Deliveries to The Cut became the regular. Louis would drop off shipments regularly, as would a quiet young man named Todd who rarely spared me a glance. They were the only two who would deal with me directly.

 

My payments to Ethan were kept low key and private. Well, mostly private. Sometimes Louis stayed to watch. Sometimes he left us to ourselves. But outside of the three of us, no one saw us together.

 

If anyone did, they might think that we had a friends with benefits relationship or something along those lines, but the idea was to keep the two of us as separate as possible. As I understood it, that was the whole point. Ethan needed somewhere that wasn’t directly linked to him. I happened to be one of a handful of places that he didn’t have his fingers dipped in.

 

Of course, he had his fingers in me six days a week. Despite my anger at the whole thing, I was starting to wonder. Wonder if I was actually enjoying my payments to Ethan.

 

The answer was mixed up in the complications of my own desires and the requirements of Ethan’s. I couldn’t tell if he got off on controlling me or if he was just using sex to manipulate me. There was a part of me that hoped he just enjoyed our time together, but that was a little part of me I often tried to squash.

 

I didn’t want him to enjoy our time any more than I wanted to enjoy our time. It was better if this really was just a business arrangement.

 

It was a Monday at The Cut, early in the afternoon. Jessie was practicing on a wig I’d dug up from the back, styling it and trimming it to my specifications. I was finishing up with a regular’s styling when the little bell above the door rang, indicating someone was here. I glanced over to see it was Todd.

 

I sighed. “Give me a second, Todd,” I told him. He waited patiently by the door. I finished up with Selene first. “All set.”

 

Selene examined her hair in the mirror, fluffing the back of it and making a fish face as she sucked in her cheeks. Satisfied, she smiled at me. “Thanks, sugar. It looks like gold.”

 

“You’re welcome. Jessie will take care of you at the register.”

 

She thanked me again then walked over to meet Jessie at the dilapidated register. I’d yet to replace the half-charred thing, instead cleaning it up as best I could. Jessie met her there, sending me a grim look at Todd’s presence.

 

Jessie wasn’t thrilled with the influx of shipments I was getting, nor was she happy with those goons that delivered them. And I didn’t blame her. I couldn’t say I was happy with Ethan’s men or with the drugs trickling into my store.

 

But unlike Jessie, I was beginning to accept my lot in life. Especially since the last six weeks since my deal with Ethan had been busier than ever. Suddenly, I had people in that I’d never seen before. Sure, the regulars stayed regular and the off the street walk-ins dropped by on discount days. But I’d been noticing a different sort of clientele stopping by.

 

Men who wanted a wash, a shave, and a little gel. Women who spent their days as navigators for the long-haul truckers. People that were just passing through and for reasons unknown decided they needed a cut and a shave.

 

I headed over to Todd, taking the clipboard he offered me and signing off on the items there. I didn’t even bother to look at what they were anymore; it was all bunk anyway. Last week it was potatoes.

 

“How are you, Todd?” I found myself asking. It was still a little odd to be making small talk with a drug delivery man. But I was becoming more familiar with these people and more used to their presence.

 

He shrugged, a wad of chewing tobacco shoved in his front lip. “I’m good. Old lady’s bitching about the hours, but you know.”

 

I smiled at him. “Charlotte doesn’t really seem like she’s on board with your…” I trailed off. I’d been about to say something that indicated his illicit affairs, but caught myself just in time. There were a handful of things I wasn’t, under any circumstances, supposed to do. Talking about the arrangement or any of the illegal things that might be connected to it was number one on that list. Offering a sheepish grin, I shrugged. “Your working hours,” I finished lamely.

 

Todd frowned a little at me, undoubtedly noticing my slip, but just shrugged again. “Chicks are trouble like that. What can you do?”

 

He helped with the last few crates heading into my shop, then tipped an invisible hat in my direction as he left. He was a strange man, but I was getting used to strange.

