Chapter 1

“Come on, sweetheart… don’t act like a good girl. If you work here, it’s because you like sleeping with older men,” he said, grabbing my arm to keep me from leaving the table.

“I already told you, I just serve tables, sir. Let go of me!” I pleaded, anxious to break free from his grip. He looked me up and down and smirked.

“And I’m supposed to believe that, wearing that revealing dress? You’re new here, aren’t you? Let me show you how this works. I’m an important customer in this place.” He touched my backside, and I threw the tray at him, soaking him in alcohol.

“I’m very sorry, sir… I didn’t mean to...” I said quickly, trying to calm his angry stare.

“What do you think you’re doing, you idiot bitch! You think you’re too good working as a prostitute? The nerve… a whore with pride.”

“Please… calm down, I’m just saying…”

“Calm down? I’m going to beat you so badly you’ll never forget it. No whore is going to tell me how to behave!” he shouted wildly, grabbing a bottle and lunging at me. I screamed, covering myself, and suddenly felt something behind me. A hand grabbed the man’s arm, stopping him.

“What do you think you’re doing? Are you really going to commit an assault on a woman with all these witnesses?” The man behind me pushed the guy’s hand away, causing the bottle to drop to the floor. Angry, the man looked up, about to punch him, but his expression suddenly changed to surprise.

“Montenegro… I-I’m sorry about this incident, sir… this is...”

“I don’t care about your explanations. I won’t be complicit in an assault. If you try anything, I’ll call the police.” As I began to lift my head towards the velvet-voiced man, he placed his hand on my neck, preventing me from looking up.

“Sir… forget about what happened here. Free drinks for everyone! And if you want, you can take this young lady to your private room for proper service.”

“I don’t have time,” he stated firmly, removing his hand from my neck and walking away. I turned and saw a blond man disappearing into the neon red lights. Wait a second, blond? Montenegro? That wasn’t the VIP client I was supposed to keep happy.

“Are you stupid? Follow him, you stupid bitch!” my boss yelled, hitting my head repeatedly with his finger. “Don’t you see he’s the client I told you not to let go? You’re stupid, stupid, stupid!”

“I’m sorry, sir, please don’t fire me. I need this job... I didn’t know who he was, forgive me,” I begged. Suddenly, someone grabbed my hand.

“I want her to serve my table, so stop this pathetic show,” he said, pulling me along as I struggled to keep up with him through the crowd.

“W-wait, I can’t keep up... sir, wait a moment,” I pleaded, pushing through people. He let go of my hand, and I hopped to keep up, finally grabbing his jacket sleeve and dragging him to a private room, terrified of losing him and getting into more trouble with my boss.

“What do you think you’re doing? Trying to drug and rob me?” he asked, shaking off my grip as I closed the door.

“Well, I… could you stay a bit longer?” I looked around; the dimly lit room seemed deliberately chosen for some intimate encounter.

“And am I supposed to believe you brought me here just to drink?” he said, stepping closer, making me back away.

“Y-you saved me. I just wanted to thank you... and offer you... to stay after what happened. My boss will reward you.”

“First of all, I didn’t save you. Don’t get it twisted. I don’t have time to waste on women of your kind.”

“But you came back… for me.” I heard his laughter, then saw him adjust his tie.

“And be complicit in an assault? Never. Why didn’t you leave when you could? This isn’t a place for fools. You could have died if not for my intervention. If you don’t know how to navigate these places, I suggest you leave. Now I have to go,” he said, taking out his wallet and leaving some money on the couch.

“This should be enough to keep you out of trouble.”

“Wait!” I tried to grab his hand but slipped, grabbing his tie and pulling us both onto the red leather couch. Our breaths mingled as his body pressed against mine, fitting almost perfectly. One of his legs slid between mine. A sweet fragrance I had never smelled before tickled my nose. I looked up, trying to see his face, but the darkness barely revealed anything.

“I’m sorry, I… didn’t mean for us to fall,” I said nervously, covering my mouth with his tie, looking away from his intense stare. Though I couldn’t see it, I felt him piercing my soul. I could barely imagine his face, but I knew he must be very handsome.

“Are you seducing me?” He lifted my chin, waiting for a response. I shook my head, hypnotized by his voice.

“Stay and drink with me, please...” I murmured in a whisper. Suddenly, I felt his thumb slide to my lips. How had I ended up in the arms of a man whose face I couldn’t see but who could steal my breath with just his words? I wanted to know...

A few days earlier

“They say unclogging city sewers is a tough job, but it pays seven dollars more than picking up plastic bags all night at the landfill.”

“I don’t know if it’s worth it, Sasha. It’s a dangerous job... and I don’t think it’s healthy to be submerged in sewage for so long. If something happens to me, Beethoven will be left alone,” I said, finishing collecting the last bottles, taking the water out to keep for home. When I looked up at Sasha, her confused expression worried me.

“I thought you agreed to this kind of work,” she said, now confused.

“What are you talking about?” Suddenly, I heard someone call me.

“Scavenger! Come here.”

“Coming, ma’am!” I called back to the pizza stand owner with a smile, raising my hand across the street. She stopped me with her hand.

“Don’t come in, girl... I have customers, and you know how they get when a homeless person comes in,” she said, looking at the customers eating with disdain.

“Ah, I get it. Don’t worry, I’ll wait outside,” I said, smiling sadly.

“No, not at the entrance. You’ll scare people away. Go to the dumpster alley; I’ll pass the bag to you there.”

“Yes, ma’am... thank you for your kindness,” I said, taking my plastic bag, looking back at the disdainful faces. I sat on the dumpster’s back door step, stirring the stagnant water with a twig. I was like this puddle... never changing into clear, clean water.

“I’d be disgusted to see myself too,” I muttered. I heard the door and quickly stood up, smiling when I saw the large bag of plastics.

“Thank you so much, this is a lot.”

“Yes, yes, don’t thank me. I like helping the less fortunate. Next time, knock on this door; don’t pass in front of my business. It gives a bad image to the shops around here. People are tired of seeing so many like you around.”

“Thanks for the help, ma’am,” I smiled. As I was about to leave, she said,

“Oh, and take this! It’s leftover pizza from yesterday… if you come every day, you can take them.” I excitedly grabbed the bag, only to find pizza crusts. Disappointed, I forced a smile and thanked her. I suppressed the urge to say no, but I had that right… I suppose not.

“I’m leaving now. Have a good day.” I left the alley feeling unpleasant. I had always been a grateful girl. Living on the streets wasn’t easy, and anything given to you was a gift, but I had feelings… it would be nice if, for a moment, I wasn’t the leftovers girl, that’s all…

“Belle! Belle, come quickly, it’s important!” Sasha yelled nervously, grabbing my hand and running.

“What’s going on?”

“It’s Beethoven. He’s working in the sewer, and there’s been an accident. One of the dump kids just told me.”

“What? But what is he doing there?”

“I thought… maybe you had allowed it, for the money… that’s why I was surprised when you disliked the idea.” I pulled away from her grip and looked at her in disbelief.

“Where is he?” I asked angrily.

¶

When we arrived at the sewer, breathless, a group of troublemaker kids from the district looked at me with mocking smiles. They stepped away from one of the blocked sewer holes overflowing with filth. I covered my nose, disgusted by the strong smell.

“What have you done? Where is Beethoven?” I demanded, pushing them aside.

“How should I know? The old man begged me to get him this job, and it seems he didn’t even know how to swim! Is it my fault?” they laughed among themselves. Suddenly, I heard someone coming out of the stagnant water, and Beethoven’s coughing made me run to him. He vomited on the ground, then collapsed unconscious.

“Beethoven!”