Orpheus' Fallen Angel

CHAPTER ONE

"CITY ON THE EDGE"

Evening creeps in as the sun has long set behind the tall and obstructing buildings surrounding Angel as she walks pass the dive bars, strip clubs and other sleazy places of Capri Avenue.

Being an attractive blond woman in her twenties, Angel maintains a cool and calm demeanor as she continues her pace to the safe confines of her hotel room. Dressed in a tweed jacket with a scarf, tight blue jeans and mid-heel boots, Angel's clothes would be considered conservative compared to the hookers she would pass by, she still feels unease and defensive by the looks from the men that pass her by. Everyone knows it's not safe for a single girl in the city of Plutopolis to be out at night alone.

Finally, Angel makes it to the Hotel Carmen without incident. Angel walks across the wide and spacious lobby of the once-pristine five-star hotel and walks pass the front desk, hoping the man with the slicked-back black hair, thin mustache and a tacky floral shirt doesn't notice her.

"How was your walk, honey?" Roy at the front desk asks.

Angel stops and pauses for a few seconds.

"Uneventful." Angel replies in a flat tone.

"Where's a hot girl like you go anyway?" Roy pryingly asks.

Angel holds out a brown covered book from her purse and shows it to Roy. It's the Bible.

"Church." Angel answers.

Without any further word, Angel resumes her journey to the elevator next to the wide royal stairway. Feeling slightly burned by Angel's subtle dismissal, Roy centers his sight on Angel's beautifully bubble-shaped ass and mentally removes her jean and whatever panties she might be wearing to see in his mind's eye the blond woman's delicious derriere. Waiting for the elevator, Angel looks behind her and spots the leach at the front desk ogling her. A ding from the elevator is heard and the elevator doors slides open, Angel enters the elevator silently and without any facial expressions as the doors slides close. At least no facial expressions to be perceived as friendly to Roy.

"Bitch." Roy utters under his breath.

* * * *

In her hotel room, Angel locks the door to ensure her safety and privacy, she walks pass the door to the bathroom, places her bible on the faded wood drawers next to the TV and sits on the bed. After removing her jacket and boots, Angel goes to the bathroom to turn on the shower and begins to unbutton her sleeveless blouse then her c-cup bra. Completely topless, Angel turns to the mirror to examine the angel wings tattoo on her back and takes a moment to admire the quality work done on her.

With a towel, her blouse and bra in hand, Angel makes her way to the bed where she pulls off her jeans and white cotton panties, leaving her in her glorious nude. Angel then reaches into her purse to retrieve the bottle of shampoo she bought earlier but pulls out several photographs instead.

Angel couldn't help but look at the photo of her in a black one-piece swimsuit, smiling as she sits next to a handsome brown-haired man in his twenties, smiling as well, on a beach blanket on Lakeside Beach.

The next photo shows of her in her motel maid's uniform walking hand-in-hand down a dirt road with the handsome man from the previous photo in an unbuttoned light blue button shirt and faded jeans.

The photo after that is a candid shot of Angel, dressed in a simple blue sundress, and the handsome man in a red-black bowling shirt and blue jeans slow dancing at a Fourth of July party. Angel sees the hand of the man she was dancing with was somewhat a little lower pass her hip but not completely on her ass. At the time, she didn't mind, she planned to have sex with him later on after the party...like they did a few hours before the party.

Angel stops as she notices her finger lightly circling around the erect nipple of her perfectly round breast. Angel acknowledges her deep feelings arising inside her of her lover, the man who came to her rescue, who she trusted with her body not only for sex but for the angel wings he inked on her back.

Switching back to the photo of her and her lover on the beach, Angel's hand moves down from her nipple to the folds of her labia and immediately finds her clit. Angel closes her eyes as her fingers delicately tweaks and teases the pink pleasure bud. Angel opens her eyes and gazes at the photos, reminding her of her lover and the time they shared together, then throws the photo away, letting them fall to the carpet.

Angel falls back on the bed, continuing to pleasure herself. Her moans grow louder with every finger-strike on her pussy, not worrying if anyone in the next room or in the hallway outside will hear her. Angel's mind recalls every moment she had with her lover, when they first met at the Lakeside Motel, when they had sex on Lakeside Beach, when he inked the angel wings tattoo on her back, more sex, outings with friends from work, more sex, Fourth of July party, more sex, Angel remembers it all.

Including why she left.

Angel's moaning intensifies as she feels her climax nearing, her fingers go faster than before to quicken her inevitable gratification until finally her naked and sweaty body quivers as her orgasm overtakes her senses.

