The Prettiest Woman (12 page)

I stormed out of the store; my heart was pounding. Behavior like that was so out of character for me. I almost turned around and apologized. My mom didn’t raise me that way, and did I really have to call her a bitch? I just hated it when people looked down on me. It wasn’t right for them to refuse me customer service, even if I couldn’t afford it.

I went to another store and they treated me well from the moment that I walked into the door. I found a dress that I loved just as much as the other. I was even able to get my hair styled from a local shop. The stylist was so great that I wished I could have put her in my pocket and taken her home with me.

As promised by Vince, the time flew by and he was back. We had an amazing dinner and headed back to Chicago the following morning.

*

The driver met us at the airport and I was sad. I had the weekend of my dreams. It was nice to be away from my job, not worry about homework, and to spend time with a man that I truly liked. We held hands the entire way to my house. When the driver pulled up to my apartment, Vince walked me to my door.

He leaned in and kissed me. It was soft and sweet, I wanted more.

“Thank you so much for coming on this trip with me. It was far beyond what I could have ever imagined. We’ll have to do it again.”

“Thank you for inviting me. You sure know how to show a woman a good time. You’ve outdone yourself.”

“That was my goal. Unfortunately, I have a meeting in about an hour that I have to prep for.”

“Oh, okay, I guess I’ll talk to you later. Thank you again.”

He kissed my temple and walked away. Before he got a few feet away he stopped, “Damn, I almost forgot again.” He reached into his pocket for money and I had a moment of panic.

“No, it’s okay. You don’t have to do that.”

He shook his head, “It’s no big deal.” He placed a stack of hundreds into my hand.

“I don’t want your money.”

“Don’t be silly. I thought about what you said before and this is what it’s all about, right?”

His phone rang before I could answer him. He looked at the phone and picked up. Before he started speaking to the person on the end he said, “I have to take this call. I’ll call you later.” He walked off and I slowly entered my apartment. I felt like I was back at square one.

I wondered if we had a genuine connection or if all of it was an arrangement to him. I thought that we had something special and I wasn’t so sure anymore.

*

“So let me get this right, you tried to give him his money back?” Jaime asked.

“Yes, I did! I tried to give him all of his money back, but he wouldn’t let me. I tried to give him the money that was left over from shopping and I tried to give him the money back that he had given to me before he left. He wouldn’t take any of it. Am I stupid for feeling bad about it?”

“It’s not stupid to feel bad but it’s kind of pointless.”

“I hate it because he now just sees me as a gold digger and that’s how he’s going to treat me.”

“Stop freaking out. The only thing that you can do now is talk to him. Tell him what you want but don’t be surprised if he wants to let go of the relationship altogether.”

“I just want to scream! I’m getting exactly what I signed up for and now I’m not happy with it.”

“Well, this is you. You’re never satisfied.” Jaime joked.

“You suck.”

“Apparently you suck too…and pretty damned good.”

I laughed, “I shouldn’t have told you that part.”

“Why not? That was the best part.”

“I’ll never tell you again.” I laughed.

“Aww, don’t be like that.”

“Too late, now let’s get back to work before I have to karate chop Georgia. I don’t feel like hearing her mouth today.”

*

I went home after work and I couldn’t wait to get to my bed. I needed to do homework, but my homework would have to wait. I stepped into the apartment and Jessica was sitting on the couch.

“Well hello, stranger.” Jessica said, “Come on, sit on the couch and tell me all about your weekend.”

“I’m really not in the mood.”

“I don’t care. Come on and tell me anyway. You can even lay your tired little head in my lap.”

I took her up on her offer. I laid across the couch and rested my head in her lap. She ran her fingers through my hair and I remembered why I loved her so much. We were affectionate with each other. Some people thought it was weird but I didn’t care.

“The weekend was amazing. The event went a lot like you said that it would. I did a good job of speaking to the people there and then he took me to the Beyoncé concert.”

“Get the hell out of here! I’m so jealous!”

“You should be.” I laughed.

“Then why are you looking all sad?”

I wondered if I should tell her why I was feeling so down. I already knew everything that she had to say. But I wanted to hear more from her. “Jessica, how can you feel so happy and proud about what you’re doing? I’m not dissing you; I just need to know how you can do this every day.”

“It’s okay. I just believe that these old perverts deserved to be taken for their cash. They are trying to take advantage of young women and so we take advantage of them. It’s all a game baby.”

“Well, Vince isn’t an old pervert. He’s a really nice man and so he shouldn’t be treated that way.”

“Listen, you know how I’ve been messed around by men. I’ve had men take advantage of me, cheat on me and hit me. This is the only way that I want to deal with men. If they don’t have anything of real monetary value to give to me, then I don’t have time for them.”

“Have you thought that maybe you need to stop treating them all the same? Maybe your life is a self-fulfilling prophesy. I think that you should try to find love and happiness with someone. I may not love Vince yet but being with him makes me happy.”

“We’re too young to be thinking about this shit.”

“I’m just saying that no amount of money and gifts can ever make up for true happiness and being with someone you have a real connection with.”

“I see your point. I wish that I had your view of the world chica but I don’t. I’ve been through too much and I’ve seen too much. Maybe years down the line; I’ll be ready. But right now I’m just fine.”

“I don’t want you to be disappointed in me but the next time I see Vince, I’m going to tell him how I really feel. He needs to know that I want something genuine or I don’t want anything at all. I don’t want to be given money to see him anymore. It makes me feel terrible and hopefully he’ll see things the way that I do.”

