After New Year’s Eve, Christina went back to washing dishes in the back of her pub for the month of January and tried not to think about what she could be missing working as an escort. After all, not every date had been like the last one with Mark Lewis. Yup! She didn’t think about what Mark’s kiss had been like or how he held her while they danced. She didn’t think about his eyes or the way his hair fell into them. Nope! Not one bit!
Best of all, she didn’t think about the money she was missing out on while she worked her honest minimum wage job. At least, not until her January paycheck came in. When she saw the numbers and did the accounting in her head, she computed just one fact—she was in trouble.
Mindy was reading a magazine in her recliner when Christina limped into the apartment after getting her pay stub. Mindy instantly flipped the glossy cover shut and took her headphones out of her ears to ask Christina, “So, how was work? Did you get paid?”
“I got paid,” Christina sulked.
“Not enough?” Mindy inquired as she put her arms behind her head and stretched her body out. “You already owe me six hundred and twenty bucks and that’s on top of February’s rent. Do you think you’re going to be able to make good? I’d hate to have to call Auntie and ask her to make up the difference for you. I can’t pay for this place by myself.”
“Yes, you can!” Christina countered noisily. Mindy made tons of money. She was just trying to bully Christina into going back to the escort service. “You could easily pay for this place by yourself.”
“Ah,” Mindy said. She sounded bored. “I suppose that’s true, but I can’t think of a good reason why I should have to pay for your housing when I have such good plans for my hard-earned money.”
“I could pay you back!” Christina claimed.
“When?”
“After graduation—”
“Whatever,” Mindy interrupted. “I’m not telling you what to do. You can get the money to pay me however you want and I guess whenever you want. I’m not heartless enough to call your parents and insist that they pay me. I just wanted to tell you that Valentine’s Day is coming up and there has been a request for you through the agency.”
“Really?
“Yeah. A request for Tina! Do you feel like doing it?”
“What's the hourly rate for the job?” Christina asked. Not all jobs paid the same. She had made thirty dollars an hour during the Christmas holidays, except for New Year’s and Christmas Eve. On those nights she had made fifty dollars an hour. “Valentine’s is worth how much?”
“Fifty,” Mindy said. “Except that there has been a miraculous turn of events in your favor. There wasn’t just one request, but two.”
“Two?” Christina asked, stunned. “What happens when there are two?”
“Well, you can either go out with the highest bidder, or you can go out with the one you like, or you can go with the one who made their appointment first, or whatever. You can flip a coin if you want. Feel like working?”
Christina crossed her fingers and said, “If either of those guys is Mark Lewis, I’ll go on the date.”
Mindy’s eyes lit up. “That’s a charming development! We’re not supposed to have favorite clients, but it’s inevitable. I have some I like better, but I’m probably more mercenary than you are. I like the ones that pay more.”
“Was Mark one of them?” Christina asked impatiently.
“Yes, he was.”
“YES!” Christina cheered with her arms in the air. “I’ll go! Yay!”
“Wait, Darling,” Mindy continued. “Get off the ceiling and listen to the rest. Hey!” she yelled, to get Christina’s attention. “Sit down!”
Christina forced herself to sit cross-legged on the floor, but her cheeks were burning. She was so excited she was practically bouncing. Another date with Mark! Hooray!
“Calm yourself. Mark has only offered to pay the standard fee because he was the one to make the appointment before the other guy called and you got double booked. The other guy said he wanted you, too. So, we asked him if he was willing to outbid your first request for that night.”
“Did you book me not knowing whether or not I’d be able to come in?” Christina questioned, feeling like she knew the answer before Mindy told her.
Her cousin winked. “Naturally. I didn’t take you off the books. You still owe me money.”
Christina groaned and Mindy went on.
“Anyway, he offered one hundred dollars an hour—into your pocket.”
“A hundred dollars… an hour! You must be joking. A guy does not pay that much without expecting sex!” Christina exclaimed.
“This guy does. When he offered that much, the rules were firmly explained to him and he said he wanted you for a date and nothing more.”
“Have I met this guy before? Did I go on a date with him?”
“I don’t think so. He said he saw you at the New Year’s Eve party. I guess your date was with Mark that night? Anyway, he thought you were interesting and he wants to take you out. His name is Dominic Figura. So, which will it be?”
