stuck a stake into the ground and claimed the spot as her own. She rises in greeting, inhaling as if she’ll say something to me this time. I don’t give her the opportunity, walking past her post without a second glance. Inez’s office door opens as I’m reaching for the handle. We come face-to-face, flustered and taken off guard.
Inez exhales audibly, dropping her purse from her shoulder to her hand. I harden my expression and push past her into the office.
“Where have you been?” Inez asks. “I was on my way to your apartment. I’ve been—”
“The next time you think about asking me to do you a favor, don’t.” I pour myself a stiff drink from the liquor bar. Last night’s vodka turned on me this morning, splitting my head in half. “The money I bring in on a regular basis is sufficient. I shouldn’t have to do your bidding.”
Inez closes the door and joins me at the bar, pouring herself twice the amount I have. “Did he hit you?”
“That might have hurt less,” I answer before tossing the shot back and pressing the cool glass to my forehead. Hush escorts fall victim to physical abuse from time to time, but my clients wouldn’t dare touch me in such a way. But the men who’ve paid me for sex in the past have abused me. It’s an unfortunate side effect for girls behaving like women on the streets.
“Sit, dear,” Inez orders, pushing me toward the chair in front of her desk. “You look like hell. Let me pour you another drink while you tell me the story.”
Ice clinks against the inside of my glass as she hands it over. She scoots beside me, resting a gentle hand on my knee. Looking from the liquor to her, I choose liquor and sip. Talent is a dick, but Inez took advantage of me after I told her I didn’t want the Ridge job. My wrath belongs to her just as much as it does him.
“I’m sorry to report that Ridge & Sons won’t be regular clients of mine—or yours,” I say, licking vanilla and oak bourbon from my lips. It’s when I notice my nail polish is chipped and my left shoe is untied. When’s the last time I left the house in ripped jeans and a hoodie like I have today? Yet, here I am, completely disheveled and a stranger to myself.
Inez scoffs, waving me away. “I don’t believe he wasn’t satisfied with you. It’s impossible.”
Wishing away the memory of Talent’s cock sliding up the inside of my thigh before impaling me in a single thrust, I adjust in my chair and note, “He was completely satisfied with the entertainment. The issue was afterward when he claimed not to have hired me in the first place.”
“That’s absurd.” Inez stands to her feet, taking her rightful place on the throne behind the desk. Gone is the concerned mother-type worried about her brood, making way for the ruthless pimp instead. Her merciless glow straightens my own spine, and I find myself wishing I wore better shoes. “What did he say? Word for word?”
“He said,” I repeat myself, “he didn’t hire me.”
I don’t feel the need to explain the emotional unraveling I suffered after leaving Talent’s building, the binge drinking that ensued once my tears ran dry, or the fact that I rescheduled today’s clients to be here and therefore won’t have a day off for a week. No, Inez gets the bare minimum to stew over and face the same lack of control I feel.
How very daughter-like of me.
“Is it because he didn’t want to pay?” she muses. Inez picks up her phone and dials.
Returning her icy stare over the rim of my glass, I take another drink and wonder the same thing as warming liquid coats my tongue and warms my belly. Men with millions of dollars in their bank accounts, domestic and offshore alike, come with an aura of entitlement. They’re so used to their yes-men and yes-women bowing to their every command, that when it’s time to pay for their nut, they’re offended. How dare the Masters of the Universe pay for sex, even though they knowingly arranged a date with an escort, when they’re more powerful than some slut?
Inez never allows that to slide and collects what’s owed to her from everyone. But entitlement wasn’t the vibe I got from Talent. He looked genuinely confused.
“Naomi, we need to talk.” Inez’s expression hardens with her tone of voice, leaving zero