A Paying Customer
written by: albe-chan
DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction and I do NOT own Harry Potter or any of the characters mentioned that belong to JK Rowling, and any similarities with real life are purely coincidental.
WARNING: This work will contain lots of MATURE THEMES, such as coarse language, mature subject matter (scenes containing drug use, prostitution, graphic sex, nudity, mentions of non-consensual sex and sexual acts, etc.), and violence. THIS MAY BE A TRIGGER IF YOU HAVE BEEN A VICTIM OF ASSAULT OF ANY SORT, OR SUFFER(ED) DRUG ABUSE/ADDICTION ISSUES. Please, if you are not over the age of 18, or of majority in your country, DO NOT READ THIS! Seriously, not for the faint of heart, either. You have been warned!
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not endorse or necessarily support any of the themes in this story. Yes, there are lots of racial stereotypes, no, I do not prescribe to them. Seriously, this is a work of fiction, people. If this work offends you, I apologize, as that was not my intention.
XXX
Lily Potter opened hazel eyes blearily, squinting at the chipper late morning sunshine that poured in through a crack at the top of the blanket that served as a curtain in the master bedroom. There was snoring from behind her, loud and bothersome, and the young woman sat up, rubbing her face, wishing she was still unconscious. She grabbed a cigarette from the pack on the night stand, flicked her lighter and took a long drag, blowing it out as she sent a filthy look at the man snoring next to her.
She tossed her long, snarled mane of wavy, dark red hair, got out of bed with a groan as her aching muscles protested, and shuffled to the bathroom. Her reflection in the mirror was haggard, and she frowned at the dark circles of eyeliner and mascara around her eyes, the dark red smear of lipstick around her mouth. She looked like shit, there was no other way to describe it. And she felt like shit after the previous night. She cleaned up as best she could, used the facilities, and headed back to the master bedroom, toward the sound of snoring.
Her mouth turned down as the man slept on, oblivious, and she hastily got dressed in the clothes she'd arrived in last night. Black lace panties, a slinky little gold dress, and four inch platform stilettos. Her purse was, thankfully, where she'd left it on the dresser. Her payment was next to it, and she counted the bills carefully before tucking them into her purse. A small smirk curved her lips as she helped herself to an extra twenty from the man's wallet, left on the dresser beside her purse, and chanced a glance back at the sleeping figure. He snored on and her smirk widened. She picked up the little baggie of off white powder that had been under his wallet and tipped some out, even as her other hand reached for the section of straw she always carried in her purse.
In seconds she'd snorted the little pile, feeling the tingling rush of cocaine tickle her nose and the familiar taste in the back of her throat. Now she was at least partly awake. Sealing the little baggie again, she placed it back under the man's wallet and glanced at him. She couldn't remember his name, not that it mattered, but it still bothered her. She was tempted to find out, but forced the urge down. It wasn't her business to know who paid for a night of her services, so long as they paid.
She snitched another smoke, lit it up, and headed out of the dingy, run down apartment. Thomas. That was it, he'd said his name was Thomas. Lily smirked at that as she finally got outside into the already cloying early summer heat. As far as customers went, he'd been pretty good. And after turning tricks for the last six months, Lily had seen and experienced the not so good ones. But Thomas had been alright, even if he'd be pissed when he woke up to half the coke gone and missing twenty dollars. The redhead didn't much care. He wasn't one of her regulars and she had no intentions of letting him become one. She squinted at the harsh glare of sunlight as she strode purposefully down the sidewalk and pulled out her cellphone, puffing her cigarette.
At twenty two, Lily had seen and experienced far more of life than she'd ever wanted to. Though she supposed that came with her line of work. She was relatively petite, though well endowed, and her entire life, people had always said she was pretty. As a kid, she recalled her various aunts and uncles commenting she'd be beautiful when she grew up. The thought now made Lily snort with derision. She was still good looking enough, she reckoned, but definitely not beautiful by any means. Life had assured she'd never be that B word.
She tapped out her boyfriend's number and listened to the phone ring as she power-walked down the sidewalk, hardly aware of the disapproving stares of other women and the covert, lascivious glances from men. At last, someone picked up with a muffled "'Lo?"
"Taz, get the fuck up," she said. "Come get me."
The voice grunted. "Fuck you, Lily, I'm sleeping."
She knew he'd hang up on her and took a hard drag off her cigarette. "Then wake up, you motherfucker. I'm not walking fifteen blocks."
"Fuck you," Taz grunted.
"You can do that when you come get me," she purred. "Hurry up. I'm walking down Blight Street now, heading to Lincoln."
"Fucking Christ, Lily, it's the crack of fucking dawn," Taz grumbled, but she heard him getting up.
"It is not, you stupid fucker. Get your ass out of bed and come get me."
"I'm coming, bitch, keep your fucking panties on," he snarled, then hung up on her.
