Into The Fire (6 page)

“That’s wonderful,” Mom said. “What do you
do, Alessandra?”

Now that the boring part of the conversation
came, I moved to the breadbasket and ate all the slices inside. My
parents didn’t seem to notice because they were so absorbed with my
date.

“I run a flower shop in Manhattan,” she said.
“Gardening has always been a hobby and I really enjoy it.”

“That’s great,” Dad said.

“Adorable,” Mom said.

“I like to take flowers home and put them in
my apartment. The place always smells like summer.”

I discreetly eyed the front of her dress. Her
cleavage line could be seen from this angle, and I couldn’t stop
myself from taking a peek.
Damn, her tits were nice.

“How long has this been going on for, Ash?”
Mom asked.

“Uh…” I pulled my eyes away from the
beautiful sight. “Three weeks now. I was reluctant for a
relationship but Alessandra is special.” My fingers gently rubbed
her shoulder. “I didn’t want to let her go.”

“Awe…” Mom leaned toward Dad and grabbed his
arm.

I couldn’t believe they were buying this
crap.

“Your son is a wonderful man,” Alessandra
said. “He’s so sweet and thoughtful. You raised him well.”

“Well…we did our best.” Dad sipped his
wine.

Could we go now?
How long did I have
to keep up this act for? I just wanted my money and I felt like a
dog jumping through hoops to get what was rightfully mine. At least
Alessandra was cool.

We spent the rest of the evening making small
talk. My parents were far more interested in Alessandra than they
were in me. They hardly spoke to me. If I weren’t there, they
wouldn’t have even noticed. I didn’t mind because I didn’t like
talking to them anyway, but I’d rather be at home or anywhere but
there.

At the end of the night, I paid our tab then
released a sigh of relief now that the evening was over. I could
probably go two weeks without seeing them again. And I’m sure
Alessandra was already sick of them.

“Thank you so much for having dinner with
us.” Mom hugged her before she said goodbye. “You’re such a sweet
girl. You’re perfect for my son.”

“Well, thank you,” Alessandra said. “I’m a
very lucky girl to have him.”

She should consider acting because she was
damn good at it.

“Come over for dinner next week,” Dad said.
“We’d love to have you over.”

Next week? As in seven days? That was way too
soon. “We’ll see if we’re free.”

We finally said goodbye then went our
separate ways. My arm was still around her waist as we walked down
the sidewalk. She had a tiny waist—like super tiny. I could pick
her up and throw her around if I really wanted to. “You did a good
job tonight.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re worth every penny. They were totally
in love with you.”

“They’re nice people.”

“To you, maybe…”

“They just care about you…but struggle to
show it in a good way.”

“Make excuses for them. I don’t care.” I
headed toward my apartment without thinking. “Can I walk you
home?”

“You can take me back to the office.”

“Seriously?” I stopped walking. “You’re
really that scared to tell me where you live? I’m not a
weirdo.”

“That’s up for debate…” There was a teasing
look in her eyes. “You’re working so hard to find out where I
live.”

“Not because I’m a serial killer. I just
don’t want you to feel uncomfortable around me. What happened to
make you this way?”

The playfulness quickly evaporated. “Want to
walk me to the office or not?”

“Honestly, I’d rather invite you back to my
apartment so I can teach you to play guitar.”

“What if I don’t want to learn?” she
challenged.

“How does this work exactly?” I asked. “Do I
have you until midnight or until the date is over?”

“Midnight.”

“Then let’s go back to my place and hang
out.”

“You want to hang out with me?” she asked in
surprise.

“Why wouldn’t I? You’re sexy as hell and
you’re cool. Besides, I paid you to play with me so that’s what
you’re going to do.”

She cringed.

“Okay, that came out wrong. But you know what
I mean.”

“Well, you did pay for my time.”

“Sweet. Now let’s go.”

***

We sat on the couch and I held the guitar in
my lap. “What do you want to hear?”

“Depends.” She crossed her legs. “What can
you play?”

“Anything.”

She pressed her lips tightly together. Then
she smiled broadly like she had an evil idea.

