Dirty Power

by Ashley Bartlett

  Fuck.

  I decided to do the mature thing. I sent Christopher and Breno a bunch of annoying text messages. And I called both their phones repeatedly. After the sixth call, a sleepy Breno answered.

  “Hey. I’m dyin’, man. I need someone to take over.”

  “All right. I will be down in a few minutes.” His voice was all scratchy. And he sounded kinda dead. Which made me feel bad.

  “Thanks. I’m two blocks south of the hotel. Ish.”

  “I will find you,” he promised.

  And he did. Twenty minutes after we’d hung up, he strode to the passenger side and climbed in. He had the same stubble Ryan sometimes boasted. More of a pubescent joke than facial hair. Heavier on the jawline and upper lip. Smooth cheeks. His eyes were bloodshot. Hair unwashed and sticking up a bit in the back.

  He looked young, despite the gray in his hair and the slight lines around his mouth. Younger than I’d ever seen him look. It was weird.

  “Sorry. I thought I’d last longer,” I said.

  “Don’t worry. I appreciate you driving as long as you did.”

  “No worries. I left the city. Drove to Mississippi, apparently,” I told him.

  “Mississippi?” he asked.

  “Yeah. So I don’t think you’ll stand out if you stick close.”

  “Why did you drive to Mississippi?”

  “Wasn’t intentional.” I shrugged. “Just drove. Ended up there.”

  “You should head back. You look tired.” Breno seemed concerned.

  “I am.” I opened the door. “Keep me updated.”

  “I will.”

  I started walking. My head was swimming. And my feet didn’t want to go in a straight line. They felt more curvy than that. At least if anyone noticed me they would just think I was drunk. Stupid kid after a long night in the Quarter.

  I stumbled into the hotel and fell into the elevator. Two women got in after me. I leaned against the wall out of necessity. Standing was hard. And I tended to sway. The women shot me a couple glances, but neither seemed particularly curious.

  When I got to the room, the security bolt was thrown.

  “Reese. Let me in,” I called into the small space. Nothing. “Reese, come on. I’m fuckin’ tired.” I was louder that time.

  “I’m sleeping. Fuck off.”

  “Well, I haven’t slept yet. So let me in. Please.”

  “Ryan’s room is for one-night stands. Go sleep there.” She sounded pissed.

  “Huh?” Confused. That was me. “What?”

  “Did you at least get her name?” Her voice was still muffled. Probably buried in a pillow. So it made her hard to understand.

  “I don’t get it. I’m sleepy. Let me in. You can berate me then.”

  I heard movement. Then an angry sigh. Then footsteps. Reese slammed the door shut, threw off the bolt, and opened it.

  “I said, did you at least get her name? Or a shower? ’Cause I’m not letting you in here until you’re fuckin’ clean. But I doubt that’s a state you’ll ever achieve.” The glare plastered on her face was record breaking.

  “Seriously. What the fuck are you talking about? Let me in.” I tried to push her back, but she planted a hand on my chest and shoved. I nearly fell. Balance was tough.

  “I’m talking about whoever you’ve been screwing all night. I don’t want the room to smell like your dirty ass one-night stand. So go beg at Ryan’s door. He’s never cared about your sins.”

  “I…what? I haven’t been screwing,” I said.

  “Right.”

  “There’s no girl…” Like you. But I didn’t say that. “I didn’t—”

  “What? Get her name?”

  I’d done a lot of stupid shit. And I’d slept with a lot of stupid girls. But I at least admitted it when I did. And I’d never lied about it. So her disbelief pissed me off. A lot. It also woke me up. Temporarily.

  “Gus.”

  “You slept with a girl named Gus?” Now she looked confused.

  “No. But the only person I’ve spoken to since I last saw you was named Gus. Also Christopher and Breno. There was a girl in a gas station, but she was straight and underage, and no, I didn’t catch her name.”

  “You slept with a minor?”

  “No. I drove the fucking truck to Mississippi so Christopher and Breno could sleep. I stopped for gas. Bought coffee and soda in the store. Dropped my wallet. A guy named Gus picked it up and gave it back to me. Now, I’ve had a long-ass night and an even longer fuckin’ morning. So back the fuck off and let me get some sleep.” I shoved her aside. This time she didn’t stop me.

