Most Wanted

“Vivian darling, I’m so sorry about the way I hung up on you the other time,” Momma D said in a syrupy tone.

“I was just taken by surprise that you would turn down such a lucrative client. Look, whatever he did to you, I apologize on his behalf. You know some of these guys tend to be nasty at times. But the heavy dough they pay makes up for that, don’t you agree?”

Vivian sighed. She’d made up her mind, and nothing the matron said would make her change it. She was no longer interested in seeing Oscar.

If he was the only client Momma D had left on her list, then that meant Vivian was officially done with being an escort. Case closed!

“You’re right, Momma D,” she agreed. “And I accept your apology, but tonight isn’t a good time for me. The semester is coming to an end, and you know what that means. I can’t skip my tests if I don’t have a strong reason to.”

“Are you saying twenty thousand dollars isn’t enough reason to skip your tests?”

Vivian was speechless. Twenty thousand dollars? Who pays that much for sex – or no sex, as the case may be?

This guy was a certified lunatic! No sane person would spend that much for sex, no matter how kinky or amazing it may be.

“I don’t know what’s in your coochie, but this guy is willing to pay top dollar for it,” Momma D drawled sardonically.

“That’s very generous of him, but I’m not interested,” Vivian maintained.

“Damn it, girl! What are you trying to prove?” The matron barked. “You’re turning down a sum of money that will transform your life overnight. For what? A test that you can retake next semester?”

Vivian understood why her pim was this exasperated. Her income was also on the line here. Oh, well…

 “I’m very sorry, Momma D, but I’m not showing up tonight,” she said firmly.

“Now listen to me carefully,” Momma D snarled. “If you don’t accept this offer tonight, then we’re done. You’re no longer my girl, and I will scrub your name off my roster permanently.”

The matron’s threat scared Vivian, but her stubborn pride wouldn’t let her back down. “So be it,” she said.

“Fine,” Momma D snapped. “Goodbye!”

******************

When Cynthia heard about Vivian’s decision, she felt responsible for her friend’s behavior.

“I wish I hadn’t said anything to you,” she lamented. “I was only trying to advise you. I didn’t know you’d see it as me judging you or something.”

“Judging me? Why would I think you were judging me when you were the one who hooked me up with the job in the first place?” Vivian asked.

“Well, what am I supposed to think? Why did you quit?” Cynthia pressed.

“I told you the guy was mean to me and I’d made up my mind never to go back to him again. I don’t know why Momma D was trying to force me to go to him when she could’ve just assigned another girl for the job. Why did she make such a big deal out of it?”

“So, what are you going to do now?”

Vivian shrugged. “I could start a business with some of the money I still have.”

Cynthia sighed. “Entrepreneurship is not as easy as you may think. Besides, in a couple of months, we’ll be graduating from college. I don’t want anything to mess that up for either of us.”

“Don’t worry, Cynthia. I’ll be fine.”

“Look, why don’t you just apologize to Momma D and explain to her that you don’t want to see the billionaire guy anymore? She can put you back on the roster and assign you to another client.”

“Oh, I don’t know…” Vivian mused.

“Trust me, babe, you still need this job for now,” Cynthia insisted. “I know you think you have a lot of money right now, but once you start sending part of it to your folks and paying your bills, it’s going to dwindle in no time. That’s why you still need this steady flow of income for now.”

Vivian sighed. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew her friend was right. Why should she cut off her source of income because of one silly client?

“I’ll think about it,” she assured Cynthia.

“Please, do and let me know if you’d like me to go with you to Momma D’s place. You know, for moral support.”

Vivian chuckled. “I’ll let you know,” she said.

After Cynthia left, Vivian was alone at home with her thoughts. She wondered how Momma D would react when she showed up at the matron’s house with her tail between her legs. Would she be forgiven, or had she ruined her chances of redemption with her rash decision?

Her phone buzzed beside her. She checked it and saw that it was a call from an unfamiliar number. Out of curiosity, she answered it.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Celia,” the caller said.

Vivian’s breath ceased in her lungs when she recognized the familiar deep voice.

“How did you get my number?” She asked.

“I got it from the matron, and trust me, it didn’t come cheap.”

Shit! Vivian thought in frustration. I should sue that fat bitch for violating my privacy and giving this prick my number.

But even as the thought formed in her mind, she knew that wasn’t possible.  She was doing a kind of job that she couldn’t speak of publicly. Plus, invasion of privacy was the number one occupational hazard in this field.

“What do you want from me?” She demanded.

“I owe you an apology, but since you wouldn’t see me, I decided to call you and apologize over the phone,” Oscar said.

“I don’t want your apology. Just leave me alone!”

Vivian hung up and switched off her phone immediately. She decided she’d call Momma D the following day and give the greedy matron a piece of her mind.

She had only one class on campus the next day. Once she was done, she went to her favorite salon to get her hair and nails fixed.

The makeover took her about three hours, and when it was over, she was positively famished. As she stepped out of the salon to make her way to a nearby restaurant, a black Jaguar parked in front of her.

At first, she thought the occupant of the vehicle was there to pick up someone from the salon. But just then, the back door opened, and her nemesis stepped out.

Vivian gasped. “Are you stalking me?”

“Goodness, no!” Oscar replied quickly. He seemed shocked that she would think such of him. “Your friend told me you were here.”

Vivian raised an eyebrow. “So how much exactly did you pay her for that?”

“To be honest, nothing. But I paid the matron for your friend’s phone number too,” he added with a smile.

His attempt to lighten the mood with a little bit of humor didn’t work. Vivian snorted in annoyance. She wasn’t in the mood to joke around with this same man who made her seal off her fountain of wealth.

“You need to leave me alone, Oscar. I don’t want to have anything to do with you anymore. Why is that so hard for you to accept?”

“I’m sorry about how I spoke to you the last time you were at my place. My tone had nothing to do with you, nor was I angry with you even though it came off that way. You didn’t do anything wrong, Celia. That was all me.”

She could hear the sincerity in his voice as he spoke, and it softened her heart a little. “Ok, apology accepted. Now can I go?”

“Are you still angry with me?” He asked softly.

Vivian sighed. “No, I’m not. Honestly, I’m not.”

“Will you have dinner with me tonight then?” He asked hopefully.

“Listen, I’m no longer on Momma D’s roster, so I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”

“She’s no longer involved where you and I are concerned. She told me you don’t work for her anymore, so that automatically removes her from the picture going forward.”

The wheels began to turn in Vivian’s head after Oscar’s revelation. This meant that she no longer had to split her earnings with the matron ever again.

Also, with Oscar as her only client, she wouldn’t even need other clients anymore because the billionaire was bonkers. He doled out cash like he was giving away candy. It was too good an offer to refuse.

“Fine,” she said gruffly. “What time do we meet?”