The misty rain and crisp autumn night chilled her to the bone, and her threadbare-but-pretty green jacket, which barely covered the length of her short dress, did astoundingly little to protect her from the cold as she emerged from her other place of business, flanked by shabby, run-down buildings on an empty early morning street. At least it was a good night, she thought, clutching the rubber-banded wad of cash just a little tighter to remind herself that, however degrading the work was and however vile she felt afterwards, at least her second job paid real money. And it had been a good night; after tonight, Audrey would have enough money to pay her bills in full for the next month and still have a bit left over for groceries. The rent, she quickly calculated, wasn't even due for two more weeks, meaning she'd have plenty of time to save up some money for the month after while still surviving; as she saw it, The Gutter would pay her rent and utilities, and Mushnik's would pay for food and necessities.
After all, she reasoned, it's better to be disgusting and healthy than pious and starving in the streets.
Lost to the figures swirling through her mind, Audrey didn't notice the man sneaking up behind her until he placed his hand heavily on her shoulder, shaking her from her thoughts and making her nearly jump out of her skin. She turned quickly to face her assailant, but her alarm quickly turned to resignation and annoyance at the familiar face behind her.
Joe was a regular in The Gutter and a rather ardent admirer of hers. Short with thinning hair, he was a generous tipper but a relentless man who had pursued Audrey for the entirety of her employment. She'd dodged him with vague "maybe tomorras" and "it's not a good times," placing blame on the long day, the early hour of her other job, boyfriends both real and imagined, any way of saying 'no' kindly without inciting anger.
"Joe," she began, already weary of the conversation, "what are ya doin' here?"
"I was hoping I could walk you home?" He asked, for about the fiftieth time. He stood only inches away from her, and she could smell the beer on his breath. That's different…
Audrey's mind raced for an excuse. "Oh I appreciate that, but really it's a fast walk so I'll be okay. But thank ya," she replied, offering him the warmest smile she could manage. He grabbed her arm as she tried to turn her back to him.
"Why don't you wanna go out with me?" he demanded, stepping closer to her. She opened her mouth to reply but found herself at a loss for words. Before she could formulate a response, Joe's lips were crushing against hers.
She jumped and tried to pull away, but he wrapped his hand in her hair and forced her to him. Beating a fist against his chest, Audrey struggled against him until finally he relented his assault, continuing, however, to clutch her wrist in one hand while he gripped the back of her neck with the other.
"Please let me go," she begged quietly, fear widening her large green eyes.
"What's your problem, Audrey?" he snarled; his voice sent shivers down her spine. She tried once more to shake herself free from his trap, mentally bracing herself for another attack.
"Is he bothering you?" another man's voice called from somewhere, stopping Joe as he prepared his next advance. Audrey's head whipped towards the voice, where she found a tall, imposing man with slick black hair and a leather jacket observing the scene with narrowed eyes from just a few feet away.
Audrey nodded rapidly while Joe responded, "This is between us, man."
The man in the leather jacket stood beside them in a matter of seconds; he was even taller than he'd looked from the distance, with a broad chest and strong-looking arms even under the thick fabric of the coat. Audrey could feel Joe tense up as he found himself outmatched. Placing a hand on the back of Joe's neck, he threatened, "You sure about that?"
Joe released Audrey from his grip immediately, and she backed away a few steps, staring as the two men stared each other down. In one swift motion, the man threw Joe back, sending him tumbling to the sidewalk. Joe picked himself up and immediately began to hurry in the opposite direction as the taller man stepped toward Audrey.
His face no longer set in a scowl, the man grew handsomer before her; his hair was meticulously styled, jet black and greased, and his eyes were just as dark, black pupils and irises completely undifferentiable in the dark of the Skid Row night. Audrey could feel her cheeks flush when he stood beside her. "Thank ya for that," she told him quietly, suddenly embarrassed by the whole situation.
He smiled at her, revealing two rows of perfectly straight, white teeth, and Audrey's knees went weak. "It was nothing," the man replied. "You look like you could use a drink. There's a great place not too far from here that's still open."
This gave her pause. Logically, there were a thousand reasons she knew she should say no; it had to be at least 2:30 in the morning by now, she had work at Mushnik's early, going out for drinks was most definitely not factored into the budget she'd just made herself, and besides, no respectable establishment would be open this late on a weekday. Yet, none of those stopped her from smiling up at him and saying, "Yeah, that sounds nice."
Placing his hand on the small of her back, the man led her down the street toward a little hole in the wall with its neon light still blazing out front. Audrey gazed up at her escort as they walked, suddenly realizing she hadn't actually introduced herself. "I'm Audrey, by the way," she stated, remembering her manners.
"Orin," he replied, looking straight ahead. "I saw you back in there, before. You looked good." Audrey turned furiously red, grateful that they'd reached the bar (simply called "Bill's") and that she had no need to respond. Orin walked immediately over to the bar itself, while Audrey surveyed her surroundings. Surprisingly, people packed the room, chatter and bodies filling the tiny space even at this late hour. Audrey managed to find an unoccupied spot against the wall by the bar and pushed through the crowd to claim it, grateful that Orin, it seemed, had seen it as well. She undid the belt on her jacket and shrugged it off, laying it on the back of a nearby chair, then she leaned back into the wall; he met her where she stood, pressing a tumbler into her hand. Audrey took a long sip, not knowing or particularly caring what he'd gotten her and simply relishing the sweet burn of the liquor.
He pressed his arm into the wall to lean beside her. Audrey finished her drink in two sips, grateful for the dizzy ease already settling over her and (for once) the empty stomach she was drinking on. Her eyes rotated between staring intently at her shoes and glancing up at the handsome man accompanying her; though she normally flirted with grace and ease, she suddenly found herself at a loss for words. Orin, for his part, glanced around the room.
