"Heartbreak Hotel"
by Beryll
Orlando sat on the top steps of the stairs leading up to the attic and watched as Mr. Douglas and his son visited the two new arrivals. The likelihood that he would have a glance for the stair was next to zero, Orlando knew from years of experience. Kirk Douglas was a man who only notced what was happening right in front of his nose. Orlando very much hoped that this would get the bastard killed one day.
He hoped the same about Mr. Douglas son Michael.
He felt bone deep relief when Michael stayed in the second room. He also felt pity when he heard the boy inside cry out in pain - Elijah was his name, if Orlando remembered correctly. The boy really got a baptism in fire. Several customers in his first night and Mr. Michael today.
And you better not forgot the Mr. if you wanted to keep your teeth.
Orlando waited till Mr. Douglas and Murray - the brothel's manager - had gone down to the first floor. Then he got up and slowly went down the stairs. During working our the boys were forbidden to leave their rooms. But Orlando just had to find out what had happened to Colin. He had only heard shouting. That had brought him out onto the stairs. But he hadn't been able to understand what Colin had done this time.
Orando glanced at the door leading to Nicolas room. Through the door he could hear classic music at high volume. He would only leave his hallowed halls in the next few hours if the house burned down.
In front of Colin's door Orlando stopped to knock softly, then he slipped inside without waiting for an answer.
Colin was lying on his bed, his arms stretched wide, his hands hanging down on each side of the bed. Orlando immediately realized what this meant. Nicolas had broken his fingers. That was one of his favorite punishments. Obviously Colin had been lucky that Mr. Douglas had shown up or Nicolas would have roughed him up even more.
Colin raised his head when Orlando came in but immediately dropped it when he saw who was visiting.
"Hey, Orli." he said in a voice, rough with pain.
Orlando sat down on the bed next to him and looked at his friend, shaking his head.
"What did you do this time?" he asked.
Colin groaned. "Same as every time."
Orlando sighed softly He understood all too well. It truly wasn't a joy to serve Murray when he wanted to have his 'special cravings' satisfied. At least dear Billy always wanted a new toy so it was a once in a liftime affair. Colin had bin at the "Heartbreak Hotel" for almost a year now and still he adamantly refused to serve Murray. Und that really pissed the manager off.
Colin got up a bit and winced when he moved his hand in the process. "Orli, do you still have some dope?" he asked.
Orlando shrugged. "A bit. Why? You just have ask, you know that." He nodded at the door.
"Murray won't give me any now." Colin said with a snort. "It's supposed to hurt after all."
Slowly Orlando nodded. Tomorrow Murray would get a cheap healing spell for Colin's hands. He couldn't afford serious injuries. But till then he would make sure Colin suffered for his insolence.
"I think I still got some joints." Orlando said. "You don't want a shot, do you?"
Colin sook his head. "If wanted that I could as Murray. To get me hooked on the needle he'd even give it to me now." Colin shuddered. "He said if I make trouble again he'll personally give me a shot and continue feeding me the stuff till I beg for it. You think he will?"
First Orlando was tempted to lie but then he nodded. "I think he will."
For a while Colin just stared off into space. "Fucked like." he finally muttered.
Orlando sighed again. "I will get you a smoke and everything will look better." he said and left. In the hall he nearly bumped ino Mr. Steward - a regular customer. Inwardly Orlando cursed his bad luck. If he had to take care of this man now he'd be busy for a few hours. Steward wasn't happy with a quick fuck.
"Hello Orlando." he said in his typical polite but almost shy voice.
"Good evening, Mr. Steward." Orlando greeted him just as politely. "Nice to see you again."
"Oh, thank you." The man beamed as if that had been the first kind word he had heard in ages. "But today I won't be with you." he continued a bit sadly.
"Oh, a pity." Orlando said. He was hardly able to hide his relief. Normally he didn't mind the man, he was one of the few customer who wanted nothing but a bit of good sex and some cuddling afterwards. But right now he really needed to take care of Colin. "Have fun." he said in parting and then hurried up the stairs to one of the two room in the attic. The other one was occupied by his best friend Jared.
When he passed Jared's door he could hear lusty grunting mixed with muffled sounds of pain from inside. Jared truly had been punished by life. He not only was pretty but also a good actor. Therefore Murray usually send him the complete perverts.
Orlando went to his own room and got the joints. Then he went back to Colin who was already waiting for him. He sat down next to Colin quietly and lit one of the joints. He took a deep drag, enjoying the hazing feeling of floating with a deep sigh. Then he held to joints to Colin's lips who could not take it himself with hisn broken fingers.
When they had smoked three of the joints Colin's eyes had taken on a dazed expression and the tension of pain had left his face. "Thanks, man." he whispered. He laid back again and closed his eyes.
"Sleep well, chummer." Orlando told him. Then he quietly left the room. He turned to the stairs to get back to his ow room when he noticed Murray coming down from there. He looked pretty angry.
"Where have you been?!" he hissed, grabbing Orlando by the arm.
Orlando tried to find some excuse desperatetly. "I'm sorry, Mr. Murray, I..."
"Just shut up!" he was cut short, follwed by a hard slap. "Come!" Murray dragged him along, down to his office. There an elderly man was waiting. He was wearing an old fashioned three piece suit with matching hat and walking cane. Orlando immediately had a bad feeling about him.
"Here he is." Murray announced with slimy politeness and pushed Orlando to the centre of the room.
