Midnight Hunting

"Hey!" said the girl he'd been fucking. "Where are you going?"

"Just makin sure everything's ready," said Danny, winking as he buckled his pants. "We'll be quick, I promise!"

Josh left one last kiss on Trish's lips (ignoring the pouting Lola) and clambered out of the limo with Danny. They were parked on some anonymous corner. Mr Durmonde's black BMW was parked beside them.

They got into the back. Mr Durmonde turned and nodded to them both.

"I recieved the report from your driver," he said. "Four girls is excellent, above and beyond. Your reward."

He passed them each a fat brown envelope. Josh, looking out the window, saw the limo pull away.

"If you enjoyed tonight's work," said Durmonde, "return to the Fat Man this Friday. We'll have more work for you. No need for any more recruits, though - two of you is quite enough."

The car pulled away.

"REFLECTIONS"

"What did we just do?" said Josh.

It was nearing two in the morning. They'd made it back to their dorm, and were now drinking stale black coffee left over from the previous day. Danny shrugged.

"We just made a whole lot of money," he said. He opened the envelope and dumped a stack of bills on the table, whistled.

"Holy shit," he said. "I think this is more than ten, dude."

"But where did they take those girls?" said Josh. "Like, doesn't this all seem shady to you?"

"Are you *complaining*?" said Danny, counting off the bills. "Dude, how many times have you had sex like *that*?"

"I mean, that part was great," Josh admitted, drifting into a momentary reverie. "I just don't understand -"

"How about this?" said Danny. "I just made fifteen grand for drinking a lot and fucking two babes. If you can find a better gig somewhere, by all means, let me know."

"I just wish I was sure we weren't breaking the law or something," said Josh.

"Of course we aren't," said Danny. "Nothing illegal about taking some girls for a ride. Hell, that was probably the night of *their* lives too. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a serious case of blueballs right now. I'm gonna go out."

"What?" said Josh. "At two AM?"

"Yeah," said Danny. "Sleep well, buddy."

"EYES LIKE DIAMONDS"

It was Sunday evening, and Josh's heart was in his throat. He was wearing his (freshly-laundered) suit, sitting at a coffee shop downtown, waiting for Danny Trips, who was now forty minutes late. The two of *them* were waiting for Mr Durmonde, who would be arriving at an undisclosed time to take them to a club called the Diamond Eye for their second operation. Josh was feeling horrible about the whole thing.

He'd checked the news obsessively for reports of four missing girls. Nothing had come up. He'd even gone to the Hangman on Tuesday night, hung around hoping to see them, but the club was closed and of course there was no sign of Trish or Lola or whoever the other two girls were. He'd tried to lay his fears on Danny Trips, who'd had nothing constructive to offer, and kept changing to subject to ask what motorcycle he should buy.

Josh hadn't touched his fifteen thousand dollars yet. He had five hundred wadded up in his back pocket; the rest was stuffed into the mattress in his dorm.

"Josh, my man!" bellowed Danny Trips, cutting into the reverie.

Josh raised his eyes. Danny was accompanied by a knockout blonde in heels and what looked suspiciously like a Catholic schoolgirl's uniform.

"Um," said Josh.

"Hey, dude," said Danny, throwing an arm around the girl's shoulders. "Hey, where's your date?"

"Huh?" said Josh.

"Dang, pardon my manners," said Danny. "This is Zoe. She goes to the school just up the road."

"Oh," said Josh. "How, um, old are you, Zoe?"

Zoe glared at him. "Old enough," she said.

"Oh," said Josh. "Good."

"Hey dude," said Danny, "where's your date, man?"

Josh opened his mouth just as Danny dropped a broad wink. Josh closed his mouth again. "Late, I guess," he said. "Hey, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure," said Danny. "Zoe, wait outside for a sec."

He slapped her rump as she walked out, eliciting a squeal.

"Danny -" said Josh.

Danny wagged his finger.

"Don't be a downer, Josh," he said. "I've verified that she's old enough to get into the club, and - if you think about it - this'll make our job one *hundred* percent easier once we get in."

"But -"

"Now go out and get a girl," said Danny, "or I'm gonna feel awkward all night. You're rich now, man! It'll be easy!"

"Easy?"

"Easy!"

Josh went outside, avoiding eye contact with Zoe, and started aimlessly down the street. He had no idea how Danny expected him to pick a girl on such short notice, especially given Josh's inexperience at picking up girls in general. He turned at random into a record store.

Claire was there.

For a moment he didn't recognize her, because she was wearing jeans and a t-shirt instead of a minidress, and sneakers instead of heels. But her big blonde hair was unmistakeable. Josh stood frozen in the doorway, watching her sort through records.

