We Have Till Dawn - Cara Dee Page 0,3

There weren’t many good bars in his area, so we didn’t meet up there often.

I peered out the window as the last light left the horizon between the buildings. It was the time of day I liked the most, because it was when my New York City woke up. I loved all of it. The city lights, the noise, the energy, the people minding their own business.

If I could be paid to people watch, it would’ve been the career of my dreams.

Twenty minutes later, I had an Arby’s bag in one hand and my new key in the other.

I took the elevator up to the twenty-seventh floor and felt weirdly nervous. When Tina had given me the key earlier, it hadn’t felt real yet. It hadn’t even felt real when I’d gone in for a quick STI screening where Tina had sent me so many times before. But now, shit, I was getting back to it. Temporarily or not, I’d be a sex worker once more.

When I’d first started working for Tina, I’d actually loved it. I’d seen it as a well-paid adventure. Given the clientele that could afford browsing her, uh, menu, I’d dined with shy tech millionaires, fucked politicians, and received lavish gifts from closeted CEOs. I’d seen what New York had to offer from the most expensive hotel suites. Those who met with escorts to live out their secret fantasies and be themselves were usually the nicest. To them, we were escapes. But I’d also been with clients who treated us like objects. It was part of the job. There was no denying that.

Ultimately, though, what’d caused this dark void within me was the sense of being fleeting in someone’s life. To always exist on the fringes of another person’s life took a toll. According to my pop, it was something I’d gotten from my mother. She’d worn her heart on her sleeve when she was alive. I was similar. I loved people. I loved to help. It was why I worked with children at my brother’s academy. It was the most rewarding job I’d had.

Stepping out of the elevator, I glanced left then right. Eight apartments on each floor.

Three thousand dollars a week… All cash. In two months, I should be able to walk up to my brother and hand over almost twenty grand and make myself a partner in his business.

Two months. I could do this. I wanted to do this.

Apartment 2704 was mine. I turned the key in the lock and opened the door, and it was kinda fucking impossible to fight a grin. There was no entryway to speak of, and the place was small, but I loved it. It was one open space. Bathroom straight ahead, an alcove next to it just big enough for the bed and two nightstands that were already there, kitchen area to my left, closet behind the door, a small table with two chairs by the kitchen window.

The biggest window was six or so feet to the right, in the alcove, and I walked over to it with my Arby’s bag and dug out my brisket sandwich.

Fuck me, this could work. Amazing view of the best city in the world. The buildings glittered in the night. This one had thirty stories in total, and I knew there was a terrace on the roof. I’d go up there tomorrow night when I had my guitar here.

I took a bite of my sandwich and glanced down at the tiny cars on the street.

Then I took a little tour of my new home and decided there was no reason for me to return to Brooklyn tonight. There was fresh linen on the bed, shower products and toiletries in the bathroom, and even some water, fruit, and snacks in the kitchen.

Exposed brick walls painted white, state-of-the-art kitchen appliances, the softest towels, tiny spotlights under the four kitchen cupboards… There was no TV, but I spotted an iPad on one of the nightstands. Was this some fucking hotel? No pun intended.

There was a note on the table, so I sat down with my Arby’s bag and pulled out my soda and fries too. No “dear guest” or “esteemed whore” or anything; it went straight to the Wi-Fi password and some instructions.

Before each meeting, all lights had to be turned off, and the blackout curtains—whoa, blackout curtains? I snapped my gaze to the windows, and wouldja look at that. I’d missed those before. Okay, I had to shut them before the mystery man