Page 62 of Nun’s Prayer

“Yeah, I’m an online lifestyle guru. People pay me for opinions and to be their sounding board via the internet,” Blue explained.

“What?” I asked, confused. Blue had never discussed this.

“A woman’s going to a high-class event and wants to know which gown is best. Her friends and husband will lie. She sends me the images, and I tell her truthfully. Maybe a person needs an outlet to rant against their wife, or someone can’t decide between two jobs. I let them work it out for themselves, which is ideal.”

“People pay for that?” Priest asked.

“They pay a lot for that. Don’t be mad, but I haven’t needed the stable money for about three years. It was merely a way to stay close to you,” Blue said, holding my hand.

“I’m not angry, just surprised that you kept it a secret,” I replied.

“Sure, I don’t earn as much as a top-level assassin, or what you get as your cut from the club, but I’m growing. My client base is growing. So much so that I’m using an appointment system and charging for that.”

“What?” I was horrified. How did I not know that?

“Like what?” Priest inquired and appeared genuinely interested.

“I have fifteen-minute appointments which have a set fee, then half-hour, and then an hour. I also offer two-hour slots because some people can talk a lot and require extra time to work things out.”

“What if they finish before their allocated period?” I asked.

“They still pay the flat fee. I charge one hundred bucks for fifteen minutes, two hundred for thirty minutes, and three-fifty for an hour. Two hours is worth six hundred dollars,” Blue replied.

“People pay that much?” I gasped.

Blue grinned. “I was charging something like twenty bucks and so on, but my rep is getting around, so I can ask for more. I keep my existing customers at their current rate for three months, so I don’t spring a price hike on them. They have three months to get used to the new rates. That’s retained my clients’ loyalty. Babe, top level gurus charge anything from one thousand to ten thousand an hour.”

Priest slumped back. “Damn.”

“You kept that quiet,” I accused.

“Babe, I didn’t want to leave or lose you,” Blue murmured.

I kissed him. I’d no idea how I got so lucky, but I had, and I wouldn’t take him for granted. “Let’s create a plan if we intend to do this,” I said.

Priest

Brielle bounced in an hour later, sugared up, and I rolled my eyes. “Well?” she exclaimed.

“What?” I teased, pulling her hair.

“Did you resolve anything?”

“So nosy,” I complained, and she scowled.

Nun took pity on her. “We’re planning to build a house on RHMC land. We marked an area for that purpose. Until then, we’re stuck at the clubhouse. You’ll have your own bedroom, and we want at least seven bedrooms. Sapphire will hire an architect, so any requests, let us know.”

She turned to Kiki and Susan. “We plan to have a guesthouse built for you, too.”

Kiki looked shocked. Her mouth opened and closed. Blue leaned forward. “You’re family, and a vital part of me.”

“And we look after family,” I added.

“You don’t want a silly old woman…” Kiki began, and Blue scowled.

“You say one word,” he threatened, and Susan laughed.

“Kiki, take the gift you’ve been given. Believe me, you are lucky they’re interested.” Bitterness momentarily crossed Susan’s face, but she swept it away.