Page 18 of Search My Soul (Taylor Family Saga #3)

“Sorry, baby. I can’t.” I danced with a few men and promptly collected my earnings. My feet were hurting in these new heels, but I was going to push through no matter what.

“Neeya?” I heard someone call me by my government name, which automatically elicited a deep grimace from me. No one in here knew me as anything but Caramel Kisses, so whoever it was must have been new here.

When I turned to see who it was, it was as if a dark cloud loomed over me. There was no way I had this kind of bad luck in life. Someone had to be pranking me right now.

“Don’t call me that,” I hissed, staring into the face of a man I prayed I would never have to lay eyes on again. He stepped closer, but I took a few more steps back. The smell of his distinctive cologne triggered memories I thought I had long forgotten.

“Get the fuck away from me before I scream and have the whole club staring at you,” I warned. He was lucky my blade was tucked inside my duffel bag because I wouldn’t have hesitated to use it on him.

“I’m sorry. I-I shouldn’t have walked up on you like that. It’s been such a long time since I’ve laid eyes on your beauty, and I guess I got ahead of myself.”

“This will be my last time warning your disgusting ass. Get the fuck out of here. The last thing this place needs is a pervert who preaches to poor, brainwashed souls. I’m not a little girl anymore, so I don’t know what the fuck you expected from me, but I’m two seconds from beating your ass.”

“Surely, this must be some type of misunder—argh! My nose!” The good pastor howled in pain after I punched him in his face. Clearly, my warnings weren’t good enough, so I decided to show him that I meant business.

“Aye, what’s going on here? Caramel, are you okay?” Ray, one of the security guards, questioned as he stood between me and Pastor Reese.

“I’m fine, but can you please get this pervert out of here?

He’s harassing me, and I don’t feel comfortable.

” That was all Ray needed to hear before grabbing him by the arm and escorting him out.

There were eyes on us, but I simply brushed it off and continued to work.

There was no time for tears, because at the end of the day, it wouldn’t change anything.

I wasn’t a fucking victim; I was a survivor.

I continued to walk around the room and dance until it was time for me to take a break. The moment I sat at the bar, my mind drifted to a time in my life that I had attempted to bury forever.

“Look, you need to get your ass up and get dressed. Pastor Reese is on his way to pick you up for the youth retreat, and you will not keep him waiting.”

“I don’t feel good. Why can’t I stay home?”

“I don’t give a damn about any of that. You were just fine when you were outside playing with your little friends.

We don’t put anything before the Lord, and I mean that.

Grab a jacket or something to cover yourself.

You are starting to get fatter and fatter every time I look at you.

” My mother scoffed in disgust. I’d admit my clothes were tighter these days, but it was because I’d been eating my stress away.

My mother believed that women were supposed to be petite and pretty so they could attract men.

However, at my age, the last thing I wanted was to attract any man.

“Where are you going, Sissy?” My little sister asked.

Her pretty brown eyes stared into me while I tried to keep my tears from falling.

Riya was so sweet and innocent, and I prayed that she would be able to stay that way for as long as possible.

Unfortunately for me, my innocence had been stripped from me a long time ago.

“I have to go to a youth event. You have to stay here with Mommy. I’ll be back later.

” As the oldest sibling, I kept many things to myself in order to preserve my siblings’ view of the world.

They still held stars in their eyes and believed the world was a good place.

I wanted them to believe in those fantasies for as long as possible.

“I want to go with you.” Riya pouted with her lips poked out.

“I’m sorry, but not this time.” Her little face dropped, but little did she know, I was protecting her.

“Can I play in your room while you’re gone?”

“Neeya! He’s here!” my mother yelled, interrupting our conversation.

“Of course you can. I’ll see you later.” I turned away, heading out of the room. I hated my mother more than anything and the disgusting smile on her face only made me hate her more.

“Now, you make sure to behave and do whatever the good reverend tells you.” My stomach twisted while she stood there with a smirk on her face. I was counting down the months and days until I turned eighteen so I could be out of this hellhole.

