Keith's head was in a cloud. Joni had discovered that a few rock bands were just passing through town and had arranged for her, Willie, Greg and Keith to crash a party in a hotel nearby. It was amazing to be surrounded by the bands and their groupies; not that Keith would ever have thought to be as brazen as these guys were. He'd learned early on that women deserved respect; that had been drilled into him by not only his mother, but his sister as well. Laurie would be having a convulsive fit if she could see what he saw. He stayed by Joni's side most of the night as she introduced him around, and he was thrilled when most of the hard rockers he met complimented him on his songwriting, his voice, his guitar playing, what-have-you. Keith Partridge was pretty well-known in these circles, he decided, and it tickled him pink to have these 'veterans' of rock tell him they thought he was good; damn good.
"Thirsty, Keith?" Joni nodded toward the bar at the end of the room.
"Yeah, sure…I could go for something cold."
"What'll it be? My treat."
"Uh…" Keith hesitated, looking around. He wanted to say gin or scotch on the rocks, but Shirley's words were stuck in overdrive inside his head. "I'd better stick with 7-Up," he said a little sheepishly. "On the rocks."
She smiled, her hand sweeping his hair off his shoulder. "I'll be right back." She moved off, leaving him for the moment and joining Willie who stood at the bar with a bottle of beer in his hand. "One beer, one 7-Up on ice," she said to the bartender.
Willie grinned. "I take it the soft drink's for the kid."
"Yeah. He was primed before we left. Too bad…wouldn't he make a cute drunk?" She looked back at Keith who watched the action around him with out and out awe.
"Greg'd kill you."
"The kid needs some reality, Willie. I'll bet he's never even tasted beer. He wouldn't even know what a little vodka tasted like, now would he?"
"Joni…" Willie's voice exuded warning.
She ignored him, turning back to the bartender, who was just serving the drinks. "Could I get just a splash of vodka in that 7-Up?"
As the bartender got the bottle from under the counter, Joni's eyes once again found Keith in the crowd. That young gorgeous creature was a fine specimen, indeed!
*****
If Keith's head was in a cloud before, it was in a torrential rainstorm, now. Joni had plied him with several, sort of funny tasting 7-Ups, and when he'd questioned the first one, she said it was the water. They bottled the drink locally, and with all the minerals in the water, it would affect the taste just a bit. He was skeptical, but drank it anyway. It had a strange taste to it at first, but as time went on, he began to like it more and more, and Joni had been more than obliging, buying them as fast as he was downing them. But now, his world seemed a little unsteady. It was almost as if he'd stepped into a dream. He would reach for things, but they would blur and waver. The world seemed to have slowed down and the buzzing of voices around him was giving him a headache.
Joni could see that he was out of it, now. His goofy grin was wavering as he became more and more disoriented. And if Greg saw him in this condition, he would be furious. She took Keith's arm and guided him to the door. "Come on, little one…you need to go sleep this off."
"Where are we going?" Keith looked right through her, his eyes bloodshot.
"To our bus. You can relax; lie down…" She took the empty glass from his hand and sat it on the nearest table.
He shook his head, regretting it instantly as the room spun sickeningly on its axis. "I think I need to throw up…" he mumbled, wincing as his hands went instinctively to his belly.
She pulled him quickly out the door as Willie followed. Once out on the street, Keith wrenched away from her and stumbled for the bushes that lined the wide sidewalk. On his knees, he cast his stomach contents into the shrubbery as Willie glared at Joni. "How are you gonna explain this to Greg? And to his mother? If he sleeps it off, he won't get back to his room until daybreak, and then he's gonna have one hell of a hangover."
"I'll sober him up okay," Joni told him. "Relax, Will. Like you've never taken a young, naïve wood nymph and turned her into a woman over night."
"Not a client, I haven't!" Willie snarled. "This kid is white bread and cream cheese, Joni. A teen idol. You know what's gonna happen if the press gets hold of this? We could lose everything."
Joni sighed. "You're beginning to sound like Greg. Now cut the morality speech and help me get him to the bus."
Shaking his head, Willie reached down and brought Keith to his feet.
*****
Keith was practically unconscious by the time they got him into the bus. Head lolling, and his body a dead weight, he seemed totally out of it. A pathetic little moan emerged from him every now and again, assuring Willie that Joni hadn't out and out killed the guy, but as he eased him down into the soft cushions at the back of the vehicle, he eyed him critically. "He doesn't look so good," he observed.
