I didn’t get the job. Hell, I didn’t even get called to do the interview. They suddenly told me that they were no longer hiring. It wasn’t like I wasn’t qualified. I fought the urge to yell at someone and demand some respect.
They should have called me before I went out of the way to prepare and arrive at the building as agreed. However, I had no power so I left.
Instead of thinking about how much I needed a job, a certain brown-eyed devil haunted my thoughts. I thought of the way my body reacted when he touched me, the way he looked at me longingly, and the fact that he wanted to see me again.
The whole way home, I was caught in a loop of the events that had taken place that morning. It was like a scene from a movie–surreal.
The minute I got to my shitty apartment, everything came crashing back. The way my family lost everything, how my father went to prison, how my sister turned out, and the tragic story of my mother. I once had a perfect family and in one night, it all came crashing down.
Six months later, I had yet to heal from the aftermath of everything that happened. I was reduced to working three jobs to make ends meet and afford an apartment that looked older than me.
“Thompson!” The landlord boomed. Since the building had no elevator, I had to run up the stairs to avoid him. I was five days late to pay rent and he wasn’t a particularly patient man.
I tripped and fell on my way back to my apartment but I picked myself up on time and continued running.
“Thompson!
Don’t you run from me, you cunt! I will fucking kill, bitch! Where is my money?! “
Luckily for me, he was a fat unfit man who was also short so he didn’t have long strides. I lived on the third floor so I was able to get to my apartment before him and lock the door.
Once I was in, I heaved out a sigh of relief and leaned on the door with my eyes closed.
I needed to get the rent before he kicked me out or worse, hired people to beat me up. I heard rumors that he did that to tenants who didn’t pay up. They always ended up in the hospital or worse, dead.
“Thompson!
I’ll get you! “ I heard him say outside my apartment as he banged the door. My heart was racing as I waited for him to go. Only when I heard his footsteps retreating did I relax.
I could have talked to him and asked him to give me more time. However, the chances of him doing that were thinner than a Jimmy Choo heel.
I threw my bag across the room in frustration and paced my room. The only way I could pay off the rent was if I asked my manager at the bar I worked at night to pay me early.
I blinked back the tears threatening to fall down my face, refusing to be weak.
Crying wouldn’t solve anything. Needing to take my mind off things, I made myself coffee and sat down with my laptop to look up Markos Petrakis. How had I not known he had done well for himself? I knew everything that went on with the elite.
Not anymore, though. After my father was arrested for embezzlement and all our assets seized, I lost all my friends. That meant they weren’t my friends in the first place.
“Let’s see, “ I said as I typed his name. However, the search came up empty. There were no listings of a company or any business under his name. I furrowed my eyebrows wondering if what I experienced that morning really happened.
The man was wearing Armani and driving a Rolls Royce. He had to have a company somewhere. When I searched the name Markos alone, the search results showed a bunch of people I had never seen before. I gave up and closed my laptop.
The rest of the day went by fast, with Markos sneaking in and out of my mind occasionally.
Soon, it was time for my shift at the bar. It was a shitty bar that was walking distance from where I lived. When I got there, I put on my skimpy uniform and got to work.
It consisted of short tight booty shorts that barely covered my ass, a tight red crop top that showed off my generous bust, and 4-inch high heels.
My face was caked up in makeup to the point that I was barely recognizable. Every Monday and Wednesday, I had to endure catcalls, crude remarks, and lingering gazes from customers. Those customers were men who were my age, twice my age, and even those who were old enough to be my grandfather.
Other customers even went as far as smacking my ass and ' accidentally ' touching my breasts over my uniform. I was determined to bear it all if it meant making enough money to support myself.
Plus, it was temporary. Once I got a decent job, I wouldn't have to work at the shitty bar. Me and the other girls working at the club tried to complain about the uniform and the bad treatment from customers but our equally perverted boss encouraged it.
He even hinted at us sleeping with some customers to ensure they always came back. The girls who were smart enough like me, played along with the men no matter how disgusting it made us feel without going too far. The happier the customer, the larger the tip.
Complaining wasn't going to solve any of my problems. After my shift that day, I went to the boss’ office to talk to him about paying me earlier than usual. Unluckily for me, it had been a slow night so the tips didn't help my rent problem.
“What do we have here? Have you finally come to your senses, princess? “ He asked. He knew I was an heiress who lost everything in one day and he loved to mock me for it.
My pride was bruised the first few weeks of working there but I soon got over it.
