Orange

Seven

Orion didn't text me for the first few days. However, he did come see me at the Warehouse time and time again. We had a routine at this point. He would come in, buy my time, and chat with me about his day. And I would just sit there and listen to him, offering the occasional bit of advice or smack whenever he needed it. His smile never failed to relax me.

Saturday rolled by, the busiest day at Warehouse 44, and for most of my shift, he was nowhere to be seen. My eyes scanned the crowd, trying to keep myself focused on making eye contact with a buyer. Man after man came to see me, paying adequately for an hour of my love. But still no Orion.

Finally, an hour before closing, I saw him.

He seemed... different, somehow. His black hair was brushed back for once, a neatly pressed white shirt tucked into his black slacks. The first few buttons of his shirt were neglected, revealing a taste of his toned chest. His lips immediately curled into a smile as he approached my booth.

"Motherfucker," I heard Laura hiss from her booth. "He passed me by again?"

The girl just beside me, Sandra (also known as one of the more expensive girls due to her good looks and "rockin'" body), turned over to me. I just shrugged, passing her an ignorant glance.

"I'm back," I watched him mouth those words as he popped in his credit card. My bell chimed and I walked over to greet him. "Did you miss me?"

I rolled my eyes, simply walking with him to our room. He knew where it was by heart, by now, and stayed close to my side. Once we were inside and hidden away from the world, he hurriedly spun me around. I barely caught my breath when I looked up to meet his eyes, filled with childish excitement. For a moment, I thought of Blaise. My heart skipped a beat. I felt his wrap his hands around my own, pulling them up to his chest.

"Clementine!" he said, seeming to have much more energy than normal. "You're almost off, right?"

"Uh... yeah."

"Then that means this is your last meeting for the night."

"Yeah?"

He smirked, a playful grin dancing across his tanned features.

"Then you've got no excuse."

"I'm sorry? You're not making any sense."

He took his time forming his next words, enunciating perfectly with absolute pleasure.

"Let's go out."

"What?"

His smile grew, giving my fingers a little squeeze.

"Yeah, come on! It'll be fun. Just you and me. No more crowds, no more creepy sex rooms. Just us, and maybe a drink or two."

"Tha... that's against company policy."

He rolled his eyes, leaning forward just a bit. I could feel his breath on my face. He smelled like mint. I squirmed a bit; when was the last time a man made me this uncomfortable?

"It'll be fine. No-one'll recognize us. Besides... I don't mind breaking the rules when it's for a sweetheart like you."

His words flew off his lips like he had been practicing. The way he was so sure of himself, the way he practically oozed out confidence completely threw me for a loop. It was so different from the lackadaisical Orion I had barely gotten used to.