by Wilde, Rhea
I looked to the side and Zoe had zoomed right next to me. I didn’t even notice her but then remembered how quickly she made her way around the bar. As the bartender made Zoe’s drink order, she looked at me with a smile.
“You know, I think he likes you,” she said.
“What?”
“That guy over there,” she motioned to him with her head. “He’s been asking me about you. Yeah, I think he likes you.”
“M-me? What did he say?”
I thought it was just me. I didn’t actually think he would realize that I was staring at him both times he stepped into the bar. I glanced over at him for just a second to see if Zoe and I were talking about the same person and sure enough, he was sitting there by himself.
“He wants to talk to you.”
“He wants to talk to me? I mean… me?”
“Is there an echo in here? Yes, you, Ariel! Go over there and talk to him.”
“B-but I don’t have anything to say to him. What am I going to talk to him about? What does he want from me?”
“Here.”
She took the drink and shoved it into my hand so hard that some of the vodka spilled out.
“Bring this over to him,” she said. “That’s his order.”
“But you’re his waitress. You can do that.”
“What are you talking about?” Zoe said to me, chuckling at my excuse. “We’re all waitresses here. Bring his drink over to him.”
“But what does he want from me?”
“Beats me. Why don’t you just ask him? The guy won’t even tell me his name.”
“Wait a second—”
Before I could search for another reason to not have to go up to him, Zoe zipped back into the bar to take care of another table of thirsty patrons. I stood there looking at the man who had me so captivated while his drink sat in my hand.
“Just do your job,” the voice in my head told me. “Hand him the drink and hey, maybe you’ll get a big tip. Why is this such a big deal?”
I couldn’t even answer myself. I had no idea why I was so anxious but when I started walking toward him, I could feel it building in the pit of my stomach. He didn’t notice that I was approaching him, his head turned to the crowded dance floor. When I got to his table, I had to stop my hand from shaking.
“V-vodka double…” I stuttered.
He turned and looked up at me and there was a slight smile on his face. His mesmerizing blue eyes were something I was beginning to get lost in. Up close he looked just as handsome as I had pictured him.
“Thank you, Miss…”
“Ariel. Ariel Everhart.”
I shook my head and looked down at the ground in embarrassment. Why did I give him my full name? I placed the drink down on the table and when I looked back at him, there was a bigger smile on his face.
“Ms. Everhart. Okay, I guess I should pay for this now.”
“Y-you don’t have to call me that. I mean, Ariel is fine. I mean, if you want to call me… I mean, that’s my name… Well, you know what I mean…”
“It’s nice to meet you, Ariel. My name’s Vaughn.”
Vaughn. I repeated it several times in my head so I wouldn’t forget it. He handed me a stack of dollar bills and I nodded my head in thanks. The way he looked at me made me feel some giddy form of uneasiness. I gave him a crooked smile and then turned around to walk away despite wanting to sit down right there and get to know him better.
“Ariel.”
I turned around on the spot to see what else he needed.
“I know you’re busy,” he said. “But I was wondering… If you get the chance, I’d like to talk to you.”
“...Y-yeah, I can talk. We can talk. I’d like that.”
He smiled at me and picked his drink up to take a sip. I walked away from him unsure of what to think. I was already too distracted to work just from him being in the building. Knowing that he wanted me to sit down and talk to him made my focus even worse. With more patrons beginning to pile into the bar this Friday night, I knew that it was unlikely that I was ever going to get the chance to speak to him.
As the night wore on, I would make my way over to Vaughn to check in on him. But he didn’t need anything. It was too busy for me to sit down and talk to him and it looked like he hadn’t taken more than just a sip from his drink. I figured the crowded bar would save me from making a fool of myself anyway. I didn’t have anything to say to him. Nothing popped into my head.
But after last call was announced, the bar started to empty as the patrons all drunkenly stumbled out. We all started clearing the table of all of the glasses and mopped the floor from all of the spilled alcohol. The band was still playing as if to try and motivate everybody to leave even faster. And there was Vaughn, still sitting at the table by himself, as patient as ever. It didn’t matter if I wanted to talk to him or not. It looked like I didn’t have much of a choice.
As I wiped down the bar, Zoe walked up next to me and she had a devilish smile on her face.
“So… did you talk to him?” she asked me.
“Talk to who?” I said, pretending to be oblivious as to what she meant.
“You know who, Ariel. The blonde hunk in the corner. What did he say to you?”
“He just said that… he wants to talk to me when it’s not busy.”
“It’s not busy. So go talk to him.”
“I have to finish cleaning the counter.”
“Here,” she said as she grabbed the rag from me. “I’ll clean it. Go talk to him.”
I sighed as I no longer had an excuse to avoid him. I looked over at him and he was staring at me. The way he did made me feel like he was calling out to me. He was beckoning for me to come over to him even though my anxiety was doing its best to keep me away from him. Half-reluctant, I walked over to his table and looked down at the seemingly still full glass of vodka.
“Did-did you want another drink? It’s last call.”
