Read Online Rag Doll by Ava Catori - Free Book Online Page B

life, a better one. If the man cares about you, he’ll want you to succeed. I’ve got a connection that may move things quickly. It can be a whirlwind. Once you’re in the business, it’s easy to get swept up. You’ll be busier than you know, or you’ll drop like a lead balloon. Destiny will carry you along, but with the right set up, you’ll have a good shot at catching. Clarisse has a good eye for these things, and she agreed with me, you have that something special that stands out.”
    “I don’t know if I can handle a busy lifestyle. I’m a waitress. I live in a motel. My life…my history…” She trailed off.
    “Will you tell me?”
    She shook her head. “I don’t think I can.”
    “Will you try?”
    She looked away.
    “You came to me last night, looking for comfort. I found you sleeping in front of my bedroom door. You obviously need to feel safe.”
    “The words are hard to get out,” she explained.
    “One word at a time, it’s all it takes. I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what you’re struggling with.”
    “My sister,” she closed her eyes. “We used to work together.”
    “With Stavros? Did he do something?”
    “No. On the street.” The shiver started in her arms and then shook her body. Wrapping her arms across her chest, she spit the truth out.
    “Oh.”
    “See? You’re judging me already,” she said defensively.
    “I’m not judging.”
    “You didn’t expect it.”
    “Did you know I was once a drug addict?” He said the words without thinking. “I threw my entire career away. Trust me, I’m not judging. We all make choices, some good, some not so great.”
    “I didn’t have a choice.”
    He looked at her.
    Kendle’s voice got quieter. “It wasn’t a choice, it was survival.”
    “Tell me more.” His words were soft, soothing.
    “We had nowhere to go. We had no money. We would have starved.”
    He frowned. “Why didn’t you go to a shelter?”
    “We didn’t trust anyone, either.”
    “Why?”
    “When you can’t trust your own family, who can you trust?” The words stung coming out, like metal jagged edges scratching at her throat. “Anyway, I don’t want to do this. I can’t.”
    “We’ll try again later, okay?”
    She shrugged. “We’ll see.”
    “Why don’t you clean up, and I’ll meet you in the studio in a bit. I’ve got a few contacts I want to take care of.”
    A piece of him wanted to ride into town, to scoop up her sister, and bring her here. Would bringing her here be a mistake? Or would it help? He’d think on it some more, and maybe broach the topic with Kendle.
    But then what would he do? He couldn’t be responsible for these girls forever. It wasn’t his job. He wasn’t a hero, and there would be more trouble than he wanted. And this weird Franco character she spoke of…who knows what he was capable of. Maybe all of this was a mistake, more complicated that it needed to be.
    He wanted to force himself back toward his goal of stepping up, being at the top, but Kendle was slowly creeping into his mind, clouding everything else. Now it was Kendle he wanted.
    The way to Kendle’s heart was obviously through her sister. He was pretty sure of it. He’d have to save her to capture the woman that was slowly capturing him. Why? Why did he have to get involved? Why did he want to know more? Why couldn’t he focus on the drive to the top?
    What he thought he wanted more than anything was his fame back, but what he was finding was something terribly different. He wanted somebody to believe in him, even if that meant only one person.
    Graham found his way to his office and turned on his laptop. He wanted to drop a line to Ultimate Magazine. Their annual fresh, new faces edition would be coming to print soon enough. If he could squeeze Kendle in there, it would break open a world of opportunity. It’s just that people weren’t really chosen based on some fabulous criteria. You had to buy and bribe your way in. Everyone in the loop