CHAPTER ONE

It was a slow night on the Stroll, and Susanna grinned when the late-model Taurus with the rental plates pulled over. Rental plates meant an out-of-town businessman with an itchy credit card and a lonely hotel room; it meant a quick hundred dollars, maybe one-twenty with tip. It meant she could kick off her damn shoes for a few minutes, and go someplace where the wind wasn't turning her nipples into raw pencil erasers.

She leaned over and stuck her head into the passenger-side window. The guy driving was a surprise—younger than she'd expected, with a shaved head, scruffy goatee and chrome rings piercing his eyebrows and lower lip.

Street instincts sized him up in the time it took her to smile. Once, anybody looking like him was sure to be trouble; these days, everyone under the age of thirty seemed to have something pierced. Susanna herself had a ring through her belly button.

What the fuck. Maybe he's got some coke.

"Hey," she said. "Wanna date?"

"Nah," he said, matching her grin. "I just pulled over for a few fashion tips."

She laughed despite herself. The outfit she was wearing—black latex minidress with four-inch matching heels—was brand new. She knew it showed off both her long legs and her waist-length black hair, but she didn't expect a john to appreciate it as any more than a candy wrapper.

"Well," she said, "I know what'd look good on you."

"What's that?"

"Me."

He chuckled and nodded, his piercings glinting chrome green in the glow of the dash. "Okay. I'm in."

"Not yet," she said sweetly, "but you will be."

She got in on the passenger's side. He pulled smoothly away from the curb.

"I'm Todd," the driver said.

"Susanna."

"For a second, I thought you were going to tell me to get lost," Todd said. "What, I don't look like I have a Gold Card?"

"Just checking you out. A girl can't be too careful, you know?"

"Sure, I understand. Lotta freaks out there…"

Afterward, he lay in the hotel bed, smoking.

Man, that was sweet. Not as good as the real thing, of course, but pretty good all the same.

He put his arms behind his head and stretched out luxuriously. And the stupid bitch never suspected a thing. Thought I was Mr. Normal. Hah.

The bathroom door opened and Susanna stepped out, wearing the minidress but barefoot. She bent down and grabbed her stiletto heels from the floor.

"That was great, Todd," she said. "I'm gonna go wait for my cab downstairs, okay?"

"Sure," Todd said with a lazy grin. "Hey, I'm going to be in town for a few days—you got a number I can reach you at?"

"I left my business card beside the sink. It's got my pager number," she said, wincing as she put on her shoes. "Call me any time you feel like a party."

She was halfway out the door when he said, "Hey, wait a sec!"

She turned back. He motioned toward the table beside the door. "At least finish your drink…."

Copyright © 2004 by Don DeBrandt