Evie's Job

16: Evie

Natalie looked down at the money she still had in her hand. “Well,” she said, and held it out. “This is yours.”

Evie nodded, but didn’t try to take it.

“Please,” Natalie said, and moved her hand a little.

“Not both,” Evie said.

Natalie seemed to realize she was holding both the banknotes and the cheque she’d written out. “Oh,” she said. “Yes. Which did you want?”

“Cash, I suppose.”

“It isn’t as much.”

“I know, but a cheque…”

Natalie looked at her.

“It’s a nuisance to go to the bank,” Evie said. “That’s all.”

“Oh,” Natalie said, and thought for a moment. “You shouldn’t get less because of that. Not because I didn’t have more on me.”

“I’m not. That’s fine.”

“I can owe you…”

“It doesn’t matter,” Evie said. “It really doesn’t. That’s enough.”

Natalie seemed surprised.

“It’s enough,” Evie said. “Please. It just is. I can’t explain.”

Natalie seemed to decide not to argue. She handed Evie the banknotes, and then tore the cheque in half and put it on the counter beside her.

Evie sat where she was and looked at the money in her hand. The money Natalie had just used to buy her. She thought about counting it, but decided that wasn’t very polite. She could see it was all there, anyway. Six fifties and a twenty. It didn’t need counting, and she didn’t think Natalie would cheat her anyway.

Counting wasn’t what was important, anyway. It was that Evie had just been bought.

Evie thought about that. Natalie had bought her. That was a very strange thought to have. A strangely sexy thought, too, even though it probably shouldn’t be.

Not bought, though, Evie suddenly realized. Actually only rented. For some reason she liked the idea of bought better.

“You just bought me,” Evie said, looking at the money in her hand. “That’s kind of weird.”

Natalie watched her.

“You’ve paid for me,” Evie said.

“I did.”

“I’m yours,” Evie said.

Natalie didn’t say anything. Evie couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

“I talked to someone about this once,” Evie said. She didn’t know if she should be telling Natalie this, but for some reason she wanted to explain. “I always thought I’d cost more.”

Natalie was quiet for a moment. “I don’t know what to say to that.”

“Yeah,” Evie said. “Sorry. I wouldn’t either.”

Natalie nodded.

“I don’t really mean anything,” Evie said. “I was just thinking out loud.”

“All right.”

“Just, I’d thought I’d want more to do this, that was all. Just hypothetically, when we were talking shit. I remember saying I’d want tens of thousands of dollars.”

“Oh.”

“Does that seem too much?”

Natalie didn’t answer.