Page 17 of Purchase Power
“I know you don’t me from Eve,” Lucy drolly said, “but I have no interest in canvassing the joint and making off with whatever I please.” Except, maybe, for that tub in the bathroom. Could she fit that in her bag? Could she fit that in herapartment?At least that would give her something fun to think about while she waited for Noah’s visits, however often they would be. “Anyway, I understand. Is there anything else that big I should know about?”
“Someone, including me, will be bringing you your meals two or three times a day. If you require a certain snack to keep on hand, please let us know. There is also a mini-fridge underneath the wet bar that can hold a number of drinks and snacks. For tonight, I will bring you some supper in about an hour. However, we did not receive a dietary restriction list from you.”
“I don’t have any restrictions. I’ll eat almost anything.” Lucy almost quipped about that same diner on the corner of her block.My sister Lacey and I call it “Roadkill Café.” You never know what you’re gonna get, even if you ordered a staple. God only knows what they put in it. But it’s always delicious.There were greasy spoons, and then there was whatever the hell the locals ate back home. “Thank you.”
Candace took a step toward the door. “I will inform Mr. Gabriel that you are here and have been escorted to your room. I’m sure he wants to stop by sometime before he retires for the evening.” She put her hand on the door. “Pardon me for any offense I may have given you a few minutes ago, Ms. Craig.” Her set mouth and furrowed brows did not convey the same apology as her words. “Mr. Gabriel gave us very little warning of your arrival, and any such guest such as yourself requires much preparation.”
Was that her super-polite way of saying she judged her employer? Maybe not for what he did, but for how carelessly he did it?You could have fooled me. Guy acted like a pro the other night.He had even tried out the goods before committing to them. “Thank you. I appreciate it. God knows I do not wish to be a thorn in your side.”
Candace curtly nodded and showed herself out the door. Lucy was soon alone in a strange room in an even stranger house.
At least she could sag her shoulders now. Maybe sit on the couch. Fiddle with the TV. Unpack her underwear and take a peek in the closet. Unfold her laptop and test out the internet connection. Text her mother that she was doing all right. Text her sister that she was definitely not going to make it to their weekly lunch on Wednesday. Anything to give her a sense of normalcy as she settled in to be some man’s kept woman.
I’m truly a kept woman now. I’m basically a prisoner.She found the treadmill in two minutes. Although it wasn’t dusty, she had a feeling it was removed from another part of the house and placed in any place it fit. Lucy was better off dragging the yoga mat around the suite and pretending that she was in a nicer, warmer place where her freedom wasn’t a commodity.
Then again, she didn’t even live in a world where her body wasn’t a commodity, either.