 

# # #

 

It was the end of the day when I got a text from Louis saying I had a payment due. I sighed and shook my head. This wasn’t exactly my idea of romantic, but of course it wasn’t supposed to be. It was business.

 

“The least that bastard can do is text me himself,” I muttered under my breath. Of course, I knew that was unreasonable. The whole point was to keep the two of us completely unconnected so his rivals, whoever the hell they were, wouldn’t find his newest warehouse. Still, it irked me that Louis had to be the one to tell me to come over and fuck his boss.

 

“Did you say something?” called Jessie from the back where she was putting things away.

 

“Nothing!” I responded as I started to text Louis back.

 

You’re a dick. I’ll be there in twenty.

 

Just because Ethan didn’t want me to call him names didn’t mean I couldn’t say whatever the hell I wanted to Louis. Usually I kept it pretty mild since he was huge, intimidating, and reported directly to Ethan. But still.

 

Now, was the text I got in return.

 

Irked, I thought about arguing, then just sighed. If Ethan said now, he meant now. Or his mouthpiece did. And making him wait usually caused me more problems than just biting the bullet and going. So I sighed and texted back that I was leaving.

 

Shoving my phone into my pocket, I caught Jessie as she came out of the back room. “I have to go.”

 

Instantly, she frowned. “Are you serious?”

 

I nodded. “Duty calls.”

 

She made a face, indicating how grossed out she was. But the funny thing was, I wasn’t as grossed out anymore. Sure, I hated being at Ethan’s beck and call, but I’d found that Zen place where I could convince myself this was just sex. This was just two people who needed a release and that was it. It took some lying to myself to reach that point, but it kept me sane and marginally happy.

 

“Are you sure there’s nothing we can do?” Jessie asked me quietly, her expression switching to one of sympathy.

 

I lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “You know the deal. There’s no one to go to, no one to tell. I’m Ethan’s until he’s done with me.”

 

Her eyes grew shiny and I felt bad for even telling her any of this. She blinked back her tears, but crossed the space between us to embrace me. Her thin arms wrapped around me and held me tightly against her. I returned the gesture, though the hopelessness in her didn’t resonate within me like it once did.

 

This was just another part of life.

 

When she pulled back, she discretely wiped at her cheeks and sniffled. Composing herself, she offered me a strong smile. “I’ve got Cody. Call me if you need anything.”

 

I nodded as another text came in. I rolled my eyes when I saw that it was Louis again, telling me to get my ass into the car already. “Thanks Jessie. I’ve got to go. Lock up for me?”

 

She nodded and I headed out, waving as I went. Parked outside was Louis’s car. He was standing by the passenger door, holding it open. Although I knew he was annoyed by his incessant texting, his expression was the same stoic one that he always wore.

 

“Evening, Jeeves,” I told him snidely.

 

He grunted.

 

I slid into the passenger side and when all limbs were safely inside the vehicle, he slammed the door after me. A moment later he was behind the wheel and we were heading towards whatever spot Ethan had picked this time.

 

Louis drove me to a hole in the wall eatery that boasted authentic Mexican food. I hadn’t ever eaten there before because it was on the side of town that I tried hard to avoid. But I’d been on this side of town more than a few times of late, so when Louis stopped in their parking lot, I wasn’t completely surprised.

 

Opening my own door before Louis could get around and do it for me, I stepped out into the night. It was starting to get chilly out, but we were still in the swing of summer, so I could get away with the short sleeved dress I’d worn today.

 

“A restaurant?” I asked Louis with a raised brow, though restaurant might have been stretching things a bit. Inside there were a total of three tables and a bar that wrapped around three of the four walls in the place.

 

Louis said nothing, just pointed towards one of the tables tucked away in the back. There was just enough light for me to see that a tall, dark, and dangerously sexy man was sitting there.

 

I sighed. Ethan. “Will you be joining us tonight or do you prefer your peeping Tom status?” I asked Louis.