He sidled up to her.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," she said, turning to him and smiling. "Can I help you find something?"

"Sure," said Josh. "I'm looking for a girl named Claire, she goes to the Fat Man's Revenge sometimes and buys people drinks and leaves. She looks just like you."

"Oh yeah?" Claire grinned. "Did I do that? Sorry, dude. I sometimes get in a weird mood when I'm partying."

"No memory of it, hey," said Josh.

She scrunched up her face, laughed awkwardly. "Not really," she said. "Sorry."

"Okay," said Josh. "Well, it's nice to meet you for the *first* time, then, Claire. I'm Josh."

"Hi, Josh." She blushed and gave him a little wave. He waved back. "So," he said, "I know it's Sunday night, but are you doing anything?"

"Um, yeah," she said. "I mean, nothing much. I'm going for dinner with my boyfriend."

"That's the guy who's always wearing sunglasses?"

"Yeah, you met him too, huh?" She giggled.

"I gotta ask why," said Josh. "Is there something wrong with his eyes?"

"No, he just thinks they make him look cool." She giggled again. "But I dunno."

"I won't tell you what *I* think about it," said Josh, "cause I don't want to complicate things with your boyfriend, or anything. But hey. I wanted to offer you something?"

"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow.

Josh dug in his pocket for his silver Diamond Eye VIP card. He held it up.

"I know you're going for dinner with your boyfriend," he said, as her eyes widened, "but, um, hey. Check it out. You ever been?"

"No!" She rubber her cheek. "I mean, wow. That place is, like, super exclusive."

"Yeah," said Josh, "it's pretty cool."

"How did you get that?"

"A friend of mine has connections," said Josh. "And, well, he's gonna be a real dick about it if I go alone. And I just happened to run into you. It's not a real date or anything, don't worry, your boyfriend doesn't need to get jealous, I just thought maybe you'd like to hang out."

"Um," she said. "Um, yeah, okay, I guess. But I have, like, another hour in my shift."

"Tell your boss you're not feeling well," said Josh.

"Okay," she said. They looked at each other for a long moment, and then she laughed and blushed deep red. "Okay," she said.

Danny and Zoe were waiting in front of the coffee shop. Danny had one hand firmly clenched around Zoe's ass; her lips appeared to be attached to his neck. He winked at Josh as they approached.

"This is my awful friend, Danny Trips," said Josh. "And, um, this other person."

"Zoe," snarled Zoe, briefly releasing Danny's neck to reveal a blossoming red hiccy.

"How long have you two been, uh, together?" said Claire.

Danny looked at Zoe.

"About twelve hours," he said.

"Oh," said Claire.

The black BMW pulled up. Danny threw open the back door. "Let's go!" he hollered. Zoe crawled into the back seat, her skirt sliding up to reveal her tiny black thong; Danny winked and shot Josh a thumbs up, then followed her in. Claire looked a little nervous. "Jeez," she said, "you even have a chauffeur?"

"Danny runs in some weird circles," said Josh. "Don't worry, it's fine."

The back sat three. Zoe sat on Danny's lap; Josh did his best to leave a respectful distance between himself and Claire, but there wasn't quite enough room, and he ended up feeling her bare arm against his, which sent thrills coursing through his body.

"Evening, boys," said Mr Durmonde from the front. "And friends. I hope you're ready for a wonderful evening."

Danny whooped. The moment the car started moving, Zoe twisted around, straddling him, and they set to work kissing each other loudly and wetly. Josh shot Claire an embarrassed look.

"Sorry," he mouthed.

She giggled and rolled her eyes.

Josh still had no idea what he was doing. Since the moment he started talking to Claire, he'd felt like he was coasting on some undefineable high. He had no idea where the sudden surge of confidence had come from; he just hoped that it stuck around.

They pulled up to the Diamond Eye around eleven. Danny and Zoe stumbled out of the car, fumbling and groping at each other, laughing. As Josh and Claire stepped out, Mr Durmonde's door opened, and the man himself stepped out, sweeping an eye from Claire's head down to her sneakers.

"Joshua," he said, "you have a problem."

"Um," said Josh, a sudden terror surging through him. "Sorry?"

"You look impeccable," said Mr Durmonde, "but your lady friend will never get in dressed like *that*, I'm afraid. She'll have to change."

"Oh," said Claire. "Oh. I, um, all my other clothes are at home."

Mr Durmonde shrugged. "What are you wearing underneath?" he said.

"What?" Claire blinked.

