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I stuffed the business card into my little clutch that was now about to burst at the seams thanks to the wad of hundreds he’d given me earlier.
“We’ll see,” I said, and then spun around before I could stand there and say more. Before I could ask all the questions that were brimming in the back of my mind.
Jesse looked back for me, more than once, giving me exquisite details on the fact that Crossland didn’t take his eyes off of us as we walked away, not until we were completely out of sight from each other.
I don’t know why that made me smile, but it did. Guess there was something to be said for holding the attention of somebody supposedly so powerful, but I didn’t truly know who he was. He could be one of those super scary rich guys who collected people like pets and diamonds like candy.
Tonight had been way too weird, but as we stopped in front of the line that snaked in front of my favorite street vendor, I managed to get my breathing in check and my mind clear.
I’d chalk this up to a hilarious story I’d tell repeatedly throughout the years, and I’d never see Crossland again.
Because this wasn’t some romantic comedy movie or Hallmark special where some gorgeous billionaire sweeps in and fixes my life. That’s not how the real world worked.
In the real world, I preferred food truck tacos over exclusive bars.
In the real world, I worked as a barista, not a high-paid escort that helps some rich guy win a bet.
“You didn’t give me oat milk! You gave me whole milk. I orderedoat milk!”
“No, you said whole?—”
“I paid seven dollars for this latte,” the lady snapped, smacking her hands down on the counter that separated us. “Now move your ass and make my drink the right way. Or do I need to talk to your manager?”
I was half-tempted to go to the back and grab Chels because she certainly would get a kick out of throwing this customer out, but instead, I took a deep breath and spun around to make the lady a fresh drink.
I was too wiped out to fight today, and she was my third angry customer in the past two hours. Once I finished making her drink, I handed it to her, plastering the best smile possible on my face.
“So sorry for the inconvenience, ma’am,” I said.
The woman rolled her eyes and snatched the cup out of my hands before stomping away.
There was a break in the rush, and I rubbed my palms into my eyes, trying to generate some life there. I’d had a headache since ten minutes into my shift, which I started at five a.m.
It was just after twelve now, and I was practically dead on my feet, but I picked up a few extra hours to cover for someone who was out sick.
Everyone here always counted on me to cover their shift, not because I was super dependable, but because I needed the money, and everyone knew it.
Brecken may have gotten a few grants for her first year at NYU, but I’d blown through my life savings on the rest of tuition. And it was only thefirstsemester. I had no idea how I was going to buy her a second, but I would never tell her that. I just needed one of these fucking banks to cut me a break.
I had an appointment with a loan advisor after my shift—the third bank I’d tried this month.
I cleaned up the counters, refilling the cream and sugar stations and the napkin holders, losing myself in the routine of my day-to-day at work. I thoroughly enjoyed the quiet between rushes, especially after today had been a fuck-all of a day. I could probably blame it on how late I stayed out with Jesse last night, but I’d needed it, so it made whatever hell came my way today worth it.
The memory of being perched on Crossland’s lap flashed red hot through my mind.
It wasn’t the first time he—and his offer—had crossed my mind today. The ten grand was absolutely going to give me some breathing room for the next two months, especially if I budgeted properly.
But with the debt piling up, and the interest killing me on the two credit cards I’d maxed out to get Brecken necessities for her dorm room and books for the semester, it was hardnotto think about his offer. I mean, one million was probably nothing to him, but it would change my life.
I was already one of thebest budget bitches around, according to Jesse, so it’s not like I’d blow the newly found cash on?—
No, what was I thinking?
I couldn’t possibly take Crossland up on his offer. Who knew what heactuallywanted me to do? He might claim he needed me to pretend to be his girlfriend for three months to win a bet, but what if all he wanted was an on-call fuck? Or maybe he’d be like that guy in that movie and he’d trap me in a locked room and surgically remove pieces of me to feed to other rich people?
An ice-cold shiver raced down my spine, and I laughed at myself as I finished tidying up. My imagination and the ability to picture the worst-case scenario in every possible situation was some unavoidable gift of mine.
Crossland could’ve done a lot more in the thirty minutes he’d bought with that ten grand last night, but he hadn’t. I’d been perched on his lap, even going as far as wiggling around a little to see how he’d react, and he hadn’t so much asattemptedto take advantage. Hell, he’d barely even touched me unless he needed to. I highly doubted he was like the murderer in the movie, but one could never be too careful.
