Chapter 5 Work Day

Tess Sunrise pov

Waking up from a horrible night of tossing and turning in my twin-size bed, I sat up, rubbing my tired eyes to see the time, and figured I should get my butt moving.

After dressing quickly and putting my mop of red hair up in a ponytail, I grabbed my purse, locked up my apartment, and headed out.

Thoughts about my strange visitors last night still plagued my mind and I decided to inform Mister Eros Draeger to let his pal know that I didn't appreciate him showing up at my apartment.

It irked me that he followed me there. I couldn't fathom how he had managed it but it was unnerving.

Rolling my eyes as I went over the conversation we had had and I was stumped by his question of what I was.

“I'm a human,” I muttered sourly and continued walking down the pavement.

Seeing the convenience store up ahead I decided to get myself some food for breakfast and Samson the treat I had promised.

The bell dinged overhead as I entered and stopped suddenly at seeing a familiar face working behind the cash register.

“Hey Johnny, long time no see,” I said softly and he nodded.

“How have you been, Tess? You finally age out?”

Nodding I raised my finger and told him to wait a second as I scanned the aisles for cat food or treats. Not finding anything I peeked back at my old fling.

“Are there any cat treats by chance?”

Shaking his head he pointed toward the food section and said, “We just have a few cans of tuna.”

Thanking him, I grabbed a can and then an apple for me to munch on as I headed to work.

At the counter, he kept glancing at me.

“Hey, um, why don't I give you my cell number, and you can call me if you ever want to hang out?”

Being cordial I apologized and explained that I didn't have a phone yet.

“I'm not getting one until I get my first paycheck from my new job. I just started it yesterday,” I explained with a forced smile.

“No worries, I'm sure I will see you around. It's five ninety-five,” he said gruffly.

I dug out my last ten dollars and handed it to him.

“Looks like I will be living off stale pizza for the remainder of the week,” I surmised as he handed me back my change and bagged my two items.

“It's good seeing you again,” he said as I grabbed the bag and nodded.

“You too,” I responded then quickly exited.

“He's an alright guy, but the sex we had wasn't enjoyable." I thought regretfully. Even though I was a virgin, I knew enough that he should have been more considerate about it being my first time.

Munching on my apple I continued down the sidewalk and could see the building I needed to get to. Unsure of the time I saw the sun starting its climb and wanted to be indoors before getting burnt. My pale skin was a curse.

Finally getting to the building I hurried into the elevator and hit the button for the top floor.

“I have to do a great job so I get a paycheck,” I sighed to boost my morale.

The doors slid open and my eyes widened at Mister Draeger, in a t-shirt and boxers with both his muscular arms around the waist of two giggling women with their hands clutching wads of cash.

He was biting each of their throats and thanking them for an enjoyable night.

Stepping out of the elevator I lowered my eyes from his face that had risen up to see me standing there.

I scurried around the group and bee-lined it to his penthouse and, trying the knob, was grateful for it being unlocked.

Shutting the door behind myself I exhaled deeply and gritted my molars in disgust.

“He is a womanizing pig, but why do I care about what he does,” I muttered sourly and felt Samson rubbing against my leg.

Glancing down at the feline I smiled tightly.

“At least you are a good boy, Samson and I brought you a treat as promised,” I announced as I lifted the bag I carried.

“Follow me to the kitchen and I will feed you,” I said softly.

Rummaging through the drawers for a can opener I heard the front door open and close firmly and shuddered.

“You're here early, Miss. It's only eight o'clock and I expect to have privacy in the mornings to deal with my guests,” he said sternly.

Glancing over my shoulder at him, I nodded and said,” I am sorry, but I don't have any form of transportation except for my feet and was unsure of how long it would take me to walk here, Sir. I will leave later tomorrow and arrive on time.”

Eros remained standing there watching me go through his kitchen drawers and finally questioned me about what I was doing.

Turning around, I showed him the can of tuna and explained that I was going to feed it to Samson, and his eyes narrowed.

“He doesn't deserve it,” he huffed and the cat hissed at him, bringing a snort from me.

“He apparently disagrees,” I snickered and heard Mister Draeger exhale sharply.

“The can opener is in the drawer by the stove,” he asserted and I thanked him.

“Oh, that reminds me, can you inform your friend, Faro, not to come to my apartment? It was rather unnerving,” I stated as I drained the tuna.

Dumbstruck, Eros gasped and asked, “You SAW Faro?!”

“Yeah, the lean blonde guy that brought you home last night. He wanted to come inside of my apartment, not cool,” I sighed and dumped the contents of tuna onto a small dish.

Standing back up, I looked over at Mister Draeger, rubbing his chin and eyeing me strangely.

“If you would just let him know that I don't want visitors, that would be great,” I stammered nervously and he nodded.

“Great, I will start my duties then,” I thanked him and went to the small closet for Rosie's cleaning supplies. I was thankful that Faro was a real person, but I still was freaked out about him disappearing.

“Do you have a driver's license?”

Peeking over at him, I nodded and said, “Yeah, I got it on my eighteenth birthday from the orphanage. They helped me get the necessary things to be a contributing member of society.”

I snickered, seeing him visibly shudder, then mutter something about me being a child.

“I'm wise for my age and passed all my school classes with honors,” I said proudly, and he shook his head, turned, and left me to clean.

“Wow, he's a great conversationalist,” I huffed and started spraying the countertops.