Billionaire Escort Read online

  Billionaire Escort

  All rights reserved

  Copyright © 2019 by MV Kasi

  CHAPTER 1

  “We need to set you up with a man.”

  Anjali didn’t look up when she heard her best friend Shruti’s ridiculous words. She kept her eyes focused on the three-tier cupcakes she was decorating, continuing to put delicate, fluffy red buttercream frosting in the shape of hearts.

  “Yes. It’s been five years since you divorced that asshole,” her other best friend, Naina, added. “It’s high time you begin living normally again.”

  There was a soft gasp. “You can’t call a dead person an asshole,” Anjali heard Vinita, her third best friend’s remark.

  “Why not?” Naina demanded. “He really was an asshole.”

  “I agree, he was emotionally abusive, but still… he’s dead now.”

  “He might be dead now,” Shruti explained. “But he’s left a lasting impression on Anju. Because of that asshole, she thinks she’s better off living a lonely life than risking falling in love once again.”

  “True.”

  Anjali gently rotated the cake stand, making sure she hadn’t missed a cupcake. When she was satisfied, she began placing them into two large boxes before sealing them. She packed the last two cupcakes separately into a smaller box.

  “Did you hear us, Anju?” Shruti demanded.

  Anjali tore her eyes away from the sealed boxes to look at her three best friends who had stormed into her house on a mission.

  “I have oatmeal raisin cookies I baked earlier this morning. Want them with some coffee?” she offered.

  “Stop trying to change the topic!” Shruti scolded. “And yes. You know very well I will want those cookies. Anything you bake, even if it’s with the damn mud, would taste like heaven.”

  Anjali bit back a smile. She stepped away from the kitchen island where she had kept the cake and went towards the double oven. As soon as she opened the lower oven door, the smell of fresh cookies dominated the air. She pulled out the cookie tray and placed it on the kitchen island.

  Meanwhile, Vinita had poured coffee into four mugs.

  “Thanks, Vinnie,” said Anjali.

  By the time she had taken a few sips of her hot, strong coffee, there were pleasured moans from her friends and half of the cookies vanished.

  “I-huf-ann iyaa…” Shruti spoke with her mouth full of cookie. Then pausing to chew and taking a sip of her coffee, she spoke in a language that Anjali could understand. “I have an idea,” she said.

  “What?” Naina asked.

  “Since Anju hates men at this point—” Shruti began.

  “I don’t hate men. I’m just not interested.”

  “Exactly. But if you have a perfect date with a man—”

  “I’m busy. I’m expanding Sweet Temptations, and I have no time—”

  “Don’t worry. The guy we are going to pick will accommodate you in every way. You ask him to jump, he’ll respond by asking you how high.”

  “Really?” Naina remarked. “Who is this perfect specimen?”

  Shruti’s eyes sparkled as she replied. “I don’t know yet. But we can look for him and hire him… Get an escort as Anjali’s perfect birthday gift.”

  “What! A prostitute?” Vinita exclaimed.

  Shruti shook her head. “An escort is different. Have you heard about the wildly popular app called Build Your Perfect Man?”

  “Good God! Now they have apps for such things?” Naina exclaimed. “Is this even legal?”

  “Yeah, it’s perfectly legal. These apps offering such services have become more popular lately. They offer all types of customizations.”

  Anjali wasn’t shocked or offended by the conversation. Although her friends were now seemingly respectable married women with families, the topics they discussed and some of the things they did during their late teens and early twenties were wild. And since she had been friends with them for well over a decade, nothing they discussed would ever shock her. In fact, she had been one of the wilder ones before her marriage.

  “You can use this dude to test the waters, Anjali. And besides, you will be helping some poor guy in need. Think of it as charity.”

  Anjali’s amusement grew at Shruti’s outrageous remarks.

  Meantime, Naina and Vinita looked totally fascinated. “So what customizations are offered?” Vinita asked.

  “Here. Let me show you.” Shruti pulled out her mobile phone. Vinita and Naina gathered around her while Anjali remained seated watching them with amusement.

  “So what profession should we choose?” Shruti asked with a thoughtful look.

  “Maybe a chef?” Naina said. “Oh! Look, a race car driver and even a cricket player options are available.”

  “How about the billionaire option?” Vinita suggested.

  “Excellent idea! Since Anju’s ex was a loser, a successful billionaire is just what she needs.”

  Anjali let out an amused laugh. “A successful billionaire whom I would be paying to spend time with me.”

  “Don’t be such a snob, Anju. I’m sure the guy will make a decent effort to stay in the role.” Shruti went on tapping away on her screen.

  Since her friends seemed excited and were having too much fun, Anjali didn’t bother putting up any argument. She heard the doorbell ring and got up to answer it. She took the sealed boxes filled with cupcakes along with her.

  The bell was from the bakery section which was built in front of the house two years ago.

  Within a few months of starting, and because of word of mouth, Sweet Temptations became a huge hit. During peak hours, the mid-size bakery became so overcrowded that sometimes lines formed outside.

  Her dream was to expand it to the four corners of the city, so her customers didn’t have to travel hours in heavy traffic to taste her specialty items.

