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Sleep didn’t come easy, but I managed to get a few hours. The next morning, I had been under the care of Mr. Black for two days, and you would think that he would have called me. I gave him a chance, but he never called, not even to check on my leg.
After climbing out of my lover’s bed, I was walking normally. I’m sure Broom-Hilda was the major cause, plus the muscle relaxant that I used as a sleeping aid to forget Mr. Black. I was dressed in my ski suit before the maid entered.
“No, Miss, Mr. Blackstone gave you these clothes. She opened the closet, and dresses and suits were lined up, dresses costing thousands of dollars. I glanced at one dress, and thought, When did these get here? Where will I ever wear this? It was a Hervé Léger bandage dress, and the price tag had two thousand stamped on it, and the next dress was even higher. The thought made me feel sick.
Who does he think I am? He can’t buy me. I fell in love with that man, and this is how he treats me. I want nothing from him, not even his love, I declared in a fit of anger. I walked away in silence with not even my dignity and sat in the chairs waiting for Joshua. No sooner had I sat down when Roger handed me the crumpled letter and contract. “I doubt that you have read this, Miss,” he stated, looking down on me. I never met his gaze.
I took it to be polite and stuffed it into my pocket. He left in the direction of the bedrooms. Joshua’s Volvo pulled up, and I stood waving from inside. It was forty degrees and light snow blanketed the roads.
“What’s wrong, Alex?” Joshua said with a mixture of concern and anger. With his help I got into his dark-gray Volvo, he closed the door, and padded around to the driver’s seat, then drove in the direction of his apartment. A long silence settled on us, until I could no longer hide my anger and hurt.
“What did he see in me?” I questioned with tears welling in my eyes.
“A piece of ass,” Joshua carelessly stated, as if conversing with one of his male buddies.
“Yes, I know, but a girl can dream,” I said, peering at Joshua, who never took his eyes off the snow-covered road. “I’m not stupid. I know it was a dream until... until.” It became impossible to finish. I sucked in air.
“Until what? Don’t keep me on edge. Tell me.”
“Until he made love to me and then he left, and I haven’t heard from him. He left me alone in that mansion with his servants and tried to pay me off with expensive clothes and another job.”
“You should have taken them,” he said, glancing at me with his big brown eyes.
“Then, that would make me a...”
“A whore?” he questioned, glancing at me after taking his eyes off the road.
“Watch what you’re doing.” I chastised.
“I want nothing from him. You should read that letter he left, and he had the nerve to enclose a contract. I crumpled it and threw it on the floor, but his butler retrieved it and gave it back and I shoved it in my pocket. I’ll read it when I am able to stand thinking of him.” I laid my head on Joshua’s shoulder.”
“You know people are whispering about you at work, Alex.”
“What are they saying?” I raised my head, turning to face Joshua.
“The usually stuff.” He paused, catching my gaze. “That you threw yourself at that rich cunt. Those are my words. I hate that rich bastard for making you so unhappy.”
“I’ll be alright as soon as I return to Brooklyn.”
“You’re not leaving, Alex?”
“I have to go.”
“But what will you do for money?”
“Blackstone Enterprises gave me a generous package. I was paid fifty thousand dollars.” Joshua hit the brakes and the car jerked and skidded. “Are you crazy?” I shouted.
“You were paid fifty thousand dollars for three months, and nothing about that offer rang a bell.”
“I had to submit to an extensive background check, have a complete exam by the company’s doctors. I needed the money, so I signed the contract.”
“You’re getting fifty thousand dollars for three months’ work.” He put the car in drive still staring at me.
“I know that was excessive, but I told the recruiter that I needed to pay my student loans. I would have agreed to anything.”
“It appears you did agree to anything, but what? You didn’t read the contract. Where is it?
“I don’t know. I have it somewhere.” I gave him a blank look, and he shook his head. “What are you saying, Joshua?”
“Why do you think that rich bastard asked about you? He already had you in his crosshairs. He picked you out from a picture and a binder, and you were delivered to him on a platter.”
“Do you think I haven’t thought of that? But the way you put it, it sounds obscene.”
“You were used. Get over it.”
“We were both used. I used his money and...” I stopped, because I had lost my virginity, my self-respect.
“He has more money than you can spend. He can buy more virgins,” Joshua said, not taking his eyes off the road. He didn’t know that I hated him at that moment for telling me the truth. They would always shoot the messenger.
We finally reached his apartment—a row of small buildings with two stories, all with balconies, where you could enjoy the stream running below, and the sun peeking from behind clouds and mountaintops on special occasions.
This was a time I needed some warmth, someone to talk to. I had to try to forget that tall, dark, handsome drink of water. I fell into the chair, my eyes following the river as it snaked up and down, taking pebbles with it. I compared myself to a stream and Max was the ocean. I moved around, twisting and turning, as if heading for the ocean. All rivers would eventually flow into oceans.
Anger got the best of me. I made up my mind to quit my job, forget Max and return to Brooklyn. I had to tell Joshua. He walked through the terrace doors, carrying a bottle of wine and two glasses. “Here, this will make you feel better.”
I took a sip of wine. “I’m leaving for Brooklyn this week.”
“Why Alex? You’re going to let that bastard run you out of Montana.”
“It’s beautiful here, but I’m a city girl. I wasn’t planning on staying long anyway.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I paid off my college loans and I plan on racking up a fresh set. I’m going back to school. After that, I’ll figure something out.”
“But where are you going to live?”
“With the money I saved, and I sublet my apartment. I have no worries but one, well, maybe two.” I gave Joshua a sheepish grin and hunched my shoulders. He knew the wine would loosen my lips.
“Well.”
“I had unprotected sex.”
“Oh no, you didn’t.” Joshua stood up and walked around in a circle, more worried than me.
“I was caught up with that handsome gorgeous soft-spoken man.”
“I’d say it was his handsome gorgeous hard dick.”
“Well, that too.” I tried to make light of it and managed a small smile.
“I don’t think he has a disease, but that was fucking irresponsible on his part. He’s fucking thirty-five, an old man,” Joshua went on, railing about Max’s irresponsibility to me.
“It could be something worse.”
“What could be worse, Alex?”
“I could be pregnant.”