I said, ‘No. And don’t ask me where I live either.’
He put down his pencil. ‘We’re not going to get very far this way.’
‘That’s up to you. What are you worried about? I got feelings of hostility? Well, sure I have. I got lots more things than that wrong with me or I wouldn’t be here. Are you going to let that stop you?’
‘Well, no, but—‘
‘So what else is bothering you? How you’re going to get paid?’ I took out a thousand-dollar bill and laid it on the desk. ‘That’s so you won’t have to bill me. You keep track of it. Tell me when it’s used up and I’ll give you more. So you don’t need my address. Wait,’ I said, when he reached towards the money. ‘Let it lay there. I want to be sure you and I are going to get along.’
He folded his hands. ‘I don’t do business this way, Son—I mean, Gerard.’
‘Gerry,’ I told him. ‘You do, if you do business with me.’
‘You make things difficult, don’t you? Where did you get a thousand dollars?’
‘I won a contest. Twenty-five words or less about how much fun it is to do my daintier underthings with Sudso.’ I leaned forward. ‘This time it’s the truth.’
‘All right,’ he said.