“They’ve briefed me on him. I know what I’m getting into,” I say, with far more confidence than I feel.
I have never been this nervous in my life.
Despite the lengthy conversations I had with the woman at Sterling House, I don’t really know what’s in store for me today. I’m a planner, I like knowing what’s to come, and being this far out of my depth is making me so anxious I might throw up.
That said, the benefits if I get the job are already apparent. I woke up this morning at a reasonable hour and didn’t have to immediately shower, dress, and run out the door.
I had time for a coffee and to make Annabelle a real breakfast. If it works out, returning to normal office hours could be a better perk than the salary.
I just have to focus on the money, not fucking some guy I don’t even know.
“I don’t like this,” Hope says tightly. “Bethany’s so confident, and she doesn’t take shit from anyone. When was the last time you evenspoketo a guy who wasn’t your dad?”
“You’re not helping, Hope.”
“Sorry, I just… I love you, Mia. I don’t want you to lose your virginity to some rich asshole in a suit. I don’t buy all that bull about it needing to be ‘special’ either, but I was hoping you’d meet a guy who you really liked someday.”
“What, with all the free time I have?”
“I know,” she says, then brightens. “But youwillhave free time now, right? If you’re working until five, we might actuallybe able to meet for a drink occasionally. I could introduce you to my friend Phil. I have always thought you guys would get along.”
I chuckle. “Let me get through the interview first, before you marry me off to one your friends.”
She grunts good-naturedly. “I love you. If you get in there and you change your mind, you walk right back out, you hear me? You don’t owe this Crawford guy a thing, and he sounds like a huge dick.”
“Still not helping.”
“But maybe that’s the point, seeing as you’ll be getting an eyeful of it,” she says teasingly.
“I’m hanging up now.”
“I love you!”
“Love you. Bye.”
I hang up the phone, feeling as if rats are clawing at my stomach lining.
The huge skyscraper where Crawford’s office is situated comes into view amidst the Manhattan traffic. Our house is in Brooklyn, and even though I knew I’d be moving at a crawl, I decided to drive today to have some semblance of control.
Once I’ve gotten the hang of the hours, I’ll be able to get the subway to work, saving a fortune on gas. But today I wanted to have my own space, and arrive looking as put together as possible.
I’ve borrowed a suit from my mom’s closet. She hasn’t interviewed for a new job in years, but I knew she had one from a court hearing a few months back. It’s tan, not my color, and too big, but I didn’t have an alternative. I wore it when I went to the first meeting at Sterling House, too.
Pippa, the woman who onboarded me, was immaculate and looked like she’d just stepped off a runway. I was so nervous that I signed a bunch of forms before I even really processed what she was saying.
One of the first requirements was to complete a sexual health screening. And then I had to keep a straight face as she solemnly read through all their rules.
Bethany was right; the agency is high-end and takes the safety of its clients and the women who work there extremely seriously.
Pippa wouldn’t have known that the chances of me having an STI were as likely as finding a unicorn in Central Park, but at least she believed that I’d had sex a few times in my life.
Maybe for my next career I should become an actress.
The closest I’d come to a dick in recent weeks had been on my computer screen, looking at a bunch of porn sites. If I couldn’t practice on the real thing, I could at least do what I do best—research the shit out of anything I don’t understand.
Pippa had explained all of the rules around sex—and there were a lot. The main one being no sex without protection under any circumstances. Well, not for the normal price of admission anyway.
She explained that thereisan elite service where clients can request unprotected sex, but they have to sign a guarantee that they’ll be exclusive to the escorts they hire. I could see why that option wouldn’t appeal to many of the finance bros who work with the agency.
