The Arrangement Anthology (52 page)

“See you later?”

“Yeah.”

When did my life turn to shit? Was it before or after I met Black? I’m not sure anymore. It seems that I traded one set of problems for another.

As I watch Marty board his boat
, regret squeezes my ribcage with its giant hands. I wish things could go back to the way they were. Life before Black was less complicated. I was poor, but I had friends. Now I have the cash I need to do what I want, but I’ve damaged all of my relationships—and my heart.

When I get back to the room, Amber is gone. Relieved, I jump in the shower and let the scalding water turn me lobster-colored. When I get out, I step from the tiny bathroom with a towel around my body and dripping hair. I seriously need to do wash because there never seems to be enough towels.

My phone chirps, so I walk over
to it. Tucking a damp piece of hair behind my ear, I look down at the text message, hoping beyond reason that it’s Sean and that he’s changed his mind. But when I lift it and look at the screen, it isn’t. Hope is stupid. It keeps making me do irrational things. Sean isn’t coming back for me—he’s gone. I need to accept it and move on.

There’s a picture of Marty holding a tiny fish with his yellow gloves. It makes me smile. He’s such a dork, but I know he sent it to try and cheer me up.

Mel plows through the door, and looks up at me. “Where the hell do you think we live? In fucking Banjo-land? Lock your damn door, Avery. I could have been a serial killer for Chrissakes.”

“Or Naked G
uy.” Mel and I shudder in unison as our faces scrunch up in disgust. I grab my brush and start on my hair. “He offered to do me after Amber this morning. Real classy.”

“You want me to show him my mad ninja skills with knives? That’ll turn him whiter than he already is.” Mel grins like she’s thinking about something specific, which is a little bit scary.

“You don’t need to cut anyone for me. I’m good.” I flip my hair over and brush it out. “I’ll take a rain check.”

“Oh? You got plans or something?”

Flipping my hair back, I nearly fall over. Mel laughs at me as I blink and steady myself. “Nah, it’s just Black. She kind of scares the crap out of me.”

Mel makes a sound of agreement and plops down on my bed. It’s still made and looked pretty before Mel rolled on it. She kicks off her shoes and pulls her feet up. “So, I guess now that
Psycho Romeo is gone, you want out? All that talk this morning was just talk, right?”

“I can’t quit. I need enough money to finish grad school.” Mel doesn’t say anything, but her expression speaks for her. She thinks that I should leave. “I’m going to load up my schedule now, sign a bunch of contracts, and then bust my ass in summer sessions. I have to prove to the university that I can handle the grad
uate work.”

“How many contracts are you going to sign? I never sign more than one at a time. It seems too risky and Black isn’t someone you mess around with, Avery. That’s a seriously bad plan.”

I feel dead inside, and it comes across in my voice when I speak. “I just want to get on with my life.”

“So do I, but this is a seriously bad plan. Did you tell anyone else?”

My eyes flick up and meet hers. “You mean Marty? Not really. He said it was killing him. I don’t want to hurt him.”

“He’d tell you that you were being stupid. What would you tell him?”

“That I have to stay alive and this is the only way I know to do it.”

Mel shakes her head. “You’re making a mistake.”

I’m so stressed out that I can’t stand to hear her words right now. “I could really use your support on this. It’s going to be hard enough without you telling me that I’m an idiot.”

“Fine, let’s talk. You have a client in a couple of hours. How are you going to
do him? Black will start micromanaging you and ask this shit, so spit it out, Avery.” My face flames red as my eyes dart away from hers. “Shit, girl. You still blush? How could you blush? You fucked Freak Show how many times now, and you still turn cherry red when someone mentions sex. How old are you? Twelve?”

I want to prove to her that I can handle this. I make up a bunch of stuff and say it looking her in the eye. I give enough details that her mouth opens slightly. “I’m not an idiot, I just don’t like talking about it.”

“Well, if you do that with Henry Thomas, Black will never ask you anything again.”