She walked three more blocks before she finally spotted the familiar dark blue Mercedes parked up the street. Lily slid into the passenger seat, growling, "Fucking took you long enough."
"Fuck you, bitch," Taz said, still looking half asleep. "You get paid?"
She snorted and rolled her eyes, pulling the wad of cash from her purse. "Go to Dave's," she said, tossing six hundred dollars at him. She knew, when he didn't throw some coke at her in return he was dry and it ruined her mood.
"No, I'm going to Murphy."
Lily felt her temper flare. It was the bane of having red hair, the temper that went with it, and it had fucked her over plenty of times. "No you're fucking not, his shit is garbage and he's a fucking pervert. Go to Dave."
"Fuck you, bitch, who you think is driving?" Taz snapped back.
"A big fucking pussy, that's who," she snarked, digging for cigarettes in her purse.
Taz pulled up to a red light and reached over, grabbing a fistful of her hair roughly. "The fuck you calling a pussy, bitch?"
"I'm calling you a fucking pussy, Taz," she said through gritted teeth. He jerked her head back.
"Fucking dumb bitch," he growled, and pulled her closer, kissing her hard, then threw her back into her seat. "Swear to fucking Christ I wanna fuckin' slap you sometimes."
"Go fuck yourself. Go to Dave's," she said as the light changed. "I'll fucking go in by myself."
Taz snorted. "So you can spread your fucking legs for him again?"
Lily laughed, located cigarettes and lit one, passing it wordlessly to Taz. "Grow the fuck up, Taz. He was a paying customer."
"And you put all the profits up your nose, you fucking whore," he shot back. Lily lit her own smoke and rolled her eyes.
"Then you fuck guys for a living and snort your own profits, motherfucker."
Taz smirked as Lily put her feet up on the dash. "Nah, all the niggas pay big bucks for your skinny white ass."
"Except you," Lily shot back.
Taz grinned, flashing his trademark smile with perfect, straight white teeth, a single canine plated in platinum. "I pay enough. I gotta get up at the fucking crack of dawn to pick your lazy ass up, don't I? Not to mention the bitching."
Lily smiled, because it was the grin that had first attracted her to Taz. And the fact he sold coke. And he wasn't at all bad looking, even if he was an ungrateful motherfucker. He was average height, milk chocolate mixed, his dark hair almost always braided back into intricate cornrows, and his dark brown eyes were shrewd. He was lean and well-muscled thanks to a life growing up in the streets and a surprisingly sharp businessman, considering Lily knew he'd dropped out of high school in the tenth grade. "Babe, if I was lazy, I sure as fuck wouldn't have walked. I'd have sat my skinny white ass on the curb and waited."
"Are fuckin' too lazy," he said, cigarette hanging out of his mouth. "Should've walked that skinny white ass all the way home and woke me up with that nasty fucking cocktease mouth on my dick. Not yelling and screeching at me like a crazy bitch."
Lily laughed, leaning over and snapping her teeth together beside his ear. "Just for that I'm gonna bite it off next time," she purred.
"Nah, you wouldn't do that." He glanced over. "Who'd get you your next fix?"
Lily shrugged, sitting back in her seat. "I'd fucking call Ian. He'd drive me to Dave's."
Taz shot her a filthy look and she smirked. "Fuckin' bitch," he muttered. Ian was technically Lily's ex, although she'd gone back to him a half dozen times, twice since being with Taz, when things got too intense and crazy, and she knew Taz was insanely jealous of the older, decidedly wealthier man.
Ian was at least old enough to be Lily's father, and one of her first ever johns, and wanted nothing more than for her to settle down with him, get married, and pop out his babies. Lily would rather cut off her right hand than do any of that, but having Ian as a fallback, knowing he'd be there whenever she called because he was hopelessly in love with her, was a plus. And he was the very best sort of enabler. He didn't ask bothersome questions and didn't push her to commit and always had a hundred dollars to give her in cash for her fix. She hadn't talked to him in awhile, although she still sent him the odd text when she felt particularly mushy. He sent her a message at least once a week, telling her how wonderful and smart and beautiful she was, not that she really bought that, and how much he adored her and missed her.
"You bet. Go to Dave's."
"I'm not fucking going to fucking Dave's," Taz snarled. Lily rolled her eyes.
"Fuck you, Taz, just fucking go to Dave. Everyone knows I'm a fucking whore, no one fucking cares except you."
"Shut the fuck up," Taz said and flicked his finished cigarette out the window.
"Choke on a fucking dick, asshole," Lily grumbled. They pulled up to another light and Lily snorted when a minivan pulled up beside them. Behind the wheel was a thirty-something man, looking like he wanted to off himself. Through her cracked window, Lily could hear his wife bitching at him. He rolled his eyes as she watched, then his gaze flicked to her. She licked her lips lasciviously, winked, and teased the neckline of her dress down, tits almost popping out. His brows shot up, eyes going wide, and Lily mouthed the words 'Let's fuck' and laughed as his jaw dropped open.
