Free Hot Pink Heels (The Street Series) by Adrienne Dawn

looked up, expecting to see Jackson still on the platform.
    But the prayer was over and the food service was beginning. Jackson was nowhere in sight. Phil led her back to their table and seated her before seating himself. Amanda’s water goblet was full and she drank deeply, noticing her hand was shaking.
    Sneaking glances over her shoulder, Amanda began to pick at her salad. She had no idea how much this benefit dinner cost, but she realized she should eat as much as possible, since she had nothing but a few crackers left back at her place. She forked up the fancy lettuce, if that’s what you could call it. The strange flavors were not what she was use to, but with this new gig, she hoped she would be forced to get use to this type of situation quickly.
    She almost dropped her fork when she felt someone near her shoulder, but it was just the server letting her know he was there before placing her entrée plate in front of her. “Mandy, are you ok?” She glanced up to see concern on Phil’s face. “Your face is really pale and you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
    Amanda smile d at him. “I’m fine. It’s just a small headache but I think it’s because I’m so hungry,” she said, attacking her salmon to prove her point.
    Phil nodded and let it drop, striking up a conversation with a man to his left. The two obviously knew each other, so Amanda was left to her own thoughts. The salmon was cooked perfectly, but there was a pitiful amount of it on her plate. Sighing, she began to fork up another bite.
     
     
    Clarissa and Jack son were whispering in an alcove on the other side of the room. “Okay, Jackson, out with it,” she said. “You’ve been acting very strangely since last week and then you just froze a few minutes ago. Who was that woman you were staring at? Do you know her?”
    Wow, maybe Clarissa had a bit of a temper after all. He’d never seen her this angry before. She was waiting for a response, her arms crossed in an unfamiliar manner. Jack son could easily lie to her, but that was not his style. He should’ve told her all of this the other day, but it honestly hadn’t crossed his mind. Maybe because you’ve been so busy thinking about Amanda .
    “Remember when I told you Harry and I wanted to go downtown and invite people from the street to attend the new services we’re starting at that warehouse?” Clarissa nodded, her arms still crossed. “Well, I borrowed his car and went to talk to homeless people, prostitutes, whoever happened to be on the street that night,” Jackson said.
    “You’re telling me she was one of them?” Clarissa raised her eyebrows in disbelief. “She looked too well put together to be from the street.”
    “Just hold on a minute, Rissa, I’m getting there,” he pleaded. “When I pulled over, of course, all the girls thought I was a customer.” God, I’m in a jam here. Please help me word this right without hurting Clarissa.
    Clarissa’s eyes sparked. They actually sparked. Jack son rushed to finish the story, anxious to assuage his guilt. “She came over and practically fell into my car and then passed out and hit her head on the concrete,” he said. “EMS came and they tried to take her to the hospital but she seemed so scared and physically okay and then Billy came up, and—“
    “Who’s Billy?” Clarissa cut him off. She was definitely listening to his story, so Jack son quickly added the other details.
    “Billy is her pimp,” Jackson finished. “He threatened her and bruised her arm right there in front of me, so what could I do?” His eyes pleaded with Clarissa to understand.
    Jack son could see her softening, so he continued. “I knew if I let her out of my car that night, he was going to do something terrible to her,” Jackson said.
    “Okay, so what did you do?” Clarissa questioned.
    This is going to be the tough one . He looked her straight in the eye and said, “I took her home.”

Chapter 1 1
     
    “You’ve got to be kidding