Page 119 of Girls Night
“I thinkyou’rebeautiful. And it’s true. I’m always looking for my bird, Devon. So… that’s the answer to your question.”
I grabbed her then and pulled her close. “Come ‘ere.” Even with my bruised and beat up face, she thought I was beautiful. She made me want to cry.
Sex with a woman was so much different than with a man. Not that I’d hadrealsex with anyone since I’d left home. Work and real sex weren’t the same thing. It wasn’t only condoms I used to protect myself when I fucked clients, but also a wall, separating me from the other person while he got his money’s worth. I was just a vessel.
With Mia, it was “all of me” I gave, just as I was certain she gave me all of her. When we came together, it was filled with love, the closest I’d ever come to sharing myself with another.
She went down on me, kissing and stroking every zone I had, and every few seconds she’d look at me like I’d disappear.
Her fingers were magic, and she held nothing back, exploring my body like a treasure she’d just discovered. She was killing me, and I never wanted it to end. For us to end.
And maybe it didn’t have to. Maybe she could be mine. Some day. When I got myself together. If only.
Later on, with her arms wrapped around me, her warm, soft naked skin pressed to mine, she tilted her head up and watched me watching her, wincing at my stupid puffy face. “Let’s have a girl’s night. I’ll make some popcorn, I’ll bring in my laptop, we can watch a movie or something. And while you ice your face some more, which you should have been doing this whole time,” she shyly dropped her gaze, as though it was her fault I wasn’t healing, which was hysterical to me, “I’ll paint your toes and we can… do whatever girls do at sleepovers. Sound like a plan?”
She was opening herself up to me again, so I opened up too. “Never had a sleepover with girlfriends before. Always wanted to. Sure, I’d like that.”
Yep, I was smitten.
“Yay! I’ll be back,” she said, kissing me carefully. I could smell myself on her and it made me hot.
I grabbed her ass when she got out of the bed, making her squeal. “Hurry back. I’m cold.”
She turned around, putting on her robe and covering her stunning body. The smile she flashed me was blinding. “I will.”
* * *
Hours later, in the dark, with Mia’s arm around me and both of us bundled up in her fluffy duvet, I woke up out of a deep sleep, my phone buzzing beside me on the bedside table. When I checked the number, I saw it was Kay. Quietly, I slipped out of the bed and went into the bathroom to read the message.
Kay: Where are you? I need help and no one is answering!
Kay: call me as soon as you get this message. please Mia….
Kay rarely texted me, so I knew something was wrong. This was bad.
I pressedcalland waited ring after ring for her to pick up. I tried again, then decided to just text her, telling her to message me back.
I wasn’t sure where she was, so it wasn’t like I could go out and search for her. I’d have to just pray she was okay and safe.
Fuck.
I had just finished washing my hands after using the bathroom when my phone buzzed. It was Kay. A John had thrown her out onto the street, she wrote, taking all her money. She had nothing but her phone, and TJ wasn’t answering. Maybe she was close by, I thought, texting her back.
Devon: OK, so where are you now?
Mia: on Sherwood and 4th
Without thinking, I sent her Mia’s address and told her to come over. She was just a block away, so I took Mia’s robe and put it on and went downstairs to wait, stuffing some cash from my bag into the robe’s pocket. I would just step outside, hand her some money for a cab, and hope she went somewhere for the night. TJ wouldn’t let her in tonight. It didn’t matter what a John did—it was alwaysourfault if something went wrong, but he’d get over it by tomorrow and forgive her.
But when I opened the door, it wasn’t Kay.
“Well hello, Devon, you lying, cheating bitch.” TJ’s eyes were wild. He looked more crazy than I’d ever seen him. I tried to slam the door in his face, but he shoved it open, grabbing me by the hair and twisting it until I let out a scream.
“Thought you could go behind my back, Devon? Really?” He pulled me down to the floor, his hold on my hair unbelievably strong, as he dragged me inside. “Where’s my motherfucking money? You owe me every last penny, every dime is mine.”
When I didn’t answer, he twisted harder, my scalp on fire.
“Where’s your shit?” he spat.
