Courting Trouble

‘It’s fine,’ Sienna said, giving up on explaining. She caught her friend’s hand and gave it a squeeze.

The plan had seemed like a good deal when she’d signed up for it. It took the least amount out of her paycheck every month. She’d just never thought things through. If something were to happen – and it just had – she didn’t have enough money to cover that high … really, really high … first payment.

The sound of heels walking stridently over linoleum struck Sienna’s ears. It was a familiar sound and, for a moment, tears pressed at her eyes.

The emergency-room curtain wooshed as it was swept aside.

Her mother’s pretty face crumpled when she saw her on the hospital bed. ‘Oh, sweetie.’

‘It’s all right, Mom.’ Sienna leaned forward, but kept her wounded hand out of the way as she was pulled into a tight hug.

‘Does it hurt?’

‘They gave me a pain pill.’ She dreaded to think how much that would cost.

‘Oh, it just shakes me to see you like this. What happened?’

Sienna felt heat settle in her cheeks. She’d been distracted by an attractive man – a picture of one, no less. She’d flushed, her mind had wandered and her body had become aroused. ‘I got clumsy.’

‘That’s so unlike you.’ Reaching out, Amelia did that characteristic mom move of pressing the back of her hand against her child’s forehead. ‘You feel warm. Did they check to see if anything else is wrong?’

Sienna bit her lip. She was hard-up and horny. That was all that was wrong with her. Damn Margo and her enthusiastic drummer with the beat. They’d started this.

No, she’d started it when she’d first made eye contact with the man in the newspaper at the charity event.

She waved her hand in front of her face, trying to cool her embarrassment. ‘I really don’t know how it happened. The glass just cracked.’

Her mother’s hand hovered over the injury, a good five inches away. Beyond a kiss or a hug, she wasn’t good with bedside manners. ‘I don’t know how to help you.’

‘Can I get you some water, Mrs Blakely? Or some coffee?’

Sienna watched as her mother stood straight and smoothed her dress over her trim form. ‘Thank you, Erin. Coffee would be wonderful. Two sugars.’

Amelia looked at the hospital staff moving to and fro, some in a hurry, all of them distracted. ‘Is someone taking care of you?’

‘Yes, they’re just finalising the paperwork. Please, sit.’

Her mother took a seat in the orange-coloured plastic chair near the bed. In her Zac Posen dress and Jimmy Choo shoes, her outfit was probably worth more than all the orange-coloured chairs on the floor combined.

The realisation made Sienna swallow harder. She knew one way her parents could help, but she’d never wanted to ask. ‘Mom, I wasn’t expecting this to happen.’

Her mother patted her knee. ‘Of course you didn’t. It was an accident.’

Sienna tucked away a strand of hair that had escaped her braid. ‘What I mean, is, I didn’t plan for it financially.’

‘Oh.’ Her mother blinked and, for a moment, looked sympathetic.

‘Do you think you and Dad could help with these medical bills? I’ll pay you back as soon as I can,’ Sienna finished with a rush.

‘Of course,’ her mother said, leaning forward. But then she went still. ‘We’d like to …’

There was a long, awful moment before she pulled back. Her hands went protectively to the purse in her lap. ‘But we’ve been talking about this for a while now, Sienna. You need to find a good job and learn to stand on your own two feet.’

Sienna had to bite her tongue. She’d been standing on her own feet. She’d been working so hard, her arches were forever in a cramp.

Ashamed, she dropped her gaze. ‘I know. I’ve been trying.’

So hard. She’d been doing everything she could.

‘Did you send in an application for that job listing I sent you?’

The call centre?

‘Yes.’ And she had, because she was an obedient daughter. But that job wouldn’t help much with something like this.

Her mother made as if to touch her again, but instead crossed her arms over her chest. ‘I know it seems harsh. Tough love on our part, but we can’t always be there to catch you, darling. I hope you understand.’

‘I do,’ Sienna whispered. But she didn’t really. It was the first time she’d ever asked for help.

She braced her hand against the bed and shifted in discomfort. The pain pill she’d taken was wearing off. She settled back down against the hard mattress, and her hand brushed over the lump in her pocket.

Margo’s rent money.

Blinking, she stared at the ceiling again. She was going to have to keep her roommate. At least Margo helped out with something. And she’d need to finish the next two weeks of her internship at Luxxor just to rake in the extra cash.

She bit her lip as the answer appeared, plain as day.

There was only one way to make sure everything was covered. Take on a new job – the only one that had been offered to her.

She was going to have to become a Luxxor escort.

* * *

‘All right, Jason, I want you to push your toes forward like you’re pressing on a gas pedal. Push as hard as you can against my hand.’

Jason folded his hands around the edge of the exam table as he focused determinedly on his task. The doc wasn’t a little guy, but he had to take a step back when Jason pushed that imaginary gas pedal through the floor.

‘Good, good.’ Switching the resistance, the doctor folded his hand over the top of Jason’s foot. He braced himself again. ‘Now push up.’

That was more difficult.

Forehead crumpled, Jason set his jaw and tried to rock his foot upward.

The doc let up. ‘That’s good, too.’

Stepping back, he grabbed a protractor off the metal cart. ‘Let’s measure your range of motion.’

Sweat beaded on Jason’s brow. That was what always got him.