Chapter 1 The Proposal

Thalia's POV:

I joined Scarlet Angels, a luxury escort agency, a few months ago. Before that, I worked as a secretary, but that job barely paid for groceries.

I could not cover the growing stack of bills. Paying for college tuition and my brother, Maxwell Perkins's boarding school felt impossible.

I wanted to afford everything. I wished I could pay someone to look after him so I could come home to him each night. Losing our parents hurt, but the pain seemed even sharper for him.

I scrubbed away layers of makeup until only tired, pale skin showed in the mirror. Hot water ran down my back. People claimed escort money came easy, but I found it to be the hardest money I ever earned. Turning down the job never felt like an option. Debt buried me, and my little brother needed me to take care of him. After our parents died, all we had left was sadness, longing, and a mountain of bills. Keeping up with debt as a secretary felt hopeless. I nearly gave up on my studies altogether.

A friend from college helped me by introducing me to the owner of Scarlet Angels, where she worked.

At first, I did not want to go through with it. The idea clashed with everything I believed in. Things changed when child protection services threatened to intervene. I realized I could lose custody of Maxwell, since I left him alone while I worked. We were barely scraping by.

That month, my friend paid a few of my bills and told me that I would not always have to sleep with clients. If a client expected more than I was comfortable with, I could say no and walk away.

We were given the freedom to choose who we wanted to meet and could turn down any proposal.

That was how I began working at Scarlet Angels, though the job was never easy. Still, I started making enough money. I paid for my college tuition and Maxwell's boarding school, which was well-known and expensive.

I could not say I was truly happy, but I was inching closer to my goals. Now, I was paying the price for a three-month suspension after getting involved with one of the employees at Scarlet Angels. I had broken one of Liza Schmidt's rules. She owned the agency. The worst part was that I never even cared for the guy. He made a big scene, telling Liza that he was quitting because of me, when the truth was, he had taken a job in New York. While I was out of work, my small savings disappeared as I tried to cover all the bills that kept piling up.

Working on my own turned out to be even harder.

The phone rang, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Thalia. I should have ignored you for a few more months. But let's say fortune smiled on you. So, don't let me down."

Kari Martin, one of my coworkers, told me that a wealthy businessman had offered a huge sum for a week with me. The trip would take place in Portofino, Italy. When she named the payment, my heart nearly stopped. That amount could pay for my last months of school and give me the chance to leave Scarlet Angels as soon as I found another job after graduation.

What truly surprised me was that he left sex out of the arrangement. He only wanted someone to be seen with.

That gave me pause. Still, the promise of all that money without any strings made me say yes.

Liza said we would meet the next day to shop for everything I would need for the trip.

"Thalia. He picked you out of everyone. I expect you not to disappoint me. It's his first time with us. We have to keep him as a client."

He chose me based on my profile and photo. He specifically did not want sex. It felt like a stroke of luck-maybe too good to be true, I thought.

"Liza, I'll do everything I can not to disappoint you."

"I hope you give more than your best, Thalia. He's the kind of client I want to keep for good. A traditional family man who will probably marry someone in his circle but still wants something on the side. He's the perfect type of client, so make sure you take care of him."

"All right. Did he have any special requests?"

Kari told me he had not followed the usual agency contract. He wrote his own agreement. He made it clear he did not want sex. He wanted secrecy, of course. He would pay for everything-clothes, luggage, and travel expenses. He wanted me to read over the contract, and if I needed to add anything, I could. He expected me to send it back to him as soon as possible.

That news made my nerves worse. Still, the money and the hope of finally escaping this job felt worth it, I thought.

"Please send me a copy of your documents by email. I have to forward them for the travel arrangements. See you tomorrow."

"I'll send it to you tomorrow. Thank you for the opportunity."

"Don't thank me. As much as I care about you, Thalia, rules are rules. I would have kept you on suspension, but he picked you. He insisted that it had to be you, or he would not make the deal. He's paying three times our usual rate. He is offering much more than we expected. You really lucked out. See you tomorrow."

"Even so, thank you. See you tomorrow."

She ended the call, and my heart kept pounding. He picked me. He insisted it had to be me. I could not help but wonder what the reason was.

I had no idea what he looked like. I tried not to dwell on it, since the next day Liza planned to show me a photo and tell me more about him.

I took a deep breath, needing to calm down.

I went to the kitchen and made some tea. Then I called Maxwell to let him know about the trip. To him and to anyone close, I said I worked as a flight attendant on private jets for eccentric millionaires.

I picked up the phone and called Maxwell's school. After I spoke with the secretary, she connected me to his room.

"Thalia, I'm so happy you called!"

"Hi, sweetheart. I just wanted to hear your voice. I miss you so much."

"Today I won the football championship, and I made it to the school Olympics for judo. I'm really happy, Thalia."

"Wow! That's amazing! Congratulations. I'm so proud of you. We'll see each other as soon as I get back from my trip."

"Where are you flying this time?"

My heart ached, but he was too young to understand the truth about my work. In a way, this time I really was getting ready to take off.

"I'm going to Portofino, in Italy. As soon as I come back, I'll hurry to see you and I'll bring you presents."

"I'll be happy to see you. I like the presents, but I like you so much more."

I kept my tears in check. I wished I could afford to pay someone to look after him while I worked. But first, I needed to clear all our overdue bills and find another job. Only then could I handle the expenses for the house and for Maxwell's schooling. He relied on me.

I took a deep breath and tried to sound cheerful for him.

"I love you so much, my sweet boy. I can't wait to see you; we'll be together soon."

"I'll wait for you! Safe travels, Thalia. I'm off to play with my friends. I love you."

"Thank you! Have fun, sweetheart. And remember, I love you more than anything. I'll call you soon. Bye."

He made kissing sounds through the phone and hung up. I wiped the tears from my face and tried to stay hopeful about tomorrow.

That was it. If the client's requests in the contract seemed reasonable, I would be leaving for Italy tomorrow, traveling with a perfect stranger.