Rough Play Read Online Free PDF Page B

looked like a cranky, bedraggled old homeless lady.
    Who had the stamina for this? She wasn’t a teenager anymore. Or even in her early twenties. Adding insult to injury, the afternoon shift cadre of coworkers all sported the zits and youthful features of high schoolers. They flipped the burgers and dipped the fry baskets with far more speed and energy than she did. They treated her kindly at least. Probably pitied her for working fast food at her age. Even thin, shy Rollie had talked to her, and he barely spoke to anyone. He seemed a little older, a little more cynical than the rest. A possible friend.
    Getting to know him better might be one of the few compensations for working at Burger Town.
    Even so, the fast-food job had gone on entirely too long. It was supposed to be a stopgap, a way to get a few paychecks while waiting for the matchmaking business to lift off. If only she’d had more time, she knew her business would already be taking the online dating world by storm. No one else had X-rated visions that came true, after all.
    She hauled the bags inside and shut the front door. As she pondered which to do first, unload the groceries or revise her business plan again, she finally felt the vibration from her cell phone.
    Gail.
    Charlotte wiped off the phone with the dry inside of her jacket. The lingering scent of burgers puffed up from her clothes as she checked the caller ID, then tapped the batteries to make sure they were still lodged where they belonged. She flipped the phone open.
    “Hi, Gail. I’m glad to hear you’re safe. How’s the date going?”
    Static.
    Then, two thumps.
    Silence.
    Charlotte pressed the phone more tightly to her ear, but she heard nothing further. “Hello? Gail?” Charlotte waited a few moments, straining to hear something. Anything. Then she held the phone up to stare at it. Blank screen. A lost connection.
    She called Gail back.
    It went to voice mail.
    “Weird.” The sound of her own voice in the small apartment was a comfort. Her home stood guard, tiny though it was, against a world wanting pieces of her. Of her body, or of her peace of mind. What sort of game was Gail playing? She’d probably just fumbled the phone onto the ground. Or got distracted with someone else. Gail was occasionally rude that way.
    Charlotte redialed.
    This time she left a message. “Gail, this is Charlotte. You just called. Um, I guess the connection was dropped. Or maybe your phone ran out of juice.”
    Gail always kept her phone charged up.
    “Okay. Anyway, I’ll try to reach you again. Give me a call when you get this, please? Thanks.”
    The cold from her wet clothes began to seep into her bones. Charlotte shivered violently. Why had Gail wanted to get involved with those people anyway? No reason was good enough.
    The most likely scenario was that Gail had pissed off her date within the first few minutes, then stormed home. It had happened before. More than once.
    She huffed her impatience. The woman treated her too poorly to put up with this.
    Charlotte redialed. This time after the voice mail message, she added, “Call anytime. In the middle of the night is fine. Just a quick call so I know everything’s okay. Okay?”
    She pushed herself from the door, her aching muscles protesting. She skidded on a puddle of water. She threw her hands out to avoid a fall, and the phone nearly went flying. Her fist hit the corner juncture of the living area and the kitchen bruisingly hard.
    She looked up sharply. “Okay, that’s enough for one day, don’t you think?” She spoke furiously to the cottage-cheese acoustic ceiling, but the only answer was a voice echoing from her past.
    Pain is an effective deterrent. A useful training tool for animals. And what is Woman but the most graceful and lovely of animals?
    “Shut up, Cory,” she muttered aloud.
    Charlotte pondered what to do. If anything. Gail was habitually inconsiderate. She often called late, cut short sessions, canceled at the last minute,