by Demi Vice
Oddly, we were both nervous. Maybe to confess what we promised each other or maybe because it was odd. Having a moment like we did, then going out as if nothing happened. As if the earth underneath us didn’t collapse as we remained high in the sky, feeling something that involved one small, dangerous word.
Ahri spent most of her time looking out the window. Her forehead was pressed against the tinted windows, and her breath fogged the glass. Her eyes got rounder, her smile got wider, and her dimple got deeper when she watched everything enlarge. The buildings, the lights, and the sounds. I, on the other hand, ignored life as a whole and watched her in bliss. She caught me each time, letting her cheeks show color. But I never looked away.
The club, Gem, was a large gray building with no windows and four lines of people waiting outside. One of those lines held Felicia and two of her friends. Felicia's cousin and best friend from cosmetology school.
I lit a cigarette when they started to talk about their outfits, how long it took them to do their hair and put on their makeup. They complemented Ahri on how sexy she looked, and that’s when my ears perked up.
“Oh my God, you look so fucking hot in that dress,” Felicia’s best friend from cosmetology school said.
Yes, yes she does. But my baby girl always looks fucking hot.
“Your legs go on for miles in those heels,” Felicia cousin said.
I bet I can make that mile end when I take off that dress.
“You should straighten your hair more often, it looks soooooo much better,” Felicia said.
No, Felicia.
Shut the fuck up, Felicia.
Once they talked about things I didn't care enough to listen to, I checked out the environment. The quiet neighborhood, the pinch of weed in the air, and the drunk women and men coming out the club ready to get their one night stand on.
I finished two cigarettes before we got inside. Felicia and the other girls went straight to the dance floor. They enjoy the shitty techno music blasting away their eardrums, the different colored lasers tracing over people’s heads, and the fog machine putting in overtime. But Ahri and I went to the bar.
“Whaddya wanna drink?” I shouted at the top of my lungs.
“Blue Moon!” Ahri held up two fingers.
“I’m going to tell you right now. Those are the only two drinks I’m letting you have. I have a surprise for you tonight. I need you sober!” I shouted.
She looked at me with that sexy bitch face as she tried to figure what my surprise was. She gave up.
“Fine. Just two!”
I ordered her two drinks and paid for them even though Ahri tried to pay for them herself. She still thought I was unemployed, struggling with money, and at a dead end trying to find a job.
But little did she know.
After Ahri chugged both beers like a champ and I smiled like an idiot, we went on the dance floor. Ahri was as amazing at dancing as she was at riding my cock. Hips like woah, moves like a snake, and an ass like a peach grinning over my cock.
After half an hour of dancing and the alcohol fully hitting Ahri. She was left with the same level of darkness and attitude but brought her playful and carefree side out to play. I couldn't help but smile. I wanted the true colors. I want this side of Ahri all the time. Not a care in the world, wearing a velvet dress that felt like a fuzzy peach, and wrapped in my arms Ahri.
I wanted to permanently see that one dimpled smile whenever she’s with me, and only me. I never wanted to see dark circles, sunken cheeks, or violent bruises on her body. I wanted to take care of her because she was my princess and absolutely worth it. Regardless if Ahri didn’t think that way.
Ahri was the real reason fifteen-year-old Jack had such enormous dreams. One day he knew I would find the perfect girl and I would want to give her my all. My everything. I busted my ass for years and years and years, filling my empty time with unethical jobs and saving every penny. I did it all for Ahri. I just didn’t know it.
“Happy Birthday, baby girl!” I shouted in her ear, giving her a neck a little nibble.
“You said that like a hundred times today Jack!” She giggled.
Ahri pressed her ass into my rock-hard cock, laced her fingers together and wrapped them around my neck. She pulled me lower to her hickey from earlier today. I didn't hesitate to suck on her neck on the dance floor. I wanted to give her more. I wanted to pull up her dress, slip my cock out, and fuck her again while everyone watched and saw who she belonged to. But at the same time, I didn't want to show her off. Selfishly, I wanted Ahri for only myself.
