I sat on the steps outside the hotel, burning through cigarette after cigarette.
My phone kept ringing. Over and over.
I stared at the screen, hesitated, and finally answered.
The voice on the other end was the same as always, dripping with a cruelty that enjoyed itself.
"I hear from the hotel staff that you've already slept with my wife?"
I blew out a ring of smoke and said nothing.
My silence didn't bother him. If anything, he sounded thrilled.
"Ha! They don't call you the top dog for nothing. I knew I picked the right guy! One day. One single day and you already sealed the deal!"
Every word was a needle driven straight into my chest.
"What are you waiting for? Send me the photos. Now."
I looked up instinctively and saw Cordelia watching me from the window above.
She just stood there, silent and still, as though waiting for me to hand down her sentence.
When I didn't speak, the voice on the other end of the line grew impatient.
"Kid, are you deaf? I told you to send me those photos!"
I gripped the phone. My palm was slick with sweat.
The client's patience was wearing thin, and his tone dropped to something cold and hard.