What was it with men offering her money for sex?
“Stop, right now.” She folded her arms over her chest, placing one palm in front of her to stop him from talking. “Men are in the market for fat women?”
“No, fuller women. You’re not fat, Mia. I can have you earning a lot of money.”
She laughed, thinking about Curse. “You’re the second man within twenty-four hours to offer me money for sex.”
“It’s good money, Mia. I can have men there and assure your safety.”
“In return I have to screw men I don’t know for money.”
Jerry looked at the floor. “Yes. There’s no shame in it.”
“Apart from the fact I’ll be a whore or put it nicely, a call girl or an escort.” She shook her head. “This will be the last time I call to this house. Please, inform your wife that if she wants someone to clean she can find someone else.”
She turned on her heel and headed out of his office. Did she have the word desperate written all over her body? Was that all she was good for? She wanted to laugh at her situation. Well, if she did suffer with illness she could always make a living offering up her body. It was stupid. Picking up her bag, Jerry came out of his office.
“Stop, take the money. You earned this.”
Staring at the money, Mia wanted to tell him to shove it.
Mom’s medical bills.
Taking the notes from him, she stared into his gaze. “Thank you.”
“I was not trying to insult you. You’re a beautiful woman, and I know I can help you out with your situation. What your father did was wrong.”
Licking her lips, she pocketed the money. “What he did was wrong, and life sucks. It does suck, but my mom is everything to me. She would hate for me to sell my body for her. I’m not going to lie to her, Jerry.”
“Would you do it if it wasn’t for your mother?” he asked.
“No, I wouldn’t. I don’t like sex enough to do it.” She left his home without looking back. Mia didn’t see any reason to argue. Her friendship with Ashley also meant she wasn’t going to go gossiping about him. She didn’t gossip about friends or anyone associated with them.
She walked down five houses to get to the next man on her list. Mia looked at the luxuriant house, and a shiver passed through her. Dale Worthington scared the crap out of her. He was older than she was by about fifteen years, and he was married, but the wife was rarely home.
Mia made her way up the driveway, taking note of the single car parked before the door. She didn’t know much about the man other than he liked to watch her clean. Where Jerry looked her up and down, assessing her quality, which she knew why he did now, Dale always looked ready to pounce on her.
The front door opened, and he stood smiling at her. He was tall, muscular, and scary looking.
“Hey, Mia, I was wondering how long it was going to take.”
Dale didn’t move out of her way, and she ended up brushing past him to get inside. Placing her bag on the floor, she bent down to grab her apron.
A moan right behind her had her crouching down so her ass wasn’t in the air. Placing the apron over her body, she turned toward him.
“Where do you need me to clean?” she asked, dreading the answer.
“Upstairs, the main bedroom needs a clean.”
“Okay.”
She grabbed the cleaning supplies from the trolley and walked upstairs. He followed up behind her. Great, he was going to be inside the bedroom while she cleaned. Mia hated this one job with all of her heart.
Chapter Three
Curse sat inside the diner wondering where the f**k Mia was. The lunchtime rush was about to start, and no one would serve him. The only person he wanted to be served by was Mia. Ripper sat opposite him with Judi. The couple looked so happy even though he tried to talk them all out of coming with him today. How was he supposed to talk to Mia with these two listening in?
“How is the new house?” he asked.
Judi smiled. “It’s perfect. Ripper knows exactly what I wanted.” She kissed her husband, and Curse winced. Judi was still the princess of the club even though she was Ripper’s old lady. He hated seeing the two making out. They were in love, and he couldn’t dispute that.
“Will you be starting a family soon?”
“No, we’re not ready,” Ripper said. “What about you? Any news with the black-haired waitress?”
The door to the diner opened. Mia ran inside, looking disheveled. She was pulling her hair back into a ponytail. He saw her hair was still wet from a shower. She didn’t acknowledge any of the women. Someone patted her shoulder and pointed toward the table. When she caught sight of him, her shoulders slumped.
I’m not going anywhere, baby.
She pulled out her writing pad. “What can I get you?” she asked.
He ordered a coffee and a burger while Ripper ordered half the menu and Judi settled on a salad.
Tapping his fingers on the counter, Curse watched her walk away. Her thighs looked so tempting as she bent over the counter to send off their orders.
“I think we know what’s going on between them.”
Mia left the room heading toward the bathroom.
Ignoring his friends, he went to the back of the room. Opening the toilet door, he saw Mia was washing her hands in the room.
“What do you want?” she asked, turning to face him.
“I f**ked you without a condom.”
“I know. I’ll take care of it later. I’ve not had time to go to the pharmacy.”
“You’re not protected?”
“No. I’m clean. You’re the first man I’ve been with without a condom. I’ll deal with whatever happens.” She placed a hand on the edge of the sink and looked at him. “What else do you want?”
“You didn’t come last night.”
“So, I’ve learned that I don’t come with a lot of men. Don’t worry, Curse, you’re not the first man to leave me unsatisfied.” She took a step toward him, hands on hips.
“And you think this is over?”
“You got what you wanted. Move on, find another woman to f**k. I hear the club has an endless supply.” There was no emotion from her as she spoke.
“What happened between you and Ashley?”
“Nothing.”
She tensed up, folding her arms in front of her.
Flicking the lock in place, he stepped away from the door. He needed to find some other way of getting her alone. “You and Ashley are the same. Neither of you are jealous of the other. You never let anyone get close to you. She’s the same. Both of you have secrets.”