Escorted by Claire Kent, first published in December 2020, introduces readers to the complex and unusual romance that buds to life between 32-year-old Ander Lourdes, a professional escort, and 26-year-old Lori Addison, a romance novelist in search of her first intimate experience. From the very start, Ms. Kent does an excellent job out of drawing readers in. Being told entirely in the first person from Lori’s point of view, gives Escorted an enigmatic edge, adding more nuance to the story than would have been otherwise.

The story begins with Lori, being the practical person she is on the sidelines of her career as a romance author, finds the only logical solution to getting rid of her virginity is to hire someone who is experienced in the matter. Little does she know when hires 32 year old Ander Lourdes to be her escort, that her entire life would be turned upside down, and that her innate curiosity itself when it comes to the exotic man that Ander turns out to be, would be her undoing.

Ander is a man who is accustomed to separating his emotions from his work. Always putting the needs of his clients first, Ander is a perfectionist in what he does, and he knows how to deliver, with ten years of experience to his name. He initially approaches his sessions with Lori with the same cool detachment he does for all his clients, intent on giving Lori the unforgettable experience that she craves. It is through Lori’s eyes that readers have to gauge every flicker of emotion that Ander feels and exhibits, and that keeps the reader on the edge, craving more of Ander, just like Lori does with each and every encounter between them.

The chemistry between Ander and Lori is electrifying, even from the first. Ms. Kent masterfully builds the sexual tension that evolves gradually, drawing readers into each layered interaction between the two, which makes for an emotionally satisfying experience along with the high from the sizzle. What starts as a transaction begins to feel less business-like as Ander and Lori spend more time together. Lori’s inquisitive nature, coupled with the sexual intimacy that builds between them starts to bring their emotional guards down, and thus starts to crumble each of their carefully erected walls. It is Ms. Kent’s writing here that shines—she presents the journey between Anders and Lori as it evolves from being strangers to lovers with a sincerity that feels both raw and genuine.

The story’s strength lies in its character development. Ander, with his stoic exterior and painful secrets, begins to grapple with emotions he has spent years repressing. Ander’s brokenness, his guarded heart, and his strained relationship with his father all play into his character’s complexity which leaves the reader hurting and wanting to hurt a certain someone badly. Lori’s journey is also one of self-discovery, her experiences with Ander teaching her not only about intimacy, but about the courage to pursue genuine connection and exhibit confidence in other aspects of her life.

The way Ms. Kent entwines the raw intensity of their physical encounters with emotional growth is nothing short of masterful, and that is what kept me glued to the pages, never tiring of what takes place between the two. The way that she manages to make each sexual encounter meaningful (and there is a LOT of them littered across the pages), not to mention impactful and erotic, was just amazing to me as someone who has read a lot of great and also her fair share of not so great erotic novels.

It is Lori’s deeply empathetic nature and perhaps her career as a romance author that allows her to see beyond what Ander presents to the rest of the world. The path that Lori and Ander takes towards their happily ever after is as unique as is this story – from lovers to friends to lovers back again. How Ms. Kent brought together elements of raw passion, heartache, pain, and angst to deliver an explosive and mind-bending read will continue to amaze me in the years to come.

Escorted is a true masterpiece, a romance that goes beyond the expected norm, and that is my key takeaway from this experience. Ms. Kent does not shy away from the complexities of a relationship like Ander and Lori’s, and in doing so, she gives us readers a story that is as honest as it is captivating. If Ms. Kent had chosen to write about Ander and Lori’s entire lives, I would have kept on reading, with zero qualms.

For fans of contemporary erotic romance, Escorted is a compelling read that handles unconventional themes with a deft touch. With beautifully written prose, intense character chemistry, and a satisfying conclusion, Escorted is a memorable journey from start to finish.

Definitely and absolutely recommend this gem to readers of romance who love a good erotica with emotional depth!

Final Verdict: Escorted is a tour de force by Claire Kent, making a trope that is extremely challenging feel realistic and heartfelt; managed to occupy my every thought when I had to force myself to turn away from the story to attend to life.

Favorite Quotes

She walked him to the door, where they looked at each other for a minute. Then Lori asked one final question. “How many virgins have you had sex with?”
Ander glanced away, and she could tell he was trying to compose the best answer.
“The truth,” she said. “No pretending. How many.”
He let out a breath and met her eyes. “Just one. You’re my first.”
“Oh.” She swallowed. “You’re my first too.”

