Craving Sugar Read online

  “I can help you.” My eyes settled on the same girl who just a short while ago had looked at me strangely. Not with annoyance, but calculating. “Don’t let your pride burn your future. Call me.”

  With a quick squeeze of the hand holding onto the card, she walked away as Ruby reappeared. The two looked at each other and smiled before the stranger continued toward the door and her friends.

  “What did she want? I didn’t know you were friends with Zoe Chapman.”

  “I’m not.” Up until she mentioned it, I hadn’t known her full name. Just the closeness—the secretive way—that clique behaved. “She stopped by to ask if I was okay.” The lie bubbled out with ease, my lips reacting without permission from my mind.

  “That’s it? You sure?”

  “I am.” My fingers tightened around the small square card in my hand; I didn’t want her to know.

  Why? No clue, but this was one of those moments where gut instincts told me to zip it.

  And I did.

  Maybe this was the solution I’d been praying for.

  A way out.

  TWO

  Beau

  “I can do this. This will be a good thing.” A chant. My mantra ever since I set this meeting up with Zoe. Something about the way she reached out to me—how earnest she looked while telling me not to be prideful—resonated with me.

  Made me call.

  Once more I walked the length of the sidewalk.

  “Planning to have this conversation out here? Should I fall in step?”

  “Shit!” I yelped, while my companion laughed. Placing a hand on my chest, I looked over to my left and glared. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you that it’s not kosher to sneak up on people? How rude it is?”

  Zoe watched me try and regulate my breathing with an amused expression of her face. “My mother did tell me that all the time—hated when I’d sneak up and scare her half to death.”

  “And yet you continue to do so?”

  “Never been able to kick the habit.” She shrugged unapologetically. “Didn’t grasp the concept.” My reply was a quick flip of the bird which caused her to snort. “Real mature, Beau.”

  “Wasn’t trying to be.”

  “So...” she trailed off and bumped her shoulder with mine. “Going in, or do I start my spiel now? Your choice.”

  “Hungry?” I asked, tilting my head toward the deli a few stores down from where I’d stopped. It was considered a hole-in-the-wall inside the posh neighborhood surrounding it, but made the best soup and sandwiches in town.

  “Only if it’s my treat.” At my frown, she grasped my hand in hers and squeezed. “Promise that it won’t cost me a dime.”

  Didn’t miss the emphasis on the word me.

  “Let’s go in.”

  Zoe gave an exaggerated bow. “Lead the way.”

  Nodding, I walked down the sidewalk and toward the small shop. Without looking back, I entered and settled into a small booth near the back of the eatery. The guys working behind the counter all called out a “welcome” as we made our way inside.

  Zoe followed and took a seat across from me. “Does this place have a waitress?”

  “Nope.” It was my turn to snort. “No menus other than the giant blackboard up front. Your treat, you order.”

  “Well aren’t you a little shit!” The more she spoke, the more I liked her. Zoe wasn’t the pretentious girl I’d taken her for. Here and now, she was just like me. Just another chick from the university in town who was hungry and hanging out with someone she semi-knew. Flipping her burgundy hair over her shoulder, she pursed her lips. “What do you want? What’s good?”

  “I’ll have the croquette with everything and eenie minie mo it...it’s all awesome.”

  “Chick, give me your favorites.”

  Tapping my chin, I mentally ran through my preferred list. “Try the house Cubano...it’s really good and legit.”

  “Noted.” Her phone went off, but instead of answering, she turned it off. “Drinks?”

  “I’ll have a Jupiña.”

  “The pineapple soda, right?”

  “Yup.”

  “I’ll be back, brat. Call you to give me a hand?”

  A giggle escaped me. She seemed so out of place in this shop. “Sure.”

  Zoe made her way to the counter of the semi-full shop, and I studied her. She had a presence about her, and it was more than being just another pretty face. Everyone turned to look at her. She commanded attention.

  And I envied that.

