It’s going to be a long night for her.
Nobody in the house noticed when I got my things and walked to my car. The streets were empty since it was so late, and I made it back to my apartment in record time. My trip to my apartment took longer than the drive on my aching ankle. It was late, and I hadn’t slept at all, but I was too wired to just lay down in bed. My head was still spinning from my encounter with Corbin, and I was a little worried about my best friend.
Daniella’s parents wouldn’t do more than yell, but she still had to sit through it. My mother would have been angry if she got the call, and probably done the same to me—not that I could be certain of that. She seemed to shift between laying into me for stuff that I didn’t think deserved more than a shrug and completely ignoring things that I thought were actually bad. The depth of her anger was usually determined by how tired she was after working all day rather than what I did wrong.
At least I avoided finding out what version of her I would get if I had to call her to pick me up in the middle of the night.
I sat down on the couch and stretched out with my cell phone in my hand. Social media wasn’t that interesting to me, but I started scrolling through it anyway. My thoughts centered on what Daniella had told me earlier in the evening about Jeff, so I hit the button to show his posts and skimmed them. Whatever he posted about his ex-wife had been deleted. All of his recent pictures were taken in a bar with multiple women—a different one in every picture. He seemed as happy as a drunk guy with a cigarette dangling out his mouth while women stroked his ego could be. I rolled my eyes a couple of time and then hid his posts again. He definitely didn’t appeal to me anymore. I finally started to feel sleepy and was just about to call it a night when my phone lit up with a message from Daniella.
Daniella: You escaped at the right time. They’re still screaming.
Chloe: You’re texting me while they’re laying into you?
Daniella: No, now they’re just yelling at each other about me.
Chloe: Damn. We really screwed up tonight.
Daniella: Yeah. That’s my fault. We aren’t kids anymore…
Chloe: I told you!
Daniella: I know. I just thought it would be fun. I miss you…
Chloe: I miss hanging out with you too, but we can find something to do that doesn’t put either one of us in handcuffs…
Daniella: What happened after I ran anyway?
Chloe: After you literally abandoned me?
Daniella: I’m sorry! I got scared…
Chloe: I convinced him to tell the cops it was a mistake.
Daniella: Thank god! Who was he anyway?
Chloe: One of Mr. Hawthorne’s sons.
Daniella: Huh… I thought he only had the one that lived with him. Thanks for whatever you did. Jail is scary…
Chloe: No problem. I think I’m going to go to bed now.
Daniella: Yeah, me too. If they let me…
Chloe: Good luck!
Daniella: Thanks.
I walked to my bedroom and changed into my pajamas. I started getting tired before I got Daniella’s message, so when I finally did get to bed, the events of the evening had caught up with me. It was a good thing that I didn’t have to work the next day, because I was pretty sure I would be down for a while once I finally got to sleep. I initially planned to spend a couple of nights with Daniella. After what happened, I wasn’t sure her parents would want me to spend another night there. I might not have been the one who suggested that we sneak out of the house, but her parents always assumed I was the bad influence. Her mother mentioned that a couple of times when she was yelling at me. It was easier to cast blame than accept that their daughter was usually the one getting me in trouble.
It’s probably better if they keep believing their daughter is a perfect angel…
My dynamic with Daniella was different than it was with most people. I let her talk me into things that I would have never even considered if someone else suggested it. I didn’t have that many friends in high school, and when I hit my rebellious streak, Daniella was the perfect accomplice. The difference was that when I finally matured and moved past it, she never did. She liked it too much. Our family situation probably had a lot to do with it. I was basically rebelling against nothing. I might not have been on my own, but it felt like I was most of the time since my mother always had to work.
Maybe this will be a wake-up call for Daniella. Nothing can change your perspective like a pair of handcuffs—I assume—I’ve been lucky enough to avoid them.
Once I settled into bed, I started thinking about my encounter with Corbin Hawthorne and the debt I agreed to incur in order to get Daniella out of trouble. I didn’t regret it, but it was still a bit worrisome since I didn’t know what Corbin was going to ask for in exchange for paying off the debt. I wasn’t the type of person to agree to something and break my word on a whim, but there was certainly a line I wouldn’t cross. It was still a little intriguing. Corbin was one of the hottest guys I had ever met—and we shared a moment when he helped me into the car. I wasn’t sure what it meant, or why I felt that instantaneous attraction, but I couldn’t get that out of my head.
If we’re playing a game, then it’s his move—all I can do is wait.
* * *
The next morning
I woke up to several text messages from Daniella. Everything had blown over once her parents got all of the yelling out of their system. They were still mad, and some of the trust had been broken, but they weren’t going to actually do anything to her. That seemed like a best case scenario since she didn’t have to spend the night in jail. I laid in bed for about an hour before I finally decided that coffee was more important than my pillow. I slept a lot later than normal, but it wasn’t that late. My ankle was still sore, but it didn’t feel like it would hinder me as much as it did the previous night. It just felt tight each time I put my weight on it. I fixed a cup of coffee and walked into the living room with my phone in one hand and my cup in the other. As soon as I sat down on the couch, my phone lit up—it was a text message from a number I didn’t recognize—I didn’t even recognize the area code.