"Orpheus." Angel softly moans.

Catching her breath, Angel lies motionless on the bed as she falls in a post-orgasm daze, unaware of the steam originating from the bathroom.

* * * *

At the lobby of the Carmen, Roy can't help but notice a small group of men enter the lobby, walking to the front desk in a close formation, like a gang. Roy was no stranger to gangs being in the hotel, usually they would rent a few rooms for a party or a special event, a night or two of loud noises and some damages then they pay their bill and that would be the end of it until the next time.

But this particular gang does not have the street cred like the Steelheads or the Unholy Riders, in fact, they don't have any. Leading this gang, a man in a purple leather trench coat with a goatee and brown hair standing up due to mousse or hairspray and wearing white framed shades, next to him is a thick body framed bald man in a black leather trench coat. The others with them looked more like the kind of idiots and losers found outside a Slater Street nightclub that never get allowed in than criminals.

"Hiya, Moth." Roy greets the purple coat wearing man. "What brings you here?"

"I'm looking for a girl." Moth firmly answers.

"Last time I checked, there was no shortage of hookers in this city." Roy says. "Try the Night Garden bordello down the block?"

"Don't jerk me around, Roy." Moth asserts, holding out a small photo. "I'm looking for this girl."

Examining the photo, Roy sees what looks like a police mug shoot photo of Angel, one pic of her facing forward and the other pic of her facing to the side.

"Why come to me?" Roy questions.

"A source of mine told me she's staying in this hotel." Moth proudly boasts.

"You have a source?" Roy asks, nearly laughing. "Who is it? The broken fortune teller machine at the arcade or the homeless guy in the alley across the street?"

"Hey, I know she's here." Moth states. "What room is she in?"

"Why the fuck should I tell a bottom-feeder like you?" Roy questions.

"Bottom-feeder?" Moth pulls his shades off and looks intensely at Roy.

"You heard me." Roy replies. "You think you're some sort badass crook but anyone who's even heard of you knows you're a complete shithead. You're not even a blip on the police's radar. What did that blond cunt do to you, anyway? Turned you down for a date?"

Offended by Roy comments, Moth just smiles and slowly pulls aside his coat to show his gun, a Webley Mk IV, tucked in his dark red trousers, not being obscured by the black with red pinstripes button shirt.

"That supposed to scare me?" asks the not-intimidated Roy. "That gun is just as impressive as your clothes."

"Just fucking pay him already." Says the bald man at Moth's side.

"Shut the fuck up, Pin." Moth leans to his bald friend and whispers. "You're killing my game."

"What game?" Pin replies. "We've been looking for this broad for months and now that we're this close you want to risk fucking it up because your pride?"

Even though it would look like Moth doesn't command the respect he thinks he's entitled to by his street cred, which he really doesn't, Moth gives in and reaches for his wallet.

Moth puts a $20 dollar bill on the desk. Instead of giving a room number, Roy just taps twice on the twenty, implying more money than that. Moth then drops two more $20 dollar bills, still nothing. Guessing that Roy would cooperate at $100 dollars, Moth takes out another twenty followed by a ten, three fives and three singles.

As much as it would amuse Roy to see Moth scrounge for loose changes among his gang, Roy decides for one time only be generous to Moth and pawns the cash lain out for him.

"Room 313." Roy informs, handing Moth the room key.

Resuming his bad-ass bravado which only he seems to believe, Moth snatches the room key from Roy. "Let's go." Moth orders his crew.

Roy watches Moth proceed to the elevator and his so-called gang following like a pack of retarded lemmings. Whatever it is that finding the blond bitch in Room 313 will help them gain the notoriety and respect in the criminal underworld, Roy knows with absolute certain that a wannabe-criminal hotshot like Moth and his gang of petty criminals and losers will never accomplish that.

"Fucking idiots." Roy utters.

"Zippy, get the elevator." Moth orders the short, gawky, chinless man behind him.

Like a loyal dog, Zippy breaks from the Moth and his gang to make a dash to the elevator and pushes the up button more than one time.

"Here's the plan, guys." Moth stops to brief his gang. "Pin and I will go up to snatch the girl. The rest of you will watch the stairs in case she makes it passed us. And remember, no fuck-ups."

"So this girl is our ticket to the big time?" asks a creepy-looking man with long, oily hair, wearing a ratty and nearly worn-out sports coat.

"No, Zane. She's

my

ticket to the big time." Moth firmly states. "Anyone who helps me catch this girl and bring her to over to Lady J, gets on the train with me."

