Chapter 3

Anna POV

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the same things: overdue bills, my sister’s small face when she asked for things I couldn’t give her, and my father’s voice telling me to calm down like everything wasn’t already falling apart.

"Seeking Arrangements?" I inquire, giggling at the name of the website in front of me.

"Yes. Listen, it's not odd. I know a ton of folks that do this type of stuff. Not all of the males are elderly." Scartl adds, defending the website.

"I don't know. I mean, I don't believe I could even have a...sugar daddy." I say, dropping my voice worried that someone could hear.

"Just because you have a sugar daddy, doesn't mean it has to be disgusting. A lot of the men on here simply want company. Like, sometimes they have an event they need to attend, so they simply want someone young and lovely to stand next to them. It all simply depends on what you are comfortable with."

"I don't know about this, Sara," I responded uncomfortably.

"Just browse around for a while. You never know what you may discover. But listen, I have to leave now. I had the stuff to accomplish later." She says as she gets her belongings up from the ground.

"What? Go on more dates from this site?" I laugh.

"Maybe. Maybe not. The world may never know. I'll see you later." She joked.

When she went out, I began scrolling down the first page of this webpage. I am unusually intrigued by what the messages stated and went through the images of the various individuals on here. Some of the posts posted by males were sorrowful, and they seemed lonely. Oh, and desperate. Not everyone was an elderly man, several of these individuals are no more than thirty years old. As I continued to peruse, I stopped at a post that attracted my eye instantly.

ISO is a young girl for my kid. Must be around the age of 20-23. Go on a couple of dates with him. Talk to him. Be everything he wants you to be. Be his girlfriend. He is heart shattered, and his mother and I want him to be happy again. I don't care if it's bogus. Make him believe it's genuine. Fill out the application and I will get in touch with you. Pay will vary.

I clicked on the post to learn more and saw a picture attached of who I believed was his kid. He is a terrific-looking man. A fine-looking dude. Well, from what I can tell, at least. The photo is shot at the beach, possibly in Destin. He wears a button-up shirt, shorts, and sunglasses. He is smiling brightly at a lady who I am going to guess is his mother. I don't understand how a person who looks this wonderful could be on a website like this. I'm confident he receives enough attention outside of the internet.

Despite my misgivings on this website, I sent this guy a message.

Hey, I read your article and was interested in chatting further with you. 405-555-5131. Get back to me when you can. -C

I send the message before I can begin to regret it. I recently sent a message to a random father, with my phone number attached in hopes that I would be compensated for dating his kid. Have I struck rock bottom?

Surprisingly, within seconds I hear a little chime emanating from my PC. A message from the guy appeared on the screen.

Hello. Please submit a photo attachment, including a face and complete body shot. I will get in touch from there.

The message is obvious and makes me more worried than delighted. I don't want to be judged, but I know that's precisely what will happen the second I submit these images. Despite knowing this, I still pick two of the greatest images of myself and email them. I uncovered two of my old senior photographs, one of me standing against a purple wall, and the other a close-up of my face. Although the images are a couple of years old, they still look precisely like me. My face hasn't altered at all, and my dark hair has grown a few inches. Other than that, no one would know when the images were shot.

I eagerly waited for a reply. A few minutes pass, and I discover the message has been delivered and opened. Instead of a reply, my phone started to vibrate. The unknown number that has my area code confirms that it's a local caller. With tense palms, I answer the phone with reluctance.

"Hello?" I responded uncomfortably.

"Hello. Is this…Anna?" A guy asks.

"Yes. Who is this?"

"Great. My name is Dane Fain. I posted a post on Seeking Arrangements and was just getting back to you.