Fallen Woman(13)

“She’s the one you were upset about not being able to do anything for?”

I nodded slowly. “By the time we met her, I was down to saltines and applesauce for the kids. She fed my babies when I couldn’t.” That admission choked me up.

“Gia, let me get you moved to another department where you’ll make more money. It’s not like it would be hard for me to do.”

“Uh-uh. Nope. I’m going to earn my spot there, and it’s not going to be because I’m friends with Jase Lane. No way. I’ll never have any respect if I take that option.”

“Which is more important—respect or feeding your children?”

It was like a sucker punch to the gut. He was trying to get me to relent and concede, but it hurt just the same, and he only knew half the truth. “My kids are fed and taken care of. We’re doing okay now.”

He stared at me for an agonizing amount of time before he put the car in gear and drove me home. I sensed he had something brewing in his mind, but whatever it was, he didn’t share. Instead, he dropped me off at my front door like a gentleman and kissed me on the cheek.

“Goodnight, Gianna.”

“Night, Jase.”

~~~

Weekends normally sucked without seeing Jase or having much to do. The kids liked going to the park, but there was only so much to do there, and while they could play for hours, I pooped out and waited on the bench until they couldn’t stand anymore. Sunday came and I expected more of the same, but when Derrick knocked on the door, the kids started going back and forth between the two apartments like a band of wild horses. When the door opened for the hundredth time, I expected a whirlwind of children to stampede through and was shocked to see Jase standing in my kitchen.

“Hey!” I exclaimed, completely shocked. “What are you doing here?” I dried my hands on the kitchen towel after putting away the last dish.

“I wanted to talk to you.” Here we go. At least he had the decency to come to me and tell me he can’t be seen with me anymore instead of just blowing me off. I refused to drop my head in defeat.

“You don’t owe me an explanation, Jase.” I tried to head him off at the pass. I didn’t need to hear whatever he had to say.

“Huh? I came to talk to you about a proposition I have.” He closed the door behind him. “Since you won’t let me promote you at work, I’ve come up with another idea.”

I raised my eyebrows and tilted my head before inviting him to have a seat on the couch. “I’m listening.”

“So my friends really liked you…”

I quirked my brow at him, indicating he needed to get to the point.

“We all have these things we have to go to pretty regularly, and we don’t usually go together.” He was uncomfortable, stumbling over his words, and I couldn’t stop grinning at him. He’d always been a rather eloquent speaker, even in front of hundreds of people at the Literacy Guild, so watching this was amusing. “Anyway, so we were all hanging out yesterday at Drake’s house, and he asked if you’d accompany him to some gala he has next weekend.” The words rushed from his mouth.

I didn’t know what I thought he’d suggest, but hanging out with Drake wasn’t it. I shrugged. “I don’t mind going with him but, Jase, I don’t have the clothes for these types of functions, so I’d have to wear the same dress.” They were all nice guys and all good looking in their own way—if this helped them out, I could do it once in a while.

He wiped his hand down his face. “They would take care of your clothes, Gia.”

I cocked my head, waiting for him to finish what was obviously on the tip of his tongue. I squinted my eyes and leaned in, silently waiting for more information regarding this proposal.

“You’d be compensated for your time. Paid. You’d be paid.”

My jaw dropped.

I wasn’t sure I’d heard him correctly and knew he couldn’t have insinuated what I thought he had. He didn’t insinuate anything—he’d flat out asked me to be a call girl, a whore, a…hell, I didn’t know what. “You want me to be a prostitute for your friends? Are you insane?” Seething mad, I opened my mouth to launch into a tirade when he held his hands up to stop me.

“No. No. No. You’re totally misunderstanding. These guys don’t date—they don’t trust women, but going solo all the time sucks. They enjoyed hanging out with you, and when Drake asked if I thought you’d go with him, I told him exactly what I thought you’d say. No dress. No money for a babysitter.”

I could tell he didn’t want to give me any more details about the discussion he’d had with his buddies, but he knew he had to in order to calm me down.

He let out a slow, audible sigh before he continued. “I didn’t give them all the information you shared with me. I only told them you had three little kids and had fallen on hard times.”

“So you’re pimping me out?” I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, be flattered or insulted. I decided quickly, since it was Jase Lane, I’d laugh and be flattered…right before I declined. He had quickly become a friend, and I didn’t have many. I wanted to hang on to him, so I refused to let my feelings be hurt by this, but I couldn’t be a high-class hooker, either.

“What? No! I just thought this would be a way for you to get out of the house with adults and make some money in the process.”