Heroin Love

by Hunter, I. M.

  Rachael and I were sitting on the railing of the porch snuggling and whispering cute complements to each other when I noticed David staring at us and he seemed aggravated at the sight of us together.

  "Everything okay David?" I asked with concern and it seemed to of broken a trance that overcame him

  “Yeah, yeah. I just don't want to...I am going to go for a walk." He responded with a bit of regret.

  David walks off the back porch and onto the sandy white beach that stretched for miles.

  I see Rachael put her arm around her stomach and bend over. "Rachael, are you getting sick again?" A look of concern covered my face.

  "Mmmhmm." She responded while nodding her head.

  "Where's the stuff from yesterday? I'll go get it." I asked while heading towards the inside of the house.

  "It's all gone." she said hesitantly hanging her head in shame.

  "You used all that?" I asked in utter disbelief.

  "Yeah Kevin, I AM an addict." She reiterated that point. "I told you if you don't want to deal with me, I'll just go back home."

  "No no no no, I was just asking babe. Relax, I will call Pete." I did what I did the day before called Pete told him it was for Rachael and he was on the way.

  "How in the world did you afford this habit?" I inquired genuinely.

  "Oh you just thought I liked fucking every guy that comes at me?" She stated sarcastically. "Between Toni's and David stealing and conning we made it happen. It's just a sad vicious cycle." She started to break down into tears. "I just don't know what to do anymore, I can't even look proudly at myself in the mirror."

  I coddled her,putting her head on my shoulder. "Shhhh, it will all be okay." Then I hear an ominous unfamiliar ringtone coming from her purse. "Who could that be?"

  No response as she wipes away the tears trickling down her face.

  She reluctantly answered the phone, "Yeah?"

  I waited patiently for her to get off the phone, it was a quick one sided conversation, she didn't say anything else to who ever was on the phone.

  Hanging up the phone she looks at me with regret, "Where is Pete? I have to go to work."

  "Work?! Your not going to work!" My eyes filled with fury.

  "Kev, I can't just stop my life because you showed up. Jessica will come looking for me and it won’t be a good day for me or you," she stated with a matter of fact tone.

  I feel my blood start to boil, I could feel my heart beating in my chest, my face is getting hot "Listen, I will take care of you. I will provide for you. I DON'T need you going to work. Just stay here. Hang out here and relax. I will handle Jessica don’t worry." Not sure what she meant by that, what the hell could Jess do to me?

  "So you just expect me to sit around all day waiting for you to come home and fuck me?" She ranted.

  "Yeah, basically," I said in a condescending tone.

  Rachael stood in silence for a moment then a smile came across her face as if she forced the argument. "Okay, Kev."

  She walked over to me in a coy fashion, she leaned in and forced her tongue into my mouth. She started grinding her hand on my groin when a loud bang echoed through the house.

  "Pete's here, stay right here. Don't move," I demanded.

  I made my way through the house, dodging the men moving the final pieces of furniture into the house and answered the door.

  "Follow me," I beckoned Pete to the garage where nobody was. "Is this an everyday thing with her?"

  "Yeah man. Sometimes she ain't got the money but she always needs it," he claimed.

  "Okay.." I hesitated for a second. "Look, I am not going to be able to be here all the time to deal with this. Here is a garage door opener, I will leave the money behind this air handler. You just leave the drugs. Your not to go inside the house, or show Rachael where the shit is. You come in and out, you understand?" I firmly stated with a fierce look on my face.

  "You got it man," Pete responded.

  He handed me today's set and I handed over the money. I opened up the garage door to let him out.

  As he was getting in to his beat up '97 Honda Civic I hear him complement "By the way, nice crib bro."

  I nodded and closed the garage door.

  Going back into the house, quickly stopped in my tracks by a worker, "And here we are Mister..." he looked down to find my name on his clipboard."...Barrick. Furniture is set and here is your card you left at the store yesterday. Now if you can sign here we can get out of your hair." The furniture employee pointed with his pen at the clipboard he was carrying.

