Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 94653 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94653 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
It’s tempting to ignore it.
After the money I demanded, I’m pretty sure she’s going to tell me the guy is no longer interested.
And I certainly can’t blame him for that.
“Hey,” I say.
“I just spoke with the client, and he’s agreeable to the amount.”
My mouth tumbles open as I nearly stumble to a halt until the person walking behind me jostles me back into motion again, grumbling something under his breath. Normally, I’d swing around and give him a quick apology, but all I can think about is the fact that some man agreed to the outrageous amount of money I threw out in a fit of anger.
“He did set a few conditions of his own,” she says cautiously.
Unwilling to have this conversation around so many people, I duck into an empty classroom and close the door. “What kind of conditions?”
“You agree to meet three times and get ten grand after each one.”
That’s all it takes for my heart to spasm under my chest.
I was hoping this would be a one-and-done kind of thing.
“After each visit, the money will be directly deposited into an account of your choosing. And if you want to cut things off at any time, you can do it, no questions asked.”
My mouth turns bone dry. Hearing her discuss the transfer of money slams home the reality of my situation, making it feel even more real than before.
“Fallyn? Did you hear what I said?”
Air gets wedged in my lungs as I think about whether I can actually sell my body to a stranger.
But the real question is—how can I not?
Thirty thousand dollars is a shit ton of money.
Way too much to turn down.
“Sorry, just thinking.” My mind continues to whirl before I finally blurt, “I’m good with the condition.”
“There’s one other…tiny little thing…” Her voice trails off.
Every muscle tightens as I smash the cell closer to my face. “What?”
“He, um, wants you to wear a blindfold.”
A shiver slides through me.
A blindfold?
“Why?”
“He wants to remain anonymous. And the deal is void if you refuse. Are you agreeable to the terms?”
Maybe it’ll be easier that way. I won’t have to see him. Or his expressions. I can just lie there and…
I swing around and stare out the window. “Yeah, okay. If that’s what he wants.”
“Great! I’ll let him know and get back to you with a date for the first meeting.”
A burst of nerves explodes in my belly, making me feel nauseous.
“Okay. Thanks.”
We say our goodbyes before disconnecting. It takes a few minutes for my jumbled emotions to level out. Only then do I slip from the empty classroom and into the hallway. By now, the congestion has cleared, and there’s a trickle of students heading to their classes.
As I push out through the glass doors and into the chilled morning air, someone pulls up alongside me. I glance over only to find Anthony. He’s the guy I went out with last year, and I liked him well enough, but…
I kind of freaked out when he tried going to second base. Ever since then, I’ve done my best to avoid him.
I force a smile and tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ear. “Hey.”
“Hi.” He falls in line with me as we hit the concrete path that winds through campus. “I haven’t seen you around very much this semester.”
“It’s been pretty busy,” I say, picking up my pace, only wanting to get away from him. His presence brings all my insecurities to the forefront, and I hate that.
“It’s a bummer that we don’t have any classes together.”
More like a relief, but obviously, I need to keep those feelings to myself.
“Yeah, a real bummer.” I point toward the library as the large brick building comes into view. “Well, I should probably get going. I have a ton of homework to catch up on.”
He clears his throat before plowing a hand through his wind tousled hair. “I was wondering if maybe we could grab a coffee sometime soon.”
“Oh.” I glance away and mentally grapple for an excuse. “I, um, wish I could. It’s just been so busy. I’m kind of buried at the moment.”
He closes some of the distance between us. “I had a really good time when we went out, and I was kind of hoping we could do it again.”
I take a quick step in retreat, uncomfortable with the proximity. Anthony is a nice guy, but still…
“I’m sorry. I just can’t.” It takes effort to force the words out and keep my tone light.
His voice drops as he shifts. “I hope you don’t think I was bothered—”
That comment is enough to have me stumbling back a few paces. It feels as if I’m being choked from the inside out and can’t breathe. My hand unconsciously rises to massage the ache in my chest, even though I know the phantom pain is in my imagination. There’s no reason after all this time for it to hurt.