First Snow

“It’s snowing. Early for snow, but seems fitting since the last time we were here it snowed that night, too.” She looked out the window. “If this were any other night, I’d say it looked lovely. Snow flurries against the midnight sky, they almost sparkle.”

He heard what she said  but didn’t answer. His eyelids fluttered open and he could see her fuzzy form moving toward him. “Hey, are you awake?” she asked, her face too close. She moved back toward the window, “See, snow.” she said it again, holding the curtain aside.

He nodded  even though he couldn’t really see the snow, just the vague shine of a streetlight’s glare. He blinked hard, trying to focus his eyes. He wanted to rub them but couldn’t raise his arms. They were taped to the arms of the chair.  He looked up, tried to ask why, and felt more tape pulling the stubble on his face. Eyes wide, he struggled against the restraints, panic building.

She sat across from him and folded her hands on the table. He could see the shape of her face in the candlelight, but his eyes couldn’t stay focused. He could barely see her, but her voice was familiar. “Do you remember me yet?” she asked again. 

He just stared back at her, unsure. His mind raced, he tried hard to replay the last things he remembered: a bar, throbbing beats, a DJ. He was dancing, grinding, doing shots, bumping into people on a crowded dance floor. He remembered a girl, the smell of sweat and spilled tequila, and too many sweet, cheap colognes. She was saying something, but the music was loud and the lights were flashing. He remembered feeling dizzy, he grabbed his head and stumbled. She took his hand and led him off the dance floor, toward a door - wait, not the front door. He looked for his buddies. “I need…” he slurred.

“I know what you need,” she said. She leaned into the heavy door and pushed it open. The cold air hit his face and made him queasy. He stumbled out the door and leaned on the dumpster, smelling piss and the acidic smell of vomit. Was it his? The light was bright and he could see the bright orange tips of cigarettes and smell the skunky stink of weed. People were there, huddled in the cold, dressed in short skirts and clothes that said, pick me. She pulled his arm away from the crowd, “This way, baby.”

He followed, eyes barely focused on the sidewalk, shadows, feet moving so fast. “What did you say?” he asked. She opened a car door and pushed him toward it. Wait, is this right? She leaned over him and buckled the seatbelt. He reached up, grabbed her breast, squeezing hard.

“I know what you need.” He leaned back, feeling his dick stiffen. Smiling, he grabbed the crotch of his pants and rubbed hard. Then closed his eyes and relaxed into the low hum of the car. The overhead light startled him, she was leaning over again, pulling his arm, helping him out of the car. He stood and swayed. “Come on,”

He blinked and scowled at her face, remembering. She stood and walked around the table placing her hands on his shoulders. He felt her hair tickle his ear as she leaned in to whisper, “I know what you need… bet you say that to all the girls.” She jerked his head backward by his hair and he saw her face upside down and remembered the smeared red lips and eyes streaked with black tears. His eyes were wide with fear and recognition.

“Do you remember me, or have you brought so many girls here you’ve lost track?” she pushed his head back forward. He jerked in the chair, trying to pull an arm free. His feet were stuck in place, too. He tried bouncing his whole body, but the chair was heavy. “Not so brave without your friends?” She walked back to the window, moved the curtain, and looked out again, “It’s still snowing. Wasn’t sticking at first; now it is, but just on the grass.”

He could see the snowfall in the glare of the streetlights this time. He knew where they were now. This was a place he came to with his friends when they had a girl or two and wanted to party. What did they call it? A no-tell motel on the edge of the crappiest part of town. She knew this place, too. If he could just… He tried shifting his weight side to side, maybe he could tip the chair. He grunted and she turned around. “What are you doing?” She stood there watching, amused, arms crossed over her chest. The chair wasn’t moving. He turned his head, searching for something. “Are you done?”

She sat down across from him again, “I know what you need, isn’t that what you said to me that night? Then you and your friends gave it to me, didn’t you?” He blinked and stared back at her, unsure. “You guys knew what you were doing, didn’t you? The guy at the front desk waved to you when we walked in and you waved back. I gotta admit, did not expect that, almost laughed, but you were leaning on me and we needed to keep moving.”

He scanned his memory for her face, he was going to make her pay for this, wait and see. She walked over and got in his face again, “The expression on your face tells me you have no clue who I am, yet I just told you what you and your friends did to me in this room. You left me here afterwards, alone in this part of town. And yet, you still can’t place me. I’m not sure if I want to laugh or cry for me and every other girl who's been in this room with you.”

She walked behind him. He squirmed against the tape trying to turn around, terrified at the thought of what she might be doing behind him. He tried to scream, but the sound was muffled and not nearly enough under the duct tape. In one swift move, she reached across his face and pulled one side of the tape up, poured liquid into his gaping mouth, and replaced the tape. She held her hand over his mouth, his head tilted up, and stared down at him with her upside down eyes. “It’s so much easier if you relax.” she purred.

The tequila burned a little and tasted bitter. He pulled harder against her, against the tape, and the helplessness he felt as the warm, dizzy lightness washed over his body. Her face was so close, but the edges were dulling. He saw her eyebrows raise as he surrendered into the alcohol and whatever else was in there, tears running down his face. In his world, he knew what came next.

“Aww, are you checking out?” she whispered like a lover in his ear. He closed his eyes and felt her breath on his neck, his ear, “I told you, I know what you need…” She let go of his head and it swayed, too heavy to hold up. He heard the click of the door open, “He’s ready.”