Page 136 of Lust

The stoned flared to life, and agony smashed into her.

Epilogue

As the seals weaken…

Somewhere in the US

The man stared at the rear of the dark-red, broken-down sedan currently occupying his designated parking spot. He paid $300 a year to have that parking spot, and now somebody else was in it. His name and unit number were quite clearly displayed on the plaque on the wall in front of the parking spot. It’s not like he could even excuse the offending car owner of being ignorant.

Options flashed through his mind. He could call the super, but at this time of night, the man was already one six pack down in front of the television. He could find another spot in the visitor’s section, but the measly four spots given to visitors were already full for the night. He could leave a note on the windshield and find a parking space several blocks away.

Anger surged through him, and his foot tapped the accelerator. Tempting, so very fucking tempting. He was tired. He’d had a living shit of a day, tidying up after his boss and making sure the world only saw the carefully curated public image the politician wanted them to see.

“Fuck my life,” he whispered as he caught the reflection of his own eyes in the rearview mirror. Plain, brown eyes. Dull brown, not even an interesting shape or color in an immediately forgettable face. Just another mediocre human churning their way through a predictable life until death finally came.

His car engine surged and reminded him he still had his foot on the gas.

Always taking a back seat, never making waves, being useful in the dark while people stupider and less worthy took the limelight. Always a bridesmaid and never a bride in the giant shit show of life. A little gray man scuttling around in the dark whilst others got to dance in the sun. A nothing who couldn’t even have the parking he’d rightly paid for.

You don’t have to be that man, the voice whispered in his mind. You used to be somebody. You had dreams. You had ambitions.

Rage hit him in a flash blast.

Enough! Enough eating shit for other people. And he slammed his foot down on the gas pedal.

Somewhere in Africa

The view from outside his window was spectacular. The entire city spread before him in twinkling lights. You couldn’t pay for a view like this one. And the reason you couldn’t was because you had to claw your way up through the grimy underbelly of politics to be able to look out this window and see the world beneath your feet. You had to be prepared to turn off your conscience and ignore your scruples. And once you had abandoned all decency, you got to stand where he was, and be who he was. One of the most powerful men in the world.

But only one of the most powerful. That nagging truth had been pressing on him lately.

He should have felt on top of the world. Beyond the large wooden doors that sealed his office, hundreds of people scurried and toiled to make his whims a reality.

Those twinkling lights in front of him represented the lives of millions of people whose destiny he controlled. One decision from him dictated how much money they took home, their safety, their existence. He closed his eyes and waited for the familiar power rush. Instead, he felt empty. It had all become so meaningless.

The thing about ascending to the heights was that there was always another mountain to be scaled. There was always more to be had.

You could have that more. The thought popped into his mind and blossomed. You could have anything you wanted. Everything you wanted.

A bar in London

“Can I buy you a drink?” With a nonthreatening smile, he eased onto the stool beside the brunette.

She turned, and the smile died on her scarlet painted lips. “No, thank you.”

He’d been watching her for the last hour. She was here alone and didn’t appear to be waiting for anyone. The thing with women was that you had to be persistent. They loved to be pursued. A man—a real man—was a hunter, a predator. He motioned the barman and pointed to her glass and his. “You here alone?”

Frowning at him, she stood. “I don’t want a drink, and I came here to be alone.”

Women always said that when they wanted you to try harder, press harder. He leaned in, letting her smell his pheromones. “Now, we both know that’s not true.”

“Are you bloody serious?” She pursed her whore painted red lips and grabbed her purse.

The barman appeared with his drink and not the one he’d ordered for the slut. “You okay, miss?”

“Yes.” She glared at him and snatched up her purse. “I was leaving anyway.”

He watched her round ass twitching from side to side as she sashayed away. She walked like a woman who wanted it. She wore her enticing clothes because she was gagging for it. And now she thought to turn him down.

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