The Monster in My Veins

Noah William O'Conner (11)

          Pull yourself together. I tell myself as I glare at the big H on the coffee table of my penthouse. No longer will I wallow in the big H. I had one taste and that's all I need. I've decided I will no longer let be stubborn about my fortune. I bit my bottom lip just thinking about the monster.

          "Sweetheart," the cheap stripper says from across the couch, "are we going to have sex or what?" she pops her bubble gum waiting for my answer.

          I'm lingering on her lips as she stares at me with devious brown eyes and maliciously twirls her hair. She seems nervous.

          "Are you alright?" I wonder.

          She pauses, "Um," her eyes look defeated and sad, "I've never done this before." She covers her cleavage with her fur coat.

          "I'm your first client?"

          "Well," the girl looks about nineteen, "I've never had sex before."

          Her words baffle me. She's absolutely gorgeous, why is she here, giving herself up so easily just for a few hundred? I slide my hand across my rough 5 o'clock shadow.

          "Why are you doing this to yourself? You're young and beautiful. This lifestyle isn't for you."

          "Man, I'm broke. I got caught up in the wrong crowd. I'm currently living underneath the park bench three blocks from here. What else can I do?" the girl sniffles and leans forward.

            I'm not even sure why I hired her anyway. I can't cheat on Bonnie, even though we aren't together. Maybe I just wanted attention from another female. Not sexual or anything, just company. She's lucky I picked her up and not some scumbag. I look into her deep innocent eyes. She's just a girl. I'm twenty-seven years old and when I was her age, I was a senior in high school. I wonder why she's not in school. I'm curious if she even graduated at all.

          I sigh, stand up, and take the young girls hand. "What's your name?" I ask.

          "Jupiter." She replies. What the hell kind of name is that? I have a feeling she's lying. "Look, you can believe whatever you want. I couldn't care less. My momma was always interested in planets and stars, so she named me Jupiter. That was before she got strung out on meth."

          I nod my head and take Jupiter to the extra bedroom of my penthouse. "You can stay in here, only until you get back on your feet."

          She smiles, "Thank you..."

          "Noah," I say.

          Jupiter shuts the door.

          Why did I take her in? She's not my responsibility, so why did I do it? I need to stay on my guard, because you can't trust prostitutes, or anyone else for that matter. Women can get away with almost anything if they are pretty. They use their looks to deceive and draw men in. I can't fall for it. I won't fall for her slim face and high cheekbones, or the way she blinks slowly when she smiles, showing her teeth that are surprisingly not gross and yellow. That also confuses me, if she is living under a park bench, why is she not disgusting? She smells like perfume and her hair is soft and shiny. I try to shake her from my mind as I lie on the king size bed in the master bedroom. Something about her makes me wonder... She's hiding something. But, I can't just throw her on the street. I couldn't live with myself if I just let her continue to live the way she has. She's probably not even a virgin. Jupiter (or whatever her name is) probably just said that as a way to make me feel sorry for her. She had to of known I would've taken her in. I can't exactly blame her, because she did land a place to stay at for a while. I just pray she isn't going to try something stupid. I wouldn't want to do anything to harm her. But, if it comes to that I won't hesitate.