Dirty Business (7 page)

Joe swallowed. Breathed deep.

He timed his response. Gauging the boy’s approach to the table, Joe suddenly sprang from his chair, bringing his forearm up into the boy’s face. For a big man, Joe was quick. Agile. The blow stood the boy upright. Joe’s big right hand whistled around, connecting solidly with the boy’s ear. His head snapped back, his hat sailed across the room.

The boy stood on wobbly legs for a half a second, then crumpled to the floor.

Joe stepped back, his fists up. He kept his eyes on the boy. Gloria took Veronica in her arms and hugged her close, whispering in her friend’s ear and stroking her head.

When he was sure the boy wouldn’t get up, Joe opened his fists. Snorted, then chuckled. Holding his hands out, he turned to face Cutter. The gun was out of the bag now, leveled at his face. A silver plated Eagle.

Joe grinned widely, bluster being the final refuge of an unarmed man. “We don’t have to do this,” Joe said. “I just want to take the girl home.”

Joe kept his hands up and out, an openly supplicating posture. Veronica sat on the floor, hurriedly pulling on her clothes.

Donnell leaned back, rubbing his face with his hand. He sighed. Laughed and then shook his head.

“He’s ain’t one of us,” Cutter said. He addressed Donnell but kept his eyes on Joe. “Thinks he’s better than us.”

“Jesus,” Joe said. “You can’t throw her in the street naked just because junior here”—Joe nodded to the boy—“got his little dick messy.” Joe laughed.

“The Carnal cops know her father,” Joe said “We’ll all get busted.”

Miss Rose nodded. “That’s true, Donnell.”

Donnell motioned to Cutter for the gun. Cutter handed it over and Donnell laid the weapon in front of him with a dull thunk. He propped his elbows on the table and rested his chin in his hands. A frustrated look on his face, Donnell kept his eyes on Joe.

“Who’s on duty tonight?” Joe asked Miss Rose.

“Dizzy and the young Johnson boy,” she said.

At the mention of Officer Dizzy Jones, Gloria shifted uncomfortably. She wandered over to Donnell and stood behind him, letting her hands rest on his shoulders. (
Ed., See
Bench Warrant
for more on Gloria’s night with Officer Jones and his partner in Carnal Park
).

Donnell smiled but didn’t take his eyes off Joe.

“Dizzy?” Joe mumbled. He lowered his hands a little more and chuckled. “Maybe you
could
throw her in the street naked with Dizzy on duty,” Joe said. “But that don’t make it smart—”

“—You take too many liberties,” Donnell cut Joe off. Tilting his head toward Gloria, Donnell stroked her hand.

Joe sighed. He let his hands hang at his sides. Swallowed hard.

“You won’t do any drugs with us …” Donnell said. He glanced at the mirror holding the drugs. “… Knocked out my boy.”

The boy groaned softly and then curled into a fetal position on the floor.

“In the end,” Donnell said, “Cutter’s right. You’re not one of us.”

Fully dressed now, Veronica stood beside Joe. She tucked herself under his arm for protection. Joe felt her arms circle his waist, the crush of her breast against his side. Resting his hand on her hip, he thought of the beer game in her father’s backyard.

“And if you’re not one of us,” Donnell said. “How can we trust you?”

Donnell gazed at Veronica. “You okay?” he asked.

She nodded, hugged Joe tighter.

“This is yours,” Donnell said. He produced a glassine bags from his shirt pocket and laid it on the table. “You earned it.”

Veronica looked up at Joe, but didn’t move from his side.

“See, we trust
her
,” Donnell said. He was addressing Joe now. “She’s not telling anyone about tonight.” Donnell glanced at Cutter and both men grinned at one another. “She made an investment. She’s got an incentive to keep the night a secret.”

Veronica flushed, laid her head on Joe’s chest.

“I need to see that same kind of effort from you,” Donnell said. He used his finger to rotate the gun on the table so that its barrel pointed toward Joe.

Donnell grinned.

“I need you to make a commitment,” he said. “A personal investment.”

Joe saw where this was going. He looked down at Veronica. Had there ever been any doubt that this is where he would end up tonight? She held him tighter, gazed around the room. She didn’t see it yet. Didn’t understand what Donnell was driving toward. And even as Joe grasped it, he understood that it wasn’t about Donnell. Wasn’t about their stupid one-upmanship tonight, or the ongoing brinkmanship throughout the past year. It was Carnal. Sooner or later The Faun simply demanded this sort of thing. Maybe this was his payback for playing with Gloria. Or perhaps this would have been his to carry either way. It didn’t really matter. If you wanted to play in this town, you occasionally had to pay.

Miss Rose understood what Donnell wanted. She settled back into her seat with a knowing smile. Raised her tumbler to her lips, ice cubes tinkling against the glass.

Joe exhaled heavily. He knew what he had to do.

He placed his hand on Veronica’s bony shoulder. Joe smelled her hair, the fruity fragrance of her shampoo. He thought of Maynor, then quickly pushed his friend from his mind, recalling instead the image of Veronica with Cutter. His dusky cock in her mouth.

The room grew still.

Veronica shuddered, then gazed up at Joe.

She looked confused and vulnerable, but there was something else, too. Something naked and raw that seemed familiar, but impossible for Joe to pin down. He smiled down at her. Squaring his shoulders with hers, he tenderly cupped her face in his big hands, then tucked her hair behind her ears.

