~This is a two part book. This is Eve's story.~ I was just getting back from my last class of the semester and I wandered into my apartment to look for something to eat. It was after 9 at night and my roommate Violet was out with her boyfriend. I saw a huge pile of mail on the counter and began to pick through it while I waited on my frozen dinner in the microwave. It dawned on me that I hadn’t really looked through the mail for probably a month. I just had a flat fee for rent and my dad paid my cell phone bill so I didn’t get much mail, but Violet sure did. Bills, bills, magazines, credit card offers … sure let’s get college kids to screw up their lives right out of the gate! I came to a letter from the non-profit that gave me my grant and I ripped it open. My jaw fell at what I read. My dad had recently remarried and they were dropping me! Apparently they were counting my step mom&rsq

I threw myself on the couch, just wearing a towel, hoping my roommate wouldn’t come barging in any minute. My mind was racing, having the whole range of thoughts, emotions. I can do this, I can do this. There’s no sex … I can do this. I’m perfectly charming and capable of being fake, right? Jeez. It’s just acting, surely I can manage that. It’s a job dude, just a job, think of it that way, right? I forced myself to get up and get dressed, and look halfway decent. My phone chimed and I ran to it, “Chris has offered you a date.” Oh snap, here we go! I clicked on the message and it said, “Business dinner with four others, 7 pm tomorrow at Kinship. Would like to call you at 3 pm to discuss further details.” Okay girlie, this is it! I clicked to accept it. There was a call feature in the app kind of like Facebook has, so he could call me and I would not have to gi

I got changed out of my date clothes, taking great care to hang the dress so I didn’t mess it up. I got a shower and then threw myself on my bed and opened the date app. I took off my unavailable setting and immediately had a request pop up asking if I was free tomorrow night. I looked over the guy’s profile and it didn’t seem like anything too interesting. Four hours at a dance club from 10-2 am. Ugh, not only did I not dance unless drunk, I did NOT dance in heels.  I was lost looking at the guy’s profile when I got another request, this time from Chris. I grinned like an idiot and went to his profile. I was curious to read it again now that I actually met him to see if it held up. Hmmm, seems just like him. I had to hope that other men wouldn’t be too bad, it’s not like I could afford to be picky with the kind of money I needed. I accepted both dates and turned off the lig

I could not possibly have felt more out of my element in this place. Since it was still cold out we were watching the tennis match in a large indoor gym. Chris made sure he was always touching me in some way, whether it was holding my hand or just putting his arm around me. It was incredibly relaxing and I sensed he could tell I needed it. Caleb, the client was just as pompous and annoying as expected. He was also quite a sore loser and that seemed to be all he was doing. His wife and their whole posse were equally stuck up and irritating. His wife was dressed in a yellow pantsuit and had one a ton of jewelry and make-up, she looked pretty ridiculous honestly. I didn’t understand much about tennis but it didn’t seem like he was even very good. Between things he would come over and talk business with Chris and I just tried to play along, completely checking out mentally. Lunch was served family style with se

 We made our way toward the elevator, and Chris wasted no time filling me in on some of his family gossip. “So my dad has actually been married three times, yet he thinks he’s the world’s foremost resource on relationship advice. I am from his first marriage, my mom lives in NYC. That’s where they were for a long time, we lived there until I was 16, then they split. He was sleeping with his lawyer, the classic story you know. They didn’t have a prenup though, I mean he didn't have much when they first met. My mom ever imagined he would screw her over like he tried to do. My mom got a lawyer that wasn't afraid of him, and really fought him, he was horrible to her, there’s a lot there I don’t get into but it’s touchy for me. In the end she got what she was owed and I don’t think they have spoken since. He remarried a few years later, but that didn’t last too long but th