Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 117820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 589(@200wpm)___ 471(@250wpm)___ 393(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117820 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 589(@200wpm)___ 471(@250wpm)___ 393(@300wpm)
Ever.
“This way,” Martin calls cheerily and leads me into the staff office where he does all his paperwork and talks on the phone.
“Umm…”
He flicks on the light within and holds the door open for me. I don’t know why but something is screaming at me to turn back. That niggling feeling I always get when it comes to him is now lighting an inferno in my stomach that is making me extremely nauseous.
“Come on,” he urges, grabbing my arm and yanking me inside. He points to a stack of boxes on his desk. “Help me move these to the corner there.”
Is that how I’m going to earn the money? By lifting boxes?
I start to move the first one. It’s heavier than it looks.
“Here?” I ask, straining as I walk to the far corner of the cramped office.
“Perfect.” He brings the next one over and we do this until the desk is clear. “Now, help me move this.”
He starts tugging on a filing cabinet, it’s metal and heavy but we manage to shift it some.
“Have you got a boyfriend, Imogen?”
I shake my head and follow his next instruction which is to move three more boxes while he starts putting papers into the filing cabinet.
“Pretty girl like you? That’s surprising.”
“I’m not allowed a boyfriend,” I reply, crinkling my nose up.
“Ah, your mee-maw is a nice church going lady. I imagine she’s a good influence on you. Though your momma never did listen when she should have.”
I lift a shoulder.
“Bad egg that one but looks like she gave life to a good kid. You’re a very sweet girl. Very conscientious.”
“What does that mean?” I ask, excited at the thought of learning a new word.
“Conscientious?”
I nod once.
“Well it means you think about things, I guess. You’re very smart, very dignified.”
I make a mental note to look up the word later for a better definition. “It’s my new word of the week.”
He chuckles quietly and suddenly reaches out to grasp a lock of my chestnut brown hair. “It’s softer than it looks. I wish my hair was that soft.”
I shift to the side and laugh cautiously. “That’s silly.”
He laughs too and brushes his fingers down the back of my arm. It sends spasms of displeasure coursing through my body. I sidle away again.
“So, no boyfriend… have you ever been kissed?”
My cheeks heat.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell your mee-maw. It’ll be our little secret.”
I look at the clock on the wall and frown. “I should probably go.”
“Don’t you want your thirty dollars first?”
Biting my lip, I turn to face him and back up a step when I see how close he’s standing.
“That’s okay,” I whisper when his hand curls around my arm and his thumb rubs my skin. “I really should go.”
“No, no,” he says flippantly and bends, so his face is level with mine. “You’re in no rush. School doesn’t start for almost an hour.”
“I know but—”
He places his finger to my lips. “A hundred dollars.”
I tense because I know I’ve made a grave error. I’m probably not leaving this room until he gets what he wants and I don’t think he needs my help around the store.
“I’m okay. But thank you, Mr. Martin.”
“I just want to teach you how to kiss,” he implores gently, his tone non-threatening but his words have tears filling my eyes. This is a grown man.
“I don’t want to learn.”
“Two hundred dollars.”
The thought disgusts me but that’s so much money. Could I kiss him? It’s just a peck on the lips right?
“I don’t want to kiss you.”
“That’s okay, we can do other things.”
My back hits the wall when he starts to tug on his belt. My eyes go wide. Is this happening?
“Your momma used to let me. I used to give her a hundred dollars every time she put this in her mouth. I’m offering you two hundred.”
I feel sick.
I jump at the sound of somebody making a crow noise from within the store. It’s loud and screechy and it couldn’t have come from anywhere else.
“What in God’s name?” Martin hisses and moves to his desk. He pulls out a Glock and quietly loads it when another crow noise has us both looking at each other. This one is closer than the last.
“Did you tell anyone where you’d be?”
I shake my head frantically. Though I really wish I had told somebody, namely my brother.
He opens the door slowly and peers out into the dark store.
I hear footsteps running towards the front of the shop.
“WHO’S THERE?” Martin booms and steps out. He shrieks with pain and falls to the floor with a thud, that’s when the sound of a gun popping has me shielding my ringing ears. I scream and drop down into a crouch, wrapping my arms around my head.
Mr. Martin groans and the air fills with a tangy scent as blood starts to pool from beneath him.