YOU & ME | JENLISA

Chapter 56

Jennie

I looked around the room awkwardly and then the little fern on the table caught my attention. It looked deprived, the leaves were drooping down sadly. The soil was cracked and dry. Poor little fern. I picked up a glass and filled it with water from the complimentary jug. I tossed the contents into the soil hoping that would revive the plant. For some reason, this made Lisa smile.

"How did you find out about this?" Her voice wasn't so harsh anymore, I think some of her anger had subsided.

"Rosé.... uh... she found you on the app. She's like a detective, she's actually the one who paid for you."

"So why isn't she here instead?"

I thinned my lips, her words left an awful taste in my mouth and I sat back in my chair, scowling. "Would you rather her be here, instead of me?"

"I would rather neither of you be here. My life isn't just some joke that you can laugh at in biology class together. What do you want from me, Jennie?"

I glanced down at the recorder in between us, the tape wheels were turning. It was picking up every exchange between us. The waiter came over and Lisa looked really pissed off at him for interrupting us. She barked food orders at him and then waved him off with her hands. My lips twitched but I hid my smile because I didn't want to annoy her anymore.

"I want you to give me what I've paid for, are you this moody with everyone you date?"

"Fine." She grit out, not able to shake off her tone.

But then she straightened her posture and slapped on a fake smile. She cleared her throat and nodded. "Are you aware that I'm recording this encounter between us?"

"Kinda hard to miss the recorder." I pointed to it.

"Do you consent to being recorded?" Okay, I get it. It's not usable in court unless the person being recorded is aware and has consented. I'm the sheriff's daughter, I know the law.

"I do."

Silence stretched over the table, I was waiting for her to woo me, compliment me, talk dirty to me, anything but instead she seemed nervous.

"So..." I prompted.

"No."

I blinked at her. "No?" I asked.

"No, I'm not doing this. It's too weird. You're Jennie."

Okay, I'm not exactly sure what she meant by that but I won't deny that I was a little offended.

"You're thinking too much about this whole thing, just relax and have fun. Tell me that I look hot in this outfit and try to flirt me into bed." I laughed in a light hearted way.

"I'm out." She stood up just as the waiter brought over our food dishes. She sat back down and looked at me.

"Pasta first."

This was going poorly, I needed to engage her in some real conversation or she was just going to leave me stranded. Stranded in Del Vino's and stranded in my dance recital.

"So how long have you been doing this?"

"For a while."

"Do you like it?"

She visually squirmed in her seat and glanced down at the recorder.

"Can we not?"

My eyebrows raised.

"You paid for a date with me, that doesn't include fifty personal questions. The only thing you get to know about me tonight is my name."

"Oh, yeah. Sure. Of course." Awkward silence fell over us once more, filled with nothing but forks against pasta bowls. The food was okay, nothing special. I glanced around the restaurant, it was filled with younger escorts on dates with older women. Their smiles all seemed fake, they were overly touchy and attentive. Were they all escorts? Was this a brothel?

"So do you have a pimp?"

"No! What the fuck, Jennie!?"

"What do they make you do, anything like, weird?"

"Jennie." She warned sharply.

"Sorry."

"Enough fucking around, tell me what you want from me." She rested her fork down on her plate and clasped her hands together. She had a thoughtful business-like expression on her face. With her hair slicked back and a fancy suit on, Lisa looked like a completely different person. She was clean and composed, she seemed more mature. I took a sip of the free water to clear my throat. This was it, the moment of truth.

"I can't afford $500 dollars, I might be able to scrape together $300 a week but I'll need you three times a week for about an hour each time and it can't always be paid in advance. So how about we call it a friend's discount?" I smiled at her cheekily but she didn't seem impressed.

"What are we talking about here?"

"I need a dance partner."

She winced, almost in pain and then thick silence blanketed us. "Hear me out..." I tried to cushion the blow.

"No." She shot me down.

"C'mon Lisa, just listen, please. Krystal cut me out from the team because you broke my partner. I just need you three days a week, after school for one hour. I'll pay you but also I'm not expecting to have you exclusively, you've got plenty of time to go take other girls on dates. Get money from them too."

"I don't dance." She said monotonously, I think she still believed everything was a big joke to her.

"Sure you do, you just put on music and move your body."

Her jaw clenched, defining her face shape even further. God she was sexy, I wish I could have her exclusively.

"My body doesn't move in that way." She grit out.

"I can teach you, I can make it move in that way." My eyes sparkled with enlightenment, trying to inspire her into thinking this was good idea. I could see her doubts roaming around the back of her mind. Hear her thoughts as clear as day.

I had doubts too, the kids at school wouldn't accept her. It's going to take a lot of work and effort on both of our parts. I need to make her so good that Krystal wouldn't be able to refuse her.

"I'll do anything you want, agree to any terms, please Lisa. There's a recital coming up, it's a big deal, I'll get the chance to go some of the world's leading dance schools."

She sat in silence for what felt like forever, just thinking it over in her mind. Finally she spoke.

"If I agree to this, then I want $300 a week and something else from you." My brows furrowed and I pressed my lips thinly together. Her cheeks turned pink under the dim lights of Del Vino's restaurant and curiosity peeked within me.

"I want you to pretend to be my girlfriend."

My eyes widened and I sat back in my seat, I never in a million years expected that.

"Only to my mom." She added, complicating my mind further. "She's got this fear about me being alone, won't stop banging on about me getting a girlfriend. We wouldn't need to do anything, just tell her that you're into me and make it seem real."

"Okay." I answered a little too fast. "I can do that."

"Okay." This time she answered fast. "Deal."