I nod. “That’s what I was thinking.”

“Where’d you learn that shit from anyway? I didn’t think you had it in you.” Mel is halfway stuck between impressed and concerned. The only reason she’s concerned is because it’s me and I’m fragile.

But I’m sick of it. I want
ed control over my life, so I took it. I learned what I need to know to do this job and I’ll do it. “I looked it up. There was a Q&A from some chick that works a Vegas brothel. She posted it and a ton of guys said she was right—that it’s majorly awesome. I figured that I have to be beyond acceptable to get Black off my back.” I shrug like it doesn’t matter.

Mel pushes off the bed. “I’m sorry I took you to Black. I screwed up, Avery. And that’s the last I’m going to say about that, because no matter what we do, we can’t change
that. Not now. So, I’ll help you out and be Ms. Supportive, no matter what crazy crap you decide.”

Gabe meets me at the elevators. Since it’s Sunday afternoon the offices are empty. “What kind of company is here during the day?”

Gabe gives me a look that say
s I shouldn’t be asking, but he answers anyway. “Calling center.”

“For what? Insurance?”

He grins. “You could call it that.”

Okay, so it’s not an insurance center. My next guess is something tawdry like a phone
sex operator calling center. Do they even have those? As I walk past desks, I imagine what it would have to sound like in here if that were going on, which doesn’t match what I saw last time I walked in when everyone was working.

“She’s not in a good mood, so don’t piss her off. Say yes to whatever she offers and get the hell out.” Gabe talks softly—well, for Gabe—and deposits me at Black’s door. “I’ll bring the car around and wait for you downstairs.”

Gabe disappears and my heart races harder. I knock on the door, lightly.

Miss Black snaps, “Enter.” When I push into the room, I see her sorting through papers
, looking beyond irritated. There’s a ruler clutched in her right hand and a pen in the other. “I see you lost another client.”

“Who was the first one?”

Miss Black stops what she’s doing and looks up at me sharply. She drops the pen and snaps her fingers at me. “Take it off. I have no time for you right now.” She snaps again before I realize she wants me to disrobe.

I wriggle out of my black dress and
stand there like livestock. At least I’m not naked. Miss Black circles me with her hand on her chin and that ruler gripped loosely in her hand. I’m wearing a lacy black shelf bra that doesn’t contain my nipples. It’s paired with a garter belt that’s holding up lace-topped thigh highs and a panty that’s nothing more than a piece of string.

I seriously hate this part of inspection. As Miss Black passes behind me, I’m whacked on my backside. I yelp and feel the
sting of the ruler. I round on her. Before I can say anything, she shakes her head, like she’s upset with me. “You’re not taking care of yourself, Avery. Your backside is too wide.”

“It is not! I weigh the same as I did when I got here.”

“You had more muscle when you got here. Firm that up immediately. Our girls don’t have droopy cheeks.”

I glance down at my ass. It’s not dro
opy. I want to argue with her, but I don’t. Gabe’s warning is in my mind, so I nod and agree with her. “I’ll fix it.”

“You will or I’ll fix it for you, set you up with some men who will firm it up due to their
particular preferences, if you catch my meaning.”

I nod. “Whatever you think, Miss Black.” I
despise this part. I wish it was over, but Black stands there with her ruler like she wants to beat me with it.

She snaps at me. “Get dressed. I’m tired of looking at you.”

As I pull on my dress, I ask, “Do you have more work for me?”

Miss Black looks at me and laughs, like I’m asking for something crazy. “You want more work? You haven’t had sex with two clients yet and you’re asking for more?”

I nod as I zip up my dress. “I’ll take care of Mr. Thomas.”

“
You will or I’ll give you to one of the mindless security thugs as a plaything.” Miss Black is shifting through papers on her desk as she speaks. “Since you’re so determined, here is a new client. I don’t have his papers completed yet and I’m still waiting on pictures, but he wanted to book you for next weekend.”

