Page 91 of David

She hates it when I call her Julie.

I think it’s a beautiful name, yet she thinks it’s bland and doesn’t fit her personality.

According to her, her personality is anything but bland, and her image is important––hashtag life goals.

Laughing, I slide back into the armchair.

“Why have I hired you again?”

“Because I’m good at what I do, I have an interesting personality, and I’m not after dudes like you.”

“Right. Is this the only reason you are here?”

She flicks her hair over her shoulder, making a beeline for the blinds.

“Let them be. I might go back to sleep.”

“You probably won’t.”

She turns around, not touching them.

“Were things all right last night?” I ask.

“Yes, they were. Where were you, by the way?”

I give her a smile.

“It’s none of your business.”

“Be that as it may, it might still be my business. You made it my business when you asked me to come to you if I spotted warning signs.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Sabina started to ask some questions after you left without a word last night?”

“Sabina is my employee.”

“She is all that, but unlike me, she is into dudes like you.”

“She is a sex worker.”

“Allegedly.” She snaps her fingers in front of me. “Newsflash. This is me you’re talking to. We all know who she is.”

“What’s the problem?”

“The problem is she wants to know whether you’re seeing someone.”

“Interesting question coming from someone I hired to keep me company.”

“She may be a sex worker, but she has a brain between her ears, in case you haven’t noticed.”

“Are you implying I’ve led her on? I sign her paychecks.”

“And? You don’t need to lead her on. Women fall for this kind of crap…” She flicks her finger down, pointing to my abs. “All the time…” she goes on. “Even more so when you’re harder to read than a Sumerian tablet.”

“Sumerian tablet, you say…” I murmur, amused.

She dismisses me with a clipped gesture.

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