Christina shrugged. “I’d rather date Mark, but that’s a lot of money. Does he only want me for an hour then? Could I go to both?”
Mindy shook her head. “If memory serves—both of them wanted from seven to midnight. So, pulling a doubleheader is out of the question, but I’m proud of you for asking. You’ve got a dirty mind after all, don’t you, Tina?”
“Shut up! I’m trying to make money here!”
“Then date Dominic. You’ll make twice as much and cover five hundred dollars of your debt to me in one night. Even making a hundred dollars an hour, that won’t even cover half of what you’ll owe me by then. I’ll tell you what I’d do. I’d date Dominic, stop being little miss goody-two-shoes, and work for the agency until you get a real job. That way you’ll be out of debt when you graduate and you can move forward in your life with pride.”
“You just want me to swallow my pride for now?” Christina asked, feeling heavy.
“Everyone should do it a time or two,” she said before she claimed she needed a shower and left the room.
Christina sat alone in the living room. She felt flat. She really wanted to go on a date with Mark on Valentine’s Day, but crappity-crap-crap-crap, she’d have to bail. She needed the money too much to take an opportunity like a hundred dollars an hour for granted. But, if she turned him down, would he ever call and request her again? She doubted it.
Yep! She was right the first time. She was in trouble.
***
Valentine’s Day.
Even before the date, Christina felt sure she was already dead and roasting for her sins in hell, but how could she have known that Dominic would take her to the same restaurant as Mark that night? Bah!
Christina hadn’t been the one to call Mark to tell him he had been outbid. Christina fed herself all kinds of good reasons why she had turned him down. She was doing it for the money, so why not do it for the money? If that was her philosophy, then it didn’t matter who asked her. The sooner she could pay off Mindy and her credit card, the better. It wasn’t like she wanted luxurious living. Mostly what she wanted was a reasonable meal. Eating cheap Asian noodles two meals a day was hardly nourishing, but she didn’t have money for anything better.
She also told herself maybe it was better if it didn’t go any further with Mark. It wasn't like he was going to fall head-over-heels for an escort, and the last thing she wanted was to fall in love with a guy who only thought of her as a purchased woman. It wasn’t like she blamed him. When she was Tina, she was only a shade better than a prostitute. It was her job to make him comfortable and treat him like she liked him. It was all a game, so she couldn’t blame him if he liked to play it, or stop playing when it suited him.
When she met Dominic in the lounge of the restaurant, she thought she had seen him before. New Year’s Eve? That was when Mindy said they had met, but she couldn’t place him. Dominic was blond and thin with a curious smile. He had a gleam in his eyes that couldn’t be mistaken for anything except mischievousness. It must really be a game for him. Something about the arrangement must be extensively amusing. He was young and Christina wondered why he wasn’t able to get a date on his own. He was handsome enough for it, but it didn’t take her long to figure out why he had called and offered so much for her to accompany him that night—he was the Devil.
“I thought we’d have dinner with my sister and her boyfriend,” he said, his eyes virtually on fire. “Afterward, we’re going to see a movie.”
That surprised Christina. A hundred dollars an hour to go watch a movie? Who paid for that? However, she took his arm and went with him into the dining room. His smile was as broad as a Cheshire cat. He was having way too much fun.
As she stepped onto the padded carpet, she saw Mark seated in a booth. He was wearing a dinner jacket similar to the one he had been on New Year’s Eve, but his jacket wasn’t done up and he wasn’t wearing a tie.
Seated beside him was the woman he’d introduced to her—Laura. Then Christina remembered where she’d seen Dominic. He was the guy who was with Laura. Christina had given him a flirty smile and he paused. Mercy! Why had she smiled at him? She was definitely in trouble because Laura was Dominic’s sister and Christina would be spending the evening watching Mark date her. Didn’t Dominic say Mark and Laura were going out? Just peachy!
She shook out her fake hair and reminded herself that none of it mattered to her. She was playing the escort for the money and oddly enough, also for a free meal. She’d carry herself with poise and dignity. It wasn’t like she had to explain anything to him. There was nothing to explain.
Christina sat down in the booth and scooted over so Dominic could sit next to her.
