He shut the door on her. Dragging herself up, she threw herself at the wood, kicking and pummelling the door. There were tears of frustration in her dark green eyes.

‘I’ll cut your motherfucking throat, you stinking creep!’

There was no answer from the room. Feeling sorry for herself, Linette walked from the building into the bright sunlight outside.

George saw a tiny, slim girl of about twenty-five lounging against a wall. Her red hair was catching the rays of the sun and she was dressed in a green suede hot pants suit. Her ample breasts practically spilled out of the material and he smiled at her. His secret smile that just showed his teeth.

Linette, knowing a punter when she saw one, smiled back. Her sweetest smile.

George opened the window of his car. Linette ambled over to him.

‘Hello there.’

George smiled again, wider this time. ‘Hello, dear.’

‘How would you like some company?’

‘Get in.’

Linette walked round and got inside the car. ‘Drive to the Lazy Q. We can get a room there, movies, anything you want.’

George was already on his way. Linette lit a cigarette and smiled to herself as they neared the motel. He knew where he was going so he wasn’t that green. She wondered how much she should hit him for. She could already feel the sweating that told her she needed a fix. And soon.

The man who gave them the key was now watching an episode of Married with Children. George wondered briefly if he ever left the TV set. Up in the room, Linette picked up the phone and ordered a bottle of bourbon. It would ease her nerves till she could score some smack.

While she waited for it to come she slipped off her clothes. George watched her, fascinated. It was as if she did not even realise he was there. She had not attempted to make conversation. He sat on the bed and took out some small change. Putting two fifty cents into the meter on the television, he turned the knob and a porno film flickered into life on the screen. Linette answered the door to the boy with the bourbon, naked except for her shoes. Linette never removed her shoes. Ever.

She looked at George. ‘I need ten dollars.’

He calmly peeled the money off a large roll and gave it to her. The young black boy watched her in total fascination as she swayed towards him in her high heels.

‘Here you are, boy. Take a good look. And when you get paid, child, you come and see Linette.’

‘Yes, ma’am.’ This was said with every bit of manliness the fourteen year old could muster.

Linette shut the door and laughed. She cracked the top and drank the whisky from the bottle.

‘That’s a lot of money you got there, honey.’

George took off his clothes and folded them neatly on a chair.

‘How much do you want?’