Cherry Lipps - S01 E11

Story 2 years ago

Cherry Lipps - S01 E11

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 11

{Not EDITTED. Expect mistakes}

Scarlett was behind the desk of her small office when her employee came in and said someone wanted to see her.

Scarlett wasn’t used to receiving visitors in her office. Her office was meant to keep documents and give her a little privacy.

But certainly not for receiving visitors.

Rising up to her feet, she left her small office to attend to her visitor.

He was standing over a row of men clothing, a hand in his pocket, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Scarlett immediately recognized him. ” Ed? What’re you doing here?”

Eddie turned around and faced her. His lips curved into a smile when he saw her. ” Well, well, well, if it isn’t the old Scarlett.”

Scarlett approached him, looking surprised. ” Really, it’s been a while, Ed. How are you doing?”

Eddie looked the place over. ” Well, you know, news fly around. I learnt from one of the guys you relocated and rented a new crib. You also opened up a business.”

Scarlett knew how gossip flys around at XHUB. Someone must’ve been tipping Eddie about her new life.

” That’s right, Ed,” she said with a smile. ” I own this joint.”

” Wow,” Ed nodded, impressed by the business. ” This is big. Your new job must’ve been a big bomb.”

” It’s more than a bomb, Ed,” she said, smiling. ” Well, come in my office, I’ll entertain you. I have coffee.”

Eddie shook his head. ” Sorry kid, wished I could stay but I’m currently at work right about now. We’re shooting four videos today. I’m on the run from my lunch break.”

Scarlett kept smiling. ” That’s nice. How about the unfinished project?”

Eddie frowned. ” Unfortunately, we never got to finish it. Was a waste of money.”

Scarlett chuckled nervously, tugging at her hair. ” I’m sorry about that. I guess it’s all my fault.”

” No really,” Eddie said suddenly. ” It’s nobody’s fault. You just got something better. I’m happy for you.”

Scarlett looked up at him. ” Are you?”

Eddie showed his teeth. ” Trust me, it’s what’s best. That way you can finally take care of Daisy and yourself. Every pórn actress wished to be in your shoes now. It’s a tough world in XHUB.”

Scarlett agreed with him. ” Why don’t you come over to my house for dinner, Ed? Maybe after work you can…”

But Eddie shook his head. ” I’m sorry, Scarlett. I’ll be busy. Maybe next time.”

But Scarlett wanted him to have dinner at her home. Somehow, her conscience was judging her. Here was a man who picked her up and gave her a job that’s kept her capable of taking good care of Daisy for five years. Now she hit the jackpot and had completely forgotten about him.

” So who’s this new man?” Eddie asked when she was about saying something.

Scarlett looked at him oddly. ” What new man?”

Eddie raised an eyebrow. ” Aren’t you dating someone?”

” I’m not. Why asking?”

Eddie shrugged. ” Nothing much. Just curious. You know it’s tough these days to open up a business. A woman can’t make much, can she? It’s barely a month and a week after you left XHUB and now you’re a big business owner.”

Scarlett had to laugh that out even though it didn’t sound funny to her ears. ” So you’re saying I can’t make it without a man.”

” Don’t take it personal, Scarlett. What I meant was when a woman is this successful it could only mean one thing; a man’s behind it.”

He was right. If it weren’t for Craig, she wouldn’t have quit pórn and opened up a business this profitable. But she wasn’t going to admit it to Eddie.

If Craig wanted his affairs with her secret, she was going to keep it that way.

” There’s no man, Ed,” Scarlett said. ” Don’t think about it too much.”

Ed shrugged. ” Your choice. If you say so.”

Scarlett wasn’t comfortable. Why was he being Soo intrusive?

Eddie said his final goodbye and left the store. He entered his car and zoomed off, leaving Scarlett staring after him.

Returning back to her small office, Scarlett sat down to get back to work.

For sometime, she moved restlessly from one place to another. She wasn’t comfortable. Something wasn’t right but she just couldn’t place her hand on it.

Lighting a cigarette, she smoked to calm her nerves. Taking her phone, she came active on WhatsApp.

Craig hadn’t replied her last message.

Now he’s snubbing her, right?

It’s been a week and two days since her last meeting with Craig. He hadn’t called nor text her.

She knew he was upset over the fact they would have to meet twice a month but that was her terms.

He didn’t argue nor fight it but he was really pissed about it. She wished she would always be there for him whenever he needed her but she couldn’t take such risk.

The money was good and money of that nature was a bomb to her but the risk was a stumbling block.

Then she remembered how he had looked into her eyes and confessed his love for her.

