“Did that happen often?” Master Parker asked. “Calling customers to reschedule?”
I glanced between the two of them. “Probably once or twice a week. Why?”
Master Parker cocked an eyebrow at Master Snowden.
I’d never given any thought to Josh not taking care of business in a timely manner. He told me it was part of the job. That most customers expected it. Since he continued to take on new customers, I figured it was something they were used to. And truth be told, I hadn’t really cared. Working for Josh had been a means to an end. I hadn’t intended for it to last forever, just until something else happened to change my course.
I just hadn’t expected that something else to cause me to be homeless and jobless. Again.
Master Snowden cleared his throat, then turned his attention to me. “How long did you work for him?”
“Since I met him nine months ago.”
“You said you started working for him when you moved in? How long had you known him?”
Okay, now the questions were getting harder. And by harder, I meant my responses weren’t going to make me look like a Disney princess. But it wasn’t like I had anything left to lose, so I opted for the truth.
“Two days.”
Neither of their expressions changed.
“And you’re now unemployed?” Master Parker finally asked.
“Yes. No house, no job, no…” Anything. I knew I sounded defeated, but I couldn’t help it. “I was living with him and working for him.” Feeling slightly defensive, I tacked on, “I knew things were going downhill.”
“He made you sleep on the porch?” Master Snowden asked, his tone reflecting his disdain.
“Only a few times,” I clarified.
Master Snowden’s deep, rumbling growl made me feel slightly off-balanced. As though it truly bothered him that I’d endured that.
“How much did he pay you?” Master Parker asked.
Oh, goodie. I got to tell them how big of an idiot I really was.
“He didn’t. Pay me. He said my payment was being able to live with him for free.” He also had me do all the chores as a means of rent, but I kept that to myself.
A few minutes later, the waitress delivered the food and I was grateful for the distraction. I was sure at this point Master Parker was seriously reconsidering his offer. As long as I got food in my belly, I could deal with him changing his mind, so I merely focused on shoving my sandwich into my mouth.
While I chomped and chewed as quietly as I could, Master Snowden and Master Parker continued to chat, mainly discussing their apparent need to bring Master Edge on board to their company. I was pretty sure they were giving me some time to myself, allowing me to eat without their scrutiny.
I was grateful, so I didn’t contribute to the conversation, focusing on finishing off my entire meal. I had no idea when I’d be able to eat next, and having grown up with that exact same fear, I knew not to count on anything.
*
By the time we walked into Master Parker’s apartment an hour or so later, I was completely wiped. With a full belly and a tired brain, I wanted nothing more than to drift into a dreamless sleep for the next eight hours or so. It had been an emotionally draining evening. I figured I deserved that much.
Once Ben veered off to another apartment on this floor, it was only me and Master Parker. Oddly enough, I didn’t have any reservations about being alone with him. Despite his rather hostile manners, he was a nice guy. As long as you did what he wanted you to, of course.
“Come on. This way,” Master Parker said, his hands coming to rest on my shoulders as he stood behind me, guiding me through the living room, across the hardwood, and onto the plush carpet in what appeared to be the master bedroom.
“How many bedrooms do you have?”
“One.”
Well, that explained why he was letting me sleep in his bed.
“Two bathrooms,” he added.
I barely registered any of the space, my eyelids drooping as I put one foot in front of the other.
We didn’t stop until we arrived at the side of a huge king-sized bed. The dark wooden headboard stood tall and imposing against the wall.
“Kick off your shoes,” he instructed, his voice soft but with that edge of command he seemed quite comfortable with.
I toed off my Chucks and tried to move them closer to the bed. They were the only shoes I owned at this point and I didn’t want them to disappear. I’d had that happen at one of the shelters I stayed in, and when you had no money to replace them, it was a pain in the ass.
“They aren’t going to disappear,” Master Parker said, clearly catching on to what I was trying to do. “They’ll be right there when you wake up.”
