Gazelle (26 page)

                He glances down at his vibrating phone and smiles, Sharlee
n’
s seductive eyes and exposed shoulders poking up at him. 

“
Hello
?
”
“
Hi, angel.  What are you doing
?
”
“I’
m on my way to Alic
e’
s thing.  What are you doing
?
”
“
Is she in the car with you
?
”
“
No, we took separate cars. 
I’
m driving myself.  Why, wha
t’
s up
?
”
“
I miss you
.
”
              He smiles.
 “
I miss you, too
.
”

“
Come get me
.
”
“
I ca
n’
t. 
I’
ll see you after
.
”
“
I want you now. I do
n’
t want to wait.  You need me.  I know you do.  So come get me
.
”
              He licks his lips and glances in the rearview of his new Land Rover, and hits his blinker to make a U-turn.
 “
I guess I can be a little late
.
”
              He rips at the gauzy dress, pulling it free from her smooth shoulders, biting into them as she drops to her knees and unbuckles his pants before he has left the elevator.  He yanks her to her feet and pins her to the doors as they shut, his mouth devouring hers, his tongue pressing hard and wild into hers as his hands hike up her skirt and he is inside her, thrusting himself rapidly.  She screams, loud, too loud, and for a second, too forced.  He hears Alic
e’
s words, th
e‘
photo o
p
’ comment.  He glances at her face, contorted not in the face of what an orgasm looks like, but what an orgasm
should
look like. Not the uncontrollable, distorted ogre scowl and rolled back eyes humans wear in the ultimate moment of bliss, but the perfectly forme
d‘o
’ shaped mouth of a well-rounded, soft core porn star, the symmetrical, upturned eyebrows, and eyes fixed, bored, on the skyline view behind him.  He feels himself losing it, going soft, and he digs deep in a panic, looking away, grabbing her hair and pulling hard until her scream is one of pain, followed by
a‘
yes, GOD
!
’ that strikes him as contrived.  Fuck, stop analyzing her!  He digs deeper, images of former lovers flashing, former moments with her, which immediately fall under scrutiny.  He pulls himself out to buy time and turns her around.  She braces herself against the elevator frame, his hand turning her beautiful head purposefully away from him.  He plunges himself in her again with a growl and thrusts hard, slapping her ass until it welts beneath his palm.  He feels himself climbing closer, drawing nearer, feels her clenching him and challenging him.  He wonders if i
t’
s been a real orgasm or Kege
l’
s all along.  Fuck!  He starts to lose it again, and again, he digs.  This time, it is a very specific thought, a very specific memory not of Sharleen.  She is watering the plants in her short, pin stripped skirt, squatting over her cacti, her black hair falling around her smooth, naturally brown shoulders covered in the strange images and colors of her tattoos.  He can see up her skirt, pink and yellow stripped bikini briefs.  He remembers how refreshing to see it was
n’
t a thong.  Her round ass, her wide hips.  He slaps his hand against a much bonier one and feels the build, his heart pounding faster and faster. There was something she was digging carefully for, trying not to prick herself, something in the plants she was after, and he was mesmerized by her ass, wiggling in front of him completely unaware.  Still sweaty from his work out, exhausted and drained, he looked down and his dick was rock hard.  He looked up, dropping the towel in front of him to cover it. As she rose, slowly, her skirt inched back down, but not enough to cover her completely, and he could still see the edges of her ass peeking out as she stood for a long time examining her prize.  There was something in her hand.  She turned towards him, pulling her skirt down with her free hand, but now he was staring at her front, at the thing close to her chest, her tank top clinging to her ample, dark breasts, breasts he long to touch, to kiss, from the moment she turned, her hair loose and wild all around her head.  Faster, harder, sh
e’
s clenching tighter and he does
n’
t care if i
t’
s real or not, who he is actually fucking.  Ther
e’
s something in her hand, ther
e’
s something in her hand sh
e’
s holding up for him and she smiles triumphantly, her cat-like eyes disappearing in a Cheshire grin. 

“
Go
d…
i
t’
s-a-praying mant-is
!
” he screams.

“
You said he was coming
,
” Will says, smoking the joint.

              Alice sighs and drinks her beer, fighting the buzz.  Her stomach growls at the smell of grilling meat, and she is suddenly aware she has not eaten since the morning.  Will hands her the joint and she passes it to Trina.

“
H
e’
s coming.  He said he would.  He probably stopped off to see that bitch girlfriend of his
,
” Alice grumbles.

