Paid Girlfriend

Bad Days

I stand in the back office of the little diner I have been working in for the last ten years. My boss, Tony Ryans, is signing my last paycheck. Tears stream down my face.

"I'm sorry Zoe, I just can't keep you on," he says

"Is there anything I can do, Tony?" I ask him. "I really need this job."

"Honey, I understand, but there just is nothing," he says. "I'm broke. Take the money out of the drawer. You need it more than I do," he tells me

"I couldn't do that, Tony."

"At least take some of it,"

I nod, stepping around. I take fifty, leaving him the rest. "Goodnight Tony," I tell him

"Goodnight, child," he tells me

I leave headed home early tonight. My last paycheck is in hand as I make my way to my small two bedroom apartment. I see the notice on the door. I'll have to remember to talk to Mrs. Smith in the morning. We are already nine months behind on rent. The bills keep palling up, and dads have been in and out of the hospital all week. I don't know how we are expected to keep it together. I whip my eyes, not wanting my mom to see my cry. Then open the door, the living room is a tiny bit cramped but we fit our couch and chair in there. Along with the small TV and coffee table. A small lamp and a rug. It's done in a cream color with burgundy curtains. Our couch and chair fit right in. The floral design on them.

I try to be quite not to wake anyone as I head to my room. My small room at the end of the hall. It's big enough for a small bed and a closet that was it. I was grateful I didn't have much because not much could fit into my little room.

"Zoe, is that you?" mom calls before I even make it to my room

"Yes mom sorry didn't mean to wake you," I said

"You're off early," she says

"Early night, mom, it's all," I tell her, not wanting to worry her tonight

"Goodnight then," She says

"Goodnight, mom."

I climb into my small bed and try to think of what I was going to do. I needed money and time. Lot more time, I must have fallen asleep because next I know she sun is waking me up the day.

"Morning love," mom says as I roll out of my room

"Morning mom, how's Daddy?" I ask

"OH, he's going to have to go back to the hospital," she tells me

"Is he still hurting?" I ask

"Yes."

"Mom, Tony had to let me go last night," I tell her. "But I'm going to find another job."

"I understand maybe it'll be a better one," she says

"Here, take this and get a cab. I'll take the car today," I tell her

"Ok, where will you be just in case?"

"I'm going to see if they need any help at Hoggys. Then I don't know, check other diners restaurants. Anywhere else"

"I'll put in a word for you at the hospital,"

I smile. "Thank you, mom,"

I help her get dad loaded into the cab, giving dad a kiss on his bald head. I watch as they start away, then head to Hoggys. It didn't take long for me to find out they weren't looking for waitresses. I take myself down to other diners and restaurants in search of a job but come back with nothing. At noon, I meet up with an old high school friend for lunch.

"Zoe, you need to come work with me," Delilah says, sitting across the table from me

"I don't know if I have what it takes," I tell her

"I'll be there to help you out the first couple of days, Hon. No big deal, " she says

I knew what Delilah did. She had been doing it since she truned eighteen. She seemed to love doing it. And she seemed to make a lot of money doing it. But I just didn't know if I could... not with just anyone.

"Zoe," Kelly Haze, the waitress of the diner we sit at, calls me

"Yes."

"Your mom's on the phone," she says

I jump up, going to the phone "mom" I say

"Zoe, it's dad," she says. "They're wanting to do surgery on him."

"I'll be right there, mom."

I hang up and grab my keys. "Tanks for lunch, Delilah," I tell her as I head out

I fly down that one line road toward the hospital. Mom is waiting with the doctors as I entered.

"What's going on?" I ask in a panic

"Your dad needs a triple bypass surgery. If he doesn't get one soon, he's going die, Zoe," the doctor says

"Doctor Fisher, we can't afford surgery right now," I tell him, "how much longer?"

"A month we'll give you a month to come up with the money," the doctor says

I nod. "Oh my gosh, Zoe, what are we going do?" mom says, panicked

"Ok, don't panic, Delilah says there's work for me to do," I tell mom

"OH no, Zoe, not with Delilah," mom says

"If it saves dad, then it's worth it," I tell her

She starts crying, and I pull her into my arms. No, I didn't want to go work as a call girl with Delilah. But I would do anything to save my daddy's life. I called Delilah from the hospital telling her that I would meet her tonight for the job she offered. She was excited about me coming working with her.

I was anything but excited. I didn't know what I was going to wear. Delilah told me to just dress in something nice. If it looked too nice, she would help me pick something out when I got there. She didn't think I would have to do anything tonight. Lord, I pray I didn't. Just sit down and meet with the head Madame. And get to know the work and how it's done. Ok, I could live with that for tonight.

The building that I am taking to is in the basement of a motel. Delilah hurries and hands me one of her cute little dresses that she wears with knee-high boots. I slip into the dress that's so tight on me that I could feel my ass coming out. Delilah said that's how it was supposed to be worn. I pulled my black hair up in a long ponytail and stepped into the lit room.

Madame Kimberly is a tall woman with red hair. She kept it swipe back and pined up with a bobby pins. She had a hard stran face on her and high cheekbones. Her skin was a light, pale color, almost making her look alien. Don't get me wrong, she was beautiful but not the kind of beautiful you see around here.

"And what is your name?" she asked me

Her green eyes danced over my frame "Zoe" I whispered

"Zoe, do you know what a call girl does?" she asked

"Gets paid to have sex with random strangers," I say

She smiles but it's just a small line "very cute" she says "A call girl does whatever she is told to do" she says "if your client wants you to rub his feet you do so." She says,'If he just wants you to listen to him talk, you do so. "

We spend the next few hours going over what a call girl does. And what a call girl does not do. I stand and listen as she explains how we don't tolerate being abused in any way. I am thankful for that. Then we go over what clients prefer what. One client just wants to be held all night, nothing else. I thought that would be an easy one for me. There was a special request, though, with my name on it.

"I don't know who, but he says he wants you and no one else would do," Madame Kimberly says

"Dose he have a name," I ask

"No name, this is a mystery client in the presidential suite," she tells me. "You will meet with him tomorrow night."

I bite my lip. My first client and I didn't even know his name. After that, we were free to go home for the night to get rested for our first night. I couldn't rest though, thinking I might be about to lose my virginity to a complete stranger.