Page 165 of Boyfriend of the Hour
“He’ll make it worth your while,” Kyle went on and rattled off a number that made every mouth in the room drop. “And that’s plus tips.”
I blinked. That was half the money I needed for the surgery—in one weekend.
“And…it will be safe?” I wondered.
“Oh, for sure it will. The girls get their own suite on the boat, locked doors, plus other security will be there. You’ll be locked up tight, honey. Nothing to worry about.”
Both my friends continued to look at me, completely aghast. Kiara looked more than a little skeptical, while Rochelle appeared to be waiting for her own personal invitation to the event.
Thousands. For one little weekend.
And yet.
“I need to think about it,” I said. “When do I need to let you know?”
“End of the day. We gotta move on this.”
I swallowed. Something was holding me back. “Okay, I’ll text you later.”
By the time we were done, Kiara had finished with my nails, which were safely under her UV light, while she went to work on my hair and makeup.
“You gonna take it?” Rochelle asked. “You’d be crazy not to. Kyle will make you some real money if you let him.”
Even as she said it, she looked sympathetic. She knew what it would mean if I went to work with Shawn hanging around.
And even Rochelle didn’t know about the video.
No one knew about that.
“I don’t know,” I said as Kiara started twisting my hair around hot rollers.
But before I could say anything more, my phone buzzed again. This time, with a FaceTime request from someone I definitely didn’t want to talk to, but knew I wouldn’t be able to put off until later.
“I’m going to take this in my room,” I said as I stood up from the chair.
“Don’t mess up your nails!” Kiara called. “Or the rollers!”
“I won’t.” I escaped to my bedroom and answered the FaceTime. “Hea, Lea.”
“Joni, what in theactualfuck did you do?”
I had to hold the phone away—I honestly thought her voice might have broken the tiny speakers. “Excuse me?”
Lea’s face scowled through the screen. She looked even more frustrated and mommish than usual, with her hair tied up on her head and dark circles under her eyes. All my sisters were beauties, but Lea had lost some of her luster over the years. I guessed that’s what being married with four kids did to you. At least it did in Belmont.
“You heard me,” she snapped. “What the fuck did you?”
I smarted—not at her tone, but at her words. Easily the most church-going of the Zola kids, Lea had cut out the swears a long time ago once she started popping out babies. I hadn’t heard her say more than “fudge” in years.
“Well, right now, I just got a kick-ass manicure,” I said once I’d composed myself. “But I don’t think that’s what you mean.”
“I’m talking about Monday night. Some seedy bar or club or wherever people like you do these dumb things. What. The fuck. Were you doing with Lis fucking Antoni?”
At that, my mouth fell open. “How doyouknow who Lis Antoni is?”
“How doIknow who Lis Antoni is? How doyouknow who Lis Antoni is? You’re my baby sister! Michael and I have done everything—and I do meaneverything—to protect this family from that guy. You’re out of the house five minutes and already you’re bringing trouble to our doorstep?”
I knew she was stressed when she went back to calling people by their formal names. “Michael” meant she was worried about someone she cared about.
