Playing the Game:

Chapter One: The Players

I walked into my apartment and threw my stuff on the couch. 'Another day down,' I thought as I went into the bathroom to clean up.

I worked down in the subways. It was an okay job occasionally, I got some punk that didn't want to pay the fair, and I would have to get all in their face, but for the most part, my job as security was easy. Just stand there and look mean.

Today was the start of my weekend. I never got the usual Saturday and Sunday off, my two days were Tuesday and Wednesday, which wasn't bad, smack in the middle of the week, and the best thing of all, my boss never bothered me. If someone didn't show up, too bad, he always said 'days off were a premium,' so he never bothered anyone.

I got showered and sat on the couch looking at the tube when the door knocked. "it's open," I yelled, knowing who it was; there were only a few people in the city that knew where I lived and wanted to visit me, and one of them was Shelly, my neighbor, across the hall.

"One day I am going to some murderer, and you will be dead," Shelly said as she walked inside.

"If I could be so lucky," I said, shaking my head.

"Stop it," Shelly said as she looked at me.

Shelly was a New Yorker through and through, born here, raised here and wouldn't leave if the world was coming to an end.

Shelly worked down at the strip joint on 40th. She looked every bit the part of all the other crack heads that worked and lived down there. Skinny as a pole, so much make-up that no one could tell what her face looked like, plus the short messy hair.

What the guys at the bar saw in her was a mystery. She had no curves to speak of B cup tits that barely looked good in or out of clothing, and I had seen enough of them to know. Shelly stood in front of me with jeans, shorts and a crop top.

"Need to use your computer," Shelly said.

"Same place it always is," I shrugged.

Shelly always used my computer to do her online dating or upload pictures to her profile. That's why I could say her tits were nothing to write home about. I had seen every part of her and then some.

Once in a blue moon, when I was extremely horny and desperate, I would go over to her place, and she would suck my cock or I would give her a quick fuck, but that's it. No feelings were that at all, on either side.

"You coming this weekend?" Shelly said as she aimed the camera at her tits as she took a picture.

"Couldn't pay me," I answered.

There was a party for the club owner this weekend, and Shelly invited me. I went there once and promised myself I would never go there again, not for all the money in the world. To say Shelly was one of the best looking in the place was an understatement.

It was in a shitty neighborhood, and the place looked like it was about to fall apart or should be condemned.

"Come on," Shelly said as she turned to face me.

"Seriously, couldn't pay me," I said as she lit a cigarette.

"There is this new girl, Kaila she is probably your type," Shelly said as she sucked on the cancer stick.

"I can say with total sincerity, I highly doubt it," I said as I swigged on my beer.

"She has big tits, and a big ass," Shelly said.

"How much of that is hers?" I asked.

The last time Shelly tried to set me up with someone, she was a walking, talking blow-up doll with all the plastic parts.

"Come on," Shelly said as she answered the few pop-ups on the screen.

'Fucking desperate fucks,' I thought as I looked over and saw some of the messages these idiots sent her.

Little did they know I could walk over there, take my dick out and shove it down her throat, and she would ignore all of them until I was finished with her.

That was the best thing about Shelly. She loved cock, black, white, brown multicolored. She loved them all. And I was under no pretense that she was fucking many others. That's why I double-wrapped it anytime I went in there.

"She squeaked when I touched her," I said, shaking my head.

"That was one time," Shelly said, blowing out a puff of smoke.

I looked over at her. "Three," I said, shaking my head.

"The first two don't count. I didn't know you well enough then," Shelly said. "Tell you what," she said as she moved over to the couch. "You come this weekend and I will not knock on that door or use your computer for a full week."

'Shit,' I thought she was serious.

"A full week?" I asked.

"Full," Shelly said as she put out her hand.

"Fucking sold!" I said, shaking her hand. I would have settled for a few days, but a whole week of not seeing her shake her nonexistent ass or push her small tits together for the camera, I was completely sold.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Fucking dump," I said as I entered the strip club. I could smell the distinct smell of desperation as I entered.

There was a thick cloud of smoke as everyone smoked in here.

"Tony!" one of the girls yelled.

"Erica," I nodded.

