Dark Horse

by Wilde, Rhea

  I released Fabian from my grip and continued to chuckle at him.

  “Very good, Fabian,” I sighed. “You know what that was? That was winning. Real winning. I’ve lost count of the number of men I’ve seen win a fight. But none of that compares to what you were lucky enough to do just now. Isn’t that right, Fabian?”

  “Yes.”

  I took a seat on the edge of the bed and playfully patted the place next to me for him to return. We sat next to one another as I reached over to take another sip of wine.

  “Did you enjoy yourself, Fabian?”

  He nodded his head. I looked down and I could see that the bulge was still present in his pants.

  “You’re going to get a lot more fights,” I said to him. “And I expect you to win. And when you win, I win. Everybody wins. It’s that simple. Isn’t that such a great situation?”

  I giggled as he once again complied with my wishes. I tapped him on the thigh and saw that the fire was still burning in his eyes.

  “Don’t worry,” I said to him. “I know that you’re feeling a lot of… tension. I’m not a selfish woman. I expect you to get the same amount of pleasure as I did.”

  I reached forward and unzipped his pants. He hastily lifted his ass up from the bed as I lowered his pants and boxers down his knees. His length popped-up, a bit of fluid already leaking out of the tip. He stared at me and waited for what was next and I started to giggle.

  “Stroke yourself,” I said to him.

  He hesitated for a moment, so I repeated my command.

  “Go ahead,” I encouraged him. “Grab your cock and jerk yourself. Go on. Don’t be shy.”

  He did as he was told. He wrapped his dick in his hand and started to stroke himself right next to me. I just stood there and watched him. He didn’t need much encouragement. What man would? I was sitting naked right next to him.

  “It feels good, doesn’t it? Keep going. Harder… Faster.”

  Fabian didn’t argue with me. His breaths became shorter as he started to breathe through his nose. The muscles on his body started to flex. He jerked himself while I continued to watch with enthusiasm.

  “That’s it, Fabian. That’s—Oooh!”

  A white line shot out of him suddenly. He groaned as his length started to pulse in his hand. His semen spilled out of him in short spurts, rising up into the air and then crashing back down onto him. His eyes were shut tight and he was breathing hard.

  As I looked at him, I couldn’t help but begin to laugh.

  “My, my,” I giggled. “That was quick. You must have been holding that back for a long time.”

  He nodded to me as he tried to catch his breath. He sat there with his cock still in his palm, a mess spread all over him. I looked down at the sight. Then I stood up and pointed over to the side.

  “There’s a restroom over there,” I said. “Go get yourself cleaned up.”

  Fabian quickly disappeared into the bathroom. I took another sip of champagne and leaned back in my bed. I stretched my arms out then put them behind my head. The mattress always felt comfortable against my bare skin. But nights like this were always the best. An orgasm and a pile of money. What more could a woman ask for?

  Chapter 4 - Henry

  The streets aren’t as dangerous as they seem. There are groups of thugs hanging around buildings but they’re just kids trying to look for a good time. The hookers and prostitutes mind their own business because unless it’s clear you’ve got something in your wallet. The winos and junkies ask for change but wouldn’t do anything to threaten you. They’re only looking for a temporary escape from the reality surrounding them. If that isn’t enough, the police are roaming around constantly just looking for a reason to bash someone’s face in with their nightsticks. Some of them are corrupt. Others are just doing their job. Justice is being served one way or another.

  Maybe I look like the guy nobody wants to mess with. Maybe they recognize me from living here for so long that they treat me like one of their own and stay out of my way. Or maybe I just mind my own business and don’t give them any reason to bother me. Whatever the case is, I’ve been here long enough to know how things work around here. They call it the concrete jungle for a reason. Survival of the fittest. And right now, I’m doing everything I can to keep me going for another day.

  The night air was chilly and kept everybody in their place. I walked down the sidewalk with my hands in my jeans. I looked straight ahead of me like I had blinders on. Everything going on around me didn’t matter at this point. I just had to find something I was looking for.

  Most of the stores I passed by were closed for the night or places I’d already been in. It was like walking on a carousel. Thinking my luck would change, I stepped into a late night diner at the corner.

  When I stepped inside, the man at the counter looked at me.

  “Hey.”

  “You here to eat?”

  “No… I was just… I was looking for some work. Thinking you had anything available.”

  The man stared at me for a moment then looked around at the rest of the restaurant.

  “Look around,” he said to me. “Does it look like we need any help?”

  I felt like an idiot as I stared at the nearly empty diner. There was a lone man sitting in the corner, sipping on his cup of coffee. He was dressed like he didn’t have anywhere else to go. When I saw him, I worried that I would end up here just like him. Homeless and seeking refuge in an all-night diner.

  “Listen, I don’t have to be a waiter,” I said. “I could wash dishes. Or clean-up the place. Empty the trash—”

  “Hey, pal. I got nothing for you. Even if I did hire you, I wouldn’t have the money to pay you. You can work here but you’re going to work for free. Are you all right with that?”

  “No, I guess not.”

  “Good. So either order something or get out of here.”