"Under your clothes," said Mr Durmonde.

"What do you mean?" said Claire. "My underwear?"

"That should serve," said Mr Durmonde.

"Sorry? I don't understand."

Mr Durmonde waved his hand, indicating her jeans and T-shirt. "These won't serve," he said, "but a more alluring outfit would. Leave your shoes on. An aggressive look - daring, even sensual. They'll let you in."

Claire looked at Josh, who looked back at her blankly. "Jeez, I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't realize that -"

"Aw, what the hell," she said. "Josh, come on, I'm gonna go around the corner for a moment."

She popped into an alleyway. A few minutes later she returned, wearing nothing but a lacy black set of bra and panties, and her incongruous red sneakers. She was carrying her clothes under her arms. Josh tried not to stare and failed. She blushed and put a hand on her hip.

"This better be a hell of a night," she said. "I'm leaving my clothes in your car."

"Okay," said Josh.

They walked to the head of the long, circuitous line. Josh waved his card. The bouncer nodded to him, glanced impassively at Claire's semi-naked body, and opened the door.

"Oh man, I've always wanted to do that," said Claire.

They went inside.

"Oh my god," said Claire.

The ceiling was at least two storeys high; the bar, in the centre of the room, was an ornate circular edifice, dripping with gold and coloured lights. The floor shone with the pale-moonlight glow of impossibility elaborate chandeliers. Everyone seemed to have a tall glass with an umbrella in it. The dance floor was filled with people wearing enough jewelry to pay for Josh's entire education.

"Wow," said Claire. "Do you, uh, come to places like this often?"

Josh grinned and winked. "Let's get a drink," he said.

"Oh man," said Claire. "How much does a drink at this place cost?"

Josh shrugged and held up his card. "No need to find out," he said. "Do you see Danny?"

Danny and Zoe were at the bar, next to a pair of already-empty glasses. Josh ordered two more and glanced at Claire. He still felt a slight electric shock every time he saw her nearly-bare body moving through the crowd, standing next to him, the swell of her breasts, the curve of her hips moving down into her low-cut panties, the smooth length of her naked legs. His mouth was dry. He threw back his drink. So did she.

"Mm," said Josh. "Goddamn."

"Hell yeah," said Claire.

They had another, and glanced at Danny and Zoe. Danny's hand was well up under her skirt. Claire laughed and shook her head.

"Young love, huh," she said.

"Young love," Josh said.

"Let's go dance," said Claire.

They danced. The floor was full of beautiful men and women, most of the women half-dressed, but Josh couldn't take his eyes off Claire, her hair brushing her bare shoulders, the half-bare curve of her ass, they way she moved her hips, they way she swung her arms, the way the sweat gave a sheen to her skin. At first they danced a little apart. The dance floor filled up, packed itself tighter and tighter, until they were pressed up against each other. Claire laughed. She didn't seem to mind. The music built to a climax.

When the bass dropped she started grinding on him. The feeling of her pussy grinding on his leg, separated by only a thin scrap of fabric, was almost more than he could stand. He put his hands on her bare back. She rubbed her breasts against his sweaty chest. Her eyes were closed, her mouth half-open in a grin as they moved together. He leaned closer. She moaned in his ear. He let his hand slide down to her ass. She ran her hands up under his shirt, slid her fingers across his back. The pounding bass and the feeling of her body blended together until Josh lost track of where he was, what was happening, what he was doing.

They were stumbling towards the bathroom. They shoved their way in, past frowning men in black suits. Claire bent over the counter, rising up on tiptoe, arching her back. He pressed his groin up against her, fumbled with his pants. His cock sprang out. She moaned and writhed on the counter. He tried to pull her panties off, ripped them by accident, threw them on the floor. She strained up on tiptoe, raising her ass, showing him her bare, dripping pussy. He rubbed the head of his cock against her lips, exulting in her moans, pushed his way in, all the way in, grabbed her hips, started pounding her. The bathroom filled with her staccato yelps as he fucked her, his balls slapping her ass, gasping for breath, slipping out by accident, and she turned around and slid to her knees between his feet, her big blue eyes looking up at him, her tongue out, her tongue flicking against his balls, while he frantically jerked his cock, accelerated, hit climax, watched the jizz flood out of his cock, into her open mouth, splattering on her cheeks, her eyes, her hair. He leaned against the counter, trembling. She licked the last of the cum off the tip of his cock.

They both stayed like that for a long moment, Josh trembling and staring at his own face in the mirror. The bathroom door banged open.

"*There* you are," said Danny. "Come on, idiot, it's time to go! Meet you out back!"