Actually, even though Christina told herself all that jargon about how she was dating Dominic for the money when she sat down and Dominic introduced her to his sister and Mark like they didn’t know each other—she was distinctly uncomfortable.
“We’ve already met,” Mark and Laura said at exactly the same moment. Mark looked away. He bit his cheek and tapped his fingers on the tablecloth.
Laura had more presence of mind and said to Dominic rudely, “I didn’t realize you had such… thrilling taste in women.”
Christina smiled. It was difficult, but she managed it. It was hell on earth, but on the bright side—at least Christina was dressed for it. Mindy had made her up for Valentine’s Day herself, which meant that Christina was flawless. She was wearing a curly white- blonde wig with strawberry blonde highlights. It was so long, it hit her mid-back. Her dress was baby pink with white lace and she was wearing a white heart necklace. When Mindy put the cherry-red lipstick on, Christina thought her appearance was little better than cosplay.
“Don’t be stupid,” Mindy said angrily while she applied the top gloss to Christina’s lips. “Men like long hair, pink dresses, heart-shaped necklaces, and white lace, and do you know why?”
“No,” Christina answered meekly. It wasn’t so bad to have Mindy teach her a thing or two even if she was snarly.
“Because men don’t wear them,” Mindy snapped. “He’s paying one hundred dollars an hour for you, and you’d better make him feel like a man. But since I know you’re so inexperienced, I can’t count on you to take charge, so we have to do as much as we can with your appearance. Our agency’s name is at stake. Don’t blow it!”
Christina sat at the table thinking. If men liked pink and white lace, then Laura was toast. She was wearing a little black dress—perfect for almost any occasion—except for Valentine's Day. As for Christina, she knew that normally she’d fail at almost everything to do with feminine charm, but she had an ace up her sleeve—Mindy.
Christina had a surge of confidence once she remembered her darling cousin’s tutoring. She’d make it a killer night. She’d make Dominic a fantastic date and be so good to him she’d make Mark want to flip the bill for her next time.
The menus came and Christina looked it over with pleasure. Finally, she’d get to have something good to eat.
“What would you like, Tina?” Dominic asked pleasantly.
Christina smiled back at him. He was definitely the devil. He was enjoying the awkwardness of the situation so much. Not only did he like to mess with Mark’s brain, by outbidding him for the escort he wanted, but he also clearly liked making his sister uncomfortable as well.
Christina bit the corner of her lip. “Mm, everything looks so good. Could you choose something for me, Dominic?”
“What do you like? Are you a vegetarian? Point me in the right direction.”
“I like shrimp,” she said closing her menu and leaning over to look at Dominic’s. “Is this good?” she asked, pointing to the item she had already decided she wanted.
He looked down at her and answered headily, “It’s better than anything. Shall I order it for you?”
Christina nodded, leaving her arm on his shoulder for much longer than she needed to.
“What about you, Laura?” Mark asked, his voice sounded like granite scraping against tiling.
“I’ll have the Mediterranean salad. You know I’m on a diet,” she said decisively as she closed her menu. She was not poised enough to lean over Mark to examine his menu.
“What about drinks?” Dominic asked. “Tina?”
“Tonic water,” she answered.
“That’s not a drink,” Dominic said, boldly putting his arm around her and resting his hand on her waist. “That’s an ingredient for a drink.”
“I like it,” Christina said, looking up into Dominic’s eyes and forcing the two of them into an intimate invisible bubble. “It’s sweet,” she breathed.
Dominic didn’t answer her, instead, he seemed quietly intrigued by her, and when the waiter came and took their order, he ordered only tonic water for her.
When the interlude was over and Christina looked across the table at Mark he looked, wonderfully, annoyed beyond description. Both he and Laura looked unwell, but Christina couldn’t make herself feel downhearted about it. She had never been the prettiest girl on a group date before. She had always been the tomboy, tag-along, third- wheel type. To be the one that both the men were admiring was a new experience for her. Mark clearly had eyes only for her, and Dominic was making his territory known because his arm didn’t leave her waist until the food came. It was unkind, but Christina was happy. She had never seen a man get jealous or be angry because of her before. Cheers to new experiences!