  The man standing behind the counter looked like he had enough to deal with today. My desperation was reaching its peak but I would have to find a new place to fall on my knees and plead. When I stepped out of the diner, I was greeted by a gust of cold wind to remind me of the reality of my situation.

  No. I can’t stop. Do this for Elsa.

  I trudged on in the cold. When I passed by a group of homeless men gathered around a barrel fire, I had to tell myself not to try and join them. There had to be somewhere that would pay for my help.

  But wherever it was, I didn’t find it. I stopped by every store, telling them that I would do anything they could. I was met with quick refusals. Shaking heads and frowns let me know that I would have to look elsewhere to find what I was looking for.

  I didn’t know how many blocks I had walked. I ended up at the corner several streets away from where I lived. I looked at the place next to me and saw the lights flashing in my face.

  Bar.

  That was it. There was no fancy name or decoration. It was a place that I wouldn’t have even noticed if I weren’t standing in front of it. As ordinary as their sign was, it managed to do the job. When you’ve got nowhere else to go, you don’t need any other reason to step inside. Alcohol was always a temporary relief from your problems.

  When I stepped inside, the place was more crowded than I expected. Not to say that the place was packed but there were actually people in here. Their bodies were somewhat lifeless as they sat at the bar. A couple danced quietly in one corner as the fuzzy sound of music came from the jukebox. A waitress sat bored at the corner of the bar as her attention was occupied by her cell phone.

  The bartender was a big man who looked like he’d seen a lot in his time. Ink was covering both of his forearms and his salt and pepper hair was combed lazily on his head. He rubbed his beard as he leaned up against the counter and watched some sports highlights on the TV.

  When I walked up to the bar, he turned and looked at me.

  “What are you having?” he said as he threw down a napkin in front of me.

  “I’m… I’m not h
ere to drink,” I said. “I’m just wondering if you were looking for any help.”

  “Sorry, pal.”

  “Anything. Anything at all. I could clean-up around the place. Stock shelves. Security. I mean, I could make sure nobody gets out of line and—”

  “No,” he said as he shook his head. “The boss would kill me if I took someone else on for work when there isn’t any available. You’d just be sitting around doing nothing and nobody wants to pay you for that.”

  “Right,” I sighed. “It’s all right. Thanks, anyway.”

  I turned around, defeated, when he suddenly called back out to me.

  “Hey, man, you still want a drink?” he asked me.

  “I do,” I chuckled. “But without a job, I can’t afford to pay you.”

  He reached down behind the bar and pulled a bottle out. I watched as he twisted the cap off then set it down on the counter.

  “On the house,” he said.

  “What?”

  “Don’t worry about it. Come on.”

  Despite his imposing stature, his demeanor was just the opposite. He looked at me with half a smile on his face and I looked around the bar hesitantly. But I didn’t have anywhere else to go and any reason to refuse him. So I took a seat at the bar and finally found at least one thing I was looking for.

  “Times are tough,” he said to me. “I understand. It’s not much but it’s the best I could do.”

  “No,” I said, shaking my head. “You don’t have to explain anything to me. I know how hard it is right now. I’m living it.”

  “Well, keep your head up. You’ll find what you’re looking for.”

  The man smiled at me for a split-second. I nodded to him before he returned his attention back to the television. I took a big gulp from the bottle of beer. The alcohol went down my throat like some kind of elixir. All of the weight and pressure of everything was still pushing down upon me but I could feel my muscles loosening up just a tiny little bit. It wasn’t much but it was something.

  As I sat there and took tiny sips from my bottle of beer, I noticed a man sitting just a few seats across from me at the end of the bar. I didn’t know why it took me so long to notice him. His head was nearly shaved completely, the black hair cropped close to his head. He was dressed in an obnoxious-looking cheap leather jacket and had a thin gold chain hanging down around his neck. But his outfit wasn’t what was bothering me at the moment. He was staring at with narrowed eyes.

  I had to do my best not to look back at him. I sat there and silently drank my beer. From the corner of my eye, I could still see him looking back at me. I couldn’t take it anymore. I turned to him and finally stared back at him. When I did, I saw the smile developing on his face. I started to get even more confused.

  Before I could say anything, he got out of his seat and took the chair next to me.

  “You’re a pretty big dude, you know that?” he said to me.

  “Um…”

  I looked around the bar to see if anybody else heard what he said to me. I wasn’t sure if this was a joke or something even worse.

  “I’ve never heard that before,” I said. “But, uh, thanks.”

  “You know, I heard what you said to my man Bruno over here.”

  “Bruno?”

  “The bartender. You said you were looking for work.”

  I took a sip of beer and continued to listen to the man. The way he spoke almost made it sound like he was babbling. The words were coming out of his mouth so quickly I had trouble putting it all together. I couldn’t tell if he were talking to me like this because that’s just the way he was or he was being influenced by something at the moment.

  “I got work,” he said. “You interested?”

  I looked at him and there was a big smile on his face. He raised his eyebrows up and down as if to get me to go along with whatever he had planned.

  “What kind of work?” I asked him.

