When good meets really, really, really bad.
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Daniel Harper is down on his luck as he struggles to pay for his sophomore year at NYU. Desperate times lead him to sell drugs for some time. When that proves to not be enough, his only option is to...
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DANIEL HARPER
My eyes darted back and forth to Slyvester and his wife as they both stared at me, waiting for my answer. I mean, surely it can't be that bad to date him. Yeah, these guys are kinda sketchy, which should be a huge red flag in itself. But what other options do I have? I can't quit now! I've worked too hard to get here.
"I'll do it!" I said. The two cheered and raised their red wine glasses and took a celebratory sip.
"Do you want some, Danny Boy?" The wife asked.
"I don't drink..." I responded.
"Hmm. Well, just know that our family is full of drinkers..." Slyvester said.
"How will this work, Mr. Vittori?" I asked. The details so far have been pretty vague. All I was told was to date his son and get my education paid. Does this mean I have a sugar daddy?
"I'll book a reservation to a nice place, where you'll meet my son. Bit of a warning, my son can be arrogant with new people. Which he's working on! But he might not warm up to you right now." He said.
"Actually, yeah! You'll be fine! I'm sure my son will warm up to you!" He smiled at me.
"So what do I do with these?" I asked, pulling out the pills from my backpack.
"Marco!" Sylvester yelled. The guy who had brought my folder ran into the room from behind the curtain and walked to me and took the bag from me. He then ran back to behind the curtain. "You won't have to sell anymore... although..." He said.
"Although what?" I asked.
"Probably should've said earlier. Your tuition won't come free. You'll be dating my son, but I'll need you to offer your mind to us."
"Meaning what?" I asked.
"It's nothing too big. You'll just have to be a part of my group, as a sort of strategist. You dig?" He asked.
"So, I'll help you if you help me?" I asked.
"Precisely. I saw your file, you volunteered for Hands of America, you have great work in cyber security, and you have this whole soft look. You'll be a great addition. What do you say?" He asked. He held out his palm for me to shake.
I suppose it makes sense. I almost thought it'd be too good to be true. Free money? And all I needed to do was date a guy? I owe Sylvester a bit of my knowledge.
"I agree to your terms!" I said and shook his hand. He had a firm grip, enough to probably squeeze my hand and all its bones.
"Perfetto! I'll inform my son of this and to expect a date soon! Be on the lookout for a text that'll tell you about the time and where." He said. He looked down at his plate. "Would you like to stay for lunch?" He asked. I stared at his face to make sure he didn't wink. He didn't.