Hmm. What is this?
The text message had a link to download an app—it was called Chloe’s Debt. My whole body tensed up when I realized that it had to be from Corbin. I was nervous about clicking the link. He already had my address and my phone number, but I had no idea what the app would allow him to access. A second message flashed on my screen which confirmed the request was from Corbin, and that he expected me to install the app on my phone. It didn’t seem like I had much of a choice, so I clicked the link. I gave me several prompts, which I immediately declined, and once it was installed, I made sure that it didn’t have access to my camera, microphone, or any of my social media accounts. I felt safe clicking on the app after that, and when it loaded, I saw a blue background that had the number 500 flashing in the middle of the screen. I immediately flipped back to the text message and started typing.
Daniella: 500? What does that mean?
Corbin: It’s your debt.
Daniella: Okay—what do I have to do to pay it off?
Corbin: There are a few options.
Daniella: Like?
Corbin: You’ll find out soon enough.
He’s still playing his game—whatever it is.
Daniella: Did you really have an app made to track my debt? That seems rather excessive…
Corbin: It wasn’t that hard. It’s what I used to do for a living before I sold my company.
I stared at Corbin’s message for a couple of minutes and then put my phone down on the table with the number 500 flashing on the app. I had no idea how to move the number to zero—I didn’t even know how to flip it from 500 to 499. I was officially playing Corbin’s game, but I had no idea what the rules were, and he wasn’t forthcoming. I got the feeling that he took pleasure in the suspense—holding all of the power while giving me none. That might have worked for some women, but
it didn’t work for me. I wanted to pay off my debt and be done with the whole ordeal, but the number could keep flashing 500 for eternity if he tried to get me to do something that I wasn’t comfortable with.
I’m not going to ask for answers. I’ll just wait until he decides that he wants to share them.
* * *
The next day
The number kept flashing 500 every time I checked the app for the rest of the day, and there were no more messages from Corbin. Maybe he wanted me to cave and reach out to him—or beg to know what I had to do to pay off the debt—but that wasn’t what he was going to get from me. I was patient enough to wait for him to decide that he wanted to tell me. Once the sun came up on Saturday morning, I didn’t have time to think about the app anymore. I had to be at work fairly early for the extra shift I picked up to make up for taking Friday off. My ankle was in better shape, but I was pretty sure it was going to be aching once I spent the entire day on it at work.
My job wasn’t glamorous, and Daniella was right when she said I hated it, but waiting tables was keeping my feet under me financially—although I had to dip into the extra money I got from my student loans more often than I liked. My boss was very understanding about my schedule while I was in school, and when summer rolled around, he let me work full-time during the week so that the weekends would be overtime if I wanted to pick up a couple of extra shifts. I planned to work every shift that I could until school started up again, but I did skip Friday to hang out with Daniella—it would have probably been better if I just kept my shift. That would have saved us from a lot of drama.
“Chloe, the couple at table six are waiting on their order to come up, and it’s time for me to take a break—will you carry it out to them?” My co-worker, Sandy, walked behind the counter and handed me a ticket.
“Sure thing.” I nodded and smiled.
The people that ate at the restaurant during the breakfast and lunch rush didn’t tip as well as the customers who had dinner there, but I did usually make more money in tips from working both of those rushes than I did when I worked in the evenings. By the time my shift was over, my ankle was throbbing, and I was definitely ready to go home. I would have kept going if any of the other waitresses asked me to cover their dinner shift, but none of them did, so I counted my tips and went home. I had just gotten back to my apartment and changed out of my work clothes when my phone lit up.
A notification from Chloe’s Debt. It looks like I waited him out…
I clicked on the app and saw some sort of update install. Once the app finished loading, the number 500 was still flashing in the middle of the screen, but there were several new icons. One of them appeared to be a way for us to exchange messages, and the other one was called Repayment Plan. I clicked on it and screen lit up with two choices. The message at the bottom of the screen said that I was only allowed to choose one and a clock started counting down—I only had ten seconds to choose or the app would automatically select the second option.
Tell me a secret: -15
Decline: +15
“Damn…” I stared at the screen. “I guess I’m going to tell him a secret.”
I hit the first option, and the app registered my choice—then the choices disappeared, and the app loaded the chat box. That was apparently where I had to reveal whatever secret was going to take fifteen points off my debt. I didn’t have that many secrets—I stared at the screen for several minutes as I tried to come up with something that I could share. Truthfully, Corbin knew very little about me, so anything that I shared would be a secret to him, even if it wasn’t something that I considered to be a big deal. I finally settled on one that wouldn’t have any repercussions, since it was more of a preference than a secret.
Daniella: I hate horror movies, but I’ve seen almost every one that has been released in the last ten years because my best friend loves them.
Corbin: Interesting. What kind of movies do you like?
Daniella: You asked for a secret—I told you one. 15 points, right?
Corbin: Yes. That is correct.
I closed the app without responding to his question. If information was going to be the currency that paid off my debt, then he wasn’t getting any answers for free. I stared at the app for a couple of minutes and then clicked on it again. The number had updated. Instead of flashing 500, it was flashing 485. That was a good start—unless he kept asking for secrets. Eventually, I would run out of dumb stuff to tell him that didn’t matter. The screen lit up again while I was staring at the number that flashed the new total for my debt—it was another opportunity to answer a question in exchange for reducing my debt.
Tell me what kind of movies you like: -5
Decline: +15
I hit the button that would knock five more points off my debt and told him that I preferred comedies because laughter was a lot better than being terrified of going to sleep at night. He didn’t respond. I stared at the chat box for a few minutes and then closed the app. He apparently got the hint when I told him that I wasn’t going to answer a question for free, so he didn’t bother to ask one after I shot down his first attempt at turning the secret I revealed into a conversation. Unfortunately, he also decreased the amount that I was able to chip off my debt. The first question was worth fifteen and the second was only worth five. The number was flashing 480, so that was progress at least. I definitely had a long way to go before I would pay it off. I was going to run out of secrets and favorite things to tell him about long before I cleared the debt at that rate.
Maybe he’ll get bored of asking those questions before then—it won’t be long before he realizes I’m not that interesting.
I still didn’t know what to make of Corbin. He was attractive and confident with a mysterious edge. I couldn’t completely shake the feeling that he left me with—that odd feeling that compelled me to obey him when he was staring into my eyes—that moment we seemed to share when he helped me into the car. I wasn’t even sure the moment was real. It could have just been in my head or some sort of emotional surge brought on by the relief I felt when I realized Daniella was safe, and the nightmare was about to be over. The only thing I could do was keep playing his game and wait to see what the next request would be.
Unless he’s already tired of me…
* * *
The next day
I woke up the next morning and started my daily ritual—the mad dash around my apartment to get ready for work while I drank a cup of coffee—but I was still moving slower than normal because of my ankle. I got finished with a few minutes to spare, so I checked social media and sent a couple of text messages to Daniella. I wasn’t surprised that she didn’t respond—she was probably still sleeping. I wished I could crawl back under the covers and wake up in the afternoon, but that wasn’t the responsible thing to do. I played around on my phone until I was running a couple of minutes behind, so I had to make another mad dash to my car. I pulled up in front of the restaurant when the app lit up—I had another offer to chip away at my debt. I tapped the app with my finger, and when it loaded, I saw that there were a few more icons—it appeared that Corbin was updating it daily.
Do something fun before lunch: -25
Decline: +20
“Do something fun before lunch? What the hell? I can’t do that! I have to work…” I stared at the screen and grunted under my breath.
I was talking to myself, but I felt slightly agitated by the request. The clock was ticking down, and I had to either agree with his request or decline. If I hit the decline button, then the two requests I complied with the previous night would be a complete wash. Unfortunately, I literally had no way to comply with his request. I might get a quick ten minute break between the breakfast and lunch rush, but there wasn’t enough time to do something fun. My finger hovered over the decline button and finally clicked it when I realized I didn’t have a choice. My phone buzzed, and a big red X appeared on the screen. The number immediately updated from 480 to 500. My stomach twisted into
a knot, but I shook it off and pushed my phone into my purse.
I’m right back where I started. Damn it!
Chapter Six
Corbin
I spent the majority of my adult life making apps or being involved in the production of them, and I never once had an opportunity to enjoy it. I saw an opportunity to make money, took it, and my first one made me millions before I graduated from college—thanks to an investment from a friend named Alexio Hawkins. I used that money to found my company once I got back to Chicago, but tech was a weird industry. You could sit on the top of the world one day and see your stock plummeting the next. I saw the opportunity to cash out and be set for life, so I took it. The company I founded got rolled into a bigger one, and all of my investors got rich the day I signed the papers. Retirement was certainly boring before Chloe decided to skinny dip in my pool.
I’ve got months to sort out everything my father left behind—this is a lot more fun.
I decided to start slow and feel Chloe out a little bit before I turned up the heat. She was a clever girl—I couldn’t deny that. I thought asking her to reveal a secret would lead to an actual conversation so that I could get some ideas for my next debt challenge. Instead, she just rebuffed my effort and made me trade a few more points to find out what kind of movies she liked. She hated horror movies, and she liked comedies. That was literally all I knew about the brunette goddess that had captured my attention. My next attempt was declined—she wasn’t interested in doing something fun before lunch. She was willing to reset the debt back to 500 in order to decline it—and I was sent back to the drawing board.
Indebted To A Daddy: Once Upon A Daddy Page 4
