Jeurridam Ch. 05: A Fool's Paradise

Everything in my head was kind of mucky right now. I couldn't really focus on things I needed. This mesmerizing place could do that to you. Of course, I was still very much in my struggle. I pretty much forgot why I was here. I had to stop and focus... Yeah, a tent and blankets! I went to the utility stretch, still thinking about anything I could possibly need.

There were tent kits everywhere! I simply picked one, not being too fussy. My budget couldn't call for anything too top of the line. I had to get fuel for fire which was very easy to come across. We simply used imported toilet paper, alcohol and old tin cans. Then came time to buy blankets and bedding. It was a long walk to the other side of A Fool's Paradise but nonetheless, I made the trip. The few hundreds of dollars I had began to whittle further and further down. So much for stretching this money for as long as I could. Something had to be done because I didn't even have enough money to buy myself food.

Sighing, I made my way back to Henderson contemplating what could be done to earn extra money. I had stolen someone's cart to make carrying all the necessities I bought easier. It was unguarded so why not steal it? Upon reaching the truck, I placed the blankets in the rear seats of the truck. The flame tools were placed on the floor and the tent, in the bed of the truck. All the while, I was contemplating what could be done to to earn more money. There was only one thing I knew for a fact I was good at... and it'd take my last few pennies.

But first, I had to relocate my truck. I drove to another condemned area, Dredge Valley. It was condemned for an entirely different reason than the refinery in A99. Many strange creatures have been pulled out of the Bay of Vegas and many people have been reported missing in the region. I knew these rumours were authentic because I've seen one of these creatures dead before. I was here that day when they dredged the abomination out of the bay because I temporarily had a job as a dredger. Shortly after, I quit, running back to daddy to tell him of my horrifying experience.

It was all an excuse to go back home and free-load. But now, things were different. The Vegas dredging project was abandoned shortly after many of the workers went missing. Dredge Valley was now where all outcasts headed, finding them a remote patch of thicket to call their own. I was about to do the same.

I looked at my gas hand. It continued to dwindle down as I drove. Not only would I have to feed and clothe myself in the future, I'd have to put petrel in this tank. This was now do or die. Upon reaching a secluded area in Dredge Valley, I made my way back to Fool's Paradise. The sun was beginning to set and the scape of the city was beginning to change. The nightlife was about to take form.

My mission was to head to the novelty store. I knew my way around them all too well. With the last few dollars I had, I was gonna buy a pack of cigarettes... and some Illisian braided tights. They were the weakness to many men of A Fool's Paradise. With no more money, there was no turning back. It was now time to become apart of the markets of A Fool's Paradise.

I changed out of my t-shirt, boot-cut jeans and jacket in one of the many alleys of the region, placing them behind several vacant boxes. The braided tights were, as the name suggested, tight! But the leather texture gripped areas like no other clothing could. Even my scrawny frame looked like something with these tights on. I had lost a lot of weight since I got addicted to cocaine... My muscles and tone simply faded away. All I had left was a tight V-shaped physique stretched over a six foot frame. I wasn't completely just...nothingness. There were still some muscles left but they were nowhere near the way they were two years ago.

Standing on an isolated corner, smoking a cigarette, it didn't take long to draw some attention. An old man riding in a very, very, very old car rolled down his window in front of me.

"You're looking for a ride?" He asked. I knew his type. He was going to pleasure himself with me, and then say I did a terrible job and pay me as little as he could. I gave him an eye roll.

"You couldn't afford me..." I sighed. He drove off as I exhaled the fumes from the cigarettes.

Minutes later, another old man came by with a much, much better ride. He rolled down his window, looking at me from head to toe.

"You wanna night around the town?" He asked. I looked at him, my gaze burning through his offer. He was another type, very common around these parts. He'd lure you in, take you back to his home, drug you and do tortuous things to you for days at a time then eventually let you go...with no money. It was all in how he asked the question...

"I'd recommend," I began, "You go to East Paradise where the newbs are... They'd be easy victims..." He looked shocked, rolling up the passenger window, driving off really fast! I couldn't help but laugh.

Then came the roamer. A dark skinned dude, wearing very svelte jacket and leather pants made his way down the path. He wore sunglasses... at night... I already knew what this was gonna be about, puffing on my cigarette.

