Roped & Tied

by Ronald H Keyser

  “I disagree.” Dani grinned. “Because I’ve got to figure out a way to keep Brandon from knowing I’m seeing Jake.”

  “Dani, how in the hell are you going to manage that?” asked Stephanie.

  Dani looked at her sister as they headed for the Braniff International check-in counter and answered, “I don’t know, but it is what it is.”

  * * *

  “Hey, driver,” said Jake from the back seat of the yellow cab as soon as it pulled away from the cab stand. “I got about four hours to kill before I catch my flight. You know where there might be a Bank of America close by? And a good titty bar open this time of the morning?”

  The driver looked at Jake through his rearview mirror. “You know this is New Orleans, right? Nothing ever closes.”

  “I like your attitude,” said Jake. “What’s your name?”

  “Ahmed,” said the driver. He pointed to the license posted on the dash of the Mercury Marquis and added, “Ahmed Patel.”

  Jake smiled. “Well, then Ahmed, take me to the best one you got then.”

  “No problem.” The driver turned left onto Airport Road. He looked again into his rearview and asked with a sly grin, “Are you looking to kill a couple of hours, or are you looking for some…you know…action? Because, for the right price, I could get you…”

  Jake already had a hundred dollar bill out of his wallet and was handing it to the driver as he cut in. “You see, this is what I’m looking for. First off, we need to find a titty bar I can hang out at for a couple hours, with a couple of real pretty girls in it that’ll want to have a good time for a couple days or so, and I’m going to need at least an eight ball of cocaine.” Jake stared at the driver to see what his reaction might be, then added as he saw a smile creep across the driver’s face. “And maybe some hooch. I’m out of pot, too.”

  Ahmed was grinning from ear to ear, looking at Jake in his rearview mirror. “You like topless bars, huh?”

  “You could say today wouldn’t be my first rodeo,” answered Jake.

  “I know just the place.” Ahmed pocketed the money. “It’s called The Doll House. I have a good friend that’s a manager there.”

  “You think he’s working now?” asked Jake.

  “Doesn’t matter,” said the driver. “If he’s not, I’ll give him a call when we get there. He’ll get you what you want. He doesn’t live far.”

  “Looks like I found the right man for the job.” Jake settled back in his seat. “That is, of course, if you’re going to be my driver for the next four hours.”

  “No problem.” Ahmed smiled. “You look like the generous type.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you.”

  Thirty minutes later, Jake had made a stop at the bank to get more cash and the cab was now pulling into the mostly empty parking lot of what used to be a burger joint. The building was painted bright pink, and all the spaces that used to be windows were bricked over. The neon sign, which covered most of the front of the building, flashed, “Welcome to The Doll House.” Jake looked suspiciously at Ahmed. “Are you sure you got me at the right place?”

  “Follow me, you’ll see.” The driver turned the engine off and got out of the car. Jake was hesitant, but opened his door and got out as well. As they walked toward the door, Ahmed added, “There’s a cop inside named Darrel; you’ll need to pass off one of those hundred-dollar bills to him.”

  “What?’ asked Jake in surprise. “What the hell are you getting me into?”

  “Relax.” Ahmed held the door open for Jake. “Darrel’s cool. If you take care of him, he’ll take care of you; that way nothing ever gets out of hand.”

  “All right.” Jake sighed, walking into the dimly lit interior. “But I’m going to be out of here in a flash if I get nervous,” he added. He took a hundred-dollar bill out of his wallet, folded it neatly, then walked straight to the man in uniform and gave him a hearty handshake. “Darrel, good to see you. You been doing okay?”

  “Mr. O’Brien…” The cop looked surprised.

  “Call me Jake.” Jake slipped the bill into Darrel’s front shirt pocket. “So you work here or something?”

  “Yeah.” Darrel patted his pocket with a smile. “When I’m not on the clock with the city. They don’t pay shit so most all officers in this town work two jobs.”

  “You two know each other?” Ahmed asked.

  “Sure we do. We met a few days ago.” Darrel pointed at Jake. “Ahmed, do you know you’re driving around one of the most famous rodeo cowboys in the world? Did you know that?”

