Three days later, the phone rang. Rock answered. “Yeah?”
“It’s Myles. The pictures were fabulous. You were right, she’s even better looking now,” Myles confirmed.
“Good, good. Do you have a buyer?” Rock pressed, wanting to ditch the small talk.
“Let’s just say I have someone who is very interested.”
“Oh, yeah? They’re going to put her in porn movies, then?” Rock asked curiously.
“Not exactly. They’re looking at her for a snuff film,” Myles said casually.
Fuck. That sucks, Rock thought. They’re gonna buy her and kill her in a porn film. Oh, well! As long as they pay me my price, I don’t give a shit. For Rock, everything came down to money. All of his decisions were based on how he could make the most money possible.
“So what now?” Rock asked.
“We wait. I’ll let you know when I hear back,” Myles said.
The next day, Myles extended an offer of five thousand dollars for Maggie.
“What the fuck is this? I paid ten grand for her. Why the fuck would I sell her for five?” Rock asked, outraged.
“Because she’s seventeen years old, and all they’re going to do is make one film with her, and she’ll be dead. I’m sure you made your fair share of money off her over the last three years. You’ve made back that ten thousand many times over.”
“How much is your cut?” Rock asked.
“It’s 15 percent. It ain’t much. I’m not in this particular deal for the money. I’m just trying to help two people I know make a deal,” he said.
“Five thousand ain’t enough. I need at least ten,” Rock told him.
“Fine. I’ll call my contact. I’ll let you know.”
Rock sat forward in his chair and slammed his fist on the top of the table. He was angry that Maggie had betrayed him yet again, and in the long run, he would lose money. But keeping her put too much at stake. She had to go as soon as possible.
A week later, Rock went to see Armando to let him know he’d made a deal to sell Maggie for eight thousand dollars. Armando was disappointed at how little they’d gotten for her. Rock gave Armando explicit instructions. “I’ll be driving her up to New York in two days. Make sure she’s here and ready to go. I’ll pick her up in the morning.”
Rock wasn’t any happier about the sale than Armando was. From a business standpoint, it was a stupid move. But when he took in the bigger picture—the larger implications of Maggie’s actions—he knew it was something he needed to do. On his way back to his own home, Rock drove slowly down Kensington Avenue. Sitting at a traffic light, he noticed a crowd had gathered on the sidewalk next to a car with its windows open, blaring music. A group of men were bouncing around, hooting and hollering. When Rock took a closer look, he saw Maggie. She was pole dancing on a street sign.
Rock parked his car and watched from across the street as Maggie worked the crowd of men. She shimmied up the pole effortlessly and moved to the music. Her long, lean body was magnificent as she smoothly and eloquently became one with the pole. Rock was captivated by her elegance and sensuality, her muscles tensing and relaxing. Her body appeared to be flawless. He had to admit that she was a good pole dancer.
When the music stopped, Maggie led one of the men behind the building. She returned fifteen minutes later and took a second man behind the building. When she came back the next time, the music was screaming from inside the car again, and Maggie did her pole routine. Well I’ll be damned, Rock thought, she found a way to boost her own business. As the other prostitutes watched and threw annoyed glances, Maggie was the center of attention for the paying customers.
Rock thought about Maggie’s fate. She was so talented and attractive, a real money-maker. It seemed such a shame to throw all that potential money out the window for a measly eight thousand bucks. He sat in his car for over an hour, watching the men feed off her. The other hookers were practically turning green with envy. There had to be another way for him to salvage her. He needed to think of something spectacular. Rock remembered what he had learned as a young man from Thelma’s father. You must always think in terms of money, even if it means doing something you’ve never done before, the old man told him. This is a tough business, and only the men who understand human nature will succeed.
Rock watched for a while longer, and then slowly the idea formed in his mind. He played the idea out in his head as if he were watching a movie. Then he decided.
Rock knew exactly what he was going to do with Maggie.