Taz pulled away from the light, taking a left, and made a sound of disgust. "You really are a fucking whore," he grumbled.
"Yup," she said, smirking, and leaned over, kissing his neck. "And I'm all yours, babe."
"Get the fuck off me," he said, pushing her back. Her expression soured.
"I'll remember that the next time you want me to ride your dick, motherfucker," she grumbled and slouched in the seat. Ten minutes later they pulled to a stop.
"You love riding my dick, bitch, like you'd say no." He threw her money from the night before and then some at her. "Now get the fuck up and get my shit. I'm not waiting all fucking day."
Lily rolled her eyes, but she saw, as she climbed out of the car, they'd pulled up to Dave's place. She smirked a tiny bit and headed up the crumbling walkway toward the drug house. She knocked, knowing the door would be locked.
"Who is it?" a gruff voice asked from the other side of the door. Lily rolled her eyes at the peeling orange paint that may or may not have originally been red.
"The fucking tooth fairy," she said. "Open up Dave, it's me."
The door cracked open and a tall, skinny black guy stood there, smirking down at her. "What you want, Red?"
"Taz wants his shit. He's pouting like a pussy in the car because he's realizing his girlfriend is a big fucking slut." She rolled her eyes. "Are you inviting me in, or did your mama not teach you any manners?"
"Yo, shut your mouth 'bout my mama," Dave said, but let her in. "How much?"
"The usual," Lily said, pushing a hand through her hair, moving into the skeletal kitchen, most of the cupboards empty and missing their doors, the stove the only appliance. Dave took out a digital scale and weighed some shit out as Lily waited impatiently. She wanted to go home and shower and do another line or two. Her high was already fading.
"So when you gonna ditch Taz and move on up, Red?" Dave finally asked, holding out a large bag of white powder. Lily snickered.
"When I find a better dick," she said lightly, handing over some money as the drugs went into her purse. "What, did you think I'd come hook up with you, Dave?"
"If you was smart you would."
Lily grinned. "Guess it's a good thing I'm a dumb whore, eh? So, you gonna hook me up with a sniff?"
Dave snorted. "Yeah the fuck right. This ain't the charity house, bitch."
She pouted. "C'mon, Dave, be a nice guy." She tossed her hair, and sidled up to him. "You owe me from last time anyway."
He rolled dark eyes. "Yeah?"
"Fuckin' right. I treated you real nice the next morning, didn't I?" He smirked, because she'd treated him to a free, complimentary blowjob for being a decent john and not asking for anything extra nasty.
"Knew you'd come lookin' for something in return soon enough," he grumbled, but lifted a little vial from his pocket and tapped out a generous pile onto the kitchen counter. "Go for it, Red," he said, putting the cocaine back in his pocket. She dug out her section of straw and grinned.
"Thanks Dave, you're a sweetheart." She snorted the pile with well-practised ease, rubbing her nose as it burned deliciously, euphoria unfurling through her brain. "Fuck me, is that pure?"
"Course. Now you owe me another blowjob, bitch."
Hazel eyes rolled. "Sure thing. Have Taz set you up an appointment." She headed back to the car idling at the curb and slid into the passenger seat.
"Fucking took you long enough," Taz grumbled. She lit a cigarette and passed him his coke.
"You know Dave, he's a regular fuckin' Chatty Cathy."
Taz glanced at her. "You best not be skimming off the top," he warned. "Your nose is lookin' awful fucking white."
"Fuck you, I paid for it," she replied as he pulled away and headed back to their own little apartment. "Should be all mine anyway."
Taz snorted. "Sure thing, bitch. You know I'll triple up in a week and you'd just put the whole thing in your fucking nose."
"Whatever. Drive faster, I wanna go home and shower."
"Don't forget you got Tiny coming tonight."
Lily rolled her eyes, lip curling. Tiny was anything but and one of her least favourite johns. He was forceful and demanding, but paid the money, though, so she didn't complain too much. And never to Taz anymore, as he'd been the one who'd first introduced her to Tiny, and most of her other johns. And he didn't much like any sort of what he deemed 'back chatting' when it came to her work, which meant she shut up and let him pick her johns for the most part. "You know what that means, then," she replied, puffing her cigarette.
"What?"
"I don't wanna see another big black dick for twenty four hours after."
Taz grinned. "'Cept mine."
"Especially yours." He laughed, goading her temper. "I'm fucking serious, Taz. Last time was fucking brutal."
"Suck it up, bitch. He pays more than enough." Lily shot him a filthy look, because it wasn't his ass being stretched beyond the realm of plausible and then fucked by the hulking black man. "'Sides, last time he only stayed an hour."
"Yeah, 'cause it only took an hour to fucking break me," she grumbled. "When's he coming?"
"Seven. Light me a smoke."
