Chapter 6: Five Suitors
Lilly walked back over to her desk and put her retro Chanel eyeglasses on. Still beautiful at whatever age she was. Peach pants suit, hair pinned up in a perfect bun, eyebrows arched like she had them professionally maintained every morning of her life. She looked down at the folders in front of her and I sat across from her trying to wrap my head around the fact that I was sitting in front of one of New Orleans’s most prominent socialites.
This woman owned businesses and assets all over the city. She had connections that made powerful men bow their heads. And yet here she was personally running an escort operation. I still could not fully explain it. But there was something about Lilly that calmed me in a way I had not expected. She was not uppity. She did not make you feel small because she had more than you. Her charity toward others was what really got to me. I came here weeks ago wearing a borrowed maid uniform and now I was sitting on the other side of her desk in Gucci. Life is something else entirely.
When she took my hand the night before my nerves had settled almost immediately. The way she spoke to me, the way Evan bowed his head to her in that room, told me she was different from what I had imagined. Whether she genuinely cared about me or whether this was some elaborate plan that would reveal itself later, I honestly could not tell yet. But I was watching.
"You met five men last night," she said, pulling me out of my thoughts. "I know you did not spend a great deal of time with them but I am hoping that will change. All five have shown interest in being the one to have you first. I also received some interest from a few others who did not make the original list."
"What kind of interest?" I asked, my eyebrows going up.
"Four others have come forward wanting an opportunity with you." She reached over and slid a folder across the desk. I opened it and looked inside.
Two very familiar faces stared back at me.
Now. Let me tell you something. I had seen these two men the night before in the dungeon doing things I was not entirely prepared to witness. And now here they were in a folder on Ms. Lilly Monroe’s desk like perfectly respectable candidates.
"Garrett Ashford and Jacob Moore," Lilly said. "Real estate tycoons. They own property all over the world. Both twenty six years old, friends for the past twenty years. My only concern is that they normally do everything together. They would be a package deal."
She looked at me. I looked down at the folder. My mouth went completely dry without my permission.
"I met them last night," I said carefully. "They were charming. But I also know they were with Natalie in the dungeon."
"Very observant. You are absolutely correct." She tilted her head. "I am not sure you are quite ready for them. They are both Dominants. If you were ever interested I would suggest working with Langston first to prepare yourself."
"I understand. And I know I am not ready for them. Some of what I saw last night was a little too much to process all at once."
"I understand perfectly. Some clients have specific preferences. No one is treated differently because of their particular interests. What I will not tolerate is public humiliation or inhumane behavior and those rules are enforced immediately when crossed."
She moved on to the next profile without missing a beat. This woman ran meetings like a Fortune 500 CEO. I had to respect it.
"This is Holland Capone. Thirty six, divorced, two sons, owns Holland’s Armory. Very reserved. He asked about you last night. He has been with several of the ladies over the years and I have not heard anything negative about him."
I studied his picture. Attractive. But something in my gut said no.
"I do not think I remember seeing him at the party," I said honestly.
"He was there. He was with one of the other girls for most of the evening."
"I thought the arrangement was limited to unattached men?"
"Unattached means they do not have an exclusive agreement with one particular girl. I have over a hundred clients who are not affiliated with one specific escort. Holland falls into that category."
I was glad she clarified that because the last thing I needed was to become somebody’s reason for a domestic dispute. This was a job. Temporary. That was what I kept telling myself.
"And this," she said sliding another folder across, "is Simpson Coulter. Forty two. Texas. His family is one of the oldest oil and gas dynasties in the south. Coulter Oil and Gas transports from the Gulf to different parts of the country. His family was among the first to strike oil in their region and now they are part of the US gross national product. Top five on Forbes. Top five on the S&P world’s richest list." She paused. "He is an arrogant man. Excuse my language. But I work with him in other parts of my business so I know him well."
I nodded taking it all in.
What I was also taking in was the fact that Lilly was not just running escort girls. She was running an empire with moving parts I could barely see the edges of. Marci handled the girls. Lilly handled everything else. I was still trying to figure out how one woman was doing all of this simultaneously.
"Lilly," I said, looking at her directly. "I trust you. But would you give Simpson your virginity?"
The room went quiet.
She looked down at her desk and said nothing for what felt like several minutes. Her eyes lost focus for a moment, like she had gone somewhere else entirely. When they came back to me she tilted her head and the expression on her face made me feel like a child waiting outside the principal’s office.
"I would not," she said, her voice coming out quieter than usual. "I did not have a choice. You do. I have given you five candidates and additional options. The decision is yours entirely and whoever you choose you will have to live with that choice. Once it is done there is no turning back."
She straightened in her chair.
"Beauty fades Cadence. What is in here," she said pointing to her head, "never fades. That is why I want you to finish school. Too many women make excuses when they could be unlocking the potential God gave them."
She was right. I had always wanted to help people. That was why I went into healthcare management. My dream had been to run a hospital one day. I thought that dream died when I had to step away from Baylor to raise the twins. But sitting here in this office with this woman, I could feel the edges of it coming back to life.
"Can I see the profiles of all five men? I need to make sure I make the right decision."
Lilly pulled out each folder and slid them across to me one by one. I opened my small notebook, the one I had brought the night before to take notes at the ball and never got to use because the evening had other plans for me entirely, and I got to work. I went through each profile methodically. Backgrounds. Occupations. Ages. Interests. Flags.
I could feel Lilly watching me from across the desk and I did not mind. Let her watch. I was taking this seriously.
"It will come down to two of them," I said finally, looking up. "I enjoyed Evan’s company last night and I know he will be away for the next few weeks. I do not want to interrupt his life but I would like to add him to my client list when he returns."
"I will arrange that."
I stared at the two faces in front of me for a long moment. I did not want to make a hasty decision and spend the rest of my life thinking about it. Like Lilly said, I would have to live with this. Once the deed was done there was no retrieving it.
"If I choose one over the other, would the other still want to be with me afterward? Evan made it clear that even if I did not choose him he was still willing to pursue me. I enjoyed being in both of their company last night and I do not want to lose that."
"That is a very good question," she said. "Let me make some calls and find out. I will have an answer for you shortly."
I looked at both men one last time.
I already had a preference. I had known it from the moment I opened that folder. But I needed to know that if I gave myself to one, the other would still be willing to have me. I was not looking for a boyfriend. I was not confused about what this was. But I needed a connection. After watching Amberly and Jeff, after everything Evan showed me the night before, I understood now what I was chasing.
It was not just the physical. It was the feeling of being fully present with another person, of being seen and chosen and handled with some kind of intention. That was what I needed to get through this Chapter of my life.
I knew who to chose
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