Between a Rock and a Hard Place

by Bohannon, Hipsy

  The gallery’s cool and sophisticated vibe already had her feeling a bit high. Everyone was talking and sharing, collectively appreciating the art that was surrounding them. The people here, all looked interesting, edgy, and sharp. The kind of people, you just assume, have stupid cool lives, where they’re always doing something crazy interesting. Things Penny didn’t ever stand a chance in hell of ever doing herself. That didn’t stop her from wanting to be part of their world though, at least for one night anyway. Too bad she had an anchor holding her back, one named Sal.

  "I don’t get it." He announced, breaking the artsy spell that Penny was under as he came up to stand behind her.

  "It's art, you don’t have to get it. It's more about the way it makes you feel." Penny mused in an annoyed tone, before taking one of the shots out of his hand and slamming it to her lips. If she was going to have any chance of ignoring Sal, enough to enjoy this night, she was gonna have to be a hell of a lot drunker than she already was.

  "Well then, it makes me feel… aroused, how about you?"

  Sal leaned in to purr the words into her ear, making Penny jerk her head to the side, trying to get some distance between her and his rancid breath. For real, it was like something had crawled into the man's mouth, and then up and died.

  "Weird, it makes me feel… violent." Penny challenged, giving him a hard look.

  "Oh, even better," Sal announced with a dirty grin, never missing a beat.

  Penny let out an exasperated breath as she turned on her heels, continuing to make her way around the room. Her eyes slowly scanned her surroundings and the people in it. Taking in all the unique faces until they finally landed on one. One that she couldn’t bring herself to look away from.

  He was standing across the room from her, casually leaned against a wall, off in the corner. He was laughing deep in his chest, surrounded by people who all looked entertained by whatever it was he was saying. He didn't really look dressed for the event. While everyone, besides Sal, was dressed to the nines, this man, stood in a simple black button down, a pair of worn jeans and a black trucker cap sitting atop his messy, collar length, dark brown locks.

  Penny watched as he sipped from a little plastic cup in his hand. He had that bad boy, rebel without a cause look to him, or at least, it appeared that that’s the look he was shooting for. He looked a bit dangerous, but not in the ‘Cole’ kind of way. More in the way that she couldn’t tell if his clothes and style were because he was one of those true blue, underground, artsy types, who just didn’t give a fuck, about his appearance or if he was an uninvited hoodlum off the street, who had just snuck in for the tasty food and free booze. If he was a hoodlum, he was the sexiest hoodlum she had ever seen, that was for damn sure.

  Penny couldn’t take her eyes off him. There was something very captivating with the way he wore his body. He wasn’t like Cole, cocky in his stance; he was more just relaxed in stature. He was toned like her ex, Penny could see that by the way his button down clung to his body but his muscles didn’t seem built in a gym like Coles were, no, his seemed as if he had just woken up one day and there they were, like he wasn’t even aware that they were there, clinging to him, in the sexy way that they were.

  Then, just like in a cheesy movie, his eyes darted up, locking right on hers. Instantly, a wave of heat passed through Penny’s body as she took in his stormy blues. They were absolutely stunning, downright captivating even. After a moment, she started to wonder why he hadn’t looked away yet, but then she finally realized, neither had she. That fact, had Penny’s cheeks feeling heated as she forced her gaze back to the picture that hung on the wall next to her. It was of a naked woman, her nipples covered in electrical tape that had been fashioned into an x pattern over her buds. She was sitting at a picnic table with a stack of pancakes, twenty high, in front of her on a plate. She had a fork and knife gripped in her fists, and a wolf mask covering her face. It was an odd shot, but somehow, it worked. It definitely left you asking questions. Who was she, why was she naked, and what the hell was up with that mask? Also, where did the pancakes fit in?

