here because you want to succeed, otherwise, I guess it’s free housing and food… for a short period of time.”
“Doesn’t that piss you off? Make you want to cut me out?”
She blinked several times, adjusting her stance and finally walking around the chair before sitting in it. She crossed her legs and modestly arranged her skirt as his gaze followed her movements. The swish of her skirt exposed several inches of skin that mesmerized him temporarily. “You do realize you have about six weeks to prove yourself to us. Then we have the right to terminate our mentorship with you and pay for your return ticket home.”
“How do you determine if I’m a good enough boy during those six weeks?”
His use of the word boy was irritating her. Her jaw tightened as she pressed her lips together. Along with her knees. Ross enjoyed witnessing that. He liked to see his effect on her in such a physical way. Of course, she was damn well aware he was no boy and her reaction was driven by the man inside him.
“If you fail to meet with your liaison, which is, of course, me, we will terminate the agreement. We require a series of six check-ins. Really, we never have to use them in any formal way, because to date, every single applicant we’ve accepted in this program has been incredibly hardworking. They eagerly seek access to all of our resources as that’s the whole reason why they came here. But it’s your prerogative if you choose not to or you prefer to be difficult. For a few weeks, we’ll let you slide for free but after the six weeks, if we don’t have a record of the check-ins, we’ll send you off.”
“All right. So, I’ll behave.” He gave her a full once-over. “Sometimes, I mean, often.”
She shrugged. “You can literally do whatever you want as long as you’re not high or drunk on my time.”
“This is a weird-ass thing you all do.”
“It is. Rob made it up. I never heard of anything like it. That’s why I find it so interesting to be involved with.”
“And you don’t get any salary?”
“I do have my expenses paid. But it’s not as much as you’d think.” She rose to her feet suddenly. “I’ll let you get settled in here. When you’re ready to move forward, and get started, please text me. The number is on the paperwork I left there.”
Clipped and professional, she was finished with him and ready to leave.
She’d obviously had enough of him. Releasing a sigh of relief when she exited, he was more than happy to be free of her too. His nerves were strung tightly. Getting on the plane nearly took all his guts. Having never flown before, the terror that gripped him was shocking, fast, and sharp. Anxiety surged through his blood as the plane took off, and his throat swelled almost shut to prevent him from breathing. The plane bobbled and wobbled as it climbed and the ground dropped out from under him, a graphic illustration of his stomach and his guts sinking into his feet. He detested the entire experience. Getting into Seattle after a safe landing, the sweat drenched his body. But he dared not show it. Keeping his jangled nerves to himself, he pretended not to have any discomfort. He was not used to traveling, having never done so, and had to quit his job to come there. His fear and insecurity were magnified because he had zero savings to fall back on. This shit was it.
Yeah, he went to their website and read all the information, catalogues and brochures about the program. He wasn’t crazy enough to upend his entire life if he hadn’t fully vetted his destination first.
He just found it hard to believe in. How could they actually find him a decent paying job? Any job would be a decent job. That dream was beyond all likelihood. Out of all the people that applied, he was chosen. It was impossible to imagine. He’d bartended at The Red Zone ever since graduating high school. His less-than-stellar grades and total lack of ambition, along with any goals or direction, banished him to mediocrity. This was the first offer of anything worthy that could capture his interest indefinitely.
But his life experiences made Ross cynical, and he was loath to believe in it.
He seriously doubted the program, or Rob, or Zenith would recognize in him a talent worth paying for. Nor did he believe what the