"Hello!" Miriam gritted her teeth in anger, "I only have three thousand left in my account okay? How the hell should I pay for it?"
"Say you can't pay the bill?" Nigel deliberately moved closer to her. "You can ask for my help. I'll pay the bill but only if you promise to sleep with me in return. With my protection, no one would dare bully you at work and—"
Before Nigel could finish, Miriam slapped him hard and cursed him a thousand times.
Nigel put a hand to his cheek. He didn't lose it, he laughed like a pervert. The first time you've ever touched me is now. How lovely is your hand?
"You're an abhorrent piece of shit!" Miriam shouted before storming off.
If you don't pay the bill today, you can lose the friendship of your coworkers. In fact, they'll take it one step further and ostracize you! Nigel bellowed from behind her. "Or do you want to risk losing this job?"
Discouraged, Miriam walked the hallways. I can't leave my job. But where will I find a couple hundred thousand to pay these bills?
She had been lost in thought when she saw someone she knew sitting in the private booth just ahead. A man with a tattoo of a snarling wolf and a jagged scar running down his back, who had his Hargrave shirt tied around his waist, was sitting on one of the couches.
It's him!
Miriam stood shocked, her heart racing faster still, if that were possible.
She had been so scared and had held her breath unknowingly the last time she saw the man in his car. But before she could scream, he was gone. Now, here in front of her! The man who had destroyed her life!
She stared at his back and memories flashed into her mind.
She didn't get to say a final goodbye to her father when she woke up in the hospital that time. All she could do was look at her father's dead body in the crematorium.
Her friends and family talked about her at the funeral, saying mean things, and chased her away.
When she would go to the clinic way out in the country for her prenatal check-ups once a month, people would look down on her because she had gotten pregnant before she was married.
She was pregnant with triplets, so she almost bled to death when she had her babies there at the hospital.
None of it had been her fault! All of it was the man's fault!
She was still filled with fury. She balled her fists as she quickly entered a room.
"Hey!" Get out. This is private. A man in black standing the corner stated harshly.
The unknown man sitting on the couch raised his hand and the man in black quietly left the room at his mumbled instruction.
Miriam was surprised. "Really?" she said. "Since when are gigolos rich enough to afford bodyguards?"
Looks like he's been having fun for the last few years!
Miriam swallowed her frustration and approached slowly, "Is that you?"
The gentleman spun around as he buttoned his shirt. A black masquerade mask covered the top half of his face.
His tiny lips were visible through the mask. His presence was mysterious and his eyes were sharp and piercing even in this dimly lit room.
There was what seemed like a golden flame symbol on the upper right corner of the menacing mask, it emitted a dangerous wild aura.
Instinctively, Miriam took a step back. How can he look so powerful? He's just a show boater, isn't he? Have I got him wrong?
No, I haven't. And there's that tattoo again.
"Are you forgetting me?" Miriam demanded. "A friend of mine got a man to take me to bed when I was in K13, and it was you. We went to the hotel. You have a red mole on your chest." He examined her face closely. "We did it seven times."
"I'm going to kill you!" Miriam exclaimed, running towards him and attempting to strike his head with her arm.
He caught her arm pushed her down on the sofa. "You can't do that!"
"Scum!" Miriam went for him like a she wildcat, clawing with her free arm. "Scum! Scum! It's all your fault! You wrecked my life," she screamed.
He fended her off easily enough by putting a hand on her forehead and keeping her at arm's length. With all the rest of the shooting and handwaving, she wasn't having any luck reaching him.
Yes you did. You came to me for help. We made a deal. And now you're framing it like I raped you.
Miriam tensed up, "You did nothing good at your job! You didn't even wear a condom on your tool while working with your client! Go ahead, cut off your balls motherfucker!"
"Me?" The man's eyes turned menacing. "Did you get pregnant?"
Miriam stiffened at his question, her children flaring in her thoughts. Yes, I became pregnant, and had triplets! But you filthy one! You'd never fathered a single responsibility!
"Respond to me!" he commanded.
"Yeah, I became pregnant!" Miriam blurted out. She immediately retracted it and said, "But I had an abortion." I won't give birth to a shameless gigolo's child!
The kids will be teased at school if any more people find out their dad is a male escort by night!
No, keep it secret. Nobody can know about it!'
"Well done!" The man satisfied himself with a nod. Pulling something out of his pocket, he reached.
"That cheek of yours! It's unbelievable that you still are working here as a gigolo. How many women will you hurt who aren't even guilty? I'm going to file a complaint right away with your director!" Frantically Miriam trampled about.
The recipient's check-holding hand went numb. He placed the check back in his pocket.
Nigel was on the other line when Miriam opened the door. "Miriam, if you don't get down here, the others are leaving. And tomorrow… let's just say don't bother showing up to Evergreen Enterprises."
"Go to hell!"
Miriam slammed the phone down, seething. How is it that scumbags are everywhere? They're both disgusting, filthy people!
Something occurred to her suddenly. My life was ruined by that bastard. I can't just roll over and take it.
I can't let him live in luxury while my kids and I are suffering."
Miriam's jaw clenched at the thought. She burst into the private room again, screaming, "Stupid gigolo, you destroyed me." You're responsible for this!
When she said it, the man was in the midst of enjoyment with his wine. "Oh, yeah? And how you think I do that?" He glanced up sharply.
"By paying me back!" Miriam's voice was decided. "I wouldn't have been this miserable if it wasn't for you!"
I would have never had the last encounter with Father before his passing, if not for him.
My reputation would have never taken such irreparable harm, if not for him.
I would have never became a single mother if it wasnt for him.
My kids are still gorgeous though!
Wait, I'm about to ask for money for him. Be difficult and firm!
What amount do you want?
The man buttoned his shirt, and sat haughtily on the sofa. The toned perfection of his abs glistened in the dim light.
Miriam's thoughts of asking "How?" were buried for a moment beneath her own embarrassment. She cleared her throat, raised three fingers.
"Millions and millions?"
"Ha! I would wake up happy in my dreams if you could give me three hundred million dollars!" Miriam sneered.
You're just a gigolo, she said. So what's fueling your ego? Listen to me – I need three months of your salary. Start giving me half of whatever you make each night from today!
Because frankly, I can't even afford to buy milk formula for the babies as things stand.
Fortunately I met this jerk when i had no where else to go!
But for me to get even for what he did to me, I need to defraud him.
Also, he must share some responsibility as the kids' dad.
It will take me three months to get over this. After my probation is up I'll be given a raise to ten grand. By then we will be able to make it.
We should be gone our separate ways by then.