Cherry Popper (Cherry 1)

7

Slate

My penthouse was too big for one person, but I liked it because it made me feel alone.

Made me feel alone in a city as big as Manhattan.

My floor was high enough that I could barely hear the sirens of the police cars. Only an occasional chopper passed near my window, and even then, I could barely hear the rotor blades. For being a big player in the hospitality industry, I really disliked people.

Monroe turned down my money and left the hotel room without looking back. Her throat felt nice around my dick, and that kiss was exquisite. I didn’t kiss women very often, only if they made the move first, and even then, I didn’t enjoy it much.

But I liked kissing Monroe.

She had the softest lips, the perfect amount of hesitation and determination. Her hands moved to her chest as she enjoyed me, as she immediately forgot how much she hated me. The lust beat out her logic, and she came back to the bed with hungry hands.

But when the good stuff was about to start, she bailed.

Her dislike outweighed her need for money.

She despised me that much.

I understood I was an asshole. I understood I was unbearable at times. But it didn’t seem like the other women cared that much.

But she definitely cared.

It was more than she could handle.

I was sitting in my office when Max walked inside. “I’ve got some new takers.” He placed the folder on the table. “They all check out.”

I didn’t pick up the folder. Instead, I stared at my computer screen like he wasn’t even there.

“How did it go with Monroe? She seems feisty.”

“Very,” I answered. “But it didn’t go. She bailed.”

“Really?” he asked. “She’s more than $600,000 in debt, but she left?”

I nodded. “She’s not my biggest fan.”

“Well, not many people are,” he said with a grin. “So, let me know which of my girls you like. They’re all over twenty-one—as you requested.”

If they weren’t legal to drink, then they were too young for me. “I’ll get back to you.”

Max slid his hands into his pockets as he stood at my desk. “Everything alright, sir?”

“She’s the first woman to walk out on me.” I turned in my chair to face him, the rejection starting to sting. She’d turned down me and the cash because she didn’t see a reason to stay. I shouldn’t care, but I did.

“She’s different. Don’t worry about her.”

“Maybe that’s why I like her…because she’s different.”

“Do you want me to reach out to her again? See if I can change her mind?”

I wouldn’t send my dog to fetch her. Not for something like this. “No. I’ll take care of it.”

I had her information, so finding her address was simple enough. She lived on the opposite side of town from my penthouse, so she had to take two different subway routes just to make it to work. But I’m sure her location was based on what she could afford—which wasn’t much.

The other women didn’t come to me because they were in extreme debt. Most of them just wanted the cash to buy a new car or put a down payment on an apartment. Some of them just wanted to go on a trip of a lifetime. For them, it wasn’t a matter of survival. But for Monroe, it certainly was. She’d managed to dig herself into a black hole, something even light couldn’t escape from. She had no options, but she was still too proud to give herself away.

I admired it.

Even though it annoyed me.

I showed up at her apartment at close to seven in the evening. I knew she got off work at five and then rode the subway for almost an hour before she made it home. My guy told me she lived alone, so that made this easier.

I knocked on her door and stepped back so she could see my face through the peephole.

A few locks turned, and then she opened the door.

She stared at me in horror, like I was the very last person she ever wanted to see. Her hair was straight around her shoulders, and she wore a maroon dress with a black belt around her waist. Her shoes were gone because she’d probably kicked them off the second she got off work. Her hand gripped the door as she studied me, trying to decide if I was real or this was just a nightmare.

I was in my suit and tie because I didn’t bother changing at my penthouse before I came over here. I’d replayed our last interaction in my mind so many times that it was all I could think about. Stopping to change would have taken too much time, not when I was desperate to see her face-to-face. “Can I come inside? Or are you always this rude?”

Her shocked expression quickly hardened into an offended one. “Not as rude as you.”