Page 7 of Escorting the CEO
She nodded. “And where are you located?”
“Upstate New York. Way upstate.”
She coolly inspected me. “What brought you to our website, Rory?”
I tapped my fingers on the desk, wishing that I could chew on my fingernails instead. “I’m looking for a new job. The one I have right now isn’t earning me enough.”
“And what sort of job is that?” Elena asked.
“I work in internet… sales,” I finished somewhat lamely. Elena arched a well-groomed eyebrow, but she didn’t question me further.
“Let me tell you a little bit about my company,” she said. “AccommoDating is a high-end dating service. We match our employees with clients who are looking for an upscale experience.”
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. I was a lot of things, but high-end wasn’t one of them. Nor was I much of an “experience.” Myactualexperience involved barely graduating from high school, raising my siblings, and trying to keep us from starving.
“We’ve been in the business for a long time, and we have an impeccable reputation,” Elena continued. “Our clients include professional athletes, CEOs, royalty, and our bread and butter: billionaires.”
Billionaires?
I swallowed over the lump in my throat. “Are you currently hiring?”
Elena adjusted her glasses and nodded. “Actually, I have a new client in need of immediate services. Are you available?”
“Um.” My heart thudded. “Yes…?”
She assessed me. “This is a long-term assignment. I need someone who is able to travel for work and be away from home for several months at a time, likely longer. What is your living situation?“
“I live with my family. My grandmother, my little sister, and brother.” I frowned. “I might be able to travel, but I have some pretty specific needs.”
Elena didn’t blink. “What sort of needs, Rory?“
“Money.” The word felt heavy coming out of my mouth. “I need money, and I need it now.“
She nodded. “If you can pass a criminal background check and a health test, I think I might be able to help you.”
“Okay.” I sounded braver than I felt.
Elena tilted her head, her penetrating gaze sweeping over me. “Are you sure you’re ready for this, Rory?”
I nodded, but my heart hammered in my chest. “I’m ready—I have to be. Just tell me what I need to do.”
“You need to be all in, for starters. I don’t have time to waste.”
“I am. I’m all in.” I didn’t have much choice.
“Excellent. I’ll have my assistant prepare the initial documents. Once you pass the criminal background check, we’ll move on to the next steps. I can tell you more about the assignment after that.”
“Great,” I said, not certain that I meant it.
We hung up, and I crumpled up in my chair.What have I done?I could barely handle sitting in a bra in my own room, talking to strangers over the internet. And now I’d gone and applied to an actualescortservice?
I glanced over my desk to the picture of Josie and Bo. They deserved better than to be evicted, to lose another home, to losetheir security again. I pictured us living in Grammy’s rusted-out Subaru. They’d be so ashamed, so disheartened, solost.
They’d already lost enough.
I was going to take care of them. My mother might have failed them, but I never would.
I straightened my shoulders. And when the email came in from AccommoDating’s assistant, I opened it and started filling out the forms without batting an eye.