"Neither would you if you'd just had your first drink … or few!" Joni snorted with laughter at her own joke then turned to scrutinise Keith herself. He looked so cute, all spread out on the cushions like that. Like a little dormouse. He was just so perfect. And she knew something that would only add to his perfection, and create a 'perfect' bond between them as well. When she turned back to Willie, she realised he was surveying her suspiciously and frowned. This wouldn't go well if he was going to stand here on guard like some overprotective cop or something. "He'll be fine," she assured him. "Just needs to sleep it off. I'll stay here with him - make sure he's okay; doesn't throw up again or anything. You go back to the party."
"Are you sure?" he asked, dubious about leaving Joni here with the kid. Her antics had already gotten them in deep enough and he didn't want to risk any more trouble.
"Yeah, man," she was all but physically pushing him out of the bus by this time. "I'm sure. I promise to be a good little girl and look after him. OK?"
"OK. You promise?"
"Sure. I promise."
As Willie left, she heaved a huge sigh of relief then, stepping back into the bus, she once again eyed her little dormouse, who was slowly curling up amongst the cushions, looking even more adorable. "Don't you worry, little one," she whispered as she stepped over him to retrieve her bag. "I'm gonna give you a night you'll never forget!"
*****
Keith slowly opened his eyes. Everything was fuzzy; his head was pounding, the room was spinning and he felt sick. He also felt strangely disconnected - like he wasn't part of reality any more and he was floating away from it. The more he tried to grab onto something real and solid, the less tangible it became. With a great deal of effort he brought his left hand upward toward his face, touching his cheek with his fingers, just to make sure that he could still feel. Everything tingled and there was a strange sensation of pins and needles, then he felt a sharp pain in his right arm, just within the elbow joint and cried out, gazing down to find a blurry shape crouched beside him, his arm resting on something soft and silky. "J .. Joni?" his words sounded thick and slurred, like his tongue, which felt like something had been growing on it.
"Shh, it's okay, baby," she crooned. "Just helping you out here."
"Wh .. wha …?" Then sudden clarity hit him like a tidal wave as he watched her withdraw a needle from his arm. "Oh god!" he exclaimed. !"Joni! Wh … what have you done ???"
"Just a little something to help you, baby," she whispered, soothingly. She moved closer toward him, tenderly stroking his face and brushing her hands through his hair. "Don't fight it. Let it come to you. I'll be here with you. I promise …"
"No!" he protested, even as the drug surged through his system, coursing through his blood and into his brain. "No …. " The second protest was much less vehement, as he closed his eyes, convulsing once as the heroin started to overcome his body, his words, his will. "No …. "
Opening his eyes again seemed to take longer this time. A strange lethargy was creeping through him, coupled with an odd warmth which seemed to sear his skin. His mouth felt dry and he gagged as nausea almost overwhelmed him. Fighting to retain a hold on his stomach contents kept his mind off the other strange sensations for a few moments, but eventually, he became aware of them again. He felt flushed and sleepy and his legs and arms felt heavy and wooden. He knew, intellectually, that this should worry him, and he tried to lift his right hand to ensure that it was still connected to his body but nothing happened and he couldn't seem to care enough to repeat the exercise.
"How're you doin', baby?" Joni's voice seemed to come from far away and echoed peculiarly in his ears. He couldn't seem to summon up the energy to respond, but giggled inanely. This seemed to please her as she bent over him, her hair softly brushing his face. He longed to touch it, draw his hands through its soft silkiness, but his limbs remained leaden and he simply shrugged helplessly, giggling again. His body was responsive to her touch, however, and he could feel her hands skimming across his bare chest - bare? When had he removed his shirt? - tracing a path over his abdomen, then venturing further down. He heard her sigh contentedly and then there was the sound of a belt buckle being unfastened; a zip and he felt mild concern at what was happening. He tried to protest, but his mind was woolly and again that feeling of apathy spread through him. So, passively, he lay there whilst she slowly spread her hands over him, making him feel wonderful. Little sounds mewled from his lips and she crooned to him as he responded to her touch despite himself. Her lips came down on his and she kissed him deeply, fully, thrusting her tongue into his mouth. He suckled on it for a moment, draining the moisture from it - his mouth was so dry and hot - and then it was removed and he was starting to see stars dancing around her head … then suddenly her weight was gone from his body and he heard shouting. He couldn't make out the words, though, didn't really care what they were saying. All he knew was the feeling of euphoria which was rushing through him, the sudden loss of her touch being replaced by a feeling of such wellbeing that he didn't care who he was, where he was or what was happening outside.
Eventually, he fell into a deep sleep, buoyed by the feelings of elation he was experiencing, and which he knew, deep down, were alien and wrong.