“Why can’t you just listen to me? Didn’t I tell you not to fall in love? I should’ve known better.” she sighed. “Follow your heart baby, but please don’t count on him being with you. Men like him take what they want and they give nothing in return but money and gifts. It’s usually all that they truly have to offer.”

“I think that he has more to give than that.”

“For your sake, I hope that you’re right.”

#Chapter10

The following week I was out with Vince for dinner. We went to another one of his fancy restaurants. He was my oasis and my escape from my everyday life. I realized just how much I missed him as I sat across from him.

We caught up with each other and our energy was the same way that it always was. It was comfortable, light-hearted and fun. His smile made me beam and dinner went by far too quickly.

“How about we go dancing again.” he said.

“I think that you just want to grind against me again.”

“Can you blame me? Your ass just feels so good pressed against me.”

“Before we go, we need to talk.”

“Should I be nervous?”

“I don’t think so. I just want to get some thoughts out of my head. I need to ask you something.”

“Go ahead.”

“How do you view me? I don’t want to be your sugar baby; I want to be your girlfriend.”

He hesitated before he answered, “I think that we should just go with the flow. There isn’t a need to rush anything.”

“I think it’s better to get things out in the open so that we don’t waste any time. I don’t want to see you if I feel like I’m being paid to do it.”

He sighed deeply, “The first time we went out, I had the time of my life. I’d never connected with a woman so well on the first date, not even my ex-wife. I admit that I totally forgot about the circumstances that we met under but when you brought up the money, it snapped me back to reality.”

“I know but I did it on accident. I don’t want to blame my friend but I was letting her get into my head. I regretted it from the moment that it left my lips.”

He nodded along as I spoke. “I’m sorry but giving you the money now makes it hard for me to see you in any other way. The fact that you asked at all solidifies our relationship. I don’t work in reverse. Maybe if you’d never brought up the money then things would be different but now I just can’t be sure of your motives.”

“I understand.” I whispered in disappointed.

“Maybe I’m just not ready to date traditionally. I like things better this way. My wife was only with me for the money and so it makes it hard for me to trust a woman with my heart. I need a clear-cut arrangement.”

“Then why did you want to see me again after that?”

“I think you are amazing Roxanne. I just wanted to spend more time with you, it didn’t matter the cost. If it were any other woman then I wouldn’t have.”

“Do you feel like we can ever have anything real?”

“Maybe if the circumstances were different but it’s just too late now. I wished that things could be different but it’s just all too complicated. I don’t do complicated.”

It felt like he was river dancing all over my heart. I did the only thing that I could at that moment. I rose from the table and kissed him on the cheek, “I understand. I wish that we’d met in a different way.”

“Would you like me to call you a cab or take you home?”

“No thank you, I can take the bus.”

“I don’t want you on the bus.”

“You don’t have the right to tell me what you want. Enjoy your evening.”

A half hour later and I was on the bus. I had enough money to take a cab but I didn’t want to waste it. I wasn’t rolling in dough and I needed to use all of the extra cash I had for bills. I’d met the man of my dreams but it was bad timing. It was pretty ironic that I was back on the bus, when just over a week before I was in a limo and rubbing shoulders with the rich. I got home and went straight to bed. I didn’t want to see Jessica and so I was grateful she wasn’t home. I didn’t want to see anyone.

#Chapter11

A few weeks passed and I got on with my life. It truly sucked and I was miserable. I was so miserable that Jessica was starting to act a lot more like Jaime. She didn’t give me anymore of her “men deserve to be taken for their money” rhetoric.

I’d spent most of the morning studying and then I was back at the restaurant. I wasn’t in the mood to work at all. In fact, I was battling a hell of a migraine. It was brought on from the stress. I didn’t want to ask Georgia for anything but I had to.

I pulled her to the side, “I don’t feel well at all. Is it possible that I can pull a half day if I can get Jaime to come in?”

“No. It’s your shift and you’re the one that should be covering it. Don’t call her at the last minute. If you go home, you’ll be written up.”

I shook my head and stormed out onto the floor. I went to take an order.

“Hello, can I get you something?” I asked a man sitting alone at a booth.

“Yeah, a new waitress.”

“I’m sorry? Is there a reason why?”

“You think that I don’t remember you? I remember you from this the weekend before. You’re a rude little thing.”

“I’m sorry I don’t know what you’re talking about. Maybe you have me confused with someone else.”

“Do you think I’m stupid?” He raised his voice. “Get me another waitress!”

I quickly walked to the back and worked on trying not to cry. That man obviously had me mixed up with someone else but he didn’t care. He probably thought that all black people looked the same. Tears threatened to stream down my face.

“Why are you standing back here like you don’t have work to do?” Georgia asked. “Get back out there, table 14 needs serving.”

“Okay. Table 12 wants another waitress. He seems to think I’ve served him before.”

I walked out and headed to table 14. There was another man in the far corner and he was looking down deeply at the menu. I’d just about had it with men and I hoped that he wasn’t an asshole, too.

I walked over and the man looked up and smiled. My hear skipped a beat, it was Vince! “What’s a beautiful girl like you doing in a place like this?”

“Er, I should be asking you that. This isn’t exactly your part of town and this place isn’t quite up to your standards.”

“I came to find you.”