Desiree - a 750 Story

This story was written for the

750 Word Project 2025

, below this line are exactly 750 words:

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I approached Maureen, calling her name. She spun around, saying, "Jim, what are you doing here?"

I took in the makeup, long eyelashes, platform shoes, with the uber-mini skirt and tube top that seemed to be her only clothing. "I came to find out what you're doing here."

From behind me, a deep unfriendly voice said, "Hey, no talking to the girls. They've business to attend to."

I saw that the voice was coming from a casting call pimp. I pulled out a hundred, saying, "Will this buy 5 minutes?"

The pimp took the bill and checked it out. "Yeah, but later. Wait in the bar there. I'll send her when it gets slow." Then he shoved my ex-wife towards the curb, ordering, "Sell it baby."

I sat in the bar. A pretty waitress, probably past 40, came for my order. She brought back the beer and asked, "Haven't seen you here before."

"No, never been here. Not my kind of place." I replied.

That got her dander up. "What? Not good enough for you?"

"No," I hurried to assure her. "Seems like a nice place, but I'm more of a piano bar kind of guy."

She smiled, "Me, too, when I'm off." I smiled back at her, but she was called away. It was a nice view, so when she looked back, I was still watching.

Although the place was busy, Jo the waitress found time to chat with me. We talked music, restaurants, and movies. I knew she was waiting for me to ask her out. I considered it.

Then Maureen came and sat down at my table. Jo approached with a dirty look on her face. "So, you're one of them." I almost expected her to spit on me.

I shook my head. "No, I'm just the ex."

Jo looked surprised. Then she said, "Desiree, you're stupider than I thought." Then she shook her head at me and walked away.

"Desiree?"

"That's the name Allister wants me to use on the street." My wife, embarrassed, stared at her hands.

"Allister? I thought your 'soulmate' was Mark?" I was thinking, "That didn't last long."

"Mark is my 'soulmate'," Maureen, or Desiree, was quick to respond, her eyes flashing with anger. Then she seemed to shrink back in her chair. "Allister's my pimp. You just met him."

"That's why I'm here. I couldn't believe the guys at work who told me you're whoring down here." I still couldn't believe it, seeing it in the flesh. And smelling it. She must have had several 'clients' tonight already.

"Yeah, those guys weren't shy about fucking me," she said, bitterly.

"But, why? Why would you do this?" I asked again.

"Oh, Jim, I'm in so much trouble. Mark had me sign some loans, because his credit was so bad, then he told me they were in my name, and I had to help pay them off." I was fascinated at how the tears were dripping off those false eyelashes.

"So, what, why hook? Why not just default on the loans?" Maureen could be naïve and stupid, but this was way beyond idiotic.

"Mark says I can't. I signed, saying all the statements were truthful, but Mark lied about everything on the application." She blew her nose. "He says if we default, they'll send me to prison. He got Allister to take me on until they're paid off."

"How much were the loans?" I wondered.

"All together, $25,000," she said.

"Mo, they're not going to send you to jail for that, not unless you're Donald Trump. A first offense for that little, you'd probably get community service and fines." I had to laugh. "But I guess you're already doing community service."

"Jim, you could help me. Please." She begged.

"I'll tell you what. You sign divorce papers giving me uncontested sole custody of the kids and accept it as final payment on our divorce, and I'll give you $25,000." I suggested.

"Give up my kids?" the whore exclaimed.

"DEAL!" It boomed out behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see Mark sitting at a nearby table.

"No, my kids..." Desiree began. She was no longer Maureen.

"Shut up." He turned to me, "But it's $30,000."

"30?"

"Interest." He smirked.

"Fine. Have her at my lawyer's office tomorrow to sign the papers. I see Allister coming. I guess our time is up."

On the way out, Jo smiled, agreeing to accompany me to a little piano bar I know on her night off.