She passed him hers but he shot her the 'are you kidding me' look. "Fuck, you're such a baby. Learn how to light your own fucking smoke while you're driving, pussy-assed bitch."
"Calm the fuck down, Lily," he said, accepting the cigarette after she'd lit it for him. "This is why I fucking hate when you don't snort first thing. You turn into a psycho bitch."
"Fuck you, Taz."
"I bet you'd like that." He swung into the parking spot for their building and they got out. In the elevator he pulled her to him and kissed her hard, pushing his tongue into her mouth, fondling her roughly through her dress. She shoved him back but he was distinctly larger than her and forced himself forward, a hand closing around her throat, and she submitted when his pelvis trapped her against the wall of the elevator. "Fucking slut," he growled and she gasped.
The elevator dinged and the doors slid open on their floor. Taz preceded her out and she followed, feeling, as she usually did after an episode like that, raw and cheap and wanted nothing more than to get as high as possible to black it out of her consciousness. Once inside their apartment she went back to the second bedroom, her room where she entertained customers and kept her shit, and kicked her shoes off. It wasn't much, but it was home enough.
Lily stripped her dress and went to shower, running the water as hot as she could stand it before stepping under the steaming spray. Half an hour later, hair wrapped in a threadbare towel and in clean clothes and underwear, she felt distinctly less gross and the buzz from the sniff she'd had at Dave's wasn't dwindling. She padded out to the kitchen in shorts and a tank top and saw Taz doing business in the living area with one of his junkies.
She rolled her eyes and opened the fridge, frowning at moldy leftovers and expired milk. She picked up the orange juice and shook the carton. Good enough. She poured herself some after doing the sniff check, and then topped up her cup with vodka. It was down in three gulps and she shuddered and moved into the living room. A long, fat blunt burned in the ashtray and there was some kind of stupid shooting game paused on the massive flatscreen TV that looked distinctly out of place in their humble flat.
Lily plopped into the armchair, took a drag off the blunt and then lit a cigarette. Taz's customer paid up and headed out. "Where's mine?" she asked as he put his coke away. Taz threw a slim dime bag at her. "The fuck is this?"
"That's yours," he said easily.
"Where the fuck's the rest?" she demanded.
Taz picked up his blunt and smoked it, chuckling. "Funny, Lily. You get the rest when I say you get the rest."
She narrowed her eyes but opened the little baggie anyway. "You should be a fucking Jew you're so cheap," she snarked, tapping out a big pile, then picked up an exacto knife blade refill and arranged the powder into a nice long line.
"You can have the rest before Tiny comes," he said, putting his blunt in his lips and pressing buttons on his video game controller. She rolled her eyes, snorted her line with a rolled up twenty, and sat back, sniffling a bit, and then her cell rang. She got up, took her hair out of the towel and looked at her cell as she picked up her smoke. The display told her it was her mother.
"Fucking shit fuck, what day is it, Taz?"
The phone kept ringing. "I don't fucking know," he said, clearly distracted by video games. "Do I look like a motherfuckin' calendar, bitch?"
"Shut the fuck up," she snarled, puffed off her cigarette, then picked up. "Hi, Mom," she said grimly.
"Hello, Lily. Is now an okay time?" her mother asked hesitantly. Lily rolled her eyes and exited the living room as the very loud sounds of shooting erupted in the background, heading to her room.
"Sure, Mom. What's up?"
"It's Sunday, and you never got back to me on Wednesday, honey. I was just calling to see if you're still coming to dinner tonight."
Lily barely bit back the curse. She'd entirely forgotten the stupid family barbecue her parents were holding. "Shoot, y'know what, I'm not sure, Mom. I'll have to check. I may have booked myself up." She bit back another curse at the slip and took a long drag off her smoke, blowing it out silently.
"Booked yourself for what?" her mother demanded.
"An appointment," she said shortly, rolling her eyes. How could her mother be so ignorant? "Anyway, what time is it at, the dinner sh- thing?"
"Well, we're eating at five, but if you could come early that would be lovely. It's been so long since you've seen everyone, honey." Lily grimaced. Not long enough in her opinion. Besides, she knew precisely what her father and brothers would say when she arrived. But she couldn't stand the thought of disappointing her mother. Again.
"Maybe," she hedged. "I'll be there, but I might have to duck out early. For my appointment you know. We'll see."
"Alright, honey. Do you want me to come pick you up?"
"Uh," she said, because she didn't want her mother knowing where she lived, nor did she want Taz knowing where her parents lived. "Pick me up at the library downtown," she said.
"Sure thing, honey. Is three o'clock good?"
"Three's perfect, Mom. I'll be there. See you then. Bye." She hung up, cutting off her mother's response and ran a hand through her hair, then brushed it out properly and put it up in a bun atop her head.