Ahri’s hips worked her black magic, and I was going to need another ice-cold water break really soon before I creamed in my pants. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t felt like coming in my pants at least twice in the past half an hour. Ahri always smiled at me when I left the dance floor because she knew. She knew exactly what she was doing to me when she looked back at me with her lustful black eyes, bit her lip and let her ass do all the work. She knew I couldn’t survive with my accidental orgasm record.
“It’s 11:59. One-minute left of your birthday. What’s your wish, baby girl?”
“I don't believe in wishes, Jack!” Ahri smiled.
“Be a dreamer. For me!”
“Fine. I’ll dream like Jack! I want to live in the motherfucking penthouse on the 59th floor of The Bayne Hotel.” Ahri quoted me and laughed. “And I wanna be a bartender who controls the music job.”
“Atta girl. Big and hard!” I kissed her, my tongue swirling around hers as I heard Felicia woohoo next to us at the top of her lungs from a sight she’d wanted to see for a long time.
I danced with Ahri in the smoke and swirling lights, letting this perfect moment be exactly that.
Perfect.
Felicia and her friend left over an hour ago, but Ahri didn't want to go home yet. We danced in the almost empty club for that hour, and now everyone was gone. It was three in the morning, and the house lights were on, the lasers off, and the fog machine finally got a well-deserved break.
“Give me the darkest beer you have and a water,” I said to Kev, the bartender.
Ahri stayed next to me, completely sober, and in need of water from all the hard work, she’d done on the dance floor. How many times had she almost made me cum in my pants? I’d lost count. But I think knowing the bartender’s name, hometown, and his high school says something about me coming here too often.
“Nice to know you finally want a real drink instead of some water, Jack.” He chuckled, going over to the Guinness tap before he stopped. “You know what. We got a new beer tonight. It’s from a startup brewery company. Wanna give it a try?”
I shrugged, giving him my card. He gave Ahri her water and handed me the purest black beer I’d ever seen.
“Holy shit!” I smacked my lips, the bitter and malty taste calming down my nerves. “What the fuck is this?”
“Grim. They call it Grim.”
“Can I try?” Ahri asked. She took a sip and made a sour face. Yeah, that orange perfumed beer she liked was no match for the bitterness I loved.
“Startup brewery company? What’s the name?” I asked, taking another sip which turned into me inhaling the beer.
The bartender let out a booming laugh. “These guys don’t have one. Called the company, Insert Name Here Brewery.”
I laughed.
“Why?” Ahri asked, looking at my empty glass.
“They said they’d pick a legit name only if we sold out tonight. Kind of taking it like the ‘ok’ sign to open up their brewpub downtown.” He nudged my empty glass. “That’s the last one. You just made the kid’s dreams come true, Jack.”
I laughed. “Well, they’d better think of a fucking name.” I brought the empty glass to my lips to get one last final drop. “What did these guys look like? One of them a blonde with one brown eye and blue eye?”
Ahri looked up at me, knowing very well I asked about Link.
“Not that I know of. Only two guys came in. A
white boy with a French accent and the other one a mutt who got all the continents in his blood.”
“Thanks, Kev,” I said with a small dose of disappointment in my voice.
Ahri took her heels off as we made our way to the car.
“Thanks, Jack.” Ahri sighed. She dropped her tired head on my shoulder and hugged my arm.
“For?”
“A really amazing birthday.” She gripped me tighter. “I needed it.”
“It’s not done yet, and it’s tomorrow.” I looked at the Uber directions taking us to The Bayne only ten minutes away compared to Wazowski’s which was a thirty-minute drive.
“Where are we going?” Ahri asked when we entered Golden Ridge.
“The Bayne.”
“Why?” She laughed nervously.
“You’ll see,” I said, letting out a deep sigh.
Ahri didn’t say much. She looked out the window until the driver pulled up to the front of The Bayne on the hotel side. Once the car stopped, I wanted to flee.
I wasn’t ready for my past and present—my future, to collide.
