I reached up and rubbed at the back of my hair. It was getting to be kind of long for me, and I decided midnight was as good a time as any to give myself a trim. The clippers were in the linen closet, and within a few minutes I had a haircut that would make any Marine officer proud. It was very short around the sides and the back with just a little more on the top.
It also seemed to make my dark blond hair look a lot lighter and kind of reminded me of how it would look in the summer when it got all bleached out in the sun and from the chlorine in the community pool. I shaved my face while I was at it, too. I hated having a face full of itchy scruff.
Odin sneezed behind me, and bits of hair flew up into the air. I brushed some of the hair bits from my shoulders, but I started to itch anyway. Once I cleaned up the mess I made on the floor, I jumped in the shower to get the rest off of my skin.
I found myself out on the balcony staring across the buildings towards Lake Michigan. I was wide awake, and I knew sleep wasn’t going to come very easily. It was just a bit past one in the morning, and I didn’t have any early morning plans other than some more research and the usual jog with the dog. I thought about ordering a pizza, but all the good places that delivered would be closed.
Some company would be nice.
A few minutes later, I was in the Mazda, heading to a particular street corner.
Her pimp was there, but I didn’t see Bridgett. I had been telling myself the whole way over that I was coming out to get a hooker, not that particular hooker. That didn’t seem to stop me from looking for her as soon as I pulled up.
“Mister Arden!” the pimp called towards my open window. His collection of ridiculous gold chains hung down, and I tensed a little. If it scratched my car, I’d kill him. “Pleasure seeing you again. You going to become a regular of mine?”
“Depends,” I said noncommittally. “Where’s Bridgett?”
“Blowing some dude in the alley,” he replied.
I nodded as I ignored the creepy feeling the thought and mental image gave me. She was a hooker, for Christ’s sakes. Of course she was blowing a guy in the alley.
“You wanna wait?” the pimp asked. He took a half step back away from the paint job, which helped me relax a bit. “Maybe you wanna taste of Candy over here?”
Another slim brunette sauntered over with her hips swaying. She gave me a big smile and a show of tits as she leaned over the car, practically crawling up on the hood. Long legs, nice shape, cute as hell, but she had a totally flat ass.
Definitely not my type.
“I can wait a minute,” I replied with a shrug. Candy pouted and licked her lips at me as she backed up onto the sidewa
lk again.
After about three minutes, Bridgett appeared from the darkness of the alley behind the liquor store. It was getting to be damn cold out, but that didn’t stop her and her coworkers from wearing those skimpy hooker outfits. The cold was making her nipples practically leap right out of her tank top.
“Bridgett!” the pimp yelled out. “Git yer ass over here!”
She walked up to him and handed him a wad of cash. He counted it carefully, jammed his finger under her chin, and said something in a voice too low for me to hear. She shook her head quickly in response, and he took a step back and pointed to my car.
She climbed in and settled into the leather seat.
“All night?” she asked quietly.
“That’s how I roll,” I answered.
She gave the pimp some hand signal, and I drove away from the curb.
“It’s a little late for a good night’s sleep,” she said.
“What do you mean?” I turned around and started heading back to my apartment.
“Last time you didn’t even fuck me,” she reminded me. “We just slept.”
“You blew me.”
“You could have gotten that for a lot less cash.”
“Maybe I’ll make up for it tonight.” I glanced over at her and half grinned.
We didn’t say much the rest of the trip back to my apartment. Everything was closed, so we didn’t make any detours or anything, either. Odin was waiting by the door when we came in, and she reached out and touched his nose.