“I’ll be right back, Mom.”
“Take your time, sweetie. I’ve been up for a while and these pain medications are making me tired. I think I’ll catch a little nap.”
Ari walked from the room, a sense of dread filling her at the thought of her mother taking a nap... What if she didn't wake again for months? It would probably be months, maybe even years before she wouldn’t dread her mother going to sleep. She knew she couldn’t live life that way, but tell that to her irrational heart.
Since she couldn’t do anything more, Ari trailed the doctor down the hallway and into a small conference room where several other men in suits were sitting around a table. This couldn’t be good.
“Thank you for joining us, Ms. Harlow. We were pleased when your mother was admitted after waking from her coma. How are you feeling? We know that often this kind of tragedy can be harder for the loved-ones than the patients.”
“I’m trying to take it one day at a time right now. It’s all been very difficult,” Ari answered cautiously, wishing he would get to the point. She didn’t want to make small talk. She needed to be with her mother.
“I’m sorry about that. I wish we could put this off, but due to your mother’s injuries, time is of the essence. Her new scans show that she has stage four melanoma in her uterus. We need to operate immediately if she has any chance of survival. At this point, her chances are slim, less than a ten percent chance, and that’s with aggressive action.”
The doctor paused, letting his words sink in. Were they telling her she should have the operation done, or she shouldn’t? It sounded to her like they were telling her that she was going to lose her mom after-all. This was why she’d been so afraid to hope.
“We’ve called you in because your mother doesn’t have any health insurance benefits left, and this operation is a costly procedure. Because this isn’t an emergency surgery, we can’t schedule it until payment arrangements are made. We’re here to help you get this funded, apply for loans, grants, whatever it takes. We won’t leave you in the dark, but we must have funding before we operate.”
The bottom fell out for Ari. It all boiled down to money – which she didn’t have. The men continued speaking, but she didn’t hear anything else they had to say. She was spiraling down a long dark hole. It seemed the only way for her to escape was to take the job as Rafe Palazzo’s mistress.
Chapter Four
“Have you made your decision, Ms. Harlow?”
“Yes, I’ll take the… position,” Ari practically whispered through the receiver. She had barely sat down on her couch at home when her phone rang with Raffaello Palazzo on the other end of the line.
“I’m pleased to hear that. I’ll send a driver over to pick you up so we can discuss the small details,” he said before she heard the dial tone of a disconnected call.
The man didn’t give her any time to argue or tell him she had other plans. She glared at the beeping handset before slowly hanging it up. She knew what she was getting into – or did she? Once she signed his contract, that’s how it would always be. He’d make a command and she’d be expected to follow whatever it was he requested.
Did he honestly expect her to gain any comfort from the fact that he said he wouldn’t beat her or make her break the law? She’d have a broken spirit, but that didn’t count. Her mother’s pale face flashed before her eyes. She could do this. She could do anything for the woman who’d sacrificed so much for her.
She didn’t bother changing from her jeans and t-shirt. If he didn’t like her outfit then he could recant his job offer. She’d at least have no guilt about refusing the job. It would be out of her hands. Just when she was about to panic and change her mind – throw on a dress and heels, her doorbell rang.
It suddenly occurred to her that she’d never listed her physical address on her application. She shouldn’t be surprised that he knew where she lived. She was sure he’d already done a thorough background check on everything there was to know about her. He didn’t seem the type of man who went into anything blindly. At this point, he probably knew her better than she knew herself.
She opened her door to find Mr. Kinsor, the person she’d had her first interview with, standing before her, impeccably dressed with that same kind smile on his face as before.
“It’s great to see you again, Ms. Harlow. If you’re ready, I have the car waiting.”
Realizing that he had to know what the job position was for, Ari’s face turned slightly pink as she followed him down the steps to the back door of the Bentley which looked so out of place in her less than desirable neighborhood. He must think of her as a tramp – or a moneygrubber. The thought was mortifying.
He held open her door and she quickly climbed in, not daring to meet his eyes again. She truly didn’t know how she was going to do this. It was degrading. The many employees of Mr. Palazzo had to know he hired his females the same as he hired the rest of his staff.
She’d never be able to look any of them in the eye. Did his business colleagues know about it, too? Would she be in a constant state of embarrassment the entire time she was beside him at business functions? Would she be mocked?
What about after he discarded her? She’d forever have this humiliating mark upon her. Even if she managed to get back to school and become a professor, people would know. She could end up with students who knew she’d once been nothing but a high priced call-girl. She didn’t see the embarrassment ever ending, but with her mother dying, what other choice did she have?
She’d worked so hard not to be in this place, always being the top of her class, studying hard, forgoing dating, avoiding the social scene unlike so many other high school and college students. She’d worked hard so she could be proud of herself, and now she found she was about to be some man’s mistress.
How did one get to this point in their life? She’d always lacked sympathy for people who settled, never looking beyond the image in front of them. Wasn’t a spade a spade? Victims allowed themselves to be taken advantage of, didn’t they? She was discovering very quickly that the world wasn’t as black and white as she’d always seen it from her privileged vantage point.
If her mother received the care she needed, and got back on her feet, it would be worth it – even if Ari was never able to look herself in a mirror again. She could finally understand why desperate people made impossible decisions.