The Tycoon's Proposal(2)

Nicole looked around the worn out studio apartment in disgust. It was scarcely furnished with second hand furniture, which had seen much better days. She tried to make her place as homey as possible but with her very limited budget there wasn't very much she could do. She opened her refrigerator, only to spot the empty shelves and shut it back up. She was exhausted and only had a few hours to sleep before she had to report to her temporary job.

She was so exhausted she could barely stand on her feet. She was working about twenty hours a day, six days a week, plus a few hours on her seventh day. She couldn't wait until she found a permanent, full-time job so she could actually have some decent hours. Between her jobs and visiting with her sister in the hospital she knew she looked like a complete wreck.

She fell face first on her bed and wasn't happy when her telephone woke her up a short hour later. She crawled from the bed to pick it up because she knew it had to be important. "Hello," she croaked into the phone.

"We're looking for Nicole Lander," said the voice on the other end of the line.

"This is Nicole, how can I help you?" she replied, a bit more awake.

"We have prescreened you for a full-time job and think you'd be perfect for the position," the woman said. Nicole was on instant alert.

"I'd love to hear about it," she told the woman.

"The position is for a live in housecleaner. You'd be provided room and board, plus a generous salary if you're interested in coming in for an interview."




 

 

"I'll be there whenever you need me to be," Nicole said, without needing to ask any questions. She didn't care if she was scrubbing toilets all day, as long as she could get out of her current flat. "When do you want me?"

"You need to come into the office and fill out some paperwork. Confidentiality is a must while working for this client. You'll have to sign papers you understand and won't speak about what happens in the household. You'll also be required to submit to a drug test. Your background check is already complete. If you come into the office this afternoon we can interview you. I want to let you know there are a few other people interested."

"I'll be down there in a half hour. I have no problem signing whatever you need," Nicole told her. She hoped she wasn't sounding too desperate.

"That sounds great, Nicole. I'll be waiting for you," she said before disconnecting the call. Nicole thought the client must be one of those wealthy hermits who didn't like the world to see them. She really didn't care. Her temp company wouldn't send her to an unsafe place. Even if her room was tiny it would be better than the studio she currently resided in. She was on the verge of losing the place anyway because her sister's hospital bills were depleting her bank account.

Even though she hadn't gotten enough sleep, she was wired with excitement running through her veins. She jumped into the shower and made it to the offices in just under thirty minutes. She walked from the interview confident she'd be selected. By the time she got back home and crawled into bed, sleep overtook her and she felt some peace, which she hadn't felt in too long.

When she got the call the next day, she hung her head and barely managed to hold the tears back. Someone else had gotten the position. She was running out of options. She didn't know how she was going to take care of Patsy's hospital bills and still keep a roof over their heads. She got dressed and headed towards her waitressing job, where she would be lucky to take home thirty dollars in tips for a ten hour shift. It wasn't much motivation but it was better than nothing.

Three months later, Nicole sat by her phone trying to work up her courage. She had to call him, there was no other choice. Nicole was cringing at the thought of groveling at Ryan Titan's feet but she really didn't see any other options. Her sister needed the operation and as hard as Nicole worked she still couldn't pay for it. The hospital didn't care if it was a life or death matter. They only cared about the bottom line. She couldn't believe they said it was an elective surgery. It was something slowly killing her though and not an emergency. They wouldn't perform it without payment in full. 

Nicole took a deep breath, with her hand resting on the phone. She'd been in the same position for the last hour, trying to force herself to pick it up. Her palms were sweaty and her heart was beating irregularly, out of control. The tear tracks down her cheeks had long dried but the terror was still there.

She hadn't talked to Ryan in twelve years and the last conversation hadn't gone well. He still believed she'd cheated on him. It had been so much easier to let him believe that but oh how it had broken her heart.

She told herself repeatedly it wasn't about her. It was about her little sister and no matter how much he may hate her he'd always loved Patsy. There was no way he'd sit back and let her die when he could help her.