Kayden: The Past (Love at Last)

by Chelle Bliss

  Her hand connected with my face as my neck snapped to the side. I licked my lips tasting iron from the blood that was trickling out of a small cut the slap had caused. I would never, no matter what, ever hit a woman. If anyone in the world ever deserved it, she did. I grabbed the remaining pitcher of beer at my side and dumped it over her head. She began to scream, “I can’t believe you. You’re a mother fucking dick.” The beer was dripping off the tips of her hair and her tank top was drenched.

  “What the fuck?” Echoed from across the bar, and I knew the two guys that were all up in my shit were about to be in my face. A hand wrapped around Bridget’s waist and moved her out of my sight.

  “Come on, fucker,” I said ready for a fight. I needed to beat the shit out of someone and who better than a guy she’s probably already fucked in my absence. His fist connected with my face; I allowed it to. I wanted to feel the pain. He moved to hit me again, but I ducked and slid off the bar stool.

  My fists flew in rapid succession, smashing the guy in the face and ribs. He landed a few more punches before I knocked his ass out. He lay on the floor at my feet before I was able to look around. The entire bar had erupted into a fight. People were punching each other all over the room, and the girls were ducking under tables and heading for the doors.

  I knew my body would be sore, and I’d feel every simple movement tomorrow. Every stab of pain would be worth pouring that pitcher of beer over her head. How dare that whore blame me for literally fucking up our happy ending; she was the one with her legs spread – not me.

  My life was like an inescapable black hole. I worked hard and played harder, needing to lose myself in booze, women, and drugs. I wanted to dull the pain, escape reality, and just forget everything. The problem with my method is that it’s only a momentary Band-Aid for the scar that stays with you a lifetime or eventually bites you in the ass.

  Don’t Shit Where You Eat or Fuck Where You Work ~ Jessica

  Seeing Bridget only made things worse, drove me farther down the tunnel of despair and deeper into my addictions. I went from booze to smoking weed almost regularly. The mixture was the only thing that allowed me any rest; without it, I laid in bed almost in a catatonic state. I used cocaine to help me get through the day, giving me the buzz and energy I needed.

  All I wanted to do was to take a couple of weeks off work and drown myself in liquor and drugs, but I couldn’t. We were opening a new store, and everything had to be set up for the grand opening. I’d climbed the proverbial ladder of the retail world and made it to assistant store manager. Jessica, the manager, and I had the sole responsibility to make sure everything was perfect and ran smoothly for the big reveal. It was a prime spot on a busy street, and everyone was chomping at the bit for it to open. They all saw dollar signs with the potential for increased sales and a larger customer base.

  We had less than twelve hours until the doors opened to the general public. Jessica and I were the only ones left in the store; we had a bigger stake in the success or failure of this store. Everyone else worked their eight hour shift before walking out the door and leaving us behind.

  “I’ll be right back, Jess.” I needed another bump of coke, something to get me through the countless hours of prep ahead of us. I snorted a small amount, not wanting the effects to be too noticeable to Jessica. I looked at myself in the mirror and the person staring back was almost unrecognizable. I rested my hands on the sink and gave the soft white powder time to work its way through my system and fill every ounce of my being.

  “What do you want to work on next?” I asked as I walked back into the main showroom.

  Jessica was bent over with her ass in the air stocking a shelf with cellular accessories. I never really paid much attention to her sexually, but in this moment, it was the only thing I could think about. She was my boss, and I never crossed that line, but for once, I didn’t give a fuck. Maybe it was the coke in my system or my ‘who gives a fuck’ attitude, but I wanted her. She didn’t move to stand up when I asked her the question but continued stocking. I stood there and stared at her ass without shame or remorse.

  “What are you doing?” Jessica must have noticed I wasn’t moving.

  “Just looking at something.”

  “Grab that box and move your ass, Kayden.”

  “Bossy much?” I liked her sassy mouth.

  “I just want to get out of here, Kayden. We’ve been here all day, and tomorrow isn’t going to be any easier.” She stood up and turned around catching me staring at her. “Do I have something on me? What are you looking at?”

  “There’s nothing on you, Jess.” I grabbed the box off the counter and moved it to an empty shelf for her to unpack. “I’ll move all the boxes where they need to go, and we can cruise through the rest.”

  “Doing anything is better than staring at my ass,” she laughed.

  Jessica’s a smart girl; you don’t make it to the top without brains. She knew exactly what she was doing – she wanted me to look. She was stooped down like she normally would be, but her ass was pointing upwards instead of down towards the floor. She had put it on display for me wanting me to notice her sexually.

  “I have a couple things that are better than just staring.” The statement crossed the line of employee/boss relationship, but I think Jessica liked the flirtation. She didn’t say a word back to me.

  I moved all the boxes around the store; there were only a couple left. We finished quicker than we both expected. I turned off all the lights in the store as Jessica waited for me in the backroom to walk out. I didn’t want her to leave alone; the back was dark and not entirely safe. The lighting was dim, only a security light illuminating the room as I walked in. Jessica made the first move and kissed me. I put her on the counter and held her legs in a V, wide open for me to take her. We had sex that night and only that night.

  Our working relationship felt strained after that night. I never asked her out or had sex with her again. I felt shitty afterwards, not because we had sex, but because I had to see her every day, and I think she wanted more. I tried to act as normal as possible around Jessica. I went on with my life as normal. I flirted with the customers, got some numbers, and went on some ‘dates’. I did my job and tried to nicely decline any offers that Jessica threw my way, but none of it mattered in the end.

  My cock mixed with the cocaine would be my ultimate downfall. Jealousy reared its ugly head, and its name was Jessica.

  I still remember it clear to this day. It was a Friday, two months after opening day, and I was about to beat my monthly sales goal for the third straight month. “Kayden, you have a phone call. Please take it in my office.”

  “I’m with a customer, can it wait?” I asked.

  “No, I’ll help them while you take the call.” She had a smile on her face. I’ve never been called away from a customer for a simple phone call.

  “Excuse me Ma’am; Jessica will help you for a few minutes. I’ll be right back with you.” I walked away, leaving Jess to make my sale. The feel of the entire situation put me in a shitty mood.

  “Hello, Kayden Michaels.” I kicked back in her comfy oversized office chair.

  “Mr. Michaels, a grievance has been filed against you relating to sexual harassment, and we’ve decided to terminate you.” My stomach dropped and I instantly felt ill. There was only one person who would file said grievance.

  “Excuse me?” I needed a moment to gather my thoughts. Angry isn’t even a great descriptor for what I felt in this moment. I wanted to break shit.

  “We cannot have employees sexually harassing customers and other employees. It may turn into a legal matter. You’ll be paid for your time worked, but as of this moment, you are no longer an employee.”

  “I’ve been the top salesman in this office more times this year than anyone else, and you’re just going to fire me without my side of the story? Who filed the complaint?” I slammed my fist on the desk.

  “Top salesman or not, we cannot open the company up for a
lawsuit, Mr. Michaels.”

  I argued for a few more minutes before hanging up the phone. I sat there a moment and tried to gather my thoughts. There is only one person who would file the grievance against me with the district office, Jessica. I rubbed my temples trying to calm my anger. She fucked with my livelihood and my career. I wanted to be a manager someday and sticking my dick in her fucked it all up. She wasn’t going to get off without a word or two from me.

  I walked into the showroom and ignored everyone else. Jessica had finished with my customer and didn’t close the deal. She stood at the desk pretending to be busy, but I could see her watching me out of the corner of her eye.

  “You fucking reported me?” I wanted her to confess, I needed it.

  She looked at me with a shitty ass smirk on her face. “I did.”

  “They fired me. What the fuck is wrong with you? What did I ever do to you?” I asked trying to keep my voice down to not cause a scene, although I almost didn’t care. They couldn’t fire me again.

  “You used me, Kayden. You had sex with me and then ignored me.”

  “Jessica, YOU came on to me not the other way around. I never sexually harassed you.” I moved closer and put my lips against her ear, “Maybe I fucked you too good. Did you enjoy my cock a little too much?”

  Her head moved away quickly; the words hit a little too close to home. “Fuck you, Kayden. You’re a dick. You used me.”

  “You never asked to be my girlfriend. I thought it was a plain and simple moment of passion; guess you’re just a conniving bitch.” There wasn’t more to say.

  I didn’t have any other skills. My job filled my days and kept me from drinking too much, but now I had nothing, no reason to hold back.

  I went to the bar with my friends that night. The city would be a flurry of activity, and I needed to lose myself in the excitement. I was picked up by one of the guys since I was already shitfaced from my afternoon binge. I can’t recall which bars we wandered in and out of through the haze of people.

  A giant party bus filled with women caught my attention as we walked down the sidewalk looking for our next destination.

  “Gentleman, I think we’ve hit the mother load,” I said. “It’s a bachelorette party.” I knocked at the door and waited. All the giggling and chattering stopped; the doors opened, and I was greeted by a beautiful brunette with a short dress and fuck me pumps. “Ladies, are we celebrating?”

  “Hell yes we are. Natasha is getting married tomorrow,” said the girl in the little red number. Her words were slurred, and she swayed on those mile high heels.

  “Feel like a little male company?” I asked with an eyebrow raised and a grin on my face.

  “It’s up to the girls. Ladies, what do you say? Look out the windows… do we want to invite the gentlemen in?”

  Female faces filled the windows and eyed us, checking us out like a potential meal or victim. “Come on in, boys.”

  We had a couple drinks on the bus and talked with the girls. Everyone paid attention to a different girl and shared the love. I paid strict attention to the bride. I wasn’t looking for love but a night of fun. “Are you sure you want to get married, beautiful?”

  “I do; he’s a nice guy.” Those words are the kiss of death. It was code for boring ass mother fucker, but he’s kind and makes good money.

  “We’re here,” yelled a girl from the front trying be heard over the chatter and music.

  “Want to dance with someone the polar opposite of your husband-to-be?” I held out my hand, and she stared at it for a long moment.

  “Let’s go, hot stuff.” Maybe she wasn’t as committed as she let on.

  We entered the crowded dance club filled with smoke and music so loud it made your chest throb with the beat. I took the bride on the dance floor and grinded against her. I fucked her through her pretty little dress with her veil on. She blushed but pushed her body against mine. We stared into each other eyes, and I saw the spark. My cock grew hard from the friction of her body against mine and the look in her eyes. It was sensual, and no nudity was involved. I would’ve never fucked her. I was on the shit end of that stick before and wouldn’t wish it on another soul.

  The moment was ruined by an asshole who bumped into me causing her to fall to the floor. “What the fuck is wrong with you, dickhead?” I yelled at the bastard as I helped her off the floor.

  “Fuck off, dude.” He started to walk away. Fuck me? No apologies to the lady he knocked over. I needed someone to take my anger from the day out on, and this guy fit the bill. I grabbed his shoulder before he was able to take another step.

  “Fuck off? Apologize to the lady. NOW.”

  He looked at my hand with a look of disgust. He grabbed my hand, and I used that moment to punch him in the face. It was a sucker shot, but I didn’t give a shit. I landed a couple shots, having the advantage of surprise. The fists flew between the two of us, and the rest of the world drifted away. Tables moved, and chairs fell as we made our way out of the club and continued to fight on the sidewalk.

  The sound of sirens didn’t mean anything good, but I kept my attention focused on the cock sucker I’d been pounding my fist into for the last few minutes. Hands grabbed my arms and pulled us apart. My face smashed against a metal fence as a man tried to restrain me, but I fought back. My anger had blinded me, and all I could think about was taking my feelings about being fired out on this guy who just bumped into me.

