Sponsored Love

In the driver's seat, Jacob glanced at the empty road in front of him, before his gaze wandered back to the girl's reflection in his rearview mirror. She had caught him staring, and now she focused her gaze out of the window.Stephanie was her name.At the realization of his wandering thoughts, Jacob shook his head and focused on the road once more.Why was he concerned about her name?He had noted the way she eagerly counted the petty cash, and he also noticed how a mere hundred dollars made her happy. Jacob could only imagine that she was desperate for money. Any girl in the waitress business was. Sighing, Jacob realized that he was already thinking too much about this stranger; especially when he had more pressing matters to think about.His mother passed. She had asked for him on her deathbed, and he hadn't been there. Nor was he closing a deal at the time. No. Instead he had cowardly sat in the hospital parking lot, waiting for the alert from his mother's private physician. As an

Stephie stared at Carter and her heart dropped at his words."I knew it." She whispered with slight aggravation."Before you jump to conclusion, it's not what you think." Carter raised a pale and wrinkled palm in caution."Shouldn't I be the one to decide that?" Stephie replied with her quick-witted tongue."Fair point," Carter nodded, "but at least let me clarify, it is nothing sexual." Carter promised."Then what? You need a kidney? You found out you were dying, and you need a part of my liver?" Stephie spat with slight nonsense."You have quite the vivid imagination." Carter chuckled in amusement."Doesn't hurt to be extra vigilant." Stephie refused to relent."Fair enough." Carter hummed, and a silence fell on the table.Stephie blinked and stared at Carter, and he too did the same."Sooo, the catch?" Stephie hinted after an awkward second had elapsed.Carter intertwined his fingers again and sighed, "as you know, my wife passed recently."At the mention of Carter's dead wife, Ste

Stephie didn't waste her time in rolling her eyes while allowing her shoulders to droop."Here we go again." Stephie muttered, then she licked her lips and stared at Jacob once more."So, I see this is a thing for both you and your dad. I already told the old man, but since you weren't there, I'll make it clear to you, I don't want your money. I don't need your money." Stephie defended."You take the bus to work and can barely make ends meet. You live on petty cash tips to connect your paycheck to paycheck living. Trust me, you need money." Jacob released insult after insult while staring Stephie down.He wouldn't buy into the self-righteous act. The girl was as money hungry as they came. He'd never forget the way her eyes gleamed at the wad of cash from the night previous. He knew a greedy soul from anywhere."Well okay, I need money, but not yours or the old man's. If there's only one thing I'll accept from you and him is that you leave me alone, and while you're at it, tell your dad

Stephie crossed the threshold into her new bedroom and fought the urge to slam the door behind her. Pressing her arm between her teeth, Stephie bit down hard and grunted out her frustration in one long, stifled scream. Her eyes ran with tears, both from the pain she induced and the pain caused by her helpless situation. She could call the cops... But then say what? And even if she figured out what to say, Jacob and Carter would most likely pay off the entire case with a fancy lawyer, then she would really be in trouble. Stephie released her arm and sniffled, while closing her eyes. More tears ran down her cheeks. The indentation of her teeth on her arm pulsed with the now phantom-like feeling of the prior pain. The warm tears burned her eyeballs, and seeped through her closed eyelids. How did she end up a prisoner? The sad notion weighed on her shoulders, making her arms feel too heavy at their sockets. Her nostrils burned as she drew back a glob of mucus from it, then swallowing

In the meantime, in the room, Stephie had devised a plan to live with what she had until the first paycheck. First things first, she avoided the bed entirely. Instead, she chose to turn the closet floor into her bed. Going to the furthest corner from the door, Stephie decided on the perfect spot. Placing multiple towels on the carpeted floor for more cushion, Stephie created her nest. using the bathrobe, she rolled it into a cozy sausage shape for a make-shift pillow. Leaving two extra large towels for her blankets, Stephie then sat on the floor. She removed her shoes, belt, and jacket, placing them next to her head. She also placed her purse, charger and phone next to her head.Taking down her hair from the tight restraint, she began to finger comb her curls, and placing them in large twists. Once that task was completed, she tucked the ends, and her hair was bed time ready. Seeing as she had no intentions on being friendly with Jacob, Stephie chose to call it night, even as her stoma