𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚕 (𝚊𝚛𝚟𝚒𝚗 𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚕)

𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚠𝚘

calypso had lied to arvin.

she shouldn't have felt bad. she'd known him an hour; it's not like she was supposed to tell him her life story or anything. but she did feel bad. he must've been the first person in coal creek to be decent to her since she moved there. if anyone else had noticed her shivering in the rain, they'd've spouted some shit about the lord and her getting her fill of heat in hell. she didn't care about that gospel shit, and she could give less of a fuck who knew it. but arvin had offered her a ride, and even cut the heat up. even though the cold hadn't been why she was shivering.

it was dark by now. she didn't really work at the drive-in; never had. she was waiting behind the building. it was on the edge of the woods, but she wasn't scared. she'd stopped being scared the third or fourth time, when she realized nothing was going to jump out of the darkness and grab her. no animal, at least. her combat boots and sundress were placed neatly into a rucksack to her left. she'd swapped them out for a lacy red lingerie set and black pumps. she was shivering from the cold this time, chill bumps erupting on her thin, pale arms.

like clockwork, the man turned the corner of the building. he wasn't very big, only about 5 and a half feet tall, but what he lacked in stature he made up for in fashion. his silk shirt and tailored pants would get him called a faggot in coal creek, but anywhere else people would stare at him in awe like he belonged on the cover of vogue. besides, he'd never stoop to visit the small town in the daylight. 

"hey, doll," he said, walking up and tweaking her nipple through her brassiere playfully.

"didn't anyone ever tell you not to get high on your own supply, tony?" she asked.

"didn't anyone ever tell you not to get in the car with strange men?" he replied as they walked to his mustang.

"you ain't even strange anymore," said calypso, getting in. "i've done this too many times. put the damn top down, would ya?"

tony reluctantly did as she asked. "it doesn't look as cool with the top down."

"you're 50 years old and driving a mustang with a silk shirt. it just looks like you're queer."

"rude as ever," he tutted. "you'd think you'd learn to respect your daddy more."

"how many times have i told you not to call yourself that?"

"fine, your pimp," he said, pulling out of the drive in. "is raven ready to come out and play?"

calypso still hadn't gotten used to hearing her alter ego's name leave someone else's mouth. "she's ready."

they drove for about an hour before they reached new haven. tony pulled into the parking place of the seedy bar, grumbling about how long it had taken him to go all the way to the middle of nowhere and back. calypso entered through the performer's entrance in the back. it was dark backstage. she almost couldn't see anything. not that there was anything to see; it was just a bunch of chairs with heaps of clothing on them. there were a few of her fellow workers back there, but calypso kept her head down as usual and took the first open chair, propping up her rucksack. 

she was always careful not to engage with the other workers. they were all older, tough and mean. calypso could be tough and mean too, but she didn't want to cause too much trouble. all the women were jealous of her since she made the most money, and if she wasn't careful one of them would figure out she was only 16 and tell tony, who was nearly blind and could barely tell the difference between an apple and an orange without the glasses that he refused to wear because they "crimped his style."

she peeked through the curtains and saw that there was an open pole on stage. she strutted out and began to dance to the slow psychedelic music. soon after she'd started, a man in the crowd beckoned her down. she gave him the "one-second" gesture, collected her money, and stuffed it in her rucksack backstage before running back out and sliding off the stage next to him as all the other men in the crowd cheered. she led him back to a private room. it was a small space, with really only enough room for a red velvet daybed and a pole in the center of the room.

"what'd you want, sugar?" she cooed, using her carefully practiced sexy drawl.

"anything you'll give me," the man answered. he wasn't bad looking. he had a sharp jawline and dark slicked-back hair. he was tall and lean, and looked to be in his early twenties. 

"a stud like you?" said calypso. "i'll suck your cock if you'll pay."

"i will," said the man. "what's your name, babe?"

"you can call me raven," said calypso.  "want a dance first?"

"i'd love one," said the man. "i'm victor, by the way."

"alright, victor," she said. "sit back and enjoy."

she began to dance. it had always been easy for calypso to slip into the confident, sexy persona she used for the job. since she'd had a taste of sex as a child, she couldn't get enough. it was like her life force. she didn't have a family, but she did have a mouth, a pussy, and a pretty face.

she finished her dance and climbed onto victor's lap. he was hard just from seeing her dance. she unbuckled his belt and rubbed him through his boxers. he threw his head back and groaned.

"don't tease me."

she pulled his pants and boxers down to his ankles. she spit on her hand and jerked him off until a moan left his throat. she winked at him and took the whole thing down her throat, causing him to buck his hips into her. she gave the tip a few kitten licks before sucking on it hard and sinking down on it again until the tip hit her throat. with a few bobs of her head, he was cumming in her mouth. she hollowed out her cheeks and swallowed it all as he moaned above her. for some reason, she thought of arvin while he came.

he pulled his pants back up and buckled his belt as she fixed her hair.

"that was one hell of a blowjob," he breathed. "maybe i should come here more often."

"maybe you should," she said, winking at him. "now about my payment..."

"right," he said. he handed her a crisp ten-dollar bill.

"ten dollars?" she said, breaking character to gape at the money in her hand.

"you were worth it," he said, kissing her on the cheek and walking out of the room.

the rest of the night passed uneventfully. she got a couple more private rooms, but all she did was dance. she took her top off for one guy, but that was it. she'd made more money than usual, mostly because of the ten dollars from victor. she was still reeling when tony drove her home. he was singing along to gospel music, not really paying attention to her. she found it sort of ironic that a pimp would listen to gospel, but she didn't say anything.

"here's your stop," he said, parking at the closed drive-in. "gimme my cut."

"here."

"eighteen?" he said in awe. "damn, how many did you pull tonight?"

"a guy gave me ten for a bj," she said. "not bad, if you ask me."

"not bad at all," said tony. "almost makes it worth the drive here."

"anything for your main attraction," she said. "see you next week."

he drove off, and she changed back into her sundress behind the drive-in. tony had always been odd, but she was lucky to have him. she was lucky to have a pimp at all, let alone one who would drive an hour to get her. she still remembered the night she'd met him. she was just passing through new haven on her way to coal creek, but he'd offered her money she couldn't turn down. besides, it was just dancing topless and blowjobs if she wanted to. 

she couldn't help thinking of arvin as she slipped in through donna's window and collapsed on the ratty old mattress donna kept on the floor for her. he wasn't bad looking. his jawline had been even sharper than victor's, and his face was cute. he had one hell of a body, from what she could tell while he was whaling on gene dinwoodie. in another life, she would've fallen for him, but there was no sense in falling in love when you're a sixteen-year-old whore.

the people in coal creek said she was a sinner. if only they knew.