CHAPTER 3.
2211 Words
About an hour later Maxx was struggling under the weight of several shopping bags in one hand, while rummaging around her purse for the apartment keys with the other.
Her bag was forever a bottomless pit that swallowed anything she placed inside for safekeeping. It was handy because she could fit all the essentials inside, including her Temptation wigs and makeup kit. But then there were times like the present when she wished for something much smaller and easier to locate her keys in.
“Shit.” Maxx hissed under her breath as she felt the milk cartoon ripping a hole through one of the grocery bags. She’d barely caught it before chaos in the form of dairy products tumbled down the apartment building stairs.
That was close.
Just then, footsteps sounded from inside the apartment and Maxx was saved the trouble of finding her keys when the door opened.
“Oh my gosh, thank yo– “ She trailed off in surprise.
“You’re welcome.” A smug voice said and Maxx gripped the bags tighter.
“Oh. It’s you.” She said, not bothering to hide the distaste in her voice. “Didn’t know you’d be here.” Hickory Armstrong was her roommate’s slime ball boyfriend whom Maxx had secretly been hoping would get dumped soon. All he did was slum on their couch and eat all their groceries. The very groceries Maxx would purchase on nights when she’d made a bit extra.
Nights like tonight. It was pretty much like having another roommate. Except she was stuck paying half the bills instead of a third, and Hickory wouldn’t lift a finger to help out around the place even if you’d asked.
“Don’t be such a b***h Maxx.” She ignored the jab.
“Where’s Carina?”
“In the shower.”
“Why aren’t you with her?”
“Didn’t feel like it.”
Hickory finally stepped aside and allowed her into the apartment. She made her way to the modest kitchenette and heaped the bags on the counter. Heaving a sigh, she began putting the food away herself, choosing to ignore the giant asshole occupying her air space.
“Can’t wait to get my hands on this,” Hickory said, coming up behind her and picking up a package of steaks. His fingers had grazed across her left butt cheek, momentarily squeezing, before grabbing the packaged meat. Maxx whirled on him, her eyes wide.
“Don’t touch me!” She snapped. She was completely shocked. Hickory had made passes at her in the past—a little wink here, or a flirtatious comment there. He’d even managed to “accidentally” bust into her room while she was changing, under the guise of overshooting the bathroom. Of course that was bullshit, and one of the main reasons Maxx couldn’t stand him.
Still, he’d never gone as far as full on grabbing ass. She’d brought her concerns up with Carina in the past, but every time he had managed to spin the story to work in his favor. So she gave up trying. If Carina wanted to turn a blind eye to her boyfriend’s sleazy nature, than there was little else Maxx could do about it.
Hickory eyed her haughtily, his bottom lip curling as he sneered at her.
“What’s wrong Maxx? Is it because I’m not paying for it?!”
“What the hell?”
“Oh c’mon, you don’t have to play coy with me. I know you have men crawling all over you at that w***e house you work in.” Maxx’s eyebrows shot up.
“How did you—“
“Oh I know alright. Carina finally told me where you get your money. And why you carry an obscene amount of cash. Or why you never have a boyfriend. You’re a dirty f*****g slut!”
“I am not playing coy, and I do not work in a w***e house.” Maxx retorted, her voice even. Who the hell does he think he is? She thought and struggled to form the right words to express her revulsion for him. Hickory reached out in response and captured her wrists in his hands and yanked her up against his chest.
“Why don’t you give me a taste, slut.” He spat into her ear, and she struggled against his grasp.
“Let me go, Hickory.” She growled, “Or I swear I’ll–“
“You’ll do what?” He cut in. “You know I could d**k you down right here on the kitchen floor if I wanted to and you couldn’t do a damn thing about it.” Hickory’s grip tightened on Maxx’s wrists and he scoffed cruelly to highlight his point. “I can have my way with you. Whenever. Wherever. And however I want.”
“I said, let me go, Hickory!” Maxx said again, this time allowing her voice to rise. He was hurting her at this point and she was slightly alarmed at the amount of force he was using against her.
“I’ll let go when I feel like it. But right now, I don’t feel like doing that. What I do feel like doing, is you. And if you’re lucky, you’ll be able to walk tomorrow, because I promise you slut, I like it rough. And–“
Maxx felt like she would be sick if he continued. Suddenly, the bathroom door jerked open and he was interrupted mid-sentence. They were both greeted to the sight of Maxx’s sopping wet roommate, wearing nothing but a towel and a murderous glint in her eyes.
“Get the f**k out of this apartment you filthy piece of trash!” Carina screamed, and Hickory’s hold on the dark-haired girl’s arms released immediately.
“It’s not what it looks like!” He sputtered to defend himself.
“I don’t want to hear it, Asshole.” Carina snarled, backing him toward the front door.
“But Baby!” He protested. Maxx had never seen someone as small as Carina, look so menacing, while barefoot, soaking wet and wearing nothing but a towel. “Eat horse s**t, Hick! I never want to see your face again!” There was a satisfying thud and Carina slammed the door so hard, Maxx was pretty sure the entire building quaked.
“I’m so sorry, M.” Carina said, turning to her roommate and taking her hand. Maxx shrugged.
“I’m not.”
“What?”
“I’m not sorry. I’m glad he’s finally gone.” She clarified when Carina looked surprised. The ginger-haired girl’s face fell and she let out a long sigh. “You’re right. That’s something I should have done a long time ago. I just didn’t realize how bad he’d gotten until now. And for that, I’m sorry.”
Maxx squeezed her hand reassuringly. “It’s okay. The only reason I recognized him to be the creep that he is, is because he reminded me a lot of one of my mom’s ex-boyfriends. Back then, it wasn’t until I moved out that I realized how f****d up the situation actually was.” Carina’s eyes widened.
