The Billionaire's Weekend Bride (6 page)

They were flashing their ID cards and making arrests as far as Sonia could see. She looked around at the mayhem the police presence was having and wondered what had become of Hal. She couldn't see him for dust and a couple of the bar staff members had disappeared too.

“What the hell is happening?” Sonia pulled one of the remaining bar staff by the arm. He was busy helping himself to cash from the till. “Ben! What do you think you're doing?” she said, totally shocked. She heard a bottle smash just by the bar and a fight had broken out.

“I'm making sure I can eat for the next few days,” Ben told her. “And if you had any sense you'd do the same.”

“I don't get it. Where's Hal? What do the police want with these people?” Sonia said.

“Hal's probably escaped out the back. This is a raid, Sonia! Get outta here.”

She looked around and noticed that gradually the dense crowd of people was slowly filtering out onto the street. Before Sonia could say, “A raid? But why?” a police woman was pulling her to the entrance by the arm.

“Wait!” Sonia screamed. “Whatever is going on here, I'm not a part of it. This is just my second night.”

“Well, congratulations, sweetie,” the police officer said. “Good for you. Now move it. Out!”

“My purse is in there. My coat.” Sonia was trying to loosen the grip the police woman had on her and was pointing frantically to the back room. She soon realized she was the only remaining member of staff left in the place.

“This place is closing tonight, sweetheart,” the officer told her. “You can take it up with whoever.”

“Are you arresting me?” Sonia gasped, her feet barely touching the floor as she was being shuffled out.

“No, I'm clearing the place.”

“Clearing it? But I work here.”

“Not anymore, you don't.”

Sonia was out of the door before she could say another word. Lights flashed in her face as soon as she was deposited onto the street by the policewoman. The flashes were coming from the photographers who were lined up outside the bar. The next thing she saw, apart from the streams of screaming and cussing people, were the vans for the television network. The whole scene was being streamed lived by the looks of it.

Sonia was nudged to the edge of the bustling crowd and saw another member of the bar staff, hugging her arms and crying.

“Do you have any idea what this is all about?” Sonia asked her.

“I had no idea before tonight what this joint was all about,” the girl sniffed. “Apparently, there's a prostitution ring operating out of here. Not to mention the drugs.”

“Drugs and prostitutes. Are you kidding me?” Sonia's eyes opened wide.

“I wish I was.”

Sonia hadn't seen Millie since she got her into the job the night before and wondered if she'd known about this place all along.

“So did Hal know?” Sonia asked the girl who was drying her eyes.

“Know? He's the Goddamn pimp!”

Sonia froze and looked at the bar. Cameras were still rolling and pictures were being snapped. She knew she should make herself scarce but she seemed to be glued to the spot.

“You gonna be all right?” the girl asked her. “I'm getting out of here.”

Sonia nodded her head up and down almost mechanically and the stark realization that she'd made another bad career choice swamped her like a dark veil. How could she be this unlucky?

She was out of yet another job. It was the second one in three days. Her purse, her coat and change of clothes were in the back room of the bar. All she had on was the skimpy, half length, low cut t-shit and the tight pair of cut down shorts.

Sonia blinked several times to hold back the tears. It wasn't like she'd miss this job, but she slowly felt as if she was losing a grip on life. She had to get out of there. Crossing her arms, Sonia began the long walk home.

   ***

When Bibi got back to the apartment after saying goodbye to Sonia, she arrived to see a tall figure at the front door. It was a good looking man, standing there with a bunch of flowers in his hand and talking urgently to someone on his cell. Bibi hadn't seen this guy around before and figured he must be waiting for someone. She smiled as she approached him.

“Excuse me,” he said, hanging up on whoever he was speaking to. “Do you by any chance know a girl by the name of Sonia? She lives on the top floor.”

“Depends,” said Bibi, not opening the door yet. “Who wants to know?”

“Well, I met her last Saturday and I was hoping to see her again.”

“Last Saturday?” Bibi screwed up her face suspiciously. “Are you the jerk from the escort job?”

“The very same,” Damian said looking down at his feet for a brief second. “You know her right? Are you the friend who was out of town last weekend, by any chance?”

“The very same.”

“I'm sorry. I'm not making any sense. Can we start again?” Bibi did not answer. “I'm Damian,” he continued. “I made a huge mistake last week. I'm guessing Sonia told you what I did and I'm also guessing she's mad at me – with good cause – and I want to apologize.”

“With those?” Bibi nodded to the flowers. “It'll take more than a bouquet of roses to make up for what you did.”

“I know, but I still need to try. I only found out after contacting the agency that I shouldn't have left the money.”

“And you shouldn't have told the agency about the money because now Sonia is out of a job,” she retorted.

“I know,” Damian said. “And that's the other thing I have to apologize for.”

