5: JOB OFFER

MEREDITH'S POV

After crying and feeling sorry for myself, I went back inside my mother's hospital room. “Hey cupcake.” Her voice was hoarse.

“Hey mom, how are you feeling?” I smiled.

“Like I could run a marathon,” she lied. Her blue eyes that once sparkled so bright was pale and tired. “Come here, honey,” she opened her arms, and I gave her a hug. She hissed when I lie on her chest.

“Does it hurt?” I asked.

“Yes, but not as much as seeing my only child sad. You will be OK, honey. You just finish up school and get your degree. You don't worry about little old me,” my mother insisted. She had no clue that I dropped out of school and used my remanding tuition to help with her medical expenses.

“OK mom. I will.”

I spent the next hour with her until the doctors put her to sleep again. I went to the women's ward and got myself washed out because Simon didn't use a condom. I explained to the nurse that I was raped, she advised me to go to the police, but I told her I'd be fine. Being that I was not a minor, the nurse couldn't do much other than give me the proper medicines and injections to stop me from contracting HIV in case I was exposed. After that, I phoned Brenda.

“Hey Mer I was just about to call you,” she answered. “Why weren't you at work last night? I stopped by, and your boss told me you didn't show up.”

“I had some stuff to take care of for mom.” I hoped Brenda bought my story.

“Well I'm in the parking lot in the hospital, come meet me,” she said then hung up.

I checked on mom once more, she was fast asleep then I went outside to meet my bestie. I saw Brenda leaning against a limo. She was dressed to impressed in a leather pleated skirt and a white shirt tucked inside the skirt. Her black combat boots gave the outfit a striking appeal. “Don't you look like a million bucks,” I hugged her. She passed me a letter.

“What's this?” I smiled.

“It's your check.”

“What are you doing with it?” I asked while I opened it.

“Well, your boss says to give it to you and that you are fired,” Brenda barked out.

“What? This cannot be happening, Bren. My mother needs the money and I —”

"It's OK. Calm down. Here,” she handed me a stack of cash. “This is five thousand dollars. Give Mr. Smith the rest of the money that you owe him, and the rest is for you.”

“Brenda. I can't take this money,” I gasped. “Where do you keep getting so much money from? Brenda, you'd tell me if you were doing anything illegal, right?”

“Of course I would, but I promise I am not doing anything illegal. I told you I'm seeing someone,” she deadpanned.

“So your boyfriend gave you all this money?” I asked.

“Yes, he did, and he's here. He wants to meet you,” she gestured to the limo.

“Brenda, don't play around.” I quirked my brow.

“I'm not. Lenox is here, and he would like to meet you. Come on, don't be rude and come meet my man,” she pulled on my arm.

“OK fine,” I gave in and Brenda opened the door and jumped inside, and I followed behind her.

Brenda was quick to straddle her man's lap, sucking on his face. His palms moulded her ass cheeks, and I was sitting in front of them, getting nauseous. I cleared my throat. “Oh sorry, girl.” She left his lap and sat beside him. “This is my boyfriend, Lenox. Lenox, this is my bestie Meredith.”

I almost swallowed my damn tonsil when I saw the man looking at me. He wasn't a boy at all. This was a man, not a young man, but someone girls like me and Brenda should always call Sir. The grey hair grandpa stretched his palm for me to shake. “Nice to finally meet my darling's best friend,” Lenox said. My eyes scanned him for a quick second. He couldn’t be younger than sixty.

“Likewise.” I swallowed. He dropped my hand when he realized I was uncomfortable.

“I'm just going to cut to the chase,” he began. “Brenda tells me you are in some financial difficulties, and I'd like to offer you a job.”

“Let me stop you right there. I'm not selling myself to you,” I scoffed. When I said I’d do anything to get the money for my mother’s medical bills, I didn’t mean prostitution. “Brenda I can't believe this is what you are doing.” No wonder Mr. Smith thought I was selling my goods.

“No, Mer. That's not what he's saying. Just hear him out. It's not what you think,” Brenda explained, but I couldn’t keep what I was feeling inside to myself. I had to tell her my mind.

“Brenda wake up and smell the adult diapers!” I yelled. “You're dating a man three times your age. He gives you money for sex. That makes you a whore,” I declared. “Not that I have a problem with that. It's your body and life. But don't you try to get me to do what you are doing because I won't.”

“Just shut the fuck up, Meredith, and listen for once in your life,” Brenda shook my shoulders. “Just hear him out and if you don't want to do it, then you can say no, and we can go back to being best friends who stay out of each other’s personal business.”

“OK,” I said.

Lenox opened a small box and took out a cigar. Brenda lit it for him, and he took two puffs before he spoke. “I see you are not as wild as my darling Brenda. She told me you wouldn't do this type of thing, but she also stated you needed money, so I'm offering you a job.”

“What kind of job?” I asked again.

“It's a bartending job, but you won't be serving low lifes and town drunks. You'd be working for my business, serving only the finest, wealthiest men in America and occasionally the world.”

“And all I have to do is pour them alcohol?” I inquired. I didn’t like loopholes, so I had to make sure this man wasn’t hiding any.

“Yes. Whatever you choose to do with them after is up to you. All you have to do is serve the men and women refreshments and also clean up after, and it's only for three days every week.”

“Women?”

“Yes, we have girls to service the needs you are too afraid to give,” he chuckled.

“OK. This sounds like it's doable. And the pay?” I queried.

“I'll start you at $15,000 for the three nights. plus if you are lucky, you could get some big tips.”

I almost spit my tongue out. With pay like that, who needed tips? “And I am not required to sleep with anybody?” This sounded too good to be true.

“No, Mer. They have girls for that. You will only be serving the booze,” Brenda assured me. “This isn’t like selling your body on the sidewalk. Believe me, some of these men pay you only to have conversations with them. There are no sex involved majority of the time.”

“This was what you've been up to?” I asked her.

“I had to pay my tuition somehow. And it's not like what you are thinking. The men are respectable and they treat you right. And since I've met Lenox. I only service his needs.”

“You mean he became your boyfriend,” I corrected her. She spoke like their relationship was still only a business transaction.

“Yes, my boyfriend. So what do you say, Mer?”

“I guess I could give it a try.” I sighed.

“Yesssss!” Brenda squealed. Lenox’s eyes squinted as it glimmered at my answer.

“OK then. Here are the contracts that you need to sign. This one is a nondisclosure contract, meaning you cannot discuss nothing that you see inside the walls of the parties,” Lenox stated. "Do you understand?”

“Yes I understand,” I nodded. “Now where do I sign?”