  Not because I had low self-esteem or anything, but because of the carefree attitude she exuded.

  As if she had no problems.

  From inside my wristlet my phone rang, pulling my attention away from my new friend. Ruby’s names flashed across the screen and for a small second, I felt guilt.

  I’d never told her about this meeting or the day Zoe gave me her card.

  “Hey! How’d the date go?” Sniffling came through the line, and my smile vanished. “What’s going on? Did he not show up?”

  “Max came yesterday and spent the night.” A sigh came through the line then. “He just left.”

  “Okay...” Because her tears were making no sense. Unless he…? “Did he dip and split? That ass. Jesus, babe, I’m so—”

  “Max asked me to be his girl, and I said yes,” Ruby rushed out, interrupting me.

  For a second, I pulled the phone from my face and counted to ten. As much as I loved my friend, she had the tendency to overreact. To make a crater out of an ant hill. “You still there?” It was distant, but I heard it.

  “Yeah, I’m here,” I answered in the most cheerful tone I could muster. Today of all days, I couldn’t deal with a meltdown. My nerves were already shot.

  Not until I figured out what this meeting between Zoe and I could mean.

  “Aren’t you going to ask what happened? Why I’m so distraught?”

  “So why the tears, Rubes? Hit me.” The words passed through my lips before I could stop them.

  “Does it make me a horrible person to be so happy? Because I’m on cloud nine, Beau...” Ruby continued to speak, and yet I checked out.

  What. The. Fuck.

  Here I was a nervous wreck, my career on the line, and she calls me to gush? Scared the heck out of me with her tears to tell me she’s happy?

  “I got to go,” I mumbled through a small lump in my throat. “Call you later.”

  “But wait!” Her screech hurt my ears, and I pulled the phone away. “Let me at least tell you the best part before you go back to being a worry wort.”

  That stung.

  “Sure, talk. I’m not busy or anything.”

  “Beau, Max wants to take me away on a little getaway to his parents’ summer home in North Carolina. Says he wants me to meet them. Isn’t that amazing!”

  Dear God, this woman had the worst timing. Truly, I wanted to be happy for her, but her loss of tact grated on my nerves. Most of the time I brushed it off, even when it annoyed me.

  Take her as she is.

  Since our first year of college when I met her at orientation, she’d been a good friend. Self-absorbed, but cared for me, and I needed to remember that now.

  My misfortunes were not her fault.

  Zoe slid into the booth then and pushed the platter with my sandwich and chips toward me. “Everything okay?”

  “Who’s that?” Ruby asked; she’d heard my companion, and her curiosity sprang into action. “Where are you? Did they make you work the afternoon shift too?”

  “No. Not at the bar, Ruby.” I was never much of liar, but each time I’m around Zoe they seemed to slip through my lips with ease. “I’m at an interview for a position I stumbled across in the newspaper. Caretaker.”

  Zoe coughed. “You’ll be taking care of something all right.” At my funny look, she shrugged.

  “Are they there with you now?”

  Ruby’s question caught me off guard, and I choked on the sip of soda I’d just taken. “Yeah, let
me call you back.”

  “Sure. There’s so much I’m going to need your help with.”

  “Of course, babes. Call you later.”

  “Hey, Beau?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Good luck.” She hung up before I could reply.

  Setting the phone down beside me, I pushed my food to the side and settled my focus back on Zoe. Wasn’t lying when I told Ruby that this was a job interview, at least that’s what it felt like to me.

  “That friend of yours is something else.” Zoe took a bite of her sandwich and moaned in appreciation. “This is so good.”

  “She is. Everyone has their good and bad side.” Left no room to discuss her any further. No one talked crap about someone I cared about.

  “Point made.”

  “Why am I here? What are you offering?”

  “Right to the point. I like that.” Mimicking my position, she pushed her own sandwich aside and sat back to watch me fidget.

