Page 45 of Scarred King
“Good,” Ralph leans back contentedly and looks me over from head to toe. “Now you must explain what it means to go on a date. I’ve always just paid for girls I want to sleep with.”
Johanna bursts into peals of laughter and he looks at her angrily.
“You don’t know what to do on a date?” she laughs.
“Someone shut that bitch up!” he slams his glass down on the table and she hisses a scared sentence in German in his direction. “Good German girls should not sit here,” he replies in English and I realize that I need to calm things down.
“Ralph,” I put my hand on his shoulder and he looks up at me. “It’s very simple. You need to pick me up from home and take me to a place where you like to hang out.”
“Like a hotel?” he asks seriously as I desperately try to stifle a smile.
“No. Not like a hotel.” I keep a straight face. “Like a café or a restaurant or anywhere else you enjoy going to. That way we can talk and get to know each other.”
“And then I'll pay you and take you to a hotel and fuck you?”
“No!” I scream at him. “You’re not supposed to pay me anything.”
“So you'll sleep with me for free?” He raises an eyebrow in surprise, and I smack his shoulder.
“It doesn’t work like that!” I clutch my head, frustrated. “Normal people go out together, get to know each other and if they both want to, sometimes the date can end up in bed.”
“Complete waste of time.” He drinks some beer and wrinkles his forehead. “Why waste time on all that bullshit if I just want to fuck you?”
I look at him in despair. “All right, let’s just forget it.”
“No way.” He bares his white teeth again, smiling at me sneakily. “We'll do it your way. I have an open mind.”
“Okay,” I shrug. “Now I only have to ask my boss for the night off.” I turn to Scarface who is looking at me with a furious expression on his face.
“Tomorrow's busy. I won’t be able to find a replacement,” he says coldly.
“I’ll do it!” Johanna claps her hands excitedly.
“No!” Scarface and I both say furiously.
“Let the bitch work instead of her,” Ralph says annoyed. “She is here all the time anyway.”
“Don’t talk to her like that,” I say angrily, not understanding why Johanna doesn’t stand up for herself.
There's an awkward silence, which Ralph finally ends by laughing and hitting the table again. “So, we are all set. I'll come to pick you up tomorrow night.”
I nod and escape the damn table.
The rest of the night passes quickly. Before I can even feel tired, the last girl leaves and the bar is quiet again. Johanna hugs me goodbye and leaves with Tommy, and now its only Scarface and Ralph still talking.
“I’m out of here,” I call to them.
“Hold on, I’ll take you.” Scarface puts the papers back in his file.
“No need,” I answer and hurry towards the door.
“Elena,” Ralph stops me. “Dress nicely tomorrow, I have a reputation to maintain in this city.” He laughs, and I rush outside.
I sit in the cab and sigh with relief, which is immediately replaced by a choking feeling. Why the hell won’t my body listen to all the warning signals that go off in my brain? I remember last night’s passion again, and shake my head to get rid of the memory. But nothing helps and by the time the cab stops in front of my building, I’m praying that I’ll see the black motorcycle parked there. I get out of the cab, look around, disappointed, and go inside.
I’m lying in bed. My head is tired, but my body is burning with desire. I imagine his fingers playing with my nipples, his lips exploring my body and I cross my legs tightly. Acting on my desire, last night should have set me free, but I only feel more imprisoned. And he… I shake my head angrily. He thinks that he gained the right to control my life. That I’d leave my studies…. I laugh bitterly. What makes a man become so disgusting and annoying? And why does my body still want him so much? I scold myself for losing control, shake my head again and start reciting the Maxwell equations from memory. I smile. This is much better.
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