Page 14 of Worthy: Cassius and Faith

“Thanks, guys.” Inexplicably, my eyes filled with tears. I was grateful for my sunglasses. “That means a lot.”

The truth was, I didn’t know what anything meant. I just knew that Cassius Blackwood had eclipsed the sun, the moon, and the stars in my world. He’d somehow become the most important thing to me, the most dear. But he was a billionaire. I was a sex worker. She grew up on an estate; I grew up on government assistance. He might as well have been from another world.

My friends stayed for the rest of the morning. We swam in the pool, sat in the hot tub, and had a lot of laughs. When I hugged them goodbye, we promised to see each other before the patrons arrived at the end of the week. My heart lifted as they left—connecting with them, laughing, relaxing, and confiding in each other was wonderful.

But once they left, I was alone. The interior of Cassius’s mansion suddenly seemed too empty to me, too cold.

And I knew that, all too soon, my own interior would probably feel the same way.

CHAPTER EIGHT

tests

Faith

It wasn’t much later that the intercom buzzed in the kitchen, causing me to jump. “Faith, it’s Gina,” a familiar voice said. “Can you please come to my office?”

“Of course, Gina.” I didn’t know what the Madam wanted, but I hustled to get dressed. I pulled on a simple black sundress, hastily pulled my hair back into a bun, and headed to the main mansion.

It was disorienting to leave the private enclave of Cassius’s home. The grand gardens seemed even more impressive, the all-knowing statues’ expressions even more impenetrable. But I was relieved that the grounds were quiet; the patrons had all left for the work week.

I made my way to Gina’s office, surprised to find both the Madam and the nurse inside. “Hello, Faith,” Gina said. “We’re going to do your follow-up test now.”

I swallowed hard. “Today?” I asked. “It’s already been a week?”

“It’s been long enough that we can check for a false positive,” the nurse said kindly.

Gina chatted with me while the nurse drew my blood, asking how my visit with my friends had gone and how I’d been feeling.

“Good,” I said. “I don’t feel any different.”

“You wouldn’t, dear. Not yet.” The nurse patted my arm. “I’ll bring this to the lab—be back in a few minutes.”

“I haven’t seen you in a few days,” Gina said. “Is everything okay?”

I nodded.

The Madam peered at me from behind her black-framed glasses. Waves of glossy hair tumbled over her shoulders, and her makeup was flawless; Gina always looked so pulled together. “You can talk to me, you know. I just want to make sure that you’re where you want to be. You don’t have to stay at Mr. Blackwood’s house, Faith. You can leave anytime—we’ve funded your account with all your earnings.”

“Thank you. I saw the deposit,” I said. I checked my banking app and saw the balance in my account. It was staggering: five million dollars—four for my double-platinum rights and one for my contract being bought out. The money was real. It was in my account. And yet it seemed impossible, a fever dream of wealth.

“Concerning staying with Mr. Blackwood—I’m enjoying it,” I said. How could I tell her I was the happiest I’d ever been and longed to stay with Cassius forever?

“Good.” She smiled at me. “I’m glad to hear it. It’s lovely that this is all working out so well.”

I longed to know what she meant and if she had any information about Cassius’s feelings about the arrangement. But the nurse returned, carrying an electronic tablet. She nodded at me. “The results came back, and they’re the same. You tested positive for being pregnant.”

I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

“It’s still early,” the nurse said gently. “But these tests are extremely accurate. I would say that you can be confident with the results of this secondary test.”

When she left, Gina turned to me. “I didn’t tell Mr. Blackwood we were testing you again this afternoon, but he needs to know. Are you comfortable telling him the results, Faith? Or would you like me to do it?”

“I’ll tell him.” The words came out slowly, stubbornly.

Gina watched me carefully. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” I said, although I wasn’t sure that was true.

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