Hearing those words from a teenager felt way different from the numerous men she had heard it from.

” He’s just a kid,” she thought as she smoked more. ” He’ll get over it.”

She was certain he was just experiencing lust not love. Men do that all the time. After the séx they spill out nothing else but lies.

So the “I love you” talk didn’t really hit well with her.

Crushing her cigarette on the ash tray, she thought about Daisy.

Should she tell Craig she had a daughter? It’s Soo hard. She just couldn’t bring herself to do it. How would he view her?

Most men she’d met had a big problem with her being a single mom. One man in particular happened to have proposed marriage but the moment he saw Daisy, he had vanished.

So no, she wasn’t telling Craig that. Daisy would have to be out of his knowledge until he had grown tired of her.

She felt after he must’ve been done with her body, he would grow tired of her.

She hoped he gets tired of her.

*

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” Mom?”

Scarlett looked up to see her daughter pouting at her. ” Yes, honey?”

They were in the living room. Scarlett sat in an arm chair. She was reading a magazine while she made notes in a notepad on her lap.

Daisy had been sitting opposite her, watching a cartoon when she got fed up and approached her mother.

” Mom, I miss home,” she said in a small voice.

Scarlett looked at her for sometime and made a chuckle. ” Why, sweetheart, but we are home.”

Daisy shook her head. ” This isn’t home. I hate this place.”

” But don’t you like it here?” Scarlett gently dropped her magazine to face her daughter. ” Our life just got better. Look at the television, the kitchen, the rooms, the beautiful garden, everything. We can even afford a six course meal. Isn’t it wonderful?”

Daisy shook her head again. ” I don’t like this. I want our other life. Let’s go back, mom.”

Scarlett just couldn’t understand this girl. This was the life she had imagined her daughter would enjoy.

But it seems Daisy was getting used to the idea of living in luxury.

Just when she was about replying her, the telephone shrilled urgently into the quiet room.

Scarlett stood up. ” I’ll be right with you, Daisy. Let me take this call real quick.”

But Daisy was fuming with anger. She ran upstairs to her room and slammed the door shut.

Scarlett watched her, sighing. ” Why can’t she accept the good life I’m fighting for?”

She went to the telephone and picked it up. ” Hello?”

” Mrs Mason!” Scarlett recognized the voice of her employee. ” I’m calling from the store!”.

Scarlett raised an eyebrow. There was an excited urgent note in her voice and she spoke loudly as if something was chasing after her.

” What’s up?” Scarlett asked.

” It’s the store!” The employee yelled in the phone. ” It’s going up in flames.”

Scarlett stiffened and her face had gone a whitish grey.

The telephone fell from her hand and crashed on the floor.

She stood transfixed, shaking with cold sweats forming over her forehead.

The taxi pulled up outside the crowd of on lookers. The sky was red with smoke.

Scarlett could see the flames and spiral of oily black smoke that outlined outside the red sky.

The crowd were moving towards the fire, bursting with excited voices and the shuffling of feet.

Scarlett ran from the taxi and raced towards her burning store but a policeman blocked her. ” You can’t get through. The hoses are across the road.”

” I’m the owner of the store!” She yelled at the policeman. ” Let me pass.”

He regarded her for sometime then led her towards the captain of police.

What Scarlett saw tore her apart. The roar of flames sounded viscously and the air was hot and dry.

The fire was Soo fierce the firefighters were having difficulties in putting it out.

Scarlett could only stand and stare at her business. It was a good business which she had put nearly all her money in. Now it was all gone up in flames.

A tall thick man with a drooping moustache and a low cut hair approached her. One look at him and she knew he was the captain of police.

He was wearing a cap but he removed it when he was standing before her. ” Evening Miss. I’m Captain Benton. You must be the owner of the store.”

Scarlett muttered a yes.

Benton looked sad. ” I’m sorry about the loss of your store. There’s nothing left. It’s awful. The place is a roaring flame. The firefighters can’t save it.”

Scarlett’s legs were shaking. They gave way and she fell to the ground.

The police around were quick to raise her up but she wouldn’t get up.

Suddenly, she burst out crying.

She had achieved everything and lost everything.

Benton turned to his men. ” Get her to a safe corner and attend to her.”

*

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Around a corner, a few blocks away from the burning store, was a car.

A man stepped in and sat beside the driver who was smoking a cigar.

” Have you done it?” The driver asked.

The man nodded. ” Yes boss. The store is nothing more than the ruins of Babylon.”

The driver grinned in the dark. ” Good. Let’s get the hell outta here.”

The car engines roared and raced out far away from Scarlett’s flaming store.

*

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