  Ahmed looked confused. “No, I didn’t.”

  “Wow.” Darrel rubbed his palms together. “I can’t wait for the chief to hear about this.

  “Well,” said Jake hesitantly, “if you want to know the truth, I’d rather kind of keep this visit here quiet.”

  “How come?” asked Darrel. “The chief’s probably your biggest fan.”

  Ahmed stepped over to Darrel and whispered a few words in his ear. Darrel started nodding. After Ahmed was finished, the policeman asked with a smile, “Now, Jake, would this be for purely personal purposes?”

  “Absolutely.” Jake hoped his answer was the correct one.

  “Okay.” Darrel nodded again. He added with a smile, “’Cause I wouldn’t do this if I thought you were going to turn around and sell it.”

  “Oh, no.” Jake shook his head. “I couldn’t ever do that. I’m just a cowboy looking for a good time, not a drug dealer.”

  “Good.” Darrel patted Jake on the shoulder. “Don’t you worry then; I got you covered.” He walked toward the rear of the club. “Got to make a couple of calls. Give me a few minutes.”

  Jake turned to Ahmed. “What the hell did you tell him?”

  Ahmed shrugged. “What you were looking for, what else?”

  “Are you sure about this?” Jake looked around nervously.

  “Sure.” Ahmed motioned Jake to follow him. “I’ve known Darrel a long time. He always comes through.”

  Only two of the twelve or thirteen tables surrounding the stage were occupied, so Jake and Ahmed sat down at one directly in front. Soon, Jake had a Budweiser in front of him and Ahmed was drinking a Coke. Both were conversing with a girl on their lap, both of whom looked like they had been in the business far too long.

  “Come on, girls,” said Darrel, returning with a man wearing a golf shirt with The Doll House logo on front in tow. “No offense, but y’all need to get somewhere else.”

  “Ohhh, but we’re having fun,” said one of the girls dejectedly as they got up.

  “I’ll make it up to you,” said Darrel as he and the manager sat down. After the girls walked away toward the bar, he added, “Jake, this here’s Harry. He runs the joint.”

  “Howdy.” Jake tipped his hat and shook the manager’s hand.

  “Pleasure to meet you.” Harry shook Jake’s hand in a firm grip.

  “Harry has got his two best A-team girls coming in.” Darrel was suddenly all business. “They share an apartment right around the corner and will be here in just a couple of minutes. Whatever you want to pay them is up to you and them, but there are a couple more things to consider.”

  “I’m all ears.” Jake glanced back and forth at each of them.

  “Well, first of all,” said Harry, crossing his arms on the table, “the club is going to be out some money with my best two girls gone for a couple of days.”

  Jake pulled out his billfold. “How much?”

  “I don’t know.” Harry sighed. “Probably a thousand?”

  “How about five hundred?” Jake held the bills in the air.

  “Well, I don’t know. That’s not really going to cover it.” Harry paused for a moment to consider Jake’s counter offer before he reached out to take the money. “But, since you’re a famous rodeo star, I guess we can make an exception.”

  “Excellent.” Jake smiled. “What else?”

  Darrel leaned in and lowered his voice. “I have a buddy that does
me a favor every now and then.” He winked. “Larry’s on the way over here right now with that other thing you were looking for.”

  “Larry, your partner Larry?” asked Jake.

  “Yeah, that’s him.” Darrel gave him a conspiratorial smile. “’Course, we got to have an understanding.” He looked around to make sure no one was paying attention before adding, “You see, I’m willing to donate this to you, if you’ll…”

  “Make another donation to the Christmas party?” Jake smiled, cutting Darrel off.

  Darrel grinned, then leaned back in his chair, arms across his chest. He looked at Harry. “Looks like we’re all set then.”

  Harry stood up to greet two young girls who’d just walked in the front door. “Ginger, Rose! Over here,” he yelled, waving the two girls to the table.

  Both girls were slim, attractive, and dressed in halter tops with tiny shorts that didn’t quite cover their lower butt cheeks. One was a brunette, the other a blonde but, by the looks of their hair, both had just gotten out of bed. They carried backpacks over their shoulders. “Hey, Harry,” said the blonde. “Is this the guy?”

