Leaning on the car to give her aching feet some rest, Anne looked at her watch with an exasperated sigh. It was 7:00 PM and Ruby wasn't on her usual street. She imagined her day would follow like her last few but today proved to be different, everyone was testing her patience.
Her assistant Mattie didn't only forget to schedule a lunch meeting with her boss, but she also decided she needed the afternoon off because she was sick. Who has time to get sick? Anne didn't. She would have fired Mattie right there on the spot if she hadn't worked while waiting on her doctor.
Her dinner was cut short on the account of her friend wanting to get home to his new born. And on top of all that Ruby wasn't where she needed to be.
Turning her to look at the drivers side, she watched her driver Morgan read a newspaper. He was an older man that didn't mind the grey on his head. She wondered if his wife minded. "Anything good?"
"Cubs won last night." He answered shaking his head.
"Well that's fucking great."
"It's a damn shame." He clicked his tongue before looking up at the buildings. "Do you want to keep waiting Ms. Frey?"
Crossing her arms Anne tapped her heels onto the pavement. No she didn't honestly. She wanted to go home and take a steamy hot bath and listen to her classical records. She had bought them at an antique shop a few years ago and she needed to keep them worn. No need for them to get dusty.
Why was she still standing in her designer heels waiting for her then?
Fucking blondes.
"Ruby talks about you."
Squinting her eyes and turning her head to look across the street Anne thinned her lips as two girls that looked in their twenties winked at her. She recognized their faces. They were options when she had first came across the street. The one on the left had grey black hair and too much brown eyeshadow while the girl on the right seemed content with her short brown hair. Her make up was light and colorful.
"I'm Amber." The brown headed girl took in the smoke from her cigarette. "You can have two for one here with my friend Claudia if you'd like."
Anne raised an eyebrow. "What do you have to offer?"
"Four tits instead of two." Claudia smacked her gum through her laughs.
Thinking of the choices, the tall woman watched a beat up Honda speed past them and come to an irking stop near the curb. Tilting her head, she watched Ruby get out of the passenger side and bend down to talk to whoever it was who drove.
"She's not gonna want to fuck you after the busy day she's had." Claudia spoke again crossing her legs and arms to replicate the fancier woman. "It's the beginning of my shift so I'm ready to go."
"Why the hell would I want to pay to fuck you?" Anne finally responded. "You look like the nanny fucked a rug."
"Don't let her frighten you. She looks like wall street shit her out of the gutters." Ruby interrupted walking over to her friends and taking a smoke from them.
"Aren't you afraid of scaring away paying customers?"
Ruby lit her cigarette and let her blue eyes peer up to see the woman. "I have plenty of clients to keep me afloat."
"We both know I'm worth more than all your other clients." Anne responded with air quotes.
"I haven't had dinner yet."
"What the hell does that have to do with me?"
Ruby shrugged and looked up at the foggy night sky. "Just famished."
"Can't preform when your starving" Claudia laughed.
"Hell no. It's like the Sahara desert up there when I get hangry." Amber added shaking her head. "It's not healthy."
Anne sighed when Ruby winked. Another car passed down the street but the brunette kept her green eyes on the three women across the street who whispered to one another. Turning, she got into her car leaving only Morgan standing. His attention still on the sports section.
"Why are you saying no to her?" Amber asked leaning on the brick wall. "I'd do anything to fuck a woman instead of a sweaty guy for the night."
Ruby watched the car sit still while she took another puff of her cigarette. "She doesn't fuck me."
The two other girls nodded. "She's a talker?"
"Not exactly."
Feeling the breeze of another car pass by, Ruby gulped seeing the driver put the newspaper away and motion her over. For some reason she complied, looking both ways before crossing the street.
"Ms. Frey don't like to be told no."
The blonde nodded, "I've seen."
"She wants to know if you like Italian."
She smiled, "I love it."
Morgan shook his head, "You know she'll get you back eventually for making her look bad."
Watching his door shut, ruby looked back at her friends before opening the back door and sliding in slowly. She knew she regretted getting in as soon as those green eyes turned towards her. They didn't seem angry or intense, but they didn't seem happy either. Anne said nothing as she turned to her phone. The screen lighting up with messages.
Ruby decided not to talk, she watched the man drive instead and wondered if he worked for her willingly or because she had his family held hostage. Why did people put up with her bullshit? Sure she could be an important person but why does that matter? Feeling the car stop, she blinked a few times realizing she was one of those people too.
Seeing the older woman get out, Ruby slowly followed. Taking her time to look around and walk over to the rocks that looked out at the Hudson River. The wind always blew a little harder where the buildings didn't stand as tall. It made both of their hair swing around violently as they stood beside one another, staring at the ripples from a boat passing by. "Why are we here?" Ruby finally asked.
"To look at the water."
She nodded, "Why?"
"Because I'm angry."
Ruby gulped before she felt her body slam into the car. She didn't know how she got like that as she looked at the taller woman walk towards her slowly with her hands behind her back, but it didn't feel good.
"I've had a hard day Ruby." Anne whispered only inches away from the younger girl's face. "I don't wait on anyone but I waited on you."
"Why?"
Anne squinted her eyes, "It doesn't matter why." She bent lower so their eyes could be at the same level. "If I have to fucking wait on you again, I'll make sure your clients have to find a new whore."
"It's ballsy to threaten a whore who's under a pimp." Ruby spat onto the woman's shoes. "I don't give a shit who you are, you don't fucking own me."
Clenching her jaw as she looked down at her heels Anne closed her eyes and smiled. "I had a lovely conversation with your pimp last night. You're mine after 7:00 every night." Slapping her across the face, the brunette let her eye twitch as she straightened the rings back on her fingers and the watch on her wrist.
Holding her cheek Ruby shook her head and smiled at the woman. "You want me baby you got me, but you're not going to enjoy it."
Tilting her head, Anne pouted her lips and let her thumb rub the blondes red cheek. "Oh I promise I will." Pushing her out of the way the older woman opened the car door and pointed, "Get in."
Rolling her eyes, Ruby slid ungracefully to her seat and looked over at the brunette. She wasn't mad at her for slapping her; she actually couldn't stop herself from smiling. The woman who looked forward so stoically was like a shiny toy. She imagined both of them would have fun. "Where are we going to eat?"
"You mean, where am I going to eat?"
Ruby looked at Morgan who only pulled out onto the streets unfazed by them. "But he asked if I wanted-"
"Italian?" Anne nodded, "Yes, you can watch me eat."
Ruby rolled her eyes again and laid her head on the seat. "I saw the Yankees lost to the Cubs."
"I'm already mad. you don't have to keep trying to piss me off."
"It's a damn disgrace." Morgan whispered shaking his head.