Page 8 of Ordinary Girl

“It’s canceled.”

I glare at him. “I’m sorry…?”

I finally let go of the chair, breathing an inner sigh of relief as my ankle allows me to put weight on it.

“You need my help, Sofia.”

I open my mouth to protest, and then realize it’s a waste of time, because he’s right. I do need help, buthishelp? I lay awake all last night, going over and over everything in my mind. I sat up until the early hours, looking online for anything I could find on his club, the biker world; this man. And there wasn’t all that much, but what I did find chilled me to the bone, it scared me, I can’t work for people like them. A man like him. I can’t. But maybe he’s the only option I have left. Time’s running out, and I can’t let Ana down. I won’t, let my daughter down. I just can’t quite believe it’s come to this.

“I don’t want your help,” I whisper, and I want to look away but his eyes, they hold my gaze and I can’t break the stare.

“You don’twantit, no, I get that. But needing it, well, that’s another matter.”

I finally turn my head away, stare out at the busy square full of people heading off to work, going about their business. Are their lives as hard as mine? As complicated? As messed-up?

“Yes. I need help,” I murmur. And then I turn back to face him, frowning slightly. “You canceled my meeting? How – how did you even know…?”

“I can find out anything I want to. About anyone.”

Did he mean that to sound quite so menacing? Because it did. His words made my skin prickle, the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and I really don’t know what I’m doing here. I just know that if I don’t do this – if I don’t take this chance, then I could lose everything. Am I honestly even thinking about taking that risk? If it was just me there’d be no question. Walking away, losing it all, that wouldn’t bother me, if it wasjustme. But I have Ana to think about.Idon’t matter. She does.

“At least let me explain, Sofia. Listen to what I have to say.”

My shoulders sag, I’m defeated. Backed into a corner. And I don’t even know how I got here, to this place, this point in time where I could be about to step into a world I don’t understand… no. That’s not true. I know. I understand all I need to. But I’m desperate.

“Hear me out. Okay?”

“Okay,” I sigh. What choice do I have? Alright, yes, I could still walk away, find another way of dealing with this, maybe bankruptcy is the best way to go. The smartest option. It would force me to make a new start, but it would also force me to tell Ana the real depth of my problems. And this – taking Skip up on this job offer – this won’t? Maybe I can’t shield her forever. Things are changing, they have to. Whether I want them to or not.

Skip

“You’re asking me to do things… Most of this isn’t anywhere close to being legal, Skip. And you’re happy telling me all of this?”

“I trust you.” And I do. Trust her. I barely know her, and I trust her. But she looks scared. There’s a fear in her eyes, because I’ve told her things she can’t forget she heard, not now, which means that, if she walks away from this, she’s in more danger than if she comes with me. To the club. Walking away, with the information I’ve just given her; knowledge of the tasks she’d be expected to carry out, everything she’s now privy to, we don’t let people do that. We don’t let them just walk away. She’s still a stranger, to all intents and purposes, albeit a stranger I really do feel like I can trust. But I’m listening to my gut here, and it’s never let me down yet.

“I still don’t understand why you’re so desperate to help me.”

“Because I want to sleep with you.”

My bluntness shocks her, she visibly flinches in her seat, but her expression doesn’t waver. She’s got one damn impressive poker face.

“So, say that happens: you get to sleep with me. Once you’ve done that, what if you suddenly decide you don’t want me around after all? What if, all of a sudden, you decide that giving me a job was a bad move, and the sex was okay, but, employing me…? I don’t trustyou, Skip. Not yet.”

“Sex is gonna be a whole lot better than okay, I can guarantee that.” I raise an eyebrow: throw her one of my best grins, but she’s not loving the flippancy.

“I don’t trust you.”

“You need time. I get that.”

She stares at me, right into my eyes, and there’s something there, some glimmer of hope that she’s about to accept my offer. Or maybe I’m just willing it to be there.

“I’m almost at the end of the line here, Skip. I don’t have time for games.”

“Believe me, Sofia, I’m not playing any. I don’t do that, I don’t fuck about, I tell it straight.”

Her eyes remain fixed on mine, she’s staring me down, and the more I look at her, the more I want her. She’s different; vulnerable, even though I would never tell her that. She’s been hurt, but she’s a fighter, she’s beautiful and tough and I fucking want her. And I know the sex is going to be way better than okay.

“Yes. You certainly do that.”

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