“Oh, God, Ander,” she gasped, her head jerking to the side as she felt a climax tightening inside her already. “I need to come so bad.”
He made a strange sound. A grunt, or something. And then he pulled his fingers out of her wet, clinging channel. Before she could whine about the loss of penetration, he’d replaced it with his cock.
He slid into her with a smooth, hard stroke, and she bit back a cry of pleasure at the tight, tantalizing feel of him inside her.
She managed to look back over her shoulder at Ander. He was straddling her thighs and holding her bottom high enough to allow his access. But Lori’s upper body was flattened on the bed, and she felt helpless and deeply sexy at the same time.
She clawed at the bedding and moved a pillow lower so she could bury her face into it if she felt the need to scream.

She thought she would just enjoy watching him come, but the shaking of their bodies and the way his cock drove inside her pushed her into climax once more.
“Oh God,” she gasped, clawing at his neck and shoulders. She couldn’t stop, even though she knew she was leaving angry scratches on his skin.
He grunted, and she read it as a question
“Coming again.” Her body tightened up and she tried to breathe as he’d taught her to. She couldn’t even begin to take a full breath.
She managed to wrap her legs around him, squeezing him with her arms and her legs. Her orgasm was on the edge of cresting, and Ander’s hot, shuddering, urgent body felt delicious against hers.
She cried out breathlessly as the tension broke inside her, and Ander let go at the same time. As she rode out the waves of pleasure, she was conscious of Ander releasing a loud, guttural sound, just at her ear. His hips jerked and his body seemed to pulse as his own climax ripped through him.

Finally, he met her eyes again. “Lori, you don’t have to be nice. You pay me for my services.”
She almost sputtered in outrage. “What the hell does that mean? Of course, I have to be nice. You’re a human being, aren’t you? What the fuck did your father do to you to make you think you don’t deserve to be treated with dignity and humanity?”
She hadn’t really meant to voice that last question. Her volatile feelings and confusion got the best of her. But she had voiced it. Almost spit it out in his face.
It finally broke the iron control Ander had been using to rein in his feelings.
He turned on her abruptly, stepping forward, pressing her back against the wall with his intense presence rather than force. “Lori,” he began, his voice thick and low. He planted one hand on the wall next to her head. “I fuck you. You pay me. That’s our arrangement. That doesn’t entitle you to invade my privacy, demand to see the ‘real me,’ or pry into whatever motivations I might have for doing what I do.”

“I’m not mad,” he said again, although his entire body belied his words. He was coiled so tightly he was practically shuddering. His cheeks were slightly flushed, and his eyes had ignited.
Absurdly, Lori felt her body respond. She knew it was entirely inappropriate. They were in the middle of a very bizarre argument, and sex should be the last thing on her mind. But he looked so intense, almost passionate. For once, he seemed to be expressing something real—with his body language if not with his words.

“For the fourth time,” Ander rasped, still speaking into her ear. “I’m not mad.”
She shifted restlessly against the wall, dying for some sort of friction against her skin. Her squirming caused her to brush up against Ander.
She felt something. Something that shocked her so much her mouth fell open. Her lower belly had brushed against the front of Ander’s trousers.
He was hard.
He must have seen her reaction. He must know that she knew he was aroused. He didn’t acknowledge it in any way, though. He’d pulled back enough to look her in the eye and ask hoarsely, “Tell me why you’ve continued to schedule engagements with me.”
She was too confused and overwhelmed and turned-on and shaky to even begin to make up a lie. So she gasped out the truth. “Because I like having sex with you.”
He nodded, as if he’d known she would say that. “So why do you keep making this more complicated than it is?”

“Lori,” he rasped.
She didn’t know if it was a question or an expression of pleasure. She answered instinctively. “It feels so good. You come,” she panted. “I want you to come.”
His breathing accelerated even more as his whole body started to shake. She’d never experienced anything like it. All the shuddering angst that he’d been trying to stifle earlier seemed on the verge of imploding in her arms.
Her eyes blurred over and her nerve endings buzzed with pleasure. She wasn’t working up toward any climax, but the whole thing felt like one long high.
Ander arched his neck forward again, lowering his mouth once more to the crook of her neck. She cried out loudly when she felt his teeth bite down into her flesh. Then his whole body pulsed and jerked as he came with an extended guttural sound.

