Subway Girl by Adela Knight Read Free Book Online Page A

one.”
    “I knew it. I’ll be there in ten.”
    “No, wait, Jenny…crap.” She’d already hung up. I was hoping Rivers would show up and if he did I didn’t want Jenny around. I loved her. She was like a sister. But Rivers was new and I planned on spending most of the night in bed. I didn’t even have plans for dinner. Eating was for pussies.
    True to her word, ten minutes later a knock sounded on my door. My heart flew to my chest and my stomach dropped to my toes. I looked out the peephole and prayed it’d be Rivers, but Jenny smiled back at me and held up two white bags. I unlocked the door and she pushed her way in.
    “I brought dinner. I figured we’d need privacy for this convo.” She pulled out a burger and tossed it to me. “Sit and talk.”
    I plopped in the chair and unwrapped my burger. I’d already decided I wasn’t going to tell Jenny anything about the day before…well, at least not about how Rivers and I met. So imagine my complete and utter surprise when the whole story tumbled out of my mouth.
    “Damn, Julia, you’re a slut!” She laughed so hard she fell onto her side on the couch. “It’s about time. I was beginning to wonder about you.”
    “What?”
    “Jackass has been gone for months. It’s time to get out there.”
    “Yeah, but I boned the guy on the freakin’ subway!” I tossed my half eaten burger on the coffee table.
    “Yeah, that’s the slut part. But I bet it was fun. What a rush. I’ve always wanted to do it in public.”
    “Whatever. I think I was just a one night thing for him. He seemed so different, though. I guess I’ve been out of the game too long. My man-whore radar is off kilter.”
    “You might hear from him. Don’t be so pessimistic. So he has the wrong phone number. He was here last night, right? So he knows where you live.”
    “I thought of that, too, but I can’t remember if I gave the cabbie my address before or after Rivers got into the cab. And it was late when we got here. Unless he knows the area, he wouldn’t have known where he was.”
    “So give it a couple of days and see. Then if you don’t hear from him, call him. Look him up in directory assistance.”
    “Yeah, um, I don’t know his last name.”
    Jenny just looked at me. Finally she said, “He must really be something special. You never act like this.”
    I sighed. “I know.”

    Four days later I called Jenny. “Hey! You want to go to dinner tonight?”
    “Sure. What’s the occasion?”
    “Remember I said that Rivers took me to a friend’s restaurant but I couldn’t remember the name? Well, I did some searching online and I found it. I want you to go with me and be my wingman, or whatever.”
    “Okay. Seven? I’ve got meetings all afternoon.”
    I practically jumped up and down in my office. “Sounds good. Just meet me at my apartment whenever.”
    It was twenty after seven that evening when we got to Jesse’s restaurant.
    “Wow, he brought you here? Nice.” Jenny looked around.
    “I know, right?”
    “Can I help you ladies?”
    I turned toward the voice and smiled. “Hi, Jesse.”
    “Ah, the subway girl.”
    The freakin’ what? Subway what?
    “Actually, subway girl is my alter-ego. By day I go by Julia.” I smiled.
    He returned my smile with a cool one of his own. “How are you ladies today?”
    “Great. Um, Jesse, meet Jenny.
    Jesse did the same kissing the hand thing he did when he met me and it grossed me out all over again. Something about the guy just made me go ‘ ick .’
    “So, what do I owe the honor of your visit?” His eyes never left Jenny when he spoke. I answer ed anyway.
    “I was hoping you could tell me if you’ ve seen Rivers? I, um, gave him the wrong phone number the other night.”
    He looked at me then an amused smile on his face. “Sure you did. Let me guess. He had to get up early because he had a meeting, because, unfortunately some people have to work Saturdays. So he said he grabbed your number off your cell, or some shit