Mel’s gaze is burning a hole in the side of my face. “I told you to stay away from him! Avery, damn it. Do you need a helmet? Are you that mentally impaired? Fuck girl, I—”
Marty flinches when he sees Mel’s reaction, and cuts her off. “Back off, psycho. I was just kidding. The saleslady thought me and Avery did it in the dressing room. As if.” He makes a super gay gesture and winks at me, like it’s the most preposterous thing he’s ever heard.
Mel’s still tense. She snaps at Marty some more. I can’t stand the two of them fighting, not when I feel so strung out. I slip out of the booth and throw some money on the table. “I need to go get ready and if I don’t beat Amber back, she’ll lock me out of the room. I’ll catch up with you on Sunday. We’ll do IHOP.”
Mel grins and rubs her hands together. “Pancakes!”
“You are such a pancake whore.” Marty giggles at Mel and she winks at him. They both start laughing as I walk away from the table.
_____
I dress quickly before Amber gets back from dinner. The little red dress makes me feel exposed. I run down the back staircase and push out the back door before I look around for Gabe. He’s picking me up until I figure out what to do about transportation. I don’t have any credit and I don’t have enough money to buy anything. Black told Gabe to pick me up in the meantime.
When I push out the back door, I walk into the parking lot and stop in my tracks. I blink once, hard.
My car.
I blink again, rapidly, and walk towards it. I haven’t seen it since the accident. It wasn’t running and the front was smashed up. But, I’m looking at it now and the car looks the way it did before the accident. I glance and see Gabe pull into the parking lot. I walk towards my car quickly, holding up a finger for him to wait. I peer inside and see an envelope on the seat. I open the door and grab it.
Standing outside my car, I rip it open and read.
It’s not new, so it doesn’t count as a present. -S
I smile and shove the note into my purse, before jumping into the back of Gabe’s car.
“Good evening, Miss Stanz.”
“Hey Gabe.”
He looks at me in the mirror as he pulls out of the parking lot. He jumps onto the parkway and drives west, towards the city. He gives me the rundown. “Same guy as last week. I’ll be overseeing your meal. Don’t get returned again and you should be off her shit list, for a while anyway.”
I slip my bracelet around my ankle and then lean back in the seat. “I’m always on her shit list.”
“That’s a bad place to be.”
“Can I ask you something?” Gabe grunts and looks at me in the mirror. “How long do girls do this? I mean, how many clients do they see before they quit?”
He shakes his head. “Most get fired. There are a few that are really good at what they do. They create addicts. That’s what Black wants. Guys that are so addicted to your kind of sex that they’ll pay anything to get it. So getting returned kind of screws that up.”
“That guy was a dick.” I look out the window as I say it. I’m still mad at Sean about that, but I’d rather be on my way to see him than Henry.
“Obviously, but that’s unheard of. Lure this new guy into a third contract and all will be forgiven. After that, it’s anyone’s guess how long you’ll last. “
The rest of the ride passes in silence. My heart is lurching like I have to get a root canal in the middle of the mall or something equally horrific. I liked Henry. He was sweet. I need to get my head in the game or I’m going to screw this up.
CHAPTER 12
By the time that we pull up at the restaurant, I feel more poised. Gabe pulls up to the curb and the valet opens the door. I step from the back of the car, smooth my sexy, red, silk dress and look up.
Henry is standing a few feet away. He waves at me and hurries over. “You look stunning.”
I smile warmly at him and take his arm when he offers it. “So do you.” My voice is a little too deep, but that’s okay. It’s better to think I’m a sex fiend, right? We walk inside and get led to a table at the back of the restaurant. It’s an Italian place with stucco walls and a rich red carpet that matches the color of my dress. Each table has a drippy candle in the center, along with beautiful plates and a million pieces of silverware.
When we are both seated, Henry orders wine. I smile at him from under my lashes. I decided to take Mel’s advice and pretend this is a date. “So, how has your day been?”
He beams at me. “Fantastic. I can’t even begin to tell you what that patent has done for me. I wanted to see you again. I had to thank you.”