Sucking in air as she came down, she started to claw at Ander’s ass, trying to move him into position, still hungry for more. He adjusted his body to align his cock at her entrance.
Then, with a pitch of his hips, he pushed his cock inside her.
She arched up again as he entered her. She was tight from nearly a month without sex.
“Fuck,” he muttered. He was bracing himself with his hands on the bed, and his face had jerked the side.
She wanted him to look at her again. Wanted to see the expression in his eyes. “All right?” she managed to ask.
He straightened his neck and opened his eyes. Made a sound that might have been a choked laugh. “Yeah. You ready?”

Lori closed her eyes. She had no intention of opening up about this, but she heard herself saying the words anyway. “I’ve always felt second-best. You know, always in the shadow of someone else. It probably has a lot to do with the fact that I was in love with a guy all through high school and college who didn’t love me back. And this thing with Phil kind of made me feel that way again. Like I was being stupid for expecting the hot guy to fall in love with me.” Her voice cracked a little as she concluded, “I guess I keep waiting for someone to choose me, to want me, over all the other women he could have.”

“I’m glad you changed your mind. About scheduling engagements with me.”
Something softened in her chest at his slightly stilted words. Maybe it was relief she felt. She was so glad that he seemed to enjoy his engagements with her. Obviously, this wasn’t some sort of fated romance, but at least she was a little more to him than just a job.
He seemed to like her well enough, and he didn’t mind having sex with her. She felt like that was quite an accomplishment, given her complete lack of experience.
“Me too.”
She watched him walk down the hall to the elevator. Lean, upright, sleek, and urban. Infinitely experienced. And somehow wounded.

Lori was panting hoarsely as her body slumped forward. Ander fell with her, and for a moment his hot, sated weight rested on top of her again. He panted too. On each exhale, he made a sound like a moan.
And Lori would be perfectly happy for them never to move from this position, from this visceral satisfaction.

He walked silently to the bathroom. She heard the water run in the sink. And she didn’t hear it go off.
After a minute, a jolt of sharp curiosity propelled Lori out of her sated stupor. She climbed off the bed and hurried over toward the bathroom, determined to find out what Ander did in there when he took extra time.
The door was halfway opened, so she could peer in. Ander stood in front of the sink full of running water. Ander was leaning over, bracing himself with both hands on the counter. His shoulders were slumped, his eyes closed, and his head bent. His face and head were streaming wet, from where he’d evidently splashed water on his face.
And he appeared to be taking deep breaths.
Lori gaped for a minute. He looked exhausted. Overwhelmed. And strangely aching.

After a long time, he finally started to shift beneath her. His face had been pressed against her neck and her hair, but he lifted it and loosened his arms.
Reluctantly, Lori pulled back, peering up at him with trembling lips and stinging eyes.
Something about the haunted emptiness of his gaze changed as he saw her face. He lifted a hand and brushed his fingertips along one of her cheeks. Then stared down at the moisture from her tears on his skin.
“Are these for me?” he breathed, sounding either astonished or awed.
She choked back another little sob at his inability to believe that she would care enough for him to cry. “Ander,” she pleaded, taking his face in both of her shaky hands. “Please let me help.”
With a guttural sound, he tightened his arms around her again, but this time he found her lips in a desperate, hungry kiss.

She arched her spine as her pleasure started to crest. Instead of closing all the way, her eyes flew open on a taken breath.
And, in that rawest moment, she saw everything in Ander’s eyes. Heat and need and helplessness and rage and desire and loss and primitive power. All of it, there, in his eyes.
And she knew—she knew—he needed this even more than she did. She knew that this was his only channel, his only outlet, his only lifeline against the desperate turmoil of his pain. He wasn’t just finding pleasure or escape in her body. He was finding something lost in himself.

“Ander!” she gasped, as one of his hands slipped between her thighs to press against the place she was most hot and wet. Her back arched as she tried to ride his hand with embarrassing abandon.
Ander raised his face to stare at her for a moment, his eyes hot, hungry and almost primitive. Then he groaned and leaned forward to mouth her throat.
Without warning, he bit down hard.
Lori came against his hand with a choked cry.

As they moved together, they held gazes, and she saw everything she needed to know in his eyes. She had no idea how she’d gone so long without seeing, without knowing, without realizing the kind of man Ander really was.
He wasn’t a cool man, despite the pretense he put on. He was a passionate man who’d learned not to be.
But now she saw real passion in his eyes, in his expression. And it matched the depth of passion in her own heart.

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