Why He Calls

Chapter 3

As soon as I get home. I relieve my nanny, Monica. I have two nannies depending on what day it is and if I work overnight as well as a backup babysitter. Monica is Kate’s favorite but Aden doesn’t like her as much. Kate calls her Mon-EE. Both of them would rather I be home all the time. Aden’s at that impossible in between age where he thinks he’s old enough to not have a sitter but not quite yet. I tip Monica because I know it must have been trying with Aden in such a bad mood.

She thanks me and leaves. Aden’s eleven almost twelve. He had school yesterday and then practice. Monica took him to practice, fed him, helped him with homework. She always convinces him to knock it out before the weekend so he had two full chill days. I laughed the first time she suggested it. I always did my homework either Sunday night or Monday morning before the bell.

“What’s wrong, bud?” I ask while making us a snack. Some fruit, nuts, pretzels, and yogurt covered cranberries. Aden and I both hate raisins.

“She refused to take me to see Kate.” He answers in a frustrated raised voice. I give him the pointed look about raised voices before softening and taking a deep breathe.

“She isn’t allowed to. Kate’s in a family visitation only ward right now.” I explain calmly. “I can call her doctor and see if Kate’s up for visitor’s tonight.” I add when I see his face start to fall.

“Would you, please?” He begs. I’m surprised to hear the please. Most people don’t understand Aden. Some of his friends pick on him for always prioritizing his ‘annoying little sister’ as they put it. But he’s extremely protective of her and loves her very much.

Three years ago when I turned eighteen, I got guardianship of my younger siblings Kate and Aden. At the time, Kate was only three and a half years old. She’d been sick and suffering for past 6 months but wasn’t getting the care she needed. I moved us across the country the day after my birthday. I had a job as a waitress at an upscale restaurant lined up and was registered for classes. All of that changed when we got out here.

The cost of living, and all of Kate’s medical bills were adding up. Health insurance was extremely expensive on a waitress salary. Even with good health insurance there was still a lot of things insurance wouldn’t cover, or at least not fully. I struggled barely getting by for two years at that restaurant. I gave up the idea of college. Some days I had no time to take care of myself after the kids and working. I barely slept. I had to sell my car, my keyboard, and my guitar.

The unpaid medical bills and bills I had to put on credit cards were piling up. Then Kate’s doctor got her into a clinical trial. I knew I would find a way to afford it. With it being a trial, insurance wouldn’t pay.

That’s when I meet Odette at the restaurant. The amount she was talking about paying me was more than I could even dream.

She offered me a trial period when I was about to turn her down. It was really hard to even imagine selling myself for money. I still hesitantly said no. I actually thought about it the whole week after and was starting to regret it. She came back to the restaurant. I treated her like any other guest that time. But at the end of the night, after tipping me generously, she asked to speak privately. She was my last customer of the night, so heard her out after clocking off.

“Experience only counts so much towards my value system. Demand, popularity, appearance, acting ability, and preferred mannerism are lot higher. Appearance and demand being the highest. What we discussed is what you’re worth.”

“I greatly appreciate the opportunity, but…” I started to say.

She cut me off and replied, “I don’t normally do this but I rarely have these opportunities. I will pay you double, cost covered, for your first night. Virgins can fetch top dollar. Especially girl’s who look like you.”

I just stared at her open mouthed. I couldn’t believe she said that. “Do you need time to think about it? Or do you have a phone number I can reach you at to make arrangements?”

She gave me her business card, took my phone from my hand, and set an appointment reminder for me. Then she called herself from my phone to make sure I wasn’t giving her a bogus number. I still hadn’t said anything at this point. But I did follow up with her.

She taught me how to act, how to dress, how to talk to our clients. She taught me how to read people. What expressions and mannerisms to look for. She taught me how to anticipate needs. Odette is actually educated. She has an MBA and a bachelor’s in psychology. But most of her know how is just from years of experience.

The first date she kept me mostly innocent. We went over safety and things to say. At that point I told her I was worried about catching some awful s*x disease. She said the service does offer a complimentary workup to the clients. Not all of them take it because they don’t want to waste time but some do because it concerns their health too. So, she put a full panel in my contract. She had me tested too just in case, since apparently a few diseases can be passed from mom to kid.

After the first month, I quit my restaurant job. The second month, I bought a new car. I vetted and hired nannies that were available for overnights. I specifically wanted ones who were okay watching over a not always healthy kid. By six months at the service, I paid all the outstanding debt and managed to put a lot in my savings. My credit greatly improved. So I applied for a mortgage. I decided to move us from our tiny apartment to a house. But then I realized most houses that were in my very realistic budget were fixer uppers or too far into pack territory.

I am not pack connected and can only live in certain parts of the city because of that. I am not rogue because I was never banished or renounced my former pack. I went too far from my pack for pack connections and certified as a lone wolf with the council though.

I found a double wide manufactured home with a garage. It was perfect. 4 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom with a large gorgeous kitchen. It was a lot cheaper than a traditional house even though it wasn’t going anywhere. I worked out a 5 year mortgage because of how cheap it was comparatively. When I set my budget, it was actually under how much I could afford, or was even approved for. I wanted to make sure I always had the option to leave the service and could survive on a regular job again even if it meant back to struggling.

Right now, with Kate’s clinical trial though, I wasn’t to where I needed to be financially to leave yet. I was starting to build a nest egg in case it took time to find a different job though. I paid extra each month towards my car and sometimes the mortgage too. After bills and savings, the rest all went to Kate.

I didn’t tell Aden or Kate the truth about my new job. Overnights were always ‘business trips’. Eventually I couldn’t keep evading the question of what I was so I lied and said I was an executive assistant. Then when I complained about my job or Odette it was always in context of my boss is too picky.

After calling Kate’s doctor, I went and changed into comfier clothes and then got my keys and non work purse. Now in black leggings, a soft loose white V-neck, and Ugg boots I was ready to go. Aden was waiting by the door practically bouncing from foot to foot. He got in the front seat and I almost objected. There’s technically a rule of 12+ for kids sitting in the front but I just shrugged. He’s close enough and he’s big for his age. I think the biggest issue about kids in the front is their size.