  Penny, pretended to ponder on all of this and more, until she was sure that enough time had passed to allow her to sneak another peek at the stranger, without making her seem like a complete creeper in the process. Turning back his way, she was stunned to find that he was still staring in her direction. Looking at him now, she scratched the comparison to James Dean and decided he was more Johnny Depp circa Cry Baby. It was an old reference, but then again, she hadn’t seen a new movie, in years. Either way, there was something very intriguing about the stranger, something that had you wanting to give him a hug or fuck the living shit out of him. Penny couldn’t decide which, both options, seemed pretty damn enticing.

  The tequila, had her sending a little smirk his way and probably was to blame for the school girl giggle that she had to stifle, when his hand rose, giving her a little wave as he mouthed ‘hi’. She could feel the blush on her cheeks as her smile widened, her hand coming up to send him a finger wave, and a whispered ‘hi’ back in his direction. The entire interaction had her feeling like she was in high school, again. It was harmless really, but exciting as well. She hadn’t flirted with anyone in years, well, besides Cole, every now and again. And, of course, with the men who came into the club, but that wasn’t real. That kind of flirting was bought and paid for. She was giving it up completely free to the adorable man across the way.

  His smile was killing her, all little boy bashful. But his eyes, were telling her a different story and it was a sultry one. She was enchanted by the tale his blues were trying to tell. That was until, Sal's fat head came to block her view. He stepped right in the way of her eye fucking the elusive man with the greasy looking hair. He looked a little dirty, but in a good way. Like a dingy rock star or back road hitchhiker. Penny knew that she would damn sure stop to pick him up if she saw him thumbing it. Serial killer or not.

  "So, how about another drink?"

  Sal’s annoying voice sounded off, interrupted the filthy daydreams she had playing out in her head. One, involved a tour bus, while the other, had her spread eagle in the back seat of a 1970’s muscle car. Jesus, this tequila, really was some good shit. Maybe Cole was right, she really did appear to be getting pretty loosey-goosey off it. Or, maybe it was from the way the stranger across the room continued to stare at her. Really, it could be either, but more likely, it was a little bit of both.

  "Fuck yes, give me that!" She ordered, forcing her eyes to dart back to the annoyance that was standing before her.

  She snatched the shot glass from him, slamming it before shoving it back in his hand. He didn't seem to take note of her aggravation as she stood on her tiptoes, looking over his shoulder, trying her damndest to catch sight of the dark haired stranger once again, but he was nowhere to be seen.

  “Damn it,” she cursed under her breath as she pushed her way past Sal. And wouldn’t you know it, the little groper grabbed her ass on the way by, earning him a nasty look before she went back on her mission of locating her across-the-room lover.

  Making her way around the gallery, Penny kept an eye out for the captivating stranger. That in itself was pretty exciting. Like a cat and mouse game. Only he didn’t know he was the mouse. At least she hoped he was the mouse, anyway. After all her years with Cole, Penny was sick of playing that role. She liked the idea of being the cat, stalking her prey. It was all just for fun, of course. Nothing would come of it, but it was entertaining, just the same.

  It was rare for any man to catch Penny’s eye. Sure, she dated here and there but it was more out of boredom than any real interest in the man she was seeing. She never went out of her way to go after any man. Most, seemed more trouble than they were worth. Besides, even when she did meet someone that she didn't completely hate or find repulsive, Cole, would always find a way to fuck it all up.

  He would never admit to it but Penny knew for a fact that he had chased off more than a few of her suitors. She had no
idea, how he always seemed to know every sordid detail about her dating life, but he did. She guessed that most of Cole’s inside information came from his little spy, T.J.. The sneaky little bastards were in cahoots to make sure that she never got laid. Correction, never got laid by anyone besides Cole, that is.

  "So, Ace tells me you're in the market for a new mattress," Sal said, scooting his stool closer to hers.

  They had made their way around the room and landed right back where they had started. Penny had her back to the bar, elbows resting on it, her legs set crossed out in front of her as she continued to search out the mysterious stranger from before.

  "Yeah… a mattress," She mumbled, not even bothering to look Sal’s way.

