He squeezed my hand. “You feel alone.”
“Yeah…”
“You’re in a different country, and you’ve been through a lot. Makes sense. But you’re forgetting something.”
No, I wasn’t forgetting anything. I didn’t have a penny to my name, and I’d been sold in the Underground because I couldn’t survive on my own for more than a day. I’d gotten myself into a shitty situation, and there was no way to get out of it. “What am I forgetting?”
“Me.” He brought my hand to his lips and kissed it. “You forgetting that you have me.”
* * *
When we returned home, our bags were carried to our bedroom on the third floor, and Conway immediately went to his office to catch up on the emails he’d missed from Nicole. It was too late in the day for me to go to the stables, so I sat in the living room in his suite and turned on the TV.
My phone was on the table. I didn’t have anything in it except Vanessa’s number. I didn’t even have Conway’s number. There wasn’t any point when he was constantly at my side.
But then it started to ring.
A number I didn’t recognize popped up on the screen. I had no idea what the area code was here, so it wasn’t clear if it was even local. I considered just ignoring it, but then my curiosity got the best of me.
I answered. “Hello?”
“Is this Miss Sapphire?” A masculine voice erupted on the other line, a voice I didn’t recognize. He sounded older than me, maybe in his late thirties.
“This is she. Who’s this?”
“Andrew Lexington of Lady Lingerie.”
His name was vaguely familiar, but I recognized the brand right away. It was a lingerie store found in every single mall in America. You’d have to live under a rock not to recognize it. “Oh?”
“I’m the owner and designer of Lady Lingerie. It’s nice to meet you, Sapphire. Tracking you down was quite an ordeal.”
“And why are you trying to track me down?” I was immobilized, unsure if I should hang up, run to Conway, or keep talking.
“I’d like to make you an offer. I’ve contacted Conway Barsetti about this before, but he refused to allow me to see you. Not that I judge him for it. It makes sense that he’s protective of you…since you’re living with him.”
He obviously did his research. “I have a strict contract with Conway, so whatever your offer is, I think it would be pointless. I’m flattered you want to talk with me, but—”
“Please listen to me before you shut me down right away. Conway Barsetti is a very powerful man, but so am I. There’s no amount of money I’m not willing to pay for you.”
My anger rose. “I’m not a piece of livestock.”
“And I’m not assuming that you are,” he countered calmly. “But you should know you have options. I’m willing to double whatever Conway is paying you.”
If only he knew how much he paid for me. “You can’t afford me.”
“Like I said, there’s no amount I’m not willing to pay. Meet with me in person to talk it over.”
The idea of meeting this man to talk about taking a job felt deceitful. Conway took care of me. It would be wrong of me to meet with him. “I can’t. But thank you for calling, Mr. Lexington.”
“Whoa, hold on. If we have to do this over the phone, so be it. What is he paying you?”
I shouldn’t even tell him. “A hundred million.”
Silence echoed back at me.
But that silence didn’t last long. “Is that the amount of your entire contract?”
“Yes.” Told you you couldn’t afford me.
“I’ll pay you double.”
I nearly choked on my own breath when I heard what he said. “What?”
“I’ll pay you double,” he repeated. “For a ten-year contract with my lingerie company. You model for me, and then you can retire handsomely at the end of your run. You can buy yourself out of his contract and still have plenty left over.”
That would give me enough to pay Conway back for buying me. And it would be enough to settle my debts with Knuckles, along with the money I owed in New York. I could clear my name completely.
And I could go home.
“Sapphire?”
My mind drifted away. “I’m still here.”
“Does that mean we have a deal?”
It would be stupid not to take it. I could pay back Conway and not feel any guilt, and I could get everything I wanted. But something held me back. A rock formed in the pit of my stomach, and the guilt started to swell up inside me. “I…I need to think about it.”
“Alright. I’ll give you a call back in a week. How does that sound?”
“Yes…that would be good.”
“Goodbye, Sapphire. I’ll talk with you soon.”