Chapter 3
Lacey
The next day, I got my first email. It had been around noon, after I’ve attended my long and grueling classes. My plans had been to collapse in the study room and sleep until I was rested enough. However, the email chime disturbed my plans. I knew it was them. With my heart pounding in my chest, I opened it immediately. It was a list of the offers I had received last night. A couple of them seemed easy, but then one caught my eye. It included a summary of what was expected, the pay, and a picture of the man. This man had messy charcoal hair with very dark-brown eyes. His shoulders were broad, and his jaw strong. He wasn’t bad-looking at all; in fact, he looked closer to my age than the rest of them. Why did this man need to pay someone for the company? He looked like he could get his fair share of women for free. This interested me the most. My fingers were anxious to read the summary he left.
My name is Matteo Andrews. I am looking for a woman to accompany me to my sister’s wedding. I need someone who can look like a sweet southern girl. Nothing too slutty. Jeans and T-shirts are fine but must have some evening attire. If not, we can discuss how to continue. This will be a week-long trip. Airfare and a room will be provided to you.
There was a small list of information regarding dates. The next line made my eyes almost pop out of my head.
Compensation: $10,000
Was he crazy? Surely, he should have snagged some beautiful model type by now. If he’s handing out that kind of cash, then he has a damn good job too. I re-read the email another ten times before mentally agreeing to it.
It didn’t say where we would be going, but I figured that didn’t matter. Besides, with that much money, I would be content if we were staying in a cardboard box.
Without hesitation, I knew my choice. There wasn’t much to think about. I needed the most money offered, and Matteo offered the most.
I quickly wrote back to Dr. Shepard.
Dear Dr. Shepard,
Please inform Matteo Andrews that I would be delighted to accompany him to his sister’s wedding.
I knew I would get a response from him shortly because he said he typically responded within an hour. His clients, in fact, expected it. Sometimes they had immediate needs, and so he had to always be on call. My phone chimed.
Lacey,
He will be reaching out shortly to plan. Let me know if you need anything from us.
What could I do with $10,000? I could put it toward my tuition. That could pay for a whole year of school from just working for one week. A smile started to form on my face. My worries would soon come to an end. Why didn’t I start this job before? The timing was excellent because after tomorrow, it was Christmas break. What was better than spending break somewhere else and making money? Hell, nothing. It gave me an excuse to not go home over Christmas break. Although, I would have to come up with a good explanation why. I could just tell them I am going with Angela to the beach or something. They would buy it in a heartbeat. My parents would never second-guess me. I’d never lied to them before coming to college.
Throwing my book bag over my shoulder, I started to head to the study room once more. I wasn’t even halfway there when I got a text from a number I didn’t recognize.
516-824-5845: We have been confirmed through the agency. I will pick you up tomorrow at 6pm from there. We will meet for dinner before we leave the following morning for the Bahamas. I want to make sure we have chemistry before we go. Please let me know if this works for you.
My heart raced. This must be him. Chemistry? I was positive finding chemistry with him shouldn’t be that hard. He’s smoking hot after all.
I quickly texted back: We are on for tomorrow. See you then.
Right after I sent the text, my mom called. I was washed over with guilt and quickly pressed ignore. I knew she’d be heartbroken about me not coming home. But this was important. I had to get this $10,000. Taking a deep breath, I just shot her a text.
I won’t be coming home. I’ve been invited to the beach in Mexico with some friends from school. I really want to go. Hope you won’t be mad.
I prayed she’d understand. I didn’t have many friends in high school due to my lack of a social life. It was all about my GPA back then. Anything to get me into a good school so I could have a bright future. All my childhood, my parents talked about how college was a big deal. I felt like they only downplayed it because they knew the cost to attend. When I got accepted for a scholarship, they were so proud of me. All the years I spent studying and stressed out paid off. Even though they never admitted it, I knew they both wished they would have attended. Life would have been different for us all if they had.
I heard a ding on my phone.
Mom: I understand honey. Have fun. Just call and check in with us, so we know you are okay. We will come to see you when you get back. Love you.
Relief filled my heart. Good.
I finally made it to the study room, hoping that no one would burst in. I spread out on the couch with a new book in my hand when Angela stormed inside. “What are you doing? It’s like two o’clock. Why are you reading?” Angela yelled at me like she was my mother. Who did she think she was? Why did she always have to be so damn mean? Nothing good ever came out of her mouth.
“I was just enjoying the peace and quiet. Well, until you walked in anyway,” I replied.
She rolled her eyes and sat next to me, frustration all over her flushed face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, assuming there was chaos in her life.