"Hey," He said, "My territory, bud." I slowly turned to him, a devilish smile coming across my face. I puffed smoke out of my nose before returning to staring aimlessly at the night market. "Did you hear me?" He rushed forward, ready to move me off his lot. I side stepped his advance, reaching in my rear to grab my knife.

I placed a firm hand on his throat, slamming him against the building. I edged the knife closer to his throat, my smile broadening as the horror in his eyes grew.

"This," I began, "Is our territory..."

"Dude..." He pled.

"Who do you work for?" I asked.

"Rachi..." He said.

"Awe," I smiled, "Poor kid... You'll learn..."

"Just let me go..." He begged.

"So you can snitch? Or worse... Get yourself hurt? How long have you been doing this, kid?" I asked.

"A few months." He said.

I eased up my grip.

"Stick with me for tonight and I won't come back to your territory again." I sighed, letting him go. He just stood there lost, "I just ran off two guys that would have taken more advantage of you than you would have liked..."

"What?" He asked, confused. I went back to leaning to the side of the building.

"Do the Rachi clan have a serve all who come policy?" I asked.

"Yeah..." He said, very angry that I ran off two potential clients.

"Damn... They just don't care..." I sighed, puffing on my cigarette.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"They simply want their money... they don't care what will happen to their workers..." I said. He stared for a long time.

"You worked these streets before?"

"Yeah. When I was strung out on cocaine, this was a big part of my life... I'd make money to simply give it away to get a fucking drug..." I explained.

"You were on cocaine and you got off?" He asked, shocked.

"I had a lot of help... help I never would have thought would come."

"Well if you had so much help, how'd you end up back here?" He asked, truly skeptical.

"No matter what they tell you about how this is good for you, that someone has to do it, that you should be lucky for this position... Don't buy into it. You'll either end up a slave to drugs or a slave to someone's fist. I ended up back here because I messed up what I had back at home and now I'm on my own. It's a start... a way to put a little cash in my pocket until I work my way up. This," I explained, "is only the beginning..."

"Work your way up?"

"I don't plan on selling myself forever," I said, a group of young, well-off looking guys catching my eye, "Those are the type of dudes you want..."

The young man looked to the group, unsure what I saw.

"Why?"

"My god, they aren't teaching you at all are they?" I sighed, "They are rich kids, out on the town looking for ways to blow money. They come from far and wide and are easiest to take advantage of... You ready?"

Excitement filled the young man's eyes.

"Yes!" He said. I smiled.

"Your name?"

"Luke..." He said.

"Ezekiel..." I responded, walking towards the group of young men, "Act like we know each other..."

"Ok."

The young men saw us coming, Luke and I looking very striking to the foreigners. Now, I wasn't one to brag, but I knew I was a good looking fellow. Some people tended to over exaggerate the way I look but I was decent. Luke also was a very handsome young man, dark caramel skin, black wavy hair and green eyes that came to say hi as he took his sunglasses off. He was ever so slightly shorter than I was but a bit more muscular. However, it was clear he didn't know what to do with his awesome little body. Tonight would be his ultimate test.

"So," I said to make it seem like Luke and I went way back, "There was this one guy I had to tour around. He was so breathless the whole way through, I was getting frustrated. But he was really excited to see all of Paradise so I took the extra step to ask him was he alright, did he need anything extra..."

"You two tour guides?" One of the foreigners asked, his Mojave accent heavy!! Luke and I paused.

"Yeah." I said, getting a good look at them. There were about five guys, each one looking like boys from the northern Mojave. They were all glazed skinned, curly haired, fur and tight wearing douchey looking dudes desperate to get out of their home settlements. All were undeniably cute.

"We've been looking for guides all day!" The foreigner said, glad to see us, oblivious to the fact that there were no guides in the city. Easy... Pickings...

"Well the city isn't really alive during the day. At night is when the markets turn into casinos, hotels into rings, and pool houses into bath houses... That's the Paradise you want to see." I smiled. The foreigner returned a smile, nodding. He looked back at his boys, all seeming to have a mutual thought.

"Come on..." I said walking backwards, "Luke and I will show you around."

"Luke?" The foreigner asked, looking at the boy from head to toe. He then looked at me, "What's your name?"

