DarklyEverAfter Read Online Free

find some reserves for days like these.
    Arriving at the store, I picked a reasonable bottle and a pack of Lucky Strikes, matches, and a nickel bottle of cola. The cute little number behind the counter smelled of Bazooka gum and cigarettes. They start so young today. At sixteen, she probably knew as much about sex and smoking as her mother. The only thing that stopped me from asking her to stop by the motel was the fact that I would have needed two of them to make my age.
     
    The motel clerk shouted something to me about the noise in my room when I asked for the key. Not wanting to miss anything, the young lady reminded me that I had only paid for two people and that the couple waiting for me in my room was over the limit. I didn’t see the value to paying for another guy for our particular business. I offered to send him back to pay, a proposition she accepted. If he paid, that was fine with me, but I had no intention on letting him return to the room. I may have sunk to the level of a gigolo, but I stop at man-whore.
    The sidewalk in front of the room vibrated from the music blaring through the open window. I had heard of the Beatles, but from what I could hear, they were just another flash in the pan, soon to be set aside with the next truly beautiful Elvis song. He was the real thing, a hero and a star. He sang so well they let him do movies. When the Beatles are gone, Elvis will still thrill the ladies.
    I stood at the window trying to get a look into the room. I figured someday Ann’s husband would put a stop to this and I didn’t want to meet the man he chose to end my part of the arrangement. Nor was I interested in being part of the arrangements he most assuredly used to insure that I never came back to trifle with his trophy wife. He was no stranger to hired killers, nor for using them to keep what he wanted. I didn’t wish to walk into a trap.
    Ann was a looker, dressed in the latest styles and shaped like Twiggy. The best part of her was those hips, narrow and limber. I often wondered why a middle-aged man like me shook her sexy bone. Maybe she just liked making her old man jealous. Maybe she wanted something dirty and white with a trash-like attitude. Either way, I just loved it when she wrapped those long legs around my waist so tight I could hardly breathe.
    The shades blocked most of the view, but I could make out the brunette in the chair. The tight sequin dress and high heels gave her buxom frame more definition and curves. She was a beauty, but not Ann. The guy looked a lot like Ann’s brother. Tall and dark, he worked for the old man as an enforcer from time to time, collecting rent and helping to remind people of the consequences when they failed to pay. He was scary, but I knew he would never harm me. Ann wouldn’t let him.
    I opened the door. The wall of music hit my stomach like yesterday’s tuna. Seeing the two dancing to the song, giggling and gyrating in time with the music, made me a little seasick. Perhaps it wasn’t just the music. I probably should have eaten something. It was too late to go for a hotdog, not that I think they wanted to leave the room anyway.
    “Where’s Ann?”
    The two stopped the music. Staring at me as if they hadn’t expected me left me feeling like a second wheel, a bit out of place and a long way from home. Tommy walked over and hugged me like we were long, lost friends. The smile from Rikki let me know there was nothing to fear.
    “She will be late. She sent us here to entertain you until she arrives.” Tommy returned to the radio and dialed a quieter song. “Is that better?”
    “Yeah,” I said. “The motel clerk is complaining.”
    The slow melodic song rolled over Rikki’s body like she was being possessed. Her hips swayed in time with Benny Goodman and before long, she was throwing her body at Tommy. I grabbed a cigarette from the pack and lit it. The smoke gave the room a bar-like effect, reminding me of the pint of rock gut hanging out alone in