  “Talk.” At my demand she raised a brow, and I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Anxious or not, I couldn’t be rude to someone just wanting to help. “Please.”

  “Okay,” she said, but for some reason it looked as if she were speaking to herself. Preparing. Pushing her shoulders back, she sat straighter in her seat and looked me dead in the eye. “I know people who can make all your financial troubles disappear, Beau. Have a way of paying off all your student loans and the rest of your tuition without you spending a single cent out of pocket.” Her words were spoken low, but concisely. “That you could go to bed at night without ever shedding another tear due to the stress. No more bills.”

  “What exactly are you offering me, Zoe? And how would you know I’m in need of financial help?” Only Ruby knew of my troubles.

  Her motives and knowledge were beginning to worry me. That, and every time something sounded too good to be true, it always was.

  “You want a bullshit answer or the truth?”

  “Always the truth.”

  “You two weren’t exactly using your indoor voices for parts of the conversation that day.” Heat bloomed across my face; I was mortified that she’d heard. Reaching over, Zoe squeezed my hand once before letting go. “Stop. Don’t be embarrassed. I’ve been where you are.”

  “What? How?” I wasn’t at my most eloquent. The high pitch in my voice had caught the attention of a few patrons around us, and again I blushed.

  “As you can see...” she tilted her head to the side “...that’s a conversation best had in private.” Sliding out of the booth, Zoe strode off toward the shop’s counter. A few words were exchanged between her and the employee up front before she came back with a few to-go containers.

  After placing my untouched food in the Styrofoam she handed me, I looked up. “I thought we were going to talk. Are you leaving?”

  She nodded. “I am, and we are.” Her eyes pleaded with me not to argue. “Come back to my place with me. Let me show you my world and explain.” Nodding, I stood and followed her out in silence toward our cars. Once beside hers, just two down from mine, she turned and looked me in the eye. “Follow me.”

  And I did. No matter how much the unknown frightened me or how much common sense yelled at me to stop, I didn’t. My gut told me to go. To press down on the gas pedal and follow her across town and into an upscale building right on Brickell Ave.

  The kind where units were purchased and never rented to anyone outside of a certain monetary bracket. Snooty and ostentatious.

  As we pulled into the underground garage, unease began to bubble once more. All I could think about was how could she afford this while I parked in the visitor’s spot next to her designated one.

  A tap to my window a few seconds later caused me to yelp and for her laughter to ring throughout the empty lot. Bitch.

  “Let’s go, chick. I’m starving.” Zoe laughed, holding up her box of food. “Get a move on.”

  “Going,” I muttered, unbuckled myself, and stepped out of my car.

  We walked down the row of cars and into the elevator bank in silence:

  Her, with a smile plastered on her face.

  And me, with trepidation.

  Up twenty-four floors and out into a roundabout with four apartments. These units had to be huge to only hold four on one floor.

  We stopped at the door to the left of the elevator. “Welcome to my casa.”

  I was not expecting what was behind that door.

  Not at all.

  “What the...”

  “This is what I’m trying to offer you. A good life and financial peace of mind, Beau.”

  “How?” Articulation out the window, I was down to one or two-word responses.

  “Let’s sit and I’ll explain, I swear.” Nodding, I followed her through the foyer and into a massive living room. That one room was bigger than my entire apartment. Jesus. “Sit anywhere you like.”

  This place had it all. Waterfront views and wood flooring. Expensive furniture and delicate lighting fixtures. Her apartment was not decorated using a cheap all-in-one furniture shop.

  Nope. This all looked imported.

  What have I mixed myself in?

  My legs felt jittery, and I sat down on one of the couches. “Please talk.”

  “I’m going to make this simple, sweetie. I’m offering you the key to solving your problems. The right connections in life—to have everything taken care of for you by someone who only wishes to do so.” Her brown eyes met my green ones, and in them I saw something that shocked me. This wasn’t some cruel joke.

  The woman was serious.