  I glanced at the receipt which read a total of $96,535.98. "This better be made out of gold." I jested while scribbling my signature on the dotted line.

  I gazed around at the furniture, there was the table I loved, it fit so perfectly. A light beige leather sectional surrounded a mounted flat screen T.V. on the wall. A matching cedar coffee table and end tables accompanied the couch. They delivered a full kitchen, crystal classes, hand painted china dishes all the way down to the silverware with gold laid designs. I went into the bedroom, a king size bed encased in creme colored silk sheets was nestled in a dark oak bed frame. The headboard and footboard had tropical designs hand etched into them. It was accompanied by matching nightstands and dressers. They also mounted a flat screenT.V. in the bedroom.

  ‘Not too bad,’ I said to myself complementing the kid at the store.

  I heard a loud abrupt cough come from the back patio.

  Darting outside to check on Rachael, "You Okay? Come on I got your stuff. We don't need you sick." I put my arm around her while she stayed hunched over following my guide. "How did you start using this shit anyways?" Trying not to let on that I already knew.

  Rachael's eyes glazed over as if an unpleasant memory just vividly entered her mind. "When I was little my dad took care of me. We lived in the ghetto, ya know the kind where you stayed below the windows so you didn't get hit by stray drive-by bullets. We had bars over the windows so we didn't get robbed. It was just the way of life to use drugs, rob and cheat anyone you could," she continued to explain with intermediate cough, "my dad was a heavy user. I begged him to stop but he never would, he couldn't get the help he needed." She continued while wiping tears away from her face, "One day I came home after school, he was sitting in his lazy chair with the T.V. on. I called for him but there was no answer when I walked around the chair to get his attention he was dead. He was still tied off and had a needle in his arm." Tears continued to stream down her face, "The only way I could survive is to sell myself or drugs, and I hung out with the wrong people. And now here I am." Her eyes turned blood shot red as she continued to cry.

  "Jeez, sorry that's rough." I comforted her. "It will be alright now, I will take care of you." Kissing her forehead I laid her down on the bed to give her that needed fix.

  Chapter Fourteen

  It was a typical bright sunny tropical Florida day, 97 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Rachael needed some new clothes for our new life. I wanted to take her over to Worth Avenue in Palm Beach. The top designers of the world had locations lining the street. She was wearing 'street clothes' and really didn't match the general fashion on the Avenue.

  People were staring at us, "They are all staring at me, can't we just go to the mall?" She asks in discomfort.

  "They're staring at me, don't worry about it. Let's have a good time."

  We approached Venzi's, they are known for their elegant lingerie and sleek dresses. My phone began to buzz in my pocket, giving it a quick glance I see Benjamin on the caller I.D.

  "Babe, I got to take this. Go inside and find something you like." She walked into Venzi's and I picked the phone up with haste as I walked quickly around the corner. "Hey Ben, how are you guys?" I genuinely asked.

  "We are good dad, but I ran into a bit of an issue. I gambled all my money away, those dice can be rough." He joked to try and lighten the mood.

  "Yeah, and? Just ask your mother for some." I said with a condescending tone.
r />   "Dad, she's a wreck. She hasn't left her room the whole cruise. She thinks your leaving us behind, abandoning us. But I know you are." Benjamin noted in a strict confident tone.

  "What do you mean you know I am?" Anger started to fill my voice, how he could he make such a cruel accusation.

  "Dad--cut the shit. My friend saw you and some blonde hair chick walking down the street holding hands. He sent me a picture so don't deny it."

  My heart sank, my chest began to ache in pain. What did I do? What a terrible role model I am for my kids.

  He continued to inform "I am not going to tell mom so don't worry. But if you don't soon, I will," he threatened.

  "I will son, I will." I confessed. "I just have a lot going on in my head, a lot of issues to work out in my own mind."

  "I still need that money Dad." He insisted.

  "I kind of feel blackmailed right this second. I will wire the money over right now. I'll see you soon." I hung the phone up in defeat.

