Acacia: Like the Thorn Ch. 2

      The Lonely Room
“In the words of Julia Roberts: ‘It’s nice, the while seduction thing you’ve got going on, but I’m a pretty sure thing.” She stared him in the eye, moving to sit in his lap.
Lee laughed. Acacia paused, confusion evident on her face.
He sighed. “Is that what you thought I wanted you for?”
“Wh-Why else?” She sat on the edge of his knees, utterly puzzled.
“You looked like you could use a paid vacation.”
She cocked her head.
“A night off. Besides…. I couldn’t if I wanted to,” Lee said quietly, looking at the wine he swirled about the glass.
“But-But, you could…. I mean, that’s-”
“No, no, Acacia, it’s not you, it’s just….” He looked up at her, shaking the hair from his face. His left eye was completely white. “It was my third tour, three days before my buddy and I were to come home…. Routine patrol, he triggers a land mine…. My eye wasn’t the only thing hit.” He closed his eyes, sighing. “So, like I said, I couldn’t.”
“I-I-I’m….. I’m sorry….” She suddenly felt very ashamed. Here this man was, out risking his life for hers and she repays him by living in filth. She hung her head.
He gently pulled her chin up. “Hey. It’s not your fault. Besides, it’s your work, what else would you have expected?”
“That’s no excuse,” she whispered.
Lee shook his head, hair falling back into place. “How much do I owe you?”
She looked up. “Uh- um…. fif-”
“For the whole night,” he finished.
Acacia smiled. “Name your price.”
“A thousand sound good?”
Her jaw dropped open.
“Okay, twelve hundred, but not a cent more.” He smiled. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to bed. The guest room is over there and the bathroom is next door. I’ll get you a clean shirt to sleep in. I’ll leave the cash in an envelope on my nightstand.”
She got up and went to investigate the bathroom while he rummaged for a shirt. She was turning off the water when he returned.
“Are you sure you’re all right-”
“Please. You deserve at least one evening to yourself,” Lee insisted, laying the shirt on the floor by the built in tub. Acacia grinned and shed her shirt, squirming out of her skirt and underwear at the same time.
“Um… Yeah… I’ll see you in the morning,” Lee said as she slid into the warm water.

Lee blinked the majority of the sleep from his eyes. Acacia stood in the doorway with the clean shirt on and slightly damp hair. He glanced at the clock. He’d only been asleep an hour.
“Problem?” he asked weakly, voice cracking with fatigue.
“It’s kind of lonely in there,” Acacia admitted weakly, looking away from him.
He smiled and scooted to one side of the bed, patting the other. Acacia smiled.
“Thanks.” She slid in beside him, snuggling up to him and closing her eyes. He hesitated.
“No… problem,” Lee replied softly, wrapping an arm around her before drifting back off to sleep.

Lee sighed heavily as the early morning sunlight streamed into his window. And he had been resting so well. In fact, he didn’t think he’d rested that well since the accident.
He rolled over. “Huh….. Well, she must have left.” He looked at the nightstand. The envelope was still there. He sat up, frowning.
“Who’s the girl?”
“Hm?” Lee asked the maid as she came into the room, a bottle of window cleaner in one hand and a roll of paper towels in the other.
“The girl,” the maid replied in her gruff voice. “The one in there cooking breakfast, who is she?”
“She’s still here?” Lee slid out of bed and hurried into the kitchen.
“G’morning.” Acacia looked up from the eggs she was scrambling to offer him a cheery smile. “You were, uh, so generous last night I thought I could at least fix you breakfast.”
“Thank… you. It smells delicious,” Lee said.
“I just hope it tastes good. I haven’t cooked with real eggs… or much of anything real for a while,” she laughed. “Comes with the career, I suppose.” She scooped up some of the eggs onto a plate, added a couple slices of bacon, some toast and a helping of homemade hash browns. “Here.”
“Thanks.” Lee took the plate and sat at the table, breathing in the beautiful scents before taking a bite. It was absolutely the best breakfast he had had in ages.
Acacia joined him. “Sorry, all I really know how to cook is Southern food.”
“Don’t be, it’s wonderful. How did you learn to cook so well?”
“Well, not to brag, but I’ve always had a talent for it. So, after high school I went to a culinary school.”
Lee studied her. “So why aren’t you a chef?”
Acacia shrugged. “Lost my job, the money ran low, I had to drop out of school, lost my apartment…. Luckily someone took me in.”
“Your friend from last night?” Lee asked.
“Yeah, Sanura took me in. Gave me a job…. I left after a year, moved in with a younger girl…. She’s an addict. I have to scramble for rent every month. I’ve tried to get her help, but no one thinks we’re human enough to deserve it,” and edge crept into her voice and her hackles rose slightly. Her tail twitched.
“I’m sorry.”
Acacia cocked her head. “You are?”
“Yes, I am.”
“I don’t need your pity,” she snapped.
“I’m just sorry that you never got the chance to finish school, and that no one will help your friend,” Lee explained.
“Then why don’t you do something about it,” she growled. She immediately slapped a paw over her mouth. “Ohmygosh, I didn’t mean that. I’msosorry.”
“No… No, it was a valid point. And I’ve tried…. You were the first to accept my offer.”
“Huh?”
“What I did last night. I’ve tried a couple times before, but the others thought I was going to turn them into the cops or something. They wouldn’t even leave with me. That’s why I acted like anyone else last night. I figured if I got you here, you might be more open to the idea of getting paid for nothing,” Lee told her. Acacia smiled thoughtfully. She’d never heard of anyone trying to be nice to girls like her before.
“Thank you…. And I’m sorry for that outburst…. And besides,” she sighed, “my friend’s beyond help. She’s stoned constantly. It’s just a matter of time before they find her dead. Then I’ll be out another apartment.”
“That’s too bad… About your friend… Maybe if I had come by earlier-”
“No, she really was one who wasn’t worth saving. When I moved in with her she had a ‘client’ who was willing to get her help and marry her, but she wouldn’t do it.” Acacia shook her head. “I’d do just about anything to get out of this,” she whispered, not thinking Lee could hear her. They finished their meal in silence.
“I tell you what, Acacia…. Why don’t you go get ready and I’ll drive you home?” Lee offered, breaking the awkward silence.
“All right.”
“I’ll clean this up. It won’t take too long.”