“Very funny,” Ashley says, but her face is serious again, “it’s a long story.”

“And I’ll gladly let you tell it if you promise to put your robe back on.”

She reaches down and retrieves her robe from the floor, but she doesn’t speak.

“Ashley?”

“Yeah?”

“I really, really don’t want things to be weird between us. I don’t want to be unrealistic either. I know that competition is the nature of the game. But this is my home now. I don’t want to feel uncomfortable here.”

“And you won’t. If you realize that I’m always going to be on top. I’m very good at what I do, Spencer.”

“So am I.”

She gives me a look that I can’t quite read in the dark, and I realize that I had under-estimated my new housemate. Being the best was truly all she seemed to care about. I didn’t know her well enough to know how far she was willing to go to stay on top, but the determination I could read in her eyes was enough to make me question my safety in the house. I was worried enough to vocalize.

“Should I be scared, Ashley? Is this where we are? I should be scared of you?”

She looks offended, “Why would you be scared?”

“Listen, I like making money. I like being the best. But at the end of the day this is just a job for me. Is it just a job for you…or is there something else?”

“It’s about the money, ok? I need to save a lot of money for something.”

“For what?”

“We just met, Spencer. I’m not about to sit here and give you my life story. Just know that it’s about the money. But no…you shouldn’t be scared of me. I wouldn’t hurt you or anyone else. I’m not like that anymore.”

“Fine. But let me know if the person you used to be makes an appearance so I can go out and but myself some pepper spray.”

She laughs, “I’ll let you know.”

The next day was a busy one. I had three clients. I decided to meet them elsewhere, not sure if I wanted to taint the aura of my new room with work. My talk with Ashley had gone over better than expected, though she had left herself just mysterious enough for my guard to remain intact. The last thing I needed was a surprise visit in the night with a pair of scissors or you know…a gun.

My clients were nice enough and they all probably had more money than God and the moral compass of the devil. The last guy was a rookie and excused himself to the bathroom three times before committing to a little over a minute of hang time. In the real world that would be considered an embarrassment. In my world that equals an early lunch.

When I got home the house was seemingly empty. I had made it halfway through the foyer before I heard the voices. Ashley’s door opened and Aiden exited looking rather…satisfied.

“We can’t keep doing this, Ash. I’m serious.”

“Is that your wife talking or is that what you really want?” Ashley asked, kissing him lightly on the cheek.

“I don’t know. Both?”

I prayed to every religious deity I had studied in high school that they wouldn’t see me. Something told me this wasn’t the kind of information a person was meant to discover.

“Aiden, please. You have nothing to worry about. Come on…stay for awhile longer. She won’t even know the difference.”

Luckily, Ashley pulled Aiden by his collar back into her room and shut the door behind them. I let out a sigh of relief and climbed the stairs to my room.