Hallen Jansen has it all. At 28, he has a flashy car, a great apartment, and a job he’s good at and that he loves – as an escort – working at your beck and call.
His life is easy, with no emotions or attachments slowing him down – choosing to keep moving, always running from the past. But when a new client awakens unfamiliar feelings, all bets are off. Can he convince a recently divorced woman twenty years older to trust men again – to trust him? Can Hallen trust himself not to screw things up?
Surrounded by people who choose to judge them, will they make their relationship a reality, or is it heartbreak for both?
Not all services are professional.
EXCERPT 4
She opened the door and hesitated, her eyes alight with humor, lust and something darker.
“I want two orgasms,” she stated, matter of fact, “or I want my money back. And I have to tell you—I am not multi-orgasmic.”
She folded her arms.
“You sure about that?”
“Very.”
I leaned against the doorpost. “Guess I’m going home then.”
Her face fell, and I couldn’t help smiling.
“You are such a tease!” she snorted.
I closed the door behind me. “That’s the idea.”
“You have one hour,” she insisted.
“Are you timing me?” I joked.
“Um, no, it’s all I can afford,” she muttered, fiddling with her purse.
I immediately felt like shit, and she must have seen it because she shrugged apologetically.
“One hour,” I said. “Time me.”
At that point I didn’t really care whether she got her money back or not. I’d already earned half of $1600 for the evening so I had nothing to lose. And she’d issued a challenge.
I shrugged out of my jacket, draping it over the back of a chair. Slowly, I bent down to untie my shoes and pull off my socks. I caught her eye as I glanced up.
“Did you want me to leave my socks on?”
“Um, no!” Then she realized I was teasing her again. “Hallen!”
“Anything else I should know about your preferences? You know, apart from your sock fetish?”
Her laugh turned into a breathy sigh as I walked toward her.
“That’s a pretty dress, Audrey. I think it should come off—it would be a shame to spoil it.”
Review
4.5 Stars
Jane Harvey-Berrick wrote a story that I couldn't get enough of with every page I turned.
Hallen is a struggling college student trying to make ends meet. This is his story and gives you a behind the scenes look at how he became a male escort and what is going through his mind during these years. It is demanding lifestyle, and I couldn't help but not feel something for him in the way he went out of his way to pleasure all of these women. His life changed when he meets Eloise and she proposes the idea to him. They form a business relationship and reap the benefits, but he also thinks of this woman as a mother figure. Hallen becomes very good at his job. He provides companionship at high-end events, or dates that end up in the bedroom. He makes young and older women feel good about themselves when their own lives are lacking for one reason or another. His clients cover a wide range of ages, needs and continents.
While this story covers about eight years of Hallen's life in the escort business, and he's learned not to feel any type of emotion while with them, he begins to want more from his life. While out on a date with Laura, who he escorts to an art exhibit, it gets him thinking about what his life has become and how he put his love of art on the back burner. She's a recently divorced older woman. During this period of time, I felt that he began to discover himself as an artist did a lot of reflecting on his life, who he's become and that he might want more. That one night with Laura sets him on a path of becoming what he was meant to be. There were many emotions that coursed through me while I discovered who Hallen really was as a person. I wanted him to be happy and feel loved because of him, not for what he could give to the other person.
“There was nothing I wanted in this world until I met you.”
Grab this book! I enjoyed it and will look for more books from this author who gave me characters that felt real to me and took me on a literary journey. While Hallen oozes sex appeal, At Your Beck and Call is more than that, there's struggles, detachment, feelings of shame, disgust, frustration, hope, love, etc. It's about digging deep within yourself to find the real you, baring your soul and revealing it to the world to see for themselves.
Reviewed by Jessie
I started writing contemporary romance two years ago. Before that, I didn’t think I could write a sex scene. Turns out I can!
My lucky number is 13 because I was born on the 13th and live near a haunted castle by the ocean. My number one past-time is watching hot surfers get changed into (and out of) their wetsuits.
My husband doesn’t read my books. My mother does.
Writing is my love, my hobby, my total addiction. All my characters are important to me and whisper their stories, even when I’ve finished writing their books. That’s why you’ll often find bonus chapters/out-takes from various books, because those voices just won’t be quiet.
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Thank you for your review ladies
ReplyDeleteLoved everything you said. Thank you so much. Very happy you made an appointment with Hallen :)
ReplyDeletejx