Huffman - 2010;2011;

Throwaway

by: Heather Huffman

Smashwords Edition

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Throwaway

Copyright 2010 Heather Bodendieck

Cover Image Copyright 2010 Emily Stoltz

All rights reserved. Without limiting therights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publicationmay be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system,or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic,mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without theprior written permission of both the copyright owner and the abovepublisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters,places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of theauthor's imagination or are used fictitiously. The authoracknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of variousproducts referenced in this work of fiction, which have been usedwithout permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is notauthorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademarkowners.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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To Emily Stoltz & Erica FitzgeraldGodblessed me with two amazing sisters through blood and then two morewhen I met you. I would never have continued writing without yourencouragement. This book is possible because of you. Thank you.

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It was the kind of gray day that made Jessieglad she didnt have a regular nine-to-five job. She took one lookat the overcast St. Louis sky and crawled back into bed. Theremight be no power on earth that could make her grateful for the jobshe had, but she could be glad for what it wasnt.

She had nearly dozed off again when there wasa knock at the door. She reminded herself the roommate shed beenassigned was little more than a scared kid. That fact alone kepther from throwing something heavy at the door.

Give me five minutes and Ill meet youdownstairs, Jessie called to the willowy brunette she knew wouldbe on the other side before pulling herself out of bed with anexaggerated sigh. She stretched and padded barefoot to herbathroom, cringing a little at the sight of the rats nest in herplatinum blonde hair. She gingerly worked a brush through it,trying to remember the color it had been. Before.

Just like she did every morning, Jessiestared intently at her face in the mirror, searching for any signsof a wrinkle. Her baby doll face and large blue eyes made her lookquite a bit younger than thirty-two, but the day when she couldntmask her age was creeping ever closer.

That was a day she didnt want to thinkabout. Somehow she doubted Spence would put her out to pasture.That sounded much too pleasant.

Jess, are you ready? Ill walk down withyou, Harmony called.

Sorry. Give me one more minute, Jessiequickly changed for her daily workout. She knew Spence well enoughto know that as long as he desired her, hed keep her around. Herlithesome, leggy body was one card in her favoreven if she wasancient by street standards.

I made you a smoothie, Harmony was waitingat the front door, holding a glass out.

Thanks, Jessie took the offering with asmile. How was class this morning?

Fascinating, Harmony lit up and instantlydove into a dissertation on the merits of studying quantum physicsover just plain old mechanics. Jessie didnt even try to keep up,she just smiled and nodded.

Harmony was different than the rest of thegirls. Even Spence saw that. She was there to pay for school andshed move on when the time was right. For some reason, Spencewould let her. Jessie believed him when he said he would.

Not Jessie. She was a lifer. Hed made thatmuch clear since the day he took her under his wing nearly fifteenyears before. She pushed memories of before from her mind, gulpingdown the rest of her smoothie so she could beat an old lady to thelast bicycle.

Jessie pretended not to notice the dirty lookshe got in return. Shed made the mistake of deferring to age onceand the woman had stayed on the bike for a full forty five-minutes.Not this time.

Other than dodging the hate glares from theold lady, Jessie enjoyed her workout. There was something verycathartic about stretching her muscles to their very limits. Thesweat, the pain, the test of endurance they felt good. Theycleared her mind.

That evening, as she carefully applied hermascara before work, Harmony settled in on the countertop besideJessies makeup bag.

Do you ever wish youd gotten married andhad kids?

Not really, Jessie answered withoutthinking. What brought this on?

I dont know. I guess I just wondersometimes if Ill ever get to do those things, Harmony seemedembarrassed by the admission.

I dont think were missing much.

Really?

The way I see it, we have a husband.Sometimes we even have several husbands in the same night.

I dont think a john is quite the same.

Have you heard how the suburbanites talkabout their husbands? Jessie routed through her bag for herfavorite lipstick. They count tiles on the ceiling. They makegrocery lists in their heads. They think their husbands are toosmelly, too fat, too predictable.

You cant write off the entire notion oflove based on a couple of sexually frustrated moms in BreadCompany.

How do you know Im talking about thosewomen in Bread Co?

I was with you, I heard their conversation,too, Harmony reminded her.

I bet their husbands are about as nice tothem as johns are to us, Jessie got in one last barb beforerelenting. But if anyone can find the one love story this worldhas left to offer, its you sweetie.

I think this old world has one up its sleevefor you, too.

Sure thing, Jessie didnt believe it forone second. She was the very definition of used goods. But arguingthat with Harmony wasnt going to accomplish anything beyond hurtfeelings, so she let it go.

They locked up and went to hop the Metrolinkacross the bridge. East St. Louis was much more tolerant of theirlivelihood than its neighbor to the west. It didnt matter much toJessie which side of the river she worked on. Her clients werehappy to follow her across the Poplar Street Bridge and she likedstaying out of jail.

A sleek black car pulled up alongside themand the tinted window slid down. Ladies, looking lovely asalways.

Hey Spence, Jessie smiled saucily,wondering if there would ever be a day when her stomach didnttighten just a little when she saw him. She learned a long time agohow to keep that feeling from showing.

Hey Spence, Harmonys eyes didnt quitemask her own unease.

Join me for a minute, girls.

Youre going to make us miss our ride,Jessie didnt like the look on his face.

I am your ride, he motioned for them tojoin him again and this time they relented.

New car? Jessie made conversation as sheeased into the seat beside him.

You like it?

Its great.

Whats up? Harmony didnt seem inclined todiscuss Spences new Mercedes S600. Jessie preferred not to thinkhow many nights shed worked to buy the car they were sittingin.

You two get to be part of an experiment,his eyes lit up as if they should be happy with his words.

How so? Jessie was almost afraid toask.

Downtown is coming to life again. Id likeyou ladies to work this side of the river tonight.

Well get picked up by the cops in fiveminutes. You know that.

Dont tell me what I know, anger flashedacross his face before being replaced with a beseeching expression.Come on. You are my two classiest girls. If anyone can fly underthe cops radar, its you. Just go hang out in a few bars tonight.Have a drink or two on me. Get a feel for it. Then we can talkabout it tomorrow. Okay?