“She’s not ready,” I reply.
“She looks ready, Landon,” Roman insists, nodding for emphasis.
“I’ve seen girls come through here for years, Roman. They all have this dead look to them, their eyes don’t shine, and their smiles don’t quite reach their eyes. They’ll do anything you ask of them, and don’t react in any way to the manner you speak to them.”
“But?” Roman interrupts. I take my eyes from my empty scotch glass and look at Roman.
“But when I look at Charlie, really look at her, she’s not quite dead inside.”
“You better get her there, and quick. I destroyed the files of the men Father had follow you. Nobody will be able to place Charlie. But Landon, I can only do so much before you blow your own fucking house down.” Roman shakes his head and leaves, slamming the door behind him.
I let out a large breath and turn in my chair, looking out at the landscaping. It could be said that I hate my father. I didn’t always hate him, though. Leaving my mother to die alone was the turning point in our father/son relationship. He was shitty to my mother for years before that, but nothing compared to him deserting her when she needed him the most. She was diagnosed with aggressive cancer five years ago, and because he couldn’t bear her chemo, to watch her body die a little day by day, he sent her to California. Put her in a house with some doctors to die alone. I visited every weekend, but it was only Roman and I who ever went to see her.
Two weeks after my mother’s funeral, my father moved Tara in with her slutty daughter Veronica. He met Tara at a fundraiser for cancer, funny enough. Disgust builds in my chest thinking about how he banked off my mother’s illness, when in reality he was wishing she’d just die already. My mother passed away not long after her diagnosis.
I haven’t left this estate because of a promise I gave my mother, and Charlie stands in the way of that promise. It’s conflicting. I want Charlie, but I can’t break my only promise to my mother. I need to get Charlie clients, and it’s going to kill what’s left of me to do so.
CHARLIE
I slip out of bed and tiptoe toward my door. It’s late and everyone should be asleep by now, giving me the perfect opportunity to find some answers. I open my door and slowly close it, hoping not to make any noise. I look up and down the hall before I resume my mission toward Landon’s office. I’m not sure what I’m looking for, but I need something. Every expensive painting, every closed door, it all leads to secrets. I can feel it.
I scamper down the stairs and head to Landon’s office. I don’t notice any lights on under the door so I open it, finding it empty. Running to his desk, I start opening drawers, my palms sweating nervously. I find paperwork on other escorts and their earnings. My eyes turn as wide as saucers seeing some woman named Clarity made ten thousand just last week, and that isn’t even the highest number I’ve come across on the chart. I close it and open the next drawer, finding a gun. I gasp and stare at it. My legs begin to tremble, and my mouth parts. Why does he have a gun? I’ve never seen a gun before. I slowly close it and open the last drawer, containing receipts, menus for takeout, and a map.
I loll my head back and sigh. What was I thinking? That Landon would just hide all of the estate’s dirty secrets right here in his unlocked desk? I slam the drawer shut angrily, wincing at the noise it causes. My back begins to sweat with nerves, scared the loud bang caused unwanted attention. I run out of the office, up the stairs and back to my room, my heart racing faster and faster with every step. As soon as I make it into my room, I shut the door and slide against the back of it till my bottom hits the floor, my body heaving for air.
I got nothing. I clench my hands in my hair. Landon having a gun goes to show this place is not as top-notch as he makes it seem.
***
“Time to wake up, Charlie.” A blossoming warmth ignites in my chest as the deep voice wakes me. I roll over, a small smile across my face as I open my eyes and find Landon hovering over me with a smirk. My face falls, and I groan in irritation.
“I got you a client for tonight. You need to train today.”
“A client?” I ask, sitting up.
“I have someone who needs a female appearance tonight at a gala. Therefore, you will need to learn to dance.” Landon sits at the end of the bed, adjusting his blue tie. He looks so big sitting at the foot of the bed, it makes me feel small. The smell of him is so alluring, I’m forced to clench my legs. Luckily, they’re under the blanket so he can’t see them and call me out on it.