My first submission of erotic literature. More will follow, should reception be positive.
For Claire.
Self Destruction. That's what I wanted. Release from being wound too tight; like a coiled spring, like a tensed muscle. I just wanted freedom. To let go, to breathe deep and long. I wanted to cry wet thick hot tears. I wanted to scream. I wanted agony. Pain releases us, it purifies us. For those few moments in our lives when we are truly in pain, nothing else in the world matters. For that infinitesimal percentage of our existence, we become animals again. Cro-Magnon Men, Self-centered, inconsiderate, egocentric little creatures. We become a world of one. One creature and their pain, wondering when it will end but secretly hoping it won't, because for those short intense little moments we are truly alive.
The old saying goes that that our body is a temple. I want mine to be in ruins. Like those Sun-God monuments lost deep in the jungle. A shrine to some lost forgotten deity, worshiped by a long dead tribe. Merely a gap-toothed stone foundation; fallen pillars, green moss-covered, weathered, rounded, cracked misshapen boulders. A fallen headless idol worn nearly unrecognizable, laying across a cobbled floor split by overgrowth and little burrowing animals. If my body's a temple then I wanted to be reduced to rubble, and wasn't going to get there sitting in a Starbucks sipping a five dollar latte.
I'm a coward, though it certainly doesn't seem it at first. I have an important job. I hold the respect of my subordinates, I make hard & fast decisions all day; managing other people's finances with a calm and straightforward manner, never hesitating, never worrying, never second-guessing. I hate my work, but I go about it like it is my passion. I am in control, and I loathe it. More and more often I catch myself becoming distracted. Looking at internet porn on the job. Reading erotic literature over my bag lunch at the parkbench in front of my office. Staring without shame at every tight-skirt-clad executive assistant who strides past me in her high heels and her perfect makeup and her no-nonsense hairdo. Never do I speak to them, never do they speak to me. Just a blank smile or an impersonal nod.
Walking back to the pay lot where I park my car, a block or so from the office, I don't remember exactly what motivated me or what crossed my mind, but I decided to leave the car and to keep walking, at least for another block or so. The night was warm, the streets were empty, it was late, I was tired, and I simply couldn't face the possibility of climbing into my car. That stuffy little glass and steel coffin, lined with leather and plastic and carpet, the recycled filtered air from the A/C, the dull drone of the motor, the blank stare of the dials on the dash. I simply couldn't face it again, not yet. So I walked past the car, and on into the city.
Eventually my calves hurt and I began to worry about the trip back to the parking lot, so I decided to turn back. I spun on my heel, braced for the journey in the opposite direction, and then a glimmer of amber light caught my eye. Down a short alley, off from the main street, a small sign; "Solaris." A bar. Or a night club, a dance club. The little yellow sign in the shape of a tribal sun had just the one word. Solaris. I approached. The door was steel, painted dark brown. A deep throbbing bass beat from behind. I pulled the handle, a thick waft of warm air poured out, carrying the scent of a thousand brands of perfume, cigarettes, cloves, hash, sweat, and alcohol. I walked in, found myself submerged in a deep red and orange light, just enough to see the immediate area around me, but darkness and haze hid the walls and ceiling Giving it a sense of infinite space. The whole room seemed ethereal; a whole plane of sensual throbbing music, writhing bodies on the dance floor, small round tables with packs of beautiful women and beautiful men, engaged in conversation- or whatever; lips to ears, lips to lips. Those who weren't engrossed with one another cast their lusty eyes toward the dance floor, animals overtly scanning for carnal prey. Nobody was pretending that this place was anything less than a hunting ground. There was something refreshing about the honesty in that. Honesty like that can be intimidating, terrifying.
And before I'd even realized, I had been spotted, tracked, separated from the herd, chased, and brought down. She'd spotted me standing there, in my white buttoned-down cotton shirt and silk tie and pleated trousers and alligator shoes. I stood like an idiotic little beacon in that leather, vinyl, and fishnet crowd. I could feel her stare, even in the din and the smoke and the dance club lights, I could sense her eyes on me. I scanned the club for the source of this notion that I was being watched & found myself staring back at the predator. As a rule, I never approach women. I'm a flight animal, not a fight animal. I was ready to leave, I wanted to leave. I had to get out of there. All I needed to do at that moment was to walk right back out that door. She knew it, too. She simply shook her head "no" and then tilted her head to the empty chair at her table. And just like that, walked over and sat down.
We hardly spoke. A few words, shared our names, made pleasantries, mild flirtations. We ordered drinks. Gin Martini, up, with an olive. We stared, her hand on top of mine on the table, her red-red painted nails scratching little patterns into the back of my hand. In the club's meager light her skin looked like porcelain; flawless, smooth, impossibly white. Thick red hair in loose curls rolling down to bare shoulders, a strapless abyssal-black dress. Glossy candy-red lips, full, firm, perfect.
We drank. Our eyes hardly left one another's; as if I were afraid to look away, for fear the other would take advantage and attack. No, not as if. I actually was mortified. She wasn't. She knew she had me. She leaned in to say something to me, right into my ear, the music was loud and this is the only way, besides shouting, that two people could communicate in a place like this. As she leaned in, so close I could feel her breath on me. I expected a thank you; good night, thanks for the drink but I really must get going, work in the morning, you understand, it was nice meeting you. Instead, she asked simply "I know what I need. Do you?" I felt like a cannon ball had been dropped on my chest. How does one reply to a question that? Um. Yes, I think so. "Then let's go."
I followed her out of the club and back into the alley. She walked with purpose; long hard strides. Her high-heels making a Tok Tok Tok sound across the pavement. I followed, watching her ass bob left to right in that tight black dress. Her legs long and smooth, the single black stripe of the seam of her nylons perfectly straight. She glanced back over her shoulder. I hurried to catch up beside her. We crossed the street, down another alley to the next block, through a paved park of public art, across another street and into the glass lobby of a high-rise apartment building. Classy.
Into the elevator and the doors closed. I stood at the back, she stood in front of me, watching me in the reflection on the polished aluminum doors. Under the bright lights of the elevator I was finally able to take in the finer details of this magnificent specimen of a woman. A lace-work of pink freckles dappled across her pale shoulders. Her makeup: flawless. Her hair: perfection. Her dress: not a stitch out of place, hugging her curvaceous figure as if sewn specifically for her. I don't know if was the rise of the elevator or simply nervousness, but I felt a weight in my stomach as if I-- and before I could finish my thought, she was on me.