Another fuck hole I rarely used one. Erica was one of Shelly's closest friends. She was like her friend, with no curves but tattooed from head to toe with dark black hair. At least when I fucked her, there was some feeling, not like Shelly's loose hole.

"What brings you down here?" Erica asked as she danced on the pole with only panties on.

"A full week, without your bestie," I said.

"Ah, thought there was something," Erica smiled.

"Why else would I be in this dump?" I asked.

"Come to see me," Erica laughed.

"Now why would I come here for that, when you live up the stairs from me?" I said.

"Play along," Erica said. "I am bored out of my mind."

"None of the losers paying you any attention," I laughed.

"Not since Jack decided to put that pool table in here," Erica motioned to the back.

"Tony!" Jack, the owner, yelled as he came toward me. He put his hand out for me to shake it.

"Not in a hundred years," I said, shaking my head as I looked at his hand.

I knew what went on in his office, and I wouldn't touch that hand to save my life.

Nadine came from his office, wiping her mouth and looking at Jack with a death stare.

"Hey, if they can't pay the tab for the dance, right?" Jack said as he looked at me.

"Whatever, I am just here for a few and then I am gone," I said as I looked for Shelly.

"She's in the back getting ready," Erica said. "For what, I don't know," she said as she picked up the few dollar bills scattered around the stage.

"When are you going to use the money, you actually make and fix a few things?" I asked Jack.

"Fix, "Jack shook his head. "For what? I am waiting for them to condemn the damn place, take my money and run."

"Nice," I nodded.

Jack was a fucking turd, always was a shit stain and would always be one. His father gifted him this place, and Jack ran it to the ground.

I remembered when it was an excellent joint to have a drink, have a few good laughs, stare at some bouncing tits and go home and have a good jerk-off. Now it was disgusting.

"You see my new girl?" Jack said as he looked at me. "Real beauty, going to make me some money, with her."

"Shelly said she was a looker," I said.

"A looker," Jack laughed. "Hometown girl, came here to make it big and fell flat on her pretty face, now she's here and she's mine."

That was the story of many women down here. They all came from somewhere and thought they could make it big or change their life in the big city. Little did they know, this place was a shitshow, the old bright lights, big city, and big opportunities died many years ago, and it wasn't coming back.

Shelly came out, got on stage, and did her thing before coming over to me.

"She's on next, if you don't see what I was talking about, then you can go and you won't see me, if I am right, then you owe me," Shelly said as she continued to dance.

Jack offered me a free beer, but I told him I would rather go outside and drink from the sewer than drink whatever he had. A few of the others laughed and nodded.

I watched Shelly for a while and then decided to go outside for some fresh air.

"She's coming on," Erica said as I stood outside.

"Fine, let's get this over with," I said as I went back inside.

I sat in the same chair and noticed all the guys playing pool had stopped and were now sitting all around the stage. I didn't think anything of it, as they did the same thing when Erica was new to the place.

Then Kaila came out, and my eyes widened.

'Holy fuck,' I thought as I stared at her. She was a bombshell, from head to toe. Huge fucking knockers and a nice ass. With long brown hair and long legs.

She couldn't dance for shit, but no one watched her dance. They were all watching her. "Told ya," Shelly said as she stood by me.

"Fucking hell!" I said as I watched her strip out of her clothes.

Her huge tits dropped naturally, but then it dawned on me as I looked at her face. She was the unhappiest person I had ever seen.

Her eyes looked defeated like the whole world had beat the ever-living crap out of her and left her on the side of the road to die. There was no smile, no hint of anything, just an empty look as she took off her clothes and pranced about on the stage.

I turned to look at Jack, fucking monster. His father would never put a woman like this on the stage.

Kevin was a good man; he gave many women the chance to dance on the stages and make money so they could go on to better things. If he met someone like Kaila, he would help them in other ways, not like this. I couldn't look at her anymore.

"You're off the hook," I said to Shelly.

"Seriously?" Shelly asked.

"Yeah, definitely," I said.

I waited outside outback in the fucking cold. I had waited for Shelly and Erica to leave and saw the other girls go. Finally, Kaila came out. She was bundled up so tight that anyone could tell she wasn't from the city.