In a fucked up way, I wasn’t worried to tell Ahri about the unorthodox jobs I’d taken. I knew Ahri could handle them, or at least I hoped she could. What I was more worried? The fact that I lied. And I’d lied my fucking ass off. About being the apartment guy, about where I’d been for the past few years, and more importantly about who I was and who I knew, Ahri’s brother.
We stayed in the car for a few minutes until the Uber driver told us we needed to leave. As we stepped out, Ahri’s eyes blew up at the massive skyscraper. My eyes were on Ned, the doorman, ready for me to come inside.
I wasn’t ready.
I walked away from the entrance and went to the cement planter across the front entrance near the street.
“Why’d you bring me here?” Ahri spoke softly looking up at the hotel.
“I have something to tell you. It involves this place. Our new place.”
Ahri laughed. “Our new place? What, are we going to pickpocket a card key and steal a room?”
I smiled and snapped my head back to look up at the top of the building where I lived. “Something like that.”
AHRI
We stayed outside The Bayne sharing our third cigarette. Jack sat on the large cement planter while I leaned on it in between his wide legs, my elbows resting on his thighs. Jack’s neck was stretched back as he stared upwards, so my head was resting on his chest. We’d been frozen in this position for about ten minutes.
Jack must’ve thought about his dream with that broad smile spread across his face while I thought about the massive dark gray sixty-two-floor hotel composed of mostly windows. The Bayne Hotel was not just a hotel but the seventh highest skyscraper in Chicago that tripled as a plaza and workspace. It was divided into three sections: hotel rooms, office space, and shops/restaurant where people spent ridiculous amounts of money. We were at the hotel entrance where you could skip the shops and go straight up to the rooms.
I stared at the very top of the building where the Bayne family lived. I didn’t care much about them. They were worth billions, and that was all I needed to know. But then you had the people who loved the Bayne family as much as the people in England loved the royal family, aka, Felicia. To be fair, Felicia mostly kept track of her dream man, Seth Bayne. He was now married to a Hawaiian/Brazilian woman he’d met in California a few years back when he worked at The Cali Bayne Hotel. Now they have two kids, twins, a boy and girl.
The Bayne family were the right kind of rich, giving money away to people in need, starting up companies, the kind of money you feel good about. It was hard not to be envious. It was only human nature to want to live at the top. Literally.
I sighed and looked at the empty street. Three thirty in the morning and no one was around. Only one person had entered The Bayne in the past ten minutes. The doorman was still eyeing us down (mostly Jack) from a very far. I’m sure we were an odd pair.
Jack, dressed in black and tattooed from neck to hands with a cigarette between his perfect lips. And me, dressed in a maroon velvet dress, shoeless, and hair as straight as a pin and the color of a Twinkie. I’m sure my resting bitch face and Jack’s mischievous smile didn’t help us. We naturally looked like we were ready to stir up some trouble, but we weren’t.
Just because you’ve sinned does not make you a sinner.
Jack took a deep inhale, blew out the smoke and rubbed his sore neck. He looked down at me, my head still on his chest as he kissed me.
“What are you thinking, Ahrianna?” Jacked asked, thumbing my pouty bottom lip as I flashed him a smile.
“There aren’t many people to pickpocket that keycard from.” I giggled.
Jack kissed my dimple and chomped down his teeth, letting out a growl. “Do you know you’re to die and kill for?”
I shook my head, my cheeks red as fire.
“Why’d you bring me here, Jack?” I asked again.
Jack exhaled deeply. “After Link got adopted I ran away from home at fifteen.”
“You never told me that.” I turned around, plucked the cigarette out of his lips and brought it to mine.
Jack nodded. “Well, after I ran away, I lived on my own, and I got lucky. I got, eh, a one-time job then left Chicago.”
“A one-time job?” I tilted my head to the side.
“I lived in shelters, the streets, or abandoned houses or warehouses. I lived anywhere I could for free and when I needed money I came here. The Chicago Bayne Hotel.”
