ASIA

 

It took a special kind of person to tolerate Finn’s.

First of all, it was the decor. The place looked like something out of an old movie. Literally. The wood panels on the walls were falling off. There was dust in every corner. The floor was so dirty you wondered if they bothered cleaning it. Then again, you couldn’t blame ‘em with all of the beer that was spilled every night. There was also the constant waft of cigarette smoke and other drugs in the air. It would take more than a new coat of paint and some air freshener to spruce the place up.

But I suppose Finn’s was Finn’s because of the patrons themselves.

These weren’t just run-of-the-mill men and women trying to find a place to drink. They were hooligans. They were punks. They were thugs. They were bikers. All sorts of riff-raff came out of the woodwork to get their kicks at Finn’s.

It was the only place a guy could pull his dick out and probably get away with it. It was the only place a guy could come looking for a fight.

And it was the only place a woman could go when she needed to find a man to sleep with.

That made it the perfect place to do business.

Blade took me home that afternoon so that I could rest up for the evening. And if I was going to make any money tonight, I was going to need all the rest I could get.

Finn’s was packed like it always was every night. The beer was flowing. The music was blasting. The conversations had a little too much testosterone.

I stood next to the bar and eyed all of my potential customers. A short black dress revealed just enough to get them interested but enough to keep me modest. I put my hair up and did my makeup. I couldn’t go home alone tonight.

“Okay,” I sighed. “Let’s make some money.”

My legs exposed and my breasts poking out, I put my hands behind my back and waited patiently. It was hard to tell who was taken or who was interested. A lot of the time I waited until business came to me.

It was still early in the evening, but I didn’t have to wait very long to get some attention.

“Hey, sweet thing. What’s going on with you?”

Sweet thing… How flattering…

I looked up at the man who suddenly appeared next to me.

A big, burly man with a bald head and a gut that hung past his belt stood proudly before me. He wore a leather kutte with the patch of his club displayed on his puffed-out chest. He grinned at me to show how proud he was to be in an MC.

“Hey,” I said. “How are you doing, big man? You looking for some company.”

“I might be. There’s a lot of sweet things out here at Finn’s tonight. And I’ve gotta admit, I’ve got a bit of a sweet tooth.”

“Careful. You might get a cavity.”

I giggled and playfully ran my hand along his forearm. It was all just a part of the game. Get these boys a little more excited and they would be willing to spend anything to satisfy their craving.

“I can handle cavities,” he said. “I’ve got a good dentist.”

He smiled even wider at me. As big and fat as he was, at least his teeth weren’t a turn-off. That would make all of this a little more bearable for me.

“That’s what I like to hear,” I said. “Come here.”

I motioned for him to come closer to me with my index finger. He was so tall that he had to bend his knees to move his face close to mine. I leaned into him and whispered into his ear, making sure he felt my warm breath on his cheek.

“What do you say we get outta here? Take me out and you can fuck me however you want. Show me how big your dick is, baby…”

I wrapped my hands around the back of his neck and held him close. He put his hands around my waist and pulled me in.

“Oh!” I gasped. “You’re such a big man!”

I felt his bulge in his pants.

Stay focused. You got him.

I stared up into his eyes. They started to narrow. He was slowly being hypnotized, losing himself to his desires. That’s how all men were. Weak to their cocks. You couldn’t blame a woman like me for trying to take advantage of it.

“All right,” he said, his voice soft. “Let’s go.”

He pulled away from me and took my hand in his. I dug my heels into the floor.

“Hold on,” I said. “We have to negotiate.”

“Negotiate?” he said, an eyebrow raised.

“This is business. You can’t taste this pussy for free now.”

He let go of my hand suddenly. His hypnotized stare was gone, replaced by a growing confusion.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” he said.

“I mean, come on,” I said. “You don’t really think I would sleep with someone like you for free now, do you?”

Shit.

I knew it was a mistake as soon as I said it. I was never much of a good saleswoman. I guess that’s why I was in this line of business.

“Oh, I see,” he said with a nod. “And here I thought you were interested in me because of who I am.”

“And who are you?” I said, slightly confused.

“You see this?”

He raised his vest up for me to see the patch. I stared at it and shrugged.

“What about it?” I said.

“That’s reason enough to wanna be with a man like me. Think about it. You’ll be able to tell everybody else you got dicked by a club member.”

I should have known…

“Look,” I sighed. “Maybe you should look somewhere else. I’m sure there are plenty of women in the place who are more than willing to sleep with a club member.”

I patted him on the chest. I turned my gaze back out onto the dance floor of the club to look for any potential customers.

But the big man wasn’t having it.

He snatched my wrist and made me gasp in shock.

“Now you look here,” he said. “I’m not interested in looking for another woman. Just because you’re a whore doesn’t mean I’m gonna pay you like one.”

His eyes locked on me, he looked more serious than he ever had up to this point.

“Sorry,” I said as I shook my head. “Not interested.”

“Listen, bitch—”

“You heard her.”

A sudden voice interrupted our conversation. I was so distracted by the big man that I didn’t notice the other man who was standing next to me. The big man and I both turned toward the stranger.

The stranger kept staring forward, his attention focused on his glass of beer.

“What the fuck did you say?” the big man said.

“You heard her,” the stranger repeated. “She’s not interested.”

