Page 29 of Her Defiant Heart (Damaged Hearts 1)

abs me by the arm, stopping me.

“Fine, you get six, I get four,” he offers. So generous. Doesn’t he realize I’m the one who has to “spend time” with this guy? I don’t even know what he wants from me.

But I can take a guess.

“I get eight, you get two, and we’ve got a deal.” I can’t believe I said that. My greed just completely took over me, but this is the perfect opportunity for me to earn some major cash. I always tell Savannah I would never do something like this, but…

How can I let this opportunity get away from me?

Don grins, a chuckle escaping him. Like my negotiating skills are so hilarious. “I can’t give you that much, Jen. Come on.”

“I’m the one who’s going to have to grind on this guy’s dick or whatever,” I mutter, wrenching my arm out of his grip. I can’t think beyond dick-grinding right now. I know it could be much worse, but I don’t want to imagine it. “I should make the majority of the money for what I have to do. You’re doing nothing.”

“I’m the one who’s brokering the deal and letting you off early from your shift, so I deserve something too.” Don licks his lips, reminding me of a slimy lizard. “Six and four. That’s my final offer.”

“What exactly does this guy want from me?”

“I don’t know. He didn’t say. Only mentioned that you looked real good and he wants to get to know you. I bet if you treat him real nice, touch him, kiss him, maybe jerk him off, he’ll be happy. Just say yes. Come on.” Don sends me a pleading look.

I shouldn’t do it. But I’m living paycheck to paycheck, even with the great tips I make here. My shitty house isn’t cheap, and school takes up a lot of my money. Once I get in good with the Montgomerys, I know I’ll walk away with a huge payoff, but until then I’m fighting for every dollar I get.

“Seven and three or I’m out.” I cross my arms in front of my chest, plumping up my boobs on purpose. Don’s eyes drop to them and I let him stare, trying not to feel too creeped out. He’s laser-focused on my erect nipples, which is just weird, but I tell myself I’m doing this for seven grand.

Seven. Grand.

“Fine.” He sighs, as if I just put him out. “Seven and three it is.”

Relief floods me. I may be acting like a whore, but at least I’ll be seven thousand dollars richer by the end of the evening.

Ignoring the shame that threatens, I drop my arms to my sides and shake my hair back. “Tell your guest I’ll do it.”

Don grins and rubs his hands together. “Stay right here. Got a little bit of arrangin’ to do.”

I watch him walk away, then tell myself that no matter what, I can’t run.

Even though I really want to.

Three years ago

“Are you serious? What the hell are we going to do now?” Dad follows me as I walk through the trailer toward my bedroom. “How could you lose that job?”

I whirl on him, furious. Like it’s always my fault when I bring home bad news. It’s so frustrating. I feel for him, I do, but he needs to stop blaming me for everything that happens to us. “My boss tried to cop a feel, Dad. When he grabbed my ass, I told him no and slapped his hand away. He fired me.”

My father stares at me, his expression horrified. “What are you talking about, he tried to cop a feel? Jim is my friend! He would never do that!”

“Well, he’s your friend who tried to feel me up.” I rest my hands on my hips, glaring at him. He looks terrible, pale and weak. His hair is thin and his eyes are bloodshot. He doesn’t eat much anymore, and it shows. I bet a strong gust of wind would knock him right over.

Closing my eyes briefly, I take a deep breath, reminding myself that he’s not well. He’s sick, but I’m so frustrated over what happened, it’s hard to focus on being careful when all I wanna do is blow up at him. “When was the last time you went outside?”

“It doesn’t matter.” He waves a hand. “You need to find another job, Jenny. You know we can’t go too long without your income.”

The problem is, I can’t find fulltime work around here, and that’s what I need in order to afford the rent at this stupid trailer park. No one wants to hire an under-experienced eighteen-year-old, but I can’t get any experience if no one is going to hire me. It’s such bullshit.

God knows my father isn’t able to hold down a job, and he’s still fighting to get on permanent disability. His depression makes it hard for him to get out of bed. He’s lost most of his jobs just because he didn’t show up.

It’s unbelievable, how my mother still controls him to this day. It’s also pitiful.

And sad.

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