Breaking Into the Business (20 page)

“I
don’t want you to give me any money. I haven’t even decided if I’m going to
give that asshole any money at all.”

“Whatever
you do, I will be here for you.”

“I
appreciate that.”

“No
I mean it. Think of some excuse you can tell the kids about why I’m here. I’m
not going anywhere.”

“You
can’t just stay here.”

“Are
you kidding? I’m not leaving you and the kids alone here if some crazy man is
threatening you for money. What if he comes to the house and tries to force his
way in?”

“I
have a gun.”

“Well,
so do I. When you go to pick the kids up, I’m going with you. On the way back
here, stop at my place so that I can get some clothes, my gun, and a few other
things.”

“I
can’t ask you to do that.”

“You
don’t have to ask.”

“Greg,
seriously…”

“Lana,
stop,” he said. He gripped me by my shoulders and leaned in. “You’re my friend
and my business partner, and possibly more. Your safety is a concern for me on
so many levels.”

“But
what do I tell the kids?”

“That’s
for you to figure out.”

“Okay,”
I finally relented. “It will give me some piece of mind knowing that you’re
here.”

“Then
let’s go get the kids,” he said.

I
decided to change clothes. I found a fresh t-shirt and pair of jeans in my
closet. I decided to pull my hair up so that I wouldn’t have to do anything
else to it.

When
I walked into the living room, Greg was busy tying up his shoelaces. He gave me
a warm, sympathetic smile as I walked over and got my keys off the counter.

“Lana,
we’re going to get through this.”

“I
hope so, Greg.”

I
knew that I didn’t deserve someone like him. He might be an escort, but he was
a stand-up guy. I knew that even if we weren’t in his bizarre sexual
relationship, he would still be there for me. There was just something about
him, some feeling that I had, that I knew he was just that kind of guy.

That
made me feel safer. I knew that I shouldn’t feel safe, but with Greg there, I
did.

Chapter Eighteen

I
dreaded the moment that my kids would meet Greg, and it was even worse that I
had to do it without preparing them first. He sat in the front seat of my SUV
as I drove towards their school. I was certain the other mothers in the car
pool lane would see him in my car, and the gossip line would light up tonight

That
didn’t bother me that much though. It was only a matter of time before those
boring housewives in my neighborhood began calling the Madam hotline, and I
would have more dirt on them than they ever thought about having on me. I
smiled at the thought.

When
I stopped in front of their school, Jake and Mallory walked towards the
vehicle. Their eyes landed on Greg for just a moment, and I saw them both
hesitate before continuing. I smiled to reassure them, and they both got into
the car.

“Hey,
Mom,” Jake said apprehensively.

For
once Mallory was not on her cell, instead, she had it resting down by her side
and she watched the man sitting in the front seat.

I
wanted to laugh, but there was no way that would help the situation.

“Hey,
kids,” I said.

As
I pulled out of the drop off lane, I found a place in the parking lot with
lower traffic. Putting the car in park, I turned in my seat to face the kids.

“I
want you to meet my friend Greg,” I said to them. “He’s going to be staying
with us for a few days.”

The
timeframe was a lie, because I didn’t really know how long he had planned on
staying at the house. As I told Jake and Mallory this news, I felt a sensation
of safety come over me. My practical side said that allowing Greg to stay there
was madness, but my heart said this was the right thing. Even though it might
confuse the hell out of my kids, and therefore lead to lifelong issues they
might later need therapy for, I knew their physical safety was more important.

“Is
something wrong?” Jake asked.

I
didn’t really think of what I was going to tell them about the reason behind
him staying. I glanced at Greg, who shrugged slightly.

“He
is having a hard time financially and his utilities got cut off at his
apartment,” I finally said.

Greg
gave me a look that was somewhere between amused and offended.

“That
sucks,” Mallory said. “So, like, you don’t have lights and can’t take a
shower?”

“No,
I can’t,” Greg said, going along with the story. “Your mom was nice enough to
let me stay with you all until I could get all of the utilities turned back
on.”

“That’s
nice, Mom,” Mallory said.

I
was a little baffled by my daughter’s sudden interest in the whole situation,
until I saw that certain look in her eyes. My daughter was staring straight
ahead at our new houseguest and I could tell instantly that she had a crush. I
tried to hide my amusement, but it was hard in the confines of a car.

“So
what do you do for a living?” Jake asked.

I
wanted to roll my eyes, but then he would see. Jake had never been the type to
buy into the crap that parents foist on their children. He had never believed
in Santa Claus, found it offensive that I would insult his intelligence when I
first told him about the tooth fairy, and don’t even get me started on his
diatribe about the Easter Bunny.

Even
though he erred on the side of overly critical on matters such as this, I was
proud that I had raised such an intelligent and critical son. Nobody would ever
be able to pull one over on him.

“Right
now Greg is working part time at the publishing company,” I said. “He’s in our
marketing department. He is going to help me with the new business.”

“Awesome,”
Jake said, but I knew that he wasn’t convinced.

“We’re
going to stop by Greg’s place so he can grab a few things, and then we’ll head
home,” I announced as I turned back to the wheel and started forward.

The
kids and I waited in the car while Greg ran upstairs to his apartment. He was
only gone a few minutes and he threw a duffle bag and a backpack in the backend
of the SUV, and then I pulled away.

We
got back to the house and the kids went up to their room. I helped Greg get his
bags settled into the guest room. When he realized where I was leading him, he
stopped in the hallway.

