Prettiest Girl in the Room

She looked around the room. It was as if she had never been there. A sense of doom and gloom cast its weary spell once more over her. Whatever could have gone wrong, had gone wrong.

She muttered the word "fuck" as the first tear drop made its way down her cheek.

She peeked passed the open door. The coast, for now, was clear. The workers were all in their offices. Only Mabel was fetching some water by the cooler but her back was tuned.

The rolling teardrop dropped toward the floor as she dashed along the carpeted hallway and swung her shoulder into one of the two tall glass doors, forcing it open. A blast of fresh air greeted her misery.

Within sixty seconds she was sitting in her car, exiting onto the highway onramp.

XXX

Candice eyed the shop owner nervously. It was seven days since Mr. Doherty had fired her from her job. And eight days since Eric had gifted her the valuable name plate. Her paltry paycheck for the days they owed her still hadn't reached her bank account. She was desperate for money.

"It looks like they have them pre-made then simply screw the silver letters on," he said. "Probably why it only took a day to have it ready."

"What's it worth?" Candice asked nervously. After a week of losing her job and sitting at home with no money, she needed the pawn broker to give her at least some good news.

"Well," he said excitedly. "A few ounces of gold for the plating. And around fifteen ounces of silver for the letters, not to mention platinum around the edges, giving it that nice gleam, I-"

"Platinum?"

"Yeah. I'd say three ounces. It's a precious metal, almost as valuable as gold. This is a really valuable name plate."

"So, what can you give me for it?"

"You sure you want to sell it? It's a work of art. These are the kinds of name plates billionaires use."

Candice shrugged. "Yeah, it was a special gift, but the man who gave it to me doesn't even care if I exist right now. He hasn't called me in a week. I really need the money."

"Well, you can pawn it, in which case I can give you five thousand right now, and then you can pick it up in thirty days for fifty-five hundred."

"I wouldn't be able to afford to buy it back. I just want to sell it."

"Well, in that case," the pawn shop owner said, "I'll end up taking it to the scrap dealer. You got at least seventy-five hundred dollars worth of precious metals here and he would give me, all told, about sixty-seven hundred after he takes his cut. "I'd want, let's see, at least a grand for my trouble since I'm taking all the risk. Sooooo I can let you have fifty-seven hundred, but you'd have to sign a letter saying you own it. Usually there is a thirty day wait to make sure items don't turn up stolen on police hot sheets. But personal items like this with some name recognition and because you got ID, and it has your name on it, so I don't have to hold it. I can give you the fifty-seven hundred right here right now."

"I'll take it," Candice spat out, feeling relieved. Fifty-seven hundred, if spent wisely, could last three and a half to four months. She sighed contentedly. At least she would have some breathing room. The first thing she made up in her mind that she was going to buy, was a bottle of rum. She needed to get drunk. The last eleven days had been a roller coaster ride from hell. And she was now at rock bottom. If she didn't find a new job soon then she was going to have to buy a train ticket, sell her car, and move away from the town she was born in. The thought sickened her.

He began counting hundred dollar bills out onto the counter. Candice sighed wearily. She hoped that Eric wasn't going to show up out of the blue one day and ask for his very expensive gift back. Because if he did, it would be melted down into pieces of scrap, just like how her life had gone from being so promising, to pieces of scrap.

She scooped the money up and slipped it into her purse. Then she glanced nervously around her to make sure no one was looking. The way her luck was going, she was afraid someone might try and steal the tidy windfall she had just received. She clutched her purse close to her side and scurried out of the pawn shop.

She made it to her car just in time to see a policeman start to write out a ticket.

"I'm here," she said, making puppy dog eyes and hopeful the cop wouldn't hand her a damn yellow slip of paper.

"Okay fine," he said. "But next time feed the meter."

"I will, thanks."

A cloud felt like it had lifted off her shoulders. She had finally caught a break. She managed a smile as the cop walked away. Did this mean her luck was changing?

She revved the engine and noted that she needed gas as the needle settled in the warning zone. It didn't faze her. For the first time in a long time she had oodles of cash to keep her warm. But she had to admit to herself that being kept warm by money and by the loving arms of a trusted, noble and very handsome man were two different things.