  I didn’t even bother with a shower. Just kicked off my shoes and jeans. Stripped off my shirt. Crawled in bed. I was asleep before Reese even closed the door.

  Chapter Five

  Reese woke me. She was perched on the other bed glaring at me, and she looked a little confused and a lot mad. So pretty much typical Reese.

  “Ryan called. He wants breakfast.”

  “Okay.” I rubbed my face and stared at the clock. Blurry. I gave my eyes another rub. Less blurry. “What time is it?”

  “One.”

  “Where are we getting breakfast?”

  “Some place he heard was good. He said he’ll meet us in the lobby.”

  “Cool.” I rolled to the edge of the bed and managed to sit up. “I got to shower.”

  “Whatever. I’m going downstairs.”

  “Fine.” I didn’t have the patience or inclination to argue with her.

  Twenty minutes later, I stumbled out of the elevator into the lobby. Ryan jumped up and bounded over to me. He looked happy. At least someone was.

  “Morning,” I grumbled.

  “Hi.” He threw an arm around my shoulders and dragged me toward Reese. “You guys ready for breakfast?”

  “Sure,” I said.

  “Whatever.” Oh, good. Reese was still in her little mood.

  We took off down the street. Ryan seemed to know where he was going. Plus, I didn’t have much choice. He still had his arm around my shoulders. And he was bouncing with every step. It was jarring.

  “Have either of you heard from Breno or Christopher?” I asked.

  “No. Are they back yet? Have you talked to them?” Just-got-laid Ryan was the most annoying person ever. All smiles and excitement and sunshine.

  “They got in early this morning,” I told him. I was going to elaborate, but that seemed difficult.

  “Christopher took over for Breno an hour ago,” Reese said.

  “Oh, good.” I left it at that.

  “Should we call them? Do they need us to drive?” Now Ryan was sort of skipping.

  “They’ll be fine,” I said.

  “Cool. Okay, great.”

  “I’ll call after we eat,” Reese said. I was pretty sure she just wanted to get away from me.

  “Here.” Ryan spotted the restaurant he was looking for and dragged us inside. It smelled like fish. But not in an old way. In a good way. I was starving.

  Ryan kept conversation afloat for a good fifteen minutes. Somehow, he managed to communicate about thirty unrelated subjects all with three-word sentences. It took him that long to realize Reese and I weren’t participating in his monologue.

  “What’s with you guys?”

  I shrugged. Reese lied.

  “Nothing.”

  “’Cause you’re quiet.”

  “Tired,” I said.

  “Yep.” Reese.

  “Okay.” Ryan. That was all it took. He was easily distracted.

  Reese was saved from calling Christopher when he called us instead. She nodded and said non-committal things for a few minutes, then hung up.

  “He finally reached his friend. But the guy can’t meet us until tomorrow morning.”

  “Shit,” was my contribution.

  “Oh, well. Whatcha wanna do?” Ryan asked.

  “Don’t care,” I said.

  “Nope,” Reese said.

  “Wanna walk?”r />
  We shrugged and agreed and somehow found ourselves wandering the Quarter again. Ryan stuck to coffee, from three different cafés, until it started getting dark. Then he found a daiquiri. Not sure where it came from.

  “Dude, they’re seriously into partying here.” Ryan was so smart.

  “It’s New Orleans, dumbass. That’s like what they do.” I scoffed and looked to Reese for confirmation.

  “You’re both dumb,” she said. Guess she didn’t appreciate my attempt at camaraderie.

  “Just sayin’. Overkill.” Ryan chugged his icy booze.

  “Yeah, for real.” If Reese didn’t want my help, I’d just back Ryan up.

  Reese rolled her eyes.

  “Dude. Daiquiris.” Ryan handed me the almost empty cup he was holding and took off across the street.

  “Is he high again?” Reese asked. Interesting. Starting conversation with me all on her own.

  “Isn’t he always?”

  “True.”

  “So I take it you’re not pissed at me anymore?” I asked it all nonchalant. But I was curious as hell.

