Darkest Woods: Chapter 10

Some rap song played loudly in the next room waking them. Ethan reached up and pounded on the wall. The occupants of the next room turned it down, but it made the sex they were having louder. Ethan fell back on his pillow and looked over at his love, the cut on her cheek from the fall in the woods was almost gone, but the marks he had left on her were still there, a visible beacon of his guilt. He touched her cheek with his hand and planted little kissed all over her face. Her hand caressed the side of his stomach.

 

“You don’t have to go to work today, do you?”

 

Ethan rolled over and hugged her tight to him, “I don’t think so but I’m not sure. If Jim calls me then I guess I’ll have to.”

 

“I hope you don’t. Let’s go see some of the city.”

 

“You got it, baby.”

 

Ethan got up and flipped on the television letting it play in the background. He went to the small fridge and opened it, and saw that the bottle he had bought yesterday was almost gone. He swigged the rest and threw the empty in the trash. He pulled on his pants and checked his pocket for the money he had gotten yesterday from Fred.

 

“I’m going to the store, you want anything?”

 

She pushed herself up and wrinkled her nose, “Not that crappy Mexican food from that place anymore. It was nasty. I could go for a burger though. Orange pop?”

 

He went over to the bed after he finished dressing and kissed her gently, “Orange pop for my baby.”

 

He walked out of the room and started to cross the parking lot when he saw Cissy sitting outside of her room smoking a cigarette. She waved at him, and the curiosity got the better of him. He went over, intent on finding out how she knew he was sucking cock, but also to tell her to stay the fuck away from Brooke.

 

Cissy was a pretty but hard looking. Her dark hair was obviously dyed it was so matte black and her makeup was always too heavy, but Ethan could see how once she had been a real beauty. He wondered if this life would do that to him as well.

 

“Hey badass.” She said and took a long drag of her smoke, still wearing the same pink robe that barely covered her ass. She was sitting on an old plastic chair and he took the other one.

 

“Badass?”

 

“Takes a badass to beat up a sweet little thing like Brooke.” She looked at his neck and smiled, “But I see the little thing can’t fight back. That’s good if she’s in the life.”

 

Ethan stood up, “She ain’t gonna be in the life, and don’t even start to think you-“

 

“Sit the fuck down. I don’t wanna see her pimped out. But if you’re in the life, then she’s in it too, by proxy.”

 

“That’s what I want to ask you, how, I mean…”

 

“How did I know? Honey when you’ve been a ho as long as me you can tell when someone’s lips have been wrapped around a dick. I still have that balm. It does help.”

 

Ethan sat back down and rubbed his face with both his hands, “I didn’t go looking for it. Fuck, I’d never have thought I would.”

 

“Shit, kid, in this life we gotta do what we have to. You think this was my big dream? It happens and once it gets you it hangs on. A gorgeous kid like you, this town? It was bound to happen. Just be careful. Lots of freaks in Hollywood. Hollywood is the darkest forest in the world no matter how bright the lights seem.”

 

“I have to take care of her. This is the only way.”

 

“I get it; you don’t have to explain it to me. But you either tell her now or never tell her. Don’t make it some drunken confession two years down the line. Never let her know, because it will taint her more. It’s already going to mess with her life even without her knowing it. Just like it did last night.”

 

“You heard?”

 

“We all heard.”

 

“Why didn’t someone stop me?”

 

“Huh! This place we mind our own business unless someone is dying, and the screams that came after your two were done fighting weren’t no screams of dying. Then you leave and come back with a little stuffed animal for her. Not the classiest, but a gesture. Next time, make it a diamond. I’m sure with your fine little ass you’ll be rolling in cash soon.”

 

“There won’t be any next time, Cissy.”

 

Cissy snuffed out her cigarette and got up, “Yeah, okay. You two have lived through something, I ain’t in no position to guess what, but you both have a lot inside, but you also have a love that is burning red hot right now. That combo will make things interesting. Just don’t let the fire burn so hot it burns you all up.”

 

Cissy went back into her room and Ethan got up and started again for the store. He went to the liquor store first and paid another drunk hobo to buy him a bottle, then started to head for the burger stand. Just as he had order and was waiting his phone went off. He moved away from the window and answered, “Hello”

 

“Ethan? Fuck kid we gotta talk. Did you tell Fred you had no limits?”

