The Stipulation (Volume Four) Read online

  I swallowed my pride and fear and decided to tell Jerome I could do it. I could be a sugar baby, and if I had another chance, I knew I would do better. Nobody he would set me up with could compare to Roman, but I still had bills to pay and I did not intend to go back to that store and slave away for virtually no pay. That kind of thing wasn’t an option.

  “Just give me another chance. I know I can do better, and you know I can do better. I just got too tied up with Roman, but I promise you that won’t happen again. I’ll make it strictly business and not personal,” I said, almost pleading with Jerome for another chance and another guy.

  “Hm,” Jerome said as he stroked his chin in thought.

  My stomach tightened up as I waited for his reply. I wanted to kneel down and burst out into prayer, but I didn’t think Jerome was much of the religious type, considering what he did for a living.

  “All right, Natalie, I’ll give you another chance. I’m not, however, going to set you up with another guy like Mr. Parker. You’re going to have to start out a little bit smaller, and if you can prove to me that you can do a good job then I’ll see about promoting you,” Jerome said as he stood up and grabbed something from a desk nearby.

  He picked up a piece of paper, a small one, like a business card of some kind. He flicked it against his fingers, walked over to me, stuck out his hand, and handed it to me as I looked down to see what it even was.

  “You’re going to be meeting this man tonight. He’s a little bit older, but a good client, and he is looking for a good companion. He will pick you up at seven, so make sure you’re ready. This is your last chance, Natalie, so don’t screw it up,” Jerome said.

  The card had the man’s phone number, name, and the time he was going to pick me up outside of my dorm. I put the business card in my pocket, stood up, put my coat back on, hugged and thanked Jerome before walking out the door, and headed back to my dorm room. I wasn’t sure what was going to come with this man, and I wasn’t positive how well I’d do with such an older man, but my bills needed to be paid and without Roman, I needed to find out other ways to get them paid. I guess I had better prepare myself for my date. I hope it goes well.

  Chapter Three

  I had a certain pep in my step as the day went on that I didn’t have earlier. I wasn’t that excited to be seeing a new guy, especially some older guy, but I was excited to be getting back out there and doing my duties as a sugar baby. I had grown into this lifestyle, with the fancy dinners and presents, and quite frankly I didn’t want any part of it to stop. I had made a promise to Jerome when I signed up to do this, and that was to do the best job I could and be a companion for any man he set me up with. It didn’t matter the age or profession, as long as he was good to me and treated me the way I should be treated. Besides, I could definitely use somebody to get my mind off of Roman. He wasn’t coming back any time soon, and sitting and sulking in my room for the rest of break was just asking for trouble. I might as well make the most out of it and try to at least get a free meal. A frozen dinner on Christmas Eve wasn’t exactly the holiday spirit I wanted to have.

  I dressed skimpy, but not slutty since I didn’t want to give this guy any bright ideas. Sure, I was a sugar baby, and my duties were to give the man companionship any way I had to, but I wasn’t quite ready for that part yet. I was still aching over Roman, and to be honest, no other guy’s dick would compare to the monster that was lurking inside of Roman’s pants. A little cocktail weenie wouldn’t do once you had a taste of a bratwurst.

  I straightened my flowing golden locks and did a sexy smoky eye before glistening my lips in gloss and puckering them up to make sure every little crevice was filled. Having the girls’ bathroom all to myself meant I was able to do this silly and crazy stuff without feeling like an idiot. The only other person on this floor was the janitor, and even he wasn’t here to clean every single day. For the most part, I was alone, but I was getting used to it.

  Seven o’clock rolled near and I slipped on a pair of black pumps to wear out with this mystery man. The same nervousness filled the pit of my stomach just like the first time I had met Roman. I started to wonder what this man would be like, as all I had to go by was a name, which was written on the business card Jerome had given me. Robert T. Trifleman was his name, and taking cute college-aged girls out for dinner was his game. There was no age, picture, or anything else of the sort on my business card, and I was too lazy to try and scour the Internet for a picture of him. I was just going to go into this thing blind, and I hoped I wasn’t making a mistake. The last thing I needed was to end up on the nightly news in a dumpster.

  My long and porcelain legs cascaded out from my little black dress as I stood up in my pumps and slid my jacket around me, as if placing my body in a cocoon of wool and cotton. I looked at my small digital clock and saw the time was 6:55 p.m., and it was time for me to go downstairs and patiently wait for this mystery man to pick me up. I took a deep breath, grabbed my metal dorm room handle, and walked out with a smile on my face. I was going to make the best of this situation.

  ***

  I waited outside far longer than the five minutes I had planned on to get down here and sit outside for him. There were no cars in the area, besides a passing patrol car that stopped to make sure I was all right and to see if I needed a lift back home. I declined and said I was waiting for someone, who still hadn’t arrived yet. I was beginning to think this was all a waste, and turned around before seeing a car come around the corner and down toward me. The car was a white Cadillac, and I could see an older man, a really older man, driving it and racing to get to me in time. My nerves started to kick in, not because a new man was coming to pick me up, but because this guy looked really old. I was beginning to wonder what I had gotten myself into.