  “Sorry.” She hesitated, then pushed on. She should have kept her damn mouth shut. “I thought you were lying about driving. But Christopher said you drove for a while.”

  “Seriously? That’s why you were pissed? You thought I was lying?”

  “Yeah. Why else?” Reese asked.

  “I had no fuckin’ clue. So you didn’t believe me, but when Christopher said I drove all morning, you believed him.”

  “Why are you getting pissed?” She seemed angry at my anger.

  “You don’t believe a damn thing I tell you.” Bitch.

  “That surprises you?”

  I didn’t have an answer for that. So I went after Ryan and his pursuit of booze.

  *

  I woke up next to Ryan. His feet were by my head. But that might have been because I was upside down. I dragged myself up the bed until my head was on my pillow. Ryan reeked of rum and citrus, kinda orangy. I couldn’t figure out the oranges part. I tried to shove him away from me. He rolled right back to where he’d started. After my second attempt, I realized his pockets were stuffed with oranges. That explained the smell, but it didn’t help with reclaiming half the bed. I dug four oranges out of his sweatshirt pockets. Then I checked his pants. Two tangerines. And each of his back pockets had a fistful of kumquats. Miraculously, they were all intact.

  My search inspired a lot of questions and very few answers. I rolled over and went back to sleep.

  The next time I woke up, Ryan was leaning over me eating an orange.

  “Want?” He held out a section to me.

  “No. Go away.”

  “Can’t. Gotta meet Christopher. We’re going to that artist guy’s place. Get up.”

  “Where did all that fruit come from?” I asked.

  “I was gonna ask you. It was on your side of the bed.” Ryan pointed. The table on my side did have a large pile.

  “I pulled them out of your pockets.”

  “Huh.” Ryan shrugged, leaned over me, and snagged some kumquats. “Tastes good.”

  “Where’s Reese?”

  “Shower.” He nodded at the bathroom.

  “I’ll take an orange.” It seemed like a good idea. He handed me one. I stared at it for a minute. Opening it was going to be tough.

  “Here.” Ryan took the orange back and started peeling it.

  “Thanks.”

  When Reese came out of the bathroom, she found us sitting on the bed. We had the ice bucket between us half-filled with orange and tangerine peels. We both had juice to our elbows and Ryan’s chin was sticky. It’s tough to be angry when you’re naked, but somehow Reese managed to glare while wearing only a towel.

  “What?” I asked.

  “I guess I should just be happy it isn’t crawfish,” she said.

  “That wouldn’t be breakfasty,” Ryan told her.

  “Did you get coffee?” Reese asked.

  “Shit.”

  “I asked you to do two things, Ryan,” Reese said.

  “I woke up Coop.”

  “That was the first thing.” She said it real slow.

  “But I forgot the coffee,” he said.

  “I figured that part out.”

  “I want coffee,” I said.

  Ryan sighed. “Fine. I’ll go get coffee.”

  “Can’t we just get room service?” I asked.

  “Princess wants a cappuccino,” Ryan said. “And it just has to be from that place down the street. Where we went yesterday.” Well, that narrowed it down.

  “Don’t worry about it.” Reese sounded all exasperated. “We can get it on the way.”

  “No, no, darling sister of mine. If you want a cappuccino, I will get you a cappuccino.”

  “Stop. It’s too late,” she said.

  “Nope.” Ryan stood up. “I’m already going.” He went into the bathroom to wash his hands.

  “You’re an idiot.”

  “An idiot who’s getting you coffee,” he called over the running water.

  “Whatever.” Reese rolled her eyes.

  “Later. I’ll meet you downstairs.” Ryan grinned and left.

  “He’s dumb,” Reese said. I just shrugged. Non-committal was the best way to go. Keeping up with Reese’s moods was way too hard.

  Reese dug around in the dresser until she found a pair of jeans. Somehow, her wardrobe had tripled since leaving Chicago. Ryan and I had given her the dresser since we were still living on the same two pairs of jeans.

  I probably should have gotten in the shower. I probably should have pulled on pants and gone with Ryan. I probably should have done anything except sit in bed. I definitely shouldn’t have stayed there trying to get a glimpse of the underwear Reese was picking out for the day. And when Reese looked at me, hesitated, and dropped her towel, I really shouldn’t have watched.

  Fuck me, that girl looked good naked. Like, really fucking good.

  I was helpless. All I could do was sit there and watch. Look at the carved plane of her stomach. Stare at the hint of pink in her nipples. Salivate ’cause I knew how her collarbones tasted. My eyes dropped to her cunt. That was when she realized I was watching. She acted like she hadn’t noticed, just turned so I was looking at her ass instead. Not that I was going to complain.

  My view was seriously interrupted when she pulled on something silky and girly that was supposed to be underwear. No. The view was still good. I wasn’t getting the full frontal. Just a side view. The slope and subtle softness of her tits. The roundness of her ass. How did she get such a perfect ass?

  “Stop it,” Reese said.

  “Stop what?” I tossed the remainder of my orange into the bucket. I tried to be cool when I climbed out of bed, but I realized I was soaking wet. There’s no cool way to see if your boxers are damp.

  “Staring.”

  “I wasn’t staring.” My heart was pounding so hard and fast I was going to suffocate. My hands were shaking. I was so turned on, standing was a challenge.

  “Whatever.”

  “I’m going to shower,” I said. It was a lie. I was gonna jack off. The only time I’d gotten turned on in the last four months had been when I met Alexis DiGiovanni. And that had only been because she had a striking resemblance to her cousin. Not exactly orgasm worthy. The real thing was so much better. Because right then, after looking at Reese, my body was very much alive. And I needed to come. Bad. But Reese didn’t need to know that.

  “Fine. I’m going to go meet Ryan,” she said.

  “Cool.”

  I dug into my duffle and pulled out a pair of jeans. I didn’t even look up at her. I didn’t need to. The image of her in all her naked hotness was burned into my flesh. The picture expanded with memories of her above me, beneath me, arched and begging to come. My clit started throbbing. My stomach hollowed. Fuck.

  I walked into the bathroom. Tossed my jeans onto the counter. Brushed my teeth. Waited for her to leave.
/>   “I’m going downstairs.” Reese tossed her towel into the bathroom.

  “’Kay. I’ll be there soon,” I said around a mouthful of toothpaste. It was less than coherent.

  The door to the room opened and closed. She was gone. I spit out the toothpaste. Rinsed my mouth. Then shoved my hand into my boxers. Oh, fuck. I was actually dripping. When I slid a finger between my folds, I groaned and closed my eyes. My hips arched forward.

  “What are you doing?”

  My eyes flew open. Reese was standing in the bathroom door watching me.

  “Fuck.”

  “Are you jerking off?” she asked.

  “Uhh, yeah.” It was pretty apparent. Denying it would have been stupid.

  “Why?”

  “’Cause I want to come.” Hard to lie when you’ve got your hand in your pants. It inspires honesty. Damn, my hand was still in my boxers. I pulled it out. My fingers were wet. I turned and started washing my hands. They were shaking.

  “I don’t really know what to say.”

  “Don’t say anything. Just leave.” I didn’t know if I should be mad or embarrassed or both. “This is all I got right now. So let me have it before the picture fades.”

  “Wait. You’re jacking off ’cause you just saw me naked?” Reese asked.

  Uh-oh. I thought that part had been obvious.

  “Fuck,” I said again.

  Reese didn’t say anything. And I didn’t say anything. I looked at my hands. I was still washing them even though they were clean. She looked at me. It was awkward.

  Reese pulled out her cell phone. Dialed a number.

  “Hey, Coop and I are staying here. You guys okay without us? No, Ryan is downstairs waiting…No. We’re fine…Yep. Bye.” She ended the call.

  “What was that about?” I asked.

  “Strip,” Reese said.

  “Huh?”

  “Strip. Get on the bed. Now.” She pointed.

  I didn’t move. So she grabbed my shirt and dragged me out of the bathroom. She yanked the shirt over my head. Pulled my boxers down. Shoved me so I fell onto the bed. I had no idea what was going on. Actually, I had a pretty good idea what was going on. I just didn’t know why.