Troika Read Online Free Page A

it’s rare for me to get such a good sense about a guy that I’m open to taking a chance.
    First girl I see when I get in the locker room is Lopez, the nasty bitch, and a new girl from Poland or Ukraine or someplace like that. I got a problem with those girls from Eastern Europe, all stuck-up and gold diggers, every one of them. I move real fast, get my civilian clothes on: jeans, T-shirt, flats. I’ve been wearing platforms with five-inch fuck-me heels, so there’s no way I can do anything but flats outside the club. I brush my hair out, a bit of mouthwash, some eyeliner and I’m done.
    In the back lot, which is where they make the girls park, I’m half expecting not to see Julian, but there he is leaning against his rental car, a white boxy thing that looks like something an undercover drives. And I’m thinking maybe he parked in back by mistake ormaybe parked here on purpose ’cause he didn’t want anyone seeing him out on the front lot, which is right on a main road and real visible. Or maybe he just pulled around quick while I was getting ready. Anyway, he’s got his arm resting on the roof and he’s got a funny look on his face. He pats the roof with his hand and says sexy wheels, right? Damn right, I say, hotter than a Porsche. I lean close, press up against him real tight and give him a hug.
    Julian leans back against the car and he does this thing with my hair, wraps a strand around my ear, fixes me up. What did you have in mind? he asks. And I say, Julian, I’m a little hungry, haven’t had a bite to eat all day, and maybe we can go find a place and have some food. He nods, looks at me likes he’s thinking hard, like he doesn’t know if he should say what he wants, something real risky, or if he should play it safe. Some food? Julian asks. Yup, and I wink, just some food and nothing else. Then he takes a big breath and lets it out, smiles, sort of embarrassed, and says I was thinking that maybe we could go back to my hotel, hang out and get some room service. He waits a sec to see my response, which is nothing. And I promise to be a gentleman, I swear.
    I give him a look that says
you can
’
t be serious
. Go back to your hotel room? He nods. And you’ll be a gentleman? Nods again. A
perfect
gentleman? Yes, yes and yes, he says. Now, normally there’s no way I’m going back to a hotel with a customer, ’cause you never know. I remember Jackson, she was young and didn’t know shit. She did the same thing, went to a motel with a guy, and damned if anyone ever saw her again. Now, that doesn’t mean she’s dead. Maybe she’s happy somewhere. Or maybe she just had enough, got some sense and gave up the grind, but who knows.
    Anyway, going back with a guy isn’t something I do, and I know damn well that if I get in that room we’re doing a whole lot more than just having some food. But I start thinking about that nightin the Champagne Room, when Julian made me come and was all tender after. And I’m thinking that I’ve been on a cold streak lately, haven’t had sex in months and I’d like to feel close to a man again. I’m not picking up any creepy vibes from Julian, just a lot of sweetness and smarts and a guy who knows how a girl works. So I say sure, what the hell, but I’m texting my friend Carolina, telling her where I am and if there’s any crazy shit from you then her and her boyfriend, Dino—he’s Dominican and he’s insane—they’re coming over and you’re a dead man. Got it? And Julian nods, sort of cocky, like he’s not too afraid of Dino or anyone else, and he says I got it, there’ll be no crazy shit from me. I pull out my phone and point the lens. Smile, I say, and he does. And I take a picture of him and send it to my friends just in case.
    We take separate cars over to the hotel, that way I can get the hell out if I want. It’s a real nice hotel, one of the new ones they built by the beach, with a pretty lobby and a trendy bar and lots of nice-looking people. He