Lady at the Bar

He watched her fillup a bar stool. Her long legs slide across each other like a work of art. Everything else seemed to vibrate but her---as if the world around her were on Fast-Forward and she was on Pause.

He watched a guy in a suit walkup to her and whisper something in her ear. She listened, her big beautiful eyes regarding the half empty glass of whiskey in front of her. Whether she was intrigued, aroused or bored was hard to tell. She turned and whispered in the man's ear. He watched the man's face go from excitement to shock in an instant. The suit stared at her at what could only be described as fear. Then he walked away, blending into the sea of bodies, cigarette fumes and loud music.


She returned to her drink, staring long and hard at the glass as if it were all she had left in the world. She brushed the hair away from her forehead, flashing a wedding ring that must've four or five years of his salary. There were new bruises on her face. Last week it was a busted lip, the week before that what looked like a broken nose. What sort of monster could do that to a woman? A husband?....Lover? A woman this fine didn't deserve that. He thought as  three drunk girls and a guy stumbled towards the VIP doorway.



Rex sighed. The guy with the three girls had something to prove to his groupies. But he picked the wrong Bouncer in PrideCity for that.
"We're....part of the party." The guy's breath yelled. Rex stared down at the insect. He was clearly rich(if the clothes were anything to go by) he had the entitled air of a guy who was used to saying, "My Dad's got money!" Rex had spent most of his teen years being snobbed by types like these. If not for the fact that he needed this job, he would've pounded the crap out of him. But instead he kept a blank expression and said, "VIP's only!"
Mr Entitled looked like he'd just been slapped. "Do you know who I am?" One of the groupies was holding him back, giving the rodent a false sense of  toughness.

"I am...."
Rex turned away as the music switched to something faster. The woman was still at the bar. There were fresh chunks of ice cubes in her glass. Even from here, he could see more bruises on her arms. His massive hands tightened into fists. No man had the right to beat a woman----no man.

"....I'm talking to you," Came Mr Entitled's voice. Rex felt something prick his chest. He turned to see the little skunk waving a finger at him. Rex fought back the urge to pick him up and fling him towards the dance floor. But that would be messy, besides he didn't want to make a scene. He had no idea how the lady with bruises would react. She clearly had been through alot. He didn't to scare her away from the one place she came to to relax. Rex folded his arms, the simple gesture made his 6'5 muscular figure seem bigger.
Mr Entitled paused. Rex was fairly certain that had the music volume been lower, he might've heard the rich snort gulp. 
Rex returned his attention to the woman at the.......
His heart skipped a beat.

Her half-empty glass still sat on the table but the seat behind it was gone.
Crap! He'd spent too much time with the snort that he'd lost her. For nights  he'd prepped to talk to her. He had to admit, he liked her. There was something very attractive about her---not like the groupies that strutted about this place, whoring themselves out for cash. This lady was classy...she was.....what was that word again?....Poised. Yea, that was it. She had poise.

Sure, she was married. But for some reason, he didn't care. He'd spent most nights thinking about her---wondering what she smelled like, wondering what sort of man would beat such a work of art. 'LEAVE HER ALONE REX,' A voice in his head said. "SHE'S MARRIED, THAT MEANS TROUBLE!' He scanned the crowd, but between the wild dancing and whiffs of smoke, it was impossible to find her. He had to talk to her, he decided. He was done holding this off another night. Whatever was happening to her was getting worse. He had to.....save her. Then he spotted her at the south exit door of the bar. She was leaving.

"Hey," he called out to another Bouncer a few feet away. The guy's name was Chris, he was a clean shaven stocky fellow who believed the  End times were coming (why he chose to remain a bouncer in a place with alcohol, strippers and prostitutes Rex had no clue).
"You mind covering for me? Gotta use the rest room!"
Chris gave him a look like, 'REALLY?' Then shrugged and came over to the VIP door. Rex gave a quick thank-you smile and dashed (as best he could) towards the exit.

The air outside was cool.
Rex scanned the parking lot as the sounds of the club died down.
Several 'clubbers' stumbled towards their cars. But there was no sign of her.
Crap!

Then he spotted her, sabdwiched between two SUVS. She was sucking on a cigarrette.
'JUST KEEP WALKING REX' The voice said. 'THIS DOESN'T CONCERN YOU.' He ignored it and walked towards her. His heart was racing. Sure, he'd approached alot of women.....and men before. Being a Bouncer came with Booti-calls, it was that simple. But there was something different about this woman. He was drawn to her and simply couldn't help himself.

Her head was bowed causing the long hair to drape over her face like a goddess. He paused a few feet away from her. It dawned on him he hadn't thought this through. What was he going to say? 'Hi, ....I'm a bouncer and.....I see you around.....and you've got bruises.....?"
Crap!

He was going to make a complete ass of himself.
"Are you trying to read my mind or are you going to say something?" She said. Her voice sounded cold.
He shifted nervously wondering what to say.
"Does it speak?" She said still staring at the ground.
"I'm Rex...I---."
"Now it has a speech impediment," she said flicking the cigarette away.
"Why...are you being rude?"he said. She may be a goddess, but she had no right to talk to him like that.
"I'm sorry," she said extending her bruised arm. "I'm Princess."
Her hand was soft and felt like something he wanted to hold for a long time.
"I..... see you around....and um---."
"I've had my eye on you too," she said with a steady gaze.
Standing next to this petite beauty, Rex suddenly felt small. Her eyes were intense. He almost felt shy.
"So what do you want Rex?"
Long pause.
Some loud girls strolled by. One of them nodded in Rex's direction. He returned the gesture.
"Listen," he began. "It's probably none of my business---."
"Then if you think so, maybe it isn't," she said simply.
"Are you always this difficult to talk to?"
"I'm married," she said waving her hand.
"I didn't come here for a hookup," he said. "What's wrong with you?"
"So I'll ask again, what do you want Rex?"
"Where'd you get those bruises?"
"Lets just say a men are bastards." She pulled out another cigarette and lit it.
"Those things will kill you."
"The men or the cigarettes?"
"In your case, both I think."
She blew out some smoke and smiled. "Cigarettes probably....not a man."
"I'd kill the man who did that to my woman."
"Too bad I'm not your woman then."
He didn't know what to say to that. Her manner calm...almost cold infact.
"Am I bothering you?"
She flicked the cigarette. He watched its  bounce off the bonnet of a car and die in a small puddle of water.