 

He dutifully ignored me, but escorted me to the table and even pulled out my chair for me. Louis, like Ethan, was the oddest mixture of gentleman and asshole I’d ever encountered. I even found myself saying thank you to Louis when he tucked me into the table.

 

I thought I saw a twitch of a grin on his mouth, but it was gone as quickly as he was. “What? He doesn’t eat?” I asked Ethan when Louis had done his disappearing act.

 

Ethan shrugged. “Mexican isn’t really his thing.”

 

“What if it’s not mine?”

 

“Then you’re going to have a long night of watching me eat,” he answered easily.

 

I rolled my eyes and reached for a menu, but Ethan snatched it quickly from my grasp. “Hey!”

 

He waved me off. “I’ll do the ordering and you’ll eat whatever I get for you.”

 

Folding my arms across my chest, I sat back in my chair and waited. What a jerk.

 

When the waitress came by—wearing a skirt so short that I saw the underside of her rear and a shirt so tiny, her breasts looked ready to make their escape any moment—he ended up ordering in Spanish and sending her off with a swat to her ass.

 

“Really?” I asked indignantly.

 

“I’ve known Maria for a long time. She’s very supple.”

 

I let out a disgusted groan. “Is there a woman you haven’t slept with in this town?”

 

He pretended to think about it. “There are probably a few. I’m not into grandmas.” He grinned broadly at me and let his eyes drop to my chest where my cleavage was pushed together by my crossed arms. “Just milfs.”

 

I tried to be offended, but instead my body flushed and my heart skipped a beat. There was always a carnal look in Ethan’s eyes when he stared at me. Like seeing me made him hungry. It should have been off-putting at the very least, but instead I found my body reacting to it every time we were in the same room together.

 

Trying to ignore my body’s reaction, which he had to have been trying to invoke in me deliberately, I cleared my throat. “So dinner. That’s new. You’ve never been the wine and dine type before.”

 

He fell silent then and I watched as his expression became thoughtful and just a little sad. Like he was remembering something from a while ago, a memory that was bittersweet. He was like that sometimes, usually during our bantering portions of the payment schedule. He’d never told me why and I’d never asked, because I told myself I wasn’t interested in the little details about him.

 

But I found that more often now, I wondered.

 

“I usually think it’s a waste of time,” he said finally. “Everyone’s just in it for the sex anyway. Why not just skip to the entertainment portion of the evening?”

 

I laughed a little. “Wow, cynical much?”

 

He raised a single dark brow at me. “You’re the one here to make a payment,” he pointed out.

 

I pursed my lips together and looked away from him before I saw him do something annoying like smirk at me. He was right, of course. I was here to do the dirty with him and be done for the night. But that didn’t mean it was what I wanted.

 

Right?

 

I don’t even know anymore.

 

Before we could get into more details, the food came. It was hot and spicy and smelled like the south of the border that came with long vacations and fun in the sun. Although I wanted to hate the food just to spite him, he’d chosen dishes well. There were tortillas and some sort of meat smothered in spicy red chili. The sides were seasoned rice, salsas, guacamole, and a few other things I didn’t recognize, but tried anyway.

 

For a while, we were blissfully silent as we both ate. But as we slowed, I was surprised when he asked about my day.

 

“Business good?”

 

I looked at him over a drink of water. “Yeah, it’s been good. Really good, actually,” I admitted after a moment. I wondered what his angle was, because there was always an angle, but I didn’t push it. “I’ve had a bunch of new customers, mostly from out of town, just stopping in to—”

 

I broke off, now staring at him directly. He was smiling smugly, leaning back a little in his chair.

 

“A lot of them are men,” I pointed out, finally starting to put a few pieces together. “Truckers, I think. Odd, isn’t it?”

 

He shrugged his shoulders, still smiling at me. “Is it? I don’t really know what sort of patrons a salon has.”

