Chapter Two: Lawrence
Lawrence St. James reached over and decreased the volume to the radio as he slowed to a stop at the red traffic signal. Waiting for the light, he surveyed the intersection. Smiling he stared at the clean streets and wholesome looking couples and families entering the surrounding restaurants. It has only been a couple of weeks since his last conquest but his hunger was becoming insatiable. He definitely wouldn't find what he needed here.
Twenty minutes later, Lawrence traveled along Jackson Avenue, the stained brick walls of the bordering vacant buildings and old factories standing guard over the dark shadows of the narrow alleyways. Yes he thought, much better.
He neared the intersection at 32nd Street and drifted alongside the front curb of a grungy motel. He stopped the car and shut off the engine. Well, let's see what turns up, he mused, watching the street. Sitting there, Lawrence took the time to scrutinize the immediate area finding the environment perfect for what he needed. The street lamps barely lit the street, casting a dim pallor over the old tattered posters and graffiti adorning the adjoining buildings.
"Bingo!" There she was, strolling across the parking lot of that cheap motel. Oh yes... just the thing. God, he thought, she was the embodiment of the ideal Trollope, an American hooker, a prostitute. She exuded confidence as she sauntered over the refuse that littered the asphalt lot. Dressed in a red and white tube top and a scant black mini-skirt accented by black fishnet stockings, she stomped away in lethal looking black four or five inch heels. Her hair was a spiked blond and her make-up, well, a beautifully garish manifestation. He liked this one, hell...he loved this one. And, there was something about her...something familiar.
She glanced at the car and hesitated. He feared she would return to the motel but she resumed walking toward the street. Evidently, she didn't see me, he thought. He watched her make the sidewalk and start for the intersection, probably to sell her wares. Lawrence waited until she reached the corner before he started up the car to follow the woman. Those stockings beckoned him, calling for his special attention. As she stood at the corner, he noted she carried a small bag. Hmmm, he thought...tools of the trade?
Slowly, he drew up next to her and stopped. The gaudy female looked down into the car, peeking at him. Lawrence leaned toward the open passenger window and said, "How much to give you a lift somewhere?
Lawrence eyes widened as he saw the hooker's mouth fall open and stare at him. Surprised by her reaction and obvious disgust toward him he thought, Christ, maybe he was mistaken, this was her normal attire...she likes to dress like a whore.
"What did you say?" She spoke each syllable in a dramatic Southern accent.
"Uh, my mistake...I apologize. I mean, well...it was just the way you look, Miss. Let's face it, you are rather colorful."
"Oh, well since you put it that way," and reached over and opened the passenger door. Lawrence stared as she gracefully slid across the seat and closed the door. Now concerned, he wondered if she was a nutcase. She carefully smoothed out her mini, her hands gliding over two lovely thighs leisurely caressing the smooth flesh exposed above the stockings. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the subtle movements of those slender fingers, the fingernail of her forefinger gently scraping across the silken skin.
"Uh...where would you like to go?" asked Lawrence, his face glistening from sweat.
"Why home dear, where else would you take me?" The voice lost its Southern Belle accent. He gasped in shock as he stared at the face scowling at him.
"Stevie? My God, is that you?"
"Yes my sweet?" This said in a soft mocking tone.
"But...ah...what are you..."
Lawrence never finished his sentence, his wife glaring at him from the passenger seat of a car she's never been in, let alone seen. "Darling, I'm rather tired and would like to go home. Can you please take me home now? We will chat about our discoveries after we have had time to...umm...relax? Okay?"
Lawrence St. James could not think straight. Now, he needed to ditch the car and retrieve his regular one. And, she would see it all. Fuck, he thought, how was he going to explain all this?
The ride to his hidden car only took ten minutes. She never broached a word as they switched into his Jag. Nor did she say anything during the drive home. Thirty minutes later, he watched from the driver's seat as Stevie entered the house from the garage. She was still attired in the clothing of a street walker. He sat there contemplating what he was going to tell her, how he was going to tell her. He whispered, "Shit, the goddamn cats out of the bag now, might as well tell her everything." Lawrence thought, if she does not want to accept my little idiosyncrasy, well...we will just have to see.
Lawrence entered their home and swiftly walked into the game room aiming for the bar. He reached over the railing and grabbed a bottle of Southern Comfort, filling a shot of the golden elixir. After his third shot, he ambled into the bedroom where he could hear his wife slosh about in the tub. His mind still reeling over finding his wife dressed as a whore strutting about in the sleazy side of town, he changed into more comfortable wear and waited for his wife to emerge. On her side of the bed, he saw the bag she had been carrying. Seizing the bag, he examined the contents finding his wife's normal outfit within.
"What the fuck!" he exclaimed.
"What the fuck, indeed Lawrence." The steel in her voice decried the more genteel timbre he was accustomed too. "Now, will you be kind enough to explain why you were trolling along 32nd Street...not the finest part of town to be cruising, I must say."
His head hung down, his eyes closed, he resolved himself to tell her of his unique appetite. "Stefania, I have something I must tell you, to come clean as some would say." He looked at her, staring into her eyes. "I am not sure how you will receive this. I can only hope you will understand; but, it will not be appealing. Most others would...uh...find my distinctive craving foul, evil and devoid of humanity."
Lawrence could see her eyes widen with concern.
"Stefania...Stevie, please allow me to speak without interruption. Afterwards, you may do as you like. I will not stop you. Please understand I love you more than my own life. I would never harm you nor would I ever intentionally leave you.
I...I have what others would call a disease, a disease of the mind, an illness of the heart. I have endured this disorder long before I met you and afterwards was able to resist for several years. But, the need slowly crept back into my psyche, the hunger grew. Yet, what others would deem a sickness, I consider a cure. I rid society of disease. I eliminate the filth that permeates our very existence."