“Why don’t you mind your own fucking business, punk?”

The stranger took a sip of his beer then turned toward the big man who still had his hand on my wrist.

“I’m trying to enjoy my drink,” he said. “I don’t wanna have to listen to you talking about raping this poor girl while I’m having my beer. This is my business.”

“Is that right?”

The big man released me from his grip and stepped up to the stranger.

“You wanna get involved in my business, why don’t we step outside?”

“I don’t have time for this shit,” the stranger said.

“What’s wrong? Scared? You look like a pussy.”

“…Fine. I beat the shit out of you, just don’t go crying to your club, you hear me?”

“I won’t be the one crying.”

The big man suddenly started stomping out of the bar. The stranger followed right behind him. I was too dumbfounded by the situation. It took me a few seconds to realize what had just happened.

I shook my head and regained my senses before walking out of the club. But as soon as I got out, it was already over.

“What the…”

I only became more confused.

The big man was laid out on the asphalt, unconscious. Everybody else who was gathered outside didn’t pay any attention. The stranger brushed right by me as he headed back into the bar.

“Hey! Wait a second!”

I shouted out to him as I followed him. The stranger took his place back at the counter and started nursing his drink.

I finally got a chance to get a better look at him.

His beard was thick. His hair was dark but probably messy underneath his beanie. Tan skin. Even from just his profile, I could see the focused look in his brown eyes.

I looked him up and down and he wasn’t dressed much different from the other bikers. Leather vest. Baggy blue jeans. Boots.

But then there was the ink on his muscled arms. All over his sleeves, there wasn’t an inch of his arms that wasn’t covered.

He nonchalantly sipped on his beer as he kept staring off into space.

“Thanks,” I said. “I really appreciate it.”

“You don’t have to thank me. That guy was a prick.”

“He was,” I said with a laugh.

I shifted closer on the bar next to him. He was about a foot taller than me, which made him more intimidating than he already was. But I needed a customer, so I figured I might as well try.

“Asia,” I said.

“What?”

“Asia. My name’s Asia.”

He finally turned and looked at me. I didn’t know what he was thinking. He just stared at me blankly.

I smiled nervously at him.

Come on.

Finally, I saw the tiniest little smirk form on his lips.

“Charles,” he said as he turned his attention back to his beer.

I glanced at the patch on his chest and read it.

“Char,” I said. “That what they call you?”

“They call me a lot of things.”

“Oh, really?”

I leaned in closer to him. I put my hand on his arm and had to hold back my surprise at how firm it was.

“And what would you like me to call you tonight?” I whispered.

He didn’t seem to be falling for any of my charms. It was a shame, considering he was one of the few men I would be willing to sleep with in this line of work.

When I didn’t get an answer from him, I sighed and reluctantly pulled away. I leaned up against the bar and crossed my arms, eyeballing all of Finn’s for any potential customers.

“So,” I said. “You a Black Reaper?”

“Who’s asking?”

“Look,” I sighed in frustration. “I know you’re not interested. But I’m bored, okay? A little friendly conversation never heard anybody, did it?”

He glanced at me. I saw the tiny smirk on his lips again as he chuckled softly.

“I’m a Black Reaper,” he said with a nod.

“Strange… I thought I knew all of them.”

“I’m not from Ivory.”

“Is that right? What are you doing here, Charles?”

“I’m here on business.”

“What kind of business?”

“Personal business.”

“I see…”

This wasn’t going anywhere. I was wasting my time. If I didn’t get a customer tonight, Blade wasn’t gonna be happy with me tomorrow.

“All right, Char. It was nice meeting you. But if you’ll excuse me, I have some of my own business I need to take care of—”

“You from Ivory?”

He asked me the question so suddenly, I thought I’d misheard him. I blinked my eyes in disbelief and shook my head.

“What was that?” I said.

“You’re from Ivory, right?”

“Born and raised. I wouldn’t say it’s a good or a bad thing but it is something. What’s it to you?”

“I’m not from here.”

“You just told me a few seconds ago. My memory isn’t that bad.”

“I’m looking for someone.”

“Aren’t we all?”

“You think you can help me out?”

He looked down at me. It was hard to tell if this was a joke, considering how serious he’d been this whole time.

“I can keep you company,” I said. “If that’s something you’re looking for—”

“Maybe we can talk. Somewhere private. What do you think?”

“Well, it costs a hundred bucks—”

“I’ll give you a thousand for the night.”

“A thousand? D-dollars?”

“Yes.”

Most of the men in Ivory were cheapskates. A big score like this wasn’t something that came up very often.

Then again, this stranger didn’t look like the most trustworthy man in the world. Maybe it was his thick beard. Maybe it was the whole biker facade and demeanor.

But for some strange reason, when I looked into his eyes, I could’ve sworn he was being sincere. Brown eyes staring at me like he really needed me.

“Okay,” I said. “A thousand dollars for the night.”

The question was what he needed me for.

“For a thousand dollars, I’ll do whatever you want me to do.”

He gulped the rest of his beer then dropped the empty glass on the counter.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I just need someone to talk to. For now.”

“Talk to. I can do that.”

He looked around the bar, his eyes shifting back and forth like he was searching for someone, then started walking out.

“I got a place. Let’s go for a ride.”

I shrugged and sighed as I followed him out.

“All right… Let’s go for a ride…”