  Jake stood up and took his hat off. “Howdy, girls. I’m Jake O’Brien.”

  “I’ll be damned…it is him.” The brunette glanced at her friend, then looked back at Jake and shook his hand with a smile. “My boyfr…I mean, my friend took me to the rodeo last weekend. I watched you win. It was impressive.”

  “Thank you, ma’am. Looks like we got a calf-roping fan.” Jake grinned. “And what might your name be?”

  “I’m Rose.” She pointed a finger at her chest, then pointed at her friend and added, “That’s Ginger, my roommate.”

  “Pleased to meet you, too.” Jake nodded and shook the blonde’s hand.

  “Girls, why don’t you two go in the back and get dressed,” Harry told them.

  “No, that’s okay.” Jake raised his hand. “If it’s all the same to you, Harry, what they got on is good enough.”

  Harry shrugged as he looked at the girls. “All right by me. I just thought you might…”

  “No, no, they’re perfect.” Jake picked up his beer. “These two are fine just like they are.”

  “Well, fair enough…and I think you’ll have a really nice time.” Harry smiled and stood. Before he walked away, he shook Jake’s hand. “I need to take care of a few things, but don’t hesitate to ask if you need something.”

  “Sure thing.” Jake took a swig of beer.

  “Yeah, I need to get back up to the front.” Darrel rose, too. “I’ll be back to let you know when Larry gets here.”

  “Sounds great.” Jake stood until the two girls were seated next to him, then looked at Ahmed. “Thanks to you, looks like today’s going to be a great day.”

  Forty-five minutes later, Darrel walked back to the table, which by now was littered with empty shot glasses and a few beer bottles. “Sorry to interrupt the party, Jake, but Larry’s here.” He nodded toward the back. “He came in the back door. He’s waiting for us in the manager’s office.

  Jake stood and followed Darrel around the stage and through a side door into a brightly lit dressing room. They walked past a small row of lockers before stepping into a tiny room that was obviously the manager’s office. “Holy shit!” Jake looked at what Darrel’s partner had in his hand. “What is that, a couple of pounds?”

  “Nah, just a pound.” Larry set the brick of cocaine on the manager’s desk. He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a small bag of marijuana and set it on the desk as well. He pulled out a pocket knife. “You want to try it? I mean the coke. We can’t try the pot here, but I can say from experience it’s going to kick your ass.”

  “Damn right.” Jake pulled a bill out of his billfold and started rolling it up. He watched Larry cut a small hole in the large block, then pull some of the drug out on his knife blade. Jake leaned over and inhaled deeply through the bill as soon as Larry had the drug diced up. “Wow,” he said, wiping his nose with his fingers. “That shit is awesome. Where did you guys get that?”

  “Got a buddy who works in the evidence room.” Darrel grinned. “Let’s just say he owes me more than a couple of favors.”

  Without counting them, Jake pulled out a wad of hundred dollar bills and handed them to Darrel with a smile. “Gentlemen, I hope this covers your…ah…Christmas party fund.”

  Darrel glanced at the money in his hands, then looked at Jake. “I think that will do it, Jake, but now I’m going to have to ask you to turn around so we can put some cuffs on you.”

  “What the…” Jake glanced back and forth at the two police officers. “You’re shitting me, right?”

  Larry busted out laughing.

  Darrel smiled. “Yeah, sorry, we were just having a little fun. Damn, you’re easy.”

  “Whew.” Jake took his hat off and scratched the top of his head, grinning. “Boy, for a second there, I thought I was in a heap of trouble.”

  “Oh, don’t you worry.” Darrel held up the money Jake had given him. “This looks like it’ll cover any kind of trouble you’ll get in while you’re in this town.”

  “Good.” Jake put his hat back on and pointed to the brick of cocaine on the desk. “You boys want to give it a try?”

  “Don’t mind if I do.” Darrel took Jake’s rolled bill. Then it was Larry’s turn.

  Darrel reached over and shook hands with Jake. “Well, looks like our business is done.” Darrel glanced at his partner, then looked at Jake. “Ah, but Jake, there is one more thing. I was wondering about those two girls who were with you at the motel. I think one of them was kind of checking me out.”

