Jacob sat on the edge of the bed. “It would be worth it,” he assured me. “Besides, I've got a cast-iron stomach. Nothing gets me.”
I hoped he was right. I had woken up first thing in the morning to yet again loose my dinner. Jacob had ordered room service, but all I had managed to eat was a piece of toast and some orange juice. The juice had actually tasted better than the coffee, which again, I had only been able to get a couple of swallows down.
“At least I don't have to clean the bathroom here,” I joked. Jacob laughed.
“I will get you a hotel room any time you are sick,” he promised. “Or a maid.”
“You spoil me,” I replied with a smile. He grinned.
“That's part of how I plan to keep you,” he said, brushing a lock of hair from my face.
“You're doing a great job so far,” I told him, glancing around the room. I still had no idea how Jacob had swung this room. It was the fanciest, most amazing hotel room I had ever seen.
The room was bigger than my current apartment and the shower alone was as big as my bedroom. We had an ocean-facing room with had huge windows with electric shades that hid the floor to ceiling windows with a touch of a button. Currently, I was laying in a giant white bed watching boats bob on the ocean. It was amazing.
I had no idea how Jacob had managed to get such a nice room, and I didn't want to know what he was paying for it. He promised me that he could afford it and that it was meant to make sure we both had a wonderful, relaxing weekend.
“What do they want?” I asked Jacob as he looked at his phone and sighed for the third time in ten minutes.
“Who?” He pocketed his phone and gave me a fake smile.
I raised my eyebrows and waited.
“It's HR for my company,” he said, relenting. He pushed his glasses up on his nose. “They heard I was in town, and they want me to come in and do some paperwork. Apparently, I'm behind on health insurance benefits or something.”
I thought about it for a moment. I was feeling better, but I wasn't ready to leave this bed yet. My stomach was still queasy and I was still low on energy after my six-weeks of no sleep.
“Go,” I told him. “I'll stay here and catch up on some emails and sleep.”
Jacob looked surprised. “Really?”
“All I want to do right now is sleep, and you're already up and dressed.” I shrugged. “Go sign your paperwork and when you get back, I'll be ready to be active. Or go back to bed.” I gave him a seductive wink.
“You naughty girl,” he
said with a grin.
“Oh, you have no idea. I have plans for this evening that will make naughty your favorite word,” I promised, thinking of the special underwear I had tucked into my suitcase.
I loved the way his eyes dilated and the grin that spread across his face.
“Then I will make this a quick trip,” he told me as he stood up. I watched as he grabbed his computer bag and gave me a quick kiss before heading out the door.
When he was gone, I snuggled deeper into the luxurious white bedspread and tried to close my eyes, but even though I was exhausted, sleep wouldn't come. My body was relaxed and ready to sleep, but my eyes just wouldn't stay closed.
With a sigh, I went and retrieved my laptop and brought it back to bed with me. Moving took more energy than I really had to give, but I wanted my computer. If nothing else, now was a good time to look over my job offer. I still had the rest of today and all of tomorrow to decide if I wanted the job on Monday.
I opened up my email and downloaded the attachment. I could feel my forehead crinkle as I read down the list of job expectations and my eyebrows raised.
Some of the expectations, like working overtime and restricted social media, didn't surprise me after my internship. The company was extremely fast-paced and pushed their employees to go as far as they could.
But, the expectations of living within ten miles, being available by cell phone at all times even on days off, strict travel restrictions, and working weekends were more than I was ready for. The attachment was over four pages of social limitations and how much time I needed to spend at the office.
As I scrolled through the document, I realized that the job was basically an extension of the internship. It was just more ridiculously long hours and unending loyalty to the company, but for a lot more money.
The only thing that made me even pause on closing the entire computer was the salary at the bottom. Even at Silicon Valley prices, it was an impressive paycheck. I would be making more than I could dream of asking as a recently graduated programmer. I could afford a house. I could afford a lot of things with that salary.
I chewed on my lip, trying to decide just how bad the last six weeks had been. They had been rough. Super rough. But, a paycheck like that would allow me a lot of freedom to do other things.