Billionaire's Paid Companion

3

Faith opened her eyes and stretched her hands above her head. Her entire body ached and her eyes burned, as she had hardly slept for.. she didn’t even remember exactly how long it had been. She may have worn herself out in the past few months. She had to, because that is how she would make sure to be free from the inheritance that was left hanging over her head.

Faith was faithful to her fate. She strongly believed that she wasn’t fated to somersault in the mud. She was destined to meet a prince charming who would rescue her from this hellhole. If not that, then she would herself defeat her desperate times and rise above. Be free and live her life. Which is why she struggled, pushed herself more than she could endure, so she would be able to reach the other end of the tunnel, the brighter side of her life that was waiting for her with its arms wide open, as soon as she possibly could.

A yawn escaped from her and she turned to sleep on the left side. She could see a small mirror in front of her. That possibly belonged to her roommate. ‘That messy boofhead’ she cussed, but then chuckled. Because she loved her roommate. They were buddies. The next moment, an image in the mirror caught her eye and she narrowed her eyes to look closely and carefully. Was that her? She rubbed her sleepy eyes and looked again.

Faith sat up as she still looked at her image in the small mirror, then furrowed her eyebrows, and thought. Did she not remove her make-up last night? Or how long was it that she hadn’t brushed her hair? ‘Ah! The bloody convertible car’ she clicked her tongue and shook her head, displeased at her image and her situation.

Faith looked like she had been hauled through the hedge backwards as she woke up this morning. Or may have had a wild night between the sheets. Well!! That was quite a possibility—sooner or later. Honestly, she wasn’t into playing hide the salami, or dipping one’s wick, but since the number of clients had increased, soon somebody would insist on changing hands with the money. That is, paying her to sleep with them.

Faith was good at slinging hash, mixing drinks, brewing coffee and even baking —sometimes. She even worked as a barmaid at a club a few days a week, as a replacement and also because waiting tables bored her. She'd rather serve drinks at the bar. Faith was a thrill seeker and she loved the wild atmosphere inside the bar. But, hey.. that did not mean she’d be interested in making whoopee in your room.

“Hey..” a familiar voice drawled, “…I see.. somebody was knocking her gorgeous boot-y last night.” Nikko, her roommate, inquired and wiggled his eyebrows. “HOW WAS IT?” he suggestively whispered. “Splendid! Isn’t it?” As if he had already deduced that’s exactly what had happened, which is why she looked such a train wreck. He clapped his hand over the other which held a coffee cup and laughed like a loon.

Faith was rock-solid strong, and a nice piece of arse. Nobody messed with her. She minded her own business, and expected others to do the same. But she could be friendly if she wanted to be and it was hard not to fall in love with her selflessness. Faith cared about the people she was close to-- a lot to be honest. Faith can be overwhelmingly good to people she cared about, and that means she could sacrifice her happiness just to watch others feeling happy. Nikko hated it whenever she did that. Which again, was near about… all the time.

Faith looked lost in her thoughts-- or maybe she was just sleepy. She looked at Nikko and blinked, without actually looking at him. Faith was working hard to earn the money she needed. During weekends, she worked overtime, two or maybe three jobs. If not that, then she would be working two shifts, to cover for someone who needed to take the day off. What bothered Nikko was, that she never complained, but he was worried she was tiring herself up.

Faith barely slept for days at a stretch. Worked for hours, jobs that required her to stand, run around or be super enthusiastic and lure people to spend more. Time as well as money. She didn’t have to say out loud, because Nikko was sure that even if she was exhausted, Faith barely ever took breaks, and let others use her for their benefit. Nikko hated it, but telling Faith to catch a breath sometimes, felt like talking to walls. She just wouldn’t listen.

Wordlessly, he thrust a hot cup of coffee in her hand. “Maybe you needed this more than me. I’ll get another one for myself.” He said and got up to make himself a cup of coffee. He paused to scan her disheveled look, and shook his head. Her line of work was a bit risky, but Faith knew that, didn’t she? And still she went out there almost every night, mingling with and escorting those VIPs most nights.

Faith didn’t take any pride or enjoyment in this line of work, but it was the result of being buried deeply in debt, something that she had inherited from her father. Correction, step-father. And be killed as a payback. Or she could work as an escort. Those were the only options she was left with. When working three jobs did not help her pay the money back, she had to accept the offer given to her.