“Me? He specifically asked for me?”

“Yes, although I don’t see why.” She shoves a blank contract at me. “Sign this and I’ll get the rest filled in later.” I take the pen and sign. She shoves a preferences sheet at me. “Update this as well.”

I flip the paper around and look up at her. “I get paid more if it’s blank, right?” She nods. Her dark eyes hold mine for a moment, like she thinks I’m weak. It pisses me off. I’m not weak. I’ve put up with more crap than she has, I’m sure of it. Besides, after what Sean did to me, I don’t see how
anything could be worse. I push the paper back to her, blank.

“Do you expect me to be impressed? You play these games
, Avery, but can you honestly perform when a client wants to have anal sex with you? What if he wants to use beads? Clamps? Or other things that frighten you? You’re all talk, and I know it. Check off the things you won’t do on the sheet.”

Shaking my head, I say, “No, I’m in this up to my neck. I don’t care what he wants to do, I’ll do it.”

“This client specifically requested some odd things. Last chance, little girl. Don’t bite off more than you can chew, because he will demand it, and have every right to take it from you.” It feels like she’s trying to scare me off, but I don’t let her.

I fold my arms over my chest. “Can I go now?”

She grins triumphantly and I realize that I was played. Her tactics are making me keep that sheet blank. “Yes, dear. Go and make sure Mr. Thomas comes begging for more.”

My stomach is twisting in knots as Gabe drives me closer to the hotel. I fish my bracelet out of my bag and put it on. My hand is shaking so much that I have trouble getting the clasp to lock. When Gabe hits a pothole, I fumble and drop it.

“Sorry about that
. The streets haven’t been the same since Sandy.” They really haven’t. That damn hurricane literally ate half the seashore, along with Ocean Parkway and a ton of houses. There are parts of Long Island that look abandoned with houses that look like skeleton’s covered in black mold. Tattered tarps have been shredded to ruins like the building beneath.

“It’s okay. I’m just nervous, I guess.”

Gabe is uncharacteristically silent. It drives me nuts, so I blurt out, “Just say it. Yell at me for not wearing a coat and agreeing to sleep with half of New York. Go ahead and say it. It won’t make any difference now anyway.”

“Which is why I’m not saying nothing.” Gabe’s old eyes meet mine in the rearview
mirror. The car dips again as it moves over uneven pavement. A car cuts off someone in front of us and horns blare before the telltale sound of a collision.

“
Awh, Jesus Christ—” Gabe lurches the car to the side while I try to get my bracelet around my wrist. It catches just as the old guy takes a less conventional route around the accident with two tires up on the sidewalk. He leans on his horn and the pedestrians jump out of the way.

I glance behind us to see a wake of angry people flipping us the bird with extra
enthusiasm. I hold onto my ‘oh shit’ strap and try not to scream. Gabe goes down half a city block on the curb before getting around the accident. “Sorry, if we’re late, Black will skin me. She’s in a foul mood.”

“Why? She doesn’t have enough money to roll around in?” My arms are folded over my chest. I repress a shiver but it makes me
spasm anyway.

Gabe reaches over and cranks up the heater. “
Nah, supply and demand problems. She has more client requests than she can fill. Black knows she’s losing money and pissing away cash ticks her off.”

“What?
” This is news to me. I thought I was expendable, as in totally replaceable. “Like she doesn’t have enough call girls?”

Gabe smirks at me in the mirror. “I didn’t say that. Did you hear me say that?”

Crazy old man. I shake my head and smile at him. “Just because you didn’t say it doesn’t mean anything. She’ll kill you if she figures out that you told me anything.”

“Yeah, but I’m the one she sends for shit like that and it’s not like I plan on
roughing up my own face, so I think we’re okay.

“Besides, m
y point is that she needs you. Don’t let her push you into things you don’t want to do. You’re a tenderfoot with all this. You shouldn’t have more than one guy a weekend—she knows that—but she accepted these clients and has to deliver someone.”