 

“No?”

 

He shook his head. “Nope.”

 

“So you wouldn’t have any idea why I would suddenly have an influx of clientele that matches the same kind of people you serve at your diner?”

 

Finally, he laughed and shook his head. “Isn’t that obvious?”

 

“You sent them to my salon?” I asked, sounding more confused than anything else. I couldn’t tell if I was supposed to be angry with him for butting in or grateful for sending business my way. I’d done better in the last month than I had in a long time, and that included when the convenience store had been open.

 

Waving it off, he admitted, “I recommend your place when they come in. Nothing wrong with that.”

 

I sat back in my chair, studying him. “Why are you helping me out?”

 

His smile dropped a little, though he didn’t look angry or wicked or anything. He just looked like a man who was talking to a woman. It was both refreshing and a little disconcerting. “I want to make sure business goes well. Now that we’re partners,” he waved his hand between us for emphasis, “I have a little more stake in the matter. A business that doesn’t do well doesn’t do me any good, now does it?”

 

“No, I guess not,” I admitted, though I had a weird feeling about the whole thing. Like maybe this wasn’t just about the drugs or his business ventures.

 

Clearing his throat, he sat up a little straighter. For half a second, I almost thought he looked nervous, but the moment passed so quickly that I was sure I imagined it. “Which is why I have to insist that you fix that damn hole in your store. You can’t run a business with a wall missing and nothing but blackened char on the other side of it.”

 

I narrowed my eyes at him, feeling anger bubble up. Seriously? He set the damn fire in the first place! Not that I could actually throw that argument out there, true or not. Talking about those sorts of things in public were definitely on the list of things I was not allowed to do. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I don’t exactly have money to donate towards the fixing up the arsonist’s handiwork fund, if you know what I mean.”

 

Ignoring my quip, he continued, “I understand that the insurance company is giving you a hard time. So in the interest of both of our businesses being successful, I’m donating the money.”

 

I blinked at him. “What?”

 

“For clearing away the debris from the fire and putting up that damn wall,” he clarified. “It bugs the hell out of me that my drugs are being stored in a place that is missing a wall.”

 

Feeling indignant on The Cut’s behalf, I straightened up a little and said, “Hey, the storage in the back has four walls and a locked door, okay? It’s secure.”

 

“Not the point. I want the wall fixed. And I want new paint inside. Maybe some new chairs. Whatever.” He waved his hand as though dismissing the details for someone else—like me—to deal with.

 

I found myself staring at him, not really sure what to say. Thank you? Technically it was his fault that there was damage to repair in the first place. But he didn’t have to send business my way, regardless of his given reasons, and he definitely didn’t have to give me money to spruce up The Cut. “I…I guess I don’t know what to say,” I told him finally.

 

He smiled and for a heartbeat, I was sure it was a real, genuine smile. “Thank you, comes to mind. I hear it’s the traditional response anyway.”

 

I narrowed my eyes at him, but a smile tugged at my lips. “I’ll send a card.”

 

We finished up our meal—I got mine packed up to go, because it was more food than I could eat—then stood.

 

“There’s a spot in the back where we can take care of business.”

 

My heart dropped as reality came crashing back down on me. I remembered that I was here because I was the equivalent of a call girl, and I was paying him for protection from the things that he might do to me.

 

I nodded at him and followed him to a small room in the back. It had to be used for storage or something, though there were only a few crates and boxes along the walls. There was a table with a cloth laid down and some candles lit. Almost romantic. But not quite.

 

I stripped for him quickly, then sat on the edge of the table waiting for him to come to me and take what he wanted. And he did. He touched me, clutched at me, and caressed me. He pushed me over the edge and I lost myself to his touch.

 

And this time, I didn’t have to war with myself over whether or not it was right to enjoy this. Instead, I reminded myself he had done something nice for me today. That made it a little easier to accept him as he slid inside me and made me find my release.