Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out my book and opened it. Licking my thumb, I shuffled through the pages until I came to Bambi’s page. I drew a thick black line through her name and number and called to have the payments to her account stopped.
Standing in front of the two-way mirror in my office, I looked down into the crowd of dancers below. The beat of the music shook the glass and I pressed my palms against it to feel the vibrations.
The door to my office opened, letting the music come in and blend with the sensations running through my fingers. I didn’t bother turning around since I knew Vick was the only person who would be coming anywhere near my office.
“So I tried to pay this month’s mortgage today, but the lady told me I no longer had a mortgage. Apparently, my condo has been paid in full. Know anything about that?” she asked with accusation in her voice.
I’d hoped she’d never bring it up. That the fact that I’d paid her condo off would just go under the rug like our mutual respect for each other. I’d thought wrong. With my back to her, I smiled to myself.
“Nope,” I said before quickly changing the subject. “Any deep pockets out tonight?”
She didn’t push the whole money situation and I was glad. I never wanted to be put on a pedestal as some financial hero, and I could always count on Vick to keep me grounded.
“Definitely some deep pockets.” I heard the smile in her voice. “You coming down? There’s a few red-carpet walkers down there asking for you.” Vick said as she shut the door behind her making the room silent again.
Spending the night with a VIP room full of celebs used to excite me, but not so much anymore. I’d slept for shit the night before—nightmares waking me every time I closed my eyes, and I wasn’t feeling it. But like any other good businessman, I knew I had to make an appearance—act the part of the rich club owner.
“Yeah. Let them know I’ll be down in a bit.”
Vick didn’t respond, but the door opened and closed again.
Turning away from the mirror, I grabbed my coat as I made my way to the door. Buttoning my coat at the same time I was taking the steps, I was instantly hit with the loud music and red lights when I hit the main floor.
I moved along the outside wall toward the bar for a drink. I’d need the good shit if I wanted to make it through the night. Once I got the attention of Brian, one of my bartenders, I nodded at him letting him know I was ready for my first drink.
I didn’t have to wait long before he was sliding a glass across the bar to me. Turning, I leaned against the bar and took in the room as I sipped my drink. My eyes bounced from one half naked woman to the next. And then I saw her.
Long waves of crimson shimmered in the lights as she worked her way across the room. She turned and smiled at a table full of guys who were talking to her and making obscene gestures. Her thick-lipped smile ignited something deep in my thighs. Long lashes skimmed her cheeks are she batted them at the guys and walked away from them.
When she turned my way, I saw the name Clive’s stretched across her full chest. The yellow T-shirt material clung to her breasts and I could see the white lines of her bra through it. She was oblivious to her seductive shirt, which made her all the more appealing.
The word Clive’s shifted as she maneuvered the room and turned from one side to the next. She worked for me, but she had no business in a place like my establishment. Her face full of makeup wasn’t fooling anyone. Her innocence shone through in the way she moved. Even with the tight shirt and short shorts that showed way too much leg, she stood out among all the sin swimming around the club like a big white beacon of beautiful essence.
Her lack of confidence showed in her walk as she made her way toward the bar—toward me. She was pure perfection with unflawed ivory skin and round hips that begged for my fingers. She was exquisite, she was timeless, and little did she know, but she was as good as mine.
Two
Rosslyn Harris
“I’m sorry for your loss.” Ms. Ellen said as she took my hand. Her skin was paper-thin allowing me to see the blue and purple lines that were her veins. “She’s in a better place now, sweetheart.”
I stared at her age-spotted skin as if I were in a daze. I nodded, but was unable to speak.
Ms. Ellen sang in the choir at my grandma’s church. I’d known her since I was ten. That was when my one-year-old brother, Kyle, and I had gone to live with my grandma. That was twelve years ago—right after my world had come crumbling down all around me.
My world was once again crumbling since my gran had gone to be with the Lord. She’d put up a good fight, but in the end, her body was just too old to hang on anymore. I’d taken care of her for most of my life, and she always provided for Kyle and me, but she was gone, and there I was, twenty-two years old, left with a thirteen year old to support, and no job in sight.
After the funeral, and once everyone left the house, it was just Kyle and I.
“Are we going to be okay, Roz?” Kyle asked as he helped me pack large amounts of food into the refrigerator.
Bringing food to the house after a funeral was what people did. I didn’t understand it, and I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with three big bowls of potato salad, but the people kept coming with their arms full of covered dishes.
“We’ll be fine. We’ll meet with the attorney tomorrow. I’m sure Gran left us a little something to keep us until I get a job.” I wiped at the counter with a wet cloth and sighed. “Why don’t you go upstairs and get ready for bed. I’ll be up in a bit, okay?”
I could barely look at him. I knew what I’d see if I did. Brown hair that he insisted on keeping in his face, and green eyes full of worry. No matter how many times I assured him we’d be okay, the truth was I wasn’t so sure.
“Okay,” he responded as he moved toward the stairs. “Hey, Roz.” He turned.
“Yeah?”
“Can I sleep in your room tonight? It’s going to be weird with her gone.”