Meanwhile, Joni was facing off with Willie, who had returned to the bus, worried about what was happening with Keith. He had been horrified when he had discovered her trying to seduce the young singer. The teen idol's clothes were scattered around the cushions, and he was lying unresponsively beneath the young woman. "What the hell are you doing?" he had exclaimed.
Joni had been startled. She had thought Willie long gone by now and had not figured on any interruptions. He had only seen her trying to deflower the luscious piece of flesh, however. Had he witnessed her giving the young singer a shot he would have been truly outraged. She could get out of this easily enough. "Aw, c'mon, Willie," she whispered, softly, seductively, "I had to try, y'know?"
"Why?" demanded the older man. "Why him? Why do you do this?"
"Why?" She sounded incredulous. "Willie, take a good look at him - a REAL good look. He's gorgeous! And innocent - despite the childish rumours which go around about him. That's all they are - rumours. Sure, he likes the girls but he'd never actually go too far with any of 'em - dear old mom's ingrained that into him. I thought I'd show him a good time. Show him what a real woman's like. I wanted to be his first!"
Willie stared at her dumbfounded. "I can't believe you!" he exclaimed. "You're a real piece of work, Joni."
"Why, thank you!" she responded, winking coquettishly at him.
"That wasn't a compliment!" he snapped back.
She pouted prettily. "Aw, Willie, c'mon. I was just havin' a little bit of fun. Look, if I promise not to touch him again, would you just leave us alone?"
Again he simply stared at her. "You have got to be kidding!"
"Look, he's asleep now," she pointed out, drawing his attention back to the stoned young singer, who did indeed seem lost in slumber. "I'm not gonna wake him up now."
Willie was torn. On the one hand he wanted to get back to the party - he had struck up an interesting conversation with one of the band members which he dearly wanted to continue - all in the interests of his future career. On the other, he didn't trust Joni as far as he could throw her. Whilst young Keith Partridge did indeed seem to be deeply asleep, what was to stop her from waking him up and trying to seduce him again? He knew that he wouldn't be able to face Greg or the kid's mother if he let anything happen to him. He might be 17 years old, but he was still only a child, and to his mother, obviously a very special child. It was already enough that somehow Joni had gotten him drunk. But slowly, as she worked on him, she lessened his resolve - he had always been susceptible to her undoubted charms - and before long he was agreeing to her request to leave, but not without a final warning to her to leave the kid alone.
As Willie left, Joni heaved a huge sigh of relief and wandered slowly over to the cushions where her prey awaited her. There she stared at him for a moment or two before reaching into her bag and retrieving her kit. Then, she proceeded to give herself the fix she needed.
"Thirsty, Keith?" Joni nodded toward the bar at the end of the room.
"Yeah, sure…I could go for something cold."
"What'll it be? My treat."
"Uh…" Keith hesitated, looking around. He wanted to say gin or scotch on the rocks, but Shirley's words were stuck in overdrive inside his head. "I'd better stick with 7-Up," he said a little sheepishly. "On the rocks."
She smiled, her hand sweeping his hair off his shoulder. "I'll be right back." She moved off, leaving him for the moment and joining Willie who stood at the bar with a bottle of beer in his hand. "One beer, one 7-Up on ice," she said to the bartender.
Willie grinned. "I take it the soft drink's for the kid."
"Yeah. He was primed before we left. Too bad…wouldn't he make a cute drunk?" She looked back at Keith who watched the action around him with out and out awe.
"Greg'd kill you."
"The kid needs some reality, Willie. I'll bet he's never even tasted beer. He wouldn't even know what a little vodka tasted like, now would he?"
"Joni…" Willie's voice exuded warning.
She ignored him, turning back to the bartender, who was just serving the drinks. "Could I get just a splash of vodka in that 7-Up?"
As the bartender got the bottle from under the counter, Joni's eyes once again found Keith in the crowd. That young gorgeous creature was a fine specimen, indeed!
*****
If Keith's head was in a cloud before, it was in a torrential rainstorm, now. Joni had plied him with several, sort of funny tasting 7-Ups, and when he'd questioned the first one, she said it was the water. They bottled the drink locally, and with all the minerals in the water, it would affect the taste just a bit. He was skeptical, but drank it anyway. It had a strange taste to it at first, but as time went on, he began to like it more and more, and Joni had been more than obliging, buying them as fast as he was downing them. But now, his world seemed a little unsteady. It was almost as if he'd stepped into a dream. He would reach for things, but they would blur and waver. The world seemed to have slowed down and the buzzing of voices around him was giving him a headache.