  He pulled up next to me and rolled down the window. “Natalie?”

  “Yes, are you Robert?” I asked, as if I even needed to.

  “Yes, please get in so we can go for dinner,” he said as he unlocked the doors.

  I opened the car, which had an overwhelming smell of old man and liver snaps and sat down as I closed the door behind me.

  “I’m so sorry I’m late. I got lost trying to find your building, and had to circle around a couple times before finally seeing this one,” he said apologetically.

  “It’s okay, this place is a little confusing,” I said hesitantly as I looked him over.

  This man, Robert, must’ve been in his late sixties, and he had a white mustache, balding white hair, and he was slightly chubby, like most older men. He was wearing a blue business shirt and black slacks, and his gut hung over his far too tight belt. What in the hell was Jerome thinking setting me up with a guy like this? It’s not that I’m so against an older man as my sugar daddy, but couldn’t Jerome at least give me a somewhat attractive older man? Hell, even Tara’s older man looks way better than this guy.

  We sat in an awkward silence as he drove to some restaurant of which I didn’t know the name. I didn’t think many places would even be open on Christmas Eve, but as we approached the shops and restaurants downtown, I saw that I was very mistaken. There were droves of people all over the place, and I realized that there were a lot of people that didn’t care to spend Christmas Eve sitting around a tree singing Christmas carols. They wanted to go out, get drunk, and make some regrettable decisions. It was their own weird present to themselves in a way.

  ***

  Robert took me to some small restaurant, which looked to be a dive, but clearly wasn’t, as it was run by hipsters who were trying this entirely new concept where they gave great dining in a dive atmosphere. I felt as though it was all a little strange, but I didn’t say anything to Robert—I didn’t want to upset him or make him feel stupid for picking this place. Plus, with the amount of people out, there might not have been any places to eat on such short notice.

  We sat down at a table in the corner after a fifteen-minute wait, which was weird to me after getting such great service with Rom
an. He could’ve taken me to some hole-in-the-wall place in Afghanistan and they would’ve known him and immediately seated him at the best table in the house.

  “Have you ever been here before?” Robert asked as he looked over the menu.

  “No, have you?” I asked as I tried to read the menu in the dim light.

  “Yeah, I come here a lot. It’s a great little place,” he replied.

  “What?” I asked, as the blaring music prevented me from hearing him.

  “I said it’s a great little place,” he said as he got close to me and put his hand on my bare thigh.

  I gave an awkward smile and nod and went back to reading the menu as his old and rough hand left my thigh, but his body remained close. I wanted to tell him to keep it in his pants, but being that we were in a public place and people likely thought he was my grandfather, I decided to just play it cool and not say a word. I had no intentions of letting these people know I was on a date with this old man. I think that rumor would spread around town and campus like wild fire, and I didn’t even know the people here.

  The waitress, who looked overworked and exhausted, came by to take our orders.

  “I’ll have the veggie burger and sweet potato fries,” I said with a smile as I handed the menu to her.

  “I’ll have the charred steak and mashed potatoes,” Robert said as he handed her the menu and scooted in even closer to me.

  I kept my hands in my lap and kind of looked at him out of the corner of my eye with a look of disgust as his liver spots were now in clear view and far too close to my body.

  “Veggie burger, huh? Don’t like meat?” he asked feebly.

  “Sometimes,” I said politely as I tried to remain distanced.

  “I bet you’d like my meat,” he said as he kissed my cheek, and his rough white mustache bristled against my supple porcelain cheek.

  I didn’t look at him at all, instead trying to ignore him and act like what he did just now didn’t actually happen. Maybe if I didn’t reinforce his behavior he wouldn’t keep on doing it. As I looked around the bar and tried to take my attention off him, I saw him—Roman. He was at the bar all alone, and my stomach dropped as I tried to think if I should say hello or just act like I didn’t see him at all. What if he saw me with this old geezer and thought I had moved on and was now dating the crypt keeper? My stomach flip-flopped as I tried to make a quick decision before the unthinkable happened.

  “Hey, Tommy!” a man yelled as he approached the man I thought to be Roman.

  “Hey, Gil!” the man replied as he gave a bro hug to this man.

  It wasn’t Roman. The dimly lit room mixed in with the distance the man was away from me led me to believe it was him, but it clearly wasn’t. I wasn’t positive if I should be happy, mad, or sad, but I was a little relieved that he wasn’t there and seeing me with this guy. As much as I wanted to see Roman and connect our eyes together once again, it was better that he was far away from here.

  ***

  The night went on and we got our food, which was surprisingly delicious, as I didn’t think such a dive looking place could produce food that good. Usually veggie burgers are dry and like cardboard, but this one was moist and filled with a bunch of herbs and spices that really gave it a kick that others lacked. Robert wasn’t afraid to really dig into his food, either, and he really gave a slobber-filled show as he sucked down his steak like he was a vacuum.

  He stayed close to me as we ate, as he forwent sitting where his drink was and instead cozying up to me. I figured the night was over at this point, for our plates were almost empty, and I didn’t push him away in hopes that I would just get to go home after this and watch the clock strike midnight and roll over into Christmas morning. That was my Christmas wish, anyway.