Faith had no doubt about her attractive looks. She was a cast-a-spell beauty. Her honey colored eyes with dark lashes, plump pink lips, almond-shaped face, well-carved bust, curvy hip, luscious thighs, smooth legs were every man’s wet dream. She had always been someone to quickly grab attention to herself wherever she went. Even if people weren’t aware of her friendliness draped in stubbornness, she still had the capability to draw attention, make hearts race, just by being in the same room.

What she doubted was if she had it in her to work as an escort. It had a high risk of getting involved with whatever those upper-class shitty people did to pass their time. Or add those endless zeros to their accounts. She knew she could get hurt if she were to get involved. But, working as a barmaid, or brewing coffee wasn’t paying her enough to survive and pay the debt. In the end, she chose to do whatever job needed, until she paid off every last cent of her father’s debt.

Faith pulled up her glasses over the bridge of her nose, and scanned her eyes over her phone. There was info about the client she was supposed to meet tonight. As she sipped her scorching coffee, Faith went through each and every detail of the client, the photos, a peek over his personal life as well as where he worked and what he did for work. Given the line of work she was involved in, Faith was very thorough with her research on each client, because she hated to get herself getting involved with anything shady. A little research didn’t hurt, saved trouble and made things easier.

Faith sighed tiredly and slammed her back on the mattress. “I am bored out of my f*****g mind.” She cried. Nikko rolled his eyes. Okay, maybe Faith wasn’t so strong and tolerant after all. On some odd days, Faith did cry and threw tantrums like a small kid. But she was adorable, so Nikko didn’t mind. In fact, Nikko thought it was good that she vented out her frustration every now and then.

“Skip that bloody party. Just one night. Tell them that you are sick or something.” He suggested. “Come and watch my show, darling.”

Nikko was also a rent boy, whereas Faith was simply an escort, a companion to social gatherings. And when Nikko wasn’t on call, he worked as a drag queen. Nikko loved being a drag, all those flamboyant dresses and extravagant make-ups. He strongly believed that ‘it’s okay to be different.’ But life was not that easy and celebration for people like him. Not everyone was as accepting of Nikko and his friends. But Faith loved him anyway.

“Nah! Stone will kill me.” Faith shook her head and opened her mouth wide to let out a yawn.

Her phone dinged again with another message from her supposed employer-s***h-agent, Stone, with another profile. Faith clicked her tongue and kept her phone aside. She would look into the profile later. Right now, she needed to close her eyes and sleep for a few more minutes. Just a few more minutes and then she will get up and get going. She was tired, felt a little under the weather and needed to rest. After all, she had to look her best when she was working.

It is extremely important to look like ‘heaven on earth’ in this line of business. So those upper-class losers can flaunt you in front of their dumb-f****d friends. Nothing interesting ever happened at such parties, or wherever she accompanied such people for their evenings. But that was her work, so she pasted on a smile and looked happy as ever. Like she had everything under her control, which was the biggest lie of her life.

Faith was about to doze off to take her quick nap, when her phone dinged again. She groaned and picked up her phone to read, ‘Get your arse up here in an hour. There is a change in the plan and I need to brief you before you get going. Also, the client wants to see you once. You need to accompany this one to a party which starts at eight.’ Faith cussed out loud, then pushed herself to her feet, then trudged towards her wardrobe and pulled open the door.

Faith pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose again. Nikko briefly paused in his steps and looked concerned. As their eyes met, they just stared at each other for a few moments. Reluctantly, Faith gave him a smile not to worry him even more, but Nikko stepped closer and pulled her in his arms and nodded, “Don’t worry much. It’s just.. a night. Shove the worry in the darkest corner and get on. There will be days and nights of thunder, but there will also be those lucky nights that are filled with wonders.”

His broad smile flashed on his face, “You hear?” Faith nodded. “Are you good?” He asked and Faith nodded again.

Faith felt sorry for herself and a little angry. She wanted to get this debt off of her throat and start living her life. She felt disappointed at her life, as her age was only going up in the numbers every year and she was stuck with this less entertaining job for what felt like forever. And the most infuriating part about this, was that it wasn’t even her own fault, because she was stuck in this Ecstasyland.

Faith wished her circumstances wouldn’t have been so desperate, then she didn’t have to be stuck in this situation, ending up in this place and working in this line of business. The one that she hated, felt bored too. But she had to paste that smile on her face. A sigh left her, but she prepped herself and went into the bathroom for a shower and get ready for whatever the client wanted to talk to her about.