"I'm... Zeek." I smiled.

We led the boys through the central ruins of Paradise.

"This..." I said pointing at a rusted gold lion statue, "Is called the Lion of Judah. I'm not sure where it is from but it's been here for hundreds of years..."

"Whoa, was there an animal that looked like that?" One of the foreigners asked. I spun around, dumbfounded.

"Yes." I smiled, "But they were not from here. They were from across the great ocean to the east." I literally had read about lions probably a few days before this. Thank God, I did.

"So are they different from pumas?" Another asked. I thought hard on it.

"Yeah, I beleive lions are considerably larger than pumas." I said.

"Are they as big as the statue?" He asked.

"No." I laughed, really amused by how dumb they were. Uncle was right! Knowledge was power in these parts. I could lie to these fools and get anything I wanted out of them, "Come on!"

I led them towards a large red spiraling mass of metal.

"What's this?" Someone asked.

"This," Luke said, taking over, "Was a ride from long, long ago. They had got it working a few years back but they shut it down."

"Ride? Who jumbled it all up? That thing literally goes upside down! Where would it take you?" The foreigner asked.

"It's not a ride to take you places," I began, "It's a ride to make you shit your pants. I read someone that it is called a roller coaster?" I wasn't too sure, "The only thing I know... is that they are fast..."

"Awe shit! I'd love to ride it!" A boy said, mesmerized by the bright red steel structure.

"Sorry," Luke said, "It doesn't work any more."

"But, it's not the only thrill to be had here..." I smiled. Luke and I looked at each other, knowing there was a deeper meaning to that statement, "Luke, let's take them to the Casino District."

"Casino District?" A guy asked.

"It is amazing guys... So many games, so many gambles, so much to win..."

"So much to lose..." I interrupted, "But, we're here... We'll be your... escorts through this region. We'll make you love it..."

"We'll love it huh?" A guy from the rear asked. I turned to him, giving him a smile.

After a brisk, five minute walk, we reached the Casino District. It was a vast indoor market where any and everything could and would happen. Shit, everything humanly possible probably has already happened here.

"This," Luke said spinning, taking this entire place in, "Is. The. Casino. District. It's where people go to gamble their troubles away, get drunk, find them a nice whore and wake up the next morning feeling refreshed as ever! But you must be warned..."

"Yes you must!" I said adding to this place, "It's called A Fool's Paradise for a reason. Boys like you are sought after far and wide here. You support this industry. Nasty people will lure you in to gamble but cheat you out of your money... It's not a place for the inexperienced."

"Yeah," A foreigner said, "I found that out the hard way."

"Awe," I said, "Wish I could make it up to you. This place is really no joke..."

"Well, here it is guys... This is the go-to destination." Luke smiled.

"Well the Abode District is the last place... We still have to show them that, or we'd not be doing our job..." I smiled, hinting to Luke.

"Of course!" He smiled, catching on swiftly.

"Come on guys!" I said, grabbing the nearest foreigner by the hand.

Luke and I led the boys through the Casino District over to the Abode District. They were virtually the same, only a few platforms and bridges apart. The Abode District was home to some of the most gorgeous courts one could spend the night in. I knew them in and out.

"This," I smiled, "Is where everyone wants to spend their nights. These suites are the most lavished in the lands with luxuries unlike anything you've ever seen. They're expensive but they are better than other suites in any other region."

"Guys, ya'll wanna book here for tonight?" A foreigner asked.

"Sure..." Another said.

"Why not?"

"Well, Luke," I said giving him a double high-five, "Looks like we're off the clock!" Luke nodded smiling, but he was definitely unsure. I grabbed his hand, walking away with him.

"Wait for it..." I whispered.

"You guys wanna chill with us?" A foreigner asked. Luke looked amazed. I smiled at him, nodding slowly and arrogantly.

"Well we do things a little differently after hours." I smiled, "We come with a willingness...and a price..."

"What kind of price." The dude responded, arms folded.

"It depends," I said, prowling around, "On how much you're willing to pay... I can give you a quick thrill... Or the best night of your lives... You decide."

The boys laughed between each other, discussing something in a strange regional dialect. I looked to Luke who simply looked surprised.

