“More than you can ever imagine,” I say wholeheartedly. “This is like Christmas, birthday, and winning the lottery, combined in one day.”
“I was living with my boyfriend before. It didn’t work out. I left him but didn’t have any money and no place to go.”
This story is making less and less sense. Why didn’t she go home to her parents? And how was she living with a boyfriend and stayed a virgin?
“So, let’s recap. You lived with a guy, under one roof, who was your boyfriend. Who I’m assuming is not gay, but somehow you manage to not have sex at all? How?”
She goes quiet again, turning her head toward the window, so I can’t see her face. I try to solve the puzzle presented to me. I would never tell her, but Penny is a pretty girl. She was pretty when she was fifteen, but now, she is smoking hot. The guys are going to be mad as hell that I didn’t share her. How in the world did a guy live with her and not fuck her senseless? Then I remember the scars on her back, and the pieces slowly come together.
“Your ex couldn’t get his dick hard, so he beat you up and put cigarettes out on your skin to make himself feel like a real man?”
Her body slightly shifts, and a low sob comes from the passenger side. Great, now she is crying. Considering her reaction, I’m guessing I was spot on with my theory.
Taking my phone out, I turn on the navigation and search for the women’s shelter. It’s only ten minutes away. Ten more minutes, then I’ll have this mess out of my car and out of my life for good.But first things first. I pull into the twenty-four-hour drug store and park.
“Go in there and buy the morning-after pill. I want to see you take it.” When I fucked her without a condom, pregnancy was the furthest thing from my mind. All I heard wasvirgin,and my dick had to be inside of that.
She finally turns her head toward me. Looking pitiful with her red-rimmed eyes and tear-stained cheeks, she sniffs. “I don’t have any money.”
Of course, I shake my head before getting out of the truck and walking inside. The lady up front goes to the back and gets the pill for me. I grab a bottle of water while I wait.
“Your total comes to $48.59,” she says when she rings me up.
I look at the small package the cashier is stuffing into the plastic bag. “Fifty dollars for one pill? There better be a tiny Asian hooker inside.”
I throw a fifty-dollar bill down and grab the bag, not feeling like waiting on the change. Back in the car, I throw it in Penny’s lap before pulling out of the parking lot. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch her take the pill and down the water.
Seeing her throat move while drinking the water makes me realize how badly I want to shoot a load in her mouth. I don’t even turn the GPS back on. Instead, I drive my normal route back to my house.
I’m not sure if she doesn’t realize that we are going the wrong way or if she’s just too scared to say something. Either way, she keeps her mouth shut until I pull into my driveway.
“Where are we?”
“My house. You are going to stay here for a while and work off your debt.”
Her eyes go wide, and she clutches onto the backpack on her lap as if that is going to protect her from me. “You said you forgave my debt.”
“Well, I lied. You still owe me, and you are going to come with me to work it off.”
“You can’t do that!”
“What, lie? You better than anyone knows that lying is possible.” I can see her swallow hard at the reminder of what she did five years ago. “Matter of fact, I lied a total of three times to you tonight.”
“What were the other two lies?”
“That you will have to figure out on your own.”
The first time I lied was when I said I almost didn’t recognize her. I knew in an instant who she was. She might be older and more mature now. Her glasses are missing, and she’s had the gap between her two front teeth fixed, but the rest of her is the same. Big brown eyes, too large for her face. A small snob nose that always reminded me of tinker bell and full lips that seem to be in a constant state of pouting.
The only thing I don’t recognize about her is how she’s acting. She used to never miss an opportunity for a witty remark, and she fought me tooth and nail on everything. The new Penny is kind of a pushover, and I don’t know yet which one I like better.
The second time I lied was when I told her I wouldn’t take care of my kid. I’m not fond of the idea of having a little brat running around, but on the off chance that I’d get a girl pregnant, I would take care of the baby. I grew up without parents and wouldn’t let my child grow up the same way if I could help it.
“Are you going to walk into the house like a big girl, or do I need to throw you over my shoulders and carry you in?”
She lowers her head in defeat, unbuckles herself, and opens the door. “I’ll walk.”
On the way to the front door, she looks around nervously like she is about to make a run for it. I almost wish she would, chasing her sounds like fun. I unlock the door with one hand and grab Penny with the other. As soon as I open the door, Mojo greets us with a deep growl and a display of sharp teeth. Penny tries to jump back, but Iholdher firmly by my side.