Bryan Smith - The Killing Kind

“Not all the time. Not when things are happening too fast, which is how it usually goes down, right? But back there in the woods…a situation like that? Yeah. I got very excited when I was playing that little game.”

Rob closed his eyes. “Jesus. God…”

She reached out and squeezed his knee, making his eyes snap open. “Hell, I’ve been thinking about it all day. I’m horny as shit.” She laughed. “Shit, why do you think we’re talking about this?”

He stared at her hand on his knee. He wanted to push it away, but he didn’t want to upset her. She squeezed again, the fingers pressing more firmly into the denim-covered flesh. He looked at her. Her expression was serious and focused, her eyes blazing with seductive intensity. And as disturbed as he was by the turn of the conversation, a part of him shared that desire.

He coughed. “Um…”

Her hand slid away from his knee and moved higher up his thigh. “Next exit. We’ll pull off and find a place. Okay?”

He nodded weakly. “Yeah…okay.”

“This’ll just be a quickie. But I have something special in mind for later tonight, after we stop for the day. Okay?”

Her hand moved up and down his thigh, stirring him to full arousal. He could barely concentrate now. He forced himself to shift his gaze from her caressing hand to her face. “What…do you have in mind?”

She smiled. “I want to tie you up. Do some things to you. Maybe make you come around to my way of thinking on some things. That feel good?”

He groaned. “Yeah. Jesus. Fuck, Roxie.”

Rob felt helpless. And stupid. A few minutes ago he had been thinking how dumb it had been to let her manipulate him with sex. And here he was, letting it happen again. The truth was, he was powerless against her. Resistance was impossible, compliance a given. She began to really work at him, squeezing and stroking harder and harder. He groaned some more and writhed in the seat.

“You’re about to go off.”

Rob whimpered.

She let go of him and laughed. “You okay, Rob? You look sort of…frustrated.”

He leaned back in his seat and listened to his racing heart. He shivered. “Jesus…”

She giggled. “You’re addicted to me already. I’m your heroin. Admit it.”

“There’s a song about that.”

“What song?”

“It’s called ‘She’s Like Heroin To Me.’ It’s by the Gun Club.”

“I know that name. Haven’t heard them, though. Is it good?”

“Yeah.”

“Cool. What other music do you like?”

Rob shrugged and shook his head to clear it. He didn’t want to talk about music. He only wanted to feel her hand sliding up and down his leg again. “Um…rock. You know…hard rock. Metal. Punk. Psychobilly.”

“Psychobilly? Like the Cramps?”

“Yeah.”

“I love them. And Twathammer. Are you into horror?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

She smiled. “Me, too. Like, massively. You see, Rob? This shit was meant to be. You and I are so compatible it fucking hurts, man.”

Rob didn’t say anything at first. A lot about Roxie repelled and sickened him. She was a bad person. She did very bad things. But in truth, he did feel very in tune with her in some ways. “We sort of are, I guess,” he said at last. “But I’m never sure whether you’re telling me something you really believe or just fucking with my head again.”

“That’s part of the fun, Rob.”

“No. It really isn’t, Roxie.”

Her eyes went wide and she sat up straighter behind the wheel. “Ooh! Let’s pick up the hitchhiker!”

“What?”

Rob cranked his head to the right and scanned the road’s shoulder. He saw a slim figure maybe a quarter mile distant. A man standing with his thumb out. He had that scraggly, weathered look of the long-term homeless. Rob was able to see deep lines on the man’s face as they drew closer. He had hard, unfriendly eyes. Rob didn’t like the look of the man at all.

“I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“Yeah, but I’m in charge and your opinion counts for shit.”

Roxie slowed the Tercel and pulled over. She hit a button and the window on Rob’s side slid down. The hitchhiker came up to the car and leaned down to peek inside. “Where y’all headed?”

Roxie grinned. “Wherever you’re going. Hop on in. Back’s unlocked.”

The man moved away from the window and opened the back door. He tossed his backpack in and climbed inside, pulling the door shut. “Can’t tell you folks how much I appreciate the kindness. Most folks these days can’t be bothered to help a fella out.”

Roxie twisted in her seat and stared at the guy through the gap between the seats. “Most folks should be ashamed of themselves. What’s your name, stranger?”

“Carl McCoy.”

Roxie reached a hand into the backseat. “Pleased to meet you, Carl. I’m Roxie. And my friend here is Rob.”

Carl shook her hand and Roxie held onto it.

“Pleased to meet you both.”

“Now, Carl, I hate to break it to you, but nobody rides for free, not in this car. I can see you don’t have any money to speak of, but there is a way you can pay.”

The man’s voice became wary. “Yeah? What would that be?”

Roxie kept grinning. “Ass, gas, or grass, Carl. Ass, gas, or grass. In this case, ass.” She nodded at Rob. “My friend here is feeling very frustrated right now. The price of your ride is a blow job.”

Rob’s mouth dropped open. “What the fuck, Roxie?”

Carl chuckled. “Ain’t a problem. I suck a mean dick.”

Roxie laughed. “I bet you do, Carl. I bet you do.”

“Got real good at it in jail.”

Rob shook his head. “No way, Roxie. Fuck this.”

“It’s that or the other thing. You know what I mean.”

Carl was quickly becoming confused in the backseat. “What other thing? I don’t know if I like the sound of that.”

Rob hated being forced to make this choice. He would not let some foul-smelling, nearly toothless, butt-ugly homeless man put his mouth on his penis. There was no scenario in which he could ever imagine allowing that to happen. And yet the other option amounted to sentencing the man to death.

Carl coughed loudly in the backseat. “Uh…I think I’ll be getting out now. If you’d just let go of my hand, young lady.”

Roxie leg go of his hand, snagged the.38 from the tote bag, and pointed it at him. “You’re not going anywhere, you fucking bum. Rob still has a choice to make.”

Carl started crying. “Please. Don’t. I’ll do anything.”

Roxie laughed. “Holy shit, really? Anything at all? Wow. You know what, I’ve never heard that before. People never, ever say that when they’re about to die. Seriously.”

Carl whimpered. He sniffled. “Please…”

“Shut up.” Roxie glanced at Rob. “Gross old-guy mouth action or the other thing. Decide now.”

Rob looked away from her and sighed. “Other thing.”

She smiled. “Good choice. I approve.”

Rob closed his eyes and cringed, waiting to hear the report of the gun, which would be painfully loud inside the car.

“Get out, Carl.”

Rob heard the man’s breath catch in his throat.

“Wh-what?”

“You heard me. It’s your lucky day. Get out, bum.”

Carl didn’t need to be told twice. He hustled himself out of the car and slammed the door shut. Rob opened his eyes, glanced at the side-mounted mirror, and saw the man walking fast in the opposite direction.

Roxie laughed and slapped the steering wheel. “Fuck! That was fun.“

Rob couldn’t say anything. He just stared at her.

“You’re probably wondering why I let him go.” Roxie patted his knee. “You look like you just saw a ghost. Poor baby. Let me explain. I didn’t want to kill that guy. And letting him go’s no big deal. A guy like that’s not going to the cops, so he’s not a liability. The real payoff was you making that choice. Now I know you have it in you, too.”