He shook his head at me then stuck his hand out, offering me a seat. I sat just across from him, unsure of what to do next. I nervously brushed my hair back behind my ears and looked across at him, unable to return his stare.
“You didn’t finish your drink,” I said to him. “You know it’s cheaper if you just get a single if you’re not going to drink that much.”
“Yeah, I thought I’d be able to finish it tonight. But I guess I was wrong. Lesson learned. That’s what happens when you don’t drink alcohol.”
“You don’t drink alcohol?”
“I’m trying to. This is the first time I’ve ever tasted it.”
“Last night… Didn’t you come here last night to drink?”
“I did. But I didn’t drink. I guess I was a little too worried.”
“Worried? What are you worried about?”
“I don’t want to get drunk.”
“It’ll take more than that to get someone like you drunk.”
He wasn’t like anything I thought he would be. Hearing his story about how he didn’t drink seemed unbelievable but he looked at me like he was being sincere.
“Why does a man come to a bar by himself if he doesn’t drink? You are here by yourself, right? I mean, you’re not waiting for someone.”
“I am waiting for someone.”
“Oh…”
“You.”
“What?”
“I’m waiting for you, Ariel.”
“W-what?” I said as I shook in my head in confusion. “You were waiting for me? What do you mean?”
“I just wanted to talk to you. That’s all. And that’s why I’m here.”
“You came here for me? How did you know I was here? Did someone in my family put you up to this? Who are you working for?”
“I’m not here for anybody else, Ariel. I’m here for myself. I guess you could say I found you by… random chance.”
He was getting stranger by the minute. I was even more confused than before. For some guy to just randomly come into the bar just to speak t
o me seemed unbelievable. Now I wasn’t sure if I wanted to give him any more of my time.
“Listen,” I said. “I appreciate the time but it’s getting late and I have to help them close up the bar.”
“I understand.”
I got up out of my seat to try and return to work but Vaughn stopped me for another second.
“Ariel.”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable… I’d just… really like to get to know you better. Maybe some other time…”
“...Yeah.”
I didn’t know what to think of him. I was conflicted. All I knew was his name and even though he just told me he wanted to get to know me better, I wasn’t sure I was okay with it. He was handsome and I was attracted to him. There was something intriguing about him that I couldn’t deny and May’s talk about me just needing to sleep with someone to clear my mind suddenly entered my thoughts. But Vaughn was still a mystery to me.
I helped the rest of the girls clean up the rest of the bar. As I did, Vaughn finally got up to leave. He was the last customer. After he left, Zoe turned to me with a curious look in her eyes.
“So? What do you think of him?” she asked me.
I thought about it for a few seconds before realizing I now had more questions than answers.
“I don’t know, Zoe. I don’t know.”
Chapter 4
I couldn’t get home soon enough. I was exhausted from working so hard. I didn’t get any answers from the mysterious Vaughn. And now that the gritty city streets were staring back at me, I remembered everything about the encounter with the thugs May dealt with last night.
I stood outside of the bar and waited for her so that she could walk me back home again. She eventually stumbled out of the bar with her boyfriend, Chris. The two of them sloppily made-out like they were drunk even though I knew at least one of them wasn’t.
“Can we go now?” I asked her. “It’s late and I’m already getting cold.”
The two of them continued going at one another like they hadn’t heard me. I tried interrupting them again to no avail. After what seemed like an eternity, Chris pulled his face away from her. The look in his eyes told me that I was watching the prelude to one of the erotic fantasies May had told me about.
“I don’t want to wait, baby,” he muttered to her. “Let’s just go back to my place and do it.”
“Alright,” May agreed with him.
“Wait a second,” I interrupted her. “Chris lives down the other block. I thought you were going home with me.”
May stared at me with a look of resignation in her eyes. When she did, Chris dipped back into her and started kissing her neck. The resignation disappeared as her eyes fluttered closed. She wasn’t putting up much of a fight and her desire was quickly overriding the need for my own peace of mind.
“You’ll be fine,” she said to me. “You don’t really need me to walk me home now, do you?”
“May, don’t you remember what happened last night? What if I run into those thugs again?”
Chris didn’t relent as he wrapped his arms around his girlfriend. May, still enjoying the pleasure from her boyfriend’s lips on her body, reached into her bag. She tossed the small switchblade to me and I whipped my hands up to catch it.
“I already taught them a lesson,” May said, half-groaning. “If they get out of line, remind them. Don’t worry. They won’t try anything.”
Before I could protest to May’s suggestion that I take matters into my own hands, the passion had already consumed both her and her boyfriend. Their lips were too entangled to give me a response even if I asked them. I watched them walk down the side of the street. All of the other employees had gone home for the night and I suddenly found myself standing in front of the bar by myself, completely alone.
I took a deep breath and sighed as May disappeared into the distance. Reluctantly, I made my way home through the dark city slums. I tried not to think about anything that could possibly go wrong but it was no use. My paranoia was getting the best of me. The rampant news of murders was still fresh in my head. The city was dark with who knows what lurking behind every corner. Even just a few more working streetlights would have put me at ease. But somebody decided that my boring walk home needed to be more exciting than it needed to be.
