Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 24089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
“A bar?” Damon questions her. “So you ran into your Uncle Shane at a college bar and thought that was alright? And then came back to his penthouse to sleep with him? You’ve got to be kidding me Lucy. And Reed, you fucking pig. Those college students are still practically children, you scumbag. Why were you at a college bar robbing the cradle?”
He’s boiling over again, and I hear Lucy begin to explain once more. I brace myself for what’s coming next because clearly, this is a freight train that’s gone way off the tracks.
“No, it wasn’t a college bar! We met at the Hotel Indigo because I was filling in for a friend that night. She was supposed to meet Shane, not me.”
“The Hotel Indigo?” Suddenly, Damon pauses as the pieces fall into place. He turns on his heels towards me, and the look on his face is even more horrified than before. “The girl you were telling me about was my own daughter? Are you fucking insane? You called my daughter ‘a woman of excellent quality’! She’s the escort George bought for you?”
“Well,” I begin, but it’s too late. He’e now storming over to Lucy’s side of the room. He towers over her, screaming like a banshee as she lies in a hopeless heap of tears on the floor.
“You took a job as a goddamn hooker? What have you become, Lucy? I just don’t know where I went wrong with you. When did you start hooking? Fuuuuuuck!” he wails, and this time, tears begin coursing down his face. “Oh god, oh god.”
Lucy is crying too.
“Dad, you didn’t go wrong. You have always been such a good father. I was trying to help a friend, that’s all,” she sobs.
“Clearly I forgot to teach you the difference between being a good friend and being a goddamn whore,” he says through choked sobs. “Oh god!”
That’s it. This ends here. I make my way across the room and step between father and daughter.
“Get out, Damon. You have every right to be upset, but this is completely unnecessary. Your daughter is not a whore, trust me on that. We’ll explain later, but right now, you need to leave my house,” I demand.
But my friend still can’t hear.
“You’re a hooker?” he asks Lucy again, his face red with anguish. “Why, honey? Don’t you have enough money as it is? Don’t I provide you with everything?”
With that, Damon leans forward to catch Lucy’s arm, but she jerks away.
“No Dad. I’m staying here,” she sniffles. “My place is with Reed.”
Damon’s angry and lurches forward to force his daughter to her feet, but I catch him by the arm. He screams and howls, trying to shake me off, but I don’t let go. Instead, I look him straight in the eye.
“Your daughter is not a hooker,” I say in an even tone. “Trust me on this. Lucy had a pal who was sick that night, and she filled in for her, that’s all. In fact, I think you know the friend we’re speaking of. Her name is Rose.”
At that, Damon jerks back with a surprised look on his face. It’s to be expected. Damon’s mentioned Rose in passing, and I got the feeling that he was attracted to his daughter’s roomie. Regardless, my buddy stops.
“Rose?” he says in an uneven tone. “Really?”
Lucy nods and gets up, wiping at her eyes.
“Yes, Rose signed up with an agency, but she doesn’t really do anything. Plus, she told me she doesn’t even like it much,” Lucy says. “And I only filled in for Rose once, and that was with Reed.”
Now, Damon looks absolutely stunned. With a dazed shake of his head, he wanders to the front door, turning only once to look back at us.
“Everything will work out,” I promise, lifting a hand to him. “Everything will make sense in time.”
Damon merely blinks at me a few times before looking at his daughter and shaking his head. Then, he wanders out the front door and we hear the elevator ping as he gets on.
I turn back to Lucy, my heart crumpling when I see her tear-stained form.
“I’m so sorry babe. I promise, it’s going to be okay,” I say before moving to her and taking her shaking form in my arms. “I love you, and no one can take that away from us.” I kiss the top of her head and we stand in silence for several minutes before she pulls away. But there’s no anger, fear, nor hesitancy in her expression. Instead, she looks up at me with a sweet look and my heart contracts.
“I’m glad to hear you love me because I came here to tell you something today, Shane,” she says softly.
I lean my forehead against hers, staring into those chocolate eyes.
“What is it, babe?”
She smiles, this time a bit tearily.