"What train?" asks a tall and confused man in a grey jogging suit, unaware it was a metaphor.

"Later, Oxy Mo." Pin says.

At the sound of the ding, Moth and Pin head to the elevator as the doors slides open and held by the very loyal Zippy.

"Can I come with, Moth?" asks Zippy.

"Fuck, no." Moth answers. "We have elephant of surprise on us. We don't need your constant yakking to ruin it."

"Element of surprise, not elephant." Zippy corrects. "And I only talk when I think...

"Shut the fuck up." Pin says as he roughly pushes Zippy out of the way, allowing him and Moth to enter the elevator.

"Just watch the elevator, in case she doesn't take the stairs." Says Moth. "That falls within your useful abilities."

Moth and Pin lightly laugh at the doors slide close.

"Assholes." Utters Zippy.

* * * *

Cold shivers on Angel's naked flesh causes her to regain her awareness. Lifting herself off the bed, she notices the steam from the bathroom. Angel wraps the towel around her unclothed body and walks to the bathroom to turn off the shower.

However, Angel stops by the sounds coming from the other side of the door leading to the hallway. Angel hopes it's just hotel-guests passing by. Then Angel hears the sound of a key being inserted in the door lock. Hearing the lock click, Angel sees the door knob slowly turning.

Worried that someone outside is coming in to rape her or kidnap her, Angel quickly but quietly hides by the side of the wardrobe by the corner of the room unseen by Moth and Pin as they slow open the door and enter the room with guns drawn.

"She likes to shower with the door open." Moth says in a low voice. "My kinda girl."

"Maybe we should wait until she's done and offer to towel her off." Pin suggests with a slight grin.

As Moth discreetly walks in the steam-filled bathroom, hoping to get a look of the showering blond beauty in the buff, Pin walks to the scattered photos on the floor. Pin squats down and takes one of the photos, which is one of Angel in her swimsuit walking on the beach with her boyfriend in gray swimming trunks.

Pin takes a moment to admire Angel's body. Hearing someone walking to him, Pin assumes that it's Moth ready to give a detailed description of their intentional kidnapping victim's naked body. But as Pin looks upward, he sees Angel wearing only a towel and holding a phonebook as she swings it to his head, knocking him down to the floor.

Still holding on to the phonebook, Angel tries to make a run for the door but stops as Moth emerges from the steam-filled bathroom. Angel flings the phonebook at Moth, striking him in the face, causing Moth to walk backward back in the bathroom, accidently trip on the toilet and fall back on to the shower curtain, knocking it down as Moth continually falls in the bathtub. Moth gathers his senses soon after the fall as he instantaneously feels the scalding hot water spraying on him.

"AAAAGGHHHHHHHHH!!" Moth screams.

Moth desperately reaches for the facets and hurryingly turns them to shut off the shower and end his hot water torture. Moth struggles to get out of the tub when Pin stumbles in, nursing the new bruise on the side of his forehead.

"WELL, GO GET HER!!" Moth yells.

Not waiting for Moth, Pin run out of the room and down the hall. The only way off the floor was the elevator or the stairway next to it. Turning the corner at the end of the hall to the adjacent hall where the elevator and stairs are, Pin abruptly stop as he sees Angel's towel on the floor. As he squats down to pick up the towel, Pin hears someone approaching him from behind, not realizing he's made the same mistake twice in the last three minutes. Turning his sights behind him, he sees Angel running to him naked, holding a fire extinguisher. Pin is momentarily distracted by Angel's magnificent uncovered tits and does not consider the fire extinguisher as a weapon to be used against him until Angel swings and hits Pin in the head again, resulting in getting knocked out and falling to the floor.

With Pin unconscious, Angel drops the fire extinguisher, rolls him on his front in order to pull off Pin's trench coat. After succeeding in that, Angel quickly puts on the coat but before she has the chance to tie it shut to regain her modesty, she sees Moth running down the hall, aiming his gun at her.

Seeing the rage in Moth's eyes, not to mention his hair wet with long licks clinging to his face, Angel runs to the stairs as Moth begins firing at her. Angel runs down the stairway as fast as her bare feet can carry her down two floors. With two more short flights of stairs to the lobby, she sees Zane running up the stairs with a gun in his hand.

Deciding to attack before Zane spots her, Angel runs to directly to the oily-haired thug and with an open hand, hits him in the throat. Zane gasps for air as Angel continues to descend the stairs.

