For life, I think. At least I can visit him now. I bring him brownies.” She sat back and ran a shaky hand through her hair. “But enough of this. Let’s talk about something cheerful.”
I told her about my sister, leaving Joel out of it, and my friends at the “barbershop,” leaving the prostitution out of it. She told me about her business, her husband, and her newborn infant. I skirted around everything important, because I didn’t know Rosa well enough to tell her the truth.
After many hours of hard work and patience, I was ready to slip into my dress. Rosa wouldn’t let me look in a mirror and laughed when I tried to slide past her and catch a glimpse. She brought new underwear with her and I wondered how the hell she knew my size. Did Ezekiel give her a clue? Then she put me into the dress and finally let me look in the mirror.
I’d like to say I was a different person. Wouldn’t that be great? To suddenly become someone else, someone poised and perfect, someone who sipped champagne and knew how to address an ambassador at a polo match, someone who would kiss everyone’s cheeks twice and never drink more than one glass of wine.
But I wasn’t a different person. I looked different, yes. This was as beautiful and cultured as I could possibly be. But I still saw Melissa hovering behind my eyes. I couldn’t erase the track marks in my arm, and there was no way to give me curves or less gangly legs. I was still a Metro prostitute, someone who sold everything to buy something that destroyed her and everyone around her.
“You’re gorgeous,” Rosa whispered in my ear, a gigantic grin stretched across her pretty face. “You’ll knock ‘em dead.”
I looked down at my hands, which were already starting to tremble. I hoped that I had enough time to do this before withdrawal set in. As I looked at my new self in the mirror, I knew that I had to. There was a year’s worth of drugs sitting between now and tonight, and I just needed to hold myself together until then.
Chapter 7
When I stepped out of the elevator, Ezekiel and two bodyguards were standing in the lobby.
I once thought that “dashing” was a description suited to film; that only with the right lighting, airbrushing, and angle could a man look as debonair as in the movies. But Ezekiel defied all my previous beliefs. In his pitch-black tuxedo, shined shoes, stark white collar, and silk bow tie, he looked like he’d walked off the set of a luxury car commercial. For a moment, I was sure I was dreaming. It wasn’t the first time this particular sensation gripped me.
A slow smile crept up his face, the same smile that seemed to hang on his lips whenever I was with him. He held out his hand when I approached, and I grasped it lightly.
“You look absolutely breathtaking,” he said softly.
“Thank you.” It was an odd word choice, but from Ezekiel I expected such.
Ezekiel took me straight to the black limousine waiting out front and helped me through the door that Bruce opened for us. When we both sat, Ezekiel pulled two things from his pockets.
First came silk elbow-length gloves. They were gorgeous.
“I thought these would not only look good, but be functional in covering up certain…marks.” His eyes drifted down to the tiny red scabs that dotted the inside of my elbows.
I tried not to blush as I took the gloves and slipped them on.
“Also, I have some jewelry I wanted to give you.” He pulled out a square box and opened it. A diamond necklace stared at me. I knew the jewels weren’t fake, even if that was my first instinct. I cast a doubtful look up at Ezekiel.
“Nothing but the finest. I don’t bother myself with mediocrity,” he replied, holding the necklace up until light bounced off its jewels. “Marvelous, isn’t it? A hundred and three graduated, brilliant cut diamonds.”
I watched as the diamonds trembled and glittered. I had difficulty breathing.
A hundred and three
? One diamond was far above anything I could
I told her about my sister, leaving Joel out of it, and my friends at the “barbershop,” leaving the prostitution out of it. She told me about her business, her husband, and her newborn infant. I skirted around everything important, because I didn’t know Rosa well enough to tell her the truth.
After many hours of hard work and patience, I was ready to slip into my dress. Rosa wouldn’t let me look in a mirror and laughed when I tried to slide past her and catch a glimpse. She brought new underwear with her and I wondered how the hell she knew my size. Did Ezekiel give her a clue? Then she put me into the dress and finally let me look in the mirror.
I’d like to say I was a different person. Wouldn’t that be great? To suddenly become someone else, someone poised and perfect, someone who sipped champagne and knew how to address an ambassador at a polo match, someone who would kiss everyone’s cheeks twice and never drink more than one glass of wine.
But I wasn’t a different person. I looked different, yes. This was as beautiful and cultured as I could possibly be. But I still saw Melissa hovering behind my eyes. I couldn’t erase the track marks in my arm, and there was no way to give me curves or less gangly legs. I was still a Metro prostitute, someone who sold everything to buy something that destroyed her and everyone around her.
“You’re gorgeous,” Rosa whispered in my ear, a gigantic grin stretched across her pretty face. “You’ll knock ‘em dead.”
I looked down at my hands, which were already starting to tremble. I hoped that I had enough time to do this before withdrawal set in. As I looked at my new self in the mirror, I knew that I had to. There was a year’s worth of drugs sitting between now and tonight, and I just needed to hold myself together until then.
Chapter 7
When I stepped out of the elevator, Ezekiel and two bodyguards were standing in the lobby.
I once thought that “dashing” was a description suited to film; that only with the right lighting, airbrushing, and angle could a man look as debonair as in the movies. But Ezekiel defied all my previous beliefs. In his pitch-black tuxedo, shined shoes, stark white collar, and silk bow tie, he looked like he’d walked off the set of a luxury car commercial. For a moment, I was sure I was dreaming. It wasn’t the first time this particular sensation gripped me.
A slow smile crept up his face, the same smile that seemed to hang on his lips whenever I was with him. He held out his hand when I approached, and I grasped it lightly.
“You look absolutely breathtaking,” he said softly.
“Thank you.” It was an odd word choice, but from Ezekiel I expected such.
Ezekiel took me straight to the black limousine waiting out front and helped me through the door that Bruce opened for us. When we both sat, Ezekiel pulled two things from his pockets.
First came silk elbow-length gloves. They were gorgeous.
“I thought these would not only look good, but be functional in covering up certain…marks.” His eyes drifted down to the tiny red scabs that dotted the inside of my elbows.
I tried not to blush as I took the gloves and slipped them on.
“Also, I have some jewelry I wanted to give you.” He pulled out a square box and opened it. A diamond necklace stared at me. I knew the jewels weren’t fake, even if that was my first instinct. I cast a doubtful look up at Ezekiel.
“Nothing but the finest. I don’t bother myself with mediocrity,” he replied, holding the necklace up until light bounced off its jewels. “Marvelous, isn’t it? A hundred and three graduated, brilliant cut diamonds.”
I watched as the diamonds trembled and glittered. I had difficulty breathing.
A hundred and three
? One diamond was far above anything I could
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