Promise Me Forever (Top Shelf Romance)

by Kate Stewart

  I walked away with the watch tucked securely in the pocket of my baggiest jeans. I knew better than to flash or flaunt a watch this expensive-looking around here. I wiped away the tear that escaped and kept my head low.

  I had about a day’s worth of food and supplies. Jerry wouldn’t be back for two days.

  I could already hear my son’s cries when his tummy yearned for food that wouldn’t come.

  I had to do something.

  Jerry’s shop was just around the corner, so I was back at my building in no time. I started up the steps when I heard the husky voice call out. “Hey, cutie pie.”

  Looking up, I spotted Brandi, Anna’s mom, stepping out of a car that looked more expensive than the building we lived in. She was a statuesque blonde bombshell who left every man’s tongue wagging who lived in Mercy Homes. Shaking my head, I took in her skimpy attire. The high heels she strutted in looked like stilts, and I wondered how she balanced in those things.

  “Hey, Brandi.”

  “Why the down face?” She frowned and lifted my chin. “Have you been crying?” I nodded because what was the point in lying? “Come with me and tell Brandi all about it.”

  I ignored the screaming pleas for common sense and followed her into the building up death-defying stairs to her apartment door. I glanced guiltily at my own door knowing Anna was inside watching Caylen and waiting for my return with a pocket full of cash.

  Guilt washed over me.

  Brandi was a single mom who knew what it was like to be a teenage single mother. Talking to her about my woes made more sense. Anna was my dearest friend, but she wouldn’t understand. Not like Brandi.

  She flipped open the dingy white door to the fridge and bent over. “Want a beer?” she called over her shoulder.

  “It’s ten in the morning.” Plucking a bottle from the fridge, she slammed it closed and grabbed a bottle opener from the top. I watched as she turned to lean against the door and popped the top from the bottle. Defiantly, she stared me down and took an unladylike swig.

  “Get your panties out of your snatch.”

  “Maybe I should just go.” Her crudeness made my stomach turn. I started for the door.

  “I know how you can solve your money troubles.” My hand paused above the doorknob. “A girl as pretty as you shouldn’t have to starve. You certainly have the body to make sure that never happens.”

  I dropped my hand and turned to face her. My eyes narrowed, and she smirked in return. “What are you talking about?”

  “How many dead-end jobs will you have to lose or pointless interviews will you go to for you to realize that doing the right thing doesn’t pay?”

  “Anna told you?”

  “These walls are thin, girl. There are so secrets in a dump like this.”

  “So, what would you suggest?” I wouldn’t take any advice Brandi dished seriously. I was merely curious. According to Anna, she brought home enough cash to move them out of this place, but her mother preferred spending her earnings on expensive shoes and trips out of town.

  “Using what you got to get what you need.”

  “My wits?”

  She snorted. “Your wits are going to starve you, girl… Unless you add a little something on the side.” Her eyes raked my body making me shift uncomfortably.

  “I’m not having sex for money.” Despite what I said to my father, I knew I could never do that. Selling my body to feed Caylen would mean nothing if I couldn’t look him in the eye every day.

  Her trilling laugh broke the tension. “I wasn’t suggesting you fuck for the money.” I cringed. Brandi could be harsh and crude. “Leave that to the big girls. If it wasn’t for that cute little boy, I wouldn’t believe you even knew what sex was.” She laughed again.

  I gritted my teeth to keep from cursing her out. “So, what were you suggesting?” I managed to keep my tone even to mask my irritation.

  “You dance for it.”

  “Dance?” Understanding dawned. “You mean strip?”

  She shrugged and set the bottle down. As she strutted forward in her stems, I watched her warily. “Yeah, honey. I mean strip for it. You take your clothes off, I guarantee they will pay.”

  I shook my head and took a step back. “I’m not doing that.”

  “You don’t have a choice.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “How are you going to put food on the table? Even if you get another dead-end job, the money is not as quick, or even as good, as taking your clothes off.”

