage of and enjoy, along with private fantasy playrooms and sexual stimulants that can be accessed for an extra fee on the client's part.'
She couldn't imagine that they'd stick around long enough to indulge in stimulants, or what those playrooms had to offer. Once they had the information they needed on Rob,
She swallowed the hard knot that had gathered in her throat, and pretended enthusiasm. 'What do I have to do to set this up with my client?'
'He's already established his interest in meeting you, so tonight when he calls you, extend the invitation for him to accompany you to an Ultimate Fantasy party tomorrow night. If he agrees, then you transfer him over to Doreen, who will handle the monetary details, along with transportation to The Ultimate Fantasy mansion. You'll both be taken there by a private company limousine.'
Liz sat quietly, absorbing the details, so very grateful that Steve would be by her side the entire night.
'If you find you enjoy being a party girl, you can make the choice of remaining strictly a party girl, or you can go back to being an operator, or do both. The choice is yours, but the more men you invite to the parties, the more money you make in a night's time.'
Liz inwardly cringed, knowing that being a 'party girl' was equivalent to working as a high-dollar escort. Was that what Valerie was involved in, of her own choice? The thought made Liz feel physically ill. Then again, she was learning a whole lot of things about Valerie's personality that went beyond the rebellious cousin she'd grown up with and the young girl who'd grown into a woman who needed attention focused on her in any way she could get it. What Valerie was doing was flat-out dangerous, stupid, and selfish to those who cared about her.
And Liz was beginning to wonder if she cared too much.
She immediately shoved that thought to the back of her mind, because it went against everything she believed in when it came to family-even her cousin who'd never wanted to share her mother and father with an orphaned girl who only wanted to be loved and accepted. She'd made a promise to her aunt and uncle to look after Valerie, and it was a responsibility she took seriously.
And disappointing her aunt and uncle again wasn't an option.
They wrapped up the meeting, with Liz agreeing to make the leap to party girl and invite Steve as her first client, for a fee of one thousand dollars. But as she left Antonio's office, it wasn't attending the party she was worried about; it was the money issue that weighed heavily on her mind. Another thousand dollars out of Steve's pocket, and another thousand dollars to add to what she'd have to repay him for his PI services.
She'd planned on signing over her paycheck to him with whatever she earned as an operator, and he'd get back the forty percent of the money she earned after escorting him to The Ultimate Fantasy party, but that didn't cover all his charges to date.
Now this-still more she owed him, and another debt to repay. Another obligation to pile on top of the others.
Chapter 13
Steve watched as Liz paced restlessly in front of his desk while she explained the details of her meeting with Antonio less than an hour ago. She'd come straight to his office after her appointment, and while it appeared that everything had gone smoothly and as planned with Antonio, there was something else that had Liz on edge.
'If everything went so well, what's bothering you?' he asked, concerned.
She stopped and met his gaze, her lips pursed, and he knew whatever had her so agitated was finally about to be brought out into the open. 'It's going to cost an extra thousand dollars for you to get into the party.'
He certainly didn't expect that they'd get in for free, but it was obvious by the disconcerted look on Liz's face that she was devastated by yet another expense in her search for her self-centered cousin.
'That's not a problem,' he said evenly. 'I'll cover the expense.'
Her chin lifted adamantly, and she crossed her arms over her chest. 'You know I'll pay you back. Every last penny.'
Oh, he believed her, not that he was concerned about when or how she would pay him back. That was the furthest thing from his mind when it came to her. 'I'm not worried about payment, Liz.'
The case might have started out with expenses for her to gradually reimburse, but he was fronting the fees for the party out of his own personal pocket because he cared for Liz and this was important to her. Which made it equally important to him, regardless of how he felt about the situation with Valerie, and Liz's involvement.
He stood, rounded his desk, and gathered Liz into his arms. She was stiff and tense at first, and he caressed a hand down her back, soothing her with his touch. He smiled when she uncrossed her arms and slipped them around his waist and leaned into him, finally accepting his physical and emotional support.
He wondered when the last time was that someone had taken care of Liz, or simply comforted her as he was doing. He'd bet it had been years, considering Liz's penchant for worrying about everyone else, and her misplaced need in trying to please her aunt and uncle and make up for her rocky, rebellious marriage to Travis. She was so afraid of losing the people who loved her that she went to the extreme to compensate, and that ingrained habit of hers wouldn't change until she accepted that she only had to answer to herself in life.
'Listen, the most important thing is that you were able to get us into the party,' he said, and brushed his lips tenderly against her temple, inhaling her soft, feminine scent. 'And when I call tonight, everything will go as we've
