Chapter 63: Lore Master

September. Buttercup wished that it would cool just a little, but in Florida at eight-thirty in the sweaty a.m., it was still humid and sticky, the coolness of night never lasting long. She was glad she wore her dark hair back in a ponytail as she could imagine what a drenched mess her neck would be while she sat on the bench at the Harbor City Transit Stop 52. A giant oak covered the stop with its branches offering a minuscule amount of shade, but heat was heat regardless. She kept trying to adjust the business skirt she wore, not used to anything so…covering.

She took a deep breath. What on earth was she thinking? She had no business trying to be something other than what she already was, a street hooker who earned her keep by spreading her legs for any john who came along with twenty bucks he could sneak past his wife. Who did she think she was trying to get a real job somewhere and get off the streets?