Page 25 of Never and Always
Jesus, what the hell was she saying? Nick pushed the image of her in her lacey Victoria’s Secret lingerie straight out of his head and rushed into the room, startlingher.
She actually jumped and dropped the phone, which he grabbed before she could retrieveit.
“Hello?” came a man’s voice when Nick pressed it to hisear.
“Who is this?” Nickasked.
“Nick, give me my phone back now.” Mia tried to take the phone from him but he moved away from her. “Nick! Don’t you dare mess this up forme.”
“This is Billy from Hogan’s Whores; can you pass the phone back to the broad?” He spoke in a thick New York accent that only infuriated Nickfurther.
“No.” Nick would have put the guy in his place there and then but he was trying to fend Miaoff.
“Come on, man. Her picture passed. Looks like she has a great pair of tits that will bring in businesshere.”
It was such a shame this guy was on the phone. If he’d been in front of Nick, he would have knocked his teeth down histhroat.
“Go fuck yourself,” Nick barked and hung up, cutting off the man’s nextwords.
“Why did you do that?” Mia cried lookinghorrified.
“You’re asking me that?” he retorted. “Seriously, Mia. Why the hell would you be calling Hogan’sWhores?”
“I need the money. I have to find a way to get Glenn’s money back,” sheanswered.
He shook his head in disbelief. She was saying that like she’d found the answer to the problem. “By stripping? In a stripclub?”
“Don’t say it like that, as if you’ve never been in that kind of club. I know youhave.”
He didn’t know what got to him more, the way she looked when she said that or the tear that ran down hercheek.
“Mia, we’re not talking about me.” He wouldn’t lie and make himself out to be some saint, she’d know he was lying. “Stripping is not anoption.”
“Don’t tell me what to do,” she flared, wiping the tears away from her eyes with the back of her hands. “Or pretend youcare.”
“You know I care.” Surely, she must have known that. He’d shown nothing but care for her in the last fewdays.
“No, I don’t. Up until a few days ago I never even knew you were back in Chicago and living here. If you cared that much you would have told me. Maybe if you responded to my letters I would haveknown.”
“Mia… I…” He was stuck on how to respond because it was never that he didn’t want to respond to her, he just felt like it was best he didn’t because ofGlenn.
“It’s fine. I get it. I got it yearsago.”
“Mia, what are you talking about?” he asked because she seemed to be talking about somethingelse.
“It doesn’t matter,” shesnapped.
“It does matter,” he insisted. “Are you mad that I didn’t tell you I was back inChicago?”
“Nick, I’m mad about everything. Now give me my phoneback.”
“Like fuck I am. You aren’t doing it,” he saidfirmly.
“Yes Iam.”
“No. I’m not letting you do something like that.” It was bad enough imagining her with that Alan creature, but to allow her to go off and strip so every man with eyes in Chicago could see her was out of thequestion.
“The pay is good, and I could give Glenn some of his money back.” A tear ran down hercheek.
