Rent Me By The Hour by Leslie Harmison

Mulan lay beside us as we admire the country life. We better start getting ready. If we show up late for this thing, Victoria will be blowing up my phone hunting us down. Everyone jumps in their own showers and freshen up.
     
    After I shower, I drop the towel on the ground and stare at myself in the oval mirror. Not to brag but I’m impressed. Having two kids did not put a strain on my body. With me weighing a hundred five pounds and since I’m only five feet four inches tall, I sometimes still have to shop in the juniors department. It saves me money. I wasn’t blessed with beautiful natural voluptuous breast, so I paid a pretty penny to get mine enhanced. I lather my caramel smooth skin with my perfumed lotion. What am I going to wear? When I’m not working, I hate fixing myself up, so I just slip into a pair of denim shorts, tank top, and flip flops. Pulling my vanity leather chair, I sit and turn the fluorescent magnified mirror on. I braid my long brown mocha wavy locks into a fishbone letting some strands loose and then I apply light make-up. I’ve never had any blemishes growing up so I guess you can say I’ve haven’t really went through my pimply stage. I line my almond shaped hazel colored eyes with black eyeliner and brush my mascara on my butterfly lashes. Puckering my natural full luscious pale pink lips I apply lip gloss. I glance in the mirror. I have such a itty bitty curvy butt. Well I guess it blends in with my slender waist. I probably should start doing some lunges or squats to pucker up my cheeks a little. Ok I’m satisfied with the results. People have complimented me numerous times by saying I don’t look my age and they thought my kids are my siblings. Even though I’m thirty years old, I still get carded when I buy alcohol which I’m not complaining too much about. I want to be able to pull the young card as long as I can.
     
    When we get to the Bean’s house, I grab the big ice chest from the bed of my truck. The ice cooler I know Victoria will not use. Jordan and Jocelyn run to the backyard and congregate with the other kids.
     
    Victoria and Matt rushes to greet me, and Matt takes the ice chest from my hands. Victoria locks her arms around mine pulling me to their back yard. Here we go. Let the dating game begin. Wait. Can I have a beer first? She isn’t even going to give me a chance to warm up and get situated. She just dives right in and introduces me to Calvin.
     
    “Calvin I want to introduce you to my friend Jacquelyn. Jacquelyn this is Calvin.” We shake hands and Victoria leaves us to get acquainted. Calvin isn’t so bad looking. He’s the three B’s. Blonde, blue and beautiful. He doesn’t look like the typical southern men in Texas though. He’s probably from California. Calvin has this cocky persona about him like a very rich surfer or something. He seems laid but looks very arrogant.
     
    “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Matt and Victoria have been telling me a lot about you.”
     
    “Oh really. Like what?” I raise my eyebrows worried of what he might say.
     
    “Well they told me you’re thirty years old, have two kids, single, and that you’re beautiful. And I think they’re wrong about you being beautiful.”
     
    I nearly choked on my own spit. “Excuse me.”
     
    “I think you’re beyond beautiful. You’re ravishing.”
     
    Blushing. “Oh thank you.” Good save.
     
    “So what do you do?” Calvin questions while taking a sip of his beer.
     
    “Do?”
     
    “What you do for a living? Where do you work?”
     
    “I own a business.”
     
    “Business in?”
     
    Calvin’s cocky attitude is starting to rub me in the wrong, unpleasant way. “Sales.” I snap then glance over at Victoria.
     
    That’s one of my pet peeves. I hate it when people ask me what I do for a living, especially since we just barely met. It’s none of their business what I do. Ask me something else besides how I make my money. Ask me to tell you a little