When their food came, Christina thought for sure Dominic would send his steak back to the kitchen. It didn’t even look like it had been cooked. When his knife bit into it, his plate practically filled with blood. Was he going to put something that raw in his mouth?
He chuckled when he saw her face and offered, “Would you like to try some?”
Laura laughed outright at Christina’s screwed up nose and horrified expression. “You should try some.” The other woman laughed. “You’re so fond of 'enjoying the moment!'”
Christina pretended she didn’t hear the dig while Dominic took a slice of the steak and put it on the tip of his fork.
Crap! Christina thought. I only know one way out of this. She took his fork and as she was about to place that red, raw meat into her mouth, she flipped it around and fed it to Dominic instead, allowing her hand to rest on the back of his neck.
“You’re very kind,” he said when he finished chewing. “Are you sure you don't want to try it?”
“I plead guilty. It’s too red for me. Tonight, a girl like me can only taste sugar and spice. Blood isn't on the menu, but,” she said, twisting her hair between her fingers, “I don't mind if you drink it." She looked alluring, but in her heart, she was questioning what was on his mind eating something that raw. It was disgusting.
Mark was doing his best to ignore them as he began sawing into the loaf of courtesy bread.
“Are you all right?” Laura asked him, taking the knife from him and doing it more delicately than he was able to. “Let me do that,” she said.
“You’re very capable,” he said turning away from her and looking at the other diners instead of Laura.
Guys had said things like that to Christina many times, and she’d always taken it as a compliment. At that moment, she realized Mark meant it as an insult. Had all those boys who had said similar things to her meant to insult her? Most of them hadn’t hung around. But one thing was clear, Mark didn’t care if Laura was good at slicing bread or not.
Christina picked up her fork and started in on her meal. Thank goodness it was completely delicious.
***
After dinner, they went to a local movie theater. Christina fought to remember afterward which movie they saw, but it never came to her. She had spent the whole movie in the dark holding Dominic’s hands in decent locations. She didn’t know if he would stray, but she didn’t trust him enough to take the chance. In the dark of the movie theater, she sat between Dominic and Laura, by Dominic’s design. Christina thought he was trying to rub Christina’s beauty in his sister’s face and also keep his date as far away from Mark as possible.
After the film, the three of them went out for hot chocolate at a nearby cafe and Dominic and Laura criticized the movie for a solid hour. Christina had nothing to contribute. She hadn’t been paying attention. Mark simply stared at the floor. Anytime Christina looked at him, he seemed fascinated by something away from their table.
Dominic and Christina said goodbye close to midnight on the street outside the cafe. They had already shaken off Mark and Laura.
“Do I get a kiss?” Dominic asked, moving in to get one anyway.
Christina put her fingers over her mouth and said, “That’s not part of our contract tonight. Besides, you don’t even want to kiss me. You were just relishing making Mark and Laura suffer.”
“And you helped me!” he said positively, drawing her into an embrace. “The first time I saw you, I knew you were a good sport.”
“Don’t kid yourself,” Christina said sharply. She didn’t feel under any obligation to remain under the pretense they were on a happy date when they were alone. “It’s in my contract to play your game. I keep my promises.”
Dominic laughed. “Tell me you didn’t enjoy teasing them?” Christina averted her eyes.
She had found some of it interesting.
“Where did you get the idea to do something like this anyway?” she asked instead of answering his question.
“My sister wants Mark. I took you away from him so he would go out with her tonight,” he said.
“Forgive me if I’m wrong, but it doesn’t seem to me that you like your sister very much. Why do her such a grand favor?”
“I owe her,” he said simply. “Now how about if I make you a deal?”
“What kind of deal?”
“Anytime Mark phones your agency and asks for you to ‘accompany’ him, please promise to telephone me. I’ll double whatever he offers for the night, and you won’t have to bother with anything as silly as a date with me. What do you say?”
Christina frowned. She needed the money so badly, and who was Mark to her? After Valentine's Day, he would probably never think of her again without simultaneously thinking a curse. There wasn’t anything there to fight for. Most likely, he hated her. Finally, she answered Dominic humorlessly, “I hope he calls every night this week."
“That’s a good girl,” Dominic said brightly, before helping her into a taxi.