Working Girls (4 page)

She preferred dealing with tricks, although in her heart she despised them. She considered them weak. She loved the control that she had over men. The way they turned into putty in her hands, and the way they got all excited at the sight of her tight body. She had been walking all over men since she was thirteen years old. She had always been lucky . . . up until now. She had never been raped, beaten up, or robbed. Her mother had taught her well, and she had always been an excellent judge of character. She had never really given much thought to the reality of the danger of her profession. She had totally misjudged that crazy muthafucka tonight. He could've killed her. She wouldn't make that mistake again.

She had heard all the horror stories of streetwalkers being raped, robbed, and killed. She considered herself to be a notch above a “streetwalker.” She wasn't out there sucking dick in the back of cars for twenty-five dollars. She was definitely a whore, but she did have standards and principles.

“Yeah, okay.” Rome shook his head and let out a light chuckle.

Jewels rolled her eyes. They rode in silence, but Jewels was pissed. She didn't like to be judged, especially wrongly . . . somewhat. She felt that was exactly what Rome was doing. It took all her willpower not to explode on him. She believed her life depended on it.

Rome was not like the average man Jewels came in contact with. He was not a trick, and he sure as hell wasn't weak, either, so she could not control him or the situation. She analyzed men for a living and sized them up on a regular basis just for GP. Rome was like no other man she had ever encountered. The man exuded danger. He reminded her of her own father. It wasn't that he looked dangerous, like Ice did. She found him to be nice on the eyes even though looks weren't her thing. He was dark-skinned, with the most perfect set of white teeth that she had ever seen. She could tell he wasn't that much older than she was, but like her, he had seen some things at a young age that had made him mature for his age. She noticed his strong jawline and his deep dimples whenever he opened his mouth to talk with his baritone voice. He had a short, nappy Afro, but even that worked for him, she thought. His razor-sharp lines gave it sex appeal. He was of average height, above six feet. She estimated that he weighed about 190 pounds, even though he appeared bigger, because he was muscular. His chest protruded, and his shoulders were broad.

Jewels stole occasional glances at his massive chocolate arms. She could feel her inner thighs moisten.
What the fuck? Why is my pussy getting wet?
She couldn't believe she was getting turned on. That was something that rarely happened. She crossed her legs to keep from fidgeting in the seat. She stared out the passenger-side window to take her mind off her thoughts about Rome. She felt like a little girl, and she hadn't felt that way in a long time. The feeling caused her thoughts of Rome to switch to those of her father.

She would never forget how the young pimp Slim had taken him away from her and her mother. Her trip down memory lane as she reminisced about the first connection she and her father had made was cut short by the sound of a voice, followed by the touch of her arm. Jewels jerked back.

“Whoa!” Rome threw his hands up submissively. “You good over there?” Rome questioned.

She stared at him, wide eyed. His voice had startled her, and it had brought her back to reality. A sense of embarrassment swept through her.

He was staring at her.

She cleared her throat. “Yes, I'm fine. Why are you staring at me?”

Rome shook his head in disbelief. “Because I told you we were here three times, and you still ain't said shit.” He chuckled.

Jewels looked around and then forward. She hadn't even noticed they had stopped. She wondered how long he had been watching her. He was pulled in front of the gated community she lived in.

“Excuse me. It's been a really long night,” she offered as an explanation for why she had zoned out. What else could she say? She knew she couldn't tell a total stranger, a killer at that, that he had just made her pussy throb and get wet. She was convinced the chances of them ever seeing each other again were slim to none, and she felt that was for the best. “I just wanna put all this behind me.”