Faith wore a navy blue satin blouse that had a cowl neck, with a simple black leather jacket and paired it up with a short black skirt that was hugging her luscious legs. Her hair falling freely cascading down her shoulders, hiding her beautiful neck. She quickly grabbed her boots to go with it, but Nikko shook his head. So she put on her brown heels and scurried out of the door, before she was any late than she already was.

Faith flew down the flight of stairs, and scampered through the lobby, then strode out the door. She had no time to call for a cab, and there were none available near this area to flag down one, so her only option was to walk. Faith took a deep breath and started to walk as fast as she could to reach the main road, where she knew she would be able to find a cab.

Faith always tried to be cheerful and do her work, let her goal of escaping this life motivate her. However, in the back of her mind she had been feeling— weird lately. And she couldn’t shake that feeling of weirdness. Maybe a fear. She was used to this social gathering and upbeat life by now. Surely, it was stressful, but Faith was always looking towards the brighter side.

However, she couldn’t help but feel that she was missing out on actually living her life. She had no idea how long she was stuck there until she had paid off everything she ever owed and left. Reach.— on the other side of that tunnel. She was afraid by the time she was done with Stone and this life, there would be no-one on the other end and she would be all alone, living her life by herself. Faith had no family, most of her friends were either left behind or would still be stuck in this muddy field of work, even if she was out of it.

Faith, wanted to keep her incredible friends though, because they were the ones who kept her from reaching the level of insanity. Especially, Nikko. Her darling roommate. But, Faith knew after leaving this life behind, she would have to maintain a low profile, at least for a few years or so. Because, by then, all the mud that had been splattered on her while working in this line of work would slowly wash away. There would be new Faith-ful escorts in the market and Faith would be forgotten.

‘Damn it!’ It was at times like this that Faith cursed at her step-father for leaving her the inheritance of his debt. He was a good man, and loved her mother. He loved Faith too, but not enough, to save her from this danger and debt, before he passed on.

Faith was still scampering to reach the location Stone had sent her, while tossing her phone from one hand to the other and trying to remove her shoes with her hand, so she could run faster. She was already very late, and Stone was very upset with her. Any later than this would not only cause her this job, but may also cost her life. She could have easily let go of this job, because it was not what she wanted to do, but she was worried about her life.

By the time Faith reached where Stone was waiting for her along with the client, she was already out of her breath. Faith was huffing and puffing while climbing the stairs. Cabs weren’t available, because as it seemed-- all of a sudden, everyone decided to leave their houses for their visits and book the cabs. And given her situation, her watch scowled at her, as she was getting late by every second to reach where Stone and the client were.

Even though Stone could see that Faith was struggling to climb the stairs, and reach there as fast as she could, he still flared his nostrils and let out a grunt, then pulled her in a corner and bellowed, “For the last time, I am warning you Faith. Never keep a client waiting. Do not test my patience or challenge your fate.” He snarled, “Because I seriously do not care about your excuses. I want my money and for that you will have to respect my time and value it.”

Faith swore inwardly. She wanted to tell him that she had tried her best to reach there on time, but because she couldn’t find a single cab that would drop her off here, she ran all the way from her apartment until she reached there. But sadly, she wasn’t allowed to show her emotions. Stone was stone cold when it came to work. He did make sure that the clients were no danger to her, but how to get the client to shell out more than he promised was her duty.

Stone hauled Faith to the room, where the client was waiting for their meeting to commence. Faith pushed back everything that was going on inside her head, squared her shoulders and put on her best smile, as they approached the man. It took them nearly an hour or several hours to talk and decide on whatever the client needed.

Faith sat there throwing her pretty smile and nodding to everything the client was saying. While that man kept scanning her body from head to toe. Lust was clearly visible in his eyes and Faith knew what was the hidden meaning of the meeting as well as what that man said. She was still on her best behavior, when the client stuck out his hand, and hesitantly Faith shook it.

That man nearly grabbed her hand, and pulled her towards his chest. But she strongly kept her foot on the ground. She wasn’t some delicate female who could be pushed and pulled that easily. But now the problem was she had to accompany this horrible clown to wherever he was taking her. She was not worried about herself. She can defend and take care of herself.

But, what about Stone? He was all ready set to chew her out for being late, and now he might as well stone her to death if Faith did anything. Or things went haywire.

