Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 130(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25940 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 130(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
That all changes when my young prankster of a brother calls to tell me he’s got a gift coming to me for my fortieth birthday. I never expected it to come in the sweet package that’s standing right in front of me. She’s soft and sweet, everything I’m not and don’t want, the only problem? I want to unwrap every delicious inch of her.
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ONE
Cadence
“Don’t forget your bag. I took the time to fill it to the brim with goodies that I think you’ll need for your first night on the job,” Rachel, my now new boss, tells me. This is not what I planned to do after graduating from college. I had high hopes of becoming a veterinarian all through school. From the age of six until I started college, that’s what I was hellbent on doing. It turned out that I couldn’t stomach seeing an animal in pain. I veered paths, and while doing so racked up so much debt that I’m now working two jobs, this one and a daytime job as a receptionist at a doctor’s office. Which, by the way, pays a penny on the dollars after you deduct health, dental, and vision insurance. It does help keep a roof over my head even if that means scrimping and scouring, trying to build a nest egg while climbing my way out of debt created by student loans.
I was complaining to one of the ladies at the office while our doctor was behind. A patient must have overheard because when I was checking her out, she quietly told me about a job that would make me bank with minimal effort. The patient, Katy, slid me a card with the phone number, and here I am.
“That’s really thoughtful.” I open the bag and notice a few things that have me perplexed, yet not enough to ask a hundred more questions. You see, I’ve been sitting here for the better part of an hour. I was assured this was only a dating service for the wealthy of the wealthiest. These men are looking for a woman on their arm for an event, date, or meeting. Whichever they prefer, you get a text on a work phone with the time and place, as well as dress code, a driver picks you up at your doorstep, and then you spend the evening with a man you’ll never have to see again if you so choose. A driver from the company, not the man, brings you home to keep your address hidden from everyone else. It seemed like a win-win to me; plus, when you need the money, money like what I’ll be making, it’s way better than sending feet pictures, or so I’d like to think.
“Trust me on the cough drops; you’ll thank me later.” Rachel winks. I wrack my brain on why they’d be significant. I nod in agreement even though my mind is lost in a land that’s trying to decipher what all of these paraphernalia would be used for. Katy, the patient at my office, swore up and down this was only a dating service, nothing more and nothing less. The lead sitting heavy in my stomach is attempting to tell me something else. I push those thoughts down. There’s no time like the present, and the faster I’m on the call list, the faster I’m making money. And when you have a pile of debt up to your ears, barely making the minimum payment on your one and only credit card, it scares you. Yes, I know the correct thing to do would be to use my savings and pay it off. That being said, if the other shoe fell flat on my face, I’d be really screwed. Chalk it up to another mistake in my life. My family is in Vegas, and I thought I could make it in Los Angeles.
“Thanks, Rachel.” She stands up first, giving me the universal sign that it’s time to wrap it up. I follow her lead, holding my hand out to shake hers, and while I’m nervous, I also feel really good about it.
“You’re welcome. Keep your phone on you. I’m sure a pretty girl like yourself, you’ll be busy in no time.” Where Rachel is tall, lean, with blonde hair, blue eyes, model status, I’m short, curvy, have jet-black hair, and green eyes. I’m a dime a dozen in Los Angeles.
“I hope so.” I tuck a loose tendril that’s escaped from the chignon behind my ear. The twisted metal gold hair pin isn’t keeping its hold like I hoped it would when I got ready for this interview.
“Beauty, brains, and she’s shy. A trifecta of sorts.” Rachel mutters that more to herself than to me. Even if I do happen to catch what she says, there’s no reason for me to comment on it. It’s sweet that she sees me that way even if I don’t see it in myself. “See you soon, Cadence.” This time, Rachel talks loud enough that I know it’s for my ears.
“Have a great day,” I reply, disengaging from our handshake. To reach this portion of the interview process and being hired on has taken weeks. So many forms had to be filled out, I swear my eyes were burning, and I was ready for it to be done. There’s a pep in my step that I didn’t have before coming in today. In fact, I was sure I’d get here, and Rachel would say thanks, but no thanks. I guess this is cause for a celebration in the form of something else than a cup of noodles. Maybe I’ll even stop at the grocery store to buy some premade sushi and a bottle of cheap wine, then call Hendrix. After all she’s not only my cousin but also told me that sometimes, taking chances isn’t always as scary as it seems to be.