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It was enough that Louise helped me get a job at Ilona’s. I wasn’t going to ask for anything else. “You know why, Giselle,” I whispered and pursed my lips for a moment. “She got out. You don’t call people who got out—to come back. You rejoice that they got a ride out, and pray the same will happen for you one day.”
Her eyes rolled back as she stood up. “You are crazy. Louise loves you. She’d do anything for you.”
“I still need to go back to work,” I said, telling her the truth she already knew.
“You hardly make any money at that bar. What’s that going to pay for?” she said, talking about the bar where I picked up a shift or two a week. It wasn’t great pay because that place was never busy. Which also meant the tips were crappy.
But, it worked as a great cover when I took a job at Ilona’s. Nobody questioned me working late into the night.
“I’m not talking about at the bar,” I said, staring at her as she gazed down at me.
Her face dropped. “No! Eve, you can’t!”
“It’s my job.”
“Cherry?”the older man asked when he opened the door. His hair was completely white, and I’d put him in his late fifties if I had to guess.
It looked like he took care of himself—he didn’t have much of a paunch or anything.
And his smile looked kind.
“Yes, Javier?” I asked before stepping into the hotel room. His cologne was pretty overpowering, but that wasn’t anything new.
I found a lot of guys overindulged in that stuff—especially if they were new to the company.
I did what I always did and shut my mind off.
It wasn’t an easy thing to do.
But clients could tell when you weren’t “invested” in the job.
All that got you was a bad time and bad reviews.
So, I’d learned pretty quickly to shut off my emotions and only concentrate on the task at hand.
“Let’s get the formalities out of the way first, okay?” I suggested, pulling out my phone. I did all the required check-ins and so did Javier. I noticed his hands shook a bit as he plugged in the information into his phone.
Probably just nerves.
That made something in my heart squeeze for him.
Every time I was with a John, I tried to genuinely pick out things that were endearing.
It was harder with some than others.
When I finally did pick out a few traits that I found likable, I concentrated on the positive. It helped me get into the mood faster.
And trust me, Johns could sense when you weren’t “all in.”
A small smile spread across my face.
His nerves definitely made him more human to me.
I could work with that.
He peered down at me after he powered off his phone. “You can call me, Javi,” he said, sliding his phone onto the top of the dresser. I noticed a few beads of sweat beginning to drip down his forehead. “Look, Cherry, I’ve never done this before,” he said, casting his eyes downward. “I lost my wife a year ago—and I just haven’t—”
I captured his hands in mine. His palms were sweaty, too, and I thought that was sweet.
