whispered.
“Hmm.”
“I wanted to tell my sister what I was doing. She worries about me.”
“Of course.”
“And—well, I didn’t want my friends from work to worry, either. So I bought them some things from the bakery and—I told them that I was okay.”
“Roger informed me of this, to some degree.”
“Um, is that okay with you?” I asked. He was so stoic that it was nearly impossible to know how he felt.
Ezekiel pursed his lips. “I’d prefer if you didn’t socialize with those whores anymore. You’re not one of them any longer.”
“But—
technically
I’m—I—well, I
am
getting paid for this—”
“I’m not paying you anything.” Ezekiel’s sharp stare forced my eyes to meet his. “I’m not handing you cash for an hour of pleasure in a cheap hotel room. I’m providing for you, and in return you are my companion in bed and outside of it. You are an employee in charge of my image and my pleasure, and as such I expect a higher caliber of professionalism and behavior than any middle-aged accountant cheating on his wife could ever expect from a floozy on the street. I fail to see the similarities between what I’ve made you and what you used to be. Do you see them?”
I struggled to speak. With each word, his flat expression chipped away to reveal an incredibly passionate man, one who cared deeply about separating his own desires from those “beneath” him. He wouldn’t convince me that our arrangement was much different from what I used to do, but if he wanted to think so, then I’d let him believe it. His hypocrisy was not mine to negotiate.
“No,” I said with a dry mouth. “No, I don’t.”
“Exactly. I don’t object to the profession of whoring. Whores are as necessary as any other worker who does a dirty job no one else wants. It’s just that I prefer their lives remain separate from ours.”
“They’re my friends,” I whispered.
“You can make new ones.”
“I
can’t
.”
Ezekiel blinked slowly, as if having trouble processing my words. “Is that so?”
“I can’t imagine I’d have anything in common with other wealthy women,” I admitted carefully. I wasn’t sure how honest I could be, but I also didn’t want to give up my friends. “I come from a different place. The women I visited understand me. I can trust them.”
“A man or woman is only as great as the person he or she acquaints herself with. I understand what you’re saying, Melissa. I understand completely. And I’m sorry, but I still stand by what I say. I suppose you can meet with your friends occasionally, but it would be healthiest for you to break those bonds. They probably don’t want much to do with you, now that you’re with me. Women in their position don’t trust me. They probably shouldn’t.”
I took a deep breath and decided to brush off my acting skills. Ezekiel was a good manipulator, so why couldn’t I take a shot at it? “With no one to visit and you gone, I’ll be lonely.”
He eyed me carefully. “Is that so?”
I stared at the floor and nodded.
Ezekiel stood there for a moment. He was probably mulling something over, but I wasn’t sure what. At last, he took a step toward me and wrapped an arm around my waist.
“You know, Melissa, you’ve been good these past few days. Most women I meet are incompetent, but you really do aim to please, and I appreciate that. You don’t know how much.” He paused, and I looked up. His eyes latched onto mine, eyes that hid a thousand secrets and told a million lies. “I’m going to the southern coast this evening. I’d like to take you with me. I was unsure on whether to trust you so soon, but I think I can.” His eyes grew in intensity. “Can I, Melissa?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
A hooker’s job is confidentiality. She has to keep secrets. The more you pay her, the better kept the secrets are. The more Ezekiel gave me, the deeper his trust could run. My lips were sealed.
“Good. Pack what little you need for
“Hmm.”
“I wanted to tell my sister what I was doing. She worries about me.”
“Of course.”
“And—well, I didn’t want my friends from work to worry, either. So I bought them some things from the bakery and—I told them that I was okay.”
“Roger informed me of this, to some degree.”
“Um, is that okay with you?” I asked. He was so stoic that it was nearly impossible to know how he felt.
Ezekiel pursed his lips. “I’d prefer if you didn’t socialize with those whores anymore. You’re not one of them any longer.”
“But—
technically
I’m—I—well, I
am
getting paid for this—”
“I’m not paying you anything.” Ezekiel’s sharp stare forced my eyes to meet his. “I’m not handing you cash for an hour of pleasure in a cheap hotel room. I’m providing for you, and in return you are my companion in bed and outside of it. You are an employee in charge of my image and my pleasure, and as such I expect a higher caliber of professionalism and behavior than any middle-aged accountant cheating on his wife could ever expect from a floozy on the street. I fail to see the similarities between what I’ve made you and what you used to be. Do you see them?”
I struggled to speak. With each word, his flat expression chipped away to reveal an incredibly passionate man, one who cared deeply about separating his own desires from those “beneath” him. He wouldn’t convince me that our arrangement was much different from what I used to do, but if he wanted to think so, then I’d let him believe it. His hypocrisy was not mine to negotiate.
“No,” I said with a dry mouth. “No, I don’t.”
“Exactly. I don’t object to the profession of whoring. Whores are as necessary as any other worker who does a dirty job no one else wants. It’s just that I prefer their lives remain separate from ours.”
“They’re my friends,” I whispered.
“You can make new ones.”
“I
can’t
.”
Ezekiel blinked slowly, as if having trouble processing my words. “Is that so?”
“I can’t imagine I’d have anything in common with other wealthy women,” I admitted carefully. I wasn’t sure how honest I could be, but I also didn’t want to give up my friends. “I come from a different place. The women I visited understand me. I can trust them.”
“A man or woman is only as great as the person he or she acquaints herself with. I understand what you’re saying, Melissa. I understand completely. And I’m sorry, but I still stand by what I say. I suppose you can meet with your friends occasionally, but it would be healthiest for you to break those bonds. They probably don’t want much to do with you, now that you’re with me. Women in their position don’t trust me. They probably shouldn’t.”
I took a deep breath and decided to brush off my acting skills. Ezekiel was a good manipulator, so why couldn’t I take a shot at it? “With no one to visit and you gone, I’ll be lonely.”
He eyed me carefully. “Is that so?”
I stared at the floor and nodded.
Ezekiel stood there for a moment. He was probably mulling something over, but I wasn’t sure what. At last, he took a step toward me and wrapped an arm around my waist.
“You know, Melissa, you’ve been good these past few days. Most women I meet are incompetent, but you really do aim to please, and I appreciate that. You don’t know how much.” He paused, and I looked up. His eyes latched onto mine, eyes that hid a thousand secrets and told a million lies. “I’m going to the southern coast this evening. I’d like to take you with me. I was unsure on whether to trust you so soon, but I think I can.” His eyes grew in intensity. “Can I, Melissa?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
A hooker’s job is confidentiality. She has to keep secrets. The more you pay her, the better kept the secrets are. The more Ezekiel gave me, the deeper his trust could run. My lips were sealed.
“Good. Pack what little you need for
Similar Books
