I learned at a young age that looks are everything.
Nothing in this world is out of reach for the simple fact that I was born a woman, blessed with an attractive face. My childhood was spent studying how valuable the female body is, admiring its ability to drop men to their knees in worship by simply existing.
In another life, I might’ve sat on his couch as a patient to confess the trauma I’ve survived. But in this life, I sit on his face and lie about how good he makes me feel. Little does he know, there’s nothing to feel at all.
From top to bottom, unease melts away from my body with indecision and mistrust, and I’m an empty vessel with one goal in mind: money.
I was born for this shit.
“Who are you?” Talent asks again. He licks his bottom lip, sitting back in his seat as I approach.
“Your wildest dreams,” I say.
Fuck Talent Ridge.
An heir with a silver spoon in his mouth doesn’t get to judge me because I was damned with a shitty stack of cards at birth.
“I can’t stop thinking about you,” Talent admits.
“Two thousand an hour,” I reply without skipping a beat.
Talent doesn’t insult me by looking shocked. “Is that the going rate these days?”
“Three thousand because you’re a smartass.”
Whisky tastes better on his lips than it does coming out of a glass. I decide it’s the only way I’m going to taste it for the rest of the night. Anything else is a sad comparison.
Passion is painfully beautiful.
Amazingly awful.
A loud whisper.
“Quit trying to say goodbye to me, Lydia,” Talent says. He covers my hand with his. “It’s too late for that now.”
“You don’t know what you’re asking for,” I whisper.
He lowers my hand from his face to his heart, where it beats as heavily as mine. “The only thing I’m asking for is you. The rest will fall into place, or it won’t. I don’t care. Nothing else matters to me.”
It’s hard being a woman.
Beauty opens doors.
Be happy. Smile more. Influence.
But don’t overdo it.
The female body is desirable, but don’t show too much skin because that’s dishonorable.
Be sexy, but don’t be sexual.
But don’t dress like a nun either because that’s weird.
Fuck it all.