"Why the fuck is mommy calling you?" Taz mumbled when she finished her cigarette and came back to the living room. "Son of a bitch, you fucking little cocksucker." Apparently he'd been shot in his game. Lily sat beside him on the couch, taking the blunt when he passed it.
"Just 'cause some of us have mothers who don't hate us and like to check in every now and then, don't mean shit," she said, rolling her eyes.
Taz clicked buttons on his controller. "You're fucked, my mama's fucking six feet under."
"Aw, you need a hug?" she asked, then took another drag off the blunt and passed it back. "My mom is picking me up at three for some lame fucking family dinner bullshit."
"Nothin' wrong with home cooking," Taz drawled. "Maybe your mama shoulda gave you some fuckin' lessons on that." Lily smacked him on the arm. "You gonna bring your ass back on time?"
"Maybe," she said.
"You better, bitch," he grumbled, back to shooting people. Lily rolled her eyes as a knock sounded on the door. "Go get that."
"No, you go get it," she said, not wanting to move. "It's not gonna be for me anyway."
"Go fucking get the door, bitch, I'm obviously fucking busy," Taz snapped. Lily got up and he smacked her hard on the ass. "Go quick times."
She flipped him off as she moved away but opened the door a tiny crack anyway. "What?" she snapped at the man standing on the other side.
"Where's Taz?"
Lily looked at the guy suspiciously, because he sure as hell didn't look at all like Taz's usual customers. He was tall, definitely ripped judging by the size of his arms and the way his shirt fit him, and distinctly white. Even his hair was almost white it was so blond. Her eyes narrowed, because he looked like he might be a cop. "Who the fuck are you?" she asked.
"Who are you?" he shot back. "Where's Taz?"
"You gonna make my fucking customers wait outside the door all day, you dumb bitch?" Taz hollered. Lily shrugged and let the guy in, half hoping he was a cop. "Oh shit, it's you," Taz said, looking over as the tall blond crossed the threshold.
"It's me," he affirmed, then glanced at Lily. "This her?"
"Yeah," Taz said, outing his blunt. Lily folded her arms, eyes narrowed suspiciously still.
"She looks like shit." Her temper flared at that but she bit her tongue and moved back to her own room.
"Where you fucking going?" Taz said.
"If you think that's happening, you're smoking crack, fuck face," Lily said. "I don't fuck with white boys who look like cops, dick head."
The blond man looked at Taz. "She's got a mouth."
"Lucky for you it's free right now. Lily, get your fucking ass back here." The redhead sighed but turned back around expectantly, still halfway down the hall. "This fucker has a proposition for you."
"No," she said without waiting to hear it. "I don't want a new one and there's no way he's not a fucking cop. You don't just get to sign people up without my say so, Taz."
She saw Taz's mouth tighten, dark eyes narrowing dangerously. Lily knew if the random guy hadn't been standing there in the kitchen, he'd have probably backhanded her. "Shut the fuck up and listen," Taz said with steely authority.
She grit her teeth and glared at the blond man, moving back into the kitchen. He smirked briefly. "I'm making a documentary about sex workers. The truth behind the glamour, if you will," he said. Lily snorted. Yeah, it was real fucking glamorous fucking some guy's brains out at three in the morning when you haven't slept and you stink from your last john.
"Sounds like it'll win Oscars and shit," she said scathingly, then glared at Taz. "What the fuck is this?"
"A chance for you to make some cash for doing what you do best. Letting that mouth run."
The blond man's mouth thinned. "Obviously some of the things will be difficult to talk about, and I'll be expecting full disclosure and honesty. No one watches documentaries about lies."
It was Lily's experience that not a whole lot of people watched documentaries about truths either. She frowned. "And what the fuck's in it for me?" she demanded.
Taz shot her a warning look. "You know what's in it for you," he said darkly.
"You get a chance to shine a light on the second oldest profession and still one of the most taboo subjects there is. And you get to be on film."
"Wow, a fucking movie star? Where do I sign?" she said sarcastically. "I don't think so."
Taz opened his mouth to say something, but then the blond man, smirking wider, said, "Not even for a hundred dollars an hour?"
Her brows went up a bit at that. That wasn't no chump change. "And all I'd have to do is talk?" she asked suspiciously. He nodded. "And you'll pay cash?"
"No," he said. Now Taz looked suspicious. "My production company won't let me pay you in cash. They like to declare things on their taxes. You'll get a check when we wrap filming."
"Fuck that," Taz said.
Lily was still tempted though. Hell, if she did ten eight hour nights, that would be almost what she made in a whole month. And eight grand bought a fuck ton of coke. "Will the check be in my name?" she asked.
Taz shot her another warning look. "Of course," blondie said. He pulled a card from his pocket, looking distinctly amused, and handed it to her. "Give me a call if you decide you're in."
When the door closed behind him, Taz reached for the card, but she was too quick, and he grasped air instead. "You're not fuckin' doing it without at least half the cash up front," Taz said with finality.
