Nina Rodriguez was driving down a secluded road in the woods, and half of her wanted to turn around and drive back to the rough neighborhood that she lived in. She had been driving for over an hour, and the rural landscape was completely unfamiliar to her. She'd gone over the decision in her head numerous times since she had left her home, but the reason she had kept going was simple: she needed the money.
As a single woman of 46 living by herself, life had dealt her a crappy hand. Her husband of 20 years had died two years ago after a lengthy battle with cancer, she had one son serving a 10-year jail sentence for robbery, her other son had joined a crazy hippy commune in Canada that loved smoking marijuana, and her daughter was a drug-abusing delinquent that had been pregnant by about seven different men. Between medical bills, house payments, and bail money, she was all tapped out. It was hard to imagine that only 6 years ago, she had a fat 401K account that she had been planning to use to retire early and move to Florida. Now, she'd probably be working well into her late 70s.
Right now, she held two somewhat-steady part time jobs: she was a waitress at a high-end restaurant on the weekdays, and worked as a Walmart cashier on the weekends. These two jobs, along with her tight budget, were really helping to slowly pull her out of debt. The only things that were killing her right now were the unforeseen expenses, like her car. A couple of weeks ago, she had to drop over $700 on a new serpentine belt for her car, which really set her back. Thankfully, she was able to pull some extra shifts at the restaurant.
It had all started a few weeks ago at work, while she was cleaning up a table that she had just waited on during the afternoon rush. She picked up a receipt from a table that had been used by four businessmen. They had left a $2 tip on a $60 bill.
"You've got to be kidding me," she grumbled.
Feeling dejected, she collapsed into a chair and rubbed at her temples, trying her best not to cry. Cheap customers were the absolute last thing she needed right now.
"Rough day?" she heard someone ask.
She looked up to see a well-dressed woman sitting at a table by herself, sipping from a teacup. The woman had short black hair and was quite beautiful, dressed in a navy-blue business suit.
"I-I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there." Nina was so embarrassed that a customer had seen her in a moment of weakness. She got up quickly and straightened herself up. "Today has been rough, but I'll get through it. Can I get you anything, ma'am?"
"No," the woman said. "Sit down for a second."
"I-I don't think my boss would like that."
"He'd better; I'm throwing a huge party here next month and I just put down a $20,000 deposit only an hour ago." The woman pointed at a chair beside her and said, "Sit."
Nina slowly sat in the chair and folded her hands into her lap. The woman took another sip of tea before speaking.
"Judging from your reaction from the skimpy tip, I'd say you were currently going through some dire financial straits."
Nina gulped. "I won't bore you with specifics, but my finances have me seriously considering welfare...or bankruptcy."
"Fortunately for you, I might have a better alternative. First, might I ask, are you a married woman?"
"No, I'm a widow."
"My condolences," the woman said with a complete lack of sincerity. "I'll get to the point: my youngest son, William, has a bit of a...high libido, higher than usual for a 19 year old. If you were to come by and give him some companionship, then I would see to it that you were well-compensated for your time."
Nina jumped out of her seat. "I'm sorry, but you have the wrong person. Please have a good day."
She pushed the chair in and turned to walk away before she heard the three words that made her stop.
"Ten thousand dollars."
Nina turned to look at the woman. "I beg your pardon?"
The woman pulled out a checkbook and began to write. "I will write you a check, right now, for ten thousand dollars. Call it a down-payment." The woman then rose from her chair and held the check out to her.
Nina stared at the check hungrily; $10,000 would really help her right now; she might even be able to take a sick day for the first time in years. But, could she really go through with something so desperate?
"Look," the woman said. "You have three choices: you can take this check as a gesture of charity and never see me again, you can refuse the check, or you can take the check, spend the night with my son, and then make another $10,000."
Nina bit her lip and weighed her options. Before the woman could possibly change her mind, she reached forward and snatched the check.
"So, is that a 'yes'?"
"I'll wait until this check clears before I make a decision," she said as she read the name on the check. "Mrs. Danforth."
Mrs. Danforth gave an amused half-smile. "Fair enough. Here's my number so you can call me, should you decide to agree to the terms. Obviously, you'll need to sign a confidentiality agreement and be tested for STDs before you meet him."
Since that meeting, two things happened that convinced her to agree to the task. First, after her shift was done, she asked many people, including her boss, what they had heard of Mrs. Danforth. The reaction was the same: they lit up and told of the many tales of her wealth, such as her many scholarship funds, owned properties and businesses, and lavish parties.
The second was when she saw her measly checking account balance increased by $10,000. She'd celebrated by calling in sick for the whole weekend, lounging around the house, and taking a bubble bath. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had any semblance of a vacation. The relief and rest she felt was just what she needed. She called Mrs. Danforth on the following Monday.
So, after days of getting tested for STDs and signing an extensive confidentiality agreement, she was scheduled to come to the Danforth estate on Friday at 7 PM. Mrs. Danforth even pulled some strings so that Nina didn't have to work on Friday. The days seemed to fly by before she was finally on her way to this blind tryst.
Nina pulled up to the gate of a large, fenced property. After the guards let her through, she drove down a long driveway that terminated in front of an opulent mansion. She gave her keys to a valet and entered the house. A butler met her by the door and showed her to a lavish sitting room, where Mrs. Danforth was reading a magazine and drinking some wine.
"Welcome, Nina," she said. "I'm glad you made it on time."