  “Coming,” she said before placing the boxes on the bakery counter and opening the door.

  Since it was Sunday morning, the bakery was closed. She knew she could be making good profits if she kept the bakery open on Sundays, but she didn’t want her staff to sacrifice their family time. And even she wanted a day off so she could recharge for the week and come up with new creations.

  “Hello, Anjali,” the familiar face of a sweet old lady who was her frequent customer greeted with a smile.

  “Hello, Miss Deshmukh. What a surprise. I just finished icing the cupcakes. Dheeru can take them now.” Dheeru was the driver who came by every Sunday to pick up three dozen cupcakes.

  “Thanks. I was passing by, and so I thought of dropping in and saying hello while Dheeru picked up the cupcakes.”

  Anjali smiled. “You know you are welcome at my place anytime.”

  The older woman’s smile turned sheepish. “I was also hoping to convince you to let me pay for the sweet treats you keep delivering each Sunday.”

  Anjali laughed and shook her head. “I think we’ve had this discussion several times before. I can’t let you do that.”

  A flash of concern passed on the older woman’s face. “But, my dear, I know you are trying to expand your business. And besides, we can afford it as we have generous donors.”

  Anjali smiled. “I know you do, Miss Deshmukh. But it’s my pleasure and the least I can do for the children.”

  The older woman nodded. “Thank you.”

  Before Anjali could offer tea or a coffee, there were excited squeals from inside.

  “Anju! We found the perfect billionaire escort! He’s quite expensive, but he’ll be our birthday gift to you. He’s rated high in the—” Shruti broke off when she noticed Anjali had a guest.

  Anjali’s face flamed when she noticed Sujata Deshmukh’s eyes widening in shock at Shruti’s words.
br />   “I’m so sorry,” Shruti mumbled. “I didn’t realize you had company. We…uh… will discuss your.. uh… birthday gift later.”

  As soon as Shruti and the rest of her friends went back into the house, Anjali turned to the older lady. “They are my close friends. They think I’m lonely and want to do something outrageous.”

  Sujata Deshmukh looked amused rather than judgmental. “No need to explain or feel embarrassed, my dear. I wish there were such services during my younger days.”

  Anjali laughed.

  “When’s your birthday?” Miss Deshmukh asked. “The children will be excited to make a gift for you.”

  Anjali smiled. “It’s next Sunday. I’ll come by since it’s been nearly a month since I last saw them all.”

  The older woman nodded. “That’ll be perfect.”

  After Sujata Deshmukh left, Anjali locked up the bakery and went back into the house. Her living room where her friends were waiting was thrumming with excitement.

  “The guy is so perfect, Anju. A self-made billionaire. Likes spending time with animals and women. He was apparently even hired by a few female celebrities! And look at him. He’s stunning!”

  Anjali shook her head with a laugh. “You guys won’t give up, will you?”

  CHAPTER 2

  Oh my God! They really did it! They hired an escort for me as a birthday gift!

  Anjali stared at the man in shock.

  “Anjali?” the deep tone asked.

  Anjali was standing in the crowded bakery and was drawing curious looks from some of her regular customers.

  “I’m here to—” Before the man could complete, she grabbed his hand and dragged him along with her.

  Along the way, she came across one of her employees. “Seema, I have… uh… an old friend visiting me unexpectedly. Close the bakery once everyone leaves. Enjoy your Sunday. I’ll see you all on Monday.” Without waiting for Seema to reply, Anjali continued to drag the man into her home.

  As soon as she stepped into the house, she shut the door and swung around to stare at him.

  She had noticed his presence right from the moment he had stepped into the bakery around closing time. Tall, stunningly handsome and wearing a dark three-piece business suit with a tie, he looked totally out of place in the casual setting.

  She had continued to subtly track his movements to see what interested him in the bakery display, but he had barely glanced at any of the food items. His eyes were searching for someone. And when he had asked for her in particular, she just knew. She had to rush to him before he said anything to anyone.

  “Did you tell anyone why you are here?” she demanded.

  He didn’t reply. He watched her with a strange expression.

  Up close, he was even taller and also more good-looking. The suit molded his body, showing off his broad shoulders and tall form. And adding to his good looks, there was a raw masculinity which was enhanced by his strong jaw with a chin dimple and light stubble. A faded scar on the bridge of his nose didn’t dim his good looks. In fact, it added intrigue. She recalled her friends commenting that he was highly sought after and had even offered services to some female celebrities.

  But regardless of his stunning good looks, he seemed a bit slow in grasping things. So she repeated the question, a little slowly this time. “Did you talk to anyone outside the bakery and ask for me? Did they recognize you as the popular hired escort?”

  There was a flash in his eyes before he stared at her again. He was watching her in fascination.

  “Well?” she asked, feeling impatient.

  “No,” he replied, finally. “I didn’t tell anyone that I’m a hired escort.”

  She let out a relieved sigh. “Thank God!” She looked at him sternly. “Why didn’t you call to confirm before just brazenly walking right in? Isn’t that the norm in your line of work?”

  The flash in his eyes increased. For some reason, she had a feeling he was amused this time.