  The shots were really starting to hit her now and she was finding it harder and harder to pay attention to the idiot sitting beside her. In her defense, she was never a big drinker. A glass of wine every now and again was her norm. The only times that she hit the harder stuff was with Cole. Every other blue moon, he would talk her into celebrating something or another with a bottle of the hard stuff. Most of those, ‘celebrations’, ended with her being buck ass naked and fucked ragged.

  "Well, maybe we could go back to your place... ya know, so you can show me the mattress you’re working with now. That way I can get a good feel… for your mattress needs, that is.” Sal offered, with a dirty smirk, waving another shot in front of Penny’s face. She snagged the shot but gave him a nasty look in return. It had him switching routs, tossing out alternatives, still trying his damnedest to make it inside her panties before the night was through. "Or, we could go back to my place, you could try out mine, take it for a spin. It's top of the line, baby! Once you get on it, you won't ever wanna get off."

  “Trust me, I have no doubt that I wouldn’t be getting off on anything, at your place.” Penny sniped. Apparently, tequila also turned her into a mouthy little bitch, as well.

  Sal didn’t seem to notice though, as his overly sweaty palm landed on her bare thigh, working its way slowly up as he gave her what she guessed, was supposed to be a seducing smile.

  "So, what do ya say?" He questioned, just as Penny halted his hand from moving any further up her thigh.

  She had tried to be nice, tried to brush him off with a cold shoulder, hoping he would take the hint, but he obviously, wasn’t getting it.

  "Listen, I don’t know what kind of girl Ace told you I…,"

  Sal stopped her mid-word by pressing his smelly finger up to her lips.

  "Listen sweetheart, you're a stripper. I think we both know what kind of girl that makes you.”

  The offended look Penny gave him, had Sal putting his hands up in mock surrender. Still, though, he went on, digging his scummy hole deeper and deeper.

  “I'm not judging ya toots, I’m just sayin’, let's cut all the bullshit and get down to the real nitty-gritty. You need a new mattress, I need a little company tonight, so let’s make this thing happen."

  Penny's mouth dropped open in utter disgust, her eyes jerking away from Sal as her brows furrowed. She couldn’t believe the balls on this asshat. She couldn’t believe he really thought he had it like that. He sold mattresses, not diamonds, and even then, she wouldn’t be game. What she needed, was to get the hell out of here and fast. Her eyes darted around the room, looking for her escape. And, just like that, there it was or should she say, there he was. Penny’s eyes locked on the sexy stranger from earlier. He was bellied up to the other end of the bar. His eyes on hers, once again. His mischievous blues giving her an idea.

  "Oh shit, that's my ex-boyfriend!" Penny hissed, in her best panicked sounding tone.

  "Where?" Sal jerked in his skin, looking around for the shirtless man he had encountered, earlier in the evening at her apartment. He just kind of assumed.

  "Right over there, at the end of the bar!" She exclaimed, trying to force her features to look upset.

  "The long hair? So?" Sal said, taking in the man who was looking their way, a puzzled crease in his brow.

  "So,…” Penny bit her lip, trying to remember where she was going with all this. She was a shitty liar, always had been. She wasn’t like Cole, she couldn’t just make shit up and have the world believing that it was all truths. She eyed Sal for a fraction of a second, trying to figure out what might make him leave her alone, once and for all. Then it hit her. “He's fucking crazy, like loco! He almost killed the last guy I went out with!”

  “How?” Sal questioned, looking from Penny to the long hair at the end of the bar and back again.

  “What do you mean?”

  “How did he almost kill the last guy?”

  “Um…, he threw a bowling ball at his head!”

  Penny cursed herself at the stupid reply.

  “Someone took you on a date to a bowling alley?” Sal questioned, wishing he would have thought of that years ago; he loved bowling.

  “That’s not the point, the point is, he never got over me. And, he’s been known to carry weapons. Big ones!”

  “Like bowling balls, because if that’s the case, I don’t think we have anything to worry about, I mean, look where we are.” Sal laughed, jerking his head over to the pictures that hung on the wall.