"Hey," I said as I walked toward her.

Instantly she held out a spray bottle. I put my hands up.

"It's the real stuff, not that fake crap," Kaila said in a thick country accent.

"I know," I said as I could read the bottle.

"I don't want your number and I don't want you to take me home, or walk me, or anything!" Kaila said as she looked around.

"Just me," I said, still with my hands up.

"What do you want?" Kaila asked.

"Here," I said, putting my number on top of the trash bin. "It's my number, if you need anything, just call, no harm, no foul, and no strings attached."

Kaila looked at the paper as I slowly backed up and walked away.

"Why?" Kaila shouted.

"You look like you need someone, like I said no strings attached," I nodded.

I watched as she thumbed it in her hand. I could see the thoughts go across her face. Many people had hurt her. Some just like me acted kind, used her, and threw her out.

"Need a place to stay?" I asked.

Kaila looked up into the dark sky. "I want to believe you," Kaila said.

I nodded. "It's hard, I know, but I tell you what," I said, walking towards her. I took the paper and wrote an address on it. "That's one of my coworkers place, she's a good woman, has a spare bedroom for rent, it's a good place," I nodded.

"How much? I can barely...." Kaila said.

"Just go, the two of you can sort it out, I promise," I nodded.

I backed up again, and Kaila nodded. "Can you drive me there?" Kaila asked. "I hate taking cabs or the subway."

"Totally," I nodded.

We drove in silence as I drove her over there. Candice was already waiting outside for me when I got there. "Come on," Candice said as she nodded to me.

"I don't know how much," Kaila started to say.

"We can talk about it in the morning," Candice said.

I stopped by the one place I always went to when I was down here. I brushed off some leaves and kicked a few dirt piles off.

"Your son is a piece of work," I said to the tombstone. "Has this new girl, you should see her, a really doe eye as you used to call them," I said, staring at Kevin's tombstone. "Your son is taking advantage of her, I don't know why you left that place to him, he's a real piece of work."

When I came here from Georgia, I was like Kaila, trying to make it big. I thought I would be the next prominent rapper or something.

Kevin took me under his wing after I fell to the floor. I cleaned tables and floors for him, and then he got me started at the subway system, and I was good to go from then on.

"I thought you should know," I nodded.

I slowly turned away and returned home.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"She's okay, for now," Candice said as I met her in the cafeteria the following day.

"Thanks, again," I nodded.

"Seriously, you need to get her away from that place," Candice said. "It's not a good place for someone like her," Candice shook her head.

Candice was another true New Yorker, born bred and forged in the big city.

I nodded. I knew I had to do something. The poor woman would be swallowed alive in this city and become another horrible statistic that everyone heard about, maybe even worse.

"How long can she stay at your place?" I asked.

Candice shook her head. "I can't give it out for free, I have bills to pay just like everyone else, sorry."

I understood better than anyone, "A week?" I asked.

Candice nodded. "I can do that," she said.

I nodded. I had a week to try and do something for Kaila.

After work, I popped by to see how Kaila was doing.

"Hi," Kaila said as she looked at me.

"Well, you look better," I nodded.

"First time I have slept without fear of being," Kaila paused as she looked at me. "You know."

I definitely knew what it was like sleeping in those shelters, everyone crammed together, hearing other people breathing next to you, not knowing if the person next to you was a friend or foe. I had done a few nights in a few of them.

Kaila's looks and attributes made her a walking target for all the pervs and rapists that preyed on the woman just like her. Doe-eyed and docile.

"Where are you going?" I asked as I saw her packing what little she had.

"I can't afford to stay here," Kaila said. "Your friend is nice, but I can see she needs the money, I don't want to be a burden."

I moved closer and put her things back on the bed. "You have a week," I nodded.

I didn't tell her that I had paid Candice a few dollars for groceries and her electric bill so Kaila could spend the week here. "After that we will think of something else," I nodded.

"Why are you doing this?" Kaila asked.

"Someone did it for me, and I am just paying it forward, that's all," I said as I looked at her. "One day I expect you to do the same for someone else."

Kaila nodded. "I better get down to the club," she said.

"Not going back there," I shook my head.