Joni could see that he was out of it, now. His goofy grin was wavering as he became more and more disoriented. And if Greg saw him in this condition, he would be furious. She took Keith's arm and guided him to the door. "Come on, little one…you need to go sleep this off."
"Where are we going?" Keith looked right through her, his eyes bloodshot.
"To our bus. You can relax; lie down…" She took the empty glass from his hand and sat it on the nearest table.
He shook his head, regretting it instantly as the room spun sickeningly on its axis. "I think I need to throw up…" he mumbled, wincing as his hands went instinctively to his belly.
She pulled him quickly out the door as Willie followed. Once out on the street, Keith wrenched away from her and stumbled for the bushes that lined the wide sidewalk. On his knees, he cast his stomach contents into the shrubbery as Willie glared at Joni. "How are you gonna explain this to Greg? And to his mother? If he sleeps it off, he won't get back to his room until daybreak, and then he's gonna have one hell of a hangover."
"I'll sober him up okay," Joni told him. "Relax, Will. Like you've never taken a young, naïve wood nymph and turned her into a woman over night."
"Not a client, I haven't!" Willie snarled. "This kid is white bread and cream cheese, Joni. A teen idol. You know what's gonna happen if the press gets hold of this? We could lose everything."
Joni sighed. "You're beginning to sound like Greg. Now cut the morality speech and help me get him to the bus."
Shaking his head, Willie reached down and brought Keith to his feet.
*****
Keith was practically unconscious by the time they got him into the bus. Head lolling, and his body a dead weight, he seemed totally out of it. A pathetic little moan emerged from him every now and again, assuring Willie that Joni hadn't out and out killed the guy, but as he eased him down into the soft cushions at the back of the vehicle, he eyed him critically. "He doesn't look so good," he observed.
"Neither would you if you'd just had your first drink … or few!" Joni snorted with laughter at her own joke then turned to scrutinise Keith herself. He looked so cute, all spread out on the cushions like that. Like a little dormouse. He was just so perfect. And she knew something that would only add to his perfection, and create a 'perfect' bond between them as well. When she turned back to Willie, she realised he was surveying her suspiciously and frowned. This wouldn't go well if he was going to stand here on guard like some overprotective cop or something. "He'll be fine," she assured him. "Just needs to sleep it off. I'll stay here with him - make sure he's okay; doesn't throw up again or anything. You go back to the party."
"Are you sure?" he asked, dubious about leaving Joni here with the kid. Her antics had already gotten them in deep enough and he didn't want to risk any more trouble.
"Yeah, man," she was all but physically pushing him out of the bus by this time. "I'm sure. I promise to be a good little girl and look after him. OK?"
"OK. You promise?"
"Sure. I promise."
As Willie left, she heaved a huge sigh of relief then, stepping back into the bus, she once again eyed her little dormouse, who was slowly curling up amongst the cushions, looking even more adorable. "Don't you worry, little one," she whispered as she stepped over him to retrieve her bag. "I'm gonna give you a night you'll never forget!"
*****
Keith slowly opened his eyes. Everything was fuzzy; his head was pounding, the room was spinning and he felt sick. He also felt strangely disconnected - like he wasn't part of reality any more and he was floating away from it. The more he tried to grab onto something real and solid, the less tangible it became. With a great deal of effort he brought his left hand upward toward his face, touching his cheek with his fingers, just to make sure that he could still feel. Everything tingled and there was a strange sensation of pins and needles, then he felt a sharp pain in his right arm, just within the elbow joint and cried out, gazing down to find a blurry shape crouched beside him, his arm resting on something soft and silky. "J .. Joni?" his words sounded thick and slurred, like his tongue, which felt like something had been growing on it.
"Shh, it's okay, baby," she crooned. "Just helping you out here."
"Wh .. wha …?" Then sudden clarity hit him like a tidal wave as he watched her withdraw a needle from his arm. "Oh god!" he exclaimed. !"Joni! Wh … what have you done ???"
"Just a little something to help you, baby," she whispered, soothingly. She moved closer toward him, tenderly stroking his face and brushing her hands through his hair. "Don't fight it. Let it come to you. I'll be here with you. I promise …"
"No!" he protested, even as the drug surged through his system, coursing through his blood and into his brain. "No …. " The second protest was much less vehement, as he closed his eyes, convulsing once as the heroin started to overcome his body, his words, his will. "No …. "
Opening his eyes again seemed to take longer this time. A strange lethargy was creeping through him, coupled with an odd warmth which seemed to sear his skin. His mouth felt dry and he gagged as nausea almost overwhelmed him. Fighting to retain a hold on his stomach contents kept his mind off the other strange sensations for a few moments, but eventually, he became aware of them again. He felt flushed and sleepy and his legs and arms felt heavy and wooden. He knew, intellectually, that this should worry him, and he tried to lift his right hand to ensure that it was still connected to his body but nothing happened and he couldn't seem to care enough to repeat the exercise.