  I quickly opened the bank app on my phone to wire money over to Benjamin. In my peripheral vision I see Rachael on the sidewalk looking around trying to find me.

  The damsel in distress look she had snapped me right back out of my regretful trance. "How could you not find anything you like?" I stated in a sarcastic manner.

  "Those bitches in there wouldn't help me, they said I was shopping in the wrong class." She ranted in disbelief.

  "Well forget about them, there are plenty of other shops here." Hesitating for a second, "No, let's go back in. Who helped you?"

  "The chubby brunette lady." She said in disgust.

  I swung the door open as if I owned the place. "You over there. Come here." I beckoned the brunette over to me. "Why did you insult this lady?" My eyes piercing right through her.

  "Well look at her. She can't afford to shop here." the pretentious attitude was obvious.

  "Well I can and she's with me." Pointing at another sales associate "Come here. I'll give you the commission. We need a whole new wardrobe. Price is no object." I flashed a smirk at the brunette sales associate "Now don't you feel like an asshole."

  Rachael looked as if I was her knight in shining armor.

  Grabbing my arm she pulled me closer and whispered "Your sexy when you get all bossy. I can't wait to get you home."

  Letting out a small chuckle I gently slapped her ass and followed the associate to our fitting area.

  The lady unrolled a ruler that she removed from her pocket. The measurements only took a her a second "I'll be right back with some choices." She left the fitting area.

  Rachael turned to me "I don't feel comfortable here. This isn't my scene." She confessed.

  "Oh come on. Your going to look beautiful, I promise." Trying to keep her excited. And just in that instance the fitting room turned into a carousel of clothes. Several people walked in with their hands full, hanging up dress after dress with matching lingerie.

  "Okay, lets get started. We have a lot of work to do." The sales associate informed us with a big smile.

  The manager of Venzi's comes in and leans into my ear "I know you said price is no object. But how much are looking to spend sir? Will it be an abusive amount or really offensive?"

  I smirked at his ridiculous remark "If only your registers could count that high."

  His excited response was hysterical, he became flustered and wanted to make sure we where comfortable "Oh okay...do you need anything? Tea? Coffee? Espresso?"

  "What a generous offer," I remark with dry sarcasm. "I'll take a Macallan '28 on the rocks, and she'll take a Cheval Blanc '47."

  The manager's face dropped in regret "Uhh, I am sorry sir we don't stock alcohol here."

  I started to get out of my chair "That's all right we will just go and..."

  "No no no no, sit sit." The manager insisted "It would be my pleasure to go hunt some down for you. I will be back shortly."

  I laughed to myself under my breath "That's rather kind of you."

  "Okay now I need you to get down to your bra and panties" The associate instructed.

  Rachael slowly unbuttoned her pants revealing her perfect firm ass laced in black and white floral design boy shorts. A small ribbon was stitched on both sides, it was simple yet sexy. My hand rose up to my mouth and I began biting down on my golden wedding band to resist myself. A fierce desire to bend her over this bench and fuck her filled me. Rachael looked back over her shoulder at me with a seductive gaze. Opening her mouth into an O shape and pressing her tongue against the side of her cheek repetitively, I knew she wanted the same thing.

  "Would you excuse us for second," I demanded.

  The sales associate began to leave us, when Rachael spoke up "No no, Kev. I want to try these clothes on before we have to leave." She said in a mocking manner.

  "You just love toying with me, don't you?" The mixture of desire and anger consumed me. "I will just wait out here then," and I left.

  As I left to roam the showroom the manager runs back through the door "Is everything alright sir?" Handing me my glass of Macallan.

  "Yeah, never better."

  "Glad to hear it," he exclaimed in a high pitch tone. " I'll go give the lady her wine."

  Rachael revealed herself from behind the off-white curtain that separated her room. Wearing a black short sleeved seamless mini dress, the low cut front revealed portions of her breasts. Rachael did a slow turn showing off the open cut back.