  The chubby bastard just really wouldn’t take the hint. Penny had underestimated his drive when it came to hooking up with a woman who had absolutely, no interest in him. She had to up her game. Sure, she could just tell him to go fuck himself and walk out the door, but damn it, she didn’t wanna leave, not with that sexy son of a bitch down the bar, eyeing her the way that he was. It was go big and ditch Sal or go home, and she really had no interest in the latter. Nothing was waiting for her at there, besides Cole, ready to tell her I told you so.

  “Oh shit, ya know, I should probably go over there. If I don’t, he’s just gonna make a huge scene, trust me, I’ve seen it before. He’s not scared of going back to prison. You should just save yourself and slip out the back. There's no telling what he might do!" She quickly warned, before shoving Sal’s hand off her thigh.

  She didn’t give him a chance to respond as she quickly pushed off her bar stool and headed as fast as she could to the other end of the bar. Half way there, she turned back to Sal, waving him away like his life depended on it. He just gave her a confused look in return, not making a move to leave out. His continued refusal had Penny letting out a little growl as she pushed herself in beside the alluring stranger.

  "Okay, so this is gonna sound so fucking weird but..," She whispered fast as she looked up at the handsome man who was now looking down at her. An odd little smile set on his perfectly shaped lips. Jerking her eyes away, she panicked as she stole a glance down to the other end of the bar. Sal had left his stool and was headed straight toward them. "I may have just told that cree-po, coming this way, that you're my psycho ex-boyfriend. I was hoping it would make him go away, but it didn’t, and now, he’s on his way over here, and I have no freaking clue what to do. I’m so sorry for getting you involved in this. Whatever the hell this is!" She rambled out, pleading with her hazels as she looked up at the sexy stranger. She felt like such an idiot now that she was standing before him. She wasn't sure why in the hell she had thought that this was a good idea. She should have just grown a set and smacked Sal across the face then walked out, but she was in way too deep for that now. Her only hope was that the man standing before her would take pity on her. It was a long shot, hell, she probably sounded like a nut job. She would count herself lucky if he didn't end up calling security and having her removed.

  "Hey, what's going on here?" Sal interrupted, grabbing a hold of Penny’s arm.

  "What's going on here motherfucker, is that you’re gonna take your hand from my girl, before I smash your face into the bar!"

  Penny's eyes went wide as she turned her head to see the stranger standing directly behind her, glaring over her shoulder at Sal like a vicious attack dog, just waiting to be let off his leash. If looks could kill, Sal would already be six feet under that was for
damn sure.

  "Look asshole, I don’t know what happened between you two but it's obviously over now. How about you just leave her alone so we can get out of here. This place sucks anyway, these pictures are all shit, and if I see one more hipster, I’m gonna puke. Come on doll, let’s get out of here.”

  Penny was shocked to see Sal standing up for himself but then she remembered that he had been knocking back drinks for the majority of the night. Liquid courage had him by the balls, it appeared. Here he was, standing toe to toe with a man, who not only physically outsized him but also, as far as he knew, was a violent psychopath who liked to chuck bowling balls at people's heads.

  "I don’t think you heard me, fuckhead! You better get to steppin’ away from my girl before you end up being another murder statistic! I’ll slit your fucking throat right where you’re standing. Try me, you punk ass little bitch!” The stranger threatened, leaning in, his face just inches away from Sal’s as he pushed Penny to stand behind him.

  The look in his eyes was deadly and the tone of his voice had a shiver running down Penny's spine. She found herself thinking that she might have bit off a little more than she could chew. This guy, didn’t seem like he was pretending, he seemed legit crazy. It was just like her to pick him out of the crowd. She was like a heat seeking missile for men with deep seeded issues.

  Sal opened his mouth to say something but quickly closed it when the muscled man before him lurched forward, psyching him out like he was gonna attack.

  "Fuck this shit, you can have her, she ain’t worth it!”

  Sal retreated, throwing his hands up in defeat, before quickly turning on his loafer heels, to make a fast break for the exit.