Page 1 of Sire: On Your Knees

Beep! Beep! Beep!

I glanced up from my phone screen to see Ria's black Kia K5 racing into the parking lot. Sighing, I slowly stood to my feet and slid my phone into my trouser pocket.

She came to a screeching halt in front of me and rolled the passenger window down. "Get in, bitch, we 'bout to get fucked up. It's five o'clock somewhere."

I chuckled with a shake of my head. Getting fucked up sounded like exactly what I needed after the morning I had. It was taking everything in me to hold it together, but the weight of the last hour weighed heavily on my shoulders. Opening the door, I slid onto her buttery cognac passenger seat and dropped my purse between my feet on the floorboard. My back slammed into the back of the seat.

Her foot was on the gas a second later, carrying me away from the job at Mutual Healthcare, where I thought I would stay for years. You know, becoming one of those women who had all the knowledge and climbed the ladder of success to receive one of the biggest salaries offered. Yet here I was, leaving in the middle of the day after six months because I'd fucked around and gotten fired.

"Girl, what happened?" Taria questioned once we were well on our way to only God knows where.

I couldn't care less. I knew I could trust Taria with my life. We've been friends since we were teenagers, and she was always in my corner. I didn't have many friends, but the quality of my one friend made up for it in many ways.

I could only laugh as I replayed the conversation that had ended my employment. "Bitches be jealous. A hating, mad ho told my director I had weed on me. I got called in to HR, and they searched my shit."

Turning to Ria, I gave herthelook that said bitch you know me. We both knew I had that shit on me. My face fell into the palm of my hand as I groaned.

"I needed that fucking job, boe. I outta come back later and dog walk that bitch for playing with me like that when she gets off."

"And you wouldn't be wrong. These hos be miserable and taking it out on the world. God don't like ugly. Trust me, she won't be there for much longer."

I folded my arms over my chest, believing what Ria said. Ashton must've forgotten I was the reason she lasted so long. Without my help, she was sure to crash and burn before the month was out.

I glanced out the window, attempting to control my emotions, but I failed miserably. I tried to cry as quietly as possible, but Ria still heard me when I sniffled. I felt her hand on my arm as she eased to a stop at a red light.

"Aww, don't cry, friend. It's going to be okay."

I wiped away my tears and nodded.

"I know, I'm just frustrated. Sometimes, it feels like my life is never going to get better."

"It will. You can't think like that, Noonie."

I sighed. "I know, I know, but fuck, rent is still due. I need something to shake."

She was quiet, using her weight to give the car some gas when the light switched to green. I became lost in my thoughts, wondering what was going to be next for me. If I was honest, I felt somewhat relieved to be released from the modern-day slavery model. They gave just enough to get by while continuing to hike up the prices of everything.

It was a blessing to even be able to keep my head above water. That was my motivation for getting up to catch the bus to work every morning. Now, things were a little different... I started thinking of what I could do if I came up with the money to start a business.

Ria turned into Nellie's parking lot a few minutes later. My mouth salivated as I thought about the ten-piece hot honey wings I was about to bust down without shame. Those margarita flights were calling me too. I decided to put worrying about the future on the back burner to focus on stuffing my face. Food always made me feel better.

"I may have a solution to your problem," Ria declared after our server walked away.

She'd just dropped off our margarita flights. I wasted no time placing the tiny straw between my lips and pulling the drink's sweetness into my mouth. My eyes were on Ria, waiting for her to continue. Her head twisted from side to side as she checked to be sure no one was listening.

For the most part, Nellie's was still empty since it wasn't even noon. Only one person sat at the bar, and all the other booths and tables were empty, so she had nothing to worry about. OnceRia felt safe to speak, she pressed her chest to the table and leaned closer. "Okay, so I've been keeping a secret."

I raised an eyebrow because this was tea for me.

"You know how I told you Rico bought my car for me?"

I nodded, becoming more curious about where this conversation was going. Ria had been with her boyfriend Rico for the last six months. The two of them were nearly inseparable. I was shocked that he wasn't glued to her side when she came to pick me up.

"Well, that's not the whole truth. He got it with money we stole from this baller in Charlotte."

My eyes ballooned, and I nearly choked on my margarita. Beating on my chest and coughing, I tried to clear my airways. When I got my breath together, I put my focus back on my best friend. "Say what now?"

"You heard me. He finds the targets. I reel the men in, then we take 'em for all they got. We haven't missed any meals yet. It can help you get right."

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