1. Emma

Part I. Reunion

Present

September 2016

If there was one thing I had learned in the years I had been living in New York, it was that fall weather could be the most treacherous of all. It could start as a cool day, but then, without warning, the temperature could drop so rapidly that New Yorkers had no choice but to always carry a coat with them.

That's why I rummaged through my closet for a Chanel coat that a client had given me on a trip to Italy. I found it at the bottom, next to items that had never left their packaging, and I smiled with delight because it was in perfect condition.

"This will look good on you over that magnificent dress," I told Alice, and she looked at me mockingly.

"I don't need a coat for a gala; I have to show off."

"I'm not talking about that, smarty. You know perfectly well that Dr. Koch will take you to a bistro after the gala. He likes to show you off, and if you put him in a good mood, he's sure to leave a generous tip."

She crossed her arms and sighed deeply, causing one of her red curls to easily move away from her face.

"Fine, but this will be the last favor I do for Dr. Koch. He gets too clingy and overly sentimental," she said with disgust because she didn't like public displays of affection. "I want new clients, and I also want you to call Guido. I don't know what's going on, but he hasn't canceled the last four services."

I furrowed my brow at that detail.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it. It's not in his best interest to lose his stars."

We both raised our eyebrows before bursting into laughter at the absurdity of the situation.

As escorts, we knew perfectly well how replaceable we could be. Beauty always needed to be maintained, but time passed and younger ones arrived.

The limousine's horn sounded, and I hurried my friend to leave immediately. There was no time to lose, so when she left, I didn't hesitate to send a message to Guido.

My phone rang immediately.

"What do you want?" he asked sarcastically.

"Alice just told me that you haven't paid for the last services, and since you haven't paid for mine either, I'm going to cut to the chase: what are you doing?"

"The payments haven't been processed..."

"Don't treat me like a fool," I interrupted him, fed up with his excuses. "I'm not here to play games, so you pay up, or I'm going straight to old man Rocco."

"Don't threaten me..."

I couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm not threatening you; I'm notifying you that you have twenty-four hours from this moment to make the payment," I announced with all the seriousness in the world. "From now on, don't count on us."

I hung up before calling the only person who could help me.

While I didn't like calling the man who essentially forced me into the underworld of companions as a result of my past misfortune, he was the only one who could bring order to this situation.

I was tired of Guido being the middleman.

The only good thing about dealing with him was meeting Alice and Lilly, my best friends, whom I was thinking of for the drastic change I needed.

I waited for the phone to ring several times before the gruff voice of old Rocco answered:

"Look at the surprises life has given me today..."

"Sorry to bother you, Rocco, but I have a problem with Guido, and I'd like to know if it's possible to change the intermediary or deal directly with you for everything related to my services and Alice's."

"What did that human scum do for you to want that?" he asked, amused.

It was well known that I always avoided dealing with him, but desperate times called for desperate measures. However, I had a card to play.

"He hasn't paid us our percentages for the last services, and I'm afraid he's robbing us and using it for something," I told him, simulating seriousness. "According to the girls, he's been very distracted since the drug supplier threatened him the last time in front of the clients."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

I smiled when he took the bait.

"Don't you have a new supplier? From what I understood, from what he told us at the last wild party, you hired a new supplier, and he was assigned as the one in charge of distributing the product to the clients."

I heard a curse on the other end of the phone.

"How many unpaid services does he have with you?"

"Four from Alice and two from me."

"The last four services from Alice without her percentage add up to about fifteen thousand, and the last ones of yours amount to about eight thousand. He didn't give you a single dollar?"

"No."

"I'll make the full payments tonight, and if he contacts you, let me know," he snapped with determination. "For now, would you like to earn a good payout? I have some exclusive clients who want good service."

"If there's good money involved, count me in."

"Good. They are some Arabs who will be arriving in the city for an opening gala this coming Saturday at the new Basciano conglomerate hotel."

"Are there many of them? I can bring Alice."

"You can handle a group and more, but it would be good to offer a two-for-one deal," Rocco said with humor, making me suppress my disgust. "Get organized, and I'll be passing you all the details."

"How much are we talking about this time?"

"Forty thousand cash," he said calmly. "If you bring Alice, they'll have to cough up another ten thousand."

The figure was too good to pass up.

"Perfect, we'll be there without fail."

Saturday came quickly.

Alice and I were ready to leave, just waiting for Lilly, who would be our designated driver and emergency bodyguard for the night. When the doorbell rang, Alice didn't hesitate to open it, and the voluptuous but lethal brunette entered with a less-than-friendly expression but hiding a mischievous little smile.

"Why do you have that look like you've eaten something rotten?" I asked curiously. God knew what Lilly did as an enforcer for Rocco, making her part of the mafia.

"Let's just say I didn't have a good day... But that doesn't matter." She downplayed the issue. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, I'll grab my purse, and we can go."

Half an hour later, we were near the new Basciano conglomerate hotel, and Lilly threw one of her typical odd questions.

"Will they have a group party? Because if they do, I want pictures of these guys if they have nice packages. If not, please, don't show me a damn thing... I just want to verify that they're well-endowed, enough to compete with the ones around here."

Alice and I laughed because despite our friend being the most misandrist person we knew, she had a hidden fascination for male members.

"If they cooperate, trust me, I'll make you a whole album," Alice told her, and I shook my head.

In a few minutes, we arrived outside the venue, and we could see that it was an architectural beauty, a place where no expense had been spared, and its importance for the city was beyond doubt.

"This is incredible... This family is swimming in money."

Alice was right. According to what I had read, the Basciano family was one of the most powerful in the world, with wealth capable of topping the global Forbes and Fortune 500 lists for decades.

"I'll keep an eye on you; stick to your clients and don't get into any fights," Lilly said, giving us event invitations. A cover story Rocco had created for us to enter without any problems; on them, we were architects from a prestigious Oklahoma architecture firm.

"I can't even believe this myself."

I laughed because it was ridiculous. However, when we presented them at the entrance and they verified them, we realized they were solid. One of the guards escorted us to some impressive marble stairs.

"At the end of the right hallway is the event hall. Enjoy the evening."

Alice and I entered gracefully, wearing forced smiles. The gala was nothing more than a cover for the conglomerate to make deals, which made me think that the CEO was a brilliant man. There was nothing about him on the web; his face wasn't known, only the fact that he was the brilliant son of the Basciano family, a cunning young man who had taken charge of everything at just twenty-two.

"We're not the only ones here," Alice said. I saw a few ladies Rocco managed, and I had no doubt that he must have very good connections to get them into a place like this. We greeted a few, then hurried to our clients' table, the Haddad brothers, Adib, Haid, and Yusuf, Arab heirs who wanted to have a great time.

What surprised Alice was how Rocco had managed to get many of the most sought-after ladies into the room. As there were too many, and they often played dirty to steal clients from each other, she decided to identify the Arabs who had requested her, the Haddad brothers: Adib, Haid, and Yusuf.

"There's Kim, but she's with that disgusting Raymond Graham."

I felt sorry for her and wondered how desperate she was to accept services from a man who not only could be a bad payer but was one of the most perverted in the world.

"Our clients look handsome."

Alice was right, as we got closer, I realized they were divine. However, something on the back of the man talking to them seemed familiar.

"Dear Basciano! This is the lovely lady we told you about," one of the brothers said with satisfaction.

Then he turned, and my world collapsed. I stopped breathing instantly. Luc, the man who deceived me and left me at the worst moment of my life, was looking at me in a way that sent chills down my spine.

I couldn't believe it.