  "Heaven just sent me an angel," I whispered under my breath. I stood in shock my fist clenching with irritability.

  "So what do you think?" Rachael impatiently asked.

  "You look angelic.."

  Rachael began to blush but with her usual cocky attitude "You bet I do." She gave me a final twirl as she went back into the fitting area.

  I slightly opened the curtain "Rachael I have to go take care of a few things. I'll send a car for you." I explained to her in disappointment.

  "Your not really going to leave me here are you?" She furiously snapped.

  "I will never leave you, my specter will always keep you company." I stated with confidence.

  "What the fuck does that even mean?" She asked with the same aggravated attitude.

  I gave her a wink and left.

  "Here's my card, whatever she wants let her have. Give her the card when she's done." Handing my card to the manager with strict instructions. "And I mean whatever she wants."

  Walking out onto the street, I b-lined it right towards Buccellati's, a black glossy sign rested on top of the doors, polished white rectified marble tiles covered the floors. Display cases with matching marble lined the showroom floor, accompanied by spot light LEDs to give the jewelry the extra sparkle in the cases. Several crystal emperor chandeliers with a cascading bowl design filled the ceiling space with elegance. Quickly approached by a salesman wearing a black pin stripe suit, white dress shirt, and a tie in a typical windsor knot.

  “How are you today sir?”

  “Fine, thanks.”

  “Is there something I could help you find?” He asked charismatically.

  “Looking for a necklace for my girlfriend, show me what you got.”

  He did an about-face motioning for me to follow him, we ended up in the back corner of the store. Taking a neck mannequin out of the display to show me ‘his first choice.’ A platinum heart with studded alternating diamonds and deep blue sapphires, strung through a rope chain at a princess length. Hanging off of the heart was a rose gold key, with a pink diamond in the center of the key loop.

  It was perfect, without hesitation, “I will take that.”

  “A man who knows what he likes, I love it.” He looks on the tag attached to the necklace, “It will be eighteen thousand dollars, plus tax.”

  “Okay....I didn’t really care. I have other affairs today, can we hurry this up?”

  “Yes sir, I’m sorry. I will go box this up, right away.”

  He scurries away like a dog who just got hit. He quickly returned with a g
olden box in his hand with the name ‘Buccellati's’ etched in black on top of it.

  “Have a splendid day sir.”

  “You do the same,” I responded while quickly exiting the store. Rushing back to my car on the street.

  I drove over to my office building, I had to convince Ann to go along with my charade to avoid letting Megan know what was going on.

  I approached Ann "Hey, can I talk to you for a second, in my office?"

  I caught her off guard, surprised to see me "Yes of course. I thought you were away on vacation."

  "Yeah, there were some complications. Come follow me." I motioned my hand to let her lead the way to my office.

  Everything was just as I left it. My mahogany desk sat centered in the room with two black leather chairs on one side and a black pure leather executive chair on the other. My two black Mont Blanc pens rested nicely to the left of the center of the desk. The Howard Miller floor clock nestled perfectly in the corner made out of English Sycamore hardwood just chimed off to signify the time. I walked casually towards the back of the office to look out at the panoramic view of the city it offered.

  "Ann I need you to do me a favor." Still looking out of the windows my back turned towards Ann "If Megan for whatever reason calls or comes in, just tell her I was here all week," I said with resounding authority.

  "Uhh, of course sir. But what's going on?" She gently prodded.

  "That's not for you to worry about." I turned towards her and gave her a prominent authoritative look. "Here take this as compensation for dragging you into this," I pulled a roll out of my pocket and started to count.

  "It's fine Mr. Barrick you don't need to bribe me. Your personal business is not my business," she affirmed cautiously.

  "No, I insist," I pushed her to take the stack of money I counted out for her. "That will be all." Abruptly ending the conversation and turned back to look at the view. My Phone buzzed in my pocket. Rachael sent me a text message.

  Rachael: Hey Kev, where are you? --Tapping away on the virtual keyboard I responded

  Kevin: Just finishing up, did you get everything you needed?