Worthy: Cassius and Faith

2. AccommoDating, Inc.

I hadto change trains twice, but I finally made it to the South End. I checked and re-checked the address on my phone. The neighborhood was fancy. The residences were expensive-looking brownstones with Range Rovers parked in front of them. When I reached the agency’s building, I hesitated. AccommoDating, read a small, tasteful bronze sign. I rang the buzzer, painfully aware of my thin jacket and ugly, cheap boots.

I hoped it was a dating agency—not some freak’s house. At the same time, I was petrified it was legitimate. Because… What kind of dating agency offered a six-figure signing bonus to some random girl from Sugar Finder?

I swallowed hard as I knocked. The door opened a moment later. “Hello,” said a tall, imposing, well-dressed woman. “You must be Faith. Come in—Gina’s waiting for you in the conference room.”

I followed the woman, who had short hair and wore a figure-hugging pantsuit. The scent of her perfume engulfed me as she clicked over the hardwood floors. “I’m Elena, by the way,” she said.

“Hi,” I said, feeling extremely out of place. I was mesmerized by the luxurious and immaculate office with expensive-looking art, high ceilings, white walls, and huge windows. This was some dating agency. I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling self-conscious and miserable in my thrift store clothes.

Elena led me to the conference room, which housed an enormous table where another attractive woman sat. She stood when we entered. Like Elena, she was tall, well-dressed, and intimidating.

“Gina, this is Faith,” Elena said. “Faith, this is my sister, Gina. She’s handling this client for our firm. I’ll leave you two alone—call me if you need anything.”

Gina nodded as her sister left, then turned her attention to me. “Thanks for coming in on such short notice, Faith. Please, have a seat.”

I sank down across from her. My palms were sweating. Gina was gorgeous, with long, wavy dark hair and stylish, thick-framed glasses. She wore a wrap dress that was tasteful but still managed to show off her rocking body. She looked like a naughty, well-educated, high-paid librarian, if there was such a thing. Like Elena, she wore perfume, something subtle but high-end sexy.

I hunched lower into my seat. In addition to my Salvation Army coat and ugly boots, I wore an old, oversized T-shirt and stretched-out leggings. I’d borrowed some of Kylie’s makeup to get ready, and the sticky, bubblegum-scented lip gloss was making my lips itch. Compared to Gina, I felt like a bargain-basement Barbie.

She cleared her throat and tapped on her tablet. “Before we begin, I’m going to ask you to sign a non-disclosure agreement. It means you can’t tell your friends or family what we discussed today, and you can’t post about it online. Okay?”

I nodded. “Sure.” She slid the tablet over to me, and I signed.

“Great. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let me ask you a few questions,” Gina said. “First of all, how long have you been on the Sugar Finder app?”

“I just made a profile today,” I said.

She nodded. “What other dating apps are you on?”

“None.”

Gina arched a meticulously groomed eyebrow. “Is that the truth?”

“Yes,” I said. “I’ve never been on a dating app before. I’m not on social media, either.”

“Why not?” Gina’s tone was direct, all-business.

“Because I don’t have time for it.” I also didn’t have any pictures of fun trips, cute pets, or a lovely home to post, so that made it pretty simple. When you had nothing, there wasn’t much to show off.

Gina’s gaze flicked over my face. “How do you spend your time, Faith? Are you a student?”

I shook my head no.

“Do you have a job?”

“Not at the moment.” The truth was, I’d gotten fired from Dunkin’ last week. I had to bring Lucas to another doctor’s appointment, and I couldn’t get anyone to cover for me.

She typed the information into her tablet. “What is your full name?”

“Faith Elise Kensington.”

“Your age?” Gina asked.

“Twenty. I just turned twenty last month.”

She nodded. “Address?”

I swallowed hard. “I’m staying with a friend. I’m in between places right now.” No job, no address. Sheesh, I sounded sketchy.

Gina’s eyebrow arched again. “What about your family? Parents?”

“My mom and I aren’t in touch.” That was the understatement of the century.

“And your father?“

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t know the guy. “

“Siblings?” Gina didn’t miss a beat.

“I have a younger brother, Lucas. He’s fourteen.”

“And where does your brother live?” she asked.

“Usually, he lives with me, but he’s at a treatment center right now. Which is actually why I’m here about the job. I really need the money—he’s sick, and he’s in a clinical trial, and I have to pay for it,” I babbled.

I looked over at Gina. She was so much more pulled together than me; she might as well have been a different species.

A flicker of emotion passed over her features, maybe pity, but it was gone before I could be sure. “I’m sorry to hear that. And I’m sure you’re anxious to hear more about the offer, but I have a few things to cover.”

I nodded.

“I need to ask you some personal questions about yourself and your relationships. They might seem invasive, but my client has very particular needs. I have to screen our potential hires carefully,” she said.

“Please don’t waste my time or yours by lying.” Gina looked at me levelly. “If you’re hired, you’ll be background checked. It won’t do you any good to make misrepresentations up front because I can and will find out about it. Are we clear?”

“Yes,” I said cautiously. My temples were starting to throb. What kind of job was this, anyway?

“What do you want to know?” I asked.

“Everything,” Gina answered immediately. “My client wants to know everything.”