The old man got up and prowled around Orlando, checking the offered meat carefully. Then he was behind Orlando and suddenly hit him over the ass with his cane. Orlando cried out in pain which made the old man snicker like a goat. "Satisfactory, Mr. Murray, very satisfactory." he said.
The manager rubbed his hands. "I told you I had just the right thing for you." he said. "Take Mr. Lee to your room!" he commanded Orlando.
"Come on, boy!" Lee prodded Orlando with his cane. Obediently Orlando led the way upstair. He knew he didn't have a choice.
When Mr. Lee left much later, Orlando just stayed on the floor. His whole body hurt. Lee had really done a damn good job. Finally he did gather the energy to get up. Every muscle protested but there was no sense in lying around. The night wasn't over yet. A glance at the clock showed him that it was just after 3am. That meant the old pervert had tortured him for more than three hours.
The "Heartbeak Hotel" was open from 4pm to 4am. With a little luck he would be spared from another customer for this night.
Orlando picked up his clothes that lay scattered all over the room and got dressed. Then he went to the small bathroom and washed the blood from his face. He didn't have time for more. If Murray found him outside is room again tonight he'd be in a hell of a lot of trouble.
He was only back to his room for a few minutes when his next custaomer arrived. Orlando welcomed him even though everything inside him insisted he couldn't possibly go on.
He knew the ugly little man well, he was a regular. He just wanted a blowjob. Which this time proved more difficult than expected. If it was theuy or himself Orlando couldn't have said but he needed nearly 15 minutes till he finally got it up. When he was done at last, the man thanked Orlando gruffly and left.
With a tired sigh Orlando pick himself off the floor yet again and went back to the bathroom. For this night he was done.
To live in the attic had two distinct advantages. He had a bath he only had to share with Jared and a little more privacy then the other living on the second floor, much closer to Murray.
It had been pure chance that he had gotten the room. The boy who had lived here before him had had slit his wrists open. Sometimes Orlando wondered why he wasn't doing the same.
He thoroughly rinsed his mouth. Then he looked at his own face in the mirror. Dark circles under his eyes, a scratch above his right eye, a bruise who was slowly turning an ugly shade of blue below it and an impressive assortment of bite marks. He had looked worse.
He got rid of his clothes and stepped into the shower. The water was icy cold and when it first hot his various bruises and sore spot he groaned with pain but the cold quickly numbed him. He stayed under the water till he was turning a slight shade of blue, shaking with the cold and feeling just a tiny bit cleaner. Then he slung a towel around his waist and headed back to his room.
There he stood in front of his sideboard thoughtfully. He opened the top drawer slowly, silently staring down at the syring and dope resting inside. He wanted a shot. Shit, he needed it. His body screamed to scream for it. Only with gathering all his will he managed to close the drawer again, go to his bed and lie down.
You're a junkie, he thought. Just like Justin
Justin had come to the Heartbreak Hotel about the same time as Orlando. He had been a pretty boy back then. Nothing of that was left now. The heroin had practically eaten him alive. Maybe two or three more months, then Mr. Douglas would 'sort him out'. What that meant everybody here knew. He would be offered to one of the customers who's special kink was killing. A few days later Justion would be dead.
Orlando turned over with a groan and stared at the sideboard. It had been two days since he had had his last shot. On the first day he had hardly noticed. The second day had been hard. Today he felt like he wa going to die if he didn't get any right now. Silently he cursed himself for leaving the last two joints down at Colin's. He definitely didn't feel like going downstairs and asking Murray for more.
Why are you trying at all, an evil little voice in his head asked. Even if you manage to get clean, what's the point. When Murray notices, he will get you addicted again. He likes junkies.
Orlando balled his hands to fists and shook his head. He just had to prove to himself that he could still stop. Or he could really just as well have cut his wrists.
A soft knock on the door brought him from his dark thoughts. Then the door opened and Jared slipped inside. Of all the boys at the "Heartbreak Hotel" he was definitely the most beautiful, lean, with golden hair, a pretty face and the most startling blue eyes - the perfect victim.
Right now he wasn't looking that good though. He was wrapped in a thin blanket and what could be seen of his skin was covered with bruises and abrasions.
"Morning, Orli." he mumnled and dropped down on the bed next to Orlando.
"Morning, Jared." Orlando answered, "How'd you sleep?"
It was an old joke between the two of them but this time Jared didn't take up the banter. Instead he drew the blanket closer around himself with a shudder. "No." he answered softly.
Orlando didn't ask. They didn't talk about 'work'. To do it was bad enough.
"Are you going down for breakfast?" Jared asked.
Orlando shrugged. He hadn't thought about it but now that he did he immediately regreted it. Just thinking of food made his stomach twist. Withdrawl symptoms, he thought. "No." he answered Jared's question.
"Orli..." Jared hesitated a moment. "Can I sleep here with you tonight?" he then asked.
Orlando looked at him surprised and worried. "What happened?"
Again Jared shuddered. "I just can't go back to that room now. This guy has been coming for almost a week now every night. Pretends to be a school master. He says I need education. Someone to show me discipline.And that's what he's doing..." Jared broke off. "Sorry..." he mutterted.
"Hey, no problem." Orlando put an arm around Jared's shoulders and drew him close. "Of course you can sleep here. That's what friends are for."
Jared smiled gratefully, then they snuggled under their blankets together and drifted off to an uneasy sleep
If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to: Beryll