Page 3 of Nobody Praying for Me

Her oval head tilted to the side when she noticed me studying her. She was around 5’7 and maybe weighing 150 pounds with ass, titties, and a slim waist. Everything was tight and proportioned well in the red halter jumpsuit she wore. Her supple espresso skin was flawless, along with her arched brows, long and dainty nose that housed a stud earring, and chiseled cheekbones that flushed with a natural rosy color. Not even the red outline tattoo of a heart resting beneath her left, almond-shaped eye could dim her beauty. The body wave hair she wore framed her face perfectly and made it hard to not want to run my fingers through it. Her full, glossy lips spread open to reveal a beautiful smile that almost made me forget how to breathe.

The longer I stared at her, the warmer my face became. The only reason I snapped out of my daze was the fact someone cleared their throat from behind us. Turning to the cashier, I saw her waiting on my response.

“Make it $40 on pump three,” I said. I returned my attention to the woman and asked her, “You want anything else?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” she replied, batting her wispy lashes. This time, when she spoke, my brain downloaded her silvery and soft voice to memory. She turned toward the merchandise, and my eyes tracked her every place she went from picking up snacks to grabbing something to drink from the cooler. The other people in line began to grow impatient, but I paid them no mind. Once she had everything she wanted, she came back and piled it on the counter.

The cashier raised an eyebrow as if to ask me if it was okay. I nodded once, and she began to add it to my tab. I tapped my card against the reader when the total popped up, not thinking twice about it. “Thanks,” I told the cashier after she bagged everything up.

I turned to the woman and handed her the bag with her snacks. “I appreciate that, handsome.” She winked then sashayed out of the door without a backward glance. When she spun around, I caught a glimpse of some kind of tattoo on her neck that I was curious about.

My body moved of its own accord as I raced out the door behind her. “That’s how you gon’ do me, Pretty? You should at least let me take you out on a date or something.”

She spun toward me, making her titties bounce in place. She was so damn pretty to me I almost stumbled over my feet when we made eye contact. I watched her give me that same mischievous look from the store when she’d boldly demanded gas on my dime. “If I see you again, I’ll go on a date with you.”

Never one to be thirsty or pressed about a woman, I simply chuckled, accepting defeat. “Well, can I at least pump your gas for you, Miss. . .” My voice trailed off as I waited for her name.

“Charisma,” she replied.

“Charisma,” I repeated. “That fits you.”

She gave me a toothless grin. “I’ve heard that before.” I didn’t say more as I closed the distance between my Trackhawk and her Lexus. Realizing what she was driving, I wished I paid for more gas to fill her up, but hey, I was already out of my comfort zone right now. My little $40 would have to do.

Charisma climbed into her car to wait while I pumped her gas for her. It didn’t take long, so when I finished, I put the pump back and closed her tank. She waved at me through her windshield while I offered a quick head nod. I stood next to my truck, watching her pull away from the gas station. The second her car was out of sight, the darkness from before came crawling back into my heart.

“Who was that?” Sissy cracked her door open to ask.

I shook my head at the same time my phone began to vibrate in my pocket. Seeing it was a call from my brother, Kaos, I quickly answered and waited for the automated voice as it began reciting the usual script. Just that quickly the pretty woman was forgotten, and reality came crashing back into me at full force.

3

CHARISMA RAE JONES

“Unlock the fucking door.”

Chills raced down my spine, and I was certain my heart was going to leap out of my chest. If it weren’t for the hard steel pressing deeper into my head, I never would’ve found the strength to insert my key into the lock. I released a shaky breath, doing as I was instructed. My life was not worth any valuables I had in my home.

“Hurry the fuck up!” the person barked, and I froze, thinking the voice sounded familiar, but I was too afraid to turn around and face the truth. Instead, I convinced myself that it couldn’t be him. He would never rob me, right? Before I could even twist the knob, I was being pushed inside, and the door was closed behind me. “Take me to the fucking safe, and empty that muthafucka.”

My eyes widened when I heard that because there was truly only one person in this world that knew about my safe. “Sa-safe? What safe?” I stuttered, trying to feign innocence.

The safety on the gun was clicked off, and the barrel was pointed in my direction. “Bitch, take me to that fucking safe before I flatline yo’ ass.”

“Bryaire. . .” I whispered his name in shock. I wanted nothing more than for this masked man to be some random man who assumed I had a safe, but that was unlikely. With the lifestyle I lived, I’d seen crazier things happen, so someone I loved and trusted switching up on me for some money wasn’t that surprising.

Closing the distance between us, he yanked me forward by the front of my cropped jacket, tearing it open in the process. I barely had time to cradle my breasts to my chest before he was nudging me down the hall where I kept the safe in the closet of the second bedroom I’d turned into my vanity and closet. That was when I knew who the culprit was, and instead of testing my luck, I figured I should give him what he wanted so he could leave. Only then could I process the truth of not truly having anyone in my life I could depend on or trust.

Keeping quiet, I switched on the light and rushed over to the safe. I could feel the heat of his body hovering over me, and it made my hands shake. Once I cracked it open, he tossed a duffel bag at my feet. “Fill it up.”

I could hardly see through my tears as I drained my life savings into the duffel. Anytime I went into the bank, I always got judgmental stares when I tried depositing thousands of dollars in dollar bills. So, I invested in a personal safe and became my own bank instead. All I knew was stripping, so I had no other skills, but I was saving my money so I could get out of the club one day. I wanted to give myself a chance at another life, and watching that future disappear with each stack of bills I placed in the duffel ripped my heart open.

When the bag was full, I tossed it behind me without turning around. “That’s all of it?”

Red-hot anger coursed through my veins before exploding out of me. “Yes! Now get the fuck out!” I yelled with a quick glance over my shoulder.

I almost leapt out of my skin when I saw how close he was standing to me. Before I could prepare myself, he snatched me by my hair and slung me on the floor. We began to tussle as he tried to rip my jacket open the rest of the way. “Stop, stop! Bryaire, stop!” I begged, and I pleaded through the queasiness in my belly.

There was no way I’d made it ten years in this industry, and the person to violate me most was the one man I trusted more than anyone in this world. My blood ran cold when he stuffed his hand in my shorts and tried to fiddle with my clit. “I been wanting this pussy for a long time, Rizz. You gonna give it to me?”