Into The Fire - E. L. Todd Page 0,88
who can’t get his own date?” he snapped.
“A heartbroken man who’s trying to get his ex back.” My purpose was to make her jealous and realize what she lost. It was easy money. All I had to do was stand beside him and laugh at any joke he made.
“Well…that’s childish,” he said. “You should drop him.”
“He’s really nice.”
He didn’t hear what I said. “You should drop all your clients. This job is stupid anyway. Do something else.”
Ash was never bossy and controlling, at least about things that existed outside the two of us. He never told me what to do or where to go. He didn’t even ask me about work. “It’s not stupid. I actually help people and I like it.”
“Come on, you’re basically a prostitute.”
My eyes widened to orbs and I prepared to punch him in the face. “Excuse me?”
“I mean…” He tried to backpedal. “It’s just…you’re better than this. Find something else that doesn’t make you work nights and weekends. Do you really like your hours?”
“I don’t mind them.”
“You’re full of it.”
“I like the salary. I’ll never make this much money doing anything else.”
“Since when did you start caring about money?” he snapped. “There are other things that are more important, like respect and dignity.”
I wanted to strangle him. “What the hell is your problem, Ash? You never had a problem with my job until now. When I told you I used to be a stripper, you didn’t care. Now, all of a sudden, you’re acting like I’m a whore.”
He clenched his jaw and looked away.
“Knock it off or I’ll knock you out.”
He rubbed his palms together aggressively. “I just don’t like it, okay?”
“That’s too damn bad. You’ll need to get over it.”
He turned back to me, his eyes dark. “I don’t like guys touching you.”
“It’s just handholding or waist touching.”
“I don’t like any kind of touching,” he snapped. “You’re mine. Who knows what their intent is. What if they try to hold you down and rape you or something?”
“Now you know why we only meet in public places.”
“Even then, he can hold a knife to you through his coat and take you somewhere.”
“All his info is on file at the office so it would be really stupid to pull a stunt like that.”
“Well, people are stupid,” he snapped. “Alessandra, I don’t like this. You’re quitting.”
“I’m quitting?” I asked incredulously.
“How would you feel if I touched women all day as part of my job?”
“You do, idiot.”
“No, I don’t,” he argued.
“You ink on people’s bodies. You mark people’s genitals and breasts. You even pierce clits. What you do for a living is way worse than what I do. I don’t stare at men’s junk and get paid for it.”
“It’s not the same thing and you know it.”
“It’s the exact same thing.”
“No, it’s not. A girl can’t hold me down and force me to do anything.”
“And you risk getting infections that way. You’re dealing with people’s blood.”
“I wear gloves,” he snapped. “I’m always careful.”
I held up my hand to silence him. “You don’t have to explain or prove anything to me when it comes to your job. I’ve accepted your career from the beginning because I know you love it. I’m always supportive of your dreams. You need to do the same for me. I’m sorry if you don’t approve of it but it doesn’t change anything.”
He gave me a cold look as he breathed hard.
“Just let it go, Ash. You’re wasting your time.”
He didn’t back off. “When we first met, you wouldn’t let me walk you home. You said it was a safety precaution because you didn’t want people to know where you lived. I know something happened to you. Now tell me what it is.”
I was hoping he had forgotten about that. Ash was a little dense sometimes but he had the memory of an elephant. “Nothing happened, Ash. I’m just careful.”
“Don’t fucking lie to me.” Spit flew from his mouth in the heat of his anger. “You gave me shit because you thought I lied to you, and now you’re lying to me. That’s a little hypocritical, isn’t it?”
I pressed my lips tightly together.
“Alessandra, you’re going to tell me.” He got in my face, threatening me with his proximity. “And you aren’t going to lie. I’ll know.”
I didn’t want to tell him because I didn’t want to hurt him. I kept my secrets to myself because they were easier to bury that way.
“Now.”
“I don’t want to talk about it so drop it.”
“No,” he hissed. “I’m not