Chapter 7: Chapter 7: The Payday
The clock on the nightstand ticked toward zero and the fun was over as Alexander and Helen lay on the bed with the heat from before gone. The champagne had worn off leaving Helen staring at the ceiling with wide empty eyes while she didn’t say a word looking like she was trying to piece her life back together and failing.
Suddenly the smartphone on the bedside table vibrated with a text saying the shift was complete and to return to his suite for performance rewards. Before Alexander could even process it a cold mechanical voice crackled through the room’s intercom "Guest 402 your reservation has ended you have thirty minutes to vacate the premises please ensure all personal belongings are removed" said the voice.
The silence that followed was suffocating as they didn’t look at each other or talk while Alexander just stood up with his joints feeling stiff to start grabbing his clothes from the floor. He dressed fast with the expensive suit now feeling like a costume he was forced to wear then walked to the door with his hand trembling on the handle. He wanted to say something anything but his throat was locked tight so he stepped out into the hallway and the door clicked shut behind him.
Alexander leaned his back against the wall and let out a long shaky breath he’d been holding for hours then covered his face with his hands sliding down until he hit the carpeted floor "What the hell did I just do?" said Alexander.
He sat there for a minute with the weight of it crushing him but he didn’t have a choice because he had to get back to the suite. He stood up wiping his face and started walking toward the elevators like a ghost. Inside Room 402 Helen was already in the shower standing under the spray but the water couldn’t wash away the marks. She looked in the mirror staring at the dark bruises and hickeys on her breasts and stomach while remembering the way Alexander’s hands felt as he marked her "I wish that were true..." said Helen.
She shook her head with tears blurring her vision "Wake up you idiot this was just a mistake it was an accident it can’t last forever..." said Helen. She turned away from her reflection as the steam filled the room until she couldn’t see herself anymore.
Alexander walked back into his suite finding the place empty and quiet then his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and stared at the screen seeing that $2,500 had just hit his account which meant in one single afternoon he’d made $3,720 "Holy shit" said Alexander "that’s my whole month’s pay in four hours."
Just like that the guilt started to fade and the heavy feeling in his chest was replaced by a rush of adrenaline because money made the mess feel worth it. He felt motivated and hungry for more when another text popped up congratulating him on passing the recruitment test and becoming an official member of TMC.
The message said the suite was his indefinitely as long as he worked for them which was weird as hell but his whole life had turned into a circus anyway. He fell back onto the king-sized bed staring at the ceiling while he thought about moving in and thought about his uncle Robert who was a bastard but Alexander had just slept with the man’s wife "I’m worse than him" said Alexander.
His conscience was screaming but running away wasn’t an option with that kind of money in his pocket so he stayed there for a bit then got up to take a fast shower and get dressed. While he was fixing his collar his phone rang and it was Marcus "Hey you passed congrats man" said Marcus.
"Yeah I just got the text where are you?" said Alexander.
"I’m in the same building bro I live here this is the life right?" said Marcus. Marcus gave him his suite number and laughed "Tell me yours or just come up here" said Marcus.
"I’m coming over now" said Alexander. He grabbed his key card and the new phone then headed for the elevators to go from the 8th floor up to the 9th. He found room 911 and knocked until Marcus opened the door with a huge grin "Good number right 911 if there’s an emergency you just call 911 haha!" said Marcus.
Marcus went in for a hug but Alexander just stood there looking pissed "Whoa what’s wrong I thought this was what you wanted man" said Marcus.
"The client the one in 402 do you know who she is?" said Alexander.
"Um yeah she’s a regular goes by Ashley" said Marcus. Alexander froze feeling the blood rush to his head "You’ve handled her before many times?" said Alexander.
"Yeah a few why man is she someone you know last I checked you only got that smoking hot aunt of yours and a cousin who’s also a babe why?" said Marcus.
Alexander stared at him while the room felt like it was spinning because Marcus thought he had slept with Ashley the godmother. He didn’t realize the godmother had just handed her card over to someone else "You think it was Ashley in that room" said Alexander.
"Wasn’t it that’s whose name is on the ticket" said Marcus.
Alexander realized right then that there was a massive misunderstanding because TMC didn’t know it was Helen and Marcus didn’t know either. Only he knew that he had just spent the afternoon trashing his own family’s life for three thousand dollars.
