Chance

The dark quiet of the streets surrounds me, though I barely notice. All I can focus on is her. She is sweet, and tastes like vanilla and sugar. The memory of what I left sleeping in bed spills through me. My thoughts race as I think of her. I am heading home now and I will see her again in a few days, when the desire is too strong to stay away. Her skin and scent fill my senses. I float along the streets in a delicious dream. The image of her close to me, soft and warm, haunts my body.  My thoughts wander over our time together when I first notice it. A little too close, my distraction has let him feel confident and gain distance on me. I focus, reluctantly leaving the thought of her to fade for the moment. I can hear his breath now and the scuffling of his feet behind me. The smell of the city hits me now, the stench of the hot night air. Saddened that I have lost the sweet smell and it is replaced by the vileness that follows. The city crashes in all around be with the putrid smell of trash and animals along the street. The exhausts of the vehicles, as they pass, soil the air.  I pause at a storefront to get a glimpse of what is following me.  He is large, but clumsy.  Others look away from him as he passes. No one wants to catch his eye. He is a nasty one. His smell lingers in the air. I am annoyed now. How dare he spoil this night? It is harder to resist going to her once the memory has faded and the taste has left my lips. He is lucky, I guess. I am sated form my visit with her so I have no interest in him. While I could take him, all that would remain would be his scent and sickening taste.  I move along the street, hearing his footsteps behind me, quickening slightly. No one is out at this time of night. I hurry my step, to ensure he follows and turn quickly down a dark alley.  Perfect. The lights are dim here, just enough to see him and his face when he comes for me.  I proceed to the spot where the alley is blocked by a fence. I pull on the fence which is the signal for him to run to me.  He reaches and pulls me around. His breath is thick and his body reeks of lust.  He holds me against the fence by my throat.  He knows that doing this will shorten the time he has before my breath is gone, but it keeps me far enough away to do any harm from kicks or punches. He fumbles with his clothes, but I can see that he wears an elastic waistband to make it easier. He has done this before.  I do my best to struggle and strain against his grasp, which gets him to hold tighter. He has left my hands free, but his arms are long and for the moment I can’t reach him, so I flail futilely. He enjoys the struggle; I can see him now, excited by the fight.  My head drops down, and he can’t see my face. My body goes limp and he lightens his grip. He is afraid that he has been too forceful and lost the fight before he has had his pleasure.  He leans in to check for my breath. What he doesn’t realize is my breath was never there. I look up at him and he sees it now, the smile on my lips. The smell of lust fades to fear.  He tries to pull away, but it is too late now. I reach up and twist before he can stagger backwards. He falls to the ground as I walk away. My thoughts are already turning back to my sweet, luscious plaything. My mood is tainted from this encounter, and I realize it is time to start looking for her replacement. She asked me to stay tonight. She knows I will not, but it means that our time together is coming to an end.  It always goes this way. They get attached and I have to leave.  This one is difficult though. Her youth and warmth are hard to leave.  Maybe if I can do this right I can come back to her in a few years. Probably not, she will have moved on and I will no longer interest her. She has been good to me, one of the best in a long while.  It won’t be long before the haze will start lifting and it won’t be easy to hide who I am.  My mood is sour now, as I know that tomorrow I will begin the hunt for someone new.