Page 15 of Serving Him

But the man shook his head disgustedly.

“Who says you’re going to get a second chance?” he snorted. “Who says the Billionaires Club likes sloppy seconds?”

That made me draw up short, mouth clamping shut. Oh shit, oh shit. If I didn’t get a second chance, then where did that leave me? I had no options, I had to make money somehow and auctioning myself was the only way I knew. What if I couldn’t go up again? What would happen?

And so I stared at Tom, eyes beseeching.

“Please,” I murmured again. “Please.”

But the small man was on some type of power trip. He just looked at his clipboard again and shuffled some papers around, clipping them efficiently at the top with a snap.

“There are no second bites at the apple here at the Billionaires Club,” he sniffed, wrinkling that rabbit nose. “You’ve been dismissed. I’ve got your papers here,” he gestured, holding the board out towards me.

And with shocked eyes, I saw a document titled “Release Papers” with my named written in block letters at the top.

Turning towards Tom, I looked at him again.

“I’m being sent home,” I said, voice leaden with finality. “Back to New York.”

The small man smirked.

“That’s right, there’s no room for losers here. This is a Club for Grade A girls, and you’re just not up to our standards,” he said, shrugging. “Sorry.”

I merely looked at him for a second. How could he say these words to me? How could he say that I was a loser, not good enough for them? How could you treat another human this way, the words rolling off your tongue like poison? But some people are just built different so I lifted my hand limply to sign, defeated. I’d screwed up the one thing that could make a difference to Mattie and Nana, they were depending on me, and I’d completely ruined it. What was going to happen now?

So looking at Tom once more, I gave it one last shot. I had to try. Speaking softly, I beseeched the man. “Please, let my family keep the advance. I can’t pay it back right now, but I promise I will. Just give me some time.”

The small guy’s head snapped my way, eyes alert.

“What advance?” he asked shortly. “The Club doesn’t pay advances.”

And suddenly, I realized just how much I’d messed up. Maria had given me some money from a discretionary slush fund, and hadn’t mentioned it to her boss. She’d acted out of the kindness of her heart, sensing my desperation, and now I’d let the cat of the bag.

“Oh it’s nothing,” I said quickly. “It’s nothing.”

But Tom was like a bloodhound on a trail.

“What advance?” he asked again sharply, ticking his pen impatiently against the clipboard. “What advance?”

And I was just about to open my mouth to spill the beans when suddenly a small buzzing sound went off. Immediately I glanced around the chamber, a little alarmed. Was there a camera in here? Was there a hidden camera somewhere, recording our every move? My nerves jangled, a chill running through my spine. There were probably cameras everywhere, every square inch of the Billionaires Club was probably covered in cameras.

But nothing could be seen, and instead it was Tom who jerked upright, like a puppeteer had tugged his strings. He listened intently, one finger pressed to his ear and I realized what the buzzing sound must have been. He was wearing an earpiece this whole time, I just hadn’t see it, it was so small and flesh-colored. And as the man nodded, he added a couple, “Yes sirs,” and “Of course, sir.”

I watched, befuddled. What was going on? But it didn’t matter. I’d already been dismissed, and not only that, but I’d outed myself and was going to have to pay back the advance. You’re such a dunce! my internal voice screamed. You’re such a dumb, clueless idiot Becky!

And I sank into myself on the hospital bed, curling into a small ball. It was all over. This grand experiment, this chance at life, was all over, and when I got back to New York, I was going to have to explain how I didn’t have a job, how the emergency funds I’d procured had to be paid back stat, and how … I don’t even know. There was no food, we’d have to stop by the shelter and beg for some groceries. Maybe I could harass Ellen once more, hoping to shake some money loose. But I knew that was probably a no-go, even if I could locate my mom.

So locked in misery, I barely heard when Tom snapped off his com line.

“Looks like you’re staying,” he snorted skeptically.

I remained unmoving on the bed, cold with despair, like a dead fish.

“Did you hear me?” he said sharply. “You’re staying.”

And slowly, I roused myself from the deep grey depths.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com