Chapter 6
Kid, meanwhile, was in heaven. He was amazed he had got the courage to hold her hand, and even more amazed that she didn't slap him for it. Holding hands with Louise felt surprisingly comfortable, and he didn't dare say anything to break the spell of the magical moment. Unfortunately for him, someone chose that moment to pound on the door, causing her to spring to her feet and look at the door with a mixture of guilt and dread.
"Louise, you in there?" shouted a woman's voice from outside the door.
"Yes, Sally, I'm here," she replied and suddenly realized how long she had been talking to Kid and prayed that her boss hadn't noticed.
"Well you better hurry it up 'cause the boss is wondering where you are, and he don't look too happy. Seems Mr. Conner is looking for you 'specially, so you'll get downstairs fast if you know what's good for you!"
Seeing the fear on her face, Kid immediately asked, "What's wrong, Louise?"
"What's wrong? What do you think is wrong? I have to go act nice to a man that beat me up last time he was here. I have to smile and flirt with a man that repulses me. Does that answer your question?" she snapped, instantly regretting her harsh tone. "I'm sorry, Kid, I'm not angry at you. I just hate my life, and I hate this damn job!" Tears flowed freely as she once again faced the ugly reality of it all.
He rose and wrapped his arms around her, murmuring words of comfort as she sobbed into his chest. "You don't have to go, Louise. Stay here with me. I don't want you to go."
She looked up at him in amazement. "I don't want to go either, but I have to."
"Why?"
"This is my job. I don't get paid unless…" she trailed off, not wanting to speak the words aloud.
"So I'll pay you for the whole night, so you don't have to go back out there," Kid answered. When he saw the look on her face, he blushed and added, "You don't have to do anything. We can just stay here and talk."
"Your friends are probably wondering where you are. Won't you get in trouble if you don't get back soon?"
"My friends are probably wondering, but I don't care about them, and I don't care about getting in trouble. You're worth it. Please let me do this for you."
She smiled at his concern but knew he might change his mind when he realized how much of his hard-earned money this would cost him.
"Are you sure? It's gonna cost you…" she whispered an amount in his ear, waiting for him to run out of the room when he heard the figure.
Kid gulped and briefly noted to himself that this was why he had avoided this in the past before replying with more confidence than he felt, "I said you're worth it, and I meant it. Let me just settle this with your boss. I'll be right back." He left the room, hoping he might be able to talk her boss down to a slightly lower figure.
Louise watched him go, still amazed at this man who rescued her once again. Why iss he doing this? It was hard to believe that a man would spend that much money on her and not want anything in return. Maybe he is just too shy to ask. Maybe I should help him out a bit. He is probably the nicest man I'll ever meet, and I know he can't seriously just want to talk to me. Yea, I'll make it easy for him.
"You're mine for the night!" Kid exclaimed as he burst into the room with a smile plastered on his face. He was met with a sight that made him gasp for air as if he was being held under water. Louise was stretched out in the bed in a seductive pose, wearing only her undergarments. He gaped at the enticing figure on the bed, his mind fuzzy and his thoughts centered only on the vision before him.
"What are you going to do with me, now that I'm yours for the night?" she asked, raising her eyebrow seductively.
Her questions snapped Kid from his reverie, and he immediately turned around, knowing he couldn't possibly think clearly while he was looking at her. He paused, trying to determine if something he had said had possibly mislead her, but he couldn't think of anything.
"Louise, I'm sorry if I mislead you in some way, but for the life of me, I can't think how. All I want from you is the pleasure of your company, and I know for a fact that I can't carry on a conversation with you dressed like that."
She heard the frustration and hurt in his voice and realized that she had just made an idiot of herself. Why is it so hard to believe that a man might want to be around me without wanting to sleep with me? Not having an answer for her own question, she hid her embarrassment with a joke.
"So I look so bad you can't even look at me?" she said, trying to sound as if she didn't care what he thought about her appearance, while secretly hoping that she hadn't spoken the truth unintentionally.
"That's not it at all. You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, and that's why I can't look at you. It's hard enough to be a gentleman with you in that dress of yours, but seeing you in your unmentionables…" he trailed off.
"My unmentionables, huh?" she questioned laughingly. Her expression sobered as she remembered something he had just said. "You know, you don't have to be a gentleman. It's not like I'm a lady. I'm a whore." The last words were a whisper.
"Not to me you aren't!" he shouted angrily, and then softened his tone. "I'm not angry at you. It's just hard for me to hear you talk that way about yourself. I didn't want to make you feel like that, and I'm sorry if I did."
"You didn't. I'm the one who should be apologizing. I know you just wanted to talk, but it's hard for me to believe that a man would only want to talk to me. I did enjoy talking with you earlier. I really did."
"I did too, and I'd sure like to continue our conversation if you don't mind," he replied.
"I'd love to, but you know, Kid, it might be easier if you didn't have your back to me," Louise joked. "Tell you what, since you paid for the 'pleasure of my company,' as you put it, I think you should decide what I should wear since my 'unmentionables' distract you too much."
Though he was greatly tempted to tell her to wear nothing at all, Kid settled for second best. "I would like nothing better than to see you in a regular dress. Nothing fancy, no frills, just a nice, plain dress. And if you wouldn't mind, I'd sure like to see your face without all that makeup. You don't need all that extra stuff to make you look beautiful. I just want to see you," he finished shyly.
Louise felt her heart soar at his simple and sweet request. She pulled out a blue floral everyday dress from her bureau and quickly dressed. Splashing water on her face, she washed the paint from her face. She hated the heavy feel of the makeup – she wouldn't wear it if they didn't force her to as part of her "uniform". In a strange way, though, it was also somewhat comforting, like a mask to shield her true self from the staring eyes. But here with Kid, she welcomed the vulnerability, even though it also terrified her.
"All done. It's safe to turn around now. I promise there are no unmentionables showing," she said with a feigned casual attitude, secretly wishing he still found her attractive in the plain dress. Her unspoken question was answered when Kid turned around and a smile lit up his face, causing his crystal blue eyes to twinkle at her.
"Now that's perfect," he replied. Holding his arm out to escort her, he continued, "Allow me to escort you to your table, Miss Louise, and then we can continue our conversation. What do you say?"
"I would love to," she answered, looping her arm through his and even allowing him to pull out the chair for her. It was a little silly, but she didn't care. Being a lady felt good.
