Chapter 12: Callback

Siren's POV:

"How much?!" Selene's shrill voice made me pull my earphones out of my ears.

"Twenty five grands," I repeated to her, trying to be non chalant.

"Girl, I knew you'd be a hit in this business but damn this is far and beyond my imagination. More than 50 grand and you have only been on two dates. Damn."

"You should sign up officially to be an escort. You'd be a millionaire in no time," she continued.

"I can't. I'm thinking about taking a break, leave the town, go on a vacation," I lied through my teeth. Selena was the first and only real friend I made here. And even though I hated lying to her face, it was for her own safety. I wouldn't want anyone to come after her to get my information. The lesser she knew, the better.

"Great, just go on a vacation and when you come back, we can turn you into a millionaire. Just don't be down because of a single bad encounter. There's more fish than trash in the sea."

"Hey, did you know there's about 5.25 trillion plastic trash in the sea along with the 3.5 trillion fishes? So technically more trash in the sea than fish."

"Damn, you know too much wierd stuff. Guess I'm wrong," Selena hummed as I remembered all the weird stuff I knew. It's not that much.

After that eccentric topic, she continued chatting about all the gossip she'd found about Noah from the various news articles he had starred in. He was somewhat of a mystery, every article had something contradictory to say about him.

He was all over the news yet there was no useful information about him. A few rumours, a lot of business ventures and that was it.

I looked up the list of his girlfriends. It was almost non-existent except a few rumoured ones.

I'm pretty sure he could get any girl he wanted or rather he could get any girl to do what he wanted, even fulfill his eccentric wishes. Then what was stopping him?

Did he really enjoy the thought of a new girl everyday so much that he didn't want to give up his 'lifestyle' for a stable relationship. Or was he just emotionally unavailable? His script definitely hadn't called for intimacy which made me wonder if that's what he is trying to avoid.

Which one is it?

Or is it something else entirely?

More importantly why am I thinking about him?

Yesterday, he told me I made him feel high and he wants to feel that again. I didn't think it was possible for him to feel anything relatively close to what I felt. Especially after he basically kicked me out.

My pride was beyond wounded but if he hadn't been a complete jerk to me that night, I wonder if I would have jumped in his bed on the first chance.

No. No, I won't. He's just another guy and he can't make me give up my pride.

•••••••••••••

After my hospital visit to Mason, I drove my beat up car back home. I was dog tired after last night and was dreading going to the club. My back ached from sleeping on the floor and I was starting to feel a headache on its way from the lack of sleep.

When I was almost home, my phone rang and I glanced at it so see an unknown number. First thought that flitted through my head was  that whoever was after me caught up but I dismissed it. It could be someone from the hospital or the school. I parked the car before grabbing my phone.

Walking up the stairs of the apartment, I stared at the number trying to remember if it was familiar. For a crazy second, I thought it was Noah. I pulled on my hoodie to avoid attention as I took the stairs but the purpose was ruined as my phone rang loudly through the corridor. I picked it up quickly to hear Selena's rushed voice accusing me,"What did you do?"

"What did I do?" I asked, confused.

"The British billionaire has been calling Mateo like crazy and it turns out he's one scary motherfucker."

What the actual fuck? What does Noah calling the club owner has to do with me?

"Why though?'' I still asked, curious as I reached for my keys, unlocking the door.

And how does this involve me?

"Isn't that obvious?"

Would I be asking you if it were obvious? I thought as I rolled my eyes at her.

Before I could speak, she continued, "Anyway, I had to think fast and you know I'm not good at that, so I told Mateo the truth. How I needed a replacement and you offered to be one. Now he wants us to clean up this mess or he'd fire us both," She blurted out and I stopped halfway to opening the door.

I didn't mind being fired now. I was only here for a week or so. Though the cash would definitely have come in handy. I sighed at my luck. The real problem was Selena being fired.