“No Katy Perry.”

“Dammit. How did you know?”

“It was written all over your face. Now pick
something worth playing.”

“How about Bob Dylan?”

My face melted into a smile. “Very good…” I
felt the strings with my fingers and began to play. I wasn’t
nervous to play in front of people. I was never nervous to do
anything in front of anyone. Perhaps it was a gift. Or perhaps I
just didn’t care what anyone thought of me. I sang the lyrics and
watched my fingers move across the neck and hit the chords.
Alessandra sat quietly beside me and just watched everything I did.
A mesmerized look came over her face, and she seemed to be
somewhere else, just listening to the song.

I finished playing, and when the last string
died, it was quiet in the apartment. Somehow, it was quieter than
before I started playing. I kept the guitar on my lap as I watched
her expression.

“That was beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

“You have a real talent.”

“Thanks.” I felt my cheeks tint slightly.

“You must score a lot of chicks like
that.”

“I score chicks regardless.”

She rolled her eyes. “Have you ever tried
being humble?”

“I’m not even sure what that word means.”

“You wouldn’t understand even if I explained
it to you.”

“Would you like to hear another one?”

“Yes.”

“What should I play next?”

“Do I get to pick?” she asked.

“Yep. You’re the DJ for the night.”

“Hmm…Paul McCartney.”

“Excellent.” I started playing my favorite
tune.

Alessandra listened to me silently, that
dazed look on her face again.

I liked seeing her stare at me like that. Her
full lips were slightly parted like she wanted to sing along, and
her eyes were heavy but full of interest. Her legs were crossed,
and her thighs were toned from running—I could tell. She was one of
the most beautiful women I’d ever seen, and it was a privilege to
see her watch me play.

When I finished the song, she stirred
slightly like she just left a trance. “You’re so clean with the
strings.”

“I’ve been playing for a long time. You
should let me teach you.”

“It’s a little intimidating.”

“I’m the least intimidating person in the
world.” I nudged her in the side. “Come on. It’ll be fun. We can
start a band together.”

“A two person group?” she asked. “Wouldn’t we
need a drummer?”

“I can play the drums. You can be the lead
guitarist.”

She laughed. “People would throw tomatoes at
us.”

“Would not.” I set the guitar down then
leaned back. “Well, my parents loved you.”

“I could tell,” she said. “How long do we
have to keep this up?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “But at least for a
few months.”

“Well, they’re nice. Be grateful for
that.”

“I guess.” I turned in my seat and stared at
her.

“What?” She caught my look.

“Nothing.” I didn’t know what to say or how
to explain what I was thinking.

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

“We’re having a conversation. I’m supposed to
look at you.”

“Yes, look. Not stare.”

“You don’t like it when I stare at you?” I
asked.

“It’s a little creepy…that’s why I won’t tell
you where I live.” She gave me a teasing smile.

“I’m an artist. I appreciate beautiful
things.”

She returned my gaze without blinking.

“Is this payback?” I asked with a laugh.

“Yep.” She held my gaze without looking
away.

“You can stare at me all you want. It’s a
compliment.”

She gave me an irritated look. “So
cocky.”

“I have a lot to be cocky about.”

“Like a pierced dick?”

I grinned. “You’ve been thinking about it
ever since I told you about it, huh?”

Her cheeks flushed slightly. “I admit it’s
interesting…”

“You know why chicks like it so much?”

“Why?”

“Because the metal ball rubs against your
G-spot,” I explained. “And the girls go crazy. I don’t have to work
nearly has hard to make them come.”

Alessandra looked away but there was still
redness in her cheeks.

“So…do you have a boyfriend?” She had to.
There was no way in hell a perfect woman like her was single. She
had the legs of a supermodel and the ass of a nectarine. If I saw
her in a bar, I’d definitely give her my best moves until she was
on my sheets.

“No.”

No? No fucking way
. “Are you
sure?”

“I think I would know if I were seeing
someone…”

“It’s just…how is that possible?”

“What do you mean?”