‘Go back home!” Faith looked with wide eyes, when she heard Stone’s order. “I’ll send him a replacement. Tell him you were dying or something,” Faith opened her mouth to ask, but he arched his eyebrows and Faith wasn’t going to test her fate. “Yes, sir.” She said, gave a little smile and left. The good thing now, was that Faith did not have to work tonight anymore.

Now, that this assignment has been terminated, she can actually go and enjoy Nikko’s drag show. Of course, unless Stone has someone else who needs a companion to be somewhere. She immediately typed a text message to Nikko and told him what happened and received a quick reply. ‘I’ll keep a comfy outfit ready for you, come directly backstage. I’m almost done getting ready and the show starts in 30.’

It was late in the evening and Nikko’s show would start soon, so she had to hurry up. ‘Damn, her luck. Still no cab.’ She huffed and kept walking. Spending hours in that mind-effin meeting, not only had she exhausted her brain, but also tired her legs and numbed her butt. Anyway, a smile crept up her lips, as she remembered what Stone had just done.

When Stone had offered her the job in this line of business, they both had an agreement that she would never sleep or even get intimate with the client. A proper background check about them would be a mandate. In return, Stone would never have to worry about client satisfaction and the money that she owed to her would be handed over by the end of the month.

Stone could be stone cold about everything, but Faith had faith in him. He had always made sure of her safety and for that she respected him. The bulky, dark-skinned, permanently scowling-faced man was always keeping his end of the deal, even if he tended to be rude and arrogant many times. Faith saw the traffic signal not far away from where she was walking. She considered stopping and buying something for herself to eat. Her stomach was angry at her, but she also didn’t want to be late for Nikko's show.

Just as Faith reached the traffic signal and was about to cross it, she heard a loud screeching noise and then people were gathering around to see what had just happened. Even at this hour of desperation, to arrive on time to see her buddy performing on the stage, curiosity got the best of her and Faith found herself moving towards where people had gathered around. Even if she was a tad bit late, Faith knew Nikko would understand. Somebody might need her help, Faith concluded, and she was damn right.

An old woman was hit by a car and was lying there bleeding all over, because a wealthy car owner was driving rashly. Faith removed her jacket and put it on the woman and pulled her aside. Then she knocked on the window of the car. “Mr. Billion Dollars!.” She called, completely forgetting that she was in a hurry and had to reach somewhere. Faith knew such rich-arse wealthy people very well, dealt with them almost every day and totally hated their guts. These people think they own the world and everyone must stop on their tracks and bow down whenever their fancy car passes by.

Faith was ready for a fight, that rich mother-effer wasn’t going to get this easily sorted with money. He cannot hurt people on the road and then throw money around and do nothing. However, her breath caught in her throat and maybe even her heart skipped a few beats, when the driver stepped out of the car. Vaguely, she heard her phone ringing, but all she could do was gawk at ‘Mr. Knock my wind out!’

“Dammit! I’m so sorry,” The man apologized and he really seemed sorry for what he had done. At least Faith wanted to believe he sounded guilty. And goddamnit, Mr. Moneybag-s***h-Stunningly gorgeous, had such a deep sexy voice. What more departments was he gifted in? Faith wondered. Not that his clothes did anything to hide his beautiful body. But.. if only she could touch and feel them. Just a little graze of her fingers, followed by her palms.

“Oh Brother!” she moaned inwardly, 'I was supposed to fight with him for knocking that woman down. But here I am fighting to keep my legs steady.' Faith gulped at her thought, hoping she wasn’t looking too flashy or unsavory in this outfit. She somehow wanted to make a good impression on this man.

Faith, once again, put on her best smile, “It’s okay!” she waved her hands at him to dismiss it off. Then she remembered, “I mean, it is not okay to drive rashly on the road and jump the signals. But if you are truly sorry, then help me take her to the hospital and get her checked.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Please,” she quietly added after a thought.

“Of course,” he said and went to the other end of the car where Faith had helped the woman move, picked her up and seated her in his car. He went back to the driver’s seat and slipped in. All the while, Faith gawked at him and bit her lips. It was good to see he wasn’t the arrogant type. “Aren’t you coming?” He asked and Faith nodded.

“Oh, yes. Of course, I’m coming,” she said and made her way to the other side and hopped into the passenger seat. They drove silently towards the hospital. The man kept apologizing to the woman and he sounded genuinely sorry for what he had done. Even though it was a mistake and the woman would survive, he still looked as if he had committed a crime. Almost a crime, actually. But, since he was taking the woman to get her treated, he could be forgiven and given another chance. Faith believed.