"So what was it ya said ya did?" Audrey asked, trying to make conversation. His answer drowned in the din of the bar, but Audrey managed to make out part of the garbled sound. "A doctah, ya said?" she repeated, leaning in to close the distance between them, both to hear him better and to show her interest in him and his answer.
He smirked and, bending his head down to her ear, answered, "Something like that. I'm a dentist." He pulled back, and Audrey met his smirk with her own.
"Oh wow, that's so interestin'!" She gushed, placing a hand on his arm. "That explains ya perfect teeth! I bet it's a lotta hard work though."
His eyes somehow both narrowed and lit up, giving him a menacing quality, although Audrey figured she'd imagined it (after all, she wasn't a particular fan of dental appointments generally). "Well, not everyone likes seeing the dentist yanno," he replied.
Straightening up and leaning just slightly towards him, Audrey uttered, "Aww, that's too bad. Ya seem okay ta me," with a coquettish smile.
Orin cocked an eyebrow. "Ya think?" Audrey simply smiled and drained whatever was left in her glass. The alcohol had taken full effect, sweetly clouding her mind and blocking out all her earlier inhibitions to accompanying him in the first place. Orin noticed her empty glass and finished his own drink before taking the tumbler from her hand. "I'll be right back," he muttered into her ear before turning toward the bar, leaving Audrey to lean her hip against the wall and wait.
No sooner had Orin turned his back than another man laid his hand on her shoulder, cooing, "Hey, doll" to her. Audrey shrugged out of his grasp but said a polite "Hello" to him.
"Now what's a pretty thing like you doin' all alone here this late?" the man asked, his face creeping closer to Audrey's with every word. She dodged him as best as she could, leaning as far back as she could without toppling over, which proved more difficult than she'd expected.
"Actually I ain't here alone," she replied, hoping the man could take a hint.
He couldn't.
Coming towards her again, the man wrapped his arm around her and stated, "Really? Cause I don't see anyone but you and me."
Audrey again backed away from the man's touch, surprised when her back collided into someone; she swiveled around and saw Orin, a glass in each hand, their contents spilling over onto either the floor or Audrey herself. Audrey took one glass from his hand and subtly nodded toward the man, who stood dumbfounded at the strange display. Taking the hint, Orin wrapped his now-free hand tightly around her waist, asking, "Everything good here?"
Audrey took a sip of her drink and, leaning into him so their chests pressed together, smiled up at him and returned with, "Just fine! We were just chattin—'" When she turned her head back, the man was gone.
Audrey rolled her eyes and leaned dejectedly against the wall, but Orin's arm followed her, his hand resting just by her shoulder and his body hovering just over hers. Orin's smirk returned as he said, "You get yourself in trouble a lot, dontcha?"
Audrey shook her head but smiled. "Thank ya again," she said, sipping again at her drink and letting a firm tipsiness settle over her. "It looks like you've saved me a couple a' times now."
Orin chucked quietly and replied, "My pleasure."
His handsomeness struck her again, and, filled with both courage and desire (perhaps the liquid kind), Audrey finished her drink, placed her glass down on the counter, and, resting her hand on his bicep and moving up to caress his shoulder and neck, said, "I wish I could make it up to ya…" with a lovely, flirtatious smile.
That was the only cue Orin needed to shove her up to the wall and press his lips hard against hers. Audrey returned with all she had, wrapping a hand in his hair and pressing her whole body against his, her heaving chest threatening to burst from her low-cut dress. He dipped his hand from her back to the curve of her hip and beyond, squeezing her to him as their kiss grew rougher and more passionate with each passing second.
Audrey giggled when they finally broke apart, both thoroughly embarrassed and desperate to continue. "Orin, we gotta look ridiculous," she said through spurts of drunken laughter.
His jaw tensed slightly when she said his name, but Audrey didn't notice. Grabbing her hand and lacing their fingers together, he responded, "I got an idea." He pulled her across the bar to a hidden narrow hallway, at the end of which rested a private little…supply closet.
He yanked Audrey inside, slammed the door shut, and his lips immediately covered hers as he slammed her against the wall once more. His hands travelled to her breasts, squeezing and kneading while his lips roamed her jaw and throat, leaving little hickeys along the way. He bit down where her neck and shoulder met, and Audrey yelped in pain. It seemed to her, though, he mistook the sound for pleasure, and he continued his assault on her throat and chest. Ignoring the mild pain as best she could, Audrey for her part fiddled with the buckle of his belt, prying it open to loosen his pants. Orin lifted her by the hips, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, ready for whatever may come…
Audrey fiddled with her keys, not quite ready to go inside yet. Orin had walked her back to her apartment building, where they now lingered outside Audrey's door.
"I'd really love to see ya again," Audrey told him, leaning back against the door with a smile.
He braced his hand on the wall behind her and bent towards her. "You working tomorrow?" he inquired. When she nodded, he said quietly into her ear, "I'll see ya the same time then."
She nodded again, replying with her characteristic, "Sure," and he brushed his lips against her cheek before pulling away from her. "Goodnight, Orin," she whispered before finally turning toward her door and putting the key in the lock. With one last glance back, he swung open the door to her building and marched out of sight.
Audrey collapsed into her bed, not bothering to even remove her makeup or assess the damage to her neck, promising herself she'd deal with it in the morning, which by now was only three or four short hours away. She smiled, though, at the bad night turned very good. She had money to get her through the month and the promise of a new guy who seemed to really like her—yes, it seemed like things were turning around for her.