“Done,” I answer.
“What?” she asks skeptically.
“All of it, done. I’ve got you covered. I’ll help with your sister’s business so you can work for her. You’re going to live with your sister, so that covers housing, we’ll make the perfect plan to stick it to Angela, I’ll easily pay off your student loans, and I know the perfect place to privately lie in the rain.”
She shakes her head. “You’re not paying off my student loans.”
“Why not?” I ask her.
“Because I’m not a hooker.”
I scratch the back of my head. “I don’t recall the time where I said I would pay you to fuck me.”
“You didn’t, but it just feels . . . weird. You paying me to be your escort.”
“First of all, you’re not an escort. Let’s throw that term right out the window, got it? Second of all, this isn’t about me, this is about us. This is a deal. An accord. A transaction between two people. We’ll both agree upon a fair bargain, and trade services, that’s it. Nothing more. Trust me, I’d pay a hefty amount of money to convince you to get on board. I’m sure the student loans can’t be that bad. How much do you owe?”
She winces and says, “Thirty thousand dollars.”
The corner of my mouth tilts up. “Chump change, Lottie.”
Her eyes widen. “I have a thirty-thousand-dollar debt and you’re calling that chump change?”
“Trust me when I say I have billions to work with.”
Confused, she asks, “Why are you telling me this? I could extort those billions from you.”
“Possibly, but I don’t think you will. You don’t seem to be that kind of person.”
“I’m not,” she says, deflated. “I wish I were; it would make this that much easier.”
I chuckle. “I’m glad you’re not someone who relies on extortion. Bodes well for me.” I stand there, hands in my pockets. Head down, I just lift my eyes to glance at her. “Say yes.”
She presses her lips together. “How do I know you’ll follow through on your end?”
“I’ll have my lawyers draw up a contract. Simple.”
Still seeming unsure, she stares down at her hands. “I don’t know.”
“Tell me why you don’t want to do it,” I say. In order for her to go through with this, she has to admit to whatever is holding her back.
“Just feels . . . wrong. I know I was the one who crazily sought out a rich husband to solve all my problems, but now that it’s halfway true, it just feels wrong. I’ve worked hard for everything I’ve earned; this feels like a freebie, and it doesn’t settle well with me.”
I can understand that feeling. If it weren’t for my dad, we wouldn’t have the business we have today.
“I understand the pride you have in working for everything you’ve earned in life. I understand that all too well. But do you know how we started our business?”
She shakes her head. “I honestly know nothing about you.”
“Well, it was with an idea and insurance money from my dad’s passing. Without that insurance money, there’s no way we would be where we are today. Yes, hard work, hustle, and well-thought-out decisions made that money grow, but we needed that boost, that assistance. That starting point. Everyone needs both a strong start and a boost from time to time. Don’t look at this as a freebie, Lottie, look at it as a boost.”
“I guess that makes sense.” Her eyes flash to mine. “You might be offering me the deal of a lifetime, but I need you to know something.” She stands from her bed, and even though she’s a foot shorter than me, she still walks up to me and attempts to be intimidating. “I owe you nothing other than what I signed up for, and this little stunt you pulled today—it’s deceiving and it won’t happen again. Blackmailing, holding my truth against me, that’s bullshit, and I don’t like you very much for it.”
“Fair,” I say. “But I refuse to apologize for what I did.” Her gaze focuses on me. “I don’t apologize unless I regret something I did. I don’t regret this. As a businessman, I make the best decisions to help close in on my goal.”
“So that’s what this is—a business transaction?”
“Nothing more than that.”
“Good,” she says and then points to the door. “You can leave now.”
I shake my head. “Nice try, Lottie, but I’m going to need some information from you before I leave, and those things include your phone number, sister’s address, dress size, and shoe size.”