Josh looked down at Claire. She looked up at him. She rose, unsteadily, to her feet.

"Oh shit," she said, glancing from her bare pussy to the torn remains of her panties on the floor.

"Sorry," said Josh huskily.

"That was sure something," said Claire uncertainly. She saw herself in the mirror and laughed awkwardly.

"Oh man," she said.

"Yeah," said Josh. "I kinda got carried away."

"Oh man," she said. "You have no idea how hot that was, dude. Alan never wants to do anything weird."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he's kind of a prude."

"Oh."

Danny stuck his head back into the bathroom. "Meet you outside, idiot!" he yelled, and vanished.

Claire was licking cum off her face with her fingers. Staring at her, Josh finally faced the realization that had been slowly dawning ever since he went into the record shop: that he did not want to take her out to that limo, where he feared he'd lose track of her forever. But, caught in a moment of panic, he couldn't decide what to do. He watched her lick up the last of his cum and then go to the sink to wash her face. His mind whirled. He closed his eyes.

"Look," he said, "my dumb friend wants to go to some other party. But I'd rather go somewhere quiet with you."

"Yeah," she said. "Where?"

"I know a place," he said. "We can catch a cab."

"I don't have any pants," she said. "That could be a problem."

"Right," said Josh. He thought for a moment. "Wait here, I'll be right back."

He raced through the Diamond Eye and out the back door. Danny Trips was there with a gaggle of four girls, including Zoe, and was just about to get into the back of the limo.

"Danny," said Josh.

"Josh!" Danny crowed. His nose was beet-red. "Where's your girl, man?"

"Tell the man I'm out," said Josh. "I can't do it. But I need something from you, man."

"What?" Danny frowned. "How can you be out, man? What are you thinking?"

"Never mind," said Josh. "Just give me Zoe's skirt."

Danny stared at him for a moment, then shrugged. "Your loss, man," he said, yanking down Zoe's skirt. She yelped and grabbed at him. He pushed her up against the car, laughing as he pulled it off her feet, exposing her bare ass and tiny thong panties.

"Asshole!" Zoe squealed. Danny tossed the skirt to Josh.

"Enjoy your evening, dumbass," said Danny.

Josh returned to the bathroom. Claire wasn't there."

"Claire?" he said.

"I'm here," came her voice from one of the stalls. "Hiding. Because I'm naked."

"I got you something," he said.

She emerged and inspected the skirt. "I'm not going to ask how you got this," she said.

"Politely," said Josh.

She laughed and pulled it over her sneakers. "Okay," she said, "not bad. Just wish I still had my T-shirt."

"I'll buy you a new one," said Josh. "C'mon."

They left the Diamond Eye and stepped out into the street. Josh had no idea where he meant to take her, but he started walking anyway. After a moment she took his arm. He grinned to himself.

A black BMW was parked on the corner. Mr Durmonde stood beside it, smoking.

"Hey, isn't that your driver or whatever?" said Claire. "I bet he still has my clothes."

Josh felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. An instant later, someone shoved a bag over his head.

He struggled, uselessly, for a moment, as his arms were tied behind him.

"HALFWAY HOME"

They rode in the trunk of what Josh assumed was the black BMW for a while. He could feel Claire's body pressed up against him. They'd both been gagged and blindfolded, so touch - and Claire's muffled whimpers - were all they each had to go on.

The car stopped, and they were dragged a short distance, down a flight of steps, through a doorway. Josh was shoved into a chair and tied into place.

"Don't move, smart guy," an unfamiliar voice advised him.

There was some kind of scuffle in the room. He heard Claire whimpering. The door closed. Everything was quiet.

Josh pressed the back of his head against the wall. By scraping up and down, he managed to pry the sloppily-attached blindfold off his face.

He was in a small room - a basement, by the look of it, illuminated by a single bulb. There was only once entrance, a door on the opposite side of the room.

Claire was nearby. Her wrists were tied behind her back, and a rope had been run from her wrists, looped under her crotch, and then fastened into a loose collar around her neck. The other end of the rope ran from her wrists to a hook on the ceiling. She was forced onto the toes of her sneakers, the rope riding up her skirt, rubbing against her bare pussy, while she teetered in place. She was gagged and blindfolded. The only sounds were her faint whimpers.

Josh strained against the ropes binding his wrists, but these were much stricter than his blindfold had been, and he stood no chance of getting them off. He stared helplessly at Claire. He wondered what the fuck was going on.

The door opened. Mr Avis came in, accompanied by Mr Taft and Mr Durmonde.

Avis glanced briefly at Claire, then approached Josh and crouched in front of him.