“
You really hate her, do
n’
t you
?
” Chris asks, shoving his heavy, thick glasses up. 

“
I do
n’
t hate her.  I just strongly wish she was
n’
t breathing in my time zone
,
” Alice answers. 

“
She sounds awful.  And I hate that stupid expression sh
e’
s always wearing, like, in every picture you see.  Like a deaf puppy
,
” Trina says, tilting her head and widening her eyes, sticking her tongue out.

              Alice laughs a slow, drunken laugh.
 “
Nailed it
.
”
              They stand on the side of Anthon
y’
s house, tucked away from the party, smoking a joint Alejandro gave them.   Will and Chris share a plate of meat, picking at it like vultures while they smoke.  Alice frowns at their food, salivating, and drinks her beer.

“
Are you hungry
?
” Anthony asks, biting into his carnitas.

“
No,
I’
m-
I’
m gonnaeat a little later
.
”
“
You should eat.  It does
n’
t look like h
e’
s gonnashow up
,
” Trina says, passing the joint to Anthony.

“
Is that wha
t’
s happening
?
” he asks.
 “
Yo
u’
re waiting for your man to show up so you can eat together
?
”
“
No, do
n’
t be dumb
,
” Alice lies.
 “I’
m just not in the mood to eat
.
”
“
Eating is
n’
t a mood thing, i
t’
ssurvival
,
” Will laughs. 

“
No, sometimes you just do
n’
t feel like eating, is all.  Wh
y…
talk about something else, you jerks
.
”
“
Okay, fine.  Tell us about that party
.
”
“
What party
?
”

“
The party!  The big party yo
u’
re throwing at his house
!
”
              Alice sighs again and rolls her eyes.
 “
I mean, talk abou
t‘
not m
e
’ things!  Like, do
n’
t you guys have any interesting stories?  You know, shit that happens to you
?
”
              They look at one another, baffled, and start laughing. 

“
Yo
u’
re kidding, right?  Stuff that happens to us?  Ai
n’
tnothing happening to us
,
” Anthony says.

“
I read an article about the debt crisis California faces with the upcoming budget balances.  Even more cities are projected to declare bankruptcy, which is crazy, considering California is the eighth largest economy in the world
,
” Chris shrugs.

              They all stare blankly at him.  He chuckles and pulls meat apart with his fingers.

“
No, wait, I have a story
!
” Trina says, suddenly excited.
 “
The juice bar has hellaroaches
!
”

“
E
w…
what
?
”
 
Alice grimaces.

“
Yep.  Total massive roach infestation.  A customer went to get a bagel and a huge, brown cucaracha ran out from underneath it.  I never heard someone scream so loud
.
”
“
Tha
t’
s disgusting
!
”

“
Seriously, Trina, tha
t’
s pretty gross
.
”
“
Yea
h…
still not exactly the kind of late-breaking news you were looking for, though, right
?
”
              Alice frowns and grabs another beer from Anthon
y’
s coat pocket, popping it open with the lighter.
 “
No, tha
t’
s not what I meant.  It does
n’
t have to be riveting.  Preferably not gross, though.   I ca
n’
t get smoothies there anymore
.
”
“
What
?
” Anthony laughs.
 “
Why not
?
”
“
Ew
,
” Alice says.

“
Seriously, dude, tha
t’
s gross
,
” Will chimes in.

“
They sprayed, right, Trina
?
”
“
Yeah bu
t
…”
“
Have you seen any since they sprayed
?
”
“
…
No
.
”
“
So there you go.  The
y’
re fine.  You can still get your man his drinks.  Besides, what the fuck he gonnaknow about it, even if there was still cucarachas?  Those people do
n’
t
wanna
know about the dirty underbelly that exists everywhere they slither over
.
”
“
Yeah, but I know
,
” Alice protests, ignoring the insult.
 “
And he trusts me to take care of shit like that
.
”
“
Ah, I see
,
” Anthony smirks.
 “
He has people to make sure he do
n’
t step in the shit by stepping in it for him
.
”
“
Anthony, yo
u’
re such a prick sometimes
,
” Alice says, shaking her head.

“
Oh, no, here we go agai
n
…” Will sighs, rolling his eyes.

“
No
,
” Anthony says, holding up his hands
,“
No, sh
e’
s right. 
I’
m being rude right now.  I apologize
.
”
              They look at one another and then at him, narrowing their eyes in disbelief.