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

me,” Clarissa said, turning away. Jackson touched her arm and she turned back, tears in her eyes.
    “Rissa , it’s not like that,” Jackson said. “I took her to my parents’ house. Not my house!” Raising one eyebrow, Clarissa was clearly waiting for him to continue.
    “I didn’t know what to do with her, but I co uldn’t take her back right away. Billy would’ve beat the crap out of her, especially if she came back without any money,” Jackson said, sighing.
    “You gave her money?” Clarissa’s voice raised an octave, attracting the attention of the nearest table’s occupants. Her normally calm manner was completely gone, replaced by a suddenly jealous and very hurt woman.
    “Rissa, Rissa, just let me finish,” Jack son said, pulling her farther into the alcove. “Let me sum it up, since every sentence I say seems to make you more upset. I gave her money, but it was only because I saw that man put marks on her body right there in front of me. Only God knows what Billy would’ve done to her if she’d shown up the next morning without any cash.”
    “She spent the night at your parents’ house and then you gave her money,” Clarissa said, suddenly very calm. Too calm. “What else, Jackson? What else is there, because I don’t know how much more I can take.”
    “I was worried about her, so I’ve actually been back to check on her,” Jack son said, almost hanging his head at the look on her face. It seemed to be made of stone, and the only other time he’d ever seen that look was the day she’d lost her parents in the plane crash. It was the look she wore when she held back all emotion in order to get through something devastating.
    “Clarissa, nothing happened. S he slept all night at my parents’ house, she ate breakfast, I gave her money and, well, then I took her back,” Jackson said, but Clarissa had noticed his pause and she jumped on it.
    “So something did happen! Jackson, I can’t believe this, I thought you respected me, I thought we might have a real future together,” she gasped out; tears now racing down her face.
    “Oka y, Clarissa, she’s a prostitute. It’s her job to seduce guys, and yes, she tried to kiss me,” he started. “But she didn’t get anywhere with it. I think she could even sense that I was involved with someone, because telling her I was a pastor didn’t stop her, but when I held her away, she asked if I was afraid my wife would find out.”
    At that, Clarissa’s head snapped up and she locked eyes with Jack son. He knew she’d been hoping for a proposal, and although these past few years had been pleasant, he was far from a serious commitment. With her. Where in the world did that thought come from?
     
     
    Amanda was bored out of her mind, but she pretended to listen carefully to Phil’s conversations throughout the evening. She couldn’t help but wonder if she would run into Jackson before the night was over.
    She realized Phil was asking her a question and she snapped back to reality. “I’m sorry, Phil, what was that?” She felt stupid. Her job with the escort service relied heavily on her recommendations from clients, and here she was blowing it with the first one. He was a nice guy, just boring, but he wasn’t asking or expecting her to do anything else except listen to him. Buck up, girl.
    “I asked if you would care to dance,” Phil said as he offered his hand. Without answering, she took his hand and he steered her toward the dance floor, where several couples were already swaying to a romantic ballad.
    Phil’s arm wrapped around her waist, his hand resting at the small of her bare back. Her mauve-colored top was mostly backless, but still tasteful and flattering against her dark hair. Several tendrils had escaped from her elegant up do, which softened her carefully made up face.
    “You’re a very pretty woman, Mandy,” Phil said, looking down at her as they moved across the floor. “How is it that you got into the escort