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Back The Companion Project Save as PDF
Chapters (89)
  1. Dedication
  2. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  3. ONE
  4. HENRY
  5. TWO
  6. EMMA
  7. THREE
  8. HENRY
  9. FOUR
  10. EMMA
  11. FIVE
  12. EMMA
  13. SIX
  14. SEVEN
  15. HENRY
  16. EIGHT
  17. NINE
  18. TEN
  19. HENRY
  20. ELEVEN
  21. TWELVE
  22. EMMA
  23. THIRTEEN
  24. HENRY
  25. FOURTEEN
  26. HENRY
  27. FIFTEEN
  28. SIXTEEN
  29. EMMA
  30. SEVENTEEN
  31. HENRY
  32. EIGHTEEN
  33. HENRY
  34. NINETEEN
  35. HENRY
  36. TWENTY
  37. TWENTY-ONE
  38. EMMA
  39. TWENTY-TWO
  40. EMMA
  41. TWENTY-THREE
  42. HENRY
  43. TWENTY-FOUR
  44. EMMA
  45. TWENTY-FIVE
  46. EMMA
  47. TWENTY-SIX
  48. EMMA
  49. TWENTY-SEVEN
  50. HENRY
  51. TWENTY-EIGHT
  52. EMMA
  53. TWENTY-NINE
  54. HENRY
  55. THIRTY
  56. HENRY
  57. THIRTY-ONE
  58. HENRY
  59. THIRTY-TWO
  60. EMMA
  61. THIRTY-THREE
  62. HENRY
  63. THIRTY-FOUR
  64. EMMA
  65. THIRTY-FIVE
  66. EMMA
  67. THIRTY-SIX
  68. HENRY
  69. THIRTY-SEVEN
  70. EMMA
  71. THIRTY-EIGHT
  72. HENRY
  73. THIRTY-NINE
  74. HENRY
  75. FORTY
  76. EMMA
  77. FORTY-ONE
  78. HENRY
  79. FORTY-TWO
  80. FORTY-THREE
  81. EMMA
  82. FORTY-FOUR
  83. EMMA
  84. FORTY-FIVE
  85. HENRY
  86. EPILOGUE
  87. ALSO BY CHELSEA CURTO
  88. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  89. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

“Trust me, we’ll be coming back to that conversation soon. You mentioned a while ago you use the money to pay for something. If you don’t want to share, that’s fine. I want you to know you can tell me anything. There’s no judgment here.” His fingers move up and down my arm in an indistinguishable pattern. I think he’s writing out words.

“My debt after college and law school was astronomical. I had seven years of loans to pay off. After graduation, I went to an event with a friend. He mentioned I could do something like this for supplemental income. Hence RB’s Companions being born. I don’t get paid as much as you do either, so I also have to make up for the discrepancy.”

Henry untangles us enough to stare down at me with a furrowed brow and a frown. “Hold on. You’re going to have to repeat that last part, because I’m not sure I heard you correctly.”

I pause. Discussing the pronounced wage gap after our great sex session sounds like the least hottest thing ever. Recalling earlier in the night, I remember he shared an important and earnest story with me and I want to return the favor. It means he trusts me. And I trust him. Lying with him here, naked without any barriers between us, makes me feel strong enough to tackle this sensitive topic.

“I make 85 cents for every dollar you earn. It’s common knowledge in the legal field that despite making up the majority of law school graduates, women are continually underpaid compared to their male counterparts.”

“I beg your fucking pardon?” he seethes, rage filling his eyes. “Why have I never heard about this?”

“Because you’re part of the problem. Not you, specifically, as Henry Dawson. But you’re a guy. You’re oblivious to it because you don’t know any better. Would you notice if you were missing $200 every paycheck? $300? $400?”

“I sure as shit would.”

“But you aren’t, so you would never know.”

“Do you mean to tell me you make $1,000 less a month than I do, simply because you’re a woman?”

“Around that, yeah. It might be more like $1,200.”

“This is a big fucking problem, Emma.”

“What do you suggest we do? Walk into work on Monday and propose the men in the office, which, might I remind you, make up 99% of the staff, take a pay cut in the name of feminism and equality? That would go over real well. Good luck getting misogynistic Brad on board with the idea.”