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“Time to face the giant, angry man,” she whispered to her reflection. Cat left the bedroom to pad down the hallway to find Repo. He was in the kitchen, as promised, making them sandwiches.
Repo looked her up and down and then nodded. “Hope you’re okay with grilled cheese,” he said. “It’s all I know how to make.”
“I love grilled cheese,” she said. “I’m starving, so anything works,” she admitted. She was hungry too. The last time she ate was yesterday morning and living off coffee wasn’t her best idea but she got it for free from the local gas station because she knew the manager. Hell, he was one of her customers and he told her to take some food too but she knew that she’d end up paying “extra” for his generosity, so she passed up his offer.
Repo nodded, handing her a plate with two sandwiches on it. “Did you have a nice shower?” he asked. Cat knew he was trying to make small talk and honestly, it was adorable but she wasn’t a small talk kind of girl.
“Why am I here, Repo?” she asked, taking a bite of her sandwich. It tasted so good, she practically forgot to breathe while she inhaled the first half.
“Slow down, Cat,” Repo said around a chuckle. “At the rate, you’re going, you’ll choke to death before you can grill me for more details. I told you earlier—you’re here so I can keep an eye on you.” Repo finished off his sandwich in just two big bites and Cat wanted to laugh at how much of a hypocrite he was about her eating her food too quickly.
“And, I’ve already told you that I don’t need a babysitter, Repo,” she said around a mouthful of sandwich. “I can manage on my own, just fine,” she insisted.
“Sure,” he said, grabbing another sandwich from the pan. “You seemed to be doing great, sleeping on a park bench clutching a box with all your worldly belongings.”
“I told you that I was evicted and the box didn’t contain everything I own,” she countered. Repo practically stood toe to toe with her and she could feel the heat rolling from his big body. He seemed to be turned on by their little give and take and if she was being honest, she was too.
“You like a woman who gives you a little hell, don’t you, Repo?” she asked.
“Don’t,” he barked.
“Don’t what?” she asked, taking a chance and stepping closer into his big body. Repo huffed out his breath and put his plate on the kitchen counter. He stared down at her as if daring her to make another move and she couldn’t help her giggle. Sure, he was big and scary. Most women and men, for that matter, would find Repo standing over them imposing but Cat was never one to back down from a challenge.
“Don’t push me, Cat. I told you that I don’t fuck with my work and you’re work right now.” He stepped back from her and Cat wasn’t sure if she felt more disappointed or relieved that he did. He was right, them getting involved would be a fucking mistake but he was fun to toy with and she was betting he’d be a lot of fun in bed too. But, that wouldn’t happen because men like Repo didn’t want a used up woman like her. She was sure that he didn’t have any issues getting most of the female population to notice him with his muscles and tattoos in all the right places. He was big and had a bad boy image that most women would drop their panties for. She used to be one of those women but not anymore. Now, she was a prostitute, a call girl, a plaything for hire and that worked for her. It paid her bills most of the time and until recently, kept food in her belly and a roof over her head. Now that was all over for her unless she took Candy’s pimp up on his offer.
Sly Blankenship looked harmless to most people. Hell, he looked like the all American boy next door and she was pretty sure that his rap sheet was squeaky clean too. Sly knew how to keep his nose out of trouble because when push came to shove, he’d let his girls take the rap for him. Candy had been picked up more times than Cat could keep track of, for working the same street corner as her. Every time her friend reappeared to work, she praised Sly for bailing her out but Cat knew that a good pimp would have made sure that Candy was working a corner that wasn’t under surveillance. Hell, a good pimp wouldn’t make his girls work a corner at all. It was old school and outdated, having to stand on a street corner and wait for an offer. No, Cat longed for classier calls where she’d meet her clients in their homes or hotel rooms. Occasionally, she got a few of those calls and God, the pay was great but here lately, the street corner was her only option.
And, good old Sly didn’t like her working Candy’s corner. If she was a gambler, she’d bet that Sly was the one who called her into the cops. She wouldn’t put it past him to have set up the cop to make her an offer, landing her behind bars. But, that was something she’d share with her court-appointed lawyer if she was ever assigned one.
“Hey,” Repo said. “You okay?”
Cat nodded. “Yeah, sorry. I guess I’ve got a lot on my mind—it’s been a damn long day. You mind if I hit the sheets?” she asked.
“No,” Repo said. “I’m beat myself. I’ll clean up here and then probably turn in too.” Cat nodded and brushed past him to put her plate in the sink.
“Thanks for dinner, Repo. And, for the place to stay,” she whispered. “I’ll try to be out of your hair before you know it.” She walked back to the spare bedroom and shut the door, locking it behind her. Yeah, just like the good old days.
