He laughs. “Well, that’s a bit rich, even for me. But I’m sure you’d be worth every penny. Alas, ten grand is my final offer. Take it or leave it.”
Ten grand could do so much for Christian and I. But it’s the principle of the thing. I would, in essence, be prostituting myself.
“Still no,” I tell him. “I am opposed to this whole thing on principle. I am not a high class escort.”
“Yes, of course not,” he says. “But what if I told you there is no expectation of sex or anything of a sexual nature.”
I ponder this new information for a second. “So let’s review this proposal… you would pay me ten thousand dollars just to watch me fall asleep, because that's what I'll be doing very shortly.”
“Well, I’ve spoken to Renata, and she informed me that you gladly ingested an orange gummy which contains sativa, and I also saw you drinking a Red Bull. That should keep you up for a while.”
Damn.
Of course I did. I love Red Bull. I am feeling pretty energetic considering it’s past midnight. “So, if I stay, what will the rest of this evening entail?”
There’s a bang on the window. The redhead is not happy. Colton puts a finger up, seemingly irritated, and she backs off.
“Well, I can’t say exactly… maybe I'll play a song for you, and perhaps another game.”
“Oh, more games. Yes, sign me up,” I say, sarcasm lacing my words.
“We’ll have fun.”
“I have a lot to consider,” I tell him. “I’d have to call my babysitter. I'm already late. I said I would be home by midnight.”
He seems stunned by my words. “You have a kid?”
“Yes.”
“Oh… you just seem so young, that’s all.”
I can see that everyone on the bus is clearly irritated, and I find myself between a rock and a hard place. It's already past midnight, and I'm already late. I should call regardless. What should I say though?
Ten thousand dollars.
“Okay.” I finally give in. “I’ll stay.”
His face lights up. “You won’t regret it. I promise.”
He waves at the driver, and the bus finally takes off. All I can think about is how relieved I am because I hate keeping people waiting. I follow him into the house, completely numb.
I finally kick off my heels as soon as we’re inside. My feet ache. “I need to call my babysitter.”
“Sure, I’ll be in the kitchen.”
I call Nicole, and ask her if she can stay the night. She says yes, as long as I give her all the juicy details tomorrow. I tell her I'll be home early in the morning. I feel fuzzy. I can't believe what I'm doing. He's already gotten a hold of me. I can't quite explain it. It’s not just about the money. I want to stay more than anything. Perhaps he's brainwashed me.
“And then there were two,” he says as I walk into the kitchen.
“Well, what about Renata and all the others helping?”
He smiles. “They’re all gone.”
Well, he is paying me ten grand for the pleasure of my company, so the least I can do is be cordial. “So… what does a man like you do for fun when he's not playing silly games?”
He ponders my question for a second. “I like to play music… piano… guitar. I am a happy man when I’m playing,” he says and I believe him. “And I always like to leave life to chance.”
“Sounds like a good plan,” I say. “Do you like games of chance?”
