by Gia Star
“Fine, he won’t take my money, but I’m sure I can get another job to help me save up and pay this off even faster,” I reasoned.
“You won’t get another job either. Antonio’s staff are never allowed to work for another master.” The finality in his voice was utterly chilling.
“Master? You say that like I’m going to be some sort of slave.”
Luke grunted gruffly, tossing me back into darkness as we drove through the deserted blackness of Arizona.
Luke
Flagstaff, Arizona leaves much to be desired. Not that New Mexico is much better. You get consumed by their eery, desolate landscapes whenever you drive outside of their major metropolitan areas.
Driving Miss Taylor made the experience less reclusive. We hadn’t spoken too much during our drive. I needed time to think, revel in silence after the party. I realize she might have needed to do the same.
My mind played out the kiss several times,ruminating over and over in my head. It’s not like I hadn’t kissed anyone before. I’d kissed plenty of women. I’d done a lot more to them too.
Kara’s unique blend of pristine sexuality coupled with innocence made her even more magnetic than I’d ever assumed possible. Her lips, soft and laced with the light flavor of poolside daiquiris, felt perfect against mine, save for the fact that she hadn’t kissed me back. I didn’t hold that against her. I realize I caught her off guard. I’d caught myself off guard too.
I let her daydream, drift off to her own world until she had fallen asleep in the passenger side of the cabin. Then, as she slept, I studied every inch of her. The deepness of her complexion, her hair an abundant ribbon of waves pulled up into a ponytail, the gentle way she snored when completely in the thick of slumber.
I shouldn’t have kissed her. She wasn’t mine to touch. I couldn’t be interested anyway. I was probably just horny. It’d been a minute since I had any pussy.
My life left a lot to be desired when it came to sex. Women were easy and willing in Antonio’s world, mostly because they were drugged and trained. They knew their place in his society, and they did their jobs, but their work was a labor of survival, not passion. They lubed up, bent over, and I got my rocks off.
Dating with the possibility of a real relationship? Impossible. No woman would be involved with a man whose past was as checkered and spotty as mine. No father. No solid mother or family to bring her home to. An inability to discuss my salary or the transient nature of my work. An inability to discuss my work period.
I’d have to stick to the easy pussy, if I wanted any. As of lately, my hand was preferable. I could engineer the sexual desire, imagine a woman fucking and sucking the shit out of me, swallowing me whole or taking every inch. Even if it were only in my fantasies, masturbation had become much more enjoyable than having a woman who fucked me in deference because she feared punishment. Or worse.
Yeah, Antonio was really good at implementing “worse,” and he had no issues creating a spectacle of it. One woman didn’t consent to one of the men and she was taken by a group, the entire scene put on display for all his women to see. You don’t disobey Antonio, or the men visiting his pleasure palaces and brothels.
Brothel.
That’s exactly where Kara would end up. Antonio’s brothel.
She thought it was a casino gig. The casino was within driving distance of the brothel. I could look at her beautiful face for hours, the curves in her body, the glamorous way she carried herself.
She wasn’t going to be at anyone’s crap table. She would be made to fulfill fantasies for large sums of money. She’d pay back that debt and then some. And when she was run through, she would be put to work in the casino or released.
If she wasn’t sold to the highest bidder. Yeah, that happened too. Beautiful girls could be put on the sales block at any time, especially if a man had the means to compensate with irrefutable offer.
This knowledge had become the heavy weight on my soul. It was the reason I let her spend as much time as possible with her mother, her best friend, and her aunt – those she loved – before leaving. She would never see them again. She didn’t know it.
But I did. And it fucked me up to see such a beautiful girl – one who carried herself with purpose, as if she knew she were meant to be someone – walk boldly, beautifully – and fucking blindly – into her own destruction.
[ORNAMENTAL BREAK]
“This place is just like what you see in those deserted towns in the movies.” Kara yawned as we pulled up to the restaurant. The Galaxy Diner might not be the fanciest of feasts for a woman like Kara, but after midnight, it was a damn near five star meal.