  She closed the distance between us and reached around. When I felt my hair shift, I realized she’d grabbed my ponytail. With a tug, the band slipped from the strands and tumbled free. “You’re so pretty.”

  “It doesn’t change the fact that I won’t do it.”

  “It’s not so bad. I bet you’d be really good at it. You’re young. Your body is still tight. The men will cream their pants and give up their entire paycheck just to get a peek at you.”

  Another denial was poised to spew from my lips, but nothing came out. Why was I hesitating?

  “I—I don’t even know how.”

  Her fingers tugged at the button my shirt until it slipped free. “I could teach you.”

  Taking a deep breath and holding it, I considered her offer.

  Would it really be so bad?

  “Mian?”

  I jerked free. The spell Brandi cast was broken by the interruption. She didn’t appear bothered when our heads turned toward the front door.

  Anna.

  “Oh. Hey.”

  “What are you doing here?” She held Caylen, his back to her chest, as she stood in the door I hadn’t heard open. Caylen’s blue eyes found me, and I felt a stab in my gut when he smiled wide. The sound of his happy giggles tore me apart.

  Could I really do this to him?

  Could I really afford not to?

  “I was just—”

  “We were having girl talk,” Brandi interrupted in a dismissive tone. When Anna ignored her and started to question me, Brandi cut her off. “Here.” She reached inside her bra and pulled out a bill that was damp with her sweat.

  Ew.

  “I need cigarettes.”

  “I’m watching Caylen,” Anna replied.

  “His mother is home now.” She thrust the bill at her and glared until Anna reluctantly accepted it.

  “It’s okay. I got him.” I was more than ready for this to be over and was sort of grateful to Brandi for sparing me from Anna’s questions. I took Caylen from her arms, flashed a fake smile, and escaped.

  Chapter 9

  ANGEL

  I returned to Chicago. I wasn’t ready to deal with my mother’s emotions, so I slipped out of Florida without seeing her. Since I wasn’t ready to forgive her, I had to stay away. My father would haunt me if I abandoned her completely, so instead of doing my duties to her myself, I had Lucas and Z check on her regularly. From their reports, she was doing well. I told myself it was all that mattered.

  For now.

  “Say that again?” Lucas called to run down Mian’s activity in the few hours I had been gone.

  “Bruce says she went to some pawn shop on Trent but didn’t go in.”

  “Hm. Where did she go after?”

  “Back to Mercy Homes. Some babe got out of a Jag, and they went in together. She hasn’t moved since.”

  “Check the place out and let me know what you find.” I ended the call and looked down at the brunette with her head in my lap. “Stop.”

  She released my dick from her lips with a wet pop. “What’s that, baby?”

  I stood up causing her to fall on her thong-clad ass. “Move.” She pouted and stared up at me with hungry eyes. She wasn’t doing it for me, and I had a pretty good idea why. “Get out.”

  I disappeared into the bathroom and hoped she’d be gone by the time I was done. Turning on the shower, I stepped inside the glass walls and gripped my dick.

  Christie’s lips weren’t the lips I needed to have wrapped
around me.

  They weren’t small and soft.

  They didn’t tremble with fear or curl with disdain when I was near.

  They didn’t moisten from the tip of her tongue sweeping over them after she’d bitten into the skin…

  My grip slid from the base to the tip of my dick. A grunt forced through my lips and was lost within the sound of water rushing from above.

  Closing my eyes, I pumped again.

  It wasn’t wise.

  It meant letting her in my head.

  Giving her control she didn’t know she had.

  But the feeling was too good not chase.

  My hand moved faster, racing for the finish.

  Goddamn.

  I needed…

  Her.

  “Fuck!” I bit my bottom lip the way she would when she was turned on but needed to hide it and came. I was getting restless thinking about having Mian under my power again.