"Calm down. Take a deep breath," I told her and after hearing her sharp inhale, I continued, "Now tell me what mess are you talking about?"

"Noah just called Mateo to book you and Mateo had no clue who he was asking for. That British bitch ratted me out since I was supposed to meet him and now Mateo is on my back. Turns out Noah is a a very important man."

Woah, this is more drama than I've ever experienced in high school.

"Wait, so what you're saying is Noah wants to book me?"

"Yes and if you don't go, Mateo is going to fire our ass."

He wouldn't go that far, would he? I mean Noah's just one of his many clients while Selena is one of the highest earning escort at the club. I have no doubt in my mind that he would not hesitate to fire me since I didn't bring much to the club anyway.

"Also lets just say the man doesnt take no for an answer. He kept offering Mateo more and more money. So...."

"So?"

"Mateo may or may not have given your phone number to Noah," She squeaked out.

"WHAT???" I almost screamed but then remembered that the kids were in the house.

"What?" I asked again in a quieter tone. So was that Noah who called me?

"I didn't give him your number," She explained hurriedly, "It was in your records."

I sighed as I remembered the half a dozen pages long application form I had filled to get this job.

I screwed myself over.

"We can always change your number?" She suggested, ''We talked about it before when-"

"I know," I cut her off, not wanting to talk about my failed attempt at upselling Noah.

"I still can't believe he paid fifty grands for someone's phone number," She whispered.

I almost had a heart attack. Fifty grands? For my phone number? But then again, that amount of money was like the dust on his hand to a man who probably earned well above my average yearly salary within an hour.

"And now the club owner wants you to sign up and work as a full time escort. Did you check your page on the website? There's been so many requests for an appointment."

No. No. This isn't good. I can't stay for more than a week. With god knows what type of thugs looking for me and Sam in town, I needed to get out more than ever.

"We talked about it before Selena. One time. I agreed to one time. And didn't I ask you to delete that page?" I massaged my forehead.

This was too much.

"I'm sorry I forgot." She said in a small voice, " But listen to me, apparently, Noah is a very 'selective' man and he wants you."

"What do you mean by selective," I asked.

"As in he is more of a one-time hit and quit guy. He prefers a new partner everyday."

Then why the hell does he want to book me for a second time.

Was his ego hurt when I told him no? Is that it? Or is it something else?

"Ok, what else does Noah know about me?" I had to be very careful to not let anyone know about me. But that was easier said than done.

"Not much since there was so little personal information in your resumé. I don't know how you got the job. Come to think about it, even I don't know much about you except that you clean for a living but can turn into the sexiest bitch with the right makeover. I mean that in the most respectable way possible. By the way, don't tell him that you're a maid.... Or wait, do tell him. Men like the idea of being Prince Charming. You can play Cinderella. She was a maid too, right? Ooh, you can play being the slutty maid and-''

"While your fantasies regarding me are very intriguing, we have to figure out what to do."

I can't let Selena get fired because of me but I also can't be an object of interest to Noah. Interest leads to research and that leads to truth. I can't have anyone figuring out who I am. That is too much of a risk.

"What you need to do is shoot your shot and see if you can bag Noah. Trust me even being a wealthy man's mistress will set you up for life. If you can just convince him that you're the one for him."

But the problem was that the life of a mistress falls below that of an escort.

And wealthy men don't get wealthy by being fooled by gold diggers.

My dad's voice rang harsh in my ears. Memories from my very early childhood flooded me but I pushed them back to the furthest corner in my mind where they had been packed nicely for the last twelve years or so.

I have seen that life and I would never wish that for myself.

But still I didn't want to dwell on it too much,"I'm not sleeping with him again. I'll tell him that much when he calls me."

No matter how much sexual attraction I felt for him, he can't talk to me like that and expect me to be present at his beck and call.

But then again, had he not said those words, would I have gone running to him.

Without a doubt, my subconscious commented.

