Page 2 of Sweet Deception

Why does it feel like I just signed my life away?

As soon as I lift the pen off the paper, Ms. Wesley snatches the document and places it in the folder beside her before continuing, "Sweet Connections, Inc. offers two services. Please tell me which one you're requesting to join."

Snapping my gaze back to her, my mind goes blank. My roommate, Talia, only ever mentioned one.

"Sorry. I, uh … wasn't aware there were two. I only know of the sugar baby service—which I'm here to apply for." Losing the fight to keep still, I wring my hands together as I contemplate what the second service could be.

When I notice Ms. Wesley glance down at my hands, I go still and place them back on my lap. She gives a nod of approval and relief sweeps through me, quickly followed by annoyance at caring what this woman thinks of me. There's just something about her that takes me back to middle school, sitting in the principal's office being lectured for punching Tommy Whitehouse in the nose.

He totally deserved it. I caught him lifting my best friend's dress up when we were playing outside during recess. Him and Chad starting laughing and making fun of her frilly underwear which made Cindy cry. I saw red. I would have punched Chad too if the teacher hadn't interfered.

"I'm aware you're here because of Talia Henderson's recommendation. I would've thought she'd have prepared you better."

When I just blink, she sighs before leaning back in her chair. "Here at Sweet Connections, we have a dating service and a sugar baby service. To the average person, the dating service is all that we offer. I'm sure you understand the discreet nature of operating the other side of this business. If accepted, all anyone needs to be aware of is you've met a match on our dating site. Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am." Now it makes sense why the other women from the waiting room were so calm. They must've been here for the dating service.

Ms. Wesley moves to place a file before me and taps the top of the folder. "Inside here, you'll find several questionnaires and the guidelines. I'll take you to another room where you can complete the forms in privacy. Please make sure you answer every question before you leave. You can not take them with you. If they needto be revised between contracts, call my office and schedule an appointment to review them here. These documents never leave this office. Am I clear?"

"Yes, ma'am." She won't receive any complaints from me. It's reassuring how strict their policies are. The last thing I want is my role as a sugar baby becoming public knowledge.

"Good." She flips open the file to sift through the papers as she continues, "This side of the business works much like the other. We aim to match couples based on personal interests and compatibility to lower the risk of losing clients to our competitor."

My eyebrows shoot up, and before I can think better of it, I blurt out, "You have a competitor?"

Ms. Wesley looks up from the papers and pins me with her gaze, making me regret my outburst. "Yes, there's a competing sugar baby company in town."

Wow! I had a hard enough time believing this was a thing when Talia told me about it. To find out there's more than one agency in Chicago is unexpected. I'm not so naïve that I'm not aware some women throw themselves at rich men for their money, but to find out thereare companies pairing them together is shocking to me.

Ms. Wesley goes back to shuffling the papers until she finds the one she wants and pulls it to the front. "Here's the guidelines. I suggest you memorize them. I can't express enough how imperative it is that you follow these rules. The most important one for you to remember is never to discuss this with anyone. The only reason Talia could tell you is because she's part of the referral program. This does not give you the freedom to do the same. If and when you qualify to be in the program will be up to me."

Since she seems to be waiting for my acknowledgement, I jerk my head once but don't bother to explain that I have no plans of being a sugar baby long enough for that to be a possibility.

"Once an interested party requests you, we'll schedule a meet and greet at the club next door. If the pairing is successful, you can use that as your cover story forhow you met. We like to keep things as close to the truth as possible to prevent any slip-ups."

This explanation works for me since it solves how I would explain a new man in my life to my parents. I can be honest and tell them I met a guy at a club—while not the best place to meet a potential boyfriend—it's also not the worst.

"I must warn you, while everyone else believes your sugar daddy is your boyfriend, do not forget who they truly are to you. You can only turn them down for anything you haven't agreed to in your contract. They're the ones in control here. It's why we like to give you the choice of which contract you'll accept."

Wait … what?

The woman continues as if I'm not over here panicking at the thought of being at the mercy of a stranger.

"We offer a six-month or one-year contract, which we'll extend if both parties agree.Once you sign the contract, breaching it will result in your termination with Sweet Connections—except in cases of abuse. But I will warn you, you must be able to prove it. We vet our clients extensively, and they are aware we do not condone violence outside of the contract."

Outside of the contract?

What an odd comment. My mind races at the implication of that statement.

"If the client chooses to break the contract, he must honor the full payment at the time of termination, and you'll be free to select a new sugar daddy." Ms. Wesley gathers the papers together and places them back in the folder before asking, "Do you have questions for me?"

"Yes. Uh, well, you say I can't turn down the client. Like? At all? What if I'm ill, or … you know … it's that time of the month?" I can feel heat climb my face as I continue, "or what if he requests something I'm not aware I should mark on the questionnaire?" More questions flood my mind and I try to tamp down my panic. I understand the client pays for my time, but I fear what they may ask if I can't say no. What if he asks me to crawl around the floor and bark like a dog? This exact scenario was in a BDSM romance novel I read once, and I don't know how the woman didn't junk punch the guy.

Ms. Wesley's impatient sigh breaks through my panicked thoughts and I force myself to pay attention.

"We have a clause for health reasons, but it's not an excuse to use whenever you want. The client can claim you're in breach of contract. Also, while they have filled out their own questionnaire when they joined Sweet Connections, it's exclusively for us to match them with the right sugar baby. If they select you, they're aware of your limits and agree to your terms. As long as you fill out your paperwork honestly, they can't request anything you don't want. It's all explained in the guidelines you'll review before you leave. Now, are you ready to complete your packet?"

Not really, but I nod anyway.

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