The doctors at the hospital helped the woman get checked and treated. She was unconscious and while the doctors were doing their work, Faith waited there with her. The man parked his car and went looking for both the woman he had come here with. He was informed that both of them were inside the doctor’s cabin and was asked to wait. Shortly after he sat in the waiting area, Faith stepped out of the cabin and sat beside him.

“She’s fine.” Faith began to say, “No bones broken or concussion. Nothing to worry about. But, they might have to keep her under observation. Just to be sure. The doctor will let us know in some time,” she added to assure him. And the man visibly relaxed and let out a relieved sigh. Faith had to smile. He was worried about the woman. “Faith!” she said and the man nodded and smiled a little. “No, I mean, my name is Faith!” she stuck out her hand. “Ah!” He exclaimed, “Ricky,” the man introduced himself and shook hands with her.

Both went silent after that. It was awkward, yet somehow comfortable. Faith kept glancing towards the man, who looked calm right now. He sure must have been worried about the woman, because now something in him had changed. Well! Except his handsome face and heavenly attractive body. That still remained as it is. What else.. what else could she say to him, so they could get to know about each other? Actually, she wanted to know more about him and more importantly, wanted to be able to look at him directly, instead of stealing glances.

Faith was about to ramble something--. anything, so he could talk. They cannot be sitting like two awkward children outside the dean’s office waiting to be punished. They were adults. There has to be something to talk about. Weather, politics or how many zeros he had in his account, or not. She wasn’t interested in any of those topics.

Just then, her phone rang in her pocket and Faith pulled it out of it, cursing at whoever was disturbing her time with Ricky. Was this the ‘night of wonders’ Nikko was talking about this morning? She thought dreamily.

“Holy s**t!” Faith cussed mentally, “Nikko!” she nearly jumped out from where she was seated, as her phone screen confirmed that her roommate and friend would be furious with her for missing his show. Faith turned to look at Ricky and said, “Sorry! I have to take this call,” and left. As if Ricky cared where she went or what she did. He was waiting there for the woman whom he had hurt accidently.

“Nikko, my sweetheart!” Faith sweetly said, as she answered the call, trying to butter up an excuse for being late. And if her luck was on her side, she wouldn’t be able to make it to the show at all. But, for that, she would have to wait and watch or maybe start that conversation. “Where the heck are you, Fe!” he grumbled. “I’ve been waiting for you to arrive.”

“I’m so sorry. I met with—I saw a woman get into an accident and had to help. Mr. Wealthy was driving a little rashly, and bumped into her.” Faith told him, and heard him suck in a breath too. But, before Nikko could curse at him, she quickly added, “But, it was purely an accident and he brought that woman to get her checked by the doctors and I had to help. SO… here I am. Stuck until that woman can leave..”

“Hmm!” Nikko let out a breath, “Fine! But, promise me, you will spill everything that happens, first thing tomorrow morning. I want a detailed report.” He warned, and sniggered. “Am I that predictable?” she asked.

“Nope. But, I could hear the faint excitement when you were talking about him, and… you were totally defending him right now.” Nikko guffawed. “I hope he is worth missing my show.”

Faith chuckled.

Unbeknownst to her, Ricky wasn’t a least bit worried about the woman—the injured woman. He was fascinated by the one who helped him bring that injured woman to the hospital. But, he didn't know what to say to her. He found someone who could hold his interest for a minute longer than those other useless women he’d been entertaining all this time.

Faith was beautiful and empathetic. She was angry at him for hurting the woman with his car, but, she smiled and let go of her anger as soon as he apologized. She was magnanimous too. Faith even offered to help him take her to the hospital. Furthermore, she looked very cute when awkward.

"Mr. Burns?" The nurse called. Ricky stood up and acknowledged her. "I'm sorry, but we have to keep Ms. Faith, under observation for a few hours," she said. "Sure. We can wait!" Faith, who was now standing right behind them, replied. Ricky was confused. If that injured woman's name was Faith, then what was the name of the one in front of him? He arched his eyebrows at her, "Do you want to grab a coffee? Maybe?" Ricky asked with a smirk, as the nurse departed. They needed to TALK.

"Sure!" Faith replied. "But, let me tell you, Mr. Burns, I..I am--I work as an escort." she said, "So, if what I do for living doesn't bother you. I would love to have that coffee."