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The guard looked past me, and Clark must’ve nodded, because he released his hold. “You want me to stay in case she gets out of hand again?”
She growled, “If you want to see me get out of hand, touch me again.”
“You can go,” I ordered. This situation needed to be defused, quickly. Calmly I said, “Please accept our apologies. I believe there was a misunderstanding when we asked to speak to you.”
She crossed her arms and said, “You think? And someone owes me for last night.”
“Excuse me?” I wasn’t about to give her a penny.
“It’s twenty-five an hour for ten hours. I accept PayPal and ApplePay,” she stated, handing me her business card once again.
I looked at it and saw her payment information. “What exactly do you believe I owe you for?”
“Technically, I should charge you a lot more, because not only am I out an entire night’s work, but you’re also ruining my reputation. I’ve never let anyone down before and have no idea how I’m going to explain this to Greg.”
“Who is Greg?” Your pimp?
“He’s the guy who hired me for last night. And since I couldn’t deliver because you had me dragged away, you need to compensate me.”
Reading her card again, I highly doubted Lindsay Maxwell was her real name. “Don’t people use a more…interesting name like Candy or something like that?”
“What’s wrong with my name?” she questioned.
“Sounds businesslike,” I replied.
Clark chuckled from behind me and added, “Candy sounds like a stripper or prostitute.”
Glaring at me, nose wrinkled, and lips pursed, “Is that what you thought I was?” I didn’t need to answer. It was obvious. “You couldn’t afford me.” Her tone showed a confidence that would normally turn me off. “I’m self-employed with a legit business. Not that you actually read my card.”
“I did. That doesn’t mean I understand what you do exactly,” I said, and then wondered why I even cared. She was only here so we could tell her not to loiter in front of the building.
“People pay me to stand in line or wait in queues for them when they don’t have time or the desire to do so themselves,” she stated.
“I don’t know if that is considered a real job,” I responded.
“Not that I really care what you think, but since it pays all my bills and I pay taxes to the government, I would say it is.”
“She’s got you there,” Clark chuckled. I turned and shot him a warning look. He grinned at me, then turned his attention to Lindsay. “Why are you camping out in front of my building?”
“There’s a ticket office on the first floor. They are selling what my client needs. Of course, I lost my spot when your goon dragged me up here. Which means I will not get the VIP tickets that were requested. I’m sure you understand that if I don’t deliver, I don’t get paid,” she sighed. “I’m cold, tired, and now…”
“Angry,” I completed. She nodded. “And you believe this is our fault?” She agreed again. “I would like to point out a few reasons why you’re wrong, but in my business, time is money, and doing so, would be a waste of mine.” I opened my wallet and pulled out three one-hundred-dollar bills and handed them to her. “This should cover your time loss.”
Lindsay counted the money and then looked at me. “My time, yes. But what about Greg? He was counting on me. How do I explain that I didn’t get the VIP tickets he needed?”
“That’s his issue,” I stated flatly.
“No. It’s mine. Word of mouth is important in this business. If he gives me a bad review, I’ll lose future clients.”
“And you believe I should compensate for you for any future loss as well?” Her request was beyond outrageous and I fought back a laugh.
“No. I’m suggesting you find a way to get those tickets for me since you’re the reason I don’t have them for Greg,” she stated firmly, her chin high in the air.
Wow. Most men thought twice about telling me what to do, never mind a woman of such small stature. “And how do you believe I can achieve this?” I’m sure I could throw money out there and purchase whatever it was Greg wanted. But once again, why?
Clark said, “Phillip, if you don’t think you can pull it off, I’m sure I can.”
I knew what Clark was doing. He’d done it all his life. Always competing with me, but I never took the bait. What was it about this that made me want to shut him down? I didn’t know Lindsay and after today, I’d never see her again. Yet I couldn’t let Clark be the one to get those tickets for her.
