CHAPTER TEN

"We've only just met," said the woman, staring at the stunningly handsome man. "I mean, literally, we met an hour ago, and you're asking me for a loan?"

"Hey, I don't mean anything by it. I'm just trying to get my feet on the ground. Like I said, my ex-wife took everything and left me broke. I just need a few hundred dollars to get my car fixed."

"I don't know. This doesn't feel right," she said, shaking her head. He reached across the table, holding her hands in his own.

"Listen, I don't want you to feel bad about this. I like you, and I think we click on so many levels. I'd rather keep seeing you than lose you over a few hundred bucks. I was just thinking since you said you're in sales, you probably make fairly good money."

"It's not that. I mean, I do make great money. I've just never made it a habit of loaning anyone any money at all. I've always felt that it puts the relationship into a strained position, and then everything feels awkward."

"Caroline, please don't feel bad," he smiled. "It's all good. We're good."

"But how will you get back and forth to work? How will we keep seeing one another if you don't have a car?"

"That does present some challenges, but hey, I'll figure something out," he said, kissing the back of her hand. "You're worth it. I'm not going anywhere."

She stared at him, then looked down at her lap. The quarterly bonuses had just come in, and she was at the top of the leaderboard for her company. Thirteen thousand was nothing to sneeze at.

"How much did you need for the car again?"

"Just to get it running will be four hundred. I'm going to need new tires and some other things, but for now, that's all I need."

"Alright," she said, nodding at him. "I can loan you a few hundred dollars."

"Listen, I want to do this right. Have you ever used CashFlow? It's an app where you can send cash to friends, and they can pay you back. You can keep track of it all, and that way, it's visible to you and to everyone."

"Oh, yes, I've heard of that," she nodded. "That's fine. I can use that."

"My username is @LandonR. You should be able to find me."

"I have it," she said, holding up her phone.

He smiled at her, watching as she sent the four hundred to his account. He accepted the money and immediately placed it in his account. They talked for another hour, and Landon convinced her to go home with him. He lived in a small apartment near Tulane. It was neat and well-maintained but sparse with furniture.

"You'll have to excuse this," he said bashfully. "Like I said, my ex-wife took everything in the middle of the night. I'm just getting back on my feet right now. I'm working as an x-ray tech at Charity Hospital. My hope is to one day start my own radiology business."

"It's alright. You don't have to apologize. It's a nice place. I bet you could really fix it up if you wanted to. I may even have some things at home if you'd like them. They're all used, but I have an extra chair, a small table, and a few dishes."

"You're absolutely the best," he smiled, taking off his shirt. "Let me show you how much I appreciate you."

Landon wasn't just beautiful; he was skilled in all areas of lovemaking. His tongue was magical, his dick strong and hard, and his hands made her body sing. When she woke in the morning, he was seated on the side of the bed with a cup of coffee for her.

"I'm going to get the car into the shop," he said, kissing her. "I want you to see that I've put the money where I said I would."

"Landon, you don't have to do that," she said, kissing him again.

"No, no, I want to. I'll be back in a little while."

Caroline finished her coffee and stepped into the shower, unhappy to wash off their lovemaking. After a few hours, she started to become worried and almost thought about leaving the apartment. She could leave him a note and explain that she needed to get home. When her phone rang, she didn't recognize the number.

"Hi, is this Caroline?"

"Yes. Who is this, please?"

"Caroline, my name is Dave. I'm the mechanic working on Landon's car. He left it here while he went to grab some lunch. He said he'd be back, but I just discovered some pretty bad things."

"Oh. Okay."

"Look, I wouldn't bother you, but I'm backed up here, and I need to get this thing off my lift. I've got to replace the transmission, the brakes, and brake pads. He needs a new alternator. This car isn't safe to drive. I just need to get a credit card to authorize the charges."

"I see," she said, nibbling her lower lip. "How much are the charges?"

"It's going to be around six grand."

"Oh, wow. Well, I can give you my credit card until he returns."

"That would be great. In order for my boss to allow me to proceed with the work, I just have to pre-authorize the charges, but it won't go through until everything is done. By that time, he should be back, and we can straighten this out."

"Yes. Of course."

Something inside Caroline was saying don't do it, but she was sitting in his apartment and had said she'd try to help. The man on the phone seemed nice, and he knew what he was talking about. Or at least she thought he did.

As the minutes ticked by, it became hours, and then darkness fell.

Caroline tried to call his phone several times, but there was no answer. When she dialed the number for the mechanic, it said the number was no longer working. Finally, feeling panicked, she called her credit card company.

"Hi, this is Caroline Thompson. I'm calling about any recent charges on my card."

"I've verified the number that you're calling from, Ms. Thompson. Currently, you are over your limit by nearly three thousand dollars."

"Wh-what? No. No, that can't be. I have a limit of twenty thousand dollars, and I only authorized a spend of …"

"Nineteen thousand four hundred and thirty-one dollars and seventeen cents." Caroline couldn't breathe. She couldn't move. "Ma'am?"

"I didn't authorize that charge. I didn't make those charges."

"You didn't authorize a cash transfer of nineteen thousand dollars? There was a four hundred dollar transfer through CashFlow, then all of your available balance was transferred in cash to another account."

"No. No, I-I didn't. I think I'm going to be sick."

"Ma'am, I'm going to transfer you to our fraud division. Please hold." Caroline could only nod, then heard the front door of the apartment opening. A man walked in, staring at her.

"Sorry, who are you?" he asked.

"I'm Caroline. I was waiting for Landon."

"Landon who?"

"He lives here," she said, feeling the tears come.

"Ma'am, I don't know who you think lives here, but I'm the complex manager. This apartment has been empty now for probably three weeks. I've been super busy, but I was coming to clean out the rest of the stuff so the staff can clean it tomorrow for a new tenant. I need you to leave."

"I need you to call the police," she said. He frowned at her as the fraud division picked up on the other end of her phone. "Yes, this is her. One moment, please. Please. Call the police and have them meet us here. I think we've both been scammed."

"What are you talking about?" asked the man.

"Please, I'm begging you. I'm on the phone with my credit card fraud division, and I need you to call the police. I've been scammed, and so have you."