Her eyes flashed as she gritted her teeth at me.

"What the fuck did you do that for?!"

I flinched at her cuss word, I had never been spoken to like that before, by a woman or otherwise.

"What do you mean? I just got you out of that man's clutches while he was trying to rape you, and you yell at me?! You should be thanking me"

She laughed sarcastically.

"Thank you?! Oh sure, thanks for putting my ass on his hitlist. Do you have any idea what you've done?! He's sure as hell gonna get his goons to come and kill me, you moron. I told you to leave, what part of that didn't you understand?"

"The part where you were looking at me for help? The part where you stuttered your words? The part where you were clearly being manipulated by that man? He's not going to touch you again, and neither are his 'goons' as you like to call them."

"Oh, because of course Mr Jackson has saved the day and whatever he says goes. No pretty boy, it's not that simple. You're so full of yourself, you think that just because you're famous nobody can hurt you, huh? Well let me tell you something, it's the opposite. I know who you are, and I'd rather I didn't but here we are stuck in a grotty alleyway because people like you can't keep their nose out where it's not wanted. Do me a favour and get the hell away from me and go and join your VIP buddies."

She stormed past me, her walk obscure due to only walking in one high heel. I chuckled under my breath and shouted out to her.

"You can't walk home like that. You've lost a shoe and you're walking home on your own."

She stopped in her tracks and let out a frustrated sigh.

"And who's fault is that, I wonder?"

I made my way over to her and she turned to look at me. I saw a cut on the side of her face, it was clean, like she had been struck by glass. I suddenly remembered the broken glass outside the office door-

"What are you staring at? Are you gonna take me home or what?"

"Sorry, I was just... you cut your face"

She rolled her eyes in the gloom, my shadow cast over her slender yet curvaceous frame.

"Yeah and it fucking hurts so I'd like to get back to my kitchen where I can sort it out myself"

"Fine, but at least take off your other shoe, you'll break your ankle walking like that"

"Who the hell are you? My father? It's your own fault I lost one in the first place, it's you who brought me down to the middle of nowhere and it's you who got me in this mess so I'm not exactly willing to take your advice, Jackson"

Damn, she was feisty. I kind of liked it though, everyone treated me like royalty, it was a welcome relief, a taste of the real world.

She sighed and bent down, unbuckling her tiny strap on her stiletto. She wobbled slightly and grabbed onto me subconsciously for support.

She rose, and our faces were inches apart. My breath hitched.

She shoved me. "Great, now I suppose I've got to walk barefoot down this skanky concrete"

"You're not barefoot, you have tights on" I teased.

She didn't laugh.

I suddenly had an idea. My hands trembled at the thought but I pushed it aside.

"I'm not having you complaining all the way back so I'm just gonna have to carry you"

She folded her arms. "You ain't laying a single hand on me."

I folded my arms in mock imitation "Well, it's either my arms or you're walking through those puddles and no doubt broken glass and vomit and God knows what el-"

She threw her hands up in disgust, and defeat.

"Alright! Alright... I guess it's the better option"

"You know it's the better option, so stop playin' and get over here"

"Why don't you stop playin' and get your ass over here and take me home"

I grinned in the darkness and scooped her up. She was surprisingly light. She hooked her arms around my neck, her single shoe bouncing on my back as we made our way down the street.

*

"Hey! Look forward, not at my tits, pervert"

I shook my head. "Are you always like this?"

"Like what? Being protective over who I allow to ogle my breasts?" She smirked up at me.

"No, I mean sarcastic and stubborn"

She blew a stray hair out of her face.

"I am who I am, and if people don't like it, there's a door"

"I know it's just a cover up... Which way? Left?"

"No, right. What do you mean a cover up? Are you saying I'm fake?"

I chuckled as we turned down yet another side street.

"No, you're real alright. I just know that women like you use being plain rude to cover up the fact that you're vulnerable"

There was a silence for a while.

The sky was layered with low clouds, the streetlights making a view of any clear spots impossible.

The buildings continued to tower over us on both sides, all looking identical except for any personal touches made by the owner, a dead flower basket and splashes of graffiti wasn't an uncommon sight.

This was definitely the worse side of town, meaning we were quite a way away from Foxx. I was starting to wonder how I was going to navigate myself back to my limo, still parked in the club grounds.

Eventually, I heard her sigh.

"You think you know me, Mr Jackson, but the truth is, you don't. So I wouldn't bother trying to figure me out, in fact, I wouldn't bother with me at all if I were you... There, that's my block just ahead, you see the flickering light?"

I nodded as I took in yet another block of apartments. The light was red, and my heart sank as I gathered where she really lived, how she really lived.

The Red Light District.

*

My pace slowed as we reached the entrance.

"Well, I'm not you so I'm not willing to take your advice"

She squirmed in my arms a little and I set her down on the cool concrete step. She shifted a little under my gaze, but quickly snapped out of it.

"Look... Jackson, thanks... I just... I don't- I hate letting people do things for me, you know? Because then I owe them, and I can't return the favour, I have nothing to give... Anyway, this is me so... You should get going."

"That's not true... could you give me your phone? To use I mean, I can't find my way back so I was just gonna call a cab"

She let out a breath, as if in relief, what did she think I was going to say?

"Um, phone? Sure. I can't exactly drag it down here so I guess you better come up, the payphone is bust anyway"

Payphone. Of course, I could have used one of those, but that would have meant leaving her prematurely.

I followed her into the dim lit building, it was like backstage of one of my concerts, rubbish everywhere, fumbling in the dark, I couldn't believe how anyone could live in an environment like this, I was scared about who may be lurking in the doorways, and she came back here every night alone?

Perhaps she was as tough as her mouth.

*