“How many STD’s do I have now, huh? A dozen? How many dicks have you fucking sucked you fucking disgusting little trash whore?”
I stopped and shook my head, looking up to the night sky just to keep the tears from falling. How did I get myself into this? How had I let myself fall so far?
He was panting into the phone, and I could almost see the sweat dripping down his face from the exertion it took for him to say all of that in one breath.
When I was sure he was done, I opened my mouth to speak, only for him to get in one last word. “Pathetic fucking child.”
My mouth snapped shut and I shook my head, swallowing the tears building in my throat. “It was for my job,” I told him evenly. “The one I’ve been working since I moved here. At the café.”
He was quiet for a long time. “Coffee shops don’t havemeetings at 10 at night,” he stated bitterly. “You’re a fucking filthy ass liar. Thanks for bailing on me at The Club.”
My eyes widened. “What?” I breathed out. We weren’t supposed to go to The Club until tomorrow, what was he talking about?
I pulled my phone away from my face, checking the date, making sure I wasn’t crazy. It was the 23rd. We weren’t due back until tomorrow.
When I put the phone back to my ear, he was going off about how I was the worst girlfriend, that I never fucked him right, that I was nothing but a piece of ass to use until he found someone better to replace me.
“Get here now so you can show me how sorry you are, or I swear to God, Olivia, I’ll beat the living shit out of you.” Click.
I sucked in my lips and closed my eyes. Fuck.
The conversation from the restaurant seemed like a dream now. Nothing more than a reprieve from the nightmares I had been stuck in for years and the one now waiting for me at my apartment.
Because he had a key that I couldn’t remember giving him, but he was sure I had.
I must have.
I worked my jaw and shook my head before dialing up my mom. Might as well get it all over with.
“I was just about to call you,” she said in way of greeting. “How was dinner?”
I grasped the bridge of my nose for several seconds, trying to breathe. I should have taken a couple of minutes before calling because I could already feel the rage and just absolute disdain burning under my skin.
“Honey? Are you there?”
I dropped my hand to my side and shook my head. No. No, I wasn’there. I was out among the fucking drifters of this cityfucking the money out of men’s wallets, apparently, like the pathetic trash piece of shit whore that I fucking was. “Yup, I’m here,” I said, the thickness in my voice betraying me. I looked down at my dress, scowling at it. It’s not something a whore would wear, was it? Something this beautiful. God,fuckSteven.
“And? How did it go?”
The only way to get rid of the thickness was to swallow it down and allow just an inch of anger out, just enough to get my point across. “I got your loan,” I said bitterly, wrapping my arm around my ribs.
“Good, I’ll need for you to meet him again.”
My eyes widened. I had already decided I wanted to have dinner with him again, but who thefuckwas she to not give me an option? To set me up like she did and have no good reasoning why?
“Once every two weeks so we can pay him back.”
I couldn’t feel my feet.
“We just wanted to make sure he liked you before sending you back. You’re so young and beautiful, I knew it would work out.”
My jaw couldn’t hit the ground fast enough. “You sent me to meet him because you thought he’d want to fuck me?” I breathed out. “You wanted me to soften him up so he’d make good on the deal?”
“Let Mrs. Lemont know that I was sure of this until I met you.”
It all made sense now, but I guess the joke’s on you, mom, I wasn’t his type.
“You need to watch your language with me, young lady, I didn’t teach you to curse like that.”