 

It was Michael and he sounded angry, “Y-yeah, why?”

 

“It’s your ass and I mean that literally. He’s gong to hold you to that. That fucker can get brutal.”

 

“How brutal?”

 

“Enough so you’ll be walking funny for a week. I don’t care what you do, but I like you, kid, and I like fucking you. I would just like something left to fuck.”

 

Ethan took a deep breath, “Michael, I’m glad you’re worried about me. If I don’t like what he’s doing I throw on the brakes, okay?”

 

“Make a safe word, do you know what that is?”

 

Ethan had no idea but he didn’t want to sound any more naïve that he already had so he said, “Of course.”

 

“Then use it. Okay, besides all that I have two more clients for you. I’ll text you the info, and you can expect them to call you in the next couple of days.”

 

“Great, thanks, Michael.”

 

“No problem, Ethan. Just be careful what you say to these guys and what you let them do. Some have some pretty sick proclivities.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

He got the food and headed back to the motel. He started to get uneasy, and it was Tuesday. He’d be seeing Fred the next day. He stopped at Cissy’s door and knocked. When she opened up he said, “Can I come by and ask you a few things later?”

 

Cissy looked at his huge dark midnight blue eyes and melted, “Of course, sweetie. I’m off today, Aunt Flow is visiting.”

 

“Alright, thanks.”

 

Back in his and Brooke’s room she was on the bed in her underwear and held her hands out for the bag. He handed it to her with a smile. “Thanks, baby!”

 

Sometimes he forgot, what with all they had been through, how young she really was. He was too, but he didn’t feel young anymore. She looked so young and innocent. He wished he could keep her like that. Cissy’s words haunted him. He in no wanted to tell her what he was doing for the money. She would never look at him the same way. Right now he was her knight in shining armor, she just had no idea how tarnished the armor really was.

 

He downed some whiskey while he absently chewed on his burger, Brooke into the movie that was on. He put his burger down, no longer hungry, the whiskey was filling him with the sweet warmness he needed. He poured some in a plastic cup and left the bottle in the fridge then went to the door. Brooke called after him, “Where are you going?”

 

“Just getting some air. I’ll be right back.”

 

“Okay.”

 

He walked down and knocked on Cissy’s door. She opened it and he went in the door closing it behind him. Her room was covered in pink scarves draped over the ugly furniture and lamps, there were scented candles on every surface and a line of her high heels stuck out from under the dresser. “Have a seat.”

 

He sat on the chair next to the table, then turned to her, “I know this sounds dumb, but what is a safe word?”

 

She looked at him while she plopped down belly first on her bed, leaning up on her elbows, “You’re shitting me right?”

 

Ethan smiled a shy smile and shook his head, “Not really.”

 

“Wow kid these guys are gonna eat you up and spit you out! A safe word is a word you use when you are doing something kinky and it’s getting too intense or too painful for you. You agree with your partner on it before you start, and if one uses it the other stops whatever they are doing at the time without stopping the whole thing. Like say your safe word is lampshade, and I’m spanking you, but I am going way too hard, then you say lampshade. I stop or mellow the spanking and we keep going with the sex or roll play.”

 

“Okay, then it’s a good thing.” He stopped and covered his face with his hand, not wanting to see her reaction to his next question, “If I told a guy I have no limits…”

 

Cissy got off of the bed and knelt down in front of him, pulling his hand away from his eyes, “Sweetie, you didn’t did you?”

 

Ethan nodded.

 

“Honey listen to me, I have seen guys like you. They think that physical pain is going to chase away the demons, but it won’t. It invites more demons until there are so many you can’t breathe. Some guys it’s fighting, some it’s rough sex, some it’s jumping out of airplanes, drugs, booze.”

 

“Okay, okay, I got it. I’ll use a safe word.”

 

Cissy put her head down and stood up. She went over to a drawer and pulled something out of it and walked back over to him. It was a card with a name and phone number on it.

 

                                    Janice Parson

                                    818-555-9900

 

“Who’s this?”

 

This is a lady that helps some of the girls on the street. She’s a good woman. If it ever gets too much for you, call her. She can help, and don’t worry; she’s not turning you over to children’s services or the cops or anything. She knows that is what most kids are running away from. Just call her if it gets too much to handle. Promise me?”

 

“Yeah, sure. Thanks Cissy.”