A/N: and I'm back with a new story. Let's see how this goes. Remember: sadly they're not mine. Just the OC. Bold parts in quotation. are the song lyrics for Adele's "Set fire to the rain" - part of which I have changed slightly (see italics) for use in this story.
feedback is a wonderful thing!
The Prostitute and the Punk: Set Fire to the rain
Chapter one.
"But there's a side to me That you never knew, never knew.
The things I'd say
They were never true, never true,
And the games we play
I would always win, always win."
There are moments in time when a person just knows that their day is going to be a train wreck on an otherwise relatively smooth journey across the tracks. One clarifying moment in which the hot water runs out before you can rinse the shampoo from your hair or the heartbreaking realisation that you forgot to by coffee the day before and your house has inadvertently become a caffeine free zone, that indicates the following hours will be a write off. Those few seconds where you know, down to your core, that you should just crawl back into bed and hide from the world. Post a sign on the door with a hastily written apology and a "we'll try this again tomorrow". Everyone has them – and yet how many people trust this profound glimpse into the future and follow their instincts? And how many people scream from the frustration of being bitten in the ass by hindsight?
Faith, unfortunately, found herself in the latter category one spring evening after awaking to realise she was not only out of coffee and red bull, but that in the chaos that was occasionally her life, she had forgotten to purchase a new pair of black lace stockings – making her outfit choice for the evening completely useless. It was clearly a sign from God. Perhaps not a direct sign, Faith was almost certain she wasn't high on his priority list, but maybe from someone lower down on the payroll. Sadly she was so close to reaching her goal of having enough money to buy a car, she ignored her own instincts; a practice that, in her line of work, could get you in a world of trouble, or get you dead, and got ready for work.
It had shaped out to be a relatively easy night, with only one new client requesting her services. This was fine with Faith. The hotel he was staying in was one of the best in the area and during the phone call he had asked her if her schedule for the evening was free. That sounded promising.
After spending ten minutes grumbling at the fact that she had to go without coffee – a practice she loathed on a good day, let alone today when she was already exhausted – and had to choose a new outfit, Faith finally got changes. She dressed in a pair of form fitting white slacks and a silver halter top that at first glance seemed modest for the style but clung to every natural curve she had, ensuring a second glance from every guy who saw her and often enough, some of the women too. She had curled her black hair the night before, so it now fell down her back in little more than waves and she applied only enough make-up to highlight her features and add a little more definition to her dark green eyes. She looked casual but sexy – a look Faith found to both deceive the fact that she was a prostitute and earn her quite an amount of business.
Satisfied with her look, she added a pair of silver and white 'Crown' Jimmy Choo heels – a weakness even Faith could not deny – picked up her appropriately packed handbag and made her way out of her tiny apartment.
As she made her way to the cab she had booked earlier in the day, Faith took a moment to savour the fact that tonight could be the last night she would have to rely on cabs for her work. The thought caused a surge of pride to course through her as she secured herself in the back seat and gave the driver the name of the hotel. With the promise of an easy night and her savings goal fulfilled, Faith felt content and confident.
The hotel was enormous and as Faith gracefully stepped out of the cab and paid her fare, she tried not to be intimidated. She had seen wealthy clients before, some were even regulars, but she always felt less at ease with them.
She held her head high and glided into the lobby as though the building were her own. She had to dodge an overly raucous group of people congregating near the elevators, some of which were toting overly bright sings. Fans of some description, Faith surmised, wondering who could be staying at the hotel to cause to much excitement.
After negotiating her way around the group, Faith made it to the elevators. She slid in, choosing one of the top floors and was thankful when the doors closed promptly, drowning out the chatter. On the way up she double checked the room number of the client in her diary, did a once over of her appearance and carefully smoothed out her clothes, after which, she took a slow and steadying breath. A practice she had followed before she met every client.
She didn't like her job. Faith had no delusions – she was a cliché of bad mistakes and worse choices – but she had always been determined that whatever she did, she would do well, and this was no different. She had never expected to find herself in these circumstances, and she was driven to make sure that this would not be her future, but she had always been the kind of girl determined to succeed, regardless of what she was doing.
The sound of the elevator bell alerted Faith that she had arrived at her destination. Stepping quickly out of the doors, it took her mere moments to find her way to the right room. She stood outside for a moment, collecting her thoughts and trying to get herself to focus on the task at hand. It was here, at the door, that she checked out and the role she played took over. For Faith, it was the only way she could get through it, and sometimes even that just barely got her through. With another steadying breath, she knocked on the door.