My Mom's Ex-Husband (The Forbidden Fun)

1

Faith

* * *

Today is going to be a good day, and I can feel it in my bones. I did my hair and makeup specifically to make sure to highlight my plush lips and bright eyes, and to contour my cheeks as much as possible.

“OMG, my cheeks look so round. I’m a chipmunk!” I moaned to my friend Bella as she helped me with my cosmetics. My buddy merely laughed.

“You don’t look like a chipmunk!” she protested. “That’s Alvin, Simon and Theodore. You’re glowing and curvy, that’s all.”

I merely stared at my reflection while pinching my cheeks once more.

“Chipmunk,” I pouted.

My friend giggled again.

“Okay Alvin. I mean, Faith.”

But now, my make-up’s done and my outfit’s on. I smooth down the skirt of my dress. It’s a blue button-up with my name sewn onto the breast. I like it because when I need extra tips, I can pop the top couple of buttons and let my cleavage do a bit of talking. It’s ridiculous, but it works. Men don’t seem able to tear their eyes away from my décolletage, and the last time I did this, I grossed almost a hundred bucks in one shift.

I sigh with defeat. Honestly, I hate even having to resort to these tactics because it seems so shady. But I know the answer even as my eyes wander to my calendar. Rent is due next week and my bank account’s got a whole lot of nothing in it. I really need this shift to go well, or I’m not going to be able to pay my landlord and he already hates me.

I take a deep breath and stare at myself in the mirror again. It’ll be fine. Most of my uniforms are a medium, but I ordered this one extra small for days like this. Even with two buttons un-done, my girls barely stay in and the short skirt wafts around my upper thighs. A breeze passes over my thin panties, and I shiver. My plan better work because it’s going to be downright embarrassing if it doesn’t!

But what if things are slow today? It’s summer now and things have been dragging ever since most of our college regulars went home. Don’t get me wrong: spring was amazing and I built up some savings, but now, I’m nearly out of money again. Dang. Living on my own is harder than I expected. Between rent, bills, and tuition for community college, money is tight.

But I’m going to make it work. I have to because I’m not a quitter, and I’m definitely not moving back in with my dad. That would be embarrassing because Marcus is now married to my friend Bella, and they have a baby too. There’s no way that I’m going to intrude on their little family, although I’m sure my friend would welcome me with open arms. Is it weird that she’s my friend and stepmom now? Well, it’s okay. Bells is cool and we’ve never had any tension despite the fact that we’re related now.

My phone dings with a message. I still have a few minutes before my shift starts, so I open it. Ugh. It’s nothing. Just a political campaign asking me for money. I don’t even know how they got my number, to be honest, so I click “Report Spam” and flick my phone shut.

Sighing, I slip my cell into my purse, and then tug on my ponytail to make sure it’s nice and tight before heading out onto the restaurant floor. For good measure, I pull my décolletage a little lower. Again, things are tough this month, and I have to make this shift count.

“Well, that’s as good as I’m going to get,” I mutter. Stepping behind the counter, I paste a big smile on my face, just in case anyone’s watching. My coworker, Serenity, whistles when she sees me, her eyes going up and down my frame.

“Damn, girl, who are you trying to impress?”

I laugh wryly. “Anyone who wants to leave a big tip.”

She nods with understanding. “Are you having trouble with rent?”

I sigh. “Yeah, it wasn’t so bad at first, but ever since I renewed my lease, I’ve been struggling. Management upped my rent by a hundred bucks a month, for no reason too! It’s not like they did renovations or anything.”

Serenity clucks.

“Don’t worry, you’re still young. You can move back in with your dad, right?”

I make a face.

“Hell no! My dad’s married now to my friend Bella, remember? I don’t want to intrude, especially since they have my little half-brother now. I love him to pieces, but I know I’d be on babysitting duty practically non-stop.”

Serenity nods sympathetically.

“I get that, but I hate to see you so stressed out. It doesn’t seem necessary.”

I squeeze my friend’s arm. “Thanks. I only have a few more months until I finish my Associate’s degree, and then without the tuition payments, it won’t be so bad anymore.”