  I slipped out early the next morning and made my way to the prison. I may have given into my dick last night, but I wouldn’t be ruled by it. Moving through the crowd of people rushing in to visit their loved ones, I found an empty locker and stored my phone, wallet, and keys. I checked in with the lobby officer and then waited for the clearance to go through security like many times before.

  After waiting for half an hour, we were allowed into the visitation hall. Despite the crowd, it didn’t take long to find the man I came to see. When he spotted me, I nodded and took a seat.

  Jonny was a reckless druggie who specialized in grand theft auto when he was on the outside. He was also as sneaky as they come which is why I hired him to get close to his roommate whom I had a deep interest in.

  “Hey, man! How are you?”

  “What do you have for me?” As usual, I skipped the pleasantries and jumped right into business, but Jonny always insisted on being friendly.

  “You’re still an ill-tempered son of a bitch, eh?”

  “Jonny…”

  “Right. Remember, I told you he never gets visitors?” He took a look around and leaned in. “Well, three days ago he gets a visit.”

  “From who?”

  “He said it was his daughter. I never even knew he had a kid since he never mentioned it before.”

  “Did he say why she was here?”

  “Said she was in a bad situation and needed money.”

  “What else?”

  “I couldn’t get much out of him, but he did say something about a book.”

  “A book…”

  “Yeah. He said if he could get to it and sell it, then his daughter and grandson could survive.”

  I wanted nothing more than to hurl the plastic chair across the room.

  Mian Ross was not just a gifted liar. She was fucked, too.

  Chapter 10

  MIAN

  I stared up at the flashing sign lit in a perception of gold. The lettering mirrored the popular casino in Vegas. Taking a deep breath, I wobbled inside Caesar’s Palace on a pair of Brandi’s stilts.

  Was I really going to do this?

  A couple of shots of whiskey and a bag of Brandi’s tricks ensured I would. I even allowed Brandi to babysit because I couldn’t admit to my best friend that I’d fallen so far that I’d resort to taking my clothes off for a stack of dollar bills.

  The first thing I noticed when I walked inside was the thick cloud of smoke. The second was the earsplitting volume of the music and some rapper’s claim that all he wants for his birthday is a big booty hoe.

  I wobbled forward until a burly bouncer with midnight skin, a bald head, and a face tattoo smashed his hand into my chest. I careened backward and braced myself for the fall, but a hard warm wall behind me broke my fall. I peeked over my shoulder and found another beefcake standing with his arms crossed.

  “Pay the cover.”

  “But I…I’m… I—”

  “Look, I don’t care how fine you are. You don’t get in without paying the cover.” He held out a beefy hand with his palm up.

  “I’m not here to, ummm…”

  His bushy eyebrows furrowed. “You here to see Caesar?”

  Too ashamed to speak the words, I nodded.

  My stomach pitched and turned when he took his time looking me over. Something like approval shone in his eyes, but then his hand lifted from his side to finger the black belt on Brandi’s trench coat I was wearing. I shrunk back.

  He snorted then laughed when he noticed my reaction. “Girl, you ain’t here to see no Caesar.” Beefcake number two joined in on the amusement.

  “Yes, I am. Are you going to let me in or not?”

  “Sure. Sure. I got to see this. Follow me.” With a lift of his chin to his partner, he turned and disappeared into the dark and the smoke. I struggled to keep up. Thankfully, the neon lettering on the back of his shirt guided me through the crowd. It was the fourth of July, and it seemed as if all of Chicago had chosen this place to celebrate. I could smell the booze, sweat, and sex, but was too afraid I’d turn and run if I peeked. When he finally stopped, I noticed it was in front of a purple door with a gold handle. Gold lettering spelled out Caesar’s Throne. Apparently, the sleaze of this place was hidden in plain sight.

  Beefcake One knocked three times and then waited dutifully to be permitted entrance.

  “I’m busy,” a gruff voice on the other side called.

  “Boss, I got a hot one for you.”

