Page 11 of Cold Hard Cash

Once he was finished getting ready, Jimmy was hesitant to leave so much food behind and stacked the rest of the fruit and remaining pancakes under one of the domes to take with him. He’d be back tonight and could return the dish then.

Even before handling his rent situation, however, he had to see Maury.

* * *

“Maury! Hey! You’re never gonna freakin’ believe this!”

“You ain’t sellin’ me that, kid,” Maury warned of the domed dish as he peered over the counter upon Jimmy’s arrival at his pawn shop. “I know you’re desperate for moolah, but I gotta draw the line at you stealin’ shit.”

“What? Oh, no!” Jimmy shook his head, laughing as he set the dish in front of him and popped the dome off. “I didn’t steal anything! These are leftovers from my breakfast.”

“Breakfast where?” Maury asked suspiciously as he inspected a strawberry.

“At the hotel.”

“What fuckin’ hotel?”

“The hotel where I stayed last night...” Jimmy waggled his eyebrows, hoping Maury would catch on.

Maury’s face was blank, munching on the stolen strawberry.

“With Boss Cold!” Jimmy exclaimed impatiently.

“Oh, fuck! Well, how did it go?” Maury asked, studying Jimmy’s face carefully. “You had sex? Ya don’t smell like sex.”

Jimmy wasn’t about to ask for the specifics of what Maury considered the scent of carnal activity to be, replying excitedly, “But I did! And, wow. Little intense, okay like, really intense, but he’s gonna do it. He’s really gonna let me do it, he’ll let me work off the debt.”

Maury actually looked relieved, patting Jimmy’s cheek affectionately. “That’s good, kid. Real good. Sees, I told you!” He grabbed the fork from the plate, helping himself to the pancakes. “I’m a fuckin’ genius.”

Jimmy nodded, laughing, “It’s so freakin’ crazy, Maury. Thank you. It took some, well, some negotiating, but we made a deal. It’s gonna take like a month, but I will be able to pay back everything I owe. You see, he and Jules Price actually came to my apartment yesterday—”

“Ah, fuck,” Maury grunted. “Hey, I didn’t tell thems where you lived. Cold got that on his own. He’ll find out everything about you, you know.”

Jimmy shrugged, snorting, “Yeah? He’ll be disappointed. My life isn’t exactly that great. Pretty lame actually. But... things are looking up.” He eagerly reached into his wallet to show Maury the cash.

“Holy fuck,” Maury gasped, then scowled and popped Jimmy on the forehead with the fork. “What are ya, crazy? Don’t be flashin’ that around, kid. You’ll get your stupid ass robbed in this damn neighborhood.”

“Ow!” Jimmy pouted, shoving his wallet back in his pocket. “Sorry!”

“Don’t be sorry, just don’t be stupid.” Maury grabbed another bite of the pancakes. “So. Tell me. What’s the terms of this little deal?”

“Ten grand a night,” Jimmy breathed out, still in a bit of disbelief over the figure. He swatted at Maury’s hand, snatching a piece of pancake before he could eat it all.

“Ten fuckin’ grand!” Maury said through a mouthful. “Holy fuck, kid. Nice work. Cold musta wanted that ass of yours pretty bad.”

Jimmy blushed, chuckling lightly, “Well, I am pretty irresistible, Maury.”

“I resist you just fine. Just be careful. Don’t be gettin’ all big-headed and shit. Remember what this is.”

“I know, Maury.”

“Are ya sure?” Maury did not look convinced. “I know you, kid. You get your dick and your heart mixed up mighty quick. This ain’t a love story, it’s you trying to survive and doin’ what you gotta do.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jimmy sighed, his eyes gazing down at the floor. He remembered the faint warmth of a hand on his arm, quickly chalking it up to a dream again. He couldn’t help but feel strangely disappointed. “I know.”

“Don’t forget it,” Maury warned through another bite of food.

Jimmy gave a thumbs up, snagging one of the strawberries before Maury could finish the plate off.