The Loverboy (11 page)

thought about taking another line but after the conversation she
had with Anisha she thought better of it. The bag was almost
empty. Over the next few days she only took some when her body
was hurting so bad for it that she couldn‟t stand it but she
kept it to a minimum. She wasn‟t going to end up like the girls
walking the street.
Anisha became a good friend in Jake‟s absence and they
spent a while together every day on the steps in front of the
aging apartment building. Anisha would tell about her adventures
walking the street and Kim just listened most of the time
fascinated at how anyone could slip into that life and think it
was a normal progression of her life. Kim slowly started to
realize how good she had had it with her mom.
Chapter 12:
That night she spoke to Jake and he told her he would be
home the following night. They had spoken every day for a long
time but this time he seemed off. He wasn‟t his cheerful self
and seemed in a hurry to get off the phone.
She asked if something was wrong and he just responded with
“I‟ll tell you tomorrow when I get back.”
She was thrilled he was coming back. It had been lonely
without him and she really missed him. Why did he have to go so
much? Why couldn‟t he always be with her? She had tried to bring
it up before but he evaded the subject and she didn‟t push it
not wanting to smother him. Anisha had been good company and she
always had great stories but she wanted Jake back. She wondered
what could be wrong though. It was probably just the stress of
finding a job in this economy. She would make him feel better,
that she was sure of.
The next day she hung out with Anisha again and together
they finished of the last of the drugs. Anisha thanked her and
warned her at the same time.
“I‟m cutting back” Kim said a little annoyed.
Like Anisha was one to talk, she thought. Later in the
afternoon she went back inside and dropped the empty bag on the
table. She had come down from the high a while ago and was
craving another hit. There was none and that was ok she thought.
She wanted to cut down anyway and it wasn‟t hurting yet. When
Jake came home there would be more again. She took a shower so
she would be all ready for Jake when he got home.
In the mirror she checked out the tattoo. With everything
going on she had not been taking care of it as she should have.
She hadn‟t applied the Vaseline as much as she needed and hadn‟t
covered it up while showering, but it still looked good. The
scabs had fallen off and it was almost completely healed. The
lines showed a little fading which she attributed to the lack of
care but it was barely noticeable. She smiled as she thought of
Jake when she looked at the tattoo. It might take a bit but Jake
will get us out of this she reassured herself and we will be
together.
She got dressed and wore a cute pink top with a short white
skirt. This should get his attention she convinced herself. It
wasn‟t until nine that evening that she saw Jake pull up. He
looked somber as he approached the door. He came in and she
flung herself at him hugging him tight.
“You are a sight for sore eyes” he said with a forced
smile.
They kissed and stood there for a long while kissing and
hugging.
He finally broke away and said “We need to talk.”
She looked at him in fearful surprise and they sat down. He
picked up the empty bag and asked if it was all gone. She nodded
sheepishly.
“Sorry” she said like a kid caught with her hand in the
cookie jar.
She was starting to hurt by now her body demanding more but
this didn‟t seem like a good time to bring that up. His
expression grew more somber. He sighed and finally spoke.
“I got the drugs from a friend” he explained, “One of the
guys they had met in the club when they went out.”
She remembered the guy, he had been tall, dark, handsome
and very friendly and she had really liked him.
“It was actually a business deal” he continued, “I was
going to sell it for him and we would split the profit. He wants
his money. We were going to get about six thousand for it. The
cost had been three thousand so he would get four and a half and
I would get one and a half thousand.”
He picked up the bag and dropped it again.
“I need to pay him four and a half thousand by next week
and I am broke. If I had a bit more time I could come up with
it. I‟ve got an angle on something and could fix it but that
will take more than a week” he explained.
Fearful of the answer Kim asked “What if you don‟t have
it?”
“If I‟m lucky he has his guys break some bones. Or he could
set an example and have me killed” Jake responded.
Kim shuddered “Isn‟t he your friend?” she asked, “Surely he
wouldn‟t hurt you?”
