Fast & Loose Elizabeth Bevarly (bts book recommendations .txt) đ
- Author: Elizabeth Bevarly
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She sighed as she remembered. âSome of those houses she cleaned, RufusâŠThese huge estates in Glenview, and big houses in the east endâŠI couldnât believe how some of these people lived. I couldnât believe they had so much room to move around in, so many things to dust and polish and scrub. Beautiful things,â she added. âAnd the women would be home while we worked sometimes, reading the paper and drinking their coffee. Or theyâd come home in their tennis and golf outfits while we were there.â She finally met his gaze, levelly and unflinchingly now. âMy mom worked so hard, Rufus. She was no different from any of them. She deserved to live the same kind of life. But she had no life. She had to take care of herself and me instead. I decided a long time ago that I wasnât going to let the same thing happen to me.â
âThat sucks, Bree,â Rufus agreed. âYou and your mom should both have had better. But you know what? A lot of people have crappy jobs. A lot of people deserve better than they have. It doesnât make them go out and look for somebody else who has a better life to take care of them. Either they do what they can to improve their own lives, or they make do with what they have. Having money doesnât mean all your problems are magically solved. A lot of times, it just makes more problems.â
âI know that,â she said. âI know my life wonât be charmed and perfect just because thereâs someone else paying the bills. But it sure as hell would be better than what I have now. Iâm not a lot of people, Rufus. I donât want to make do with what I have. I want something better.â
âThen make it happen for yourself.â
âYou donât think I havenât tried?â she said.
He jerked his hands from his pockets and took a step forward. âYou majored in English, for Godâs sake,â he reminded her. âThatâs not exactly a degree that lends itself to moneymaking.â
âNo, but itâs good for making a person smart and articulate and interesting to talk to. Look, Rufus,â she hurried on when he started to object, âI tried taking classes in economics and finance and business, and I just donât have a head for it. Itâs not in my genes. From my dad, whoever he was, I got a strong survival instinct and good strategy skills. From my mother, I got good looks and the ability to be charming when I want to be. Put them all together, and you get someone who knows what needs to be done and can figure out the best way to do it. I knew a long time ago what I needed to do. And Iâve done my best to do it. Just because it hasnât happened yet doesnât mean it wonât. Maybe itâs taking longer for me to reach my goal, but I will reach it. I have to.â
âYouâll hand yourself to some guyâlet him take whatever he wants from youâjust because he opens his wallet and lets you take whatever you want from it.â
She tried to feel militant and defiant when she said, âDamn right.â Instead, she only felt tired and defeated.
âItâs not a fair trade, Bree. Not even close.â
She said nothing to that. Mostly because she couldnât disagree.
When she remained silent, he nodded briskly, then dropped his hands onto his hips in challenge. âOkay. Okay, so letâs say you do find a guy rich enough to keep you in the style you imagine you need to make you happy.â
Bree thrust her fists onto her hips, too, mimicking his stance, rising to his challenge. âThereâs no âimagineâ in the equation, Rufus. I know what I need to beââ She couldnât make herself say the word happy, since she knew, really, that she would never be that. âTo be content,â she finally finished. âAnd it can only be bought with lots and lots of money.â
He started ticking things off on his fingers. âExpensive home, expensive car, expensive jewelry, expensive clothes, expensive travel. Did I leave anything out?â
âMaybe one or two things,â she told him crisply. âBut I think you got the biggies.â
He dropped his hands back to his hips. âYou think having that will make you happy?â
âYes,â she said. âI do.â As happy as she could be, anyway. Because all of those things could be turned into cash if an emergency arose. And cash was what Bree wantedâneededâmore than anything. âBut itâs more than just expensive things, Rufus,â she continued. âItâs knowing I donât have to worry. Itâs security. Thatâs even more important to me than the expensive things.â
âYou think youâre going to have security in this life you envision for yourself?â he demanded. âAre you serious? Guys who buy women only pay for them for as long as theyâre interested in them. And they donât stay interested for long, Bree. What happens when your Sugar Daddy finds a new Barbie doll he likes better than you?â
Did he think she hadnât thought about that? Hadnât she just told him she was smart? She sure as hell wasnât that naĂŻve. She knew men didnât marry their mistresses. And she knew they didnât keep them forever. âBy the time he gets bored with me,â she said, âIâll have moved in his society long enough to have met dozens of men just like him.â
Rufusâs mouth dropped open at that. âSo thatâs it then?â he asked. âYouâll just hire yourself out to
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