Jack sighed heavily and pointed at the end of the street. “I stood right there, behind the thick shrubs, blending with the night, dressed in black. I always stalked my pray before I struck. Before I took what would to be mine. Money. There was a man dressed in a black Hugo Boss suit, another man in a blue pinstriped Prada suit, and finally, my victim. A man in a white dress shirt and blue slacks, his money hanging out of his back pocket. I remember thinking, ‘What a perfect tool,’ but before I took a step. I was stopped.”
“A grip as tight as a snake suffocating his prey was on my shoulder. This man whipped my body around so hard it knocked the air out of me. I stared at this old man who was just as tall as me. He dressed in a navy-blue suit—Armani—and his skin was as black as night. He eyed me down, let out a heavy, ‘Mmmmm,’ then flashed a pearly white smile that clashed with his skin. The man was well groomed and clean shaven, not a hair on his face or head, and built like a man ready to fight. He said nothing to me. He merely chuckled, looked at his Rolex, and jerked his head to say that I should follow him. So, I did.”
“I followed him to the back of the hotel where the workers at The Bayne knew better than to say who came and went. I followed him into a personal elevator, and up we went to the 59th floor, suite number one. I was blown away. I never knew the expression, ‘mind-blown’ until I stepped foot into that private elevator, and again when I stepped into that penthouse. I had never laid eyes on anything so…” Jack inhaled sharply and chuckled. “Extraordinary.
“The man stood close to me, shoulder to shoulder, smiling at his place when he finally spoke in a thick French accent, ‘What would you do for a place like this? A life like this?’ I didn’t answer. I was too dumbfounded by his excessive lifestyle to do anything but shrug and grunt like a caveman. The man walked in front of me, snapped his fingers for my attention and looked me right in the eyes with his stone face and said, ‘Anything. You would do anything and everything for a life like mine.’”
“The man in black walked toward his office. I followed. I was paralyzed, inside a room full of endless books. The man went to his desk, opened a drawer and then came back towards me holding something wrapped in a napkin. He stood in front of me and said, ‘I’ve been watching you for weeks. Hiding behind the scrubs, pickpocketing people as they left, and each time a success.’ The man could have stopped me, but he didn’t. He let me work my petty crimes as he watched, observed, and took notes. And for some reason he needed me.”
“He unwrapped the napkin and revealed an orange pill bottle with a single yellow and red pill inside. He said, ‘You need the money. I have a job.’ I swallowed, looking at the pill until he gave me the bottle. He pulled out ten grand, all in hundreds. Crisp, clean, and still wrapped in a band labeled ‘$10,000.’ I can still remember the smell of freshly printed money and how it felt like silk at my fingertips.”
My speechless face stole Jack’s attention. He grabbed the cigarette out of my lips before it burned me and chain-smoked a fresh cigarette. Taking a massive drag, Jack blew out the smoke and let a gray cloud hover over my head.
“I took the money, Ahrianna. I took the job.” He looked at the cigarette, avoiding my eyes. “With no shame, no guilt, and no bad-gut feeling. I took the damn money and the job. I could’ve taken the ten grand and ran. But…I didn’t.”
Jack exhaled, this time looking at me. “Instead, I went downstairs to a single hotel room, used the card the man gave me and mixed the pill I was given with the rest in a bottle inside the bathroom. I went upstairs, got the other half of my money and before I left the man told me one last thing. ‘You were never here. You never saw me. And we never talked. Now, if you’re smart, you’ll leave Chicago and find the Hollow Kingdom on the East Coast. Get more jobs like this and earn some real money. You want a place like this? Then do anything and everything to get it.’”
Jack jumped off the planter and looked up at the hotel. He took in a final, deep drag before he dropped the cigarette to the concrete and stomped on it. He held the smoke in his lungs until he couldn’t hold it any longer and let it spill out of lips.
“I never knew their names. Not the man who paid me and not the man I can only assume I killed. Did I care? The less I know, the better.” Jack scoffed. “There are only three people that know of my crime. The black panther dressed in navy, Emilio-fucking-Bayne, and now…you, Ahrianna.”
Jack dropped his head to meet my eyes. His touch was gentle as he moved a lock of my hair behind my ears. I gripped the straps of my heels tight and swallowed my non-existing words. I didn't know what to say.