The Arrangement 14 by H. M. Ward Page B

my mother, so don’t pretend to care.” I glance up at her slowly. My words are sharp, but steady. My speech doesn’t slur the way I expect it to. The buzz seems to be wearing off.  
    Miss Black’s red lips curl into a sneer. “I don’t care in the slightest what trauma you’ve been through and if you ever equate me to your mother again, I’ll make you beg for death.” Her eyes narrow as she speaks and I know without any doubt that she hates me. “The only thing I care about is this company and your little stunt at the hotel put it in jeopardy. Where is Mel?” Staring her in the eye, I shrug. “Fine. You want to play it this way, then we’ll play.”  
    Black grabs a pair of sewing sheers from her desk. They’re silver with long blades. She stands and walks around behind me. Before I know what she’s doing, the crazy-ass woman slices open the back of my shirt. It falls forward and tumbles into a lump in my lap. “There are only so many things to cut before we get to skin, and from the looks of it, you already have a scar. Why add more?”  
    I’m ready to start a hysterical rant, but I shove it down. I need to be able to think. Miss Black is all about logic. I decide to give her the information she wants. “Mel is fine. She’s hiding. The last time I saw her was last night on Long Island. She’s not coming back until they find out who killed the look-a-like in Mr. Ferro’s hotel room.”  
    She laughs lightly. “Ah, are we back to formalities with Sean? Very well. It’s all for the best, because you couldn’t marry him and work for me.”  
    “I don’t want to work for you.” I sound rather dignified for someone sitting in a bra and jeans.  
    She smiles and slips up onto her desk, and crosses her legs. “Ah, that’s where you’re wrong. I have a new job for you, one you’ll adore. And since you’ve taken your previous career plans and sent them straight to Hell, I thought this would interest you.”  
    I glance up at her. “Nothing you can say will interest me. I’m done. I’m walking away from this. I didn’t see anything and I won’t say anything. There haven’t been any cops following me and nothing from the night at the hotel points back to you.”  
    “Ah, so they didn’t find a bracelet. Funny, because I thought they did.” Miss Black smirks. “Avery, my dear, you’re not going anywhere, not for a while. And like the rest of the girls, you work when I tell you to.”  
    “No, not me. I’m done.”  
    “So, tell me—where are you going to live? How are you going to pay for food? What about your bills? Do you have a secret trust fund that I’m unaware of, or do you really think you can make it on your own working at the steak house? Because that life wasn’t one you wanted, if I recall correctly. This is easy money, Avery. There’s a nice house with manicured grounds, a pool, and then there’s the money, but you don’t need that.”  
    Black slides off the desk and walks to her closet and continues talking. “Ideals won’t feed you and keep the rain off your back. They don’t protect you either, and like it or not, men want you. You have something that makes them come back for more, over and over again. It took me a while to see that I have you in the wrong position.”  
    I turn in my seat, holding my wadded, torn shirt in my hand. I’m so tired that I can’t think straight. For once, I just want to lay down and be left alone. Black’s words sound like noise in my ears. “What are you talking about?” I shouldn’t ask. I know I shouldn’t, but I’m screwed. I’m screwed and I know it. Graduation will come and go and I’ll get kicked out on my ass. I’ll be homeless.  
    Unless, I go beg Marty for a bed, and god knows how awkward that would be since he has a mad crush on me. I could share his bed and camp out over there when I thought he was gay, but not anymore. Too many things have happened, but I still yearn for his friendship. What the hell