He wanted me to sleep with him and pay me for it. There was a line I drew when it came to making money. Sleeping with men for cash was a hard line to cross. If I was going to sleep hungry some nights, at least I still maintained my dignity.
“Could you pay me a little early, please? I am in a tight spot right now. “ I said, ignoring his question.
“I can't do that…”
I hated that I had to beg but I had no other option. I would get on my knees and beg if I had to.
“Please, I’ll work extra hours if I have to. “
He thought about it for a while before giving me a creepy smile.
“Fine. Stay late for the 1 a.m. shift and I will pay you soon after.”
The complaint was on my lips. That was very late. I lived in an unsecured building where anyone could come in and out at any time. Kids wrote on the walls and graffitied them all the time.
Who knew what was lurking at night?
“Fine. “ I was willing to take the risk. The landlord was worse than those things lurking in corners.
I stayed late as I had promised and was done by 3 am. At least most of the customers were either going home or passing out. We kicked out the remaining ones and closed the doors for the night.
When I went to collect my money, I found the boss getting a blow job from one of the waitresses. I knocked before I entered, meaning he wanted me to find him in that compromising situation.
He made no move to acknowledge me, much less talk to me. He was far too busy enjoying the pleasure he was getting.
“I just want my money so I can leave, please, I said. “
He laughed and pushed the girl giving him head away. He fixed his fly and asked her to leave us.
“If you get on your knees and finish what that girl started, then I’ll give it to you. “
“That wasn't the deal!”
“What deal? I don't remember making a deal with you. “
“Go to hell!”
“Face it, Hazel. You’re going to end up a whore sooner or later or a stripper at best.
Why don't you start now? I know a couple of guys that want to tap that. “
I felt lightheaded and nauseated by his words. He didn't get to tell me what I was going to become.
“You are a douche and a–”
“I am a man who has seen women like you here before. You say you will never sell your body and you end up doing it. By the time you die, I bet a couple hundred men will have tasted the heiress's pussy. “
“Do you know how many men will line up to sleep with you and pay a lot because you were once a heiress? Hell, I can only imagine the things you’ll let them do to you for money. “
Unable to listen to him any longer, I stormed out of there.
I rushed straight home and kept my head down to avoid getting robbed. However, luck was not on my side that day because my landlord was lurking in a corner in the dark on my floor waiting for me to get home.
“You thought you could run from me, Thompson? No one runs from me. Especially not a whore like you. “
It was three in the morning and I was driving around New York pretending I was out clearing my head. It was just a fucking lie I told myself to pretend I knew what I was doing when it came to Hazel. My phone rang just as I pulled up to the address Ivan had gotten me. “Carter is in. The shipments will be arriving soon. I don’t know what you said to him but it worked. “Of course, it fucking worked. I was the most powerful and dangerous man in New York. A lot of his actions were motivated by fear. I was unforgiving and everybody knew it. Carter was smart to accept my escorts, drinks, and deals.“Be ready for him and be careful. ““What did you do? Apologize? ““I don’t apologize to anyone. He was happy with the girls you sent and drinks. All I had to do was stroke his ego by telling him he has the best ammo and product in the business. ““Okay. Where are you? I thought you would want to see this shipment for yourself. It is the biggest one yet. Is there somewhere more important than t
I would be lying if I said I didn’t dress up nicely for Markos. He’d given me an address of where I would go so I could start my new job. Putting aside my pride and accepting his help was the hardest thing I had to do.Especially when I used to have everything handed to me.I was dressed in the nicest clothes I could find. I was in a short sundress and cute flats. I had on minimal makeup and my hair was free. I didn’t have a curler but I improvised with the items in my tiny apartment.I had to take three subways and walk through the busy streets of New York to the Upper East where his hotel was. I’d googled it but the name of the owner was not listed. I guess he must have been serious when he said he didn’t want his name on blogs.The hotel was modern, extravagant, and a sight for sore eyes. I was almost too embarrassed to walk in because of how bad I looked in comparison. The floors were white marble, too clean for my shoes that had just been from the Bronx.“Hello, I’m here to see M
It had been weeks since I saw Markos again. He was nowhere in the hotel premises in my first three weeks of work. I started to believe that he never came around that hotel. It was probably his least-visited hotel.Disappointment hit me in waves. It felt like I was back in college begging for his attention, begging for him to tell him what I did after ghosting me. I hated that I felt like crying.Knowing he knew I worked in his hotel and he didn’t come to see me hit hard. I wanted answers for our past mess and at the same time, I also wanted his attention. I would be lying if I said I didn’t still have feelings for him.“Hazel, you’ve been asked to clean the penthouse,” Derek stated as he passed by me.I was at the reception checking my book of chores. The penthouse suite hadn’t been slotted for me in the book. I started to think that maybe Derek had mistaken me for someone else.But I squished that thought when I remembered how much he hated me. He never treated other housekeepers the