His smile turned to a grin.

She looked like she wanted to whisper something to him, but then changed her mind. She quickly glanced around the room. Everyone seemed to be waiting for something.

“Mr. Murphy?” Veronica asked, her voice tentative. High pitched. “Joe?”

“I need you to do something for me,” Joe said.

Although he was aware the rest of the room was watching, he kept his voice low, so that only Veronica could hear. His cock shifted heavily in his pants. She nodded her head, but it was clear she still didn’t understand. He’d bonded with her over the course of the night and now it was difficult for her to grasp the new direction in which they were both headed.

Joe let his hands slip to her shoulders. He applied gentle downward pressure and Veronica glanced at his hands, then back up into his face.

He could feel his heart rate rise, his cock swell.

Joe grinned softly, a resigned look on his face. She was a smart girl. The genie was out of the bottle and now it was just a matter of time. He gave her another gentle push on her shoulders. Her mouth was open, her head cocked to the side, a questioning look still on her face. Her uncertain expression made her seem even younger, more vulnerable.

“It won’t take you long,” he whispered. “I’m sorry.”

And then Veronica got it—she gasped with understanding and looked off to the side. She closed her eyes and shook her head, laughing in disbelief. Joe chuckled with her, even though he understood she wasn’t exactly amused.

She looked across the room toward Donnell. He had that same smile on his face. Gloria bit her lip and offered a tentative smile, even as her face flushed. Her nipples were poking through the thin fabric of her top.

Veronica rested her head on Joe’s chest. She wasn’t ready to look into his eyes again and Joe didn’t mind giving her a little more time. She glanced at the boy on the floor and then watched as the other lieutenant help him to wobbly feet, and guided him to the little bathroom in the back.

Veronica sighed.

She looked up and took a deep breath. Her big green eyes didn’t look sad. Joe kept his big hands resting heavily on her shoulders. She inched closer. He felt her breasts rub against his chest. Grabbing his shirt in her fists, Veronica whispered, “This is so going to cost you.”

Joe grinned. His cock throbbed in his pants.

“
I’m expensive
,” she added.

Veronica let her hands sink to his waist. Holding onto his hips, she lowered herself to her knees, then sat back on her heels. Placed her hands in her lap. She gazed up at Joe with an expectant look.

Joe unbuckled his belt, unfastened his pants, and lowered his fly.

“That’s right,” Miss Rose cackled.

Joe hauled out his cock. You could tell he was proud of it by the sly way he grinned as he pulled it out of his jeans. He shook it reverentially, letting it swell and then straighten. It was a good looking dick. Long and dark, with a sculpted head. Thick. More than a mouthful.

Joe put his hands on his hips. Now he looked down expectantly at Veronica.

Grinning coyly, Veronica knelt up. She touched the tip of her tongue on her upper lip. She took his cock in her hand. Stroked him. Looking up, she saw his eyes were hooded with lust.

“Big dick,” she said softly, so only he could hear.

Without fanfare, she opened her mouth and slipped him inside. In the end, putting her mouth around the cock of one of her father’s friends was just as easy as going down on a black man. He tasted about the same. Required the same action with her head and hands. Her mouth.

Joe was getting larger. Harder.

Just as she began warming to her task, Joe took over. Placing one hand on the top of her head, he brushed her hands away from his penis with the other. He took his own cock in hand, leaving only the head of it in her mouth. Holding her head still, he pistoned his fist along the wet length, softly grunting.

Veronica mewled and held onto his legs. He was jacking off into her mouth.

Joe exhaled. Veronica had turned him on more than he cared to admit tonight. Now, with his cock in her mouth, he wanted it to end. He didn’t want the poor kid to have to work any harder than she had to tonight. Joe knew he’d been stupid to take so many risks. As much as he hated Donnell getting the best of him, he also wanted to set Donnell’s fears aside. And the best way to do that was to give him what he wanted. End this thing now.

Joe pulled his wet cock from her mouth. Tilted her head back. She moved to take him back in her mouth, but he held her head still.

“Open your mouth,” he said. He spoke clearly and loud enough for the room to hear. Veronica pursed her lips and squirmed on her knees in front of him. She looked unsure about letting a man come in her mouth.

“Come on, honey,” Joe said. “Do this for me.”

His voice was pleasing, steady—but she heard a note of urgency. He stepped closer to her, his wet cock bobbing over her face, his hand cupping her head. He stroked her dark hair.

She parted her lips just a bit.

“You can do it,” Joe whispered. “I know you can.”

Swallowing hard one time, Veronica opened her mouth wide for Joe. You can tell when a girl has accepted her own needs and desires for what they are, the simple reflection of who she truly is at any given moment on this planet. With her mouth open, she wholeheartedly threw herself into the act. Clutching his pant legs, she extended her tongue, then tilted her chin up.

Joe came all in great rush.

He pumped his cock with measured strokes, draining himself into her open mouth. He was careful not to get much on her pretty face or clothes. He grunted as his cock produced spurt after spurt of the sticky white cum. He had a lot to give, no doubt a result of watching her lusty performance throughout the night. She took it all, patiently waiting on her knees for him to finish. He came so much his balls began to ache. He stood over her, doggedly using his fist to call forth more and more of the warm cream from his cock.

When finally done, he sighed. With nothing left to give, he wiped the head of his penis on her lower lip. Veronica held a small pool of his cum in her mouth.