“I’m
staying in a guest room?”

“Where
else would you stay?” I asked.

“I
was thinking the master,” he said, grinning from ear to ear.

“As
fun as that sounds, I don’t think that’s appropriate. For one, my kids would
notice, and then I would have questions to answer. I don’t think they’re
prepared for that. Not to mention, I’ve already told you that we’re friends
now. No more sex. We have a professional relationship that we have to
maintain.”

Greg
didn’t give up. “You’re just looking at it all wrong.”

“Then
enlighten me.”

“You’re
my boss and we sell sex. I see it like you are just monitoring my work product
to make sure that I’m up to par.”

“Whatever,”
I said, turning around and walking to the guest room.

He
set both of his bags against the wall, and then reached down into one of the backpack’s
side pouches. I grimaced when he pulled out a gun.

“Do
you think you’ll really need that?” I asked.

“Let’s
hope not,” he said gravely. “But the possibility that I will need to use it is
the very reason I’m here. I wanted to be prepared for whatever your new phone
friend may throw at us.”

“I
guess you’re right.”

“Is
there somewhere in the living room I can stow it where it will be accessible,
but not so accessible that the kids might find it?”

“Yeah,
I’ll show you the spot. I need to get upstairs and talk to the kids. I want to
prepare them for everyone coming over tonight.”

“Do
you have a cover for the business?”

“What
do you mean?”

“Well,
if they haven’t asked you what the nature of the business is, I’m sure they will
soon. What are you going to tell them?”

“I
haven’t thought about that.”

“Well
you better.”

“Any
ideas?”

“How
about lawn mowing?”

“That’s
random. Why that?” I asked.

“You’ll
have a bunch of men here at the meeting. They will be able to gather fairly
quickly that you are sending us out for some reason. What better cover than
using the story that we are landscapers, gardeners, and lawn care
professionals?”

“Where
are your mowers?”

“In
our work trucks that we leave at our house when we come over for the meetings.”

“Wow,”
I said. “I’m genuinely impressed.”

“Good,”
he said. “Now let me impress you in another way.”

He
grabbed me, trying to pull me closer. I maneuvered, trying to get out of his
grasp.

“You
need to stop,” I told him.

“Okay,”
he said, letting me go. “But don’t think for a second that we’ll ever be truly
over.”

“You’re
insufferable.” I turned and left the room.

I
didn’t have much time to prepare for the others to show up. The kids proved
easier than I thought. I told them I needed them to stay upstairs while my
company was here, as we had lots of business to discuss. They both agreed,
though I have to admit that Mallory wasn’t any trouble at all. She didn’t even
look up at me when I explained it to her.

Jake
on the other hand was still suspicious. Just as Greg said, Jake asked about the
details of the business. When I explained Greg’s made up story of lawn care, it
seemed to assuage my son’s concern just a little.

At
five thirty, I made the kids dinner, and Greg and I sat down at the dining room
table to eat with them. Conversation was light, but I noticed that both of my
children were staring at Greg, but both had very different looks in their eyes.
Mallory’s was a look of attraction, and Jake’s was a look of mistrust. I was
not comfortable with either one of them.

However,
I couldn’t deny that the situation wasn’t completely strange. The children
didn’t know the truth, but unfortunately I did. Sitting at the table with us
was a man who I had slept with numerous times, and now hired in my bid to
become a pimp. Not only that, but he had become our protector from some
mysterious caller who demanded more money than I had in all of my bank
accounts.

What
the hell had happened to my life? After Frank left, I had finally gotten
everything settled into a somewhat harmonious pattern. Even though money was
tight, I would have figured out some sane, legal way to get out of the hole.

Where
had my life derailed onto this nightmare? I couldn’t exactly blame the caller,
nor could I completely blame Greg. It seemed like it was a mixture of all those
things.

The
kids finished their meals and went back upstairs. I didn’t feel too bad making
them stay up there, because they had plenty to do. Jake had video games galore,
Mallory had her cell phone, and both of them had laptops to keep themselves
occupied.

I
had half an hour until they arrived, and I realized that since I invited them
at seven, they might expect dinner. That did fall into the invitation time
window that would usually lead guests to expect something to eat. Searching the
refrigerator and the pantry, I observed the fact that I didn’t have anything I
could whip up for a group of give men.

When
I shut the door of the fridge, I saw the flyer that Jake had hung up on the
front with a magnet. The local, good, Chinese restaurant not too far from the
house delivered twenty-four hours a day. I picked up the phone and placed a
large order of various dishes, as well as a truckload of rice to go with it.

Greg
appeared behind me and I told him that I just ordered the men some dinner. He
agreed that the idea sounded fine.

Shortly
before seven, the first of my new employees arrived. I opened the door to find
Mike standing there, tall and handsome as ever. As he entered, he reached down
to give me a hug and thanked me again for the opportunity.

Derrick
and Ben arrived at almost the same exact time. I hadn’t shut the door from
letting Ben in when I saw my pool boy walking up the front walk. It was strange
to see him fully clothed, but he was still as beautiful as ever. His hair
wasn’t in a ponytail as it usually was during the day, so it flowed behind him,
swinging as he walked.

He
reached in for a hug and I embraced him back. I whispered in his ear to
remember not to let anyone know about our two trysts. He agreed, but I could
tell by the way he talked to me that he expected it wasn’t over.