Alluring - Suzanne Steele Page 0,2

She had to get her shit together before the kid started school, and rumors about her job plagued him. She wouldn’t embarrass him with her life choices. She would protect him the way no one had protected her. She would give him the life she had been deprived of.

She had no intention of working for minimum wage or busting her ass for tips. The thought of being groped by truckers in a diner was about as appealing as going back to hooking was.

She had no idea how she was going to get out of her present situation. She did know if she took her time and calculated a plan, she would find a way out. The only problem was time wasn’t a commodity she had.

Chapter One

Rum smiled as she heard the click-clacking of Candie’s heels. She liked Candie. As an employee, she was always on time and kept a good attitude. She was also fun. Candie had mastered the fantasy of pigtails and short plaid skirts with knee socks and black patent-leather heels. In a nutshell, she was the dirty little college girl who had the capability of maxing out a man’s black Amex. She took pigtails and giant lollipops to a whole new level. She was sincerely kind and hilarious. You never left Candie’s presence feeling down in the dumps. She had a way of bringing joy to a room, and not many people could do that.

The neighborhood was alive with the promise of spring. Foliage bloomed, and the birds sang as if they were grateful for the quiet suburban neighborhood. Both girls couldn’t blame them—the streets sucked, and Rum and Candie knew it all too well. Rum took a moment to breathe in the fresh air and the safety she felt being here. No mother wanted to be in the line of fire unless it was applesauce from your toddler, and even then, it took a certain steadfastness.

“I just love this neighborhood,” Candie said as if reading her friend’s thoughts. Calix is so nice for setting us up in business here.”

Rum chuckled, “I’m not sure I’d use the word nice to describe a man who is as dangerous as he is.”

“That danger you’re talking about is what keeps people from bothering us. The whole neighborhood is scared shitless of the man.”

Rum looked at her friend and shook her head, “It’s a neighborhood of senior citizens. They aren’t scared of the man. Calix helps them all out financially when they need it. Calix doesn’t just know how to work a room; he knows how to work a neighborhood.” He’s been doing it for years. Calix owned various properties. He’d used drug money to invest in real estate, and he’d made sure the girls were put in a house that was in a suburban neighborhood. The people here were established professionals who had retired and were living out their golden years in a quiet, quaint place where crime was never an issue.

Candie popped a bubble with the gum she was chewing, “All the surrounding neighborhoods are scared of him too. It keeps the bad element away, and that works for me. I’m so glad to be off the streets. I can’t thank you enough for presenting this business opportunity to me. Every day I wondered if I’d die. That’s a terrible way to have to live.”

Rum felt a shudder go through her as she thought of the man who had attempted killing her. “I think Maury was my last straw. Getting my ass kicked by a man who tried to kill me was all it took for this business deal to look inviting.”

“Whatever happened to him?” Candie’s eyes were wide with expectation. “You know…that Maury guy,” she said as if needing to clarify which dirtbag she was referring to.

“I don’t know, and I don’t care.” Rum wasn’t about to open-up about the nightmares she still had about the bastard who tried to kill her. She never told anyone how she fantasized about killing him. She’d almost succeeded when she drove his car into a creek. It was easy then because she was running on pure adrenaline. The thought of working herself into that state of mind again was daunting. So, for now, she just rested in the peace of knowing Maury was never going to be a part of her life again. Calix had rescued her from the monsters of her past. She had no idea Maury was terrified of her after getting word that she was the object of