I groan and roll over.
“Wake up. Wake up!” she yells, grabbing the blanket and pulling it off my warm body. A cold breeze rushes up my legs, causing goose bumps. I curl into myself for warmth and scowl at Jean.
“Breakfast.” She points to the end table next to the bed. I follow her finger to a stack of pancakes and OJ. The smell of hot, buttery pancakes lights the wick to my appetite and my stomach growls.
“When you’re finished, you’re to meet Landon in his office. Here are some more of the clothes Gabe bought you, as well.” She points to a bunch of bags next to the bathroom door. My eyes widen at the shopping bags with designer names printed on the sides. I didn’t know they bought me a whole new wardrobe.
“Thank you, Jean,” I mutter, rolling over for the plate of food.
After I eat and shower, I start pulling clothes from bags. I find some black slacks and a white blouse and put them on along with some gray heels before leaving my room.
I look down the hall at Landon’s door and sigh heavily. I have to be strong today, build my wall of defense or Landon will cause me to self-destruct from the inside out. I close my eyes. Why? Why does he affect me so much? I barely know him, yet my heart and body throb for him like a lifeline. Like I’m a sinking ship, and he’s the only one to save me from anchoring myself into the depths of no return.
I head toward the stairs, finding an older man and Veronica standing at the bottom talking. The man has pepper-colored hair and is wearing black dress pants and a white button-up shirt.
I take a step on the stairs, and it catches their attention.
“This is the new girl,” Veronica informs sweetly, her tone surprising me. But then again, I’m guessing the man is her stepdad, so she’s probably kissing his ass for something she wants. I cock my head to the side, not really sure what it is she does here to begin with.
The man squints, and his mouth slightly opens as he takes me in. “Is it now?” he questions, his voice cracking with age. A shiver races up my spine from his tone of voice, and my heart picks up its pace, causing my head to spin. I freeze at my body’s reaction. Taking a large breath, trying to calm myself, I head down the stairs, mustering a smile at both of them.
“I’m Charlie.” I hold my hand out to shake his.
“Charlie, I’m Miller.” He accepts my hand and shakes it, his eyes still taking me in. My palm goes ice cold when he touches it, but I’m not sure if my reaction is from his touch or his voice.
My temples throb, making my vision sway. I feel like a little kid meeting the monster beneath her bed for the first time. I can’t breathe, can’t focus. I take a deep breath, not sure why I’m reacting the way I am. I blink, trying to clear my thoughts before finding Miller looking right at me. His face is lined with wrinkles, and he has bags under his eyes. I tilt my head to the side, lost in the light-green orbs. His voice… it sounds familiar.
“There you are.” I slowly take my eyes from Miller to find Landon scowling at me, his hands in his suit pockets. He looks good, as usual. His dark hair is combed back, his toned body trying to rip through the material of his suit. Just by walking into the room, his body demands a powerful presence.
“This is the new girl, huh?” Miller asks, finally breaking his gaze with me for Landon.
“It is.” Landon nods.
“Miller, baby!” I look up the stairs and find a woman with dirty-blonde hair rushing down the steps. She’s wearing a white nightie and an untied champagne-colored robe.
She flies past me and wraps herself around Miller, the smell of her perfume causing me to gasp for air. She looks to be in her mid-thirties, and Miller looks to be in his sixties. The age gap is large and has me thinking she’s a gold digger. Not that I’m one to talk about being with men for money.
“You said you would be right back,” she pouts, trailing a manicured finger along his jawline. He looks down at the woman and gives a wrinkled smirk.
“I was just meeting our new girl. Tara, this is Charlie” He squints and cocks his head to the side, hitting me with that conflicted stare again.
“Oh, hello. I’m Tara,” she greets, her voice high-pitched.
“Hi.” I smile. My back breaks out in a nervous sweat, feeling Miller staring at me. I don’t need to see that he’s looking at me. I can just feel it.
“We have paperwork to do, Charlie,” Landon clips. I sigh in relief, actually thankful for that damn paperwork for once.
“Yes, well, I won’t keep you.” Miller gives a tight-lipped smile before heading past me with Tara close to his side. He glances over his shoulder, a look of confusion on his face as he and Tara make their way upward.
“Want to go for a swim, lover?” Tara asks him, bringing his attention back to her. She trails her hand along his neck and down the back of his shirt, revealing a few inches of skin. Tattooed skin.
“Charlie?” I hesitantly break my stare from Miller as he and Tara round the stairs to Landon who is looking at me with furrowed brows.
“I’m coming,” I mumble, looking back up the stairs to where Miller just left. Lost as to why my body races with dread when our eyes met.
FIFTEEN
CHARLIE
“Please sit.” Landon directs his hand toward the chair in front of his desk.
I comply, crossing my legs and sighing loudly. I’m so ready to get this over with.
“Rules are as follows,” Landon remarks, tapping his fingers on the desk, his other hand in his pocket. “You are to come to me every day for your agenda of clients.” Landon adjusts his tie and sits in his chair. “You will not receive any payment; that’s something I take care of beforehand. You are to make sure your clients wear protection at all times, and our doctor will be placing you on birth control when your test results have come back,” Landon rambles, as if he’s reading a list of rules off a piece of paper.
I nod, but all I’m really focusing on is the gorgeous green tree he has outside his window. Fresh air. I feel like I haven’t been outside in forever.
“If you are to escort a client to a function, you are to keep quiet unless spoken to. You are not the center of attention; the client is. Understood?” Landon’s voice is serious and stern, making me turn my gaze from the tree to him.
”Yeah,” I mutter, blinking rapidly to clear my thoughts of fresh air. He lowers his head and raises a brow at me, and I shrug and look away. I’m not sure what he wants from me. Hearing how you are to behave like an object and not a human, it’s breaking. But to show that emotion, he’ll just play off it, use my weakness as his power.
“Money. What you make will determine what you receive. But since you live here now, I don’t see money being a problem for you anymore. You’ll have anything you ever need.”
I roll my eyes and stare off.
“In that case, I’d like to send what I make to Jayden.” I cross my arms and sit back in my seat. Landon’s face takes on a softness, his lips parting with a look of shock. It’s like he’s surprised I would just give my money to Jayden. But if I have everything I need here, why make Jayden work in a dirty motel room for money, when I can just give her my earnings? I don’t need it.
He shakes his head, as if he’s clearing his thoughts, and slides a packet of papers across the desk to me. I arch a brow at him and lean forward to collect them and a pen.
“This is just some information for our records,” Landon explains. I look over the papers and notice it asks for name, health history, medications, and if I’m a drug abuser. I fill out the paperwork, starting with the question of any previous STDs or pregnancies, and if I have any family around the area. My eyes widen a little when I come to the question asking me for my number of sexual partners.
“Um, why do you need to know how many men I’ve slept with?” My eyes flicker from the paper to Landon.