Chapter 1: Introduction
The neon lights of the seedy motel flickered and buzzed, casting an eerie glow over the cracked parking lot and the rusted-out cars parked haphazardly around the main building. John pulled into an empty parking spot in front of room 6, where Lucy had told him to meet her. The motel was a dump, the kind of place where people went to forget their problems, or to forget that they ever had a life outside of these grimy walls. He stepped out of his car, the cool night air nipping at his skin, and looked up at the room. The window was cracked open, a faint cloud of smoke drifting out. He could hear muffled voices, the low hum of a TV, and a distant, thumping bassline from one of the neighboring rooms.
He knocked on the door, three quick raps. It creaked open slowly, revealing a thin, pale arm that gestured him inside.
John stepped into the dingy room, the door closing behind him with a thud. The smell of cheap perfume and stale cigarettes told him he had come to the right place.
Lucy sat down on the edge of the bed and looked him over. Her hair a was tangled mess of dark curls. Despite her sunken cheeks, missing teeth, and terrible acne, you could tell that she was once a pretty girl before she became a junkie. She was wearing a short, faded dress, her bare legs crossed at the ankles. Her eyes were glassy, pupils dilated, and she fidgeted with a small, crumpled plastic bag in her hand. John could see the remnants of powder clinging to the corners, a few grains still caught in the folds.
"Before we get started, I need to see the money" Lucy said, licking her dry lips.
John dug into his pocket and pulled out a crinkled roll of bills. He took two hundred dollar bills from the roll and set them on the table.
"Here's your money, and here's the party favors" he pulled a large bottle of rum out of his duffle bad and then dumped the rest of it's contents on the table. Out of it spilled a series of small baggies full of assorted powders, crystals and pills.
Lucy's eyes widened, a flicker of greed and desperation sparking in her dilated pupils. She had never seen so many drugs all at once and it had been hours since her last fix. She snatched up a baggie of white powder and dipped her finger in, swirling it around before bringing it to her nose. She leaned back against the headboard, her head lolling to the side as she inhaled deeply.
John took a swig of the rum and watched her, a smirk playing on his lips. He had a feeling she was going to need more than one hit to keep up with him. He passed her the rum and set down a mirror and dumped a large baggie of cocaine on to it. He pulled out a credit card and began to shape it into neat lines. Lucy took a deep swig from the bottle and watched, her eyes on the coke, her nose twitching like a rabbit's. She had never seen that much coke before in her life.
She couldn't wait to get her hands on it. John sat down on the bed beside her, the springs creaking beneath them. He handed her a rolled-up hundred dollar bill and gestured to the lines he had set out.
"Help yourself, sweetheart," he said, his voice low and raspy.
Lucy handed back the bottle and snatched the bill from him, her hands shaking with anticipation. She leaned over the mirror, her nose almost touching the smooth, white surface. She took a deep breath, inhaled a line, and felt the world explode in her head. She leaned back, her eyes rolling.
"Fuck, that's good shit." She turned to John, her pupils blown wide. "You want some?"
John grinned. He leaned in, snorting a line. He felt his heart race, his pulse pounding in his ears. He looked over at Lucy, her lips parted, her tongue darting out to wet them. He could see the hunger in her eyes, the desperate need for more.
"You want more, baby?" he asked, his voice low and hoarse.
Lucy nodded, her eyes never leaving his.
She was already feeling the coke coursing through her veins, her heart racing, her skin hot and prickly. She wanted more. She always wanted more.
John leaned in, his breath hot on her ear. "You know what I like, baby? I like to see a girl get fucked up. I like to see her lose control." He grabbed her chin, his thumb brushing against her bottom lip. "You're a dirty little junkie, aren't you? You can't get enough, can you?"
Lucy felt a thrill of excitement and shame. She nodded, her pupils dilated, her breath coming in short gasps.
"Yeah, I'm a fucking junkie. I can't get enough."
John's hand slid down her throat, his fingers wrapping around her neck, not tightly, but enough to make her feel his power. He could feel her pulse pounding against his palm. He squeezed gently, making her gasp.
"You're mine tonight, Lucy. All mine."
She nodded again, her eyes locked on his. He could see the fear in them, mixed with the desire and the drugs. He loved that mix.
"Now let's do some fucking drugs, little junkie" he said, his voice a growl. He poured out some more coke and made some lines, bigger this time than before. He leaned over and took one, then passed the bill to her.
She leaned over and snorted the line, her eyes watering. She felt a rush of euphoria, her heart pounding in her chest. She felt like she was on fire. She felt alive.
John watched her, his eyes on her lips, her nose, her throat. He could see the veins pulsing under her skin.
She was so high, her body was practically vibrating with it. He could feel it too, coursing through his veins like a wildfire, setting him on edge. He wanted to fuck her. He wanted to feel her body convulse under him as he drove into her. He wanted to hear her scream.
He reached for her, his hand gripping her thigh, his fingers digging into the soft flesh. She gasped, her body arching into his touch. He could feel the heat radiating off her, her skin burning up.
"You're so fucking hot, Lucy," he growled, his voice thick with lust.
"I can feel your heart racing. I can see your pulse pounding in your neck." He leaned in, his nose brushing against hers, his breath hot on her face. "You want it, don't you? You want me to fuck you senseless."
Lucy squirmed beneath him, her body tense with anticipation. She could feel the coke coursing through her veins, making her skin tingle and her heart race. She wanted him. She wanted him to fuck her. She wanted him to make her forget everything but the sensation of his body against hers.
"Yes," she whispered, her voice barely audible.