Chapter Nine
I woke up in my bed, momentarily confused. After Andrew left, I had gone off to my bed without showering. My skin still had his scent on it, and I only wished I had a way to keep it like that.
The worst part was that since he was a client, I'd probably never see him again. Or if I did, he'd probably be matched up with a different girl and I'd have to see him go off into her room.
I shook my head to clear it. It didn't do me any good to think about it. I forced myself to get up and take a shower. Lori and I had promised to go to the library and finish the first draft of the research paper. After all, it was due in a little over a week, and we had to get ready to type it all up.
After I showered, I made my way down to the foyer. I decided to check out the house kitchen. I wanted to meet some of the other girls and maybe even have a hot meal I didn't have to cook. Granted, it wouldn't be anything fancy, but I wasn't picky.
The kitchen empty except for three girls I'd never met before in the corner, eating pancakes and drinking coffee, apparently the menu for the morning. I got my food and went over to the table.
"Hi," a pert, bubbly girl spoke up. "You must be the new girl. I'm Sarah, and this is Cathy and Amy."
"I'm Marri," I said, sitting down. Sarah had long blond hair and bright blue eyes. Cathy had short, kinky black hair and dark brown eyes, and Amy had brown hair and hazel eyes, not that you could really see them. She looked half-asleep, and her eyelids drooped.
"Sorry," Amy said with a yawn. "Chuck kept me up 'til two."
Cathy shook her head and growled, "I hate that motherfucker."
I froze, my pancake halfway to my mouth. She sounded so angry, her dark skin flushing.
"Don't mind her," Sarah said with a wave of her hand. "She's only got a few weeks left, and she's done."
"Yeah, well, when you've been here as long as I have, you get pretty Goddamned sick of fucking and sucking anyone with money in their pockets, and of Beverly setting you up with sadistic pricks because she's got something against you."
"How long have you been here?" I asked.
"Three years," she said. "I've got exactly nineteen days left, which means fourteen sessions. You want my advice? Get out. Get out before your trial period is up."
Before I could answer, Cathy got up and stalked away. Amy stared after her looking totally nonplussed and Sarah just shook her head.
"You might think she had it so bad or that the Earls kept her here under lock and key."
I couldn't think of anything to say to that, so I just kept eating. After a few minutes, Sarah sighed and got up. "Well, I gotta go. I've got to get some stuff done today."
I waved and she left, leaving me alone with Amy,z the half-asleep wonder. I didn't know what to say to make conversation, and I was thrilled when Lori showed up, our research folder in hand. She smiled and walked over to the table.
"Hey, Marri," she said. "Ready to go?"
"Yup," I said, glancing at Amy. She still looked pretty out of it, but she waved as we left.
We got in my car and drove toward the library. She rested her hand on my knee and I felt that now-familiar surge of lust.
"What did you think of the girls?" she asked.
"They were all right, I guess," I said with a shrug. "Cathy seemed pretty bitter. She warned me to get out while I still could."
"Yeah well, Cathy's just upset because she doesn't get as many client requests as the rest of us and she gets stuck with the assholes."
"God, I hope I never get that jaded."
"You won't," she said, snuggling into my neck and kissing my earlobe. "You have me."
I smiled and tried my best to concentrate on the road. At least I had the night off, so I could take a hot bath and relax.
"You know," she said as I parked the car a few minutes later, "Della comes home tomorrow. Maybe the three of us can get together after the clients go home."
With that though in my head, I turned off the ignition and prepared myself for a day of schoolwork. As if I'd be able to concentrate with the thought of Lori and Della in one bed. Four long hours later, we finally had our rough draft. It was all set to be typed up, but that would have to wait. My brain was pretty well fried, and Lori could only hunt and peck.
We packed up and went to the campus cafeteria for lunch. We walked hand in hand and flopped down in the uncomfortable chairs to eat the mildly appetizing food. "I'll get it typed up this week," I promised. "That way we can look over it again next weekend to make sure it's perfect."
"Sounds like a plan," Lori said with a stretch. "God, I don't want to work tonight. I suppose you'll be relaxing in the tub all night, huh?"
"Yeah, probably."
"Bitch," she kidded.