Bibi pursed her lips together to stop the barrage of abuse she'd like to hurl at this guy. It was because of this rich, pompous idiot that her friend was now working in that sleazy joint. “Well, she's not here.”

“Any idea when she'll be back?” Damian ventured, seeing the anger in Bibi's eyes.

“Late. I'll tell her you called.” Bibi rummaged for her keys.

“No, I must see her tonight. I can't let this hang over us for another day.”

“Up to you,” Bibi said and let herself into the building, leaving Damian standing outside, clinging to the flowers.

About an hour later, Bibi looked out of the living room window and saw that Damian was still standing downstairs on the street in exactly the same spot, like a soldier on guard duty.

“Hey,” she shouted down. “She's going to be really, really late, you know?”

“That's okay,” he called up. “I'll still wait.”

“Suit yourself.” She slammed the window shut.

Damian stood waiting for an hour and there was no sign of Sonia. He loosened his tie, shifted from one foot to the other and kept checking his watch. He looked at the flowers every now and again to make sure they were still looking alive. He had bought the biggest bunch he could, even though he knew it was a futile gesture, but etiquette told him he shouldn't show up empty handed.

Soon, a light sprinkling of summer rain began to fall. It left droplets on the rose petals and on Damian's expensive suit. He didn't try to find shelter, he just waited. Soon he heard footsteps along the sidewalk and looked up to see a familiar figure coming towards him. It was Sonia but she was scantily dressed in denim shorts that showed a lot of leg and a tight, low-cut t-shirt that showed her navel and covered very little else. She had no purse and she looked exhausted.

He was shocked to see her like that and ran along the road to greet her.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she snapped before he could even say a word. She was tired from having to walk so far. She'd had to endure a crazy number of wolf whistles and rude remarks from guys in passing cars and long leering looks from guys passing her on the street.

She quickened her pace.

“Stop following me,” Sonia said as she stood outside her apartment building. She came to a halt when she remembered she had no key and hoped that Bibi came straight home.

“I'm sorry,” Damian finally uttered. “I had to come, Sonia. I had to offer my sincerest apology for what I've done.”

Sonia spun around on him. “I don't want your sincerest apology, I don't want anything from you except for you to leave.” She pointed a finger in the direction she'd just come from.

“Sonia, please,” he pleaded. “You have to forgive me. I had no idea what the agency you worked for was all about. In fact, I don't really know anything about escorts. I was an idiot. I thought escorts and their agencies were synonymous with -”

“Hookers and pimps?”

“Well, I … Not exactly, but something like that.”

“You took me for a hooker,” she said through gritted teeth. And then louder, “You paid me for sex, you bastard.”

Someone walked out of the building and Sonia stormed in. Damian followed close behind. She stopped abruptly by the elevator door.

“You'd better leave,” she snapped.

“But Sonia …”

“Look you've apologized … for all the good it will do me. So now you can go.”

“But I brought you flowers.”

“I see that. They're very nice. Isn't there some girl waiting for you somewhere you could give them to. I don't want them.”

“Sonia I know that a bunch of flowers can't make up for my terrible manners and my idiotic assumptions. I should have known better. You're nothing like a hooker.”

“So if I'm nothing like a hooker, that must mean you know something about them?” She raised one eyebrow.

“No, no I don't,” he stuttered. “And that's the point. It was extremely naïve of me to jump to conclusions. Complete bad judgment and you can call me any name you'd like under the sun.”

“I already have, but you weren't here to hear them.”

“I know you must hate me right now, Sonia, and I'm sure there isn't anything bad enough for you could to call me that could make up for how ridiculously I behaved. And I know you lost your job because of me, too.”

She crossed her arms and hitched up her hip.

“I found another job,” she said. Damian looked her up and down wondering what the job could be if she was dressed like that. What had he made her resort to?

“And I lost it just as quick,” she continued. “The bar I was working at got raided and they'll probably close it down. At least,
I'll
never go back there. The cops threw us out before I could get my things.” She widened her arms to display the uniform she had grown to hate very quickly.

“I'm so, so sorry,” Damian said with genuine sadness in his eyes. “I wish I could make it up to you.”

“Get me a job starting tomorrow and you'll be close to making it up to me,” Sonia said, pressing the elevator button. The doors opened and Sonia got in. Damian tried to follow but she pushed him back with a delicate hand against his hard chest.

“Not so fast,” she said. “I don't want you following me upstairs.”

“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be presumptuous. It's just that there is a job that you could take. I know there's only a remote chance you'll accept. But I will pay you.”

Sonia looked him up and down for a second. She was desperate and if what he was proposing was nothing to do with sex, then surely he owed her. She stepped back and let the elevator doors close. This time, Damian was inside. The elevator rode up.

“Well?” Sonia said without looking at him. “What is this proposition of yours?”