The Kingpin

•09•

Amelia

Amelia hangs up after speaking to Rafael. That man was truly a mystery to her. After seeing how he treated that girl Danielle, she was even more put off by him. But somehow, her curiosity was beating out all the other factors.

  She turns to the man now standing in her room and gives a seductive smile. He takes a few steps toward her, putting his hands on her hips. Amelia's gaze intertwines with his as he leans down to press a slow kiss to her lips.

  After a while of letting his hands roam her clothed body, she feels his hand caress the skin underneath her shirt. She lifts her arms up and he takes the shirt off with ease.

  "Now you're a little overdressed..." Amelia begins, a smirk on her face as she tugs the bottom of the man's shirt.

  He pulls her in for another kiss before stripping his own shirt. His hand goes to her lower back to brace her as they fall onto the bed, lips never once leaving each other.

  His blue eyes scan her body as he runs his hands over any surface of exposed skin. "Beautiful." He mumbles while pressing kisses in the crook of her neck.

  Soon, they were both naked and spent. She was ready for this man to leave but was unsure of how to communicate that without being dismissive. Then she realizes she doesn't care.

  "I have somewhere to be." Amelia began after a bit of laying in an awkward silence.

  The man nods and begins to put his clothes on. Before heading towards the door, he hands her cash for their hours together and thanks her for her time.

  Once the man leaves, she releases a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. Amelia decides to take a shower before bed. She smelled of the man who had just left and it wasn't something she wanted.

  She entered the shower once steam began to come out from the door and sat down on the tile. The water flowed over her body as she looked over herself for the first time in what seemed like forever. There were fading bruises on her hips  from where Rafael had been. Tattoos covered easy scars while the others remained brandished onto her flesh. Her skin was remarkably pale, which isn't technically unusual for her, but it only exposed the things she wished to hide: the shot veins.

  After a while, she stood and began to lather soap everywhere. Her hair stuck to her head from the water and she decided that washing it would be a tomorrow problem. Amelia rinsed the soap off soon after and wrapped herself in a towel before going to sit on the side of her bed. She slipped on underwear and crawled underneath the covers.

  "Goodnight." She whispered to the ceiling, hoping her little girl would hear from the skies.

                                       ••••

  The sunlight through the windows was not kind to her the next morning. She forced her eyes open and groaned upon moving. Her body ached and she knew she would need to shoot up again. This shit was getting old but Amelia knew she wasn't strong enough to detox.

She begrudgingly opens her nightstand drawer and pulls out some of her stash. She fills the syringe and ties the tourniquet with one hand before pressing a few times to find a vein. Inserting the needle, she allows her eyes to flutter closed. Some swear that once they shoot up enough, they feel it actually entering their bloodstream.

Amelia pulls the needle out slowly and holds a small piece of gauze to it before laying back down. Her eyes close once more as she rests her hands on her stomach.

The haze grows thick rather quickly this time around and she doesn't hear her phone as it rings on the stand. Instead, she manages to fall into a dream-like state where not fully asleep but not fully awake either.