"He said that?"
"Not exactly. His words were more like, 'I acted like I was out on my first date after five years in prison.' You should take that as a compliment. Nick has never, ever been compromised like this before. He's usually a very cool customer."
That did not sound like her cowboy at all. "Did he say anything else?" Why did she suddenly feel like she was back on the farm, looking for an inkling of interest from Jake. The question was beneath her, but she held her breath waiting for an answer anyway.
"Just that he apologized if you were disappointed."
Disappointed? Was he kidding? How could she be disappointed. She was getting wet again just thinking of him. "That's really not necessary. In fact, I'd like to schedule another appointment, just as soon as I get back from Chicago in two weeks."
"Miss Foreman. Surely you read your contract. Fulfilling a woman's fantasy is an isolated event. We do not entertain repeat performances."
Kayla rolled her eyes. "But this would be a completely different fantasy. So it wouldn't be a repeat performance."
Miss Bright responded, sounding almost exactly like a robot. "Irrelevant. Any subsequent fantasies will not be considered." She softened her tone and continued. "I'm sorry, but we do this for the benefit of the client. Fantasies can become an addiction, just like anything else. The first one is so sublime that the client can easily find themselves forever trying to match that experience with greater and greater perversity. Believe me, it's not in your best interest to travel that road."
"This is about money, isn't it? What if I doubled the price?"
"Well, considering you paid exactly nothing for this experience, you do not make a very enticing offer."
"No. I meant twenty thousand."
"We're flattered that you feel our service is worth such a sum, but the answer is still negative. And even if I did make an exception, I don't think Nick would be willing to take money from you anyway. Not that he needs it. He's been retired for years. Obviously, he was not ready to come back." She sighed, sounding somewhat human for the first time in this conversation.
"Retired? You mean he doesn't do this on a regular basis?"
"No, none of them do. He just happened to be in town, and I thought he'd make an excellent match for you. But obviously I was wrong." It was obvious from her tone that she was quite disturbed at this possibility.
"You weren't wrong. He was exactly what I needed."
"I'm glad to hear that. Now, is there anything else I can do for you?"
"Evidently not," Kayla said, a little more snidely than was absolutely polite.
Miss Bright ignored her tone. "Then I will conclude this conversation by wishing you well and reminding you that most of our references are through our clients. So, if you know a woman, like yourself, who would benefit from our service, please do not hesitate to put her in contact with me."
Kayla didn't really have any close female friends outside work, but if she did, she couldn't imagine sending them to Miss Bright. Delta of Venus Inc., provided a quality product, but if there was even the slimmest possibility of an acquaintance of hers being set up with Nick, she would surely go mad imagining them together.
She closed the conversation with Miss Bright by promising to let her know how the digital recording of her fantasy turned out, and then threw the phone down on the dashboard.
That was it then. Her fantasy was fulfilled, but by an ex-prostitute, not a current one. She didn't know why that changed things, but it did. With the money back in her hands, it felt more like she'd been on a really hot date with a man she was falling for rather than just a financial transaction. Was she crazy to think she could have a relationship with someone she'd met through a fantasy fulfillment agency?
But it didn't matter. She had no way of getting hold of him even if she could overcome their unconventional first date. She needed to forget about him and focus on finding someone more suitable. Someone she liked and desired who wasn't a current or former prostitute. Why did that suddenly seem like such an impossible and unappealing task?
One week later…
Kayla sighed inwardly as yet another suit entered the hotel elevator. She didn't even look at them anymore. They just blended together. Same dark clothing, slicked back hair, and covetous expressions on their faces. But this was the price she paid for trying to be more approachable.
In an attempt to find someone to take her mind off Nick, Kayla had come to this conference in Chicago with a plan. She was going to get over her dislike of the corporate drones, and give them a chance. Since she usually dressed like a stylish librarian in neutral, conservative clothing and understated makeup, her current low-cut, emerald green silk blouse and slick red lips made her feel a bit like a five dollar hooker.
For the most part, her plan had worked. She definitely drew more attention than ever before. At previous conferences, she had spent at least part of her evenings fending off horny executives who thought she must be easy prey because she was one of the few young, unattached, and somewhat attractive female participants. She had quickly relieved them of their delusions with her sharp tongue and cool demeanor.
Dressing a little more provocatively and leaving her hair down had not been a good idea. It was like dragging a juicy pork-chop through a pack of famished wolves. It didn't seem to matter to these men that she wasn't enthused about their interest. The fact that many of them were married was equally irrelevant. Conferences for them were like a giant frat party rather than the networking and education platform the organizers had intended.
Leaning back against the wall of the elevator, she ignored the last batch of men exiting and their lecherous glances. She was on her way up to her room on the 40th floor to change. Hopefully, she would feel more comfortable and less like prey in her conservative armor.
She just needed to accept that her plan had been a bust. It was the last night of a four day conference and no one appealed to her, despite her best efforts to be more open-minded. She was simply bent towards men with a bit of a rugged edge to them. She couldn't seem to help herself. She had a type and Nick had embodied it.
She was beginning to fear that she was on a fruitless quest to find a man to compete with her cowboy. It was just like the Jake obsession, except much worse. Unlike her childhood crush, Nick seemed to return her interest. Yes, it was his job to reciprocate emotions, but there was no way he could fake that kind of passion. She was convinced there was something real between them. The way he had shouted her real name as he'd climaxed had convinced her. But she had no idea how to find him.
Right now she was stuck in Chicago for the next five days. Her boss had requested her assistance in developing some training materials that were being piloted at the branch here. It was a great opportunity for Kayla, but she longed to get back to Vancouver. She'd decided that she was going to return to the scene of the crime and try and find Nick. He obviously had some kind of relationship with the owners of that stud-farm, and that was a good place to start. She felt like a crazed stalker for even entertaining the notion of trying to track him down, but she really needed to resolve this. If she did find him and he seemed less than thrilled, she would just ask for her panties back. But at least she would know if she'd imagined their connection.
Relieved to be alone, except for one last man facing away from her, she watched the numbers flash by above his head. Bored, she took her first good look at him. He was tall and well-built, which was appealing, but he was also wearing a ridiculously expensive, pin-striped suit and shiny black Gucci loafers. Just another corporate robot.