Disclaimer:
these girls are mine, they may look familiar and act familiar but they are all
mine. Cause we know the world is chock full o’ fine looking chicks like these,
right?
Language: Plenty of it and it’s not all good.
Sex: Of course there is sex, the hot and nasty kind. Depictions of consenting
adults participating in same sex unions and bdsm scenarios, so if you are
vanilla, be warned that this is dark chocolate, both bitter and sweet. If it
ain’t your thang, then do not pass go. Do not collect $200, just hit the road
now!
Violence:
Oh yeah, there is!
Chapter
three:
Agora: a meeting place
The next morning, Torrid began to enter the world of
conciseness; she vaguely remembered who she was and where she was, but the
bright light of the morning sun in her eyes and the feel of something wet on her
skin sort of freaked her out, “What the fuck?” she said as she sat up
suddenly in bed.
“Oh Fuck, Lockjaw!” she shouted, wiping huge amounts of
dog drool from her arm and shoulder.
”Ew!”
Lockjaw sat quietly looking at his mistress, waiting for
his long promised day in the park.
“Okay..okay! Let me shower first and get some coffee,”
Torrid replied.
She drug herself out of bed and padded to the shower,
turned the water on to heat, then went to the kitchen to make some coffee.
“Fuck. I am out of coffee.” She said as she headed back
to the shower, “Guess its Agora this morning for coffee.”
A few blocks away, Monica awoke on her own. She enjoyed
sleeping in on Saturdays, and got an extra two hours in this morning. She was
ready to start her day, and sprang out of bed and into the shower. She had
planned on taking the boys to the park after her morning coffee down at the
agora.
She loved Agora. It was a Greek coffee house where all the
neighborhood weirdoes would gather for coffee and conversation.
She hummed to herself in the shower, remembering the fun
night she had with her friends, and enjoyed the feeling of having no stress to
deal with today. Not even Torrid Duncan would bother her today.
“Oh no…I won’t be thinking of her today”, she said
to herself, “Today is all about me. Torrid Duncan doesn’t even exist.”
She smiled, proud of herself and her conviction, and
finished her dressing and primping and grabbed her keys.
“Come on boys,” she said to Jupiter and Mars, holding
their leashes, “Let’s go to the park!”
“Okay! Goddamn, boy, calm the fuck down! Yes—yes
we’re going!” Torrid tried to calm her massive pit bull, Lock Jaw. His 90
lbs was hard to handle when we was all worked up, even for her. She grabbed her
keys and got pulled out the door.
Once outside, she took a moment to enjoy the scent of a
beautiful morning. It was still early, the neighborhood was still quiet and the
air was cool. There was a dewy frosting over everything, and the smell of baked
goods and coffee permeated the air. It was a fine place to be on a day like to
day, and it made Torrid feel grounded.
“I could use a nice day,” she said, “Come on boy,
let’s go.”
The park was not too full, so Monica decided it wouldn’t
hurt to take the dogs into the rose garden. She parked there, and proceeded in.
Herman Park was a huge park with a zoo, museum, outdoor amphitheatre and many
attractions; but it was also a large wooded park, perfect for running dogs and
playing sports.
Monica loved to watch people playing and picnicking and
frolicking. Things had been so joyless for her the past few years, and the
troubles with her parents were stressful. Their drinking was taking its toll on
them, and it was hard on Monica. She needed something in her life, and though
wild hair and a tattoo helped her to process some of the pain, she craved
something that was just out of reach.
She knew what it was, but she didn’t want to think about
it. “Besides,” she said aloud to herself, “You can’t make someone love
you, if they don’t.” She sighed and lost herself in thought and decided to
do some people watching. She sat at an empty picnic spot and looked across the
park to watch people coming and going near the duck pond.
There she spied a really beautiful dog, a huge Pit bull. He
was white with piebald markings. He was lead by a beautiful woman, dark, tall,
tattooed? Torrid?
Oh no way! She thought to herself, This
can’t be happening! God don’t let her see me…
Torrid skipped stones across
the duck pond and played and chased with Lockjaw. She loved the park and loved
playing with her dog, since it gave her an excuse to be a kid again. She missed
carefree times and having fun. Her life was sort of empty, and had been ever
since Elektra.
She had been betrayed by
someone she had given her all to. She had trusted Elektra with everything.
Testifying at Elektra’s
trial was hard for her, but the Grand jury wouldn’t find her responsible if
she were a willing witness for the prosecution; it wasn’t her idea of cosmic
justice, more like irony. Because she had been betrayed, her testimony was in
itself another form of betrayal. Ironic.
