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I nodded.
“Should I know you?” Her gaze narrowed.
“Most would.” I assessed her. “However, you don’t seem to.”
“No, I’m sorry. We don’t have a TV, and I’m not big on movies and all that stuff.”
“Why not?”
“I’m not from around here.”
“Obviously.” I’d noticed an unfamiliar accent in some of her phrasing. “Most everyone in LA is obsessed with the whole entertainment industry. Are you against that kind of thing?” I asked. “Even music?”
“Not really against. Just not interested, I guess.”
My lips curved. No built-in expectations or biases. I liked that she didn’t know me.
“Gran wasn’t keen on those things,” she said.
“Gran?”
“My grandmother.”
Her expression changed, closed off. There was something more there, but she wasn’t going to give it to me.
“So, the one hour? At the hotel?” Her lips moved. She seemed to be doing some internal calculations. “I only take cash. You got that amount on you?”
“No.”
“Cash up front. No exceptions.”
“Pretty steep up front.” I slid my gaze over her. “How do I know you’re gonna be worth it?”
“I’m worth it.” She blazed a confident smile at me.
“I’ll be the judge of that. Soon.”
Anticipation coursed through me. For the first time in a long time, I found myself not only engaged, but looking forward to something.
“You, sir, are getting a bargain since I’m not charging you for the first couple of smiles. From now on, the tack-on fee for those is a hundred each.”
Her grin widened, and my brain short-circuited on the brilliance of it.
“I’m sure you know,” she said softly, “that nothing worth having is ever free.”
~End of excerpt~
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Michelle Mankin is the New York Times bestselling author of the Black Cat Records series of novels.