“Maybe you don’t realize it but you’re pretty
perfect. You’re gorgeous—on the inside as well as the outside.”

She tucked her hair behind her ear. “You
hardly know me.”

“I’m really good at reading people. I know
you well enough.”

“Well…that’s sweet of you to say.”

“You won’t stay single long,” I said. “Not
with legs like that.”

She smiled slightly but it didn’t seem
genuine.

“What’s your story?” I asked.

“Meaning?”

“When was your last relationship?”

“You’re paying for my time,” she said. “We
don’t need to talk about me.”

“I wouldn’t have asked unless I wanted to
know.”

She sighed then looked away. “It’s kind of
hard for me to talk about…”

I knew this was going to be a sad story and I
wasn’t sure if I wanted to hear it. “There’s no judgment here.”

“Well…I was with this guy for about a year
and I was really happy…”

He cheated on her
. That’s where the
story ended. Who would be stupid enough to cheat on Alessandra?
There was no way in hell a guy could find someone better.

“Then my appendix burst and I needed
emergency surgery. I didn’t have health insurance and the surgery
was a lot. There was other damage because I’d waited so long.”

That’s not where I expected the story to
go.

“The surgery was twenty-five grand and I
didn’t have that kind of money. I didn’t know what to do and the
collectors kept calling me so…”

I was sitting on the edge of my seat.

“I decided to strip—short term. I just needed
to earn the cash to pay the bill. I didn’t tell anyone…but Tony
walked inside and caught me in the act. He left me without looking
back, saying I was a whore for getting naked in front of
people…that was four months ago.”

Was she serious? He just left her?
“What a fucking asshole.”

“I told him why I did it but he wouldn’t
listen to me.”

“What the fuck was he doing in there to begin
with?” I snapped. “Talk about a damn hypocrite.”

“He was with his friends…” Her eyes were
downcast.

“That’s unacceptable. He had no right to be
mad at you.”

She fidgeted with her hands. “I don’t
know…”

“You did what you had to do to survive.” I
did much worse things overseas. There were things I’d never speak
of. But I didn’t have a choice. I had to kill or be killed.
Sometimes things weren’t always black and white. Situations were
complicated and existed in shades of gray. “If he judges you for
that, then he’s a piece of shit. You needed to pay for the surgery
and you didn’t know what else to do. He had no right to make you
feel bad about that.”

“I guess…”

“Don’t let him bring you down. It’s a good
thing he left anyway because you’re too good for him.”

“Yeah?” She looked to me for assurance. “You
don’t think I’m a whore…for doing that?”

“No. Absolutely not. I think he’s a pig for
walking into that strip club to watch girls get naked then turning
around and calling you names for being on the stage. That’s
low.”

“I guess I should have told him the truth
but…I was afraid of how he would react. And I had almost made all
the money I needed. If I just had another weekend, he wouldn’t have
known.”

I shook my head. “You should love people no
matter what they do, the good and the ugly. You should stand by
their side and support them, not desert them. You aren’t the one
who should feel ashamed. He should.”

She took a deep breath and released it. “It’s
nice to hear that for once…”

I put my arm around her and pulled her close
to me without thinking. “I think more highly of you now that you
told me that.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

She rested her head on my shoulder. “Thank
you…”

“Of course.” I ran my hand up and down her
back to comfort her. The dress she wore was thin, and I could feel
all the small muscles in her back. She was thin enough that I could
feel her spine. “Don’t let him make you feel bad. You did nothing
wrong.”

“He would hate me even more if he knew what I
was doing now.”

“What’s wrong with it? You’re helping people.
You’re definitely making my life easier.”

“When I tell people what I do, they still
assume I’m a prostitute.”

“Then correct them. Because you aren’t.”

She leaned against me and fell silent. Her
hand rested near my thigh, and her fingers grazed my jeans. Her
deep breathing slowly decreased until she was calm.

I knew better than anyone what it was like to
be ridiculed for doing something society didn’t tolerate. It was a
pain in the ass, and people needed to get off their high horses and
mind their own business. We lived in a sexist world and it wasn’t
fair.