Page 2 of Penny
My music was cut off by an alert of an incoming call.
"What?" I barked.
"You have to attend dinner tomorrow," my brother, Liam, replied smoothly. His background noise was filled with moans from the auditions we had for our law-abiding porn studio.
"Nope. I don't have to do shit."
Whenever I attend a dinner with my father, I was reminded of his hatred for me.
"This isn't coming from me. Bossman knew you would say that. He said to tell you he picked out some arm candy to sit next to you," he grumbled into the phone.
Bossman? When the fuck had he started calling our father that? Liam never wanted to admit he worked for his daddy.
"I don't need help getting a girl to take," I snapped, losing my patience.
"Well, you put the last one in the hospital. The club girls want nothing to do with you."
"Since when did we give any of them a choice?" I smirked to myself, shaking my head.
"Since we still need to sell and work them."
"I'll be there, but I'll bring my own company." I hung up on him before he could reply, not wanting to put up with my brother's kiss-ass attitude.
I pulled up to a stoplight, changing the station to something with more bass. A long-haired brunette stood on the center divider, catching my attention. She held a sign, begging for money. It wasn't uncommon to see a homeless young woman on the streets in a major city, but this woman was different. Her red long-sleeved shirt was covered in grease stains and dirt. Her face was dirty, but still stunning, almost breathtaking. I wondered what her story was.
She would be the perfect girl if you were into crack heads. I rolled down my tinted window to get a better look at her. Her gray eyes were fogged over, and it was hard to tell if she was looking at me or the car next to me. Wonder what her drug of choice was—Vitamin D? I reached into the center console and pulled out a bag of coke, waving it in the air. Her thick eyebrows pulled together, examining the bag.
"Have a lot of drugs back at home too. Hop in. We will have a good time," I rasped, shaking the bag more, hoping to entice her. It was like fishing—throw out a line with some stinky bait attached to a hook, give it a shake, and wait.
I grinned, not having to wait too long. Hungry, desperate fish were always the best. The girl picked up her tattered backpack and made her way over to the passenger seat. Car horns blared and engines revved as she walked around the truck. She ignored the vehicles flying past her, cracking the door to slide inside like aGrand Theft Autohooker. Her dingy smell instantly flooded my car, and my nose wrinkled. Great, now I would have to get it cleaned. What was I thinking?
"What's your name?" I asked, getting straight to the point.
Looking her over, I wasn’t surprised to see her red high-top Converse covered in the city's grime and her pants ripped. They weren't torn in a sexy designer fashion, either.
"I don't have one," she replied weakly. The drugs had probably given her amnesia.
"Okay then." My brows furrowed.
If I brought her into the family, we could sell her. Maybe earn some good grace with them.
“I'll call you…" I paused, looking around the car, trying to think of something. Her dingy sign caught my eye, and I ripped it from her hands.
I pick up a penny, and all day, I’ll have no luck.
I’ll pick up a penny, and all day, life still sucks.
Wait. That's not what her sign said earlier. I turned the cardboard around, furrowing my brow.
Anything will help. God bless.
"I'll call you Penny." I chuckled and tossed the filth back over to her.
The car vibrated from the bass hitting hard, and the wind whipped through the car. Her tangled hair blew around, covering her stoic face. She fidgeted with her shirt, pulling it down to ensure not an inch of her skin was showing. I’ll have to fix that. She needed to be prepared for my family if I wanted to pay penance.
Last week, I’d made the mistake of trusting a client to pay for his prostitute after the service. He hadn't paid and had forced me to splatter his head across the wall. My brother, being the diligent son, must have reported me. One of my many transgressions, and I needed to pull my weight before they mademyhead wall art.
We pulled into my penthouse's parking lot not a moment too soon. Another second breathing her garbage stench and I was going to shove her out onto the highway.