“Oh my God M, how old were you when–?” She broke off unable to finish the question.
“Sixteen…For that one. But there were a few others before him. My mom, for whatever reason, only attracted assholes for the greater portion of my teen years. Assholes with a taste for underage girls.”
“That’s awful.” Carina stated solemnly, as she read between the lines and shook her head.
“Yeah, it was pretty shitty. But the second I turned 18, I was out of there faster than you could say Happy Birthday. And two years after that, I found Brinda and the rest of the p***y Cats. And I know it isn’t the ideal job, but it’s been putting me through college, and paying the bills, so–“
“I’m really sorry about that too!” Carina said, cutting in. “It just came up in conversation and I had no idea he would assume you were an escort. Or that he would treat you that way…”
“Rina it’s fine.” Maxx said, reassuring her roommate once again. “I’ve been through worse…On another note…” She added, abruptly changing the subject. “Brinda let me go early. Feel like grabbing a drink at AP3X?” She was referring to the club located within walking distance of their apartment. Carina glanced at the clock on the stove and a grin spread across her face.
“Heck yeah! Just give me 40 minutes to dry my hair and get ready. I could definitely use a drink.”
“Perfect. I’ll finish putting away the groceries.”
“What’s the occasion ladies?”
The bartender at the club asked as he handed over their drinks—a Long Island Iced Tea for Carina and a Tequila Sunrise for Maxx. They’d both agreed it was a Hornitos kind of night. Carina smiled slyly at the bartender, a tall bearded fellow, and paused to take a generous sip of her tea before answering.
“Mm, that’s good!” She cooed. “We are celebrating the riddance of my scumbag ex-boyfriend.”
“Our not so honorary third roommate.” Maxx quipped sarcastically.
Carina’s nose wrinkled as if the mere thought of Hickory disgusted her, and Maxx couldn’t blame her. She’d never liked him to begin with, and now because of him, she’d opted to wear a long-sleeve dress to hide the bruises he’d left on her arms. The fucker had been squeezing so hard you could see individual fingers encircling her slender wrists. The memory sent a shiver up her spine and she tilted her head back and allowed Tequila Sunrise to flow down her throat and work its magic. If she were lucky, she’d forget everything by morning.
“Well in that case, the next ones are on the house.” The bartender announced and the girls giggled. Both equally feeling the effects of their drinks.
“And you can put the rest on my card, Dano.” A suit-clad arm reached between them and offered a sleek black credit card to the bartender who took it with a wink. “The usual.” Suit arm said. “And whatever these ladies would like to add.”
“You got it,” Dano said and proceeded to pour four shots of amber liquor into empty glasses. Maxx finally looked up to meet the man’s face.
“And whom might I thank for the generous offer?” She asked without missing a beat.
“Jaston Marques, at your service.” The man said with a lavish bow that brought a smile to her lips. “And this is my colleague, Myles Kent.” He said gesturing to another man that had taken up residence on the other side of Carina. He smiled briefly at Maxx, but she noticed how his eyes kept seeking out her roommate’s. Carina giggled again and offered him her hand.
“I’m Carina.” She said simply. “And this gem is my roommate Maxx.” Both men took the girls’ hands and shook them. They were each wearing expensive looking suits, which screamed successful, and sporting equally expensive haircuts. Maxx could have sworn they could be brothers if they hadn’t already been introduced with different last names. Golden blonde hair, and light blues eyes were their most defining features and it didn’t take a genius to realize they were equally as attractive as they were wealthy. Carina was still giggling at something Myles had whispered in her ear and Maxx couldn’t help but smile. She’d never seen her act like that with Hickory. Not one single time in the 15 months they’d endured his presence.
“Don’t worry, she’s in good hands.” Jaston was saying to Maxx and she brought her attention back to the man beside her.
“And what about you. Am I in good hands too?” She challenged, her brow arching seductively. She couldn’t help it sometimes. The flirting that is. It was what she was paid to do. Entertain rich men with her body. So it was hard not to let that translate into her personal life.
“I’ll let you be the judge of that.” He informed her with a wink and downed two of the four amber shots before reaching for her hand and guiding her onto the dance floor.
Maxx winced when his fingers grazed over her bruises in the process of finding her hand, and she barely had time to set down her drink before allowing herself to be led onto the crowded dance floor. They stood facing each other, their bodies aligned and Maxx found herself literally in the man’s hands. His strong arms circling her tiny waist and applying gentle pressure to her exposed lower back.
They stayed that way for a few minutes, swaying to the beat of a much slower song than was currently pumping through the speakers. But neither seemed to mind. Between the numerous Tequila Sunrises and the intoxicating smell of the man holding her, Maxx was grateful for the support he afforded her.
“Come back to my place.” Jaston whispered against her temple, his voice so soft she wasn’t positive she’d heard him right.
“What?”
“You and Carina.” He clarified. “Come back to my place with Myles and me. We’re having a few people over…and call me crazy. But I kind of want you to be there.” Maxx laughed.
“You’re crazy.” She responded light-heartedly. Then shrugged. The two men seemed harmless enough, and appeared to be regulars at AP3X. The club was a lot more selective with its guests than usual bars due to the fact that it was owned by Clyde Jacson, a man ranked among the top 10 wealthiest men in the city.
“If Rina’s into it. I think I could be persuaded.” Maxx said, and a slow grin spread across the man’s lips. “I’ll take that as a yes.” She followed his gaze over to the bar where Carina was sitting by Myles, batting her lashes shamelessly up at him.
As if on cue, Myles looked up, and with a nod from Jaston, said something to Carina, who responded by nodding her head eagerly. Maxx smiled.
“Consider me persuaded.”
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