She woke up asking to stop because she was hungry. I was more than happy to oblige; we’d just made it into Flagstaff and I was starving myself.
The diner’s bright red and blue lights were an inviting oasis to my road-weary eyes; I couldn’t wait to get to Vegas. I’d drop her off and shake this trip off with three days of seclusion in my apartment.
I slid into the seat and rubbed my eyes as the cold lights attacked my pupils. I yawned as I picked up the menu.
“How’s the drive for you?” She asked.
“It’s okay,” I replied. “We’re about four or five hours away.”
Another yawn escaped my lips before the close of that sentence.
“Will we make it?”
“Yeah.” Another yawn.
“Maybe you should get some rest?” Concern covered her features. “That way you won’t fall asleep at the wheel.” I scowled, which sent her into a flurry of apologies. “I’m not trying to say that you would, I just – there’s really no rush.”
Of course there wasn’t any rush for her. She was about to be locked up in hard work for five years. She wasn’t aware of Antonio’s consistent calls to my cell. I was taking longer than expected. We were already a day behind. I couldn’t let it drag out that much longer.
“Don’t you worry about –”
Another. Damn. Yawn.
“You’re getting a hotel room, or I’m driving,” she asserted. “But I am not getting in the passenger side when you’re this exhausted.”
We started to argue when the waitress came back with our food. The cheeseburger and fries she set in front of me were like manna from Heaven. I threw away my attention to our discussion, preferring instead to hurry up and grub.
“Ma’am,” she asked the waitress, “Is there a Hilton nearby?”
“We’re not going to a hotel.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You don’t have to go. I’ll go.”
“You won’t.”
“I’ll let you two lovebirds talk this out,” the waitress said, edging back to her side of the room where a plate of fries waited.
Kara smiled at her as she dipped a piece of her food in honey mustard sauce. Turning to me, she offered, “Look, one of my classmates fell asleep at the wheel and died when he hit a semi-truck head on. I know you’re a road warrior but I don’t feel comfortable being in the passenger side while you drowsily speed down the highway.”
I ignored her, or at least tried to. She played with her chicken tenders and milkshake. Every time she wrapped her lips around a fry, my dick hopped with excitement. What I wouldn’t have given to feel those prissy lips wrapped around my cock.
“I’ll pay for my own room,” she pushed. “That way you only pay for yours.”
“Your own room?” I repeated. Antonio wouldn’t have that. No paper trails from any of our pickups. Even if she weren’t a transport, Antonio wouldn’t have let any of his men allow a woman to pay a bill in his presence. Even gum was on our tab.
“We’re not sharing a room.”
“Double beds.”
“Unacceptable. I need my privacy.”
“We’ll be driving.”
“We’ll be not,” she sang in a taunting melody. “I’ll Uber my way to a hotel first.”
“How? You’re not gonna find an Uber this time of night.”
I swallowed the
last of my Coke. “You’ve got fifteen minutes before we’re back on the road. You need to hurry up and eat instead of talking all this nonsense.”
“Fine.” She picked up a chicken tender and got back to eating. But not before adding, “Tell me about yourself.”
I shrugged. “I’m twenty six. I work for Antonio. I like cheeseburgers and fries.”
“That’s it? Where’s your family?”
“My mom’s in Albuquerque. Dad? Who knows? I don’t remember him.”
“Only child?”
“Yeah.”
“Me too.”
“How cute.”
“So is Antonio really your uncle, or…?”
“He’s the man that took me in when I didn’t have a father, or anyone else who cared for me,” I replied. “My mother was too busy with other things.”
“Ah, I see.” She said. “Antonio helped me out as well. That’s why I don’t mind working at his casino for a little while. I’ve worked at the student bar, and the Wild Horse Casino in Phoenix.”
“I’m all ready to begin working at the new place in Vegas.” She leaned forward, sapphire eyes glittery with excitement. “Must be really nice. Spill the deets! I wanna know.”