  There was a pause and then a shuffling followed by heavy footsteps. The door suddenly flew open, and the first thing I noticed was the red silk shirt and chest hair peeking out from underneath. He wasn’t very tall or muscular, so he didn’t intimidate me like Angel’s goonies had. Black slacks covered his legs and were tailored nicely to fit over black wingtips with gold tips. I lifted my gaze to his face and found him checking me out much like I had been doing to him but with a lot of lust. His dark hair was slick from grease and pulled back away from his face. He didn’t look a day over thirty, and I had to admit he had appeal.

  If you were into the mobster type.

  “What’s your name?” He never took his eyes from my legs when he finally spoke.

  “Mian.”

  “Not very sexy.” I bit back a smart retort and waited. His gaze finally met mine, and I found his eyes were as dark as his hair. “You don’t talk much. I like that.” He turned into the room and held the door open. “Get in here,” he roughly ordered.

  I shuffled inside when I should have strutted and was just thankful his back was turned. The door closed making the music muffled and leaving only the rapid thump of my heart. Feeling a presence behind me, I peeked over my shoulder to see that Beefcake had followed us in with a leer.

  “Out, Jones.”

  I sent Beefcake Jones a smug smile and watched him mutter with his massive shoulders slumped as he left the room. When the door closed a second time, I became painfully aware that I was alone with a man I didn’t know.

  “So, you want to dance for Caesar?”

  Confused, I looked around before answering. “You’re not Caesar?”

  “I am.”

  Apparently, his ego was as flamboyant as this club and his gold-tipped shoes. I tried to think of what to say or do next, but instead, I fidgeted and tried to recall Brandi’s version of a pep talk before I abandoned what was left of my virtue behind along with my son.

  “I know I said I liked that you didn’t talk much, but this is an interview. If you have nothing to say, then let’s get down to business. Lose the coat.” My hands flew up to the belt. “No, girl. Do it slowly.”

  He extended his hand to the left and pressed a button I didn’t see. A rhythmic beat I didn’t recognize filled the room. I stood frozen trying to recall the moves Brandi showed me hours before. The singer took over now. The beat just background noise now. I instantly recognized the sexy, harmonious croon of Beyoncé singing about rolling up a partition.

  “Any day now.”

  I jumped into action and lifted my foot to take an exagg
erated step forward.

  But something went wrong.

  Horribly wrong.

  The heel beneath me wiggled causing me to collapse and tumble forward.

  Shit.

  Chapter 11

  ANGEL

  “Run that by me again?”

  “She went into Caesar’s wearing a black trench coat and red heels, Boss.”

  “How long?”

  “Ten minutes.”

  “Report to me the second she leaves.” My keys bit the inside of my palm as I tore through my father’s house for the garage with Lucas and Z on my heels. We had been going over our plans for Mian when Lucas got the call. He listened as the caller spoke while I sat frozen. Instinct, perhaps, had warned me that Mian was the cause of the call. When he wordlessly handed me the phone, my suspicions were confirmed.

  I knew Caesar’s. Lucas, Z, and I used to sneak in when we were kids to get an eye full. A blue-eyed, buxom beauty named Candy introduced me to the pleasure of blowjobs. My classmates who I had fucked on a regular basis were always too prude or scared to take the step.

  “What’s the plan again?” Z questioned rhetorically. I could hear the amusement in his tone after Lucas finished explaining what had sent me into a rage.

  What was the plan?

  I wasn’t ready to take her yet.

  She hadn’t made her move.

  Caesar was a businessman, and a greedy one, but he wasn’t interested in anything that didn’t have to do with tits and ass. Not to mention his strip club was a front for something much more lucrative.

  Selling pussy.

  Any girl that worked for him sold their pussy whether they wanted to or not. It was a condition for a job at the Palace.

  Mian risking her life to rob me started to make sense. She was never the type to use her body for gain. With my family’s secrets to sell, she would be free of Caesar.

  How far down exactly had Mian spiraled?

  I considered for the first time that I no longer knew anything about the girl I practically raised.