  “Sorry. I usually do. But I forgot to do it this time.”

  She looked at him suspiciously before shaking her head with a sigh. “Anyway, I don’t need your services. I’m sorry you had to go through the trouble of coming this far. My friends meant well by hiring you as my birthday gift. But I’m not that desperate.”

  Immediately, she regretted saying the last part. “Wait. That didn’t come out right. I didn’t mean to say women who hire your services are all desperate or anything. I know you are highly sought after and women apparently queue up for you. What I meant was… was…” She was at the loss of words.

  Instead of looking offended, his amusement only seemed to grow, which annoyed her.

  Taking a deep breath, she calmed down. “As I said, I don’t need your services. I’m sure you were already paid for them. If not, let me know how much, and I can pay you right now.”

  There was a slow smile which made him look even more breathtaking. There was a dimple on his cheek as well, which made her gasp involuntarily.

  “You don’t have to pay me,” he replied.

  Pushing away his blinding good looks and her strange reaction, she focused on the task at hand. “Good. Then thank you for your time, Mr.—” She didn’t know his name.

  “You can call me Rohit. But I can’t leave.”

  “What?” She was shocked. “What do you mean you can’t leave?” she demanded.

  He continued to smile, causing strange flutters in her stomach. “I was hired to be your companion for tonight for your birthday. I can’t leave without offering… my services. And since I’m highly rated, I do have a certain reputation to uphold.”

  “But I don’t want your services!”

  He shrugged and walked inside her house towards the living room.

  “You have to leave!” she insisted, following behind him. She couldn’t even call the security guard or anyone from the bakery. That would only lead to questions and a huge embarrassment for her.

  He sat on her couch, watching her with a small smile.

  “Don’t worry, I’m quite harmless,” he said as though reading her mind. “And if it makes you feel any safer, women actively seek my company.”

  She believed him. He probably had to ward off their advances.

  She stared at him again. The delicate floral print of the sofa looked strange against his hard masculinity. He looked completely out of place yet comfortable. He looked at the pictures on her wall before looking back at her with a smile.

  “Something smells good,” he said.

  When she didn’t respond, he got up and went towards the kitchen and peeked into the dishes on top of the kitchen island.

  She had made herself a simple pre-birthday dinner as the next day she would be having an elaborate one with her friends. The only special item was the big batch of banana walnut cupcakes which were meant for the next day’s delivery.

  He reached out and took a cupcake. He bit into it, and there was an obvious flash of enjoyment.

  “I have a sweet tooth and your desserts are always good. Really good.”

  She felt an involuntary rush of pleasure at his compliment. Then she frowned as she registered his words. “How do you know my desserts are good?”

  “You are quite famous in the city.”

  “I’m not famous. But yes, my desserts are.” She knew most people had heard of her desserts. She even had requests to ship desserts internationally as well. But unfortunately, she didn’t have the resources to accommodate everyone’s requests.

  “Never thought of expanding to more than one store?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “I do have a plan to start two new stores in the coming months.”

  “Ah. I see. Looking for investors?”

  She shook her head at the bizarre turn of conversation. “No. I’m not looking for any investors. I already have an approval for the bank loan. I prefer to do this by myself.”

  He appeared thoughtful before he let out another slow, breathtaking smile.

  Once again, she
felt a strange fluttering in her stomach at his smile. She immediately shook it off and instead focused on his shameless self-invite.

  He picked the bottle of red wine she had placed on the counter. “Hmm… this is a good wine to accompany with our dinner,” he outrageously added.

  She rolled her eyes. “I’m supposed to feed you?” she asked. “Aren’t you supposed to play the role of a billionaire? A billionaire takes his dates to fancy restaurants. He can’t have his date prepare a meal.”

  “Why not?” he asked with an amused smile. “Billionaires are allowed to enjoy home cooked food too. Some billionaires even prefer it.”

  She shook her head at his explanation.

  “Fine,” she said. “Since you have already made yourself comfortable in my kitchen, you might as well join me for dinner.” She figured it was the fastest way to get rid of the escort. Once he was well fed, she could send him off promising to give him a high rating on the website.

  He let out deep, masculine chuckle. “I accept your gracious invitation, Anjali. So where do you keep your wine opener and glasses?”

  “Top shelf on the left.” Meantime, she pulled out two plates and tableware and set them up on her small breakfast table.

  It felt strange to have a man as her dinner companion after so many years. And even when she was married, after the first few months of her marriage, she usually ate her meals alone. Aneesh always returned home very late after partying with his friends each night.

  She put the last of the dishes on the table and sat down. Meantime, he finished pouring wine into two glasses and sat opposite to her. She heard the faint music at the background. He must have spotted her music system in her kitchen. She loved to listen to music and dance while she baked.

  He took a sip of the wine while watching her with a small smile. “So, Anjali. Tell me about yourself.”

  She rolled her eyes again at his question. “Seriously? You sound more like you are interviewing someone for a job. Aren’t you supposedly the most sought-after escort offering billionaire-boyfriend experience?” She served the appetizers onto both their plates.

  He was amused. “So what should I be saying instead?”