ones.”
“I
can’t guarantee winners.”
“If
you don’t start doing better, you’re gonna have to make those losses up to me in other ways.”
Daisy recognized the too familiar leer. Her skin crawled. How long could she fend him off?
“You’ve always been a good looking piece, bitch. Ten times better than your sister. But I couldn’t wait for you to grow up. Now you’re all growed up real nice. And you owe me for not getting me bets last week.
It’s payment time.”
Quickly, he narrowed the space between them and pulled her roughly against his body. His lips crushed against hers; stale alcohol nearly overpowered her senses. Instinctively, she bit down hard.
He recoiled and swung a fist. She ducked and Reggie fell to his knees. Fortunately, he was too drunk to do much damage.
“Don’t ever touch me again,” she said coldly, “or you won’t ever be able to have children, not that that wouldn’t make for
a better world.”
Reggie scrambled to his feet, wiping blood from his lips with the back of his hand. “Don’t be so cocksure of yourself, bitch. When the chips are down, I’ve got something you want real
bad.”
“You
don’t have a thing I want.”
“I
have your sister.”
Daisy’s
jaw dropped. She couldn’t form a comeback.
“I
could tell her how you seduced me,” Reggie said, rubbing his crotch. “She’s
jealous of you already, you know. She knows you’re prettier. All I’d have to do is call out your name when I’m banging her.”
Reggie’s eyes glazed over. Daisy’s skin crawled.
“Or I could give her a little more drug candy. Bye, bye Maxine. It would be so easy. I can see I’ve given you plenty to think about, bitch.” Reggie lifted Daisy’s chin, ignoring her glare. “I’ve always wondered what your buck teeth would feel like scraping against my Roger down there.”
“Given the chance, I’d bite it off,” Daisy spat. “You’ve said more than
enough. Get out of here. The tips for Saturday and Sunday will be on your machine by Friday night. And you’d better not hurt my
sister.”
“Right. Or what? I’m
leaving. But remember, bitch, I always know where you live. Bye-bye!”
The door to her
apartment slammed shut. Riveted in space, Daisy trembled and shook before pulling herself together enough to
go into the kitchen and brew a cup of tea.
She had a complicated problem. Reggie wasn’t about to go away. He’d never get enough money from her sister or from her. Why had Maxine ever married the guy, and why did she continue to stay with him? Drugs was the obvious answer. The man was a walking drugstore.
Nick! Good grief, she couldn’t let him know about Reggie and Maxine. It was bad enough that he knew she’d been raised in a group home. What would he think if he knew her sister was a druggie and part-time whore? And that her brother-in-law sold drugs as well as his wife to anyone with the right amount of cash?
Daisy gagged. If he ever found out about Maxine and Reggie, she’d be totally humiliated. He wouldn’t want to be involved with her at all.
Memories of Nick’s family gathered around the dining room table in Saint Paul flooded her. She cried. Was it envy, or loss?
“Hi Daisy, congratulations on RainbowBlaze’s stakes win.” Cassie Travers poked her head into Sam Gallagher’s stable office. “I’d have been by sooner, but the baby’s been sick.”
Daisy’s smile faded. “Nothing serious?”
“No, just a cold. It
happens.”
Daisy shoved her chair away from the old desk where she’d been scribbling down the weekly training schedules. Cassie settled down on a chair across from her. “It was great, Cass. Any victory is great, but a stakes race, no matter how
small, that’s something. It was worth the trip. Nick’s family joined us in the winner’s circle.”
Daisy paused and cocked her head to the side. “I know I’m rattling on. I’m sure you know what it’s like to own part of a horse that’s won a stakes
“I
can’t guarantee winners.”
“If
you don’t start doing better, you’re gonna have to make those losses up to me in other ways.”
Daisy recognized the too familiar leer. Her skin crawled. How long could she fend him off?
“You’ve always been a good looking piece, bitch. Ten times better than your sister. But I couldn’t wait for you to grow up. Now you’re all growed up real nice. And you owe me for not getting me bets last week.
It’s payment time.”
Quickly, he narrowed the space between them and pulled her roughly against his body. His lips crushed against hers; stale alcohol nearly overpowered her senses. Instinctively, she bit down hard.
He recoiled and swung a fist. She ducked and Reggie fell to his knees. Fortunately, he was too drunk to do much damage.
“Don’t ever touch me again,” she said coldly, “or you won’t ever be able to have children, not that that wouldn’t make for
a better world.”
Reggie scrambled to his feet, wiping blood from his lips with the back of his hand. “Don’t be so cocksure of yourself, bitch. When the chips are down, I’ve got something you want real
bad.”
“You
don’t have a thing I want.”
“I
have your sister.”
Daisy’s
jaw dropped. She couldn’t form a comeback.
“I
could tell her how you seduced me,” Reggie said, rubbing his crotch. “She’s
jealous of you already, you know. She knows you’re prettier. All I’d have to do is call out your name when I’m banging her.”
Reggie’s eyes glazed over. Daisy’s skin crawled.
“Or I could give her a little more drug candy. Bye, bye Maxine. It would be so easy. I can see I’ve given you plenty to think about, bitch.” Reggie lifted Daisy’s chin, ignoring her glare. “I’ve always wondered what your buck teeth would feel like scraping against my Roger down there.”
“Given the chance, I’d bite it off,” Daisy spat. “You’ve said more than
enough. Get out of here. The tips for Saturday and Sunday will be on your machine by Friday night. And you’d better not hurt my
sister.”
“Right. Or what? I’m
leaving. But remember, bitch, I always know where you live. Bye-bye!”
The door to her
apartment slammed shut. Riveted in space, Daisy trembled and shook before pulling herself together enough to
go into the kitchen and brew a cup of tea.
She had a complicated problem. Reggie wasn’t about to go away. He’d never get enough money from her sister or from her. Why had Maxine ever married the guy, and why did she continue to stay with him? Drugs was the obvious answer. The man was a walking drugstore.
Nick! Good grief, she couldn’t let him know about Reggie and Maxine. It was bad enough that he knew she’d been raised in a group home. What would he think if he knew her sister was a druggie and part-time whore? And that her brother-in-law sold drugs as well as his wife to anyone with the right amount of cash?
Daisy gagged. If he ever found out about Maxine and Reggie, she’d be totally humiliated. He wouldn’t want to be involved with her at all.
Memories of Nick’s family gathered around the dining room table in Saint Paul flooded her. She cried. Was it envy, or loss?
“Hi Daisy, congratulations on RainbowBlaze’s stakes win.” Cassie Travers poked her head into Sam Gallagher’s stable office. “I’d have been by sooner, but the baby’s been sick.”
Daisy’s smile faded. “Nothing serious?”
“No, just a cold. It
happens.”
Daisy shoved her chair away from the old desk where she’d been scribbling down the weekly training schedules. Cassie settled down on a chair across from her. “It was great, Cass. Any victory is great, but a stakes race, no matter how
small, that’s something. It was worth the trip. Nick’s family joined us in the winner’s circle.”
Daisy paused and cocked her head to the side. “I know I’m rattling on. I’m sure you know what it’s like to own part of a horse that’s won a stakes
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