I turned away from her. I liked the girl, I really did. But I didn’t want to be bonded to her. We were doing just fine with our loose arrangement. I go on a job, take her with me, love her down, and keep it simple. Then another guy came along and started putting pressures on her, which she in turn passed on to me. Only I wasn’t up for playing that game. I refused to compete with another guy over a woman. There were too many women out there for that. So I pleaded the Fifth Amendment and remained silent. I knew that anything I said to her could be held against me.

“Well?”

Instead of answering her question, I thought about the other guy she had started dating on the side. I hated jealous guys. If the girl wasn’t into you, then let her be. It’s that simple. But this guy Jayson Walker, one of those briefcase-carrying number crunchers, had made it his personal mission to try and take her from me. There were plenty of other fine women out there to choose from, but he just had to chase after her.

Guys who live and die for the dollar swear that everything, including every woman, has a price tag. So I blamed Andrea for even getting involved with the guy. Then again, a girl had to eat, and I was not offering her free access to my bank account, like he was. But even with all his money, I held the keys to her heart. That only made him chase her harder, and I wanted no part of that game.

Andrea finally lost her patience with me. She stood up to leave and I didn’t plan on stopping her.

“You know what? I don’t even know why I’m trying so hard with you.”

Once she climbed to her feet, she looked down and noticed my lack of urgency. “So, you’re not even gonna try and stop me. Like, you don’t even care.”

Actually, I did care. I just wasn’t willing to allow my feelings for her to get in the way of what I wanted for myself. I loved my freedom, and I wasn’t willing to sacrifice it to make permanent room for her.

Despite Andrea’s beauty, the girl was struggling to launch her modeling career next to mine, and she hadn’t been successful at it yet. What can I say? Modeling was a tough business, not everyone could create a solid living from it. I was one of the fortunate few who could. Nevertheless, I couldn’t stand the pressure that she was putting on me because of Jayson Walker and his income. But how could I tell a woman that I didn’t want to afford her? I mean, I could. With my five-figure-a-day rate for modeling jobs, I definitely had enough in the bank to carry her for a while. I just didn’t want to.

Why should it be necessary for a guy to economically provide for a woman? She needed to find a regular job to hold her over until she could catch her break. She had plenty of time on her hands. She was only twenty.