It was easier to kick back a couple of drinks at a bar and pretend to watch sports on the TV that hung over it. Right now, he was all for doing the easy thing. It would get much harder later.
The bartender gave him a look as if he knew what was going on inside his head. “You want nuts with that?”
“Sure.” He hadn’t had any lunch, and he wasn’t hungry, so nuts were as good a choice as any.
As the bartender shoved the bowl of nuts in front of him, Daniel only nodded.
“Can’t live with them, can’t live without them,” the bartender suddenly said.
“Do I look like I want to listen to some clichés?” he snorted.
“Not really, but at least it got you talking.”
“Who says I want to talk?”
“Midday, alone in a bar, hard liquor. Yeah, you’re here for a talk. Seen the type.”
“What is it with you guys? Do you all have degrees in psychology?” Irritated, Daniel sniffed.
“Personally I don’t, but I can’t speak for the rest of my colleagues. So, what’s she done?” he asked casually while taking out a tray of wet glasses from the dishwasher.
“Who we’re talking about?”
“The woman who’s driving you into a bar at midday.”
God, that bartender was one pain in the ass. Maybe he should just finish his drink and leave. There had to be another bar somewhere nearby with a less irritating bartender.
“Why does there have to be a woman if a man wants to have a drink?” He wasn’t going to cave in that easily.
“There’s always a woman. That’s what makes us tick.” The words of wisdom just rolled off his tongue like a penny down a steep street—and just as valuable, Daniel was sure.
He was ready to bite back with sarcasm but thought better of it. There was no need to waste his energy. “So what?”
“So, she doesn’t want you. Is that it?”
“Has nobody ever told you how unwelcome your advice is?” Daniel kicked back the rest of his drink and stood. “Here.” He put a bill on the counter, not bothering to wait for his change. “And just so you know, she does want me. And I’m going to make her realize that.”
Daniel strolled through the streets until it was time to meet with Misty Snyder, the owner of the escort service, or rather the Madam. As soon as he entered the elegant but sparse office, he knew she ran a tight ship. The receptionist was dressed in a conservative business suit and wore minimal makeup. There was a waiting area and several private offices.
Nothing gave away the fact that these were the offices of an escort service. There was nothing smutty about it. If anybody saw him in the waiting area, they would think he was here to meet his accountant.
Frankly, he had expected something different, some frills, something over the top, not the neat and clean office he was impatiently waiting in.
“Mr. Sinclair,” a middle-aged woman greeted him and shook his hand. She was dressed in an equally conservative business suit as her receptionist and wore her hair in a loose bun. She was attractive and gave him a charming smile.
“Ms. Snyder.”
“Eva, show Holly into the conference room as soon as she arrives,” she instructed her receptionist before she directed him toward one of the doors. “Please.”
“Holly is coming here?” Daniel asked as soon as the door closed behind them.
“Yes, I find it prudent to discuss such lengthy bookings with my employees. We don’t want there to be any misunderstandings later.” She gave him a serious look.
“That’s very wise.”
“Especially given your request of exclusivity, I feel that Holly needs to agree to all terms. Don’t you think so?”
Daniel could tell she was curious why he required exclusivity, but he wouldn’t say more than he absolutely had to in order to strike the deal. He was an experienced negotiator and knew not to show his hand. “I agree.”
“You’ll of course understand that the daily cost for such a booking will be higher than what you’ve been paying for her evenings. Since we won’t be able to charge her out during the day, we’ll have to factor this in.”
Misty was a shrewd business woman, he could tell. She was already positioning herself so she could get the best price from him. If she only knew that money was no object when it came to Holly.
The truth was he didn’t care if she charged him five times the going rate, as long as it guaranteed that he could be with Holly and no other man laid a hand on her. And the sooner this happened, the better.