Syringes In The Gutter
TWO
Trigger was the best place to be for me when I needed things. Plus, it was right across the street from a hotel, which was quite odd but convenient.
Today, it was Alternative Night, which meant they burnt a mix CD for the stereo with all rock/alternative tracks instead of the regular hip-hop/rap beats they normally play. The bartender, Johnny, was serving up margaritas with his quick fingers and sliding eyes as they skipped over fake IDs.
As "Let Go" by Thieves And Villains came on, I made my way over to Johnny and placed an order for the usual. He put his eyebrows up, his indication for (fake) ID, and I just showed him a laminated business card I took from a dentist or something, I can't quite remember. I needed something to wash away the pain I was starting to feel.
"Here," he said, handing my alcoholic lime margarita. "You got your stuff yet?"
"I need it." I downed the drink and felt the beginnings of the cravings fade away into nothing as I surveyed the room.
I saw a bloke eying my chains-and-buckles miniskirt, deep U-neck short-sleeve black shirt over a long-sleeve striped button-up shirt. My heavily cut and changed hair looked beautiful in the reflection on my martini glass. I had to look great tonight.
Suddenly, there was a bunch of shuffling noises on the other side of my stool. I wheeled around to see three blokes pushing another one towards me.
"Come on!" they yelled.
The one being pushed turned around and slurred, "Aw, come on. I wasn't going to go...."
One of the three detached himself and came to my side, holding up a twenty. "Across the street, baby."
I took the twenty without a second thought. The bloke's mouth stretched into a wide smile and he said to his friends, "Dude, we got a taker! C'mon, get him across the street."
They dragged him with me following behind to the hotel room, my heart thumping loudly. I was so close. So close. I just had to get through the night.
The three sent us up to a room and shut the door behind us, laughing.
I was alone with the best looking of them all. He had brownish hair with bleach blond highlights. He didn't look so sturdy either.
"Hi," I said. He turned to me with a puzzled look on his face.
"Hey... who are you?" Whatever he'd been on earlier must've worn off a bit.
"Ashley, but you can call me Ash," I told him. He looked a little steadier.
"Shit - what the hell am I doing here?" He looked around the small room, then went and sat on the bed, hands in his head. The he looked up. "My friends did this, didn't they?"
"Well - a bit," I admitted. "But there's something I need to do...." I went over to him and pushed him back so he was lying down on the bed, then I bent down next to him.
"Wait - what -"
I didn't let him move. I pinned his arms against the sheets and leaned down over him, slowly bringing our lips together. He tasted much better than the guys I'd had before. I found myself truly enjoying this for once. His arms curled instinctively around my back and I lied more comfortably on top of him.
Our mouths broke apart and he gasped. "I don't know what the fuck I'm doing - what the hell are you doing?"
"I'm sorry, I really am," I whispered in his ear. "But I need to."
"What? That doesn't make any damned sense."
I didn't answer but proceeded to remove his clothes, which he resisted at first but grudgingly obliged to. He was the strangest.
"Look, I know you're pretty - actually, fuck that, gorgeous," he said while I was busy with his shirt, "but I don't know you and this is really... really weird."
"I know," I said into his mouth, our tongues synchronized.
"I'm Alex, by the way," he breathed, pulling off my shirts. "And you're the most beautiful creature I've ever seen." He trailed a finger from my waist to my toes.
"You can stop with the compliments," I told him. "You're getting warm."
"Haha," he said sarcastically.
We spent the rest of the time together under the sheets, our warm bodies pressed together at every crevice. I fell asleep eventually to my aching body, twenty dollars tucked away in the jeans on the floor.
Today, it was Alternative Night, which meant they burnt a mix CD for the stereo with all rock/alternative tracks instead of the regular hip-hop/rap beats they normally play. The bartender, Johnny, was serving up margaritas with his quick fingers and sliding eyes as they skipped over fake IDs.
As "Let Go" by Thieves And Villains came on, I made my way over to Johnny and placed an order for the usual. He put his eyebrows up, his indication for (fake) ID, and I just showed him a laminated business card I took from a dentist or something, I can't quite remember. I needed something to wash away the pain I was starting to feel.
"Here," he said, handing my alcoholic lime margarita. "You got your stuff yet?"
"I need it." I downed the drink and felt the beginnings of the cravings fade away into nothing as I surveyed the room.
I saw a bloke eying my chains-and-buckles miniskirt, deep U-neck short-sleeve black shirt over a long-sleeve striped button-up shirt. My heavily cut and changed hair looked beautiful in the reflection on my martini glass. I had to look great tonight.
Suddenly, there was a bunch of shuffling noises on the other side of my stool. I wheeled around to see three blokes pushing another one towards me.
"Come on!" they yelled.
The one being pushed turned around and slurred, "Aw, come on. I wasn't going to go...."
One of the three detached himself and came to my side, holding up a twenty. "Across the street, baby."
I took the twenty without a second thought. The bloke's mouth stretched into a wide smile and he said to his friends, "Dude, we got a taker! C'mon, get him across the street."
They dragged him with me following behind to the hotel room, my heart thumping loudly. I was so close. So close. I just had to get through the night.
The three sent us up to a room and shut the door behind us, laughing.
I was alone with the best looking of them all. He had brownish hair with bleach blond highlights. He didn't look so sturdy either.
"Hi," I said. He turned to me with a puzzled look on his face.
"Hey... who are you?" Whatever he'd been on earlier must've worn off a bit.
"Ashley, but you can call me Ash," I told him. He looked a little steadier.
"Shit - what the hell am I doing here?" He looked around the small room, then went and sat on the bed, hands in his head. The he looked up. "My friends did this, didn't they?"
"Well - a bit," I admitted. "But there's something I need to do...." I went over to him and pushed him back so he was lying down on the bed, then I bent down next to him.
"Wait - what -"
I didn't let him move. I pinned his arms against the sheets and leaned down over him, slowly bringing our lips together. He tasted much better than the guys I'd had before. I found myself truly enjoying this for once. His arms curled instinctively around my back and I lied more comfortably on top of him.
Our mouths broke apart and he gasped. "I don't know what the fuck I'm doing - what the hell are you doing?"
"I'm sorry, I really am," I whispered in his ear. "But I need to."
"What? That doesn't make any damned sense."
I didn't answer but proceeded to remove his clothes, which he resisted at first but grudgingly obliged to. He was the strangest.
"Look, I know you're pretty - actually, fuck that, gorgeous," he said while I was busy with his shirt, "but I don't know you and this is really... really weird."
"I know," I said into his mouth, our tongues synchronized.
"I'm Alex, by the way," he breathed, pulling off my shirts. "And you're the most beautiful creature I've ever seen." He trailed a finger from my waist to my toes.
"You can stop with the compliments," I told him. "You're getting warm."
"Haha," he said sarcastically.
We spent the rest of the time together under the sheets, our warm bodies pressed together at every crevice. I fell asleep eventually to my aching body, twenty dollars tucked away in the jeans on the floor.