"Why?" she demanded. "We could make so much fucking money. Fuck we could get out of this shit hole apartment, get a real fucking place. Why not, Taz?"
He grabbed her by the back of the neck. "Because if I know you, you'll feel bad or some shit, or get greedy, and probably end up fucking that cracker on the side. I'm not fucking stupid, bitch." He pulled her close. "And if you think I'm fucking stupid enough to let my golden goose just walk on up and out the goddamn barn, you got another think coming, bitch."
Lily forced her mouth to turn up seductively, smoothing her hands up Taz's chest and around his neck. "If you're stupid, then I must be fucking retarded for hooking up with you in the first place, right?" She pressed her breasts against him. "And anyway, the only thing that cracker has that you don't is a small dick, babe. Why would I wanna fuck him?"
Taz looked at her for a moment, then smiled a little. "Damn right."
"So can I do it?" she asked, even though she'd already made up her mind to give the blond cracker a call. If Taz didn't want to make money, she'd do it without him.
"Maybe," he said, then pulled her in for a hot kiss that was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Get it," he said, pushing her toward it. She bit her tongue and went to get it. She had to keep Taz happy if she wanted to do this stupid documentary shit. Not that she wanted to, but the lure of the money was far too tempting. She'd lie to Taz to go do it if she had to, but it would be a helluva lot easier to avoid that course of action.
She opened the door a crack again and a skinny, mulatto kid with plain cornrows and golden brown eyes stared back at her. "Sup, Red. Taz in?"
She opened the door wider. "Yeah, c'mon in, Ty."
"I hope you brought what you owe me, little man," Taz said. Ty pulled out a thick wad of cash.
"I always do, Taz. I need to re-up."
Lily frowned. "The fuck? You're like twelve, Ty. How you gonna be dealing?"
He shot her a filthy look, sitting in the armchair as Lily flopped onto the couch. "I'm sixteen, bitch." He looked at Taz. "You should muzzle that one."
Lily glared, but Taz smirked. "Call me when your balls drop," she muttered, and tapped out the last of her dime bag. She snorted it and felt a blast of life energy pour through her. "I'm starved, you want me to get you something, babe?" she asked Taz.
"Order in," he said. She pouted. "Fuck, go get whatever then. But get your ass back here quick." She smirked and kissed the side of his mouth, knowing he'd want to fuck when she got back, before she had to go meet her mother.
"Okay. Bye brat," she said to Ty, who gave her the finger. She laughed, grabbed her purse and put flip flops on, then headed out to get a sandwich and maybe a beer.
She got back a little while later, and indeed, Taz wanted to fuck. She was almost late meeting her mother because of it, and although he'd given her another dime bag, she didn't have a spare moment to sniff, and she knew better than to try to do it at her parents' house. It was the reason they'd kicked her out two years ago. So, like a typical coke whore, Lily kept her mother waiting outside while she tapped out a fat line on the back of the public toilet inside the library, and got high off her face.
When she finally slid into her mother's car, she knew she'd look as high as she was, so she left her sunglasses on, and hugged her mother over the center console. "Sorry, I was looking at this display of books on the Renaissance," she invented wildly.
"That sounds fascinating," Ginny Potter said with a brittle smile that had become far too familiar to Lily. The redhead looked out her window.
"So who all's coming?" she said at last, unable to bear the silence any longer. She felt jittery, and too high, like she could run all the way to her parents' place, and sitting still was proving to be a task. She fiddled with the zipper pull on the side pocket of her purse.
"Everyone," her mother said. Lily froze.
"Everyone?" she repeated. "As in, like-?"
"Yes, as in everyone, Lily," her mother said with a small genuine smile. "Your brothers, of course, and most of the extended family. Although I think your Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur won't be able to make it, but Victoire will undoubtedly be there at least, with Teddy."
Lily wet suddenly dry lips. "Cool," she said with a bad attempt at nonchalance, even as her stomach dropped.
"And of course, Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione, George and Angelina, Percy and Penelope." Lily waited with bated breath for the last uncle's name. "I don't remember if Charlie's coming. Oh dear, there's just so many now," her mother said fondly. "And, certainly, I don't doubt a good number of your cousins will make an appearance."
Lily's heart thud dully in her chest, somehow proving she was still alive even though she felt distinctly dead inside. She hoped to God there was liquor available when they pulled into the driveway and a half dozen cars lined the street in front of her parents' suburban McMansion. When they got out, Ginny entered, with Lily in her wake, through the front door. The younger redhead took a deep breath and forced a smile when her mother looked back at her as they moved into the kitchen. "D'you want me to help with anything, Mom?" Lily asked, if only to delay going out onto the back porch where her father and eldest brother manned twin grills and the horde of Weasley relations gathered.
"Oh no, not at all, honey," Ginny said. "You go on out and say hello to everyone."
