Ceasefire by Scarlett Black Read Free Book Online Page A

been
promised unbelievable perks—company BMWs and tremendous expense accounts—perks
that would’ve made anyone my age drool over the possibilities, the freedom.
    But
it wasn’t meant to be.  The bidding wars for my skills dried up once word
spread that I was pregnant.  I’d heard excuses like, “Shows a lack of judgment
that we’re concerned about,” and, “We’re concerned you won’t have time to
fulfill your duties with a newborn child.”
    Concerned,
concerned, concerned.  Everybody had been concerned .  I hated that
word.  Not to mention how discriminatory it had been.  But, when offers are
pulled, no matter how much you try to convince someone otherwise, what do you
do? 
    Dreama
had suggested that I sue and I’d refused.  I didn’t want to work for a place
where I had to stamp my foot and throw a tantrum to be accepted.  I wouldn’t
want to be there, and they wouldn’t want me there.  The environment would’ve
been too toxic to be productive.
    What
Roman said next surprised me more than can be imagined.  I expected rejection. 
I expected him to be “concerned.”
    He
said, “A child is never a mistake.  Keep that in mind.”
    “Right. 
No, I know.  That’s not what I meant.  It’s his…father.”
    “Not
in the picture?”
    “He
never has been.”
    “And
you take care of your son by yourself?”
    “My
mother helps, but mostly it’s just me.”
    “Let
me guess—you’re here because you need the money.”
    I
looked down at my lap, nodding.  I felt my cheeks go red.  Admitting to the
fact embarrassed me.
    “Can
you manage the schedule?  Lots of nights and weekends, often hours at a time,
and every once in a while someone with more money than he knows how to spend
might request a long weekend.  Can you do that?  Honestly ?  Of course it
would be a shift in priorities, but as you mentioned, it all goes back to
responsibility.  You’ll have extended periods away from your son—what’s his
name?”
    “Joey.”
    Roman
continued, “You’ll have long hours away from Joey—there’s no way around it, but
you’ll be able to provide for him like never before.”
    “That…that
sounds wonderful.”  And it did.  It truly did.  Yet I couldn’t believe that I
sat there actually wanting a chance at such a torrid future.  “I’d have
to make arrangements though, and I could only fool my mother for so long.”
    “Supposing
I give you the opportunity, I don’t think it would be a problem.  A small
number of my employees are mothers, and they’re usually the most successful
ones.”
    I
was dumbfounded.  When I was able to close my gaping mouth and make words come
out of it, I said, “Really?  Why?”
    “Three
reasons that I can see.  They’re smart, guarded, and highly motivated.  Is that
you, Kim?  Can you be all those things?”
    “Yeah. 
Yeah, definitely.”
    He
nodded, held up a finger.  “First rule.  Don’t say ‘yeah.’  It’s unbecoming.”
    “Oh,
sorry.”
    “We
have a lot of high profile clients, some you’d be extremely surprised by, I
imagine, and they expect a certain level of sophistication.”
    “I
can do that, I promise.  I can be sophisticated.”  I can’t express the level of
internal conflict I felt.  There I was, practically begging for a job as an
escort, desperately clinging to any sense of morality and good judgment that I
might have left. 
    And
then they disappeared—flew out the window really—the moment Roman said, “If
that’s the case, then I can offer you something like a…call it a signing
bonus.  An advance, actually.  You’ll have to pay it back before you start
earning anything for your time, but with what I think I can charge for an hour
with someone like you, that shouldn’t take long at all.”
    Someone
like me?  That was a compliment, right?
    He
added, “Ten thousand dollars up front to help you get started.”
    I
gulped, and if I had been a cartoon, my eyes would’ve sprung out of my