Money... It always came down to my wealth.
Grabbing my cell, I flipped through the site for the club.
'Girls! Girls! Girls!
Your dream, your wish, we'll get you what you want.
No request is too wild for our taste.
All you have to do is ask Gloria.'
My mind started to whirl, I needed to get her.
And keep her, just for me.
But could I do this? Do it this way? Would any girl really give her body in such a way for money?
I had to try, had to give it a chance at least. The women I'd met on my own, at the clubs and local hot spots, they were all too eager. And even though I thought that was what I needed and wanted, I turned them all away, told them I would call and never picked up the phone to dial.
Not once did any of those girls sit in my head like molasses. Not like her.
Copper, she struck me, hitting a nerve. The more she sat in my head, the more I realized what I wanted. A strong woman, a confident woman, a woman who wasn't going to just yes me to death.
That shit got old, really quick.
Opening my door, I glanced down the hall. Privacy was one thing that didn't exist around here. Dialing the club, I waited anxiously. The ringing seemed so loud in the vastness of my room.
Pressing the phone tighter to my ear, I wanted to ensure my inquisition was only answered to me. No one else.
The last thing I needed was one of the maids hearing my conversation and running to my father. I read the lawyer's papers repeatedly, and I'd found a loop hole.
Doing this was risky; my father expected me to find a nice girl, a girl from another wealthy family, roots that would be comparable to ours.
What I was about to do, the route I was going to take, it was less than what he expected.
But his demand, his arrangement for my life, it lacked description. He asked for a grandchild; he didn't mention marriage or a relationship. Just a baby; all he wanted was an heir.
I was going to do this. I was going to give him what he wanted.
But I was doing this my way.
My father might have his fist clenched tight around the money, around the people below him, but not me.
I never let his hand taint my world, or skew how I thought about myself. He tried desperately to make me a spitting image of him.
And that's not who I am.
Chapter Three
Noella
Standing in front of my closet, I flipped through the array of clothing set on the hangers. What should I pack? I thought, dropping my hand to my hip. Pulling each dress out just slightly, I stared blankly into the fabric.
I had the biggest offer of my life laid before me. Gloria had told me this was a huge opportunity for me. That this could help me pay off a giant chunk of my debt to her, which I was more than happy to do.
So long as I didn't fuck it up.
And I certainly wasn't planning on screwing up a good thing. Especially if it slashed what I owed her in half. If I ever wanted to get back to my life, to the career I had dreamed of, I couldn't pass this up.
Before all of this, I had been in school, living a fairly typical life. No one's world is a hundred percent perfect, that's for sure. But my life was mine, and I was proud of that.
I was two years into my degree for culinary arts. I loved cooking, it was my passion. But that was all cut short, way too soon.
There had been dreams of owning my own restaurant, being head chef, creating dishes that would melt in people’s mouths. Ever since I was a little girl, that was all I wanted.
Some people spend their entire lives searching for that one true passion, that one thing that fuels and drives them. There had never been a question in my mind; I was going to be the next Martha Stewart.
I know it might sound silly, but I used to spend hours watching her with my mom. We would try and recreate her dishes and techniques. Those are the memories that bring me happiness.
And hopefully, in the near future we'll be able to do that again.
I had never expected in a million years that I'd be here, baring my body for profit. My family didn't know all the details of how I got the money they needed, and truthfully they never even asked.
I'm pretty sure the fact that their daughter, who had been working part-time, showing up with the sixty thousand dollars from thin air, made their heads spin.
But in the moment, there wasn't time for questions.
I had given them what they desperately needed, that was all that mattered. And if it meant that I would have to put myself on hold for a while, it was worth it.
My phone vibrated on the nightstand. Glancing down, I saw that it was Fionna. What the hell does she want? She never called me for anything. To see her name lit up across my screen, I knew she was fishing for something.
Clicking the answer button, I said, “Hello?”
“Hey, Copper. It's Fionna.” The snap of her gum rang through the receiver.
The light sound hit my ear with a metallic pop. “What do you need, Fionna?”