Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 63445 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63445 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
“I’m not comfortable with the idea of him dating,” Maria replied. “He’s a horny teenager in an old man’s body. The visuals are killing my appetite.”
Daisy smiled. “We’ll get your haircut,” she told Milo. “And take her to a restaurant.”
“Not this place,” Maria warned. “I want nothing to do with this.”
Daisy looked at Maria while Milo grumbled. “Can we talk?” she asked, shoving her hands into her pockets.
Maria nodded and headed into the office.
Daisy sat in the empty chair facing the desk and took a deep breath to steady herself. “I’m sorry I bailed on you.”
“You’re not the first.”
“I guess Easy told you I had some... stuff going on.”
“Guess he did.”
“I didn’t,” Daisy said. “Have stuff. I had stuff. A while ago. And I thought it was behind me, but... ” She shrugged. “Maybe it never will be.”
Maria leaned against the desk. “Stuff like prostitution and resisting arrest.”
Daisy tensed.
“I finally caught up on my paperwork,” Maria told her. “Background checks and the like.”
“I’m sorry,” said Daisy. “I know what you think, and I don’t blame you. I shouldn’t have lied, but I needed a job, and I knew you wouldn’t hire me if you knew.”
“Well, nice to know that you know so much about me. Guess I don’t need to do my own thinking then, since you’re nice enough to do it for me.”
Daisy blushed from embarrassment. “I-”
“Can I tell you what I think?” Maria asked. “Or are you just going to keep telling me what I think?”
Daisy, wisely, shut her mouth.
Maria got up from the desk and moved to the chair. She pulled open the bottom drawer of her desk and brought out a bottle of scotch and two glasses. She poured one for Daisy and one for herself. Daisy thought it was a little early in the day, but said nothing.
“When I was eighteen, I ran out of my mama’s place like my hair was fire,” she told Daisy. “No plan, no money, no God damn common sense, either. Thought I’d find me a motorcycle man. A fine ass man with a fine ass bike, and I’d be his old lady.” She paused and took a sip of her drink. Daisy did the same and grimaced as it burned her throat on the way down.
“Well, I settled for two of the three. I ended up a house mouse for a one-percenter. On the good days, he smacked me around. On the bad days, he passed me around.”
“God,” Daisy whispered.
“But it was a place to stay,” Maria explained. “So... I stayed. I don’t know your story. You can tell me if you want to. But whatever you were before, you’re a smart girl now. Got a plan, got a good man to stand up for you. I got a second chance; I’ll give you one, too.”
Daisy stayed to help Maria do inventory, until Easy and everyone else showed up after work.
“Told you she’d hire you back,” he told her.
She grinned at him. “I start tomorrow officially.” She spotted the group taking over the largest table in the place and took a step toward them.
“Hang on,” Easy told her, snagging her arm.
“What?” she asked.
He grinned at her. “Figured out a way to make it up to you.” He took hold of her hand and pulled her in the opposite direction.
“Jimmy,” she said quietly. “We’re not going to the bathroom. I-”
“Nope. I would,” he told her, eyes glittering. “But it’s against Maria’s rules.”
“So what are-?”
He tugged her to the middle of the dance floor and stopped. “We can dance, though,” he said. “She won’t mind.”
He pulled her close and put his arms around her waist. She leaned into him and sighed contentedly.
“I meant it, you know,” she told him.
“What?”
“You’re mine.”
The End