However, Angel's getaway is not over as Oxy Mo stands at the end of the stairway with his fists up and an unfriendly scowl. Not intimidated and not stopping, Angel jumps on the stair rail, and springs her legs to leap up and does a swift spin kick to Oxy Mo's face. As a former boxer, Oxy Mo could have easily blocked himself, but with Angel's coat untie and flowing in the air, showing him Angel's lovely long legs and the smooth and flawless skin of her hairless pussy (as well as having one too many shoots to the head in the past), Oxy Mo failed to respond in time.

As Oxy Mo falls to the floor, Angel lands near him with the grace and skill of an Olympic gymnast crouching on the floor with her legs spread wide. Her coat does not drape over her ass until a second later, showing everyone in the lobby including Roy a view of her beautiful bare bum.

It's better than I imagined.

Thinks Roy.

Quickly standing up, Angel spots Zippy standing by the elevator, looking shocked and slack-jawed.

"That...was so...awesome." Zippy manages to say.

"Thanks." Angel replies.

Not wanting to wait for any more creeps to abduct her, Angel run across the lobby to the entrance. As Angel passes the front desk, Roy watches Angel's legs as they run out of the hotel lobby and into the streets outside.

"Fucking idiots." Roy reiterates.

* * * *

The waters of Lake Anasazi are pitch dark in the night, but reflect the lights from the lamp posts of the Ben Williams suspension bridge. But all that Orpheus Jones can see pass the support beams of the bridge from his passenger side window is darkness. Looking pass the windshield in front of him, Orpheus sees the inviting bright lights and the monstrously tall buildings of Plutopolis at the end of the bridge. This sight gives Orpheus no relief, causing him to look back at the darkness surrounding the bridge.

Orpheus can't help but be grim, returning to the city he exiled himself from. Given the choice, he would contently spend the rest of his life in Lakeside at the other end of the bridge. In his time in Lakeside, Orpheus's worries would be if the ice machine at the Lakeside Motel would go a few weeks without breaking down again or if the next car that drives in the garage he works drives in with an overheated engine and an overheated driver and not about gangs trying to kill him or police trying to arrest him and ship him to prison.

Leaving in an uneventful town like Lakeside left Orpheus with plenty of free time to read, to draw, to help with repairs at the Lakeside Motel across the road, to be with friends from work and discuss about their uneventful lives. Some would consider life in Lakeside dull and boring as Orpheus did in his first few weeks there. But Orpheus had one reason why he didn't miss his life in the big city, why he stayed in Lakeside to make a life for himself. It was the same reason why Orpheus is returning to Plutopolis.

Angel.

"Ya sure ya wanta do this?"

Orpheus turns to the middle-aged man in the mechanic coveralls behind the wheel of the Ford truck driving through the bridge.

"What do you mean, Gil?" Orpheus asks.

"Going back here at find Angel? In a city this fucking big?" Gil questions.

"Why shouldn't I?" Orpheus further asks.

"She's been gone a few days." Gil says. "Maybe she just got tired of living in Lakeside."

"She would have told me." Orpheus informs.

"Maybe she didn't want to tell ya." Gil suggests. "Maybe she just left ya."

"No, that can't be." Orpheus doubts. "We have something, Angel and I. Something great."

"What? Like the sex?"

"Well, the sex was great but it's not just that. Whenever I'm with her, it's like there's no one else in the world but her and me. I don't care about the shit I've been through in the past, just the present with her."

"And the future?"

"If I think about the future, she's there with me."

"Ya think about getting married and having a bunch of rug rats?"

Orpheus pauses for a few seconds.

"Well, not about married and kids," Orpheus clarifies. "but lots of sex."

"So the sex is great?"

"Really great. And I think that's the problem."

"Not following."

"I'm beginning to think if the sex in the relationship is that great, there you might overlook the other good qualities of the relationship."

"I sure as hell didn't have that problem with my ex." Says Gil. "When the sex got from boring to really fucking boring, there were no qualities to overlook, good or bad. She eventually left me, she went to Plutopolis to work at some dive strip bar. Haven't heard from her since."

Orpheus and Gil went silent as the truck finally drives off the Ben Williams Bridge and proceeds into the gothic cityscape of Plutopolis. Orpheus knew that the only safe place for decent people to go at night is home because at night the city didn't belonged to them, it belonged to the street gangs looking for territory or fighting for the territory they have, the pimps making money off the women forced to sell their bodies, the junkies willing to kill for the drugs their addicted to or money to buy drugs, the crooked cops who are no better than the street scum they're supposed to protect the taxpayers from, and the sexual predators roaming the streets for their usual prey.