"How're you doin', baby?" Joni's voice seemed to come from far away and echoed peculiarly in his ears. He couldn't seem to summon up the energy to respond, but giggled inanely. This seemed to please her as she bent over him, her hair softly brushing his face. He longed to touch it, draw his hands through its soft silkiness, but his limbs remained leaden and he simply shrugged helplessly, giggling again. His body was responsive to her touch, however, and he could feel her hands skimming across his bare chest - bare? When had he removed his shirt? - tracing a path over his abdomen, then venturing further down. He heard her sigh contentedly and then there was the sound of a belt buckle being unfastened; a zip and he felt mild concern at what was happening. He tried to protest, but his mind was woolly and again that feeling of apathy spread through him. So, passively, he lay there whilst she slowly spread her hands over him, making him feel wonderful. Little sounds mewled from his lips and she crooned to him as he responded to her touch despite himself. Her lips came down on his and she kissed him deeply, fully, thrusting her tongue into his mouth. He suckled on it for a moment, draining the moisture from it - his mouth was so dry and hot - and then it was removed and he was starting to see stars dancing around her head … then suddenly her weight was gone from his body and he heard shouting. He couldn't make out the words, though, didn't really care what they were saying. All he knew was the feeling of euphoria which was rushing through him, the sudden loss of her touch being replaced by a feeling of such wellbeing that he didn't care who he was, where he was or what was happening outside.
Eventually, he fell into a deep sleep, buoyed by the feelings of elation he was experiencing, and which he knew, deep down, were alien and wrong.
Meanwhile, Joni was facing off with Willie, who had returned to the bus, worried about what was happening with Keith. He had been horrified when he had discovered her trying to seduce the young singer. The teen idol's clothes were scattered around the cushions, and he was lying unresponsively beneath the young woman. "What the hell are you doing?" he had exclaimed.
Joni had been startled. She had thought Willie long gone by now and had not figured on any interruptions. He had only seen her trying to deflower the luscious piece of flesh, however. Had he witnessed her giving the young singer a shot he would have been truly outraged. She could get out of this easily enough. "Aw, c'mon, Willie," she whispered, softly, seductively, "I had to try, y'know?"
"Why?" demanded the older man. "Why him? Why do you do this?"
"Why?" She sounded incredulous. "Willie, take a good look at him - a REAL good look. He's gorgeous! And innocent - despite the childish rumours which go around about him. That's all they are - rumours. Sure, he likes the girls but he'd never actually go too far with any of 'em - dear old mom's ingrained that into him. I thought I'd show him a good time. Show him what a real woman's like. I wanted to be his first!"
Willie stared at her dumbfounded. "I can't believe you!" he exclaimed. "You're a real piece of work, Joni."
"Why, thank you!" she responded, winking coquettishly at him.
"That wasn't a compliment!" he snapped back.
She pouted prettily. "Aw, Willie, c'mon. I was just havin' a little bit of fun. Look, if I promise not to touch him again, would you just leave us alone?"
Again he simply stared at her. "You have got to be kidding!"
"Look, he's asleep now," she pointed out, drawing his attention back to the stoned young singer, who did indeed seem lost in slumber. "I'm not gonna wake him up now."
Willie was torn. On the one hand he wanted to get back to the party - he had struck up an interesting conversation with one of the band members which he dearly wanted to continue - all in the interests of his future career. On the other, he didn't trust Joni as far as he could throw her. Whilst young Keith Partridge did indeed seem to be deeply asleep, what was to stop her from waking him up and trying to seduce him again? He knew that he wouldn't be able to face Greg or the kid's mother if he let anything happen to him. He might be 17 years old, but he was still only a child, and to his mother, obviously a very special child. It was already enough that somehow Joni had gotten him drunk. But slowly, as she worked on him, she lessened his resolve - he had always been susceptible to her undoubted charms - and before long he was agreeing to her request to leave, but not without a final warning to her to leave the kid alone.
As Willie left, Joni heaved a huge sigh of relief and wandered slowly over to the cushions where her prey awaited her. There she stared at him for a moment or two before reaching into her bag and retrieving her kit. Then, she proceeded to give herself the fix she needed.