“It‟s not personal, it‟s business. If he lets me get away
with this than everybody thinks they can push him around. He‟s
protecting his business” Jake said.
“Can‟t you sell the car?” Kim asked.
Jake shook his head “no, I owe more on it than it‟s worth.
If only I had a little more time” Jake paused, “He even offered
me a deal” he said with a snicker of disbelief.
“What deal?” she asked hopeful.
“Nothing” he said, “it‟s not an option.”
“What?” She demanded.
Jake sighed paused for a second, then he said “He had
remembered you...And really liked you. He said that he would
give me an extra month and would only make me pay the three
thousand in cost instead of the four and a half if you would
have sex with him.”
Kim‟s eyes widened “What?!?” she said in disbelief.
“I told you it‟s not an option” Jake said.
Kim was shocked. She felt guilty for having used the drugs
but she wasn‟t going to have sex with this stranger. She wasn‟t
a prostitute. She sat in silence shocked at what Jake had told
her.
“I‟ll figure something out” Jake said, “Don‟t worry about
it. It‟s not your problem.”
She was relieved that he tried to protect her but it was
her problem. Jake was in trouble because what happened to her
and he had protected her and made her feel better with the drugs
and now he was in serious danger. She shuddered at the thought
but if it would save Jake would it really be that bad? It would
just be sex. Nothing else and they could move on. She couldn‟t
think about it.
“He‟d even offered to get me some more for you if you slept
with him” Jake added.
“I can do without” Kim said bravely as her body ached for
more.
“Let‟s go to bed” she suggested, “tomorrow we will figure
it out.”
He nodded and she pulled him of the couch and led him into
the bedroom. They just laid there in each other‟s arms without
speaking. Kim was hurting bad by now and really needed a hit but
she wasn‟t going to let him know. He had worried enough about
her. He had other things on his mind and she needed to support
him and not be more of a burden. He fell asleep shortly and she
laid there next to him until he was fast asleep. She got up and
found the pill bottle in his coat and took two pills. The pain
was getting worse and if she couldn‟t have another line then
maybe she could sleep through it. She took the pills and lay
back down. Not long after she too dozed off.
The next morning he was in a better mood. He was going out
and follow-up on some leads he had and he would fix it.
Something would pay off. His good mood was contagious and it put
her in a better mood too. She kissed him and he grabbed her.
“I‟ll fix this and then we can start working on our future
together” he promised with a smile.
She smiled back and kissed him passionately.
“Can‟t you stay for a little bit longer?” she begged with a
seductive smile.
He looked at her and nodded.
“Sure, but just a little bit” he said and kissed her again
as he started to undress her.
They made love and laid in each other‟s arms for a while
when he jerked up and said “Ok, enough. I have to get going if I
want to get anything done today” with a smile.
She smiled back making no effort to get up. He got up, took
a shower and then got dressed. She kissed him goodbye and he
left. She felt good about it all again. They would find a way to
pay off the debt and move on. She took a shower and as the water
ran over her body she started to feel her body demand the drugs
again. She got out of the shower and got dressed. In the living
room she found the empty bag and ran her finger around in it to
pick up and residue and rubbed it on her gums. It took the edge
off but no more than that. She picked up and soon heard the
outside door open and shut. It was nice outside and Anisha was
out there early. Kim quickly went outside to join her needing to
confide in someone. She told her about what Jake had told her.
“Hell, I‟ll do him for fifteen hundred bucks” she had
responded and laughed.
Kim shrugged.
“I hope your guy figures something out though. It‟s a
slippery slope” Anisha added as she pulled out a cigarette and
lit it.
Kim immediately smelled the pot and looked at it eagerly.
Anisha looked at her and asked if she wanted one too. Kim
eagerly accepted and lit one up too. She coughed a little but
settled down quickly, another way to take the edge off. The high
wasn‟t anything like the coke but it kept her body from
protesting too much. They sat for a few hours chatting away
until Anisha announced she had to get ready. They both went
inside and into their respective apartment. Kim watched TV, this
was nice she thought. On the coke she hadn‟t been able to settle
down and sit. With the pot she felt relaxed. Night fell and Jake
again didn‟t get home until late, it was after ten this time. He
was in a mood like yesterday. Things clearly hadn‟t worked out.