"But it's the only place I can work," Kaila said.

"Rest for the night, tomorrow I have a few ideas of a place for you to earn a decent paycheck without taking off your clothes," I nodded.

Kaila smiled for the first time since I had met her. I was sure the thought of working somewhere else was something she had wanted for a while.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Jack's going to be pissed!" Shelly said as I told her that Kaila wasn't coming back.

"Oh, the fuck well," I shrugged as I looked at the newspaper for job openings.

"Seriously Tony, he's going to go through the roof," Shelly said from her spot at my computer.

"I could care less," I said.

Jack or any of his cronies for bouncers didn't scare me; they were wanna-be gangsters that listened to rap music and thought they were hardcore. I had seen plenty of street urchins walk into that place like they owned it and never got thrown out.

"She was bringing in a lot of paying customers," Shelly shook her head.

"No doubt, she was the best-looking woman that passed through there in years," I nodded.

"Hey!" Shelly said as she shouted at me.

"You're no looker, a good dancer, but everyone has seen the community goods," I said as I stared at her.

"You're no catch either!" Shelly fired back.

I made no pretense of being anything more than I was; I was an average-looking white male that everyone saw going down the street, average height, average build, mouse-brown hair and blue eyes, there was nothing about me that screamed, 'I want to fuck that guy!' to any woman, and I knew it.

I was born and raised in a small town in Georgia. Most city people would never know where it was or how to get there, even if I drew them a map.

I married my high school sweetheart soon after graduating, and we had a good life, both of us working hard for the small amount of money we earned.

She was a waitress at a restaurant, And I worked at the meat market, it was fun slaughtering animals or processing them, but it put money on the table. Like a few of my friends, I was inspired to be a country rapper. We were good at it and put out a few songs online and for sale.

Everything came crashing down on me when I returned home one night from being in the studio. I found my best friend fucking my wife. With three others waiting for their turn at her.

Three of my friends with their dicks in their hands as my best friend fucked her from behind. The three standing quickly jumped to the side and yelled at the other.

My wife just sat there looking at me. Cum oozing out of her, she looked at me like it was my fault that I had caught her.

Then the screaming started. I don't know when I pulled my gun out, but I looked at my hand, and there it was, pointing at her and my friend. I wanted to pull the trigger. I wanted to do it so badly, but my hand trembled, and that's when it happened.

I know people say the dead are gone and don't come back. But I firmly believe that some stick around and watch over their loved ones. When I looked at them, I saw my Dad in the corner of the room, shaking his head.

He had been dead since I was twelve, died in a farm accident. Mom followed suit the next year. They said she died of a heart attack, but we knew it was a broken heart that took her.

I let my friends go, divorced my cheating wife, and then high-tailed it out of there. I came up here, thinking I could make it big without them. Boy, was I wrong?

It took all the money I had saved to book studio time, then when I went door to door trying to sell myself and my music to every producer, they all slammed the door in my face.

'We've heard it before, try doing something new, and come back to us,' they all said.

Every single one of them. I wasn't the only one. At every stop, I saw others like me getting the door slammed on them. Even those who tried to be independent got doors closed and locked behind them.

The industry was saturated with people just like us, trying to make a name for themselves. I had one more gig, and then my money would run out.

It was an improv night of freestyle battles. The winner was going to take home a one-year contract at a small studio. Sure, it was small-time, but it was better than nothing.

I one my first battle, but then the second person destroyed me. She was ruthless, a tiny Hispanic woman. She knocked me out of the competition without any hesitation.

That was how I met Kevin, I was down on my luck, with no place to stay, and for that night, I was beaten and felt like ending it all. I was in the back alley behind the building, holding my gun and thinking I would be just another body found in an alley, when Kevin came up and stared at me.

"Well?" he said as he looked down at me.

"Not going to stop me," I said, looking up at him.

"Didn't come to try," Kevin said as he sat down on the opposite side of the alley. "Never seen someone blow their head off before, might be interesting."

That was Kevin. He didn't stop people. He gave them options. Right there, I had the option of ending it all or getting back on my feet.

When I stood up, he offered me a place to stay, and a job cleaning tables and the floors. I never really thanked him, but he knew I was grateful.