I didn’t fuck that woman I was with. I couldn’t even remember her name. I’d brought her into my penthouse so I could make Hazel jealous and by the looks of it, it worked. We’d gone into my room and fooled around a little.Then I’d told her I had work to do and I would call her soon. I didn’t think she realized I didn’t have her number.I purposely ripped a condom out of its wrapper and put it on the ground for Hazel to see. I saw the hurt swirling in those pools of hazel. I wasn’t stupid enough to think she was hurt.Her pride was just bruised because I was with the kind of woman she would never be again. She would never be a rich woman again and she would not be worthy of my love or attention again.That was less than she deserved for what she and her family did to me. Did she realize I knew what she did to me?“You fucking hired her!” Ivan yelled as he stormed into my penthouse. It reminded me to remove his access. He was fucking annoying.He’d found me standing by my glass walls, o
It had been a month since I started working at Markos’ hotel; Peak Euphoria. It had been a month of witnessing Markos bring woman after woman into his penthouse. Coincidentally, it was always when I was cleaning.If I didn't find his flavor of the week, it was used thongs and condom wrappers. Still, I carried on pretending it didn't affect me. Like I didn't find myself constantly comparing myself to every woman he spent the night with. Like I didn’t spend long hours in the mirror hating my flaws and sinking myself into the bottomless pit of self-loathing and low self-esteem.I found myself wondering if the money was worth all the mental torture. It was hard watching the man you liked choose everyone else but you.It didn't help that each woman was better than the last–prettier, sexier, and richer.Markos was a whore.A whore I had yet to go over. A whore who stole my heart and refused to give it back. All these thoughts were subsequently pushed to the back of my mind when the bills c
Everything was taking a toll on me. The bills were just too many to pay and the money was not enough.My salary at the hotel was more than I was paid in my previous bartending and waitressing jobs combined but it still wasn’t enough.I was starting to get frustrated. When things got tough, like they were starting to get, I often thought about how everything with my family fell apart.I was paying for a mistake I didn’t make. At that moment, I hated my father for what he had done. He had single-handedly doomed my sister and me to a life of suffering.I wished I had been smart enough to work after college instead of allowing myself to be groomed by my mother to be a billionaire’s wife—a billionaire who left me when my father was exposed for money laundering and fraud.But even if I had worked, my mother’s parents—my grandparents—would have still blacklisted me from the job market like they were currently doing.I was on the subway on my way to work when my phone rang. My heart beat loud
I could tell she was absent-minded. She didn’t react like she normally did when I flaunted women in front of her. Previously, I could tell it bothered her but on that particular day, she decided not to care.Something must have been bothering her but I knew she wouldn’t tell me what it was. She must have hated my guts. It should not have bothered me as much as it did but I couldn’t stand the thought of her resenting me.‘How can you think like that when you’ve gone out of your way to make sure she resents you?’ The voice in the back of my head said.She had to hate me so I could hate her.The next day, I decided to be alone in the penthouse. It wasn’t like I was doing anything with those women I flashed her anyway. I hadn’t been able to think of another woman since she resurfaced in my life.She walked in with a purple bruise on her cheek, a busted lip, and a cut on the side of her head. Someone had beat her up. Did she have a boyfriend I didn’t know about?There were grazes on her ar
“What happened to you?!” Julia asked when she saw me.She was the only one who was good to me. The rest hated me because of the rumors Derek spilled. It was only recently that I had realized his beef with me was not personal.Ivan, the guy that was fighting with Markos had to be the one telling him to frustrate me because he hated me. I had a feeling it had to do with the things Markos had told him about me.What had he said that was so bad? I had always been a good partner and supported him despite my parents’ disapproval of him.“Don’t worry about me….” I said in response to Julia’s question. She may have been nice but I didn’t trust her. Life had taught me not to trust anyone.“How can I not when you look like that? It’s good to come clean about your problems so others can help you. Come on, you know I’m not asking out of malicious intent.”I decided to just tell her because I was going to borrow her phone anyway. I needed it because I had to make a few calls. How was I going to co