Now...onto the even harder part. Victoria drove to her next destination...hopefully for the last time. When she arrived at Nic's, she asked the person at the gate for Jimmy. He was about to buzz her in, when she asked him not to. She had wanted to meet him at the gate.
When she saw Jimmy walking down the driveway, she took a deep breath. No turning back now.
"Hey Vicky," Jimmy said, eyeing her suspiciously.
"Hey Jimmy. Can you do me a favor and hand this to Nic?" she said, placing the duffel bag in his hands.
It didn't take Jimmy long to feel the neatly packed money through the bag. He sighed and looked back at her.
"Vicky, I..."
"No, please don't say anything Jimmy. None of this is your fault. I think you're a great guy. But nothing you can say will make me stay."
Jimmy leaned on her door. He brushed his hand through his hair and looked at her.
"Alright, then I'll keep quiet."
"Thank you," Victoria said, as she moved th
Victoria leaned her head against the bus window. This was the third and final bus before she reached her parents' apartment. She looked out onto the street and saw a few homeless men sitting in between cracks and corners of buildings. She saw groups of middle or high school kids playing around while walking down the street. She saw the old basketball court she had walked by a million times. It was empty, most likely due to the cold. She sighed as the bus turned a familiar corner and made its way down to her street. When she finally reached the area where her apartment was located, she exited the bus and stared at the ugly brick building. It seemed like forever since she had been there.When Victoria unlocked the door to the apartment, she instantly smelled her mother's cooking. That memorable smell made her feel all warm inside, despite it being freezing cold outside. She figured they had probably settled in for an early nap. She quietly tiptoed to the couch. She noticed new
Outside, the cold air hit her, stinging her face. She could see her breath every time she breathed in and out. She wrapped her coat tightly around her and started walking towards her old bus stop. She had taken that bus everywhere. To school, to the mall...back when life was less confusing and harsh.She sat down on the cold metal bench to think. It would be getting dark soon, and she only had twenty-two dollars and eighteen cents in her purse. She had to think of something. She refused to go back to Paul. He had already shown her more generosity than she felt she deserved. She looked out at some of the stores that were starting to turn on their closed signs. Fuck, it was freezing. She needed to think of something soon.Victoria had worked all through school, so she never really hung out with anyone. Not anyone she could actually call on to stay with for a while. Yet another reason she resented her father. And her high school boyfriend had moved away a few years ago, o
Judging on his room, he was definitely not expecting company. There were clothes all over his floor and a plate of food sitting on the floor by the bed. Pictures of different rappers and naked women littered his walls. She couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw a questionable plant in the corner of his room."Uh, yeah...I believe in an herbal existence," Antonio said, noticing her staring at the plant. Victoria burst into a laugh. She sat down on the messy bed and looked up at him."I can take the couch. I would feel bad kicking you out of your room," Victoria said, but Antonio wouldn't hear of it. "No, absolutely not. My momma raised me better than that," he said, winking at her."Where's Sean?" Victoria asked, remembering Antonio's roommate's name."Oh, he's visiting family back on the west coast. He'll be gone for the rest of the week."That put Victoria a little more at ease. She already felt like she was imposing on Antonio, and she would f
The next morning, Victoria stared up at Antonio's ceiling. On a poster, looking back at her, was a half naked Latina who held the smile of a seductress on her face. She was wearing cut off jean shorts that looked more like panties, and a short wet, white shirt that was torn just right below her nipples. She was sitting on a counter by a cash register counting money and below her the caption read 'Sex sells'. 'It most certainly does,' Victoria thought sadly as she stared at the young woman. She wondered if the girl had a family who would look down on her for taking these photos. Did she have men degrade her for the decisions she had made? Victoria continued to stare at the pretty girl on the poster as she heard a knock on the door."Hey Vicky, are you decent?" she heard Antonio ask through the door. Decent. There was that damn word again."Yeah," she croaked out and sat up in the bed as Antonio entered."Coffee, dear?" he grinned, while handing her a cup.
Okay...these shorts were really short. But at least the black shirt was able to be tucked down inside them. The neckline was low, but whatever, it was an honest job and she was grateful. And at least she got to wear her Converse.When she walked out, she saw Greg standing next to a woman with long brunette hair. She was laughing at something he was saying. He turned his attention toward Victoria."Whoa, hot. Good. Alright, this is Tracy, she's going to be your shadow today. But I'm pretty sure you can handle it," Greg said, placing his arm around Tracy's shoulder.Tracy smiled at her. "Hiya sweetie. Come on, I'll show you the ropes," she said in a thick southern accent.The day moved by pretty fast. It was basic waitressing 101. The customers were a little rowdy, much different than Victoria was used to. She had several ask for her phone number and one college kid that kept staring at her ass. But all in all, the day went pretty well. And Tracy even share
"And this is the last one, Nic. It's to make sure that the bartenders at the club...Nic?" Eddie asked. He slowly waved his hand in front of Nic's face.Nic's eyes followed Eddie's hand before they locked on his eyes. "Yes?""Um, I was just saying this is the last one you have to sign," Eddie sighed.Nic leaned down, glanced over the document and then signed his name. Eddie scooped up the papers and stuffed them in his briefcase. He gave a small smile to Nic before he quickly exited.Nic leaned back in his chair. He slowly ran his hand over the top of his desk, thinking about the time he and Victoria made love on top of it. The light blue lingerie had hugged her curves, causing his manhood to stand at full attention. God, what was it about that girl? He would never admit it to anyone, but he dreamt about her. It had only been a couple days, but he kept feeling a tightening in his chest. He wanted her back. A part of him wanted to make up for the night he c
Victoria was so proud of herself. She had finally learned to perfect Lasagna. She had been looking over several recipes all day, and found the perfect one. Sure, it was a basic dish, but she was still proud that she had made it. The cheese was a bright golden color, and the edges were slightly browned, and the smell...oh, it was fantastic. She couldn't wait for Antonio to taste it. He couldn't make fun of her Italian cooking anymore, seeing that she had tried to make chicken parmigiano the night before and it was...well, nasty, no other word. And she had been bragging that entire day about how good a cook she was. But tonight, she would redeem herself. She was adding tomatoes to the salad, when she heard the front door unlock. She quickly picked up her Lasagna masterpiece and headed to the front of the house."Ta da!" she shouted, and held the scrumptious dish right under Antonio's nose when he entered.But he didn't smile. He didn't even look at her. He looked down at
"Get your hands off me!" she cried. "I'm not your plaything anymore. Let go!!""Victoria, you have nowhere to go," Nic whispered to her."Then I'd rather be out on the streets than to be in your bed even one more night," Victoria spat at him, breathing quickly through her nose.That felt like a kick to his gut. She really hated him that much? He stared down into her face to see if there was any part of her hesitating. But nothing. She wanted him to leave her alone. Well, fuck, he wasn't about to beg her. His mind told him to let it go. Here he was standing out in the rain having a shouting match with her, something he NEVER would have done with Amber, or any other woman for that matter...yet, here he was. What a fool. He noticed her shivering and the rain had molded her clothes to her body. Fuck her, she could leave in the freezing cold rain and be alone. Why should he care? He released his grip from her and turned to walk back to his car.Victoria quickl