She looked behind her and was careful to pull out into traffic. She certainly didn't want some stupid accident to spoil her day, nor did she want some avoidable fender bender to take her mind off the fact that she was batting zero where having and keeping a man in her life was concerned.

She glanced into the rear view mirror and felt like jumping off a bridge. As temporarily happy as she was, she knew that the sinking feeling of not having a man in her life was going to start plaguing her big time. For how beautiful she was, she should have had at least a dozen men at any given time chomping at the bit, all desperate to be her number one guy. And up until eight days ago, she had had three such men in her life, all of them charming, impeccably handsome, incredibly buff, and loads of fun to be with. But they had abandoned her due to quirks of fate. One of them was even a multi-millionaire with a magnificent mansion and the reputation as the world's greatest romance author. Candice had never slept with him, but she felt the erotic lovemaking scenes in his book were an indication of his real life romantic abilities. Undoubtedly she also felt he might turn out to be the world's greatest lover. The thought made her toes curl.

It had been so damn long since she'd held a man in her arms, and now she had to admit to herself that the love scenes she had read over and over and over in Eric's sizzling new romance novel were getting her supremely hot and bothered.

The turnoff signalling the exit up ahead was in view, causing her to veer to the left. There was a liquor store just off the beaten path.

She followed the flashing neon sign, then pulled into the lot.

The moon shone on the smooth tar surface, making it look like a silver skating rink.

She got out and walked towards the doors that held her mind numbing rum. She was determined to make it home and turn on her fire place, then snuggle up to reading Eric's earth shattering love scenes over and over as she sipped on her rum and played with her already hard nipples.

There was a pizza place next door and she decided to go there first. Having a triple cheese pizza to go with her rum would make the book's teasingly hot sex scenes even yummier.

XXX

She was hesitant to use her finger. The book's sex scenes were driving her wild. She kept imagining Eric's super handsome face, lowering so that their lips could meet and sizzle. She did not, however, think at all about Brian or Gerald.

In the seven days since she'd been fired from the bank, Brian had not called even once to see how she was doing. To make matters worse, Gerald had actually called her once a few days back, but it was only to ask if she would re-consider illegally ticking the box on a new application. She explained to him politely that she had already been fired because of the first application. She had supposed he might show her a little sympathy, but instead he cursed an obscenity and then merely hung up. Neither Brian nor Gerald seemed to give a rat's ass about her predicament.

Eric, on the other hand, was a complete different kettle of fish. Obviously he had been able to read Gerald's personality from the bookstore meet, and the fact she had asked him to so casually part with a 150K to make the prick Gerald happy, made Eric wroth with indignation. She could understand Eric's ire, and had to admit to herself, that if she had of been in Eric's shoes, she would have acted in the exact same way, and stormed out of the restaurant as well.

She took yet another bite of yummy pizza and washed it down with a wonderful swig of top quality rum. Then she sat down her book and rolled her eyes at the ceiling. Gerald had turned out to be such a damn worthless crumb. All he cared about was himself, only Candice now sighed bitterly over the fact that she had been too stupid to realize that until it was too late. Gerald was a user and a taker.

Brian had only been interested in trying to get into her pants. But Eric was a giver. She looked at the pile of cash sitting on her table. Eric had gotten the name plate made especially for her, and spent untold thousands on it. And he had not asked her for anything in return. All he wanted to do was start up a relationship with her. He had been very gentlemanly about it and romantic. Only she had spoiled it by bringing up Gerald's stupid restaurant dream. Why had she done that and enraged Eric, whom she now had to admit was easily the man of her dreams? Only Eric was no longer around, even though the only reason she had food to eat right now was because of his incredible kindness and generosity.

Candice shook her head wearily. Surely if she hadn't of fucked things up so badly over dinner that night, then her and Eric would have been knee deep in that exciting relationship he was so anxious to start with her. And no doubt she would probably be making love to him on a night just like this, with such a gorgeous moon overlooking the proceedings as they moaned with wild abandon in each other's determined arms. Eric could have any woman he wanted, and yet, he wanted her.

