shock quickly turned to anxiety. What would they expect of her for that much money? She knew her friend had been joking, but what if they really did want something more than dinner. How awkward was it going to be to have to say ‘no’!
Oh don’t be silly she told herself. This was a charity gig, nothing more. These people were impossibly rich; to them ten grand was pocket change! They probably made that much in an hour!
She took a drink with a shaking hand and followed another of the countless assistants to a calmer area of the stage where they took down her contact information and handed her a folder with her paycheck and further instructions. She texted Nicole for a ride and went outside to wait.
“So? How was it? How much did you get?” Nicole asked when she finally arrived.
Keisha paused, a stern look on her face.
“Oh no… that bad.” Her friend said “They…”
Keisha’s face remained stern.
“They bid something didn’t they? They didn’t just—“
“Ten thousand!” Keisha burst out.
Both girls screamed with excitement, cracking jokes and tugging at each other’s sleeves as they pulled away from the benefit and onto the busy late night freeway.
“I mean it’s not like I get the money, but still – just to be worth that much! And to earn so much for a good cause!” Keisha said once they calmed down a little bit.
“And the thousand bucks doesn’t hurt.
“No it doesn’t hurt one tiny bit!”
The car turned onto a quieter road and the bright city began to fade behind them as they made their way out of downtown.
“So when’s the date?”
“It’s not even a date! It’s just dinner!”
“Mmmhmmm, when’s your date?”
“In a few days.”
“Are you nervous?”
Keisha shrugged.
“What’s there to be nervous about?”
“What if he’s ugly! What if he’s a jerk!”
“So what? Plus, I’ve got plenty of experience eating dinner with jerks.
Chapter 5
“One moment!” she said, her heels clacking on the floor as she tried to put in her second earring. Sheunlocked the top latch, not bothering to look through the peephole, and opened the door.
Her jaw dropped.
“Who are you?”
Her first thought was they must have sent a driver to collect her at the door. They seemed like they would be into that, the shadowy elite – hiring models to fill every role, that is.
“I’m your donor? From the charity auction?”
Her donor? It had to be some sort of joke! A prank maybe? There was no way the guy standing in front of her had paid 10,000 for a date at a charity auction! He was young. Too young for that kind of money. Young and painfully handsome. He had shaggy blonde hair that would seem to fit in anywhere at the charity event, and a course stubble covered his flat cheeks.
“Are you sure you aren’t the driver or something? You look like—“
“I’m absolutely sure.”
“Oh, oh my god, I’m sorry! It’s just that you’re!”
“I’m what? Young.”
“Yes, I mean no!”
“Ugly?” he said skeptically.
“Oh, God no.” she stuttered, blushing “I’m sorry, I got off on the wrong foot there… my names Keisha.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Keisha.” He said, taking her hand in his warm grip. “Should we get going?”
“Yes!” she turned and her friend gave her the thumbs up.
The car he came in was short and black. Very beautiful and obviously expensive. The seats smelled like leather, and faced each other – the driver behind her mysterious donor, behind a tinted glass divider.
“You seriously haven’t heard my name?”
“Thomas Belfour? No… I’m sorry.”
He half frowned and Keisha let out a laugh.
“Ohhh” she said consolingly “You aren’t used to that! With your charity auctions and your fancy black car!”
The car didn’t take them to a restaurant. Instead it made a line for the coast, where the houses and cars slowly grew nicer and nicer until they reached the water where a spectacle of beauty stretched out before
George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois