Page 59 of Rich Girl
“We’ll go at three,” he declares. “One… Two… Three!”
We both remove the domes at the same time. The smell from the food instantly invades my senses, stronger than when the food was covered.
“This looks incredible,” Ray grins at me. “Best fucking thing after a long day at work. I love it. Thank you.”
I am taken aback by his gratitude over a simple meal. No one has ever been this excited for me to feed them. I’ve had food delivered at the house before when I’d have someone stay over. But they always expected it, and I never thought anything of it.
Now, as I watch the excitement on Ray’s face while cutting into his steak, I see things in a whole different view. I feel appreciated by him and taken advantage by the others.
It is a bitter pill to swallow after so many years of being spoiled and not worrying about money. Ray doesn’t seem to worry about money either, but he lives frugally, happy in what he is capable of doing. Evie runs her little flower shop, genuinely loving what she’s doing.
I start going over all the people I’ve met since coming here. None of them just not doing anything. They all have jobs, and they all seem happy with their lives. It is such a new concept for me.
Just to make sure, I decide to ask Ray about it.
“Are you happy?”
He pauses mid chewing and stares at me. A few seconds later, he finishes his bite.
“I am.” He stares at me like he’s trying to reach into my soul. “Areyouhappy?”
I was not prepared for him to turn the tables on me. I don’t know what to say. I’ve never given it any thought. My life is easy. I’ve never had to worry about anything. I’ve never paid a bill in my life. It’s all deducted automatically from my trust fund account.
“I don’t know.” My voice is barely audible when I respond. “I’ve always had all my needs met.”
There’s a brief look of pity crossing Ray’s face, but he masks it with a smile.
“That’s a good thing,” he assures me. “There are plenty of people out there whose needs are not met. They’re miserable.”
I put my fork down, suddenly not hungry anymore.
“Do you ever wish you had more than this?”
Ray is focused on cutting his steak, but he does give my question a serious thought.
“I honestly have everything I need for a comfortable life,” he tells me. “My business is doing well, my employees are happy, my bills are paid.”
“But you don’t have a house.”
I can’t imagine this place working out long term for him. Ray catches me glancing around, a smirk forming in the corner of his mouth.
“All my needs are met,” he throws back what I said earlier.
“What happens when you bring a girl home?” I can’t help myself from asking. “Don’t they want to stay in a nicer place?”
He shrugs, completely unbothered by my question. “I broughtyouhere, and you didn’t ask to stay in a nicer place.”
I blink at him, confused at first, but then realizing that he is right. I never asked him to take me anywhere else. In fact, onlyminutes ago, I was thinking about bringing here all my stuff from the city.
“I’m sorry. I realize how I come across.” I look around again, this time with different eyes. “I’ve never been in a situation like this before. I got swept up in the excitement of it all.”
Ray nods in understanding, but he doesn’t say anything else. Instead, he goes back to his food. Every so often, he’ll make a groaning sound of pleasure as he takes a bite. It sounds so much like when we are in bed, and he tastes me over and over again, I now can’t think of anything else.
I play around with the food on my own plate, the portion way too big for me.
“That’s one big salad,” Ray comments from across the table. “Do you want a bite of my steak?”
He takes me by surprise when he cuts off a small piece of meat and brings the fork up to my mouth.
