As I awoke, the morning sensations assaulted my body in the usual fashion. My throat was rough and sore; the taste of whisky still on my coated tongue. The muscles in my arms and legs ached through sleeping on bare floor boards and the headache that was currently coursing through what was left of my brain felt like an approaching freight train. But the overriding requirement, the principal need, the total and absolute necessity was to find that first fix of the day.
I looked over at my sleeping wife, Erin, occupying the only mattress that was left in our home. My eyes slowly scanned the room; what there was left of our meagre furniture was either old or broken and had no sale value, the rest had been disposed of over the months to pay for our joint habit. I felt sad and sick. It hadn't always been like this. I used to have a good job in the city, making good money. Erin and I had enjoyed the best of everything: a nice home; cars; designer clothes; foreign travel and expensive meals out. It started with cocaine - just socially really - but we soon both found that we needed more and more just to get us through our hectic days. Then we discovered heroin and in that, a paradise that we thought was unattainable. But it was an costly paradise in more than monetary terms.
More and more of my colleagues at work began to notice the changes in me: often late for meetings; on edge and jumpy a lot of the time and making expensive mistakes. I couldn't really blame them for firing me, I'd become a liability. And anyway, my new found freedom gave me more opportunity to get high. But the money soon ran out. Erin was still working and to steal from her employer seemed the most sensible option - no one would ever find out, we thought, would they? Erin was fired less than a month after me. We were now presented with a problem: more time for getting high - less money to do it with. Erin's jewellery went first, quickly followed by a few choice family heirlooms. When the money from these ran out we started on the furniture.
I heard Erin murmur in her sleep and looked over at her. The room was warm and the single sheet that had been covering her had slipped down to her waist. She still looked good, I thought. Maybe a little thin, but her breasts, now clearly visible, showed little sign of sag and were topped with cherry red nipples that still stood up with only the slightest stimulation. He long, black hair looked a bit dull, but nothing that a good wash wouldn't sort out. It wasn't often, I realised, that I looked at her whilst I was straight - we fucked, yeah of course, but we were both usually so wired, that I doubt if either of us really knew if we were enjoying it!
The sound of the front door being pushed open suddenly attracted my attention. The catch is no good, but we are usually so high we forget to lock it anyway . I glanced at the cheap wall clock: 10:15 am. I knew who it would be.
"Rico? Erin? Anyone in?"
I would recognise Santini's voice anywhere. As our supplier, he is the most prolific, and in fact one of the very few visitors we get these days. He's a big man but is always accompanied by his two "associates". I groaned inwardly. We had been expecting a call from him. We owed him quite a bit of cash and we knew that he was unlikely to supply us anymore until he was paid. I leapt up, naked with my head pounding, and scrabbled around in the cabinet drawer. My fingers closed around a few wrinkled notes. I pulled them out and looked at them sadly. I could hear footfalls on the bare treads of the stairs as the men approached nearer - I knew that this wasn't enough money. It never would be.
"Ah, there you are!" exclaimed Santini as he wheezed to the top of the stairs.
I pulled an old towelling robe around me just as I saw him.
"You have some money for me, I think?" he said smiling a sickening grin at me.
My hand held out the small collection of notes as I pulled the gown around my nakedness. Santini motioned towards Baker, the larger of his two associates. The man stepped forward and snatched the money from my shaking hand, giving it immediately to his boss. Santini's eyes left me for a moment while he made a quick count.
"What's this? Are you trying to insult me?"
"N..n..no Mr. Santini......it's all we have right now....we can pay the rest next week....we just need you to let us have some.....y'know? Just a little......"
My voice trailed off as Santini returned his stare to me. His eyes burned holes into my aching head. Baker was still standing behind me and I felt the wind rush out of me and an agonising pain in my kidney's as he slammed his meaty fist into my back.
"You got a real nerve, you know that, Rico? You really expect me to give you this when all you can do is pay a fraction of what you owe?"
I looked up to see him dangle a clear plastic bag filled with white powder in front of my face. My insides burned as I gasped for breath.
"Please....Mr......Santini.....We'll ......pay....you......I....promise!" I tried to reach for the bag. The act of a desperate man.
Santini quickly snatched the bag from my reach. He smiled wickedly again. Men like him enjoy the mental torture, I'm sure of it. I could see him looking over at Erin, still asleep and blissfully unaware of what was obviously going through this man's mind. I followed his gaze and realised with horror that the sheet had slipped further down and exposed the top of her pubic mound as well as her breasts.
"Oh no!" I wailed, "you can't be serious? Please...anything but that!"
"What else you got, Rico? What else can you offer me besides your woman?"
My eyes turned downwards and I looked at the bare floorboards. I felt sick. I knew he was right, what else was left to offer?
"Talk to her, Rico. Persuade her. I've no desire to rape the bitch, I want her to give it up willingly. Talk to her, Rico, talk to her."
The three men wandered into the kitchen and helped themselves to coffee. I was left clutching my aching back and looking at my wife. Had we sunk this low?, I wondered. Had it really come to this? Gently I shook Erin's shoulder until she came round. When she had fully opened her blue eyes and I was sure she was awake I explained our predicament. She looked up into my eyes and I could see the trust and the love. Again, I felt sick. Completely gutted.
"I don't want them to hurt you again," she whispered simply. "I'll do it."
I pulled her close to me and kissed her hair. My arms enfolded her body. This addiction must stop, I thought. It has to stop.
I was still holding her when Santini, Baker and the third man, Lipton, returned.
"Well?" demanded Santini. "What's it gonna be?"
I looked at Erin. She nodded and I turned to Santini. "Okay. She'll do it. But please, don't hurt her, Mr. Santini."
All three men were smiling and I suddenly realised that Santini was not going to be the only one to take advantage of my wife. But they were all beside her now - surrounding her - and I knew it would do little good to try to change our decision now.
"You! Sit back against the wall and don't fucking move!" shouted Lipton at me.