“I’m not having sex for money.” Despite what I said to my father, I knew I could never do that. Selling my body to feed Caylen would mean nothing if I couldn’t look him in the eye every day.
Her trilling laugh broke the tension. “I wasn’t suggesting you fuck for the money.” I cringed. Brandi could be harsh and crude. “Leave that to the big girls. If it wasn’t for that cute little boy, I wouldn’t believe you even knew what sex was.” She laughed again.
I gritted my teeth to keep from cursing her out. “So, what were you suggesting?” I managed to keep my tone even to mask my irritation.
“You dance for it.”
“Dance?” Understanding dawned. “You mean strip?”
She shrugged and set the bottle down. As she strutted forward in her stems, I watched her warily. “Yeah, honey. I mean strip for it. You take your clothes off, I guarantee they will pay.”
I shook my head and took a step back. “I’m not doing that.”
“You don’t have a choice.”
“Excuse me?”
“How are you going to put food on the table? Even if you get another dead-end job, the money is not as quick, or even as good, as taking your clothes off.”
She closed the distance between us and reached around. When I felt my hair shift, I realized she’d grabbed my ponytail. With a tug, the band slipped from the strands and tumbled free. “You’re so pretty.”
“It doesn’t change the fact that I won’t do it.”
“It’s not so bad. I bet you’d be really good at it. You’re young. Your body is still tight. The men will cream their pants and give up their entire paycheck just to get a peek at you.”
Another denial was poised to spew from my lips, but nothing came out. Why was I hesitating?
“I—I don’t even know how.”
Her fingers tugged at the button my shirt until it slipped free. “I could teach you.”
Taking a deep breath and holding it, I considered her offer.
Would it really be so bad?
“Mian?”
I jerked free. The spell Brandi cast was broken by the interruption. She didn’t appear bothered when our heads turned toward the front door.
Anna.
“Oh. Hey.”
“What are you doing here?” She held Caylen, his back to her chest, as she stood in the door I hadn’t heard open. Caylen’s blue eyes found me, and I felt a stab in my gut when he smiled wide. The sound of his happy giggles tore me apart.
Could I really do this to him?
Could I really afford not to?
“I was just—”
“We were having girl talk,” Brandi interrupted in a dismissive tone. When Anna ignored her and started to question me, Brandi cut her off. “Here.” She reached inside her bra and pulled out a bill that was damp with her sweat.
Ew.
“I need cigarettes.”
“I’m watching Caylen,” Anna replied.
“His mother is home now.” She thrust the bill at her and glared until Anna reluctantly accepted it.
“It’s okay. I got him.” I was more than ready for this to be over and was sort of grateful to Brandi for sparing me from Anna’s questions. I took Caylen from her arms, flashed a fake smile, and escaped.
Chapter Nine
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
ANGEL
I returned to Chicago. I wasn’t ready to deal with my mother’s emotions, so I slipped out of Florida without seeing her. Since I wasn’t ready to forgive her, I had to stay away. My father would haunt me if I abandoned her completely, so instead of doing my duties to her myself, I had Lucas and Z check on her regularly. From their reports, she was doing well. I told myself it was all that mattered.
For now.
“Say that again?” Lucas called to run down Mian’s activity in the few hours I had been gone.
“Bruce says she went to some pawn shop on Trent but didn’t go in.”
“Hm. Where did she go after?”
“Back to Mercy Homes. Some babe got out of a Jag, and they went in together. She hasn’t moved since.”
“Check the place out and let me know what you find.” I ended the call and looked down at the brunette with her head in my lap. “Stop.”
She released my dick from her lips with a wet pop. “What’s that, baby?”
I stood up causing her to fall on her thong-clad ass. “Move.” She pouted and stared up at me with hungry eyes. She wasn’t doing it for me, and I had a pretty good idea why. “Get out.”
I disappeared into the bathroom and hoped she’d be gone by the time I was done. Turning on the shower, I stepped inside the glass walls and gripped my dick.
Christie’s lips weren’t the lips I needed to have wrapped around me.
They weren’t small and soft.
They didn’t tremble with fear or curl with disdain when I was near.
They didn’t moisten from the tip of her tongue sweeping over them after she’d bitten into the skin…
My grip slid from the base to the tip of my dick. A grunt forced through my lips and was lost within the sound of water rushing from above.
Closing my eyes, I pumped again.
It wasn’t wise.
It meant letting her in my head.
Giving her control she didn’t know she had.
But the feeling was too good not chase.
My hand moved faster, racing for the finish.
Goddamn.
I needed…