1.4 Ladies of the Night…

This chapter is Rated R Adult content and language

Authors note:  I’ve been working crazy hours at work, and I apologize that this chapter took longer then usual to come out.  I’ve even been called in on my days off, which is frustrating. I need to learn how to just say no. LOL.  So yeah, this chapter is a little bit short, but the next chapter is already in works and I hope it will make up for what this one is lacking.  Hopefully the next chapter should be out sometime this week, if I can manage to not get called in on my days off. *Crosses fingers*

I walked down Water Street, past the looks of disdain I got when I passed by a restaurant and club called “The Grind.”  I looked down at my outfit, the short shorts and heals were probably not necessary when it came to picking up a John now a days.  From the dirty looks I received it was clear my outfit was working, having borrowed my entire outfit down to the shoes from Zoe’s closet without her permission.  We hadn’t exactly been on friendly terms lately, and I doubt she would be flattered with me raiding her closet so I could go undercover to look for my mother on the streets of North Port.

It had been a week since the phone call with the private investigator, and their was no new leads.  I was getting impatient to find my mother, now that I knew she was alive, I was desperate to find her.  I decided to take matters into my own hands and search the streets on my own.

“Get a real job you piece of trash.” A woman snarled at me as I walked past her, tottering in my borrowed pair of Lucite hooker heels, why Zoe owned a pair was beyond me.  Maybe she used to work the pole, who was I to judge?

My face burned red as I stepped around the angry woman, I kept my eyes downcast, ashamed.  I was out of my element.  This was a bad idea….

Down the street at the end of the road a group of girls huddled together were my target, all three were smoking, a cloud of smoke lingered over their heads blowing away in the late night breeze that came off the ocean.

I looked both ways before I crossed the street, my heels tapping across the pavement in the stillness of the night.

They giggled when I walked closer, each looking me up and down as if they were accessing their competition.  This might have been harder than I thought. I had just assumed they would welcome me into their questionable ranks with open arms, I should have known better.

I forced myself to walk forward, pasting a fake smile on my face, hoping I didn’t look as nervous as I felt.

“Girly, I think you are in the wrong place.” The middle girl said her eyes narrowed with distrust.  “The high-class call girls don’t hang down by the docks.”  She pointed a red tipped finger nail down the street. “Now get to steppin'” She put her hand up as dismissing me.  Her cohorts giggled.  “You deaf Blondie?  Whatdafuckyouwant?”

“I’m looking for someone.” I said, hoping I sounded more brave then I felt.

“How much money you got.  I don’t normally do girls.” The middle brunette said,  she looked at the other girls who bobbed their heads eagerly in agreement, it was clear she was their leader.

My cheeks flushed hot, and I had to force myself to keep the look of panic off my face.  “I’m not here for that.” I managed to say.  “I’m looking for someone you might work with-”

“Are you a cop?” The girl in the gold hot pants cut me off, looking around wildly.  The other two girls looked like they wanted to either kick my ass, or run.  Maybe both.

“No, no, not a cop. I promise.”  I held up my hands in surrender.

“It’s a law that if you ask a cop if they are a cop, they have to tell you the truth.  I saw that on TV once.” The skinny brunette nodded knowingly, I didn’t think that was true, but I wasn’t about to contradict her.  She may have been skinny, all bones and sharp angles, but her eyes showed she was tougher then I would have given her credit for.  The other girls relaxed somewhat, and I sagged in relief.  The girl in hot pants went back to puffing on her cigarette staring down the street with a bored gaze.

“Who you lookin’ for?” The chatty brunette in the middle asked eyeing me up and down, she turned and spit on the pavement.  All class.

“My mother.” I said honestly, widening my eyes turning them into huge wet orbs of sorrow.

“What the fuck makes you think we know your mother, yeah?”  She sighed with boredom, sucking on her cigarette, blowing the smoke right in my face causing my eyes to water.

“Well she uh…works… she is like you.” I stuttered over the words, feeling my cheeks grow warm.  Way to go Madeline, I thought.

“Like us?” The skinny brunette said.  “A hooker you mean?”  She glared at me.  “You think your better than us, yeah?” She stepped forward, stopping an inch in front of my face.

“What?” I started to panic, feeling my heart race.  “No, I don’t think that.  I’m not better than anyone. I-”

“Blondie, I’m just fuckin’ with ya!” She laughed like it was the most hilarious thing in the world.

“What’s your momma’s name.” The girl with the corn-rows said blowing another cloud of smoke in my face as she took a drag off her cigarette.  I wanted to warn her about the dangers of second hand smoke, but I didn’t think she would appreciate it.

“Melissa.  She’d be in her late 40’s now.” I looked at her hopefully.  “Does that name ring any bells at all?”

The girls all looked at each other. The skinny brunette just looked bored, and the girl in the gold hot pants just shrugged.

“You really are stupid Blondie.” The girl in cornrows said.  “Nobody uses their real names out on the streets.”