"Can we go somewhere?" She let out the remainder of the smoke in her lungs.
"..I don't think that's a good idea," he said. "..My shift isn't over yet and---!"
"Then why did you follow me if you didn't want to have sex with me?"
"I...I---."
"Again with the speech impediment," she seemed bored. "Do you want to be alone with me or not?"
Long silence.
"...yes," he said.
And so he got into the car with her.

FIVE MINUTES LATER.
"WHAT DE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING??" The voice in his head went. "JUST LIKE THAT, YOU LOST YOUR JOB OVER A PIECE OF ASS???"
He couldn't believe it himself. It was like she cast a spell on him. He couldn't stop himself. For all the sexual experiences he'd had (male and  female) the thought of touching Princess excited him so much, he'd almost come in his pants. What was wrong with him? For all he knew,  this girl was nuts or something. But he felt something for her---something he couldn't fight nor deny. It was something he was willing to kill for if it came to that. He'd never known love before, but what he was feeling was crazy.

She handed him a half-empty bottle of brandy.
"It's  a cold night," she said. "And I know you don't smoke."
He was about to say,'No thankyou...I'm work----.' Then it dawned on him that technically, he'd just resigned. He took a large gulp from the bottle and felt the liquor. Burn through him. It was good brandy. He thought.
Then there was silence in the car again.
"My husband is a bad man," She said finally.

In the dim of the car, he could see more bruises around her neck. He felt  rage rising in him.
"...he does what pleases him," she continued. "He inflicts pain on me like nothing I've ever felt before."
"Where is he?" he said covering her hand with his. "No man has the right to treat you like that....no man."
She smiled at him, then her eyes returned to the road. "We're here!"
The car into a small quiet road. It was muddy, with bushes on either side.
'WHAT DE HELL ARE YOU DOING REX?'went the voice again.

Princess leaned into the seat with a heavy sigh. He wasn't sure if she'd fallen asleep or was praying. He looked around. The only form of light was the flare from a gas plant miles away. He had to admit, the area was a little creepy. Even the crickets sounded distant. He was beginning to wonder if his...love interest was a little nuts.
"I'm not crazy," she said as if reading his mind. "I'm just a woman whose been forced to endure a bad marriage."
He felt something give in his chest. All his wariness seemed to evaporate. He wanted to take her in his arms and comfort her. He wanted to find the idiot that had hurt her and snap hos scrawny little spine (if he had one).

"I've been watching you for awhile you know?" She went on. "I noticed how protective you are of women in the club. You seem like a nice guy--the sort of guy that a woman in an abusive marriage could turn to for help."
Rex slowly reached for her hand. He didn't care about his stupid job. He didn't care about his stupid job--or the fact that they were miles from any human being. He wanted to help her. He wanted to protect her from the monster she'd married---he wanted to save her.
"Do love the men you sleep with?" She said in a small voice.
His muscles stiffened.

"...what....?"
"I've often wondered," she said removing her hand from his. "I mean, is it possible to have sex with someone for over six months and not feel something?"
There was a weird sensation in his stomach. He could feel his temperature rise.
"Did you even enjoy having sex with my husband?"
"Wha....are...you...talking...ab...?"He was having trouble breathing. The sensation in his stomach was now a searing pain.
"First time I sensed Francis was having an affair, I thought 'probably a bimbo,he'll be done with her in a week or two.'.."
The pain had dialed up to an eleven. He could taste the blood in his mouth. He could feel his lungs collapsing.

"And then I find out its not a bimbo, but a man," her voice went on. "My husband was cheating on me with a Bi-sexual man...do you know how messed up that is?"
Rex reached for her, but his arms were ten times heavier than normal. He couldn't feel his fingers and he'd lost the ability to breath.

"He's inlove with you you know?" She went on with a chuckle. "Imagine my husband screaming a man's name while he's ontop of me......so I came looking for you. I heard you had a thing for 'saving people'. All I had to do was just.....'play the role' and wait."
Those were the last words Rex would ever hear before his heart stopped.
She stared at his motionless body for a long time, then she reached into the glove compartment, took out some tissue and wiped  her arms and face.
"I wasn't sure I had the make up right," she said. "But at least YOU were fooled into thinking they were real bruises.....which is good."
She stroked the back of his head lovingly. "I don't mind him sleeping around, but I can't have my husband falling for someone else---man or woman. You get that right?"
Long silence.

"Is was nice meeting you Rex" She sighed and emptied the contents of the small cannister of fuel all over Rex's corpse.
"My husband must never know about this,"She said stepping out of the car. She shut the door and peeked in through the window. "So I can count on your silence right?"
Silence.

"Thanks Rex," she flicked the lighter and tossed it into the car.
She didn't even bother turning around to watch the flames. She just whistled and did a little dance as she walked away.




THE END




My mind is my work station.
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