The whole thing vexed Torrid
and she felt very bad about it, even after all the shit Elektra had put her
through. Elektra had spent years writing threatening letters and harassing
Torrid via phone and mail. Torrid finally had a restraining order put on her,
but felt guilty for it. Why?
Why do I feel guilty when she
fuckin deserved it? She thought to herself, because I pity her.
Deep down I pity her. She’s fucked in the head and won’t ever be right.
Something was definitely
missing from Torrid’s life. It was something just out of reach, and she knew
it. Something so close she could taste it, but had no idea what it was.
She sat at a picnic table and
let Lockjaw off his lead to prowl, and looked around the park at the other
people. Torrid wondered if they had missing pieces too. She watched some people
playing Frisbee. She saw a girl and her two black dogs. A girl with pink hair, cute,
she smiled to herself. Pink hair, just like Monica’s.
Monica…why does she keep
showing up in my life? What is it about her? She’s cute, she’s sexy, has a
great ass, and knows how to put out. I don’t know much else about her…except
that she is desperate for freedom. She’s longing to break free from something.
I know that because of her
ink. Ink tells a lot. Ink and Steel, how they reveal.
“Come on boy,” she said to
Lockjaw who had treed a squirrel, “Let’s go see this pink haired girl, and
buy her a coffee.”
Monica sat watching in horror as Torrid started walking her
way. She even thought of cutting and running to avoid another venomous exchange.
She always seemed to get angry at Torrid and throw out some mean comment, which
she later regretted. “Shit,” she said to the boys, “Time to face the
music.”
Torrid walked up to her with Lockjaw at heel.
“Hey Monica, nice day ain’t it?”
Monica smiled at Torrid’s friendly demeanor, this is
different, she thought.
“Uh…sure, lovely. Hey Lockjaw, how are you boy?” She
said as she patted her leg for him to come get pets.
She loved this big meaty dog. Her own dogs likewise were
snorting and sniffing on Torrid who was not sure what to make of them.
”Hey aren’t Chows dangerous?” she asked nervously.
Monica laughed, “this from a woman who has a pit bull and
rides a motorcycle. Okay boys, don’t eat her all in one bite, heel.”
“Thanks,” said Torrid, “Er..I was gonna offer to buy
you a cup of coffee. Sort of a peace offering, you know..for yesterday?”
“Oh really? That’s a surprise?”
“It is?”
“I didn’t know you felt guilty about yesterday.”
”I don’t, I just—you want the fuckin coffee or not?” Torrid replied
sharply.
Monica furrowed her brows, she felt anger stirring in her
gut, but fought it back. She though to herself that she should accept Torrid’s
offer and really sit down and get to know her before she bitched her out again
about fucking her and blowing her off.
“Okay. I want Agora.”
“I was going there anyway, so that works, “ Torrid
grinned, “But what do we do with the dogs?”
Monica shook her keys, “My place. I’ll drive. Come on,
tough girl.” She grinned and headed off making Torrid follow her. Torrid
followed her. She beamed.
“What’s this?” said Elektra to herself, “Torrid
walking with a pink haired girl. Who is she? Someone special, Torrid?”
She slowly followed the unsuspecting couple through the
park trails to Monica’s Tahoe.
Elektra took out a pen and jotted down the license plate
number and wrote a quick description of the vehicle.
She picked up her cell phone and dialed the DMV. She
watched as the pair laughed, and tried to get the three dogs into the suv. While
she spoke to the woman on the other end of the phone, she hatched a plot.
“Thanks a lot. You too.”
<click>
“Nice to meet you Monica. We’re going to be such good
…friends.” A feral grin crossed her face, as she drove passed.
Torrid opened the door for Monica as they entered the
Agora. It was cool and quiet inside, and the décor was old world, ethnic Greek.
The smell of coffees and desserts filled the air, and Monica grabbed a table
near the window that looked out onto the patio. In the corner a group of men sat
and played board games, and talked. It seemed like every time she was there
Monica saw the same men. It was nice to have consistency in things, even simple
ones.
Torrid ordered an espresso for herself and a latte for
Monica and brought them to the table.
“Coffee, the nectar of the Gods.” She said as she sat
the drinks down.
“Speaking of which,” Monica added, and indicated the
image of the Love Goddess Aphrodite poised above the table. The walls of Agora
were decorated with scenes of the Ancient Greek past, somehow familiar to the
duo, yet so exotic and far away.