The next few days went similar but every night Jake came home
later and more stressed and every morning he was less positive
about the day ahead.
After a few days she had stayed up waiting for him until
four am and he still wasn‟t home. She had tried to call him but
no answer. She was getting really worried and wanted to call the
police but that didn‟t seem like a good idea. Calling her mom
had crossed her mind but that didn‟t seem like much better of an
idea. She finally had dozed off on the couch at four thirty. He
walked in at nine am and she startled awake. He was more
dejected than ever. He had two more days to pay up and nothing
was working out. He had one angle left but that one would take
at least two weeks and he had only two days and he seemed
depressed and afraid. In two days they would come looking for
him and it wasn‟t going to be good. She shook off the grogginess
and put an arm around him. She couldn‟t see him this way and she
couldn‟t bear the thought of losing him after all he had done
for her.
“I‟ll do it” she whispered in his ear almost surprised at
herself for saying it.
He looked at her in shock.
“No” he said, “I can‟t let you.”
“I don‟t want to lose you” she said, “And it‟s because of
me you are in this mess. I can help fix it.”
She gave him a look of determination.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
She nodded.
“Ok, I don‟t know what else to do” he said, “I‟ll set it
up.”
He grabbed his phone and stepped outside so not to upset
her. She looked out the window and she saw him on the phone
pacing nervously. He hung up and came back in.
“Tomorrow at noon” he said his head hanging low in guilt,
“I‟ll drop you off at his place then pick you up an hour later.”
She lifted his head and kissed him.
“You start working on getting it straightened out and I‟ll
take care of this. Don‟t worry about me” she said bravely.
They spend the day together as if one of them was going
away for a long time. The mood was somber and not much was said.
She was with him though and in a weird way she felt good that
she could finally do something for him. They went to bed early
and slept in each other‟s arms. The next morning she took a
shower and got dressed in a button up shirt and a pair of casual
jeans.
“Are you sure?” he asked again.
She nodded and they left. They drove to Milwaukee and were
quiet most of the way there. When they got to Milwaukee she slid
lower into the passenger side seat. She didn‟t want to be seen
by anyone she knew. The city was big and the chance of being
seen was slim but she was nervous just the same. They stopped by
a high rise apartment building in the center of the city much
like the place Jake had taken her to when they had gone out.
He opened her door and said “Apartment 816, I‟ll wait down
here.”
She was about to get out as he stopped her. He kissed her
and told her he loved her. She smiled nervously. Then he reached
into his pocket and pulled out a little baggy with a white
powder. It was cocaine.
“This will make it easier” he said.
Her body immediately demanded she take it. It had been a
few days since she last had it and she wanted it, especially
now. Anisha‟s pot had helped but this was the real deal. She
looked at the powder longingly and shook her head.
“No, thanks” she said, “That‟s what got us into this mess.”
And she got out of the car closing the door behind her, she
paused looking at the building and took in a big breath, then
she walked towards the building. Jake looked on as she
disappeared into the building. She was greeted by the doorman as
he opened the door for her. This place was expensive. She walked
to the elevator and pushed the up button. One of the elevators
opened with a ping immediately. She got inside and pushed the
button for the 8th floor and the elevator carried her up with
efficient speed. When she left the elevator she stepped into an
elegant hallway with marble floors covered by expensive looking
rugs. To he left she saw a door with the number 816 on it and
she stood in front of the door. She paused and took another deep
breath. Then she knocked on the door.
Chapter 13:
She stood there waiting nervously thinking about running.
But she just stood there. Moments later the door opened and
before her stood Antoine. He was at least six foot four inches
and wore designer jeans and a white shirt that was completely
unbuttoned showing off his muscular frame. He looked like guys
she saw in magazines. He was well built and attractive.