Uptown Thief (32 page)

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Authors: Aya De León

BOOK: Uptown Thief
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“What are you talking about?” she asked.
“I've talked to a shrink before,” he said. “I had to after I shot a guy, and I kept seeing her because my fiancée and I broke up. The shrink said it's good to open up your heart after you've been hurt. Your shrink say anything like that?”
“I think you need to leave,” Marisol said.
A smile spread across his face. “I think your shrink says I'm good for you,” Raul said. “And you keep saying things to piss me off so I'll leave, but it's not gonna happen, Marisol. I love you. I fuckin' love you.”
“Shut up,” she said.
“No.” He shook his head. “This is real. I love you, and there's nothing you can do about it. I'm good for you. And neither of us knows what's gonna happen. That's how it works.” He reached across the couch and took her hand. “You know I'm right.”
“Fuck you, Raul,” she said, looking away, but she didn't pull her hand out of his.
“Oh no,
mujer
. No more fucking,” he said. “We're making love.”
He leaned in and kissed her, sliding his arms around her waist, pressing their bodies close.
Her body responded. She kissed back, running her hands down his back, across his chest.
They both moved more slowly than they had before, eyes locked on each other.
She let herself really take him in—the smile lines by his eyes, the trio of gray hairs in his stubble, the hint of hazel in his brown eyes. This beautiful face belonged to a man who loved her. Who knew all about her past. Who was sorry he'd left her hanging. Who wouldn't let anything stand between them—not even her own fears.
As she took it all in—that she could be loved, would be loved—she opened up to him from somewhere deep inside. She swooned with the fullness of her desire for him. She wanted to have every possible inch of skin pressed against him, inhaling him through every pore.
Her apartment, her bed, was four whole floors away—too far. She couldn't wait. She pulled him onto the couch in the lobby.
She kissed him as if she would devour him, and began to take off her clothes.
“Marisol, wait,” Raul said as she slid out of her jeans. “I don't have a—”
“Shhh.” She pressed her finger to his lips. “This is a clinic that serves sex workers. We keep condoms just about everywhere.”
As he removed his shirt, he didn't take his eyes off her. He watched her as she walked in bra and underwear over to the front desk, and pulled out a condom from a safer sex display.
By the time she got back across the lobby, he had stripped naked. She handed him the condom, and took off her underwear and bra. He rolled the condom onto his erection, as she lay back on the couch. He slid inside her, so tender she could barely stand it.
“I love you, Marisol,” he said, kissing her gently and stroking in and out of her with a sweetness and precision that made her shudder.
“I know you love me, too, even if you're not ready to say it,” he said, grinning down at her, moving his hips up and back, until she could barely breathe. “You don't have to say anything until you're ready. Just take your time.”
I love you, Raul
, she thought as she tumbled over the edge of the orgasm, moaning unintelligibly, the words clear in her mind.
* * *
After they had migrated up to the apartment, they lay on the bed, kissing in the half-darkened bedroom.
He touched the bruise on her cheek, and she winced.
“You know,” he said. “You get into so much trouble, I'm just gonna have to be your boyfriend. For your own protection.”
“Oh really?” she said.
“Yeah,” he said. “Then we'll have to spread it all over the neighborhood that we're going steady so nobody will mess with you.”
“‘Going steady'?” Marisol laughed. “I hope you're kidding.”
“Only about what we call it,” he said. “You ready to let me be your man?”
“Okay,” Marisol said.
She felt shy. It seemed strange. And corny. And wonderful. They lay on their sides, facing each other on the bed. She took a finger and traced the outline of his face.
He took her finger and kissed it. “So now that you're my girlfriend and everything, I'm definitely gonna get some shit from guys on the force.”
“Especially if you spread it all around the neighborhood,” Marisol said.
“I don't care what shit they say,” he said. “You're totally worth it. I just need to ask, is there anything else I should know?”
“Well, you know I was a sex worker,” she said. “And why I killed my uncle. After that, anything else seems kinda anticlimactic.”
“And yet, we may be heading for another climax,” he said, sliding close to her and running his hands down her back, over her ass.
“You're kidding me,” she said, laughing. “Again? What is that, like the fourth time?”
“I'm taking the fifth,” he said, and rolled on top, landing with an openmouthed kiss.
Chapter 33
T
he next day, Marisol and her crew were celebrating in the conference room. Her office was still sealed as a crime scene by order of the NYPD.
They were all dressed up from the graduation, and Marisol wore concealer over the bruise on her face.
“To Columbia's Mailman School graduating its first former escort and grand larceny conspirator with a master's in public health!” Marisol said.
“Cheers!” Tyesha, Kim, Jody, and Eva said and drank their champagne.
“To Marisol,” Tyesha said. “For helping a bunch of young hoes retire before the age of thirty!”
“L'chaim,”
Eva said as they all drank again.
“To Jeremy VanDyke, for being such a committed philanthropist!” Jody said.
“Fuck, yeah!” Kim said.
“To Tyesha, the new associate director at the clinic!” Eva toasted.
“Salud!”
Marisol said.
“Okay, Kim,” Tyesha said. “What's your toast?”
“To all the hoes everywhere.”
“I'll drink to that,” Marisol said as they all laughed and drained their glasses.
* * *
After everyone had left, Marisol picked the champagne flutes off the table and walked upstairs to her apartment. She kicked off her brown suede stiletto pumps, and was surprised to see Raul sitting at the counter of her kitchenette reading the paper.
“How was graduation?” he asked, standing up and pulling her into a kiss.
“Good,” she said.
It had been great to see Tyesha walk across the stage. However, when Marisol had agreed to go, she had expected it to be on campus at Columbia, not further uptown at The Armory, a track and field center in Washington Heights. On the way back, the taxi drove past one of the bars she used to frequent. It was unsettling to see her old hunting ground during the day.
“I wasn't sure you'd still be here,” she said.
“It's cool, though, right?” Raul asked.
“More than cool,” she said, kissing him again.
He pulled back from the kiss and held her by her waist. “So, I got two pieces of news while you were gone.”
“Good news?” she asked.
“I think so,” he said. “First is cop news. Looks like they've linked the pimp to the VanDyke job and maybe even that string of robberies uptown.”
“Really,” she said. “You wouldn't have thought that Jerry would be smart enough to pull those off.”
“You can't argue with evidence,” Raul said. “They found bills from the VanDyke robbery in his safe, and the Ivy Alpha ring of one of the uptown victims. But they didn't find the big money. So they're looking for an accomplice.”
“Seems like your boys at Central Robbery got it wrapped up pretty tight.” Marisol smiled. “What's the other news?”
“My folks are in town,” he said. “So my aunt is having a family get-together thing in the Bronx.”
“A thing?” Marisol asked. “You want me to meet your family?”
“Meet my family?” Raul said. “You know them already.”
“From high school,” Marisol said. “How do I explain what I've been doing since?”
“Just say what you do now,” Raul said. “Nobody's gonna scrutinize the gaps in your résumé.”
“I don't know,” Marisol said.
“Come on,” Raul said. “This is what girlfriends and boyfriends do. They go to each other's annoying family things and they make the best of them.”
Marisol laughed out loud. “You make it sound so tempting.”
“Come on,” he said. “My sister will be so happy to see you.”
Marisol nodded slowly. “I need to show you something first.”
She walked around closing all the window shades.
“Oh,” Raul said, raising his eyebrows. “I might like this.”
“Maybe not,” Marisol said.
“Does it involve nudity?” he asked.
“In a way,” she said.
“I'm flexible,” Raul said. “I'll work around a bra. I can keep the jeans on, baby. What do you need?”
“A crowbar,” Marisol said, rummaging through her closet.
“Whoa,” Raul said. “I'm not that flexible.”
“It's not about sex,” Marisol said.
“Then what's it about?” he asked.
Marisol pushed the two tall bar stools aside and slid the flat end of the crowbar behind the plywood in the kitchenette island.
“Can I help?” Raul asked, as she pushed and the wood of the board squeaked against the nails.
“Nope,” Marisol said, leaning down in her burnt orange silk dress, her cleavage nearly spilling out of the surplice front. “I got it.” She pushed the board free. It swung open like a drawbridge, and she caught it squarely in her other hand.
Raul's gasp was just audible as the plywood swung out of the way of the naked stacks of bills.
“Holy shit,” he whispered.
Marisol laid the crowbar down on top of the plywood. “If you're really trying to be my man, and you wanna take me to visit your family, I want you to know exactly who you're fucking with.”
Carefully, Raul walked around the plywood. He squatted down to get a closer look.
“From VanDyke?” Raul asked.
“Mostly,” she said.
Raul hovered there, staring at the money. “How much did you take him for?”
“Eight mil,” Marisol said. “Give or take.”
“Did you fuck him?” Raul asked without taking his eyes from the cash.
“Yep.” Marisol stood her ground. “Are you having second thoughts?”
“Did you enjoy it?” he asked.
Marisol laughed. “No,” she said. “I pretended to. Like I pretended to be terrified when my team came and held us up at gunpoint.”
“Who were the guys?” Raul asked.
“No guys,” Marisol said. “Women in bodysuits.”
Raul set aside the crowbar and stood up. He lifted the board and rested it against the counter, leaving a slightly open gap. He started to unbutton his shirt.
“Come here, you genius,” he said. “VanDyke? Eight mil? Your team dressed as men? I told you smart women turn me on.
Coño
, we might not make it to visit my family today.”
“What?” Marisol asked. “Now that you know every single one of my secrets? You're definitely taking me to visit your family.”
“Okay,” he said. “But don't tell them what we're about to do.”
He slipped the strap of the dress off her shoulder.
“You never got to be a stickup kid,” Marisol said, peeling off his shirt. “You'll just have to settle for being an accomplice after the fact.”
“I accept,” he said.
“
Bueno
,” she said, leading him over to the bed. “Why don't you come here and let me jump you into the gang?”
Raul laughed as he unbuckled his jeans.
They made love again in the bedroom alcove. The edges of the bills danced in and out of sight as the two of them laughed and rolled and tangled on the bed.
A READING GROUP GUIDE
UPTOWN THIEF
Aya de León
 
 
 
ABOUT THIS GUIDE
 
The suggested questions are included to
enhance your group's reading of
Aya de León's
Uptown Thief.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1.
The entire adventure begins when Marisol and her team are furious to learn that a corrupt corporate CEO has won a humanitarian award when he's also a sex trafficker. Can you identify any instances in your life or in the current news where corrupt individuals or groups are being rewarded or singled out for praise, when they actually deserve legal or ethical consequences?
2.
Marisol operates both in and outside of the law. What are some of the laws that she breaks? How does she justify her illegal behavior? Do you agree that her actions are justified?
3.
Advocates for safe and healthy working conditions for sex workers often use the slogan “sex work is work.” As with any job, different individuals have different relationships to the work: Some love it, some hate it, and for some, it's just a job. What are some of the different relationships that the sex worker characters have with their work?
4.
The sale of sex operates on a spectrum from those who do so voluntarily to those who are trafficked or coerced. Advocates for decriminalization of commercial sex between consenting adults are careful to separate sex trafficking from sex work. Can you identify the following in the book: In which instances do we see women choosing sex work from a variety of options? In which instances do we see women choosing sex work from a very limited set of options (sometimes known as “survival sex work”)? In which instances do we see women threatened, pressured, forced, or coerced to sell sex?
5.
Throughout the book, there are many different types of sex that Marisol and others have. What are some of the different types of sex that you see? What are each of the people hoping to get out of those sexual encounters? How do those goals or intentions change for Marisol throughout the book?
6.
Marisol has trust issues. Whom does she trust at the beginning of the book? How is that different by the end of the book? Who takes advantage of her trust during the book? During her life before the book? Who in the book has to earn her trust? What is it about Marisol and Raul's previous connection that allows them to get past some of their defense mechanisms?
7.
Women are conditioned to compete for male attention and favor. Who are some women in the book who attempt to succeed at other women's expense? Do their plans work out?
8.
Marisol hates cops. Is her attitude justified?
9.
Marisol's life is a complicated mix of risk and protection. What are some ways she engages in risky behavior, and what are some ways she engages in protective behavior?
10.
Marisol is bold and courageous and brings out those traits in people around her. If you had someone like Marisol in your life, what might be some areas in which you would accept her encouragement to be bold? Where do you wish you had more courage?

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