  “The tall one?” Jake tilted his head to one side.

  “Yeah, that’s her. Is she still in town?” asked Darrel enthusiastically. “You know, the one that just stood there in the parking lot. She didn’t move. But every time I looked over at her, she gave me the cutest smile, like she was into me and wanted to meet, but she was just a little too shy.”

  Jake started laughing. “No, they’re both on their way back to Texas.” He paused to chuckle again. “And I think your assessment of her is just a little off.”

  “What do you mean?” Darrel gave him a puzzled look.

  “Well, if you want to know the truth, that girl ain’t too shy.” Jake rubbed his chin. “I’m pretty sure if things had gone a little differently back at that hotel room, you probably could have gotten a hand job.”

  Darrel slapped Larry on the shoulder. “See there. I told you I was right about her!”

  * * *

  Three hours later, the same Citation 1 that had flown Dani and Stephanie to New Orleans lifted its nose wheel off Runway 36 at New Orleans Lakefront Airport. The same pilots were at the controls, but this time the passengers were Jake, Ginger and Rose. The girls were sitting on either side of Jake on a small sofa on the starboard side. The aircraft just started to level out from its climb when Jake stood and produced a bottle of Jack Daniels from a small bar directly on the other side of the plane. “What do you think, ladies?” said Jake as he unscrewed the cap.

  “Wow.” Rose held up a small glass so Jake could fill it. “Do you always travel like this?”

  “I haven’t always, but I plan on doing it from now on.” Jake poured a two-finger shot and handed it to her.

  “Well, you must be rich if you can rent your own private jet.” Ginger slid her hand over the rich leather of the couch.

  “Nope, I talked the guy that owns this jet into loaning it to me. He wants me to help him sell some boots,” Jake answered with a grin. “I’ll sign the contract when I get to Oklahoma.” He paused to fill his own glass and Ginger’s. “And, I figure if a man’s got a little money, he ought to spend it, ’cause life is short and you can’t take it with you. That’s why you two beautiful ladies are with me.”

  “Well, here’s to spending your money, then.” Rose smiled and raised her glass in a toast.

  “Cheers.” Their glasses clinked together.

 
; “Tell you what, girls.” Jake stood and opened the small overhead bin. He pulled out his travel bag and set it on the sofa. He removed a pair of jeans and a rope so he could get to the brick of cocaine hidden underneath. “Either one of you girls ever join the mile-high club in a private jet, high as fuck on cocaine?”

  The girls looked at one another for a moment before they shrugged, giggled and looked back at Jake. “No, but it sounds fun,” laughed Ginger.

  “I haven’t, either,” added Rose coyly. “But I’m willing to give it a try.”

  “You did say you were going to pay us each a thousand dollars for the next two days, right?” Ginger gave him a calculating look.

  “Yes, I did.” Jake pulled out his billfold and counted out two thousand dollars in hundred dollar bills. He tossed them up in the air, where they bounced off the cabin roof and rained down inside the plane.

  Jake started unbuttoning his shirt. “Now, girls, this flight’s only gonna last about an hour, so I’m gonna need you to get out of them little britches as fast as you can.” The girls put down their drinks and undressed. Soon, all three were naked.

  “Where do you want to start?” Rose stepped close to Jake seductively and rubbed his shoulder. “Me…or her?”

  “Yeah, me…or her?” repeated Ginger, taking Jake’s penis into her hands to start rubbing it.

  “I got an idea.” Jake grinned. “How about we see which one of y’all is the best at snorting coke off my dick, and that’ll be the one I start with.”

  Both girls giggled and Ginger looked at Rose. “I go first.”

  For the next fifteen minutes, Jake sat back on the sofa and watched each girl snort two lines of coke off his penis while engaged in a contest to see who was going to give the best blowjob. At first, each girl tried separately, but the challenge quickly evolved into both giving Jake head at the same time.

  Jake sat back and watched as he drank a couple more shots of Jack, but got bored and declared the contest a tie. He spent the next thirty minutes in every conceivable sexual position, in every part of the cabin as he alternated between one girl, then the other.