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Like a well-planned out activity with a toddler, all I could do was watch as everything came down in flames around me.
“Are we done, or what?” Aiden asked from the other side of the court. He was ten years old, out of shape, and a video game enthusiast. His father only signed him up with lessons from me to try to sneak some exercise into his life.
I groaned. As much as I wanted to wallow and keep trying to imagine what Damon and Tia were probably doing right this very moment, I needed to take my job seriously. All of my jobs.
I still hadn’t earned my first paycheck from being Damon’s personal assistant, and as a single mom, I couldn’t afford to take chances with my financial future. That meant continuing to keep up as many of my side gigs as I possibly could. It was Thursday night, and I needed to survive until next Friday until I got paid. Eight days. Seven and some change, if I counted by the hours.
Besides, hitting tennis balls and being on the court was something that always made me feel happy. I barely even felt the small sting of bitterness when I remembered how I’d had to walk away from it all when I still felt like I could accomplish more.
“Can I sit down if we’re just going to stand around?” Aiden asked from the other side of the net.
With a sigh, I started whacking balls toward him and watched as he did his best impression of a crippled, elderly woman on her way to a department store she had no coupons for.
This was my life.
As much as I tried, I kept thinking about Damon and Tia. I wondered if they already had their clothes off, or if maybe they weren’t to that part of the evening yet.For some reason, Richard “Call me Dick” had given me his card. I’d almost forgotten until I got home and found it in my nightstand.
After a brief and ultimately fruitless internal dialogue about minding my own business and why I definitely shouldn’t be wondering what my boss’ penis is up to tonight, I gave in to temptation. I grabbed my things and begged my brother to come over just in case Luna woke up needing something after I put her to bed. Half an hour later, I found myself riding shotgun with Dick in his ridiculous lifted car.
My conversation with Dick had been brief. Did he know where Damon liked to take his dates?
Hell yes, he did.
Was he willing and able to take me on a ride to said places?
Did a rooster get hard when he walked into the hen house?
I guessed that meant “yes,” because Dick had hung up the phone and arrived half an hour later.
“So, how do you know Damon, exactly?” I asked.
Dick was still wearing a name tag that said, “Hi, I’m BIG DICK.” I tried to picture him as a young man but couldn’t quite manage it.
Dick shrugged at my question. “Damon gave me a job. That’s how I know him.” He had a wheezy, almost high-pitched voice that didn’t completely fit his large, bent over frame.
“So he didn’t just hire you to screw with me?”
“Oh, no. I do all kinds of shit for him. I used to beg on the street for spare change. Right outside his building, actually. I guess he got tired of having to carry around coins and figured he’d put me on the payroll to save himself the ass ache. Mr. Rose has been good to me.”
I frowned, waiting for Dick to laugh and tell me he’d been joking. “I’m sorry,” I said after a few seconds. “It sounded like you said Damon did something nice. I’ve never seen him show a hint of kindness. Are we talking about the same Damon Rose?”
“Tall, grumpy, stares at you like he wishes he had a toilet to flush you down?”
“Yeah. That sounds like him.”
Dick nodded. “Damon’s not as bad as he lets on. The poor bastard had his heart ripped out when Trish left Rose Athletic. Took half his clients with her and tried to trash his reputation when she did, too.”
I frowned. “What? How did she do that?”
Dick glanced over at me, then shook his head slightly. “Bossman probably wouldn’t want me talking about it. Pretend I never mentioned that. All I’m trying to say is he has to be careful. Man in his position… You get a lot of predatory people looking to take advantage. Can’t blame the poor bastard for pushing everyone away.”
I wished I could pry for more information, but I didn’t want to put Dick in an uncomfortable position.
I grinned out the window. If I didn’t have the sense of humor of a middle schooler, that thought wouldn’t have amused me so much.
Dick pulled up to the curb outside a few of Damon’s usual spots. My job was to get out of the car and pathetically stick my head into multiple clubs and restaurants where I scanned the buildings for his obnoxiously handsome face.