A thought suddenly raced like lightning across Candice's downhearted mind. Was Eric still thinking about her? Obviously he must have had strong feelings for her if he wanted so badly to start up a monogamous relationship with her. The question was, was his hate for her now stronger than his love for her? His love for her? Had he actually loved her? Or at the very least, been obsessed and enamored with her? A second question was, could the relationship he had wanted to start with her still be salvaged?

Eric obviously was enraged because he surmised she never gave a fuck about him at all, but only wanted to use him to squeeze money out of him for another man. She supposed Eric was convinced that Gerald was her boyfriend. After all, Eric had seen them together at the book signing, and, just like Gerald, she was black. A lot of black girls only dated their own race.

She glanced at her phone as her mind wandered off in a strange but desperate direction. What if she were to phone Eric and ask him for another chance? What if she were to just tell him the truth, and that was that she had no feelings for Gerald at all right now, and that she never had. What if she told Eric that she did have feelings for him and had enjoyed his book immensely, and even imagined herself as the heroine and Eric as the book's hero?

She picked up the phone and scrolled down the numbers until her finger stopped at Eric's.

She began to breathe heavily. If she did phone him, and if he was at least somewhat responsive, then she was going to have to do a whole lot more than simply kiss him on the cheek. She was going to have to do plenty to make him know that she did still have some feelings for him and that she thought he was a really great guy. Also, she knew she would be truthful when telling him she wished she had of taken him up on his offer to have them start a dating relationship.

She was half drunk and it gave her the courage to hit his number with her finger. It was the same finger she had thought about using to satisfy herself because the sex scenes in his book were far too hot to handle with mere cold showers. In the end, she had managed the willpower not to use that damn finger. But now she began kicking herself. What would such a phone call to Eric accomplish now? Tonight in the heat of passion? While she was half drunk and out of her mind with desire and lust?

"Hello?"

She swooned at his long lost voice, so smooth and rich and velvety.

"Hi." She wanted to say more, so much more, but-

"Candice? Is that you?"

"Yes," she admitted, feeling herself tremble. "I thought that we should talk. I missed our chats and-"

"I can't talk right now," he shot back. "I'm with someone."

Candice was suddenly mortified. It was late at night, and he was probably at home. And he was definitely with someone else. He had said so himself. But who was that someone else? Her imagination ran wild. Was it a girl he'd met after she'd enraged him by asking for Gerald's stupid loan? Was it a girl he didn't like as much as she herself, but that he brought to his house anyways because Candice was not going to be in the picture any longer?

Candice felt like throwing up. If the woman with Eric was in his loving arms then it might be the woman he was willing to settle for. Candice knew she had made it seem like she was only interested in milking him for cash. Asking a guy you'd just met if he could hand over 150K? Really? Fucking really? Once again she began to kick herself. No way could she blame him for moving onto someone else's arms if her actions had proved to him that she was nothing but a gold digging, money hungry scam artist.

The silence was awkward. Candice, however was unwilling to hang up. The sound of his voice was like magic to her ears and paradise to her love starved mind. Still, Eric probably had his hands full with some blond-haired, big breasted hour glass figure.

Candice was suddenly out of her mind with jealousy. She was supposed to be the center of his affections, not some wayward blond. The tear streaming down her cheek was sure to be followed by many more. She now realized just how fond of him she actually was.

"Maybe we can talk some other time?" she said, wishing there was a rock she could climb under and hide.

Eric instinctively knew that Candice was having an incredibly hard time hanging up the damn phone. But he was unable to talk to her now. He sought to put her out of her misery.

"It was nice hearing your voice again," he offered mercifully. "But I have to go. Take care. Bye."

Candice heard the receiver click before she'd had a chance to toss in an obligatory 'bye' of her own.

The tears now streamed freely. She'd had a chance to sort out her feelings since the masks had been torn from Brian and Gerald. She wasn't sure just when or how she'd developed such strong feelings for Eric. She only knew that she had. Was it love? And if so, had it been love at first sight? The same love at first sight that she had instinctively supposed had smitten his heart as well?