Maybe. We'll never know.

"So, when exactly did all of this happen?"

"I called you just after Mateo bit my ears off. So, you should be getting a call in a few minutes if you haven't already-"

As if on cue, my phone rang and it was the same number.

I pondered whether I should pick it up or not for a second before hanging up on Selena and resting it against my ear once again.

I was about give him a piece of my mind.

"I'm waiting," His cocky voice filled my ears. Why did it have to be so damn deep and husky. I shuddered, pulling away the phone.

"You're waiting for something that's not gonna happen." I replied much more calmly than I expected.

"I wouldn't be so sure. Isn't you employer mad at you for this mess you've created?" Pulling the phone away from my ear didn't make his voice any less enticing.

But his words made me seethe.

"Come on, clean your mess up. You have my address, I expect you to be here within the next half an hour."

''And I expect you to leave me alone but we don't get everything we want."

"That's where you're wrong, I get everything I want. Everything that has a price tag that is."

''Well I don't," How dare this man compare me to a commodity.

"Wrong again, everyone has a price tag. It's about time you name yours. This hard to get scheme seems to be working really well for you if you insist on adhering to it so much. But I don't have the time for games. So, I'll tell you how this gonna go. You'll come to my place, you'll name your price, any price you want and we'll carry on from there," His voice was controlled and velvety smooth as he continued to insult me.

Scheme? He thinks I'm saying no so I could earn his interest? Most importantly, he thinks he could just order me around like his fucking pet.

"I'll tell you how this is gonna go. You'll put your big boy pants on and learn how to deal with rejection. It looks like you have issues with that but the faster you learn to accept it the happier you would be." I mustered up the sweetest tone I could

There was silence for a long while and I wondered if had said too much. I didn't even say that last part to be cheeky. It was something I had learnt through years of being an entitled brat.

''On one condition," He told me.

"Why are you doing this Noah," I rubbed my forehead, trying to take a more mature approach.

''Why do you think?"

"That's the point. I don't know. There's plenty of girls at the club. Why do you choose to bother me instead of getting a new girl," I don't know why but my throat clogged as I said those words.

"Can't be because I'm special or something." I muttered, quite humour in my voice as I remembered every fanfic I ever read.

"Aww, wouldn't you like that?" He chuckled. This. This is what maddens me. How quickly his mood changes yet stays the same, stoic and composed. It feels like his emotions are deliberate as if he is putting on a show. None of it is real. And then I remember that night. How raw and real everything felt.

It wasn't just what he said to me, it was everything about this man that told me there was something wrong with him.

Before I could think more about it, I heard a quiet voice in the background. It isn't. It can't be another woman, right? Wait, why the hell do I care?

He replied to the voice in the same soft manner and I heard shuffling footsteps followed by a door shutting.

It scared me how relieved I felt.

"Look, there's plenty of tall, european women at the club. Wasn't that your preference?"

"I would have called a tall, european woman if I wanted her."

"Come on man, you're putting in all of this work, for what? A few seconds of pleasure? If I didn't know any better I'd say I was the only woman who rocked your world that way.''

He didn't deny or accept the fact. He just sighed on the other end as if he was getting impatient.

''I don't think you have the time for this. Aren't you like a billionaire or something? I'd bet you have better things to do."

"So, did you google me or some shit?"

"What if I did?"

"It shows interest. You are as intrigued by me as I am. And it increases my chances of convincing you. You know I could,'' He murmured softly in his velvety voice. God, that voice drives me crazy. I but my lip before I remembered what an asshole he was.

This conversation wasn't getting me anywhere.

"I'm not coming," I told him quietly, "Annyeong gaejasig-a."

I hung up.

A/n: I might add a few things later but since it's been two weeks without an update, I felt bad. So, here you go. Let me know your thoughts on the chapter. Also can anyone let me know if you can see the italic font. I'm not sure if it's showing. Have an awesome day/night.