“I’m sure you think so,” he shrugged in a way that made me uncomfortable. “How much is he paying you anyway?”
“Excuse me?” I felt a fit of rage begin to spread inside me.
“I’ll write you a blank check to fill in as you please for one night. But I have some very specific requests. Things not every girl is comfortable doing. Even though you’re a professional.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” I was so angry I didn’t even care about my language or creating a scene. “I am not for sale.”
He laughed. “Oh, he’s taught you well. Come on. I have known the kid since he was ten years old, you’re not going to convince me that he’s just taking out a lowly employee because he likes your personality.”
“Actually, that is exactly why I brought her here tonight,” I heard a different voice say. Zayden was standing in front of us and he looked like he was about to commit murder. “And why you should now exit this event. South National will no longer be dealing with your company.”
Kirk’s face turned to a deep shade of purple. “Come on, Zayden! Are you really going to side with a whore?”
“Watch your language or I will have you thrown out of here in a manner that will make it impossible for you to ever show your face in public again. Aria is a beautiful young woman with a deeper intellect at her age than you have acquired in sixty years. I would rather spend the very little free time I have in the company of somebody like her, than do business with some sick bastard who has no respect for another human being. Call her a whore again and my lawyers will ruin you until you’re on the streets. Now get the fuck out.”
People had begun watching and I wanted to draw a hole underneath me and disappear. This must have been embarrassing for him, yet he was fighting for my so called honor, and I was completely paralyzed in shock. The truth was that he was, in fact, paying me, even if it wasn’t exactly for sex. But the fact that he was still supremely offended by Kirk’s behavior made a small part of me ridiculously happy. The rest of me kind of wanted to collapse and never see humanity again.
When we finally left the Gala, every single person was apologizing to me for Kirk’s behavior, and I realized that not all rich people sucked, contrary to what I had convinced myself of. In fact, Zayden seemed to run around circles of some truly nice people. All in all though, the evening ended on a nice note, and by the time we made it back to Zayden’s car, I was tipsy, tired, and in a much better mood than I had expected to be.
“I’m sorry about Kirk again, Aria,” Zayden said once we sat in the car again. “I have known him all my life, but he’s never acted so sleazy before. I wouldn’t have introduced him to you if I knew he was going to act that way.”
I gently put my hand over his and he started to move his fingers against mine, causing an internal volcano to begin popping in my system.
“You don’t have to apologize. I feel terrible about creating a scene. I am sure you didn’t come in here today thinking ‘Hey, guess what would be fun? If I had to insult one of my business partners on behalf of my date and cause for a whole dramatic production.’” I laughed.
He lifted both our hands and put his arm around me. “I have never in my life used this word to describe a girl before, but Aria Roberts, you are really amazing.”
He must have thought calling me amazing was somehow amusing since that’s what I had called him.
I giggled. “How long have you been practicing to say that?”
“Since I read your paper. It was… amazing.”
“Amazing. You’re…amazing too.” We were both gazing into each other’s eyes at this point and I barely knew what I was even saying. “Very, very amazing.”
He removed his hand from mine and lightly brushed his index finger against my cheek, the effects of which I felt across my whole body. He was leaning in and I gazed at his perfect mouth and wondered if he would taste like whiskey. As soon as our lips slightly touched, however, I jerked away. A few seconds later I got the courage to look at him.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m sorry, Zayden. I can’t. I just…”
“It’s okay,” he said and looked away from me, without any hint of disappointment in his voice. “I know you don’t want to and I shouldn’t have-”
“It’s not that I don’t want to,” I blurted before I could stop myself. It was too late to take it back now. “Whenever I am around you, it’s difficult to breathe. And all I want in the whole world is to let you win and feel the taste of your mouth and to touch you and let you do whatever you want to me.”
He didn’t speak for almost a few minutes. Then he said, “The screen isn’t sound-proof, Ned can hear you.”
“No I can’t,” I heard Ned say, and then I felt absolutely mortified.
“The point that I have been trying to make – sorry Ned – is that it’s not that I don’t want to, it’s that I can’t. And I’m sorry.”
Zayden sighed like he didn’t care. “Don’t be. It’s your stop. I’ll see you on Monday. Sleep well, Aria. Thanks again for coming out with me tonight.”
I couldn’t bring myself to get out of the car for the longest time. I finally forced myself to say, “No, thank you, for everything.” Then I ran out of there as fast as I could.
I didn’t sleep well that night. I didn’t sleep at all.
---
On Monday morning I was woken up by a phone call from my mom.