Reluctantly, I headed toward the door. The sooner I got this over with, the sooner I would be able to go to bed.

“You are such a pretty girl. I’m sure you probably have all the boys all over you.” Pastor Reese spoke, breaking the silence in the car. The sound of his voice turned my stomach, but he never seemed bothered by my lack of interest in him.

I sat there stoic while his hands roamed under my skirt. He had taken me to a motel where he did unthinkable things to my young body. I lost track of time, but I breathed a sigh of relief once we made it back to the car. The worst of it was over, so I sat there until he got ready to let me out.

“We’ve been spending time together for a long time now. You know you don’t have to be afraid of me. I care about you a great deal, and I want you to be comfortable around me.” The nerve of him to say those words as if what he was doing was right.

“It’s getting late, and I have school in the morning,” I uttered, desperately trying to get as far away from him as possible.

I did what I was supposed to do, and now it was time to go.

He snatched his hands from my skirt with an attitude, but I couldn’t care less about his feelings.

He was a disgusting human being, and I would never look at him as anything different.

I watched as he reached into his suit jacket and grabbed a wad of cash.

“You know, there is plenty more where this came from. All you have to do is be a little nicer to me. I would give you the world, if you would let me.” His declaration made my skin crawl.

I was barely a teenager, and he was at least thirty.

Why on earth would he want someone like me when there were plenty of women who threw themselves at him on the regular?

It never made any sense to me. I would always see women lined up at his office with large smiles on their faces, but instead, he only seemed to be interested in the girls my age.

“Thank you.” I reached out to grab the money, but he pulled it back.

“How about you give me a little kiss before you leave. I don’t think that’s too much to ask,” he begged.

I screamed internally, trying my best to hold it together.

I had to remember that this was for my family, because otherwise, I would have punched him in the balls and ran for the hills.

Taking a deep breath, I leaned over to kiss him on the cheek.

Apparently, we weren’t on the same page because he grabbed my face and forced his sour tongue into my mouth.

The smell emitting from his mouth turned my stomach, but I pushed through as best as I could.

The moment the kiss ended and he placed the money in my hands, I hurriedly pushed open the car door.

I wasn’t even sure if I closed it properly, nor did I care.

As soon as I stepped into the house, I raced to the bathroom. My mouth watered and I barely made it to the toilet before my stomach turned. I released everything in my stomach until there was nothing left but bile. I continued to dry heave while I cried on the bathroom floor.

“Where’s the money?” The sound of her voice sent me into a rage, and I wanted to kill her.

My mother walked into the bathroom with her hand on her hip, waiting for me to answer.

Instead of speaking, I removed the money from my jacket and handed it to her.

She stood there, counting the money to make sure it was all there before stuffing it into her bra.

“Make sure you take a shower and don’t leave water all over my floor.

Deacon Wallace is on his way to come get you.

” I kept my head down until she switched out of the bathroom.

Mothers were supposed to love their children, but Rochelle wasn’t like most mothers.

To the community, she was a kind and giving member.

She attended church every time the doors were open and volunteered whenever possible.

However, to me, she was nothing more than my pimp.

The person who sold my body to pay her bills.

“Hey, Caramel girl, can I talk to you for a minute?” Majesty asked as she made her way over to me.

Majesty was one of the top dancers at the club, and I understood why because her body was out of this world.

She told everybody who would listen about how she went to the DR and got her body done, and if you asked me, it was money well spent.

“I was just on my way out of here, but what’s up?” I could smell bullshit from a mile away, and something told me that she was about to lay some shit on me.

“Look, I’m only asking you because I don’t trust very many girls around here. Are you trying to make some money?” I curiously waited for her to continue.

“What exactly do you mean by that?”

“It’s a simple question. Are you trying to make some extra cash or not?

If not, I can find someone else who can use a quick $30,000.

” She huffed, pretending to have an attitude.

I won’t lie and say the amount of money she mentioned didn’t spark my interest. I tried to play it cool, but I would be willing to do just about anything.