One Foolish Night (Eternal Bachelors Club #4)

He wanted to flog himself for his stupidity. At what point had he thought that this arrangement with Holly would work? Sure, she’d do fine pretending to be his girlfriend, but the nights he would have to spend on his own, knowing she was sleeping in the room next to his, would be torture. Even jerking off twice a day wouldn’t help take the edge off. Would three times do the trick? He seriously doubted it.

“I like it,” Holly said as she entered his bedroom. She placed her handbag on the bedside table and deposited her hand luggage next to the bed. Then she turned to him. “But why are we staying in New York? I thought we were doing this for your parents.”

He left the suitcase just inside the door. “We’ll be going there tomorrow. But I figured we need today to get our stories straight. I’ll have to fill you in on details about my life.”

When she raised an eyebrow, he added, “So that my parents realize that we know each other well. I don’t want them to smell a rat. I figured we’d go over everything once you felt rested after your flight.”

“We can start right now, if you want. I feel rested. Believe me, flying first class is restful.”

Surprised, he nodded and motioned to the corridor behind him. “Let’s get comfortable in the living room. Can I get you anything to drink? A glass of wine?”

“I’ll take some water.”

Holly followed him to the kitchen, where he grabbed two small water bottles from the fridge and handed one to her.

“You should really get a water filter. You know how much waste plastic water bottles generate?” she asked.

“Don’t tell me you’re an environmentalist.”

She shrugged. “We all have things that are dear to our hearts.”

“And apart from saving the planet, what are those things for you, Holly?”

She took a gulp of the water. “I thought we were discussing details about your life, not mine.”

Paul walked around the kitchen island and motioned for her to follow him to the living room, where he sat down in the broad armchair, leaving her the couch.

“I have to know more about you too—otherwise, I’ll trip myself up.” He watched as she folded her legs underneath her and made herself comfortable in one corner of the couch.

“The truth about my life isn’t going to help you, as we both know, because I’m sure you don’t want to tell your parents what I do.” She looked straight at him, and suddenly her words felt like a challenge.

“Then tell me what your life would be like if you weren’t an escort. We have to tell my parents something. So what kind of job would you have?”

There was no hesitation when she answered, “I’d be running a matchmaking business.”

His forehead furrowed. Had he heard correctly? “Matchmaking? You mean like Match.com or eHarmony.com?”

“Not exactly. Those are online dating sites. My company will have a much more personal touch. I will meet every client and find out what they’re really looking for and then match them to the person they’re most compatible with. There won’t be any computers involved.”

“And you think something like that has a chance when everybody these days just goes online if they’re looking for a date? Don’t you think it’s a little old-fashioned?”

“There’s nothing old-fashioned about love. Would you really leave choosing your wife up to a computer? Wouldn’t you rather have a live person who understands you and your desires help you with that search?”

Paul had to admit that Holly did have a point. “And what kind of clientele do you expect for a business like that?”

“Professionals, mostly—well-educated people, people with money. After all, this service isn’t cheap.”

“Funny, I can actually see you doing something like that. You know, talking to clients, making them open up to you to tell you what they’re looking for. I think you’d be good at that.”

For the first time since she’d arrived, she gave him a broad smile that reached all the way to her eyes. “Thank you.” She sipped her water. “How about you? What do you do to afford a place like this in Manhattan? Or is it all family money?”

He stiffened instantly. “No. I never took a dime from my parents, though they did spring for my education. No student loans here.” He made a grimace. “I’m a broker.”

“You mean you sell real estate?”

Paul chuckled. “No. I broker business deals. Big mergers.”

Holly edged forward on the sofa as though she was truly interested in his answer. “How do you do that?”

“I figure out what kind of companies would benefit from being joined and then I draft proposals and go in and talk to them individually and explain why they should merge. I point out the advantages, and when there’s interest on both sides, I help set up the deal and work out the details.”

“Sound a little like matchmaking to me. I assume they pay you well for all that work?”

He smiled. “Extremely well.”

“So what deal are you working on right now, or is that a secret?”

“I just closed a deal a bit over a week ago, so I’m actually in a lull until something else starts up. I have some free time.” Time he wanted to spend with Holly.