Part 7 (2/2)

For a brief moment I thought about telling Kent that I was just nervous about the job, but for some reason I told him the truth. ”I'm a little nervous,” I said. ”I'm starting a whole new life for the second time this month.”

His brows rose at that as he cut off a semi and zipped us onto the off-ramp. ”Oh?” he said. ”That's right, you said you hadn't been in LA very long.”

”Like a week,” I said. ”It's hard to get an apartment in the middle of the month. No one's lease is up.”

”There are always rooms for rent.”

”Not any rooms Rose would let me rent. All the places I could afford are in really bad neighborhoods. Actually, forget I said that. I don't have any money, so all the places I could afford would cost me a knife fight with a hobo for rights to claim a bridge.

Kent snorted at that. ”You'd have a h.e.l.l of a time living under a bridge,” he said.

”Well, duh.”

His mouth quirked, very slightly. ”I mean, how would you keep it clean?”

My eyes widened. A glimmer of humor? From Kent Hudson? Manny's joint must have made the rounds.

I sniffed at him. ”I'd find a way. Bleach does wonders.”

He shook his head as he turned off onto the major street that ran past Rose's apartment building. ”Rebecca,” he said, ”don't you think that bleaching your bridge spot might be a bit counterproductive? Wouldn't it burn your lungs out while you slept?”

I crossed my arms. ”Better than sleeping in bird s.h.i.+t,” I said.

He actually laughed. ”Whatever floats your boat.” We reached Rose's apartment complex, and he wheeled the car wildly through the parking lot as I gave him directions to her building. By the time Kent parked and I got out my knees were shaking, and not just from unbridled l.u.s.t and pre-o.r.g.a.s.mic tremors caused by a car so s.e.xy I could suddenly understand those internet weirdos who marry inanimate objects, like their blenders or a highway overpa.s.s.

Once I got out of the car, however, I realized I was very nervous. I lifted my chin and tried not to show it. ”This way,” I said, and led him to one of the ground floor units. Pulling out the spare key Rose had given me, I opened the door.

”h.e.l.lo?” I called into the empty apartment. It was a courtesy, nothing more. Rose worked late every day of the week, and on the weekends. I'm pretty sure some days she didn't even sleep. I honestly didn't know how she did it. Just thinking about it exhausted me.

So, as always, there was no answer. I opened the door wide and stepped inside, flipping on the lights.

Kent entered behind me, so I was able to hear the low whistle that escaped from between his lips. ”Wow,” he said, looking around.

”Wow what?” I asked him as I trudged over to the couch where my meager worldly possessions sat. Half of them were still in their original garbage bags. Just the two. I didn't have a third hand to help me when I'd hauled them up here.

”I'm just impressed at how clean this place is,” he said. ”I thought Rose worked full time. Is this your doing?”

I nodded. ”Yeah, it wasn't in the best shape when I got here a week ago, but it wasn't too bad. You know, since she's a lawyer she works all the time. She's never here.” I started gathering my precisely folded dirty clothes and stuffing them back into their bags. There was really no point in separating them out-I'd worn most of the clothes I already owned and I didn't have any coins for the laundry and I really didn't feel comfortable asking Rose for anything else.

”Mm,” he said. ”I work all the time and my place is a pit.”

I stuffed my laptop and power cord in between a couple of soft s.h.i.+rts. ”That's because you have better things to do than clean,” I told him. I had hobbies once, but most hobbies require resources.

”I don't know,” he said. ”Most of the stuff I do feels pretty pointless, honestly.”

I looked up, surprised. He was so tall, especially from my spot here on the floor next to the couch. He loomed in the dim twilight-I hadn't realized it was so late. The worn carpet under my hands made me think of rug burn and all the delicious ways one could get it.

Licking my lips I turned back to my task, standing up and surveying the apartment to see if I'd left anything.