  “Physical work. You look like you can handle yourself.”

  “Uh, look,” I said as I turned to him. “Whatever it is you’re looking for, you should probably look somewhere else.”

  “Are you sure? I can pay really well.”

  “Thanks but no thanks.”

  I turned my attention back to my beer. I could still feel him sitting right next to me. He continued to try and convince me to work for him but I just ignored him. It didn’t take him very long to give up. I listened to him sigh and get up out of his seat.

  I was desperate for work but not desperate enough to go into a job without knowing exactly what it was. At this point, I still had enough pride to keep me from doing some things.

  “Don’t mind him.”

  The bartender made his way back to me and took a seat in front of me.

  “I don’t mind,” I said. “I’m just not interested.”

  “And you shouldn’t be. Maxwell always has something up his sleeve.”

  “You’re familiar with Maxwell? He hangs around here a lot?”

  “He comes and he goes. He’s always looking for people. Every guy who walks in here who looks like he can handle himself is always getting badgered by him.”

  “What exactly is he looking for?”

  “Who knows?” Bruno shrugged. “All I know is that Maxwell is pretty common in this part of town. People recognize him. Not for good reasons. But they recognize him.”

  “He can’t be that bad. You say he’s been around here a long time and the police haven’t bothered to arrest him.”

  “Oh, the cops have bigger issues to deal with. But that doesn’t mean he’s harmless. Maxwell’s always on some petty scheme and trying to get ahead. He’ll try to use you and then when you live out your usefulness, he’ll replace you.”

  “So should I or shouldn’t I trust him?”

  Bruno smirked at me then pulled another beer from behind the bar. He plopped it down in front of me then took his seat back near the television.

  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he said to me.

  As I sat there and pondered my second beer, I considered everything that Bruno had just said to me. I wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol talking to me or the fact that Maxwell was relatively harmless. But I was starting to consider his offer. I had walked so far from my apartment and there wasn’t a single opportunity for me. Maybe this was it.

  One beer and I’m already drunk.

  I chuckled to myself as I shook my head.

  I had two weeks left on the clock but I knew that time would pass by faster than I realized it. I took another sip of my beer and the alcohol started to take more of an effect. The night wasn’t going well. Hopefully, this would be enough to help me forget about it.

  Chapter 5 - Henry

  I decided not to take advantage of Bruno’s hospitality. After two beers, there was more than enough alcohol running through my blood to keep me warm. I stepped out of the bar and didn’t feel as cold as I did when I first started my search. I felt invigorated from the bartender’s kindness. If he were willing to look out for me, maybe someone else would.

  I’d never been in this part of the city before. All of the buildings were unfamiliar. Even the faces looked less friendly than I was used to. But I kept the blinders on and kept walking up the street, hoping for any sign of something to do.

  I’d picked the wrong night to go searching for work. Most of the shops and stores were closed. Their doors were locked and the iron shutters were pulled down over their windows. But I kept going. I wasn’t looking for a job at this point. I was just looking for a reason not to head home and wallow in my defeat.

  As I walked through the city, I heard a lot of noise coming from underneath a freeway overpass. I ignored it initially but the sound grew louder as I neared it. I turned my head and noticed that there was a large crowd gathering around something. I looked around for any sign of police but there was none.

  Probably just some pointless scrap. Best to stay out of their way.

  I got closer and listened to the
sound of men cheering and shouting. There was no point in avoiding it any longer. The crowd was too large and the noise was too loud. My curiosity had to be satisfied. I made my way through the circle of men and there I saw it. Two men had their fists up and were engaged in a brawl.

  Both of them resembled the nondescript homeless men I’d seen around my neighborhood. They were already bloodied and bruised. Their bodies were hunched over as they gasped and tried to regain their strength.

  I looked around and saw that everybody’s focus was locked on the two men. There was a bloodlust in their eyes. They were shouting and hollering. Their balled fists were pumped in the air as they cheered for the two men trying to incapacitate one another.

  Across the circle, there was the same man I’d just seen in the bar earlier. Maxwell was standing there patiently, his arms crossed and his eyes focused. He was the only one that wasn’t yelling at the top of his lungs.

  I didn’t know what it was. It was a little disturbing to see these men going at one another with nobody trying to stop it. But I found myself compelled to see what was going to happen. This wasn’t just some ordinary scrap between two men who had a disagreement. That happened more often than I’d care to think about. This was something different. The crowd was into it like they had something at stake.

  The bloodbath didn’t stop. When one fist would connect with the other’s face, blood would stream onto the ground. The spots and splashes of red were a reminder that this was real. This was more than just a petty argument. This was more than just a fight.

  The two combatants were now gasping for breath. They looked like they were using every muscle in their legs to keep from falling over. With the sweat and blood dripping from his face, one man swung with all of his might. The fist connected on the top of the other man’s head and sent him crashing to the ground in a heap. He fell on top of him and began pounding in his skull relentlessly. Maxwell suddenly jumped in and pulled the man off.

  “That’s it!” he shouted. “It’s over. Your winner… Bonecrusher!”