"OK," I began, "There are five guys. We gotta give it our all to make them pay top dollar... I mean we gotta milk them for every penny...multiple rounds, sucking the life out of each one of them... tricks! Anything... What ever we collect, we split the proceeds fifty-fifty."

"I um... I gotta pay my boss though. What if it's..."

"Trust me!" I said, reassuring the boy, "They're young and stupid. They'll pay every single penny they have if we just lay it on'em right..."

"But what if they don't?" Luke asked, full of worry.

"I'm not one they'd want to cross..." I said, "I'll get the money... one way...or another!" A smile came across Luke's face.

The plan was now in effect. The five Mojave boys booked the most lavish room in the entire land. We headed up the stairs, the boys joking around in the Mojave tongue. Luke was a bit concerned, but I wasn't. They were just talking about all the ways they'd fuck us. Oh, if only they knew...

"So..." one of the Mojave boy's asked, unlocking the door, "What do you have planned for us?" I smiled devilishly.

"Well," I smiled, "I'd hate to spoil the surprise."

This room was gorgeous! High pillars surrounded the suite being made of solid white marble. In the center were large comfortable couches made out of the tenderest lamb skin. Those tender seats were going to get stained! Next to them were end tables with gorgeous lamps on them. In the center of the in room lounge was an ebony coffee table with a few coasters and magazines on them. I'd hate to get those magazines wet...

There was a state of the art kitchenette, of course the Logatti name being on the appliances. Across the room was a group of satin sectionals near a balcony. I really wanted to test out their durability with some forceful pounding. Not to mention, there were several other sleeping quarters in the suite, including a masters and several guest rooms.

"This place is fucking nice." A Mojave boy said, looking around.

"Well..." I said, sitting on a sofa. Luke sat next to me, unsure what came next.

I kicked off my slippers placing my legs on his thighs. He looked at me shocked. The question, 'what are you doing?' was written all over his face. With a nimble toe, I gently ran my foot up and down his crotch. His head seemed to become an unbearable weight as he let it rest on the pillows of the couch. There definitely were more tricks up my sleeve.

Eventually Luke looked at me. He grabbed me leg, reeling me in closer. I wonder did he get what I was trying to do. He climbed onto me, kissing me from my abdominals to pectorals, to my neck then a plant on my lips. He wedged himself between my legs as he dropped to my ear.

"What the fuck are you doing!" He whispered. I caressed his head, acting as though he was nibbling on me ear. I squirmed as though his very touch made me melt.

"I'm making them feel like they're missing out." I whispered back, biting my lip to make this look as convincing as possible.

"Oh." He whispered back before he started kissing on my neck. It looked just as convincing as it felt. I dug my nails under his jacket and into his back. Moans began to seep out as Luke skillfully tested my melting points.

"Hey!" A mojave boy called out, "You're supposed to be doing that to us!" Luke and I exchanged brief looks, Luke truly surprised by my ability to call these events. He looked at the boy standing there, full of lust. He pointed to a recliner.

"Sit..." He said. The boy did so, unsure what was about to happen. Luke's jacket came off revealing a very buff body underneath. He laid his jacket on the sofa smiling at me.

"Watch this..." His lips mouthed as stretched his arms above his head. He leaned back swiftly into an arch. He brought his legs over his head one at a time before repeating. He gracefully tumbled his way over to where the boy was sitting at. He nimbly planted his feet on the wobbly recliner, his spine curling over. He was face to face with the boy despite his precarious position.

"Whoa." The Mojave native said. Luke brought his head down even more, kissing the boy.

I watched from my end, Luke having surprises of his own. I felt a presence looming over me. A hand began to fiddle it's way down my spine. I looked back and another Mojave native was there, obviously very horny.

"So," He began, "What can you do?"

Luke wasn't the only limber boy here. Again, before I was strung out on drugs, my body was everything. I worked out so much, on top of being double jointed making me one dextrous ass person. Even after months of absence from this scene, I still had it!

Nimbly, I contorted unfurling my legs, planting them on each arm of the chair. Now in a middle split, I leaned across the sofa's attached cushions, pulling the Mojave boy in for a kiss. He melted in my hands as I continued to crawl forth. Something was telling me he had very little experience with men.