Page 71 of Rules Of Engagement: St. Louis
“But maybe I should have seen the signs? Maybe I missed something?”
I reached for her hands, linking her fingers with mine. “Listen to me. What Clarence Sinclair did was assault. It was criminal. And it has nothing to do with anything you did or didn’t do.”
“He said...”She hiccupped through her tears. “He said he was paying for a full evening and expected me to be more accommodating. When I reminded him our contract was clear about the boundaries, he grabbed my arm and said all escort girls were just playing hard to get.”
My jaw clenched so tightly it ached. “Clarence Sinclair is a predator who thinks money gives him the right to hurt women. He’s wrong.”
“I was so scared. If hotel security hadn’t come when they did...”
“But they did come. You’re safe now.”
“Idon’t think I can do this job anymore.”Her voice was barely a whisper. “I thought I was strong enough, but maybe I’m not.”
“Hey.”I squeezed her hands. “You are strong enough. What happened Saturday night has nothing to do with your strength and everything to do with one man’s sickness.”
“But what if it happens again?”
“You are right to be apprehensive. And I can’t promise it won’t happen again. But I do my best to vet our clients and for the most part, they are upstanding individuals. Unfortunately, every once and a while a bad apple gets through. But this is not an often occurrence.”I stood, moving to my desk where I kept a bottle of water and a box of tissues. “With that being said, I encourage you to take time off. And if you decide once you’ve been able to process this, that you don’t want the job anymore, I understand. I’ll write you a letter of recommendation for the next employer who will be lucky to have you.”
I handed her the water and sat on the edge of my desk, close enough to maintain connection but giving her space to process.
“I can’t afford to take too much time off.”
“Then take all the time you need. With full pay. Take two weeks, a month, whatever you need to feel centered again.”
Her eyes widened. “You’d do that?”
“Of course I would. You’re not just an employee, Christina. You’re family. And nobody hurts my family.”
She started crying again, but these tears were relief and gratitude.
“I want to report him,”she said suddenly. “To the police. I want there to be a record so he can’t do this to someone else.”
Pride swelled in my chest. “We can do that right now if you want. I’ll go with you.”
“You would?”
“I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
She nodded, wiping her eyes with a fresh tissue. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
I reached for my phone, scrolling to the number I’d hoped never to need. “I’m going to call my attorney first and have her meet us at the station. Then we’re going to make sure Clarence Sinclair faces consequences for what he did.”
“What about the business? Would this cause problems?”
“Let me worry about the business. Your safety and well-being are more important than any reputation or client.”
After I’d arranged for my attorney to meet us, I excused myself from the room and made one more call at Tamara’s desk. I kept personal numbers in my files for all clients.
He answered on the second ring with confidence in his smooth tone. “Naomi, sweetheart. I was hoping you’d call.”
“This isn’t a social call, Clarence.”
“Oh? Then what can I do for you?”
“You can listen very carefully to what I’m about to tell you. You assaulted one of my girls Saturday night.”
Silence. Then: “I think there’s been a misunderstanding.”
