Olivia paced back and forth outside of Alex's bedroom door trying to work up the nerve to knock on it and ask for the help she so desperately wanted. She had spent the day with Alex volunteering her assistance at two different homeless shelters and then to check on three people she had assisted in getting into rehab. One thing was she was truly shocked to see this side of Alex and it just proved to her that no matter what you couldn't judge a person by their looks alone.
Alex laid the file she had been going over onto the empty side of her bed and stared at the door. She could see Olivia's shadow under the door frame and wondered how long she planned to pace back and forth before either knocking on her door or running back to her room. After five minutes of staring at the door, Alex decided to find out what it was that had Olivia nervous and pacing outside her bedroom.
"Olivia, are you okay?" Alex asked her eyes full of concern when she noticed how nervous and scared the brunette was.
"Yeah, I… umm..." Olivia said as she looked everywhere but at the blonde who was wearing the same outfit she had on that morning when she kissed her. How one woman could look as hot in a pair of sleep pants as she did in a five hundred dollar suit was beyond her. "Never mind," Olivia mumbled as she spun on her heels and started to head for the stairs only to be stopped by Alex.
"Olivia, what is wrong?" Alex asked reaching out and stopping the woman swallowing hard as she tried to ignore the jolt of electricity that seemed to shoot through her fingertips and all over her body.
"I wanted to know if you could help me," Olivia finally said after what seemed like an eternity of silence while she attempted to stare a hole through the carpet, "You know, stop being a hooker."
"I will be happy to help you," Alex said softly as she gently lifted Olivia's face so she could look into her eyes. She had never met someone who could say so much with their eyes as Olivia could. At that moment, she could tell that Olivia was not only terrified. but hopeful at the thought of leaving her current life behind, "Why don't you come in here and we'll talk about it?"
"In your bedroom?" Olivia asked wide eyed. She wasn't terrified of the blonde taking advantage of her. She knew without a doubt that they could share a bed together and, even if it killed the blonde, she would keep her hands to herself. She was terrified what she would do to the blonde in her bedroom. She knew she didn't have the same restraint as Alex.
"Let's go into my office then," Alex said smiling as she guided Olivia to the room at the end of the hall.
Olivia nodded and followed Alex into the office taking a seat on the couch when Alex motioned her to. As she looked around the office, she noticed that Alex had a variety of college degrees which only made her feel even more inferior to the blonde than what she already was. How someone as well educated as she was could ever want anything to do with a drop out like her, was beyond her.
"Olivia, where are you?" Alex asked noticing the look that had crossed her face.
"I'm here."
"What's wrong then?"
"Nothing," Olivia said forcing what she hoped was a convincing smile on her face.
Alex studied the woman that sat on her couch and decided not to push the issue of what was bothering her. She had a feeling that it had to do with what happened earlier today, but didn't want to dredge the past back up. Her father had taught her not to look a gift horse in the mouth, and if Olivia was willing to forgive her and stay in the same house as her she wasn't about to push her luck either.
"Olivia, I'm going to start with the simple questions and I need you to be totally honest with me," Alex stated pulling a note pad from the top of the desk and grabbing a pen, "Are you using any illegal drugs at the moment?"
"No, ma'am," Olivia said sliding her hands up and down her thighs in a nervous manner, "I've smoked pot in the past, but I hated how it made me feel and I was too terrified from the horror stories I've heard from other women to try something harder."
"What about alcohol dependency?"
"I have a few drinks every now and then but never more than two a day," Olivia looked away as she continued with the answer, "My mother was an alcoholic and, even though I'm a prostitute, I never wanted to be alcohol dependent or drug dependent."
"Believe me when I say, that just made this process easier," Alex said taking a seat and scooting the chair closer to Olivia. She wanted nothing more than to take the trembling woman in her arms and sooth away her pain but she knew that wasn't what she wanted or needed at the moment, "What about your education level?"
"I never finished the seventh grade," Olivia silently admitted, "Since I was bounced from foster home to foster home, the system never noticed me missing."
"Okay. Do you have any special skills?"
"You mean other than lying on my back with my legs spread?" Olivia shot back.
"Olivia, there are woman out there who has that talent and never once worked the street," Alex said finally laying a hand on her knee hoping to comfort the brunette, "What I need to know is do you know how to type, have you ever waitressed, or maybe worked in a packaging plant?"
"I didn't even finish the seventh grade, Alex, what the hell makes you think that someone out there would offer me a job or teach me a skill?"
"Because there are places that will hire those who have not finished for no other reason than they can pay you less than other people who have finished school."
"Well, not me," Olivia shot back then shook her head, "I'm sorry, you're trying to help me and I'm doing nothing but being rude."
"No, you're scared and this is a defense mechanism for you. You're not the first person out there who has asked for my help and then answered each of my questions like you are at the moment."
Olivia smiled at Alex's understanding look and nodded in agreement with her, "So, what do I do? If I have no skills, how do I leave this life?"
"We will start with getting you your GED," Alex said sitting the note pad to the side and leaning closer to the brunette than she should knowing her restraint was thin as it was, "I have some people at the assistance center I took you to earlier that can tutor you so that you are caught up and will be able to pass the test."
"So, what, I hook at night and get educated by day?"
"No, I can have Charlie teach you waitressing and you can work in any of my café's that you choose at the moment until you get your GED and then we can plan our next step."
"You don't understand though," Olivia said taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling it, "I want to leave, I do, but Jared owns me and has told me repeatedly that he will kill me, if I try to leave. If you give me a job at one of your café's, he will know that you are helping me and will come after you. Alex, I like you too much to put you in that much danger. If you know some other place that I could get a job at that would be better, safer for you."
Alex swallowed the bile she felt raising in her esophagus as she considered the question she needed to ask. She hated herself for what was about to come out of her mouth, but she prayed that Olivia would give her a chance to explain her question before she jumped to conclusions. If not, then everything she just did was a waste of time and she would have to spend another couple of months trying to regain her trust.
"How much would it cost me to buy you from him?"