  So many things ran through my mind then:

  Happiness.

  Doubt.

  Pulsating fear.

  “Are you here to harvest my organs? Sell my kidney on the black market?”

  “Kidney...black market...oh my God!” Her guffaws were loud, so much so, that I flinched at the unappealing sound. Watched with annoyance while she wiped under her eyes as a few stray tears fell.

  “Are you done now?” I asked, my tone tinged with irritation.

  “Give me a minute. That was priceless.” Picking her phone up, she activated the screen and began to furiously type out what seemed to be a message. “The girls are going to die when they hear this. Day made.”

  “What girls are you...” I trailed off as it hit me. “Are you making fun of me with the uptight bunch from the coffee shop a few days ago? Is this some sick joke?”

  Zoe sobered immediately. “No, Beau. What I came to offer is legit and legal. I’m offering you an out, sweetheart. An escape from the financial pit of death you are drowning in.”

  “Explain. No more riddles.” My stomach rumbled, and I blushed. With my nerves at an all-time high, I hadn’t eaten breakfast. “Sorry.”

  “Eat, and I talk. Deal?”

  “Didn’t bring mine.”

  She passed me half of her Cubano. “Eat.”

  “Thanks. I’m all ears.” Taking a healthy bite out the sandwich, I watched her fidget in her seat.

  “Please keep an open mind. Hear me out before freaking out.” That was the worst way to open the conversation, and she knew it. Zoe grimaced and held a hand up. “Let’s try this again. Okay.” Wasn’t a question, so I continued to eat and wait. “Do you know what a sugar baby is?”

  “Not quite, and before I say the wrong thing, please explain,” I deadpanned. My mind screamed whore, but I knew better than to judge things in a harsh light before having all the facts.

  “A sugar baby is a person—man or woman—who’s in a romantic relationship based on a mutual trade of certain benefits. They receive cash, gifts, and other perks in exchange for being on the arm of individuals who need company. Someone to attend events and important dinners with others in their field of work. A paid companion with the title of girlfriend or boyfriend.”

  “Umm...that’s nice and all, but what does it have to do with me?”

  “You’d make the right daddy so happy, Beau. They’d s
poil you rotten.”

  What is she implying?

  THREE

  I felt as though I’d been beaten and hung out to dry.

  At that point, and since my lunch with Zoe, I’d been denied for two small personal loans and my credit cards were maxed out. It was official; the financial pits of hell were dead set on dragging me under.

  Doing the right thing was hurting me.

  At twenty-three, I lived on my own and paid my own bills. Understood that my parents deserved a break. That taking advantage of their generosity wasn’t fair.

  I should be able to solve my own problems.

  I should be able to afford college even if it meant I’d be paying back the government until I retired.

  I should, but couldn’t. Not when every single door was being closed in my face.

  Becoming a stripper was beginning to look very appealing.

  Jesus, that kind of money would come in handy right about now. Just a few nights a week; I could do it. A decent club in Miami wouldn’t be hard to find. On the beach would be my best bet.

  My tits were perky and ass tight. Being a brunette, green-eyed co-ed was sure to pay me more than tending bar any night.

  But then again, it would just be my luck that my niece’s sperm donor would find me dancing in a club—in one of the many he frequented.

  All hell would break loose. I’d crush my parents’ hearts.

  “Shit. Fuck. Damn,” I screamed inside the confines of my car. My hand smacked the steering wheel, and I whimpered in pain. The all-encompassing anger inside was beginning to choke me.

  Why had everything become so difficult?

  It was bull.

  Thank God my AC worked, or the old lady walking her dog on the sidewalk beside my car would’ve gotten an earful. As it was, the old coot was watching me with beady eyes.

  Taking my foot off the brake, I waved to her and drove until reaching the cul-de-sac at the end of that same road. Right in the middle of the beige painted houses sat the house where I grew up.

  Light grey and with a painted green door, it was home.