“Yeah.” The girl in the hot pants chimed in. “That shit would get you killed.”

They all nodded in agreement.

“Get lost Blondie.” The girl with the corn-rows said.  “What makes you think your mom is hookin'”

“It’s a long story, but I know she is, and she lives in North Port.  Look.  Do you know any place I could look for her, anywhere she might be hanging out?” I asked desperately.

“Yo mom’s kind of old to be hookin.” Skinny brunette giggled.  “The old ones hang in the bad part of town, I knew an old whore once who could unlock her jaw like a Burmese python”

“Isn’t this the bad part of town?” I asked looking at the warehouse behind us.

The three girls looked insulted, each glaring at me.  I had clearly offended them.

“What you tryin’ to say blondie?” Skinny brunette glared at me, she took a step forward, and I shrank back.

The girl in corn-rows looked like she was ready to throw down, but lucky a car pulled up and the girls attention shifted instantly, to the lone occupant, a skinny looking dude who reeked of desperation.

“Hey how you doin’ honey.  You lookin’ for a good time?” The girls called out.

I watched completely shocked as the man climbed out of the car.  The girls approached him like a cat in heat, each hanging all over him like he was the last man on earth.

This was a mistake, I should have never came here.  It was clear these girls didn’t know my mother.  This was a huge waste of time, I’ve learned nothing.  My eyes filled with disappointment.

“Madeline?” A voice said from behind me.  My heart dropped in my shoes and I spun around feeling the blood drain from my face.  Riley!

“A bookstore huh?” Riley laughed, the sound harsh and bitter.  He threw up his hands and fixed me with a look of disgust and disappointment.

I chewed on the inside of my cheek, and felt my eyes fill up with tears.

“Riley it’s not what it looks like!” I managed to cry out taking a step forward, teetering on my heals.

“Madeline.  Save it. I don’t want to hear anymore lies.”

With tears streaming down my face, I walked forward, and stopped as he held his arms out in warning.  “I know what this looks like, but I swear I’m not like these girls.  If you’ll only listen to what I have to say-”

“Don’t come near me.  You lied to me Madeline.  I don’t want anything to do with you.” He spat, and backed up as far away from me as he could possibly get.  I swear I could feel my heart breaking in my chest.

“Riley please.” I begged.

Riley gave me one last searing look of disappointment, shook his head once, and ran off across the parking lot in the other direction before I could say another word.

Tears streamed out of my eyes and ran down my cheeks, I let them fall and didn’t wipe them away.

“Way to go honey.  You suck at this.” Skinny brunette girl said laughing as she leaned against the brick wall sucking on a cigarette.

“Yes I do.” I whispered more to myself.

I stared down the street in the direction Riley had left praying for him to come back, to let me explain.  If he would only listen I would tell him everything, every sordid pathetic detail no matter how embarrassed I was.  The truth would be better than him thinking I was a prostitute.

As the girls stared at me and laughed, I cried, not caring how pathetic I looked.  I was only concerned about Riley.  We weren’t an official couple, and had only been out twice, but he was something special, and maybe could have been the one.  Now I would never know…

———————————————-

I ignored the dirty looks as I walked home.  I stared down at the ground, only lifting my eyes off the ground to cross the street, and not wanting complete strangers to see the tears that streamed down my face, or their looks of pity.

Of all the people in the world that could have shown up to see me talking to hookers, Riley had to be the one.  He was the last person on earth I wanted to see me like that.  I would never get his expression out of my mind as long as I lived, not in a million years.

My eyes widened in shock when I threw open the front door and saw Zoe and Tanner making out on the couch like a couple of teenagers. I sighed, Zoe was never up this early.  Figures the time I would want to sneak in unnoticed would be the time she would rise early.  My shitty day just got worse.

Zoe jumped off Tanner and fixed me with a glare.  “Is that my shirt?”  She hissed.

I crossed my hands over my chest, caught red-handed, but I felt no guilt, I was too exhausted, and beyond caring.  I just wanted to rip this shirt from my body and fall into bed and forget I existed.

“And my shoes!” Zoe yelled pointing. “What the hell Madeline?”

I burst into angry tears and turned away from Zoe before she could see the tears that streamed from my face.

“Your stupid slutty clothes ruined everything I had with Riley.” I sobbed.  “Are you happy?”

“If you don’t like my clothes then why the hell did you take them?” Zoe yelled.

“Because you dress like a damn whore Zoe that’s why.  I needed to look like a hooker, and you know what Zoe, mission accomplished.”  I laughed at the stunned expression on Zoe’s face, and without another word, or maybe part fear of being punched, I ran upstairs two at a time.  The sound of my bedroom door slamming echoed throughout the house, and I flung myself on the bed.  Only then did I let myself cry….

Tags: MadelineDrake, ZoeConnors

• December 16, 2013
• Generation 1
• 52 Comments