  “Stop struggling,” the guy said as he held my hands behind my back and slammed my face into the chain link again. My mind didn’t communicate with the rest of my body as I continued to struggle. My face met the concrete in the most unfriendly way as a knee pushed into my back, and my arms were being pulled away from my body. My face throbbed, my arms burned, and my mind was a jumbled mess.

  “You’re under arrest, anything you say or do...” He read me my rights. I had steered clear of the police since I was a teenager but not tonight. The officer pulled me up using my hands as a motivator.

  I sat in the back of the car as they ran my name through their database on the ride to the police station. I tried to think of a way to get out of this. I didn’t need to add jail to my list of troubles. “Guys, come on. We can work something out. Maybe we can stop by the ATM on the way.”

  “Are you trying to bribe us, son?” The man didn’t even bother to turn around and face me.

  I leaned forward trying to plead my case. “Sir, please, I just lost my job. I can’t sit in jail. I’ll give you anything you want.”

  I received no response. My ass would be spending the night in jail, and I couldn’t do anything to change it. I was booked, fingerprinted, photographed, and given a new set of clothes to wear. It would be a long night as I lay on the hard wooden bench that lined the holding cell. I closed my eyes and shut the world out.

  “Mr. Michaels,” a voice woke me from my nightmare.

  My body ached as I sat up. Every muscle and bone screamed when I tried to move. “Here.”

  “Let’s go.”

  “Where?” I asked as I stood propelling myself up with my hands holding the hard bench.

  “You’re getting out, kid,” he said.

  I walked without knowing my feet were moving. I was getting out. I hadn’t placed my one phone call, but maybe one of the guys had bailed me out. I walked through the wing door and jumped as it slammed behind me. It scared the shit out of me and even the softest sound sounded like a semi horn with my hangover.

  “The guy is from out of town and didn’t want to come back for court. He’s decided not to press charges.” The cop walked in front of me and didn’t bother to turn around. Jail is part of his everyday life, but to me, this was a nightmare I wanted to escape.

  “That’s it?” I shook my head, still not believing I was free. “I don’t have to come back?”

  “That’s it, kid. You’re lucky, try to stay out of trouble or next time you won’t have such a happy ending.”

  I’d like to say that I fo
llowed his advice, but I didn’t. The next month of my life was a downward spiral. I stayed in my house and drank myself to sleep each night. I snorted coke and washed it away with Vodka. I didn’t give a fuck about anything or anyone. I chased the next high and used the liquor to help calm my mind and sleep at night. I lost over a month of my life in my addiction; time I’ll never get back or remember.

  I was self-destructive.

  Roaring Twenties ~ Candy

  I found a job after I stopped drinking myself into oblivion – a friend from my previous job had switched companies and told his boss about me. I received a phone call without even applying and was asked to start the following week. I needed to celebrate and felt like a night out with the boys.

  We spent our weekends in the Flats, a section of Cleveland that was filled with bars and nightlife, usually ending our evenings in a strip club. I needed the cash for drinks, dates, and the G-strings of some smoking hot piece of ass dancing on the stage. Tonight, we were spending our hard earned money at Tiffany’s, a multi-level strip club in the heart of the Flats sitting on the bank of the Cuyahoga River.

  Candy would be our waitress tonight. She had waited on us before and we always flirted with each other, little touches and innuendo passed back and forth. It’d been days since I had sex, and my body craved the release. “What can I get you, gentlemen?” she asked, placing little napkins on our table and brushing her fingers against mine when she set it down in front of me. The guys rattled off drinks while she wrote them down on her notepad. “And you, sugar?” she asked tapping me on the shoulder.

  “I’ll take a Jack and Coke, doll,” I said grabbing her fingers stopping their barrage against my flesh. The game between us for months had become too much and grew old. I needed it to end tonight.

  “Coming right up, gentlemen. Be back in a jiffy.” I watched her walk away, her ass swaying from side to side, and she turned around twenty feet away to see if I was watching her. I wasn’t trying to be coy or hide what I wanted from her.