I shrugged. “It’s cool. It’s Vegas. They’re all really nice. That’s the point, right?”
“You’re so… indifferent.” She rolled her eyes.
“And you’re loquacious.”
“I’m just trying to get to know you a little, that’s all.” She didn’t miss a beat in explaining herself.
I yawned again, this time for an extended period that made my eyes water. Stretching my arms almost involuntarily, I reveled in the natural tension of my muscles tightening and then melting in surrender.
“Room.” She declared. “We’re getting rooms.”
She started going on and on about refusing to drive with a sleepy person at the wheel. I imagined the sheer intensity of her nagging being enough to keep her awake the entire final stretch to Vegas. I didn’t want to hear her mouth as we rode through the middle of nowhere in the darkness.
“Oh, god.” I leaned back. “We’ll get a room.”
“Rooms.” She said. “Separate rooms.”
“Whatever.” Anything to shut her up.
Kara
“Whatever.”
“Thank you.” I leaned back, a sigh of relief escaping my chest. My heart slowed a little. Luke’s dark brown eyes peered at me. I could see that I’d gotten on his nerves with this argument, but I didn’t care.
One of my classmates was killed because he was driving on the road fatigued. I wasn’t going to put myself in the same situation. Not for Luke, not for Antonio, not for anyone.
“Seriously, I appreciate it.” I smiled my pageant smile. “Besides, you’ll feel so much better when you wake up well-rested.”
He grunted in response.
Luke paid the check in all cash, leaving a generous $100 + change tip for the waitress. We went to the car, and he paused just enough to see her face light up when she noticed the fatness of the tip.
She looked out to see us pull out and away from the diner, and the glow in her tired face couldn’t have been more priceless.
“You’re a generous tipper.”
“Everyone deserves a blessing every now and then.”
We drove several miles along the main road in silence before he pulled into the parking lot of a plain looking hotel. By plain, I mean it was extremely nondescript. It didn’t even have a brand name chain attached to the signage. It was almost rundown, in my opinion.
“Stay here.” He got out of the car and went to the check-in, ringing the night bell to wake up the clerk.
I was anything but impressed. I already informed him I would pay for my own hotel room. He wasn’t broke - he’d just paid the waitress $100 in tips. Why were we in this shithole? Was this his passive-aggressive way of getting back at me for nagging him to death about getting a hotel room?
He returned moments later, two keys in hand. “We’re set.”
“Why didn’t you go to the Hilton or Marriott?”
“I’m not paying $300 for five hours of sleep.”
“I told you I could have paid for my room.”
“The rooms are paid for.” The finality in his tone silenced me.
I sulked, completely frustrated by the lack of quality accommodations. The small, two story hotel had an equally small parking lot, of which I was still left unimpressed. There were pickups, and even a small trailer, which left me wondering who the hell we were going to be sleeping amongst.
It drove home the stark contrast in lifestyle between Luke and I. He was fully comfortable here, and yet I suddenly felt as if I wouldn’t get an ounce of sleep.
Our rooms were on the second floor, next to each other 222 and 223. Luke pushed the key into 222, and turned on the lights.
“Here you go.” He stepped aside so I could enter. Everything looks okay. Queen bed, clean but worn linens, small flat screen, and an alarm clock that’s seen its fair share of visitors.
“This good?”
“It’ll do. Five hours, right?” That put us at 6 AM, which meant we’d be in Vegas before noon. Perhaps not too late to begin working.
“Right.” He placed my bag on the floor. “I’ll be next door. Goodnight.”
I sighed. This wasn’t perfect, but it was a bed, and that was all I asked for. I needed Luke to get some sleep before he continued this trek. I could suck it up and sleep in this antiquated room, filing the experience away to the memories of this trip when I needed a good story to tell.
I stepped into the bathroom, put my hair in a bun, ready to take a shower. The bathroom was ivory with a brand new mirror - or at least, it seemed new. Everything around it seemed aged, while it sparkled with the freshness that came from being just-purchased.
