“Why Connecticut?”
“That’s where I’m originally from,” I explained. “And my student loans aren’t even my biggest problem.”
He abandoned his drink and leaned forward, his muscular arms on the table. When he came closer to me, his masculine cheekbones and chiseled jawline were even more noticeable. The moody lighting of the restaurant played with his features well. But then again, he was so handsome, he looked good in any light. “What’s your biggest problem?”
“I have a huge medical bill that I’ll be paying off for the rest of my life.”
It was the first time he dropped his arrogance and actually looked like a human being. The hostility in his eyes died away, and now he looked at me like I’d said something that actually affected him. “Are you alright?”
“It wasn’t for me. My mother had cervical cancer, and there was this new cancer cure that had been introduced that year. It was still in the trial phase, but it had great statistics, so I wanted to give it a try. I knew it might not work, but I refused to give up. My mother was under the impression it was much cheaper than it really was… Otherwise, she wouldn’t have done it.”
His eyes softened further. “Was?”
I shook my head. “You know the ending…”
“I’m sorry.” It seemed like he meant it, even though he’d just spoken about fucking virgins and making them cry.
“She passed away a year ago. Her insurance covered most of her treatments, but that last trial is under my name.”
“How much was it?”
“You don’t want to know…”
“Tell me,” he said quietly.
“Four hundred and fifty…”
“Thousand?” he asked incredulously.
I nodded. “I don’t regret it. She’s my mother… I had to do everything to save her.”
He sighed as he looked down into his drink. “That’s rough, Monroe.”
“Yeah…it hasn’t been easy.” I had over $600,000 in debt, and I didn’t even own a house or a car. I’d spend my life paying that back, and as a result, I would never be able to afford to buy myself anything.
“What about your father?”
“He passed away about ten years ago. Veteran.”
“Did he pass away in the line of duty?”
“Yes. He was a medic.”
“I’m sorry…again.”
I drank my wine. “Thanks.”
“But his service should be able to help with your school somehow.”
“It did,” I said with a nod. “I used his GI bill to fund some of my undergrad work. But it only covers so much. It’s unfortunate that my parents did their best to give me a better life, but I got crushed by the system. Even without my mother’s medical treatment, I would still be struggling. The American dream isn’t what it used to be.”
Slate didn’t have anything to say to that. He was a multimillionaire, probably a billionaire. He didn’t know what it meant to struggle. He probably didn’t go to college because he didn’t need to. He probably inherited all of his opportunities. “Now I understand why you hunted me down so adamantly.”
“I didn’t hunt you down… I just didn’t know where to go. I’m not even sure how I would have found Max if you hadn’t given me his card.”
“It’s an underground thing. Technically, what I do is illegal, even though the cops wouldn’t do shit if they found out.”
Because he had enough money to make them go away. “So, you’re just going to keep doing this for the rest of your life? When you’re forty? Fifty?”
“Pretty much.”
“I’m guessing you don’t date? Have girlfriends?”
“Never.” He brought his glass to his lips. “Monogamy has never interested me. Why have mediocre sex with an awesome person, when I can have amazing sex every night with a different person? Because every time really is the first time—at least for her.”
“That seems kinda sad to me.”
“You’re a twenty-three-year-old virgin. You don’t know any better. But once you have it…you’ll see what I mean. You’ll be out on the town every weekend looking for a good lay because you’ll want more. But you’ll never find it…because I’m the best.”
“I’m sure the man I marry will be the best.”
“There it is again…that naïve optimism. When you start experimenting with other men, you’ll realize there’s no such thing as Prince Charming. Men are all dogs that only care about themselves. Trust me on that.”
I gave him the same sad look he just gave me. He might be a rich and powerful man who seemed to have everything, but below that projection, there was just a broken soul underneath. Why else would he be constantly angry? Why else would he drink liquor like water? Why else would he pay money to take a woman’s most intimate experience? “Not all men are like you, Slate.”
5
Slate
She ate everything on her plate, the entire eight-ounce steak, along with the potatoes and greens. She didn’t shovel the food into her mouth like she was starving. She took her time, ate slowly, but instead of filling up quickly, her appetite never seemed to end. Once her plate was clean, she drank her wine.