I gripped the switchblade tight in my hand so tight that the warmth started to make my palm sweat. I could feel my heart racing even though there was nothing out of the ordinary. The streets were empty and every building was closed but that didn’t matter. It felt like something sinister was waiting for me. I was beginning to fear the city itself.
Crash. The sound of metal banging down one alley made me jump back. I peered down the alley and saw a small cat rummaging through a trash can. My mind was playing tricks on me and I would have screamed if the tension in my muscles had allowed me to. I resumed my walk, increasing my pace. I was hoping and praying that I would just make it home without having to deal with anything. Just for tonight. A single night. That was all I was asking.
It seemed reasonable to me but I should have known better. This city was beyond reason.
A man stumbled from around the corner, with my apartment just in front of me. His jeans were tattered, his shirt the same. You could say the same about his brown hair or the growing beard on his face. He was a part of this city just as much as it was a part of him.
I made my way across the street to avoid him even though walking around would make it longer to get home. When I stepped foot on the other sidewalk, I found myself staring down the darkness I was trying to escape. The shadowy figures in the alley started to lurch forward and before I could make my escape, their pace suddenly quickened and blocked my path.
“What’s the rush, baby? Why don’t you stay a little while?”
I looked up at the slum dweller standing in front of me. He looked ordinary. He was wearing a pair of jeans and had a jacket over his shirt. His hair was slicked back and it looked like he had just shaven. But none of the matter. His eyes were enough. It was a look that told me his intentions were devious, regardless of anything he might do or say to deceive me.
I swallowed nervously as I stood there, the switchblade tucked underneath my armpit as I wrapped my arms around myself. Three of his friends started to walk behind me, surrounding any other exit I might be looking for what.
“You the quiet type, baby?” he said, a smile forming at the corner of his lip. “It’s okay. I like shy girls. They’re really pretty.”
He placed his hand up slowly against my cheek, brushing a few strands of hair that were dangling. Instinctively, I jerked my head back and whipped my arm out. I pointed the blade at his neck as he put his hands up.
“Whoa! Easy there, girl. You don’t want to do that now.”
“I just want to go home,” I pleaded with him. “Just leave me alone.”
I had no idea what I was doing and I couldn’t hide it. My hand was shaking. My palm was sweating to the point that the handle was beginning to slip out. I didn’t want to be in this position and I wondered if I even had the nerve to do what needed to be done. I turned around to look at his friends to make sure they didn’t try anything either.
“Gotcha!”
A split-second was all he needed. He grabbed my wrist and twisted it, the blade falling down onto the ground. I yelped in pain from the sudden movement. He pulled me in closer to me as I continued to groan.
“Stupid bitch!” he said as he got into my face. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
“Please,” I begged him, only now beginning to fear the worst. “I just want to go home.”
“You don’t want to go home, girl. It’s still early. You can stay and play a little while with my friends.”
He leaned in close to me and inhaled along my neck. I closed my eyes tightly and shuddered from the feeling of his face so close to mine. I could feel all of them chuckling and smiling at me as I stood there helpless in his grip.
“You like to play rough, bitch? Good. So do I.”
I screamed as he dragged me into the alley with one of his arms. I stumbled into the darkness and felt the presence of the men behind me as he shoved me up against the wall. It was so dark that the exit was barely visible. I just had to make it out to the side to escape. I tried running but ran into the shadowy figure of one of the men.
“You’re not going anywhere, bitch.”
I couldn’t even decipher who was who. I could just hear them standing around me, breathing so hard. One of them grabbed me and turned me around, pinning me up against the wall. My face pressed up against the cold bricks of the building and they pushed my hands up to join it. I struggled but it was pointless.
I felt a hand brush between my thighs and a shiver shot through my spine. I started sobbing louder and louder as the hand worked its way up my legs, regretting that I had worn a skirt tonight. When it reached my entrance, it started to rub me through my panties.
“I’d suggest you get a little wet. Make it easier on yourself. Because I’ve got a big cock and it’s going in all the way whether you like it or not.”
“P-please… P-please don’t… I don’t—”
“I like it when bitches beg and plead. It’s always a lot more fun when there’s a struggle. It makes me fuck them even harder.”
He gripped my panties and in one violent motion, ripped them from me. The sound of the fabric tearing as it pulled against my skin sent a stream of tears flooding from my eyes. While my arms were pinned against the wall, I felt two sets of hands grab my legs and spread them. I tried to resist but nothing had changed. It was still just as pointless as it was the first time.
He raised my skirt up over my now bare ass. I could feel the night breeze blowing against my skin, my pussy completely exposed to him. Knowing how dark it was that he couldn’t see anything did nothing to appease me. The darkness of the alley made it so that I would have to focus on the feeling of what he was about to do to me.
Is this what it felt like? Is this what it was like to be raped? The feeling of being completely violated made me feel even more queasy as I felt his thick cock pressing up against my ass. The firmness of it let me know that he had every intention on following through with his punishment of me.
