4am
The man was bent forward, jeans pooled round his ankles, hands braced on the back of the battered old settee. Moose stood behind him, fingers on the buttons of his 501s, wondering how in hell it had come to this.
*****
10pm
Six hours earlier Moose was heading into 'Arizona' to drown his sorrows and chance his luck. As he walked in through the door the bar opened out like the warehouse it was, tuneless shite pounding through the speakers and making his brain ache. He couldn't get over it, people dancing in a bar. As far as Moose was concerned bars were for drinking in. He got a pint and tried not to gag as he pushed his way through the crowd of writhing bodies. The whole place stank of sweat, farts and desperation, packed out with ugly fuckers hoping that the potent combination of drink and dim lighting might get them a long-overdue shag. Which was entirely the point; Chrissie was eight months gone and wouldn't even wank him off any more.
He was sick of fighting about it.
The first couple of drinks barely touched the sides. He was just turning away from the bar with his third when a little bird wriggled her way in front of him and waved a five pound note at the bar staff. She rolled her eyes at Moose.
'Bloody hopeless in here. You could die of thirst and they wouldn't notice.'
Moose looked her up and down. She was short and blonde, insubstantial strappy red dress leaving little to the imagination. Bit soft round the middle but her tits looked like a canny handful.
'Here,' he said when the barman brought over the Pernod and black she had ordered, 'let me get that for you.’
Cheers, lover.' She grinned, her teeth a higgledy parade of nicotine-stained tombstones. They moved off to a table with high stools round it and rested their drinks.
'Haven't seen you in here before.' The woman practically had to shout to be heard above the din.
'I don't get into the town much these days. I just fancied a… a change.' Moose swallowed.
'Oh, aye?' She winked. 'I might be able to help you there.'
Moose raised an eyebrow.
'Tenner for a handjob, twenty for a blowjob, thirty for a shag. Go for a shag and I'll throw in a bit of oral. Sort of a special offer 'cos I like your face.'
Moose shook his head. 'Sorry, pet, but I've never paid for it before and I'm not starting now.'
She rolled her eyes. 'Don't be naïve, lover, you always pay for it. If it's not drinks, it's a meal, clothes, then a ring, a three-piece, a washing machine, a pram… am I wrong?'
A man beckoned her and she ran a hand through her mop of bleached curls. 'Watch my drink,' she said to Moose, 'back in a mo.' Then she was off, pushing through the bodies, following the man outside.
Ten minutes later she was back. 'Give us that, lover,' she said to Moose, and he slid the Pernod and black over to her. She sank it in one, gargling before she swallowed. 'Christ, that's better. Takes the taste away.' She perched on one of the high stools, crossed her legs. The dress rode up and showed him an acre of white cellulite and a flash of black lace. She looked at Moose's empty glass then offered him a fiver. 'Going to the bar? Gerrus another while you're there, lover, there's a good lad.'
Midnight
Moose and the man who had beckoned the blonde were arguing about football. Moose now knew that the blonde was called Lena and the man, who was both her cousin and her pimp, was called Alec. Moose liked them. They were what they were, no pretensions. Lena hopped up on a stool and massaged her wrist.
'Jesus Christ, I thought he'd never finish! Bastard got his money's worth, eh!' She and Alec laughed. Moose was still getting used to Lena's matter-of-fact attitude. She nodded at Moose but spoke to Alec. 'Is he still pretending he isn't paying for it?'
Moose coloured up. He'd been blown out by a couple of women and Lena had taken him to task.
'You're wasting your time, lover. Girls like that, they don't play fair. They see blokes like you coming; you've got "married" written all over you. They'll take and take and give you sod all back.' She arched her back and stuck her chest out. 'You should stick with me, you know where you stand with me. I give good value for money, an' all.' She patted his hand. 'Tell you what, since you're a canny lad, I'll take you back to the flat rather than doing you out the back.'
Moose snatched his hand away and turned his back on her, scanning the bar for his next prospect.
1am
'Those bitches'll empty your wallet and still not come up with the goods,' Lena slurred as Moose came back empty handed yet again, the girl he'd been chatting up and buying drinks for disappearing out the door as soon as her mate turned up.
'I'm just a bit rusty, that's all,' Moose protested, but he knew that was rubbish. He'd never been any good with women. He only got together with Chrissie because she hit on him.
'They cheat. They get women a bad name. With me,' Lena stabbed her thumb at her chest. 'With me, you get what you pay for. With them,' she waved her hand around. 'With them, you can pay and pay and get nowt. Or get a rubbish blowjob. Or get put on rations.' She gave Moose a long hard look. 'I'm sorry, lover, I know she's your wife and she's having your kid, but she shouldn't be treating you like this.' Lena ran her fingers down his arm. 'I think she's mad.' Slipped her arm round his waist and pulled him close. 'You're a good looking man, she'll lose you if she's not careful.'
Moose pulled away. Lena's breath was toxic: cigarettes, Pernod, blackcurrant and jizz made for a heady cocktail.
2am
Moose watched another girl full of drink that he'd paid for go off giggling with her mate and leave him behind. He was starting to think Lena might have a point.
3am
Moose had his tongue down Lena's throat, his hands gripping her arse. Thirty quid of his money nestled snugly in Alec's wallet.
'Come on, you two,' Alec said, tapping Moose on the shoulder. 'Taxi's waiting.'
4am
And now Moose was poised as if to unbutton his 501s while Alec was bent forward, jeans pooled round his ankles, hands braced on the back of the settee.
They had taken the cab back to Lena's flat where she produced a bottle of vodka and three glasses. Alec put on a home made porn movie starring Lena and a succession of ugly men, muted the sound, and the men talked about their team's chances in the cup while they worked their way down the bottle. At some point Lena passed out. Alec had sighed when he noticed, then stood up and dropped his jeans.
'You've paid for it,' he said to Moose, 'you might as well have it.'
'I'm not bent,' Moose had said, horrified. 'I paid for her.'
He looked at Lena, spark out on the couch, slack-jawed, snoring, and drooling into a cushion.
'I can't let you fuck her while she's in that state. Besides, a hole's a hole. Bet you give your lass one up the arse when you get the chance.'
Moose had to concede that one. He usually had to get Chrissie pissed first, but since the pregnancy piles had popped out she just flat refused.
Alec was watching Moose over his shoulder. It was a bit of a gamble, but he was pretty sure Moose wouldn't go for it or he'd have just given him his money back. Twice before he'd offered to make good for Lena, the drunken bitch, and both times the punters had walked away and Alec had kept their cash, a nice little bonus.
Moose just stood there blinking, the thought of all the money he'd spent to get laid making him feel nauseous. Chrissie would go postal when she found out it was gone; it was meant to buy the pram. Lena was right, he had paid and paid and he'd still be wanking into a sock when he got home. No matter how you cut it, that wasn't fair.
Alec smirked to himself and started to reach down for his jeans, game over, when he heard a rustle of clothing and felt Moose step up behind him.
'Do you know what?' Moose said as he nudged into Alec. 'You're right; a hole's a hole. Bet you're a damn sight tighter than her, an' all,' he grunted as he got into his stride, finally getting his money's worth.
(c) J Morgan 2010