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She smiles softly.
“Thank you, Rick. I really appreciate it.” Then, the young woman smiles delightedly and crunches into her egg roll once more. “But the hardest thing about the cravings,” she explains, “is that one second you want only that one food and nothing else. But then the next day, you never want to see that food again so it makes for a weird flip-flop. But then on the third day, you’re back to that taboo food and devouring it like it’s your last meal on Earth.”
I raise my eyebrows. “That does sound crazy,” I chuckle.
Hannah nods. “It can be, but then again, eating has never been so delightful before. I swear, my taste buds are doing a happy dance on the hour, every hour. It’s like I’ve died and gone to Heaven.”
I chuckle. “I’m glad to hear that. It must be an incredible experience.”
She smiles up at me. “It is. And people need joy in their lives, right? So why not savor what we have here, today. It’s something that I learned at my job.”
I nod, quirking my head at her.
“You’re absolutely right, baby. Live in the moment because you don’t know which day will be your last. But do you mean your job at City Girls? Or something else?”
The pretty girl nods slowly.
“Actually, I’m a social worker in my real life. They gave me some time off for my pregnancy, so I decided to moonlight with City Girls.”
I lean back, surprised by the news that she has a life apart from the escort agency. But then, just as quickly, I realize that this makes complete sense because Hannah is a kind, gentle woman, so of course her life would be spent helping others. She’s obviously not a hardened prostitute who’s been walking the streets her whole life.
“Social work is very important,” I tell her. “Our civilization would fall apart without folks like you.”
She blushes and nods a bit. “Well, I don’t know about falling apart, but I like my job, for the most part. I work for Children’s Protective Services, so I’m a city employee. What I do is really rewarding, but as you can guess, it can break your heart too.”
I nod.
“How so?”
She pauses, her eyes sad for a moment.
“I see a lot of difficult situations,” Hannah finally speaks in a soft voice. “There are a lot of families struggling in the city, and sometimes, it’s through no fault of their own. Even if it is, it’s definitely not the fault of the children, and that’s who I’m really trying to help.”
I nod. “Of course. I’m impressed, sweetheart. You’re obviously very giving.”
It’s true too because I adore this woman’s depth and sensitivity. Again, the women I’ve dated in the past only cared about one thing it seemed like, and that was themselves.
“Anyways,” Hannah continues with a determined smile. “I do what I can, and try to work within the system to improve the lives of children. It’s challenging, but very worthwhile.”
I nod again.
“Of course,” I say quietly. “Thank you for your hard work, sweetheart. You are incredible.” Meanwhile, my heart contracts painfully in my chest as I look at Hannah’s pretty features and soft brown hair. What is this spell that this woman has cast over me? I wonder in awe. I’m neither a gentle nor patient man, but somehow, this woman has turned me into a bowl of mush. Go figure. As if reading my mind, she smiles gently.
“What about you?” Hannah murmurs.
“What do you mean?” I growl.
“What do you do for a living?” she asks innocently.
I pause for a moment because I’m not exactly sure how to answer this question. Of course, there are the answers that I spoon-feed acquaintances, but those aren’t appropriate for this situation. Instead, I go with the truth.
“Actually, I don’t work,” I tell her candidly.
Hannah is speechless for a moment. “But how do you make money?” she finally manages.
I nod.
“I’ve already made all the money I need,” I explain slowly. “And at this point, the kingdom kind of runs itself, so there’s no need to slave away,” I say in a light tone. “There’s definitely no reason to show up for a 9-t0-5.”
She blinks, astonished.
“But what do you do in your home office?” she asks. “I thought you were working.” I pause once more.
“Well, I spend a lot of time reading and researching new investment opportunities. For example, real estate has been a passion of mine for decades, and I invest in properties all around the city. The market’s always changing, so I read a lot of trade publications and often visit properties just to keep an eye on things.”
Hannah nods.
“Well, that’s work,”
I shrug and smile.
“Not really. Not if you like it.”
She laughs.
“Okay, so we’re going to argue what constitutes work and not-work, I see.”
I shrug.
“Maybe. It’s hard to define a “job” when you genuinely enjoy what you do. I guess I have more of a passion, and not so much of a slog,” I say in a droll tone, making her laugh.
