Chosen (The Rap Superstar Series #1) by Val Love Page A

questions, he swiped his
slick hair back and raised his ugly lips.
    “ You’re not getting your check. I don’t know when you’ll get
it. Maybe never.”
    Cora’s fists
trembled at her side. She thought of violence at first, but that
was only a brief second. Then there was calm, focused rage that
presided over her. Fuck this. Fuck him. And fuck this job. It’s
over.
    “ Fuck you, Bruce, you scum bag. You don’t want to pay me? I
quit.”
    “ Whatever,” he said, and he headed towards the door, but she
shoved past him first and ran straight for the exit.
    ***
    Cora should’ve
done it long ago.
    It was too bad
she didn’t. She always held out hope he would eventually pay
her.
    The other
workers said that sometimes he forgot to pay them, but still, she
couldn’t live like this, especially with her landlord at her back.
It wasn’t even eight yet by the time she got back to her one room
apartment. Cora, her heart still racing, and her anger still
boiling, called Jake.
    Rent was past
due. This phone call was past due.
    “ Hey, it’s Cora.”
    “ Cora,” Jake said on the other line, as if he dreaded speaking
to her. “Got the rent?”
    “ No,
I don’t have it, but I need more time. Give me another month to get
it. I swear, I’ll get it. My boss hasn’t been paying
me.”
    “ Look, I’m sorry, but I can’t let you stay there. I already
gave you the notice you needed to be out, and well, I was willing
to let you stay, but only if you paid me back this month. Time’s
over. I need to get paid as well. I hope you
understand.”
    “ There’s got to be some other way. By the time you get another
person in the apartment, I’ll already have paid you.”
    “ And
if you can’t? I’ll be down how many months rent? I already risked
enough. Sorry, but I need you out of there tomorrow. I’ll give you
the weekend to move out, but that’s me being nice. Sorry
again.”
    She held the
phone, trying to think of any way to get out of it. Jake’s words
sounded final.
    He hung
up.
    “ No,
no,” Cora said. Bursting into tears, she collapsed to the floor. It
had been a long time since she cried. Unfortunately, it didn’t last
long. It was a brief sob, and then she couldn’t cry any
longer.
    She pulled the
boxes out from her closet, and looked around her room. Starting to
toss her things inside, she couldn’t help but feel overwhelming
dread for the future. She had no place to go. No one to help her.
The ground had been pulled out from under her.
    I’m homeless,
she realized.
    Cora couldn’t
deal with that.
    There had to be
something she could do.
    Seeing a dress
in her closet, she thought twice about cleaning up. She could do
that tomorrow. It might serve her well to get a better handle on
her self esteem, otherwise, she might not have the strength to move
out. If she went out, searched for a job at the local restaurants,
she might be able to get an interview. With an interview, she could
have some hope that things would get better.
    She needed a
little hope to continue.
    Cora dropped
the dress onto her curvy, sexy frame. She turned, seeing her plump
ass wagging back at her. Smiling, it was the first smile of the
day. The dress made her feel sexy again, it made her feel alive.
How long had it been since she went out?
    Ever
since I moved here, so … she decided not to count.
    Taking time
with her make up, it felt like a proper girl’s night out. Of
course, all her girl friends were far away in the city, but she
could dream. Closing up her make up bag, and then doing a turn
around in the mirror, she had to admit she looked stunning. If they
didn’t hire her, they were idiots.
    And she knew
exactly where to head first. Mccoy’s Ale House.
    Parking on the
side street, she could tell the place was already packed. It looked
especially packed, for whatever reason, Cora had no idea. She
hurried to the line, hoping to get in quickly. The bouncers were
doing a great job, hustling customers in.
    Cora brushed
her hair,