“Aphrodite,” Torrid said, “Greek Goddess of love and
sex. She’s my favorite.”
“Yeah, especially the sex part!” Monica said, then bit
her tongue realizing she maybe shouldn’t have said it. Torrid seemed a little
hurt. Why would she be though? She is all about the sex, thought
Monica.
“Torrid, I am sorry—that was out of line.” She
apologized.
“Yeah, it was.” Torrid snapped.
“I didn’t realize tough girls were so moody,” she
muttered as she sipped her latte.
“Moody? I am so not moody!”
“Are too.”
”How the fuck would you know? You don’t even know me, Miss Vanilla Ice.”
Torrid said flatly.
“You’re right, I’m sorry,” said Monica, feeling the
sting, “But I’d like to..” her voice trailed off as she looked into
Torrid’s eyes. Torrid froze.
Shit, she thought, what do I do now? If I say
anything other than yes, I am going to come off as a dick. So? Why should I care
if this chick thinks I am a dick? Why should I give a shit what she thinks? Why
am I sitting here having coffee with her? Because I invited her.
Why the hell did I do that? I don’t date, I fuck. Period.
No matter how cute, or sexy, or beautiful she is. Or how green her eyes, or soft
her skin…or sweet her mouth…
“Torrid?”
“Huh? Oh …yeah…sure.”
“Great, it’s a date then?” Monica asked eagerly.
“What? What’s a date? Did I miss something?” Torrid
panicked.
“I just asked you if you would like to go to dinner, and
you said sure.”
Torrid had the best deer in the headlights look Monica had
ever seen. Monica knew then that Torrid didn’t hear what she was saying and
fumbled into the invitation unwittingly. She secretly thanked the Goddess of
love, and quietly sipped her coffee.
Torrid sipped her espresso in silence, trying to figure out
where it all went wrong. What does one wear on a fucking date?
After coffee, Monica dropped Torrid and Lockjaw back at her
studio and said she’d be back to get Torrid at eight.
“No, wait babe. I’ll drive. I will go to dinner with
you, but I ain’t being picked up, no way-- no how! Dig?” she said, putting
her foot down.
“Okay, well you know where I live, so, see ya later.”
And before Torrid could protest, Monica placed a gentle chaste kiss on her lips
and was gone.
Torrid touched her fingers to her lips, thinking how soft
and sweet of a sensation that was, then reality hit her like a bolt of
lightning, and she said to Lockjaw,
“What the fuck just happened?” he did not reply.
“No more park the rest of the week!” she said as she
took him into SKIN DEEP.
Inside Drew was there getting ready to open.
“Hi boss, how was the park?”
”Don’t ask.”
“What happened? Lockjaw bite someone’s ass again?”
“No—I have a date with that Monica chick tonight. She
fucking ambushed me into it!”
“Oh poor you, gotta have a date with a hot braud…I’d
give my nuts to suffer like you,” Drew scolded.
“Oh fuck you—get to work. I’m going upstairs…to
do…stuff.” With that she went up the steps to her loft. Drew looked at
Lockjaw and smiled, “Good boy!”
Upstairs in her loft Torrid was going through her closet.
She was looking for something sexy to wear to dinner on her “date” with
Monica.
“Ha!” she huffed, “Date, indeed. I was shanghaied!”
She took out her leathers.
“Okay Monica, you want a bad girl..”, she laughed,
“You’ll get one. I remember how you looked at me when I had this on
before.”
She tossed them on the bed and went to her computer to
check her email. One message.
It was from the parole board, notifying Torrid that Elektra
is out on an early release.
“Holy shit!” Torrid exclaimed, “How long has she been
out??”
All day Monica was shopping for just the right outfit. She
wanted to make herself irresistibly gorgeous for Torrid; she wanted to drive her
insane with desire. She had her hair done, and bought shoes. Now she just needed
the perfect ensemble to finish the look, and a manicure and she would be set.
She opted to have her nails done first so that she could
match an outfit to her nails. So she pulled into the parking space in front of
CLASSIC NAILS, her favorite salon and went to the door, but the closed sign was
up.
She turned to leave when she heard a voice call out to her;
“Be right with you,” said the woman, “Just tidying up
back here—have a seat and make yourself at home.”
“Okay!” Monica yelled back.
Nancy Wu stared up at the woman who wore her smock and held
her manicure kit. She saw nothing but darkness. Her eyes were empty windows. Her
last vision: the face of Elektra Knossoss and blackness.
copyright 2003, Black Cherry. All rights reserved.