Lily grit her teeth, slid her sunglasses up her nose, still not having removed them, and moved to the fridge, pulling out a beer for herself. Her mother's mouth tightened a little, but she didn't comment as Lily cracked it open and chugged a few gulps before opening the sliding glass door.
"Lily!" her father said, sounding surprised and beaming too brightly to be entirely believable, and she saw his gaze drop to the beer in her hand.
It took an effort to keep smiling. "Hi, Dad." She gave him a one armed hug, as well as her brother James, and moved away from them, over to where her cousins Rose and Roxanne were sitting. She pointedly didn't scan the crowd of ginger haired relations.
"Lily, holy shit, you came," Rose said, sitting up, shading her eyes. Roxy smiled.
"Why wouldn't I?" Lily asked a tad defensively, then took a long pull off her beer.
"Yeah, Rose, not all of us are so cool that we have candlelit dinners lined up for after here." The blue-eyed young woman tittered and looked smug.
Lily sat on the end of Rose's lounge chair. "Speak for yourself, Rox," she said sarcastically. "I got lots of romantic shit planned."
Roxy grinned. "No, I just figured Lily was too cool for lame family get togethers," Rose said and she tilted her head. "You skipped Hugo's wedding, after all."
Rose's younger brother, who was the same age as Lily, had gotten married a few months back, but Lily had done a no show at his wedding. She'd claimed food poisoning, but in reality she hadn't wanted to show up with the busted lip Taz had given her the night before. So she'd camped out at Ian's and convinced herself no one even noticed her absence, and stayed up on a coke high for three days straight. "Not by choice," she said. "I figured it would've been poor taste to barf all over the place."
Roxy laughed but Rose's mouth pursed. "Still."
"So tell us all about the romantic shit you got planned then," Roxanne said, drinking her own beer. Lily barely refrained from snorting because she was willing to bet no one thought it was a bad idea for her to be drinking. Oh no, never. Just Lily.
The redhead shrugged. "Maybe more raunchy than romantic, but still. Hot date and all tonight." Rose lifted her brows for a second, just long enough to indicate amused skepticism and Lily's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What's that look for?" she asked stiffly.
"Nothing," Rose said blandly. "It's just...are you ever going to have a serious relationship, Lily?"
The redhead's mouth fell open. "Excuse me?"
"You know. I'm not saying you're a slut, it's just anytime I see you, you talk about going on dates, but has anyone actually met any of these guys? And do they ever last?" Rose did the eyebrow thing again. "I dunno. It just seems like you're not really seriously dating."
"I am so," she snapped. "Just 'cause I don't bring him 'round here to meet the ginger haired abomination that is you Weasleys, doesn't mean I'm not in a serious relationship. I've been with the same guy for like eight months now." Lily glared, then frowned a little. Wait, was it eight months? Or ten? She tried to think back, but it was confusing.
"Just because you fuck the same guy for eight months doesn't make it serious," Rose said, clearly hurt by the Weasley abomination remark.
"Just because no guys want to fuck you for eight months doesn't mean you can sit up on your high horse and judge me. I live with my man, thanks very fucking much."
Rose's mouth dropped open. "Then why doesn't anyone here know him?" she snarled. Roxy looked like she wanted to run for the hills and muttered vaguely about getting another drink before hightailing it away. Before Lily could reply, her cousin said nastily, in a low voice, "Probably because he's a fucking loser, Potter. Congrats, though."
Lily watched her cousin get up and walk away, wondering how she could possibly be related to that when Rose was so bland and vanilla and fucking utterly boring. It was shocking, really. She finished off her beer and set the empty down, then got up and went inside for another on the pretext of finding a snack, should anyone ask her.
An hour and a half later, Lily was three beers in, had decided she pretty much had to be adopted, but was relaxed enough that she could talk and laugh and mingle effortlessly with her relatives. Lord knew she'd had enough practice. She was in the kitchen, getting another drink, and felt her entire body freeze when he walked in. Her eyes dropped even as her temper reared, fighting with shame and embarrassment to make her face red, the combination all but making it glow.
He was a little different than the last time she'd seen him, two years ago, and drastically different from how he'd looked a lot longer ago than that, but her reaction to him was the same as it had always been for almost the last decade. Nerves and nausea, fear and loathing. She forced her eyes back up and glared at him, even as his mouth tilted up a little. "Hello, Lily," he said politely.
She opened her mouth to tell him to go to Hell or worse when her mother breezed in, laughing at something Harry had just said, and beamed at her second oldest brother. "Charlie, you made it!" Ginny Potter said, moving to hug him. Lily turned to exit the kitchen and hit up the little powder room to snort the last of her blow before making a quick getaway. "Lily, come and say hello," her mother said and the redhead was tempted to ignore her, but found herself turning back.
"Hi," she said flatly. His brown eyes roved down over her.
"I like your dress. It looks good on you," her uncle said.
