"Tell your father I'll be back in an hour." Ana goes past us down the short hall that leads to the garage.
When I'm sure she's gone, I turn to Trystan. "What's her story?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why does she stay here? Braden treats her like shit and your dad uses her for..." I check to make sure he's not behind me, "more than cooking."
"That's mutual. She wants it as much as he does. She thinks he'll eventually want more, like want her to be his girlfriend, but it's never going to happen. He's not going to date the help."
"But he has no problem having sex with her."
"They BOTH want it." He folds his arms over his chest. "Why are you judging? They're adults. They can do what they want."
"I just get the feeling she's not happy here. She could do stuff with Brock without having to work for him. Braden practically assaulted her before you walked in. Why would she put up with that?"
"He didn'tassaulther," he says, getting angry. "And I better not hear you use that word again when talking about Braden. That's the type of shit that'll get him arrested. You're sounding just like Novak. He probably told you to talk about Braden that way."
"He didn't tell me anything. I saw it with my own eyes. Braden had his hands all over her. He trapped her against the stove and grabbed her ass and had his mouth right by her ear. "
"So he touched her. Big deal. She's not exactly innocent. That's why she can't get a job. My dad did her a favor letting her work here. Even if she could get a different job, it wouldn't be better than this. Dad pays her twice what anyone else would, especially if they knew about her past."
"What do you mean?"
Trystan leans against the counter. "She's been in jail. Served time."
"For what?"
"Prostitution. She started really young. Ran away from home and needed money. She got caught and served time but as soon as she got out she went back to it."
"How'd she end uphere?"
Trystan smiles. "Braden. He saw her on the street. Thought she was hot. Asked her out and she asked him how much. He had no clue. He thought she was just some girl."
"And then what happened?"
"He took her home."
"They had sex?" I ask, shocked that she'd do it with him.
"No. She asked for money upfront. Braden didn't have enough cash. He asked if he could get something else. Something cheaper."
"And did he get anything?"
"Dinner." Trystan laughs. "Dad found her in Braden's room and asked what was going on. Braden told him she was just some girl he met. Ana instantly fell for Dad. She offered to make him dinner."
"Didn't he think that was strange?"'
"No, because she said it after Dad said he was going to get something to eat. Ana told him she's studying to be a chef and offered to make dinner for him and Braden."
"So she lied."
"No, she actuallywasin cooking school. She was in a training program for women who'd been in prison. And I guess her mom was a good cook so she probably learned stuff from her."
"Did Brock ever find out about her?"
"Yeah. Braden told him after dinner. He didn't care. He hired her the next day."
"Why would he want an ex-con working at his house?"
