Clare paced anxiously in front of the Grand Imperial Hotel, her mind stuck on what Fiona had said. “He’s loaded,” Fiona had told her. “Agree to just one night, and you can cover your mom’s medical bills.”
Loaded. The bills. Those were exactly what Clare needed.
As she weighed her options, her phone buzzed in her hand. She glanced down: Harleywas calling.
“Clare, where are you?” Harley Powell’s voice came out a little breathless. “I managed to scrape together $2,000. Are you at the hospital? I’ll bring it over right now.”
Clare felt tears threaten to spill over. Harley was her high school buddy. After graduation, Harley had gone off to college, while Clare, because of her family’s situation, had gone straight to work. Her mom had cried for days, convinced she had held Clare back.
Harley’s family wasn’t rich either, and for a recent graduate, money was tight. Clare sucked in a deep breath and forced a casual tone. “Harley, I’m at my uncle’s place. Don’t worry about the money—he already handled it. Oh… he’s calling me for dinner. I’ll catch up with you tomorrow.”
Before Harley could respond, Clare hung up, afraid she’d fall apart if she stayed on the line.
She let out a bitter laugh. There was no uncle, no money. After Clare’s mom chose to have her outside of marriage, her family had long since disowned her, writing her off as a lost cause.
Tucking her hair behind her ear, Clare steeled herself. She loosened her grip, her fingers pale from clutching the phone too hard, and walked into the hotel with grim determination.
Room 936. Before she could lose her nerve, Clare forced herself to knock.
The door swung open, and the smell of whiskey hit her full in the face. She stumbled forward—straight into a man’s arms—her phone slipping from her grasp…
Panicking, Clare flailed, trying to shove him away, but he held her tight. She mumbled desperately, “Please… let me go!”
“Isn’t this what you wanted, sweetheart?”