I pushed back the shower curtain, and turned on the water. The aged crystal knob immediately poured water, and I adjusted the temperature. The lid on the toilet was down. I lifted it up, ready to squat when a huge black spider leapt up onto the seat.
A tarantula.
A fucking big, black, hairy, fucking tarantula.
I hated spiders.
“Ahhhhh!!!!” I screamed, running from the bathroom. “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
I hated spiders with every fiber in my body. But this was more than hatred. This was hatred and fear, because this hairy asshole hated me back. It seemed to run after me, its hairy ass legs scurrying in amusement.
Fuck. I was going to die from a psychotic spider determined to kill me.
“HELP!” I shouted, feeling the rawness break my throat. “HE’S GOING TO KILL ME. HEEEELLLLLLP!!!”
That ugly bastard skittered along the side of the bed, leaping up and down, just to fuck with me. Tears poured down my eyes and my vision was only blurry enough to allow me to crawl to the furthest angle of the bed away from him.
The door smashed open. Luke busted in with a gun waving. “What’s going on?”
At this point, I’m fucking hysterical, standing on my bed, hands splayed against the wall with unrelenting fear, screaming.
“What the fuck?” He was clearly annoyed. “What the hell is your problem?”
I pointed to the tarantula, terrorizing me from the other side floor. It’s not even facing Luke. It’s focused on finding a way to jump on the bed and kill me.
I’m about to fucking die.
Not at the hands of old age, or even the hands of Antonio Lopez. But in the venomous grip of an evil tarantula that needs to torture me to death.
Luke takes a look, steps over and squashes it, sending a yucky squelch and crunch through the room. “There. Dead. You done?”
I nod, but continue crying hysterically.
He walked over and his annoyed face softened, as if he realized I were truly terrified. I was. I’ve always hated those damn things.
The steam from the shower crept into the main room, reminding me that I needed to wash up, but I was too shaken
to even think of stepping into that mist. What if there were another one waiting for me?
“I can’t stay here,” I whimpered. “I’m not staying here. Let’s just drive. Okay? Let’s just drive.”
Luke sighed and his arms reached out to me. “Come on, scary ass.” His eyes are weary, and he’s annoyed. There’s a slight bit of concern in his eyes as he picks me up and tosses me over his shoulder. He stoops low enough to grab my bag. “Do you have everything?”
“Yes.” I nodded. The only thing I had on my person was my phone. “I didn’t even get to pee.”
I couldn’t help but feel a blush of embarrassment feeling his muscular frame lift me up and toss me over his shoulder. He did it so easily, I wondered how often he lifted, and how much he could press.
I also thanked God I hadn’t pissed my shorts in the wake of this. I suddenly didn’t think I could have ever lived with pissy shorts in front of him.
As he carried me, I grabbed onto his shirt. The mix of his sweat and cologne pierced my adrenaline, giving me a heady rush of his pheromones. This was the worst time for my nipples to get hard, or for my pussy to cream.
He brought me down to the car, and then went to see the night clerk. They argued for several minutes. The clerk pointed to a bold sign that said No Refunds. Luke pointed to the car in response, then up behind the clerk to the building, and then showed him the yucky mess of a spider under his shoe.
The night clerk appeared unwilling to budge until Luke pulled out his phone, which unintentionally revealed his gun. The clerk jerked in fright, pushed a button on the register and counted out Luke’s refund in cold hard cash.
Luke nodded, took the money, and walked out. There’s a tired scowl on his face.
After ten minutes of driving, Luke pulled up to a La Quinta, rented two rooms, side by side, and returned to the car. He exercised patience as he inspected my room, two double queen beds, checking in every nook and cranny.
“It’s clean,” he announced. “There’s nothing in here. Look for yourself.”
“No, it’s fine.” I smiled, sheepishly, embarrassed by my behavior, due to the fact that we had to get another room in another hotel. Even then, I had to admit, there was another side of me that refused to apologize. Nobody in their right mind would have ever stopped at that other hotel in the first place. “I can pay for my room -“