Lily bit her tongue, trying to keep a neutral expression. "Thanks." There was a beat of tense silence where Lily tried not to remember. It was impossible. "I have to use the restroom," she said tightly, and turned away again, beating a hasty retreat even as she felt panic and shame and nausea all choking her.
She locked the door with shaking hands and braced them on the vanity, fighting the urge to retch. She looked at herself in the mirror. Hair down and wild, skin too white, eyes huge. She told herself to get it together, and pushed the feelings down with a deep breath. She got out the last of her cocaine and snorted it off the vanity, gulping at the familiar burn and rush. She looked at her reflection again, slapped her cheeks to force some colour back into them, and flushed the toilet and washed her hands, making sure she wiped her nose.
When Lily got back outside she was feeling better, and resolutely set out to find her mother and tell her she had to head out for her appointment, although that was still plenty of time away. The redhead refused to stay at any family function if he was present, even Christmas. Instead she bumped into her brother Albus.
"Lily," he said, not quite smiling, and he looked at her with the exact same scrutinizing stare their father had upon her arrival. "Does Mom know you're high?" he asked quietly.
The redhead frowned. "You gonna tell her?" She put her sunglasses on. "Either way, if you do talk to her, mention I split."
"How much longer is this going to go on like this?" Albus asked even as she was turning away.
Lily snorted, glancing back and half smiling. "Hopefully not much longer, right?" she said darkly, and walked back into the house and through and out the front door. She pulled out a smoke and lit up as she walked, trying to tell herself she wasn't going to cry.
By the time she got back to her apartment, having called Taz once she was far enough away to pick her up, Lily wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed, curl up in a tiny ball and cry herself into a sleep she would, hopefully, not have to wake from. Instead she got ready for Tiny coming over that night and sweet talked another line out of Taz just before the massive black man arrived.
When he did arrive she smiled at him, feeling euphorically numb after more than a few swigs of tequila while she got ready. "Hello Daddy," she said from where she sat at the end of the bed, and leaned back on her hands as he shut the door.
"When I want you to talk, bitch, I'll fucking tell you," he said menacingly. Lily barely refrained from shrugging as he undressed, and let her brain disengage as instinct took over. Tiny left two hours later, well satisfied, and Lily, distinctly sore and unfulfilled, was a couple hundred bucks richer.
The redhead was smoking, sitting on the edge of the bed when Taz came in. "What?" she asked, not looking up from her blank stare at the ashtray on the night stand.
"You know what," he said, and then slapped her cheek lightly. She held up the two hundred dollars she'd been paid and Taz took it. "Snap out of it, Lily. Get your shit together."
She took one last long drag of her cigarette and outed it, exhaling a cancer-laced cloud as she looked up at him. "If you wanna fuck, I want another line."
Taz grinned. "Yeah right, you think I want those sloppies? I got my afternoon delight. Call up the cracker, bitch. Tell him you're in. I got a good investment opportunity coming up."
Lily barely resisted frowning, because that was her money. Not that she ever went without, but still. "Sure." He turned away and she swung her legs up into bed and laid back. "When I get my fucking line, I'll call the fucking president if you want me to, Taz."
He came back in two quick steps, one hand around her throat, and lowered his face to hers. "When you make the fucking call I'll consider it. You wanna back chat me, you nasty fucking whore, I'll make sure this fucking face ain't gonna look nice on camera. Got it?" Lily swallowed, temper burning, but nodded. Taz released her, slapping her lightly again. "Make the fucking phone call."
Lily waited until he left her, dug the little card out, and looked at it properly for the first time. It was simple, really. His name, Scorpius Malfoy, stood out in bold, masculine lettering, and in a flowy font beneath, smaller, a single word. Filmmaker. There was a phone number and email address. The redhead pulled out her cell and dialed the unfamiliar number.
He picked up on the second ring, with an expectant, "Malfoy."
Lily panicked for a second, unsure what to say, then cleared her throat and said lightly, "I wanna be in your movie, Hollywood. Do I gotta sign some kind of waiver or some shit, or what?"
"If you're actually serious, meet me at the Brookside Cafe on Regency Street at eight tomorrow morning, and don't bring that piece of shit pimp. And try to be sober." He hung up on her and Lily's mouth dropped open. How dare he! How fucking dare fucking he!?
She went back out to the living room and told Taz what he'd said. Minus the piece of shit pimp part, because she didn't think he was her pimp and she definitely wasn't going to piss him off over it. Lily also refrained from mentioning the request for sobriety. There was no way she'd be coherent at that time of day without sniffing. "So make sure you set your fucking alarm," he said, and passed her his blunt even as there was a knock at the door. Her mouth tightened when he went to get it, and she slipped out of the living room when she saw his buddies come in. Lily knew from experience it was best to make herself scarce, locking her bedroom door. She might like Taz, for the most part, but she didn't like his friends, or the way they acted like she was a side perk of being friends with Taz.
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