Candice was beginning to think that she and Eric had made a good match in so many ways. They were both ambitious, both talented, both creative, both passionate, both fun loving and...and...she paused in her thinking. No doubt they would have turned out to be magnificent lovers in each other's arms if only she had...

She couldn't stop crying. Eric was the first good thing to have come along in her life in such a very long time, and yet she had nothing to show for it. Instead of getting to know him and nurturing a relationship with him, she had fucked up royally.

Eric had tried so hard to let her know that she had touched that very remote and sacred place in his heart, and yet, the best she could come up with was shoving her foot in her mouth. She had made a totally asinine request that he fork over an astonishing 150K to a male friend of hers.

Obviously Eric had assumed Gerald and Candice were a couple. Only a girlfriend would try and find money for a boyfriend. But, just like with Brian, her good intentions where Gerald were concerned had paved the way to hell, and caused Eric to view her as some man using gold digger.

She took another bite of the triple cheese pizza. For her it was comfort food. But, just like her once blossoming relationship with Eric, the once promising slice of heaven had grown cold, hard, and stale.

XXX

Candice awoke.

At first she leapt from her bed. Seven fifteen? She was in a panic. If she didn't get ready soon then she would be late for work.

She rushed to the bathroom, tossing her nightgown to the floor in preparations to take a quick shower. But she then suddenly stopped mid-stream, pausing at the door.

She began laughing at herself. Her confused hung over state of mind had caused her thoughts to become foggy for a minute. Only now, the reality was starting to become clearer. She had somehow momentarily forgotten that it had been a full eight days since she had been fired from her bank job. She was unemployed, and living off the avails of a name plate gift she had sold only yesterday for a great deal of money.

She walked back to her bed and was getting ready to toss herself in it, when she noticed the naked sight of her body in the full length wall mirror. She looked at herself up and down. Her silky smooth legs were sumptuous and mouth-watering. Her large all natural breasts were to die for, and her hour glass figure was beyond stunning.

She admired her face, and felt that her long gorgeous brown hair was easily one of her best features. She kept staring for the next two minutes. She was a virtual Goddess, and yet, she had no man in her life that she could share her spectacular body with, nor a man she could call her own.

What it all meant, was that she had no man that might fall in love with her over time and become her sweet heart, and more importantly, her husband. She was twenty-eight, and had always fantasized about meeting the man of her dreams, settling down and having a family. Only she was now no closer to finding such a man, than she was ten years ago when she had first started dating.

Eric, however, seemed to be embedded in her heart, and the memory of his face, smile, and charming kindness to her was a fond memory that just wouldn't seem to dissipate. He remained front and center in her mind.

She glanced at her phone on the off chance that he had returned her call from last night. It still hurt to know that he had been busy and with someone at his home when she had called the night before. Who had he been with? She sighed wearily, probably someone that was sweet and sexy like her, only someone he felt he could trust, not someone that was going to hit him up for countless thousands for some other man in her life. It still bothered her that she had been so incredibly stupid. Eric was a once in a lifetime find, a really nice fun loving guy who was sincere and sweet and who came with all the bells and whistles such as super-hot looks, fame and fortune, sizzling romantic ways, and a boat load of money. But she had arbitrarily dashed him away with her foolishness, and now she was left to her own devices.

Still, she was desperate for Eric to know that she had been asking the money to help out a client, not to enrich a boyfriend. She was not one to beg but she picked up the phone and redialed his number.

If he couldn't talk to her last night, then perhaps she could talk to him this morning.

A sudden fury took hold of her. She now wondered to herself if it made any sense to phone a man who had found someone else, and who might, at this very moment, be waking up in the arms of another woman. She sighed bitterly at the thought. Women making love to a man at his house late at night rarely hopped into a cab then took off when they were finished. Chances were pretty good that the vixen of his choice was still there, laying contentedly on the silk sheets next to him. Still, Candice was not afraid of the competition, especially since the only reason the competition was even there was because she had fucked up.