My heart shattered. I’d gone the entire day without crying—being strong for Kyle, but I could slowly feel my façade fading. I shook my head and held the tears back knowing they would fall the minute he was gone.
“Sure, kid.” I said before turning away and continuing to wipe the counter.
As soon as I heard him hit the top of the stairs I let the tears go. The clog that sat in my throat most of the day cleared as the tears continued to fall and the weight on my chest lifted a bit.
“Miss Harris, I hate to tell you this, but there’s nothing left in your grandmother’s estate.” Ms. Brighton, gran’s attorney said.
In my opinion she was too young to be a lawyer. But for such a young woman she dressed like a sixty year old. Her gray suite was outdated and her pants were too high. When she sat the bottoms rose up way too high showing off hose with runs in them and scuffed heels.
She clicked the top of her pen over and over again making me want to pull my hair out.
“Excuse me?” I was sure I’d heard her wrong.
“As per your grandmother’s will, all monies remaining will go to paying off her debts. Anything after that was to go to you and your brother. However, there wasn’t even enough there to pay everything off.” Again, she clicked her pen over and over. “You are getting the Oldsmobile, though. So that’s good, right?”
The Oldsmobile, which was almost as old as my grandma, was all mine. Joy. I got to keep the rust bucket that sucked up too much gas and threw out white smoke on occasion.
My eyes were locked on Ms. Brighton’s pen. The clicking running through my brain and pushing away all the thoughts that were coming to consume me.
“What about the house?” I asked.
My voice was a broken whisper. My legs were trembling with nerves, letting me know that I was going to have a hard time leaving. That was if I could even stand.
Mr. Brighton’s expression said it before she did.
“Unfortunately, the bank will take possession of the house in thirty days.
I’m so sorry.” Finally she set the pen down and crossed her fingers. “Is there maybe a family member you guys can go stay with until you get things in order?”
I shook my head in shock. “No. Our parents died twelve years ago. We have no one.”
I held Kyle’s hand on the ride back to Gran’s house. He said nothing, and I was glad. I wasn’t sure I could speak to him without breaking down.
Once we got home, I made sure he had dinner before I tucked him in and got him ready for the school the following day. After that I spent the night in my room trying to figure out what the hell I was going to do.
No way could I afford to keep the house even if I did find a job. It was a huge, five-bedroom house. Kyle and I didn’t need all that. A small two-bedroom would suffice. Luckily, I got to keep everything in the house, which meant I wouldn’t need money to furnish the new place if I was able to find anything.
Once my eyes began to get heavy. I turned off the lamp beside my bed and fell into a fitful sleep.
The sounds of gunshots woke me and I sat straight up in bed. That’s when I heard the hard footfalls on the hardwood outside my bedroom. Whoever it was, they were running. The sounds of them running down the stairs and out the back door echoed into my room.
Kyle’s loud crying sounded from his nursery and filled the night. I was too afraid to get up, but once his cries got louder, I tip-toed to my bedroom door. I pulled the door open slowly so it didn’t squeak and tried to listen for any strange sounds.
The area outside my room was pitch-black. On silent feet, I ran across the hall to Kyle’s nursery, but my eyes glanced into my parents’ room and I stopped. Lying there on the floor in the light coming from their bathroom was my father.
He was in a puddle of blood and his eyes were wide open staring back at me. He wasn’t moving, he wasn’t breathing. In shock, I turned away from Kyle’s room and started toward my dad. It’s then that I saw my mother’s body. I gasped when I saw that her killer was still standing above her.
The stranger’s eyes connected with mine and fear took over.
He reached down and ripped the necklace from my mother’s neck. A locket with pictures of me and Kyle inside. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why the boy was taking it since I was sure it wasn’t worth that much, but then I looked around their room and saw that their TV was missing.
The killer left my mother, necklace in hand, and ran toward me. I stopped breathing and dropped to my knees. I was too afraid to run—I was too scared to move. Just when he got close to me and I was sure he was going to kill me, too, he ran past me and down the stairs. The back door slammed and then all I could hear was Kyle crying.
I sat straight up in bed gasping for air. Sweat trickled down my neck and into my nightgown. I pulled the fabric from my skin and tried to catch my breath.
It had been a while since I had a nightmare about the night my parents were killed, but with everything going on around me, it wasn’t a big surprise.
“You okay, Roz?” Kyle’s voice came from my bedroom door.
His voice was changing. Every now and again it would crack or squeak and he would sound older for a few brief seconds. He was slowly becoming a man, and I silently wished Dad could be there to teach him the ways of all things manly.
“Yeah. Just a nightmare. What are you doing up?” I asked as I checked the clock by my bed for the time.
“I heard you in here making noises.”
He came across the room and sat on the end of my bed.
“I’m sorry I woke you. You have school tomorrow and I have job hunting to do. We both need our sleep.”
“It’s okay. I wasn’t sleeping all that great anyway.”
I patted the bed beside me and Kyle climbed under the covers. Turning on my side, I wrapped my arm around him.
“Goodnight, Kyle.”
“Night.”
“You know, I could get you a job at Clive’s. It pays well and you’d be home all day since you wouldn’t have to be at work until six at night.” Trish said.
She was my only friend. Growing up I never had time to go out and meet people since I was always taking care of Gran. Trish was the only person in school that made time for me and understood I couldn’t go out partying on the weekends like everyone else.
We’d been friends since tenth grade. She looked exactly the same. Same blond hair, same blue eyes, and same perfect body. Things had started to grow since I was in high school. My butt was a little wider and my boobs a little heavier. I still had my tiny waist, which was good, but I hated having to go up a size in my jeans just because my hips were so curvy.
“I’m not working at a bar. Plus, who would watch Kyle at night?”
“Kyle is thirteen years old. He can watch himself. Roz, I was staying home alone much earlier than that. You’ll be there when he gets home, and you can make sure he gets dinner or whatever. Then he can do homework and go to bed. Get him one of those little pre-paid phones so he can call if something happens and tell him to lock the doors.”
Trish talked as she flipped through a magazine. It was obvious she never had to worry about another person but herself. I couldn’t just leave Kyle at home all alone. Especially not now. He was already having a hard time sleeping at night with Gran being gone, no way could he stay home alone.
“I can’t even afford a cell for myself. How would I be able to afford one for Kyle? It’s out of the question. Keep thinking. There has to be some places hiring around here.” I said.
Every day, after dropping Kyle off at the middle school, I’d spend the day putting in applications everywhere. I didn’t have a cell, so I’d checked the answering machine every afternoon with hopes that someone would call me back. I’d already gotten the phone bill, which I couldn’t afford to pay, so I needed them to call before the phone got turned off.
Two weeks later, and there had been no calls. Also, our house phone was disconnected. The water and electricity was next on the list, not to mention, we only had two more weeks before we had to be out. I was at the end of the rope. I was getting desperate.
Kyle and I searched for boxes at all the local stores and packed everything we wanted to keep. Everything else we sold. By the time the bank was taking the house, we managed to move everything we wanted to keep into Trish’s parents’ garage. We each packed a suitcase for everything we’d need until we found a place, and as sad as it was and as bad as it broke my heart, we moved into the Oldsmobile.
I was sure Trish would have given us a place to stay had I told her about our predicament, but I was too proud. She was my age, and she worked and lived on her own. I was ashamed that I couldn’t do the same.
The little bit of money we had from everything we sold would get us through. It paid for gas and food and really, that was all we needed until I could get us into an apartment.
“Remember, Kyle, don’t tell anyone about our living arrangements. It won’t be like this for long, I promise. Just bear with me, okay?” I said as I pulled up in front his school.
“Roz, I’m not going to say anything. I’m not an idiot.” He smiled sweetly at me. “We’ll find something. I’m not worried.”
I smiled at him as he got out of the car and shut the door behind him.
I felt low—lower than low, and I knew what I had to do. I had to put Kyle first, and that meant I was going to Trish to beg for a job.
I got out the car and tripped over the sidewalk going to Trish’s front door. She lived in a nice apartment complex. Nothing I could afford as of yet, but with her help I was hoping to. I knocked on the door ten times before she finally answered it with sleepy eyes and wild hair.
“Someone better be dead,” she rasped.
“No one’s dead. I need your help.”
I stepped around her and sat on her couch. She sighed, closed the door, and turned to me with her hands on her hips.
“You do realize I just went to bed like an hour ago, right?” She said as she fell onto the couch beside me and pulled the th
row blanket from the back over her legs.
“I know. I’m sorry, but I need that job at Clive’s. You’ve done a lot for us. I really appreciate you and your parents giving me a storage space and helping me and Kyle load it all up, but I need one more favor and I promise I’ll never ask for anything again.”
“Fine. Vick is looking for another waitress. I told her about you. Just come up to Clive’s tonight around five. I’m pretty sure she’ll give you the job.” Trish said as her eyes slowly closed.
“Just like that? I don’t have to interview or anything?” I asked.
“Just wear a pair of your shortest shorts. That should get you right in.”
I walked out of Trish’s apartment with a pair of the shortest shorts I’d ever seen and a sinking feeling in my stomach. It wasn’t ideal, but it was money. At that point I would have done whatever I had to do to make sure Kyle had a roof over his head and food in his stomach.
“Can you start tonight?” Vick asked.
Vick was nice, but to the point. There was no sugar coating when it came to her. She stared me down like I was a piece of meat and then adjusted my shirt so that it showed more skin. It was the most uncomfortable thing I’d ever been through, but it got me the job.
“Yes.”
The word flew out of my mouth even though I knew in the back of my mind that starting that night was a bad idea. I still had no idea what I was going to do with Kyle. We were living in the car for God’s sake. And Clive’s was in the middle of the city. Not the best place to leave a thirteen year old in the car alone, but I’d make due. I always did.
That night, after getting Kyle some McDonald’s, I left him at Trish’s apartment alone and rode with Trish to Clive’s. I hated to do it, even though he assured me he would be fine. Not to mention, Trish was nice enough to leave her cell with him since it was his first night alone.
Get Rocked Page 65
