Page 122 of Thick & Thin

“And, Mr. Michaels… my daughter better not ever find out about this agreement, do you understand?

“Yeah, I got it!” I snapped.

“Good. I’m glad we understand each other. Her name’s Lilly, and you better not screw this up. I’ll be in touch, and you’ll get your first installment when I’m sure that you’ve started the job, so I suggest you get to it.” She straightened her top.

“I gotcha covered,” I said as I climbed out of the big, black limo that was now parked in front of my house.

It was a little creepy that she knew where I lived without me telling her. It was like she had done her homework and dug up information on me. This lady was clever, and clever ladies were dangerous. I’d be watching my back around this one.

“See you soon, kid,” she said as I slammed the door in her face.

I watched the limo drive off. The whole scheme was crazy, but I had to do what needed to be done. One thing was for sure: Dad would never approve, which meant he and Jenny could never know. I needed to think long and hard about where I’d tell him I got the money from, but that would come later. One thing at a time, and right now, I had a chubby chick to enchant. Doing hurtful things to strangers wasn’t my thing, but desperate situations called for extreme measures.

I now had three things that I had to do first thing in the morning. One, I had to make Renee think that I’d be out of town for a while. I’d just make up an uncle in Georgia or something. There was no way she’d keep her trap shut long enough for me to finish the job if she thought another girl was getting something she wasn’t. Of course, therewasmoney involved, so maybe I could just buy her something and shut her up.

Second, I had to clean myself up a bit. If I was going to win some girl over, I really needed a good shave and a haircut. Third, I had to put on my charming face. I had to get rid of “asshole Devin” and bring out the nice boy that I knew I could be.

It could be fun. I’d get to go out a little on someone else’s money with a girl that I’d never have to see again in three months. It really wasn’t a bad deal.

I stripped down to my boxers and jumped into my bed. Before I could do anything, I needed some sleep. Within minutes, I passed out and slept better than I had in the last two weeks.

After finally convincing Renee that I was going to visit family for a while, I made my way toward Charleston. Driving with the windows down, I let the cool wind cut across my face. I could use as much fresh air as humanly possible. The radio was off as I contemplated how to go about pursuing this girl. As crazy as it sounded, I’d never really had to pursue a female before.

The rumble of Lucy’s engine soothed me. I had to stay focused. I’d be fine as long as I remembered that this wasn’t just for Dad and me. I was doing this for Jenny, for our home, and for our business. No matter what, I couldn’t allow my conscience to get the best of me. This was a cut-and-dry job, and all I had to do wasnotget involved. Being emotionally disconnected was easy for me, so this job should be a piece of cake.

I got to Franklin’s Jewelry store, and it took me three tries at parallel parking before I got it right. Digging out some change for the parking meter, I sat and gave myself a “hell yeah” pep talk. I was sure I looked like a creeper just sitting in my car, but I wanted to plan. I just needed to go in, buy something, and get a good look at her so I’d know what I was dealing with. I should’ve asked to see a picture so I’d at least know who she was. Hopefully, she was the only fat girl working there.

After putting two dollars in the parking meter, I walked to the store. The entire time I prayed that everyone inside wore name tags.

It’d be more believable if I approached her at the little café, so right now called for just a little harmless flirting as I browsed the jewelry. Getting her to notice me was my number-one goal.

The little bell over the door rang out as I walked into the empty store. The only reason I knew the place was even open was because of the big, bright open sign in the front window.

I walked to one of the jewelry counters and started to look at all the expensive rings in the case. Making my way down to the earrings, I decided they were more in my price range. In all reality, I didn’t have a price range, but I figured this was worth digging out of the savings for the loan payment. Besides, if this worked, I’d have all the money we needed plus more.

“Anything, in particular, you’re looking for?” a female voice called from in front of me.

I looked up at the girl on the other side of the counter. She was short and chunky. Long, dark hair cascaded over her shoulders and down her back, while a thick set of bangs swooped over her right eye. Her cute, round face boasted clear skin and a juicy set of pouty lips.

Stylishly dressed in a low-cut top, I was able to see the rise of her soft cleavage from my height. One of the perks of being a big girl had to be an amazing rack because she sure as hell had a nice set of tits on her.

She reached up and pushed her bangs from her face. The movement pushed a wave of feminine scent straight at me. She smelled amazing, like vanilla and cherries. It was really nice, not too overbearing like the horrible perfumes Renee liked to smother herself in.

I took a better look at her as she pushed her hair out of her face and smiled. She had the biggest brown eyes, deep-set bedroom eyes with a sexy tilt that hid the secrets of a sensual woman. Honestly, she was kind of pretty, in a chunky, cute girl kind of way, if you were into that.

While I checked out her tits, her name tag popped out at me. She was Lilly, my financial savior.

“Actually, I’m kind of lost when it comes to jewelry,” I said as I nibbled my bottom lip. I was happy to see her eyes dip to my mouth. “I’m not really sure what she likes.” I shot her my, “I want you” smile and let my eyes noticeably wander over her face.

I relished in the deep blush that invaded her cheeks since it signified that I was doing my job well. I was just getting started, and she was already blushing. This was going to be a walk in the park.

“What kind of girl is she? What do you think she’d like?” She nervously bit the inside of her mouth.

“I don’t really know. What doyoulike?” I leaned my elbows against the counter to be eye level with her.

“Ilike lots of things.” She quietly giggled as she started to fidget. It was charming. “But she may not like what I like.”

“Ah, come on. Play along with me. If you could have anything in here, what would it be?” I asked.

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