Punk Rock Resurrection Read online

  He found the condom on the bed and rolled it on. Alyssa perched on her elbows and watched him with her legs spread wide apart. His eyes were torn between focusing on his task and staring at her gorgeous body. He managed to do both. He climbed on top of her until they were eye to eye, mouth to mouth, crotch to crotch, and then he kissed her. It wasn’t the hard, rough kiss that they’d shared all night. It was a slow, passionate prelude to an act that would fuse their bodies together. Their lips parted, and they held each other’s gaze while an emotional connection passed between them.

  His hand traveled over her hip, found her inner thigh, and he slipped two fingers inside her. She let out a deep moan and jutted her chin toward the ceiling. She was wet and ready, and he couldn’t wait any longer. He reached for his cock.

  “Wait,” she gasped. “I have toys.”

  “There’s no time for toys.” He plunged his cock into her waiting body. She gasped and arched her back as soon as he entered her. The warmth of her body enveloped him with a scorching heat. He rocked his hips with a steady rhythm, slowly at first, then he gradually picked up speed. She hung onto his neck and hooked her legs behind his back. Her body moved in tune with his, and then abruptly changed momentum. She was competing for control, and it made him smile. She was unruly and assertive, challenging him with the authoritative grind of her hips. It spurred his desire and enticed him. He took both of her wrists and pinned them above her head. She fought him, but he wouldn’t let go. The look of exquisite pleasure, and the way her eyes kept rolling up into her head, told him she was enjoying it as much as he was.

  His legs were starting to shake, and a tingling sensation covered his body. He let the waves of sensations overtake him, and he shuddered as he came with a hard jerk. It was powerful. Spiritual. He had a moment of clarity, and his life made sense for a few short seconds before his mind went blank.

  Perspiration dotted his forehead and left a trail down the center of his back, but he never slowed down. The ecstasy lingered, and he succumbed to it. He hardly had enough strength to continue, but he was waiting for Alyssa to submit. She still thrashed underneath him, bucking her hips like she was riding a bronco in an attempt to gain the upper hand. Her legs clung to him tightly, but he still slammed his hips into her. The moans coming from her mouth were long and breathy. She turned her head from side to side and arched her back.

  “Damien. Oh my God. Damien,” she cried. Her body stiffened, rock hard for a few seconds before her hands stopped struggling under his grip. She melted into the sheets with a long sigh. It was the sigh that Damien was waiting for. He finally broke this wild filly. She surrendered to him. In that moment, he felt an energy pass between them. It connected them, and he knew that he and Alyssa were meant to be together.

  Chapter Six

  Damien was on top of the world as he strolled down Eastern Parkway on his way home from the coffee shop the next morning. Thoughts of Alyssa were a constant presence in his head and left him with a deep sense of calm. Their union brought balance to his life. It led him to believe that happiness was no longer an enigma. She awakened his soul, and he saw a brighter side of life.

  A pet store to his right pulled his attention away from his thoughts, and he looked through the window. Maybe Angel was right. It might be nice to add a pet to his life. He stepped though the doorway to an elaborate display of fish tanks. He was mesmerized at the assortment of colorful fish. They had a tranquil effect that was almost hypnotic, but the filtration system looked like too much upkeep. He moved along to the next section and was greeted by the beautiful song of a brightly-colored bird. It was exactly what he needed in order to cheer up his dreary apartment.

  Damien found a sales associate down the next aisle and asked about purchasing the songbird.

  “I’ll be with you in a minute. Let me just finish up here.” The salesman had his hand in an enclosure with a . . . rat?

  Damien looked closer. It was black with