by J. L. Beck
To Be Continued….
Read on for an exclusive look at Their Spoiled Brat releasing at the end of April.
Chapter One
Stephanie
“What the hell am I going to do now Daddy?” I yelled into the receiver of my cell phone maybe a little bit too loudly when it came to talking to my father, but I was feeling ripped apart emotionally at the moment and I deserved a breakdown after the bombshell he’d just dropped on me. A throbbing pain formed between my eyes as I thought more and more about what he had said to me. He told, me he would no longer be a ble to provide for me while I was at school nor would he be able to pay for my classes, books, food or apartment. I was up shit creek without a paddle, and the current was moving way too fast.
“Calm down sweetheart, we will figure this out.” My father, being the glass is half full type of person was trying to make me feel upbeat when it really felt as i f he’d just taking my dreams and ripped them to shreds. I could picture him three hundred miles away wearing his swea ter vest and khaki pants with his arms folded across his chest. My father and I had always had a cloudy relationship, but this was not the blow we needed right now for any sort of repairs.
How could this be happening to me? I was only one year away from graduating from college and my father had just pulled the rug out from under me. He was the owner and CEO of Express Print, a company that you guessed it, made and sold printers. That is until one of the printers became defective and exploded. This little mishap caused severe burns to a customer's face when she was trying to change t he ink cartridge. So guess who was getting punished for th at one, my father and I. My father tried to explain to me through my hysteria that he being sued by the firm representing the obviously disgruntled woman but I just wasn’t having it. Not after what he had told me. What was done was done and there was nothing anyone could do to change my impending future.
My Father was going to lose his business and with that came consequences , consequences that I would have to pay for. The fact of the matter is he’s not going to be able to suppo rt me or my education anymore and though I hate w hat’s happening to my father, I need a plan B or else I’m g oing to find myself on the curb while everyone else is graduating. I hang up the phone feeling flustered with an intense migraine setting in fro m the stress of it all. I need a pick me up and some brain storming and I know just who to call.
I punch the call button for my b est friend Zoey’s number all while pacing around my apartment, moving back and forth with no purpose other than to absorb my energy into som e sort of movement so I don’t go crazy
I looked around my apartment and felt a surge and pang of nostalgia. I knew I was being w ay too over dramatic about all of this when it was still early on in the crisis, but I couldn’t leave this downtown apartment so close to campus. Not to mention it was on the 15th floor and had the most amazing views of the city around me. The sunsets were particularly magnificent to take in and I was in no mental state to pack my bags and leave not with finals right around the corner. The entire reason I chose this school was because it was one of the best in the nation, not to mention the hardest to get in too.
At the very last ring Zoey picked up. “Hey girl , what’s up?” She sounded bright and cheery on the other end, and I wanted desperately to have some of that radiant light channeled back at me.
“Do you want to get some coffee with me ?” I chewed on my bottom lip and plopped down on the couch, placing my elbows on my knees. Chewing on my lip has been a bad habit of mine ever since I was a kid. It was a way I could release tension and anxiety, and I would do it absentmindedly until someone pointed it out to me and told me to quit.
“Yeah, sure I can get some coffee right now. I’ll meet you at the Starbucks around the corner in fifteen minutes ok?” She sounded concerned but thankfully she didn’t ask any questions.
“Perfect. See you soon.” I hit end on my cell phone and stare d out the window blankly. I needed to figure out a w ay to stay in school and Zoey was just the person to help me dig myself out of this hole.
I got dressed and headed down stairs and around the block. O nce we grabbed our drinks we sat at a table outside watching the people pass by on the street. I loved to people watch but I had to get Zoey up to speed on my crisis. Once I was done nearly so bbing out my pity party story I knew she would be able to help. A light bulb seemed to go off in her head because she gave me a look that all but said she could solve my problems.
“What ?” I asked because clearly she was pondering something and I was itching for her to go ahead and share it already.
“Well, I may have an idea that could save you,” she flashed her eyes at me in a rebellious and mischievous type of way. Zoey was definitel y more of the daredevil in our friendship. I was a bookworm who wanted to study and get ahead. We were like yin and yang, but somehow we complemented each other’s person alities perfectly and it all worked out.
“Ok well what is it? I’m up for anything at this point .”
“Anything?” Zoey grinned at me an d I raised my eyebrows and threw my arms up into the air in a mock exasperation.
“Just come out with it will you?” I was joking with her but I still wanted her to get to the point. Zoey took a sip of her latte and glanced down the str eet, sitting back in her chair like she had just cured world hunger or something.
“ Well,’’ she began, “Grace told me about this website. Supposedly it’s a dating website, but it’s a little different. The guys on the site pay girls to go out on dates with them.” I raised my eyebrows because that seemed a little farfetched to me.
“You can’t be serious.” I gave her a deadpanned expression.
“I’m totally serious!” Zoey pulled out her phone and b egan typing on it. I leaned over in my seat so I could see where she was going with all of this. I watched curiously as Zoey typed in “AlphasOnTop.com” into the web address bar. The site loaded slowly and I scoffed at the name.
“This has got to be a joke do you see that website name?” I wanted to roll my eyes at the page but kept the feelings to myself.
“Don’t be so pessimistic yet, you can’t judge anything until we actually see how legit it is. Besides, you asked me for help on ways to find money didn’t you?” Zoey looked at me over the top of her phone and I knew her point had been made. I nodded my head in a gesture for her to continue on .
“Oh look, it says that there’s no sex involved-just dating , and fun. All they want is company. That will be perfect for a virgin like you.” Zoey joked. I knew she was kidding around with me but the words she spoke still stung. It was a weak spot for me , and never settled well when I told someone that I was already in my twenties and I’d never had a sexual experience before.
“Holy fuck, this guy is hot as hell! ” Zoey pushed her phone into my face and I grabbed it looking at the screen. My eyes slid over the ad, but I missed the words completely. I was enthralled by the hunk’s dating profile picture instead.
Once I was finished licking Zoey’s cell phone screen I read the words off to the right side of the photo. Rider Wright was his name, and he was a recent college graduate who worked at his father’s land development firm with his twin brother. My eyes lit up… Twins… That meant there was another guy out there that looked exactly like this handsome devil.
“It says he is just looking for some innocent company, food and drinks at a local restaurant downtown. He wants a girl he can get to know better.” I read the words out loud more to myself than Zoey because I trailed off as I stared at him.
I was drawn to his dark hair and sky blue eyes. I scrolled the ad f urther with my thumb. “Oh my fucking God! It says he’s willing to pay up to five thousand dollars for this date. Zoey -that’s enough to pay for next Semesters classes!” I shrieked because I was most defiinetly sold on this idea, however I stil l needed some time to think it through.
“I think you should go for it Steph . You’re almost done with school; so you might as well find a way to make some d
ecent money. That is u nless you want to go strip at th e clubs downtown? ” Zoey pursed, taking the last swig of her latte before tossing it into the trashcan next to us. I looked out at the busy street, taking in the hustle and bustle of people racing to get to wherever it was they were going.
“I’ll think about it okay?” I assured Zoey who looked at me like she wasn’t so sure that I really would.
“Okay, let’s go. I got loads of homework to do, and this time I could use your help.” She joked, but I knew it was anything but a joke. She struggled with her grades, and since she had offered to help me I could do the same for her.
***
That night I laid in bed thinking about Rider, the handsome picture perfect man in the dating ad. Was I really going to go through with this? I reached over for my phone on the nightstand.
Without thought I typed in the website and pulled up his profile again . Damn he had the most perfect white teeth and a grin full of adventure that made me want to get to know him better . I clicked out of the page and texted Zoey immediately.
I’m going to do it.
I hit send on the text and then waited for a response. I could hear the steady beat of my heart in my ears. The seconds seemed to tick by before I got a reply.
I knew you would.
I sighed smiling into my pillow like a freak. I couldn’t believe I was doing this. Letting a man pay me to go on a date with him. Then again what choice did I have?
Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad? God knows the pay wouldn’t be.