  “Are you having a good time?” Robert asked as he set down his fork and knife and placed his hand on mine.

  “Yeah, I am” I looked down at his hand.

  “Maybe we could go to my place after this and have a really good time,” he said with a creepy wink as I looked on in terror.

  “Oh, I don’t know about that,” I said as I laughed nervously.

  “Come on.” He slid my hand off the table and down against his fat thigh.

  “I really shouldn’t, Jerome wouldn’t like that,” I said, as I tried to play it off like Jerome would kill me if I slept with this man.

  “What Jerome doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” Robert said as he placed my hand atop his erect piece through his pants, which admittedly didn’t feel all that big.

  “What in the hell are you doing?” I yelled as I pulled my hand away and stood up, causing the scene that I had wanted to avoid since I had gotten here.

  Robert looked embarrassed and red as most of the patrons in the bar looked at us to see what was going on.

  “I’m not some slut that you can just try and have sex with, you know. I have morals and I’m not some floozy,” I said defiantly.

  “You’d think you were some slut with the reason you’re here tonight,” Robert said, insulting me.

  “Go die, you wrinkly old bastard.” I slapped him as hard as I could across the face, as his wrinkles rippled from the force.

  I grabbed my jacket and bag and stormed off to the surprising applauds of the bar as they had just witnessed probably one of the most messed up things in their life. I was expecting Robert to run after me and either try and stop me or offer me a ride home, even though I wasn’t interested in getting a ride in his mothball-filled car. I’d rather have frostbitten feet than to sit in that thing again.

  I pushed the door open, the people in front of it parting like the Red Sea as I left that place on a mission. I guess being a sugar baby without Roman was going to be a lot harder than I had originally thought.

  Chapter Four

  I stormed through the streets like a woman on a clear and destructive mission. The freezing cold air beat against my frigid body, which was hot at the core as my blood was pumping and burning through me like boiling water. I couldn’t believe the gall of that Robert, that he would try something so perverted and disgusting, especially in a very public place. Did he think I was just going to rip off my dress and go down on him under the booth? His chances of me doing anything with him in the first place were incredibly small, just like his dick, if you could even call it that.

  There weren’t many people driving at this hour, for they were likely at parties with their families or downtown at the bars and restaurants. I saw a couple patrol cars driving around, but none of them stopped and offered me a ride. It’s probably for the best, though, because with how heated I was I might do something I would later regret. My pumps pounded the gray and black slush on the sidewalk as I began to approach my building. The door was locked, like it always was later at night, but it was locked earlier than usual tonight just because of the holidays. There were likely a dozen students throughout all of the four buildings that made up my complex, and the administration likely didn’t feel a need to keep someone here longer to watch the door. I inserted my student ID into the card reader and walked into the solace of the warm lobby, as I was the only one here. The lights were all on and blaring, but the receptionist’s desk was empty with a sign saying nobody was on duty and the janitor was nowhere to be found. The cafeteria, at least from what I could see, was completely closed, which made me glad Robert waited to be a pervert until after I got done eating.

  ***

  As the night went on, I watched a slew of Christmas movies that some of the big networks were showing. I always loved watching Christmas movies every year, but I usually did it with my parents and grandparents, and not alone high up in the air inside of my silent dorm room. I ended up munching on some corn chips I had found, for my freezer burnt ice cream was all long gone and no stores were open for me to go and get some more. All I had was my blanket, my old snacks, and a movie about an adopted elf. Needless to say, I was pretty sure this took the cake as the worst Christmas ever.

  I turned off the telev
ision around eleven o’clock, as they were just repeating the same movies one after another and I didn’t have any desire to watch them repeatedly. I looked at my phone, which was completely empty of any text messages or missed calls, and set it back down on my nightstand as a rush of loneliness overcame me. My head hit the pillow and I looked up at the ceiling as I wished it would just ring and somebody, anybody, would be on the other end. I wanted to feel human again, and I wanted to feel important.

  The seconds turned to minutes, which turned to hours, as the insomnia took over my body and wouldn’t allow me to get any sleep. All I could think about was Roman and the encounter we had earlier. Why did he have to leave me like this? He dropped me like a sack of potatoes; like a worthless sack of flesh and bones that he wanted to discard. He made me feel as though I was the most important girl in the world, yet when it came down to it, he showed me that he didn’t think I was all that important.

  I looked over at my phone as the scattered moonlight drowned out the darkness in my silent room. Should I send him a text? Should I just see if he’d even reply, and if so, what he was doing? I knew the entire idea was stupid, but being hurt and alone makes you feel stupid, and you end up doing stupid things. I wrapped my blotchy fingers around my cold phone and picked it up as the screen illuminated and waited for me to type my message.

  Roman, I’m sorry. I don’t know if I can be without you.

  I hesitated for a second before hitting the small green send button. The progress bar filled up and my phone beeped, which indicated that the message was sent. There was no going back now, and no way to rescind the message and act as if it never happened. I was leaving both the message and our future up to fate now, and if he doesn’t believe we should be together, then I suppose I just have to accept it and move on with my life.