“It’s not safe here.” He shook his head.
“It’s not that bad … I know my neighbors. I lock my doors and cover my windows. I do what I can,” I lied, trying to sound convinced.
“You live in a van, Avery. Do you even have a bathroom? A kitchen?”
What he didn’t know was that this van was a piece of my past and a memory of a better life. Having my own space and a roof over my head—no matter how that looked—was better than life in California ever was.
“There are bathrooms on site. I shower at work most of the time … or at your place lately. I have a small kitchen and stock of food. I get by.” I toyed with my keys jingling in my palm.
“I don’t want to tell you what to do, Avery. But I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep at the end of the night knowing this is where you’ll be.” He tugged on the back of his neck.
“So, what are you asking me to do, Spencer?”
“Grab what you need and stay with me.” He stepped closer to me. “I have a feeling you’re also in this position because of your ex-boyfriend.”
My eyes veered away, answering for me.
“It’s my highest priority to fix this for you. I’ve already been working on the situation, and I know my lawyers are getting close to figuring out how to get these videos down. It will crush me to leave you here not knowing you’re safe.”
“I want to stay with you, Spence. I feel safe in your bed. In your arms. At your place. Can we just talk about it a little more tonight?”
His mouth parted as if he wanted to say something, but no words came out. Pulling on the back of his neck, he sighed. “Yeah, come over when you’re off work. I’ll be home.”
“Thank you. I already miss you.” I reached up to his lips on my tip toes and let the taste of me linger on his tongue just briefly enough that he’d think of me until he saw me again.
I waited until he drove off to enter my van, and all I could think about was how badly I wanted to never come back here. How I wanted to give up this pathetic part of my life in exchange for what he was offering me.
But could it really be that easy? Could I just give up my parking spot here, move into a high rise on the Strip, fully give myself over to this older man, and ride off into the sunset?
Like I had most of my life, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“Has allthe money moved without an issue?” I leaned back in my black leather chair with the view of the expansive Las Vegas skyline on the other side of the glass.
“I’m moving it in waves into different accounts. That way when you’re ready to make a withdrawal, it won’t cause any red flags. The first half is ready to go, though.” My financial adviser’s voice echoed through the speaker phone.
“Thank you. Let me know when the rest is there. Talk soon.” I hung up, running my fingers through the loose strands of hair hanging over my forehead.
In the last month, I’ve promised a total of six hundred thousand dollars. Luckily, I had plenty to go around. But moving it and making withdrawals of this size needed to be done in a certain way.
A light knock echoed on my door when my assistant popped her head in. “Jackson is here,” she informed me.
“Thank you, send him in.”
She smiled sweetly, shutting the door behind her, just for it to open a few moments later when my son walked in.
“Hey, Dad, thanks for letting me swing by.” Jackson’s voice shook as he took a seat across from me with a slightly panicked look on his face.
I already knew what he was going to ask,“Where’s my money?”
“No problem. I’m headed out of town for work this weekend and wanted to chat before I left anyway.”
“About the money?” His knee bounced up and down.
And there it was.
“Yes. I’m working on getting everything to you. It’s going to take a few more days, but I have half right now.”
Opening my desk drawer, I pulled out my checkbook. Hiding below it was a torn lacy thong. One that belonged to a girl who should be waiting at home for me by now. When Jackson reached out to see if he could stop by, I immediately texted Avery, told her to let herself in, and I’d be there the moment I was done with my now extended workday.