I suddenly, horribly, realized how much I had lost in the past few years. I had no books and no movies with me-some of them were digital, sure, but well-worn copies of favorite books and old DVDs that had been given to me as gifts by well-meaning relatives who snapped up the fullscreen editions of everything-those were all gone now. I'd sold them off dozens at a time for money. Food, rent, my boyfriend's weed and MDMA habits... all of that gone down the drain. I'd spent some of it too, on alcohol, before I'd realized I was heading down the path of the barflys in the bars I tended.

Even when I'd finally landed a good job at a trendy bar, somehow all my money still managed to be eaten up and sucked down the drain. There was never enough to go around. I'd been struggling for years, I realized, bits of me falling away until my entire life could fit into two trash bags. I hadn't even left much behind when I left, and I'd been too upset to realize how little I actually had at the time.

s.h.i.+t, I thought.

Lost, I cast about the room, staring at the clean surfaces, the well-polished woods and the cleaned baseboards. I'd even scrubbed the walls down and cleaned the cabinets, but other than that I'd left nothing behind except the absence of dirt and filth.

”I... I don't think I have anything else to get,” I said after a moment.

Kent made a noise that I couldn't really place. ”Not even a toothbrush?” he asked me incredulously.

I snapped my fingers. Of course, the bathroom. ”Thanks,” I said. ”I'll go through there, too...” I felt stupid even having to be reminded.

I turned my back on him, unable to look this rich, successful man in the eye. He was only a few years older than me and he had somehow clawed his way to the top. I didn't even know which way the mountain was. I was the biggest loser in the universe compared to him, and he knew it. Maybe that was why he liked to put his hands on me-he knew I'd be easy prey. A young woman with nothing could be swept off her feet easily.

The thought made me ashamed, and yet I knew if he approached me again I would open my legs up and just go to town on whatever part of his body he wanted to stick into me.

I walked briskly away from him as his phone rang for the fiftieth time. The bathroom was through Rose's bedroom, and I practically ran the last few feet to the door so I wouldn't look at the bed by accident, as though it had some sort of magical power.

Once inside the bathroom I grabbed my toothbrush, which was brand new and had the name of Rose's dentist on it. A free toothbrush, in other words, just like the last free toothbrush she'd given me, which I'd used to scrub the grout. I probably needed to take better care of my toothbrushes.

Looking around Rose's now-meticulous bathroom, I realized I'd almost forgot my make up. That would have been a disaster. I'd never be able to go out in public wearing no make up and still convince people that I was Carter Hudson's girlfriend. Frankly, I wasn't sure how I was going to do that now. I still didn't look anything like the other women who had applied for the position. Maybe Kent just liked his women dumpy.

The thought was so depressing for the both of us that I almost cried. Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I grabbed the few pieces I had, all acquired at the drug store. Pressed powder, mascara, eyeliner, a small shadow trio, and my lipstick was in my bag. All that was left was my razor.

Turning toward the bathtub, I leaned in and grabbed my little pink disposable razor from the side. I'd probably have to think about getting another one soon, if I could afford it...

It hit me then: I was going to be able to afford it! The thought almost made me laugh, that I should get so excited about being able to buy a new razor without having to worry about the few bucks it would set me back, but there it was.

Still, I was going to have to wait until my first paycheck. No big. It would last until then. I turned, ready to go out to the living room.

Kent stood in the doorway, one elbow casually propped on the frame above his head, watching me.

I ground to a halt, nearly dropping my things. ”Holy s.h.i.+t!” I said. ”You scared me.” I tried not to look at the way his s.h.i.+rt pulled tight across his rock hard abs.

He shrugged, glancing around the bathroom, as if to say he didn't care. He probably didn't. I scowled at him. ”I don't need help getting a toothbrush, you know,” I told him as haughtily as I could manage.

His blue-green eyes pinned me. ”I needed to use the facilities, as they say.”

”Oh.” I blushed red hot, my ears burning. Of course. ”Sorry,” I said. ”I'll just, uh, get out of your way...”

I waited for him to move aside so I could squeeze past him, but he was completely still. He didn't move a muscle. ”Is this really all you have, Rebecca?” he asked me.

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