What Dominique thought was a night to forget, became one of many fused into her memory.
She and Rick went to events (where wealthy men gathered) to carve out territory and boost their client base.
He told her it was a temporary situation, and she consoled herself with the money she made, often a thousand per night.
This kept guilt in check. Besides, she didn’t think of herself like that.
Like what?
Dirty.
She wanted to do more than survive, and using thirsty men was the solution.
One evening, at a midtown hotel, she flexed her power dressed in all black.
Men gave her looks, they couldn’t help it, but none dared make a move until an athletic, brown-skinned, corporate-type, approached.
He cut her a glance before running a typical line.
“This seat taken?” He asked.
She nodded, playing it cool.
Having been in this situation too many times to remember, she anticipated his lame follow-up.
“Would you like another?” He asked, looking at her drink.
She ran a quick computer-like scan to assess his value.
“Okay.”
A passing waiter took their orders.
She was deep into the game and moved every which way depending on the situation. He was either married, single, desperate, or some combination of the three.
When hustling, everything’s at angles making the obvious double-sided. The average person would jump at the chance to be with someone attractive, not understanding how their desire makes them vulnerable.
The waiter brought their drinks and she abandoned her first one.
“Thank you,” she said.
“No problem.” He paused to take a sip. “Hey, not to be stingy, it goes on my company’s account. I’m here for a conference.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“I wish.”
“For how long?”
“It was three days, this is the last night.”
“What’s it about?”
“You don’t want to hear about boring, engineering stuff,” he said with a chuckle.
“Maybe not, but let me decide.”
“No, really, you’re going to fall asleep.”
She stared at him, waiting.
“You’re serious?” He was flattered, boxed in. “My company builds parts for NASA, just a small gadget that goes on the heat rejection subsystem radiators so that people in the space station don’t burn up. I’m on the marketing team.”
She listened intently.
“Business was slow due to the shuttle situation. So we’ve modified our approach for long-range missiles. New contracts keep us going… told you it was boring.”
“Not at all, my father loved rockets. When I was little he would tell me about them.”
“How’s he now?”
“He died when I was ten.” She took a drink.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“It seems so long ago.”
“My mother raised me too.”
“Your dad passed?”
“Well, in a way. I never knew him. So it wasn’t a loss. I can’t miss something I never had. Right?” He paused. ”I’m Derek, by the way,” he said, extending a hand.
They shook.
“Dominique… after a while, it’s like that anyway.”
“You sound cynical.”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “Me?” Her phone buzzed, it was Rick. She declined.
“Bad things happen to all of us, it’s just a matter of what you do about it.”
“I like that. A little motivation, thanks.”
Shaking his head. “And so beautiful.”
His sincerity was disarming, giving her school girl tingles. Or, maybe it was her mood and hormones. It didn’t matter, thing’s felt right. Feelings of possibility and hope tugged at her.
Unsettled, she checked the time. Damn, Rick, what would she say?
“Thanks for the drink,” she said politely.
“Already?”
“I’ve got an early day tomorrow?”
“Well, can I call you?”
“I don’t really ….”
Before she finished speaking, he stuck a card in her hand.
She took it, blushing as their hands touched.
Later, at Rick’s, she was subdued, still thinking about the man that got her attention.
He was simp, she told herself, just another trick to be played. But she knew this was a lie, that he’d touched a nerve.
“Bae,” Rick said, noticing her lack of focus.
“Yes.”
“You okay? Somethin’ happen’ tonight.”
“No, it was quiet.”
“I called you.”
“I know, must have been on the train.”
He looked at her skeptically. “Train… we need to stay on our grind. Ain’t no days off.”
She didn’t respond.
“Neek?”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t ‘yeah’ me like that. Get your mind right.”
“It is.”
He reached for a blunt and lighter off the night table, fired it up. A gust of fumes flooded the bedroom.
He passed it to her, she took a deep hit, settling back in the pillows.
“You love me?” She asked, shocking herself with the childlike way the words sounded.
He took a pull before answering. “Where’s this coming from. Some punk got you twisted?”
“No,” she answered reflexively. But his instincts were too good. Like most predators, his senses were acute.
“There’s only you… I just wanna know.”
He paused. “Don’t game me.”
“I’m not…”
He grabbed her hair, twisting it into his fist.
“I’m just wondering how everything will end,” she whimpered.
“That depends.”
“I don’t want it to be like this.”
He leered, before letting her go. “I told you, this is temporary. Once we get straight that’s it, I’m done.”
“The magic number?”
“You know it. One million.” He pulled hard on the weed. His face brightened.
“Things are good, and I’m about to settle on that property I told you about. We flip a few of those and the money’ll be flowing from rent and sales. Hell, I don’t wanna work no more, and don’t want you to either.”
She’d heard it all before and wanted to believe it was true, even with a man like Rick who did whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted.
In the morning, when he was asleep, she pulled the card from her purse, hesitated then shot him a quick text.
“Thanks for last night.”
End of part 4/8
