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What does it matter, anyway? I’m fired, no doubt.
“I came back for my watch, and couldn’t help but overhear your conversation,” he says.
Gwen’s tone does a complete about-face and she is ready to prostrate herself to the man. She does this with all club members. “Mr. Natelli, I cannot tell you how sorry I am—”
But he stops her with a raised hand. “Gwen, Gwen, no need to overreact here. If this lovely young lady here is not Izzy, then I must tell you she did an excellent job in her place.”
Gwen’s mouth drops open as Max—or Mr. Natelli—crosses the room to the nightstand I saw him place some things in before we got started.
He slides open the drawer, and smiling, retrieves his watch. Snapping it back on his wrist, he turns to my boss.
“I gotta tell you, Gwen, I didn’t give this woman here much choice but to play along with me. It’s a credit to your hiring skills that even though she might not have been my scheduled girl today, she went with it anyway, making sure I had a good member experience. And her performance was up there with the best of them.”
Oh my gosh. He’s defending me.
He looks my way and rakes his fingers through his hair to clear the dark, curly strands from his forehead, then flashes me that one-dimple smile he gave me when he first entered the room.
His satisfaction aside, why didn’t I speak up when I had the chance? Tell the man I’d go get his date for him?
Why did I have to pretend to be something I wasn’t?
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
He heads for the door, but before he leaves, he turns and looks directly at me. “Since I now know you’re not Izzy, who are you?”
I think for a moment. “I… I’m Lu,” I say.
He doesn’t need to know my real name, does he? Everyone else, Gwen included, uses fake names.
“Lu,” he says, rolling the two letters off his tongue like they taste good.
Stop. Just stop.
“Lu, would you like to meet again?” he asks.
Oh god, no. I couldn’t do that. I never should have done what I just did, eating from the wicked apple. But weren’t we faced with temptation every day?
And didn’t I know better than to cave in to it?
Or did I? Did I choose this place, knowing I’d be tested, surrounded by sinners? That I’d be able to resist, as if I were better than them, somehow?
Did I want to be tempted?
Is that what drew me here?
I nod, almost imperceptibly, as if in doing so, God might not notice. “Y… yes, Mr. Natelli. If that’s what you would like, then of course.”
He slaps his hand on the doorjamb. “Excellent. And Gwen, I don’t think I need to tell you to be sure to treat my girl Lu here as well as you treat the other girls. Am I understood?”
His face is covered in a huge smile, but his eyes carry a warning not even I can miss.
Gwen nods dutifully. “Of course, Mr. Natelli. Anytime you want to meet with… Lu, just let me know.” She turns back to face me as he takes off, her expression a modicum kinder. I guess now that she realizes I have some value besides cleaning up cum, I am more deserving of her miserly, reluctant respect.
Such a horrible woman.
With Max gone, Gwen glances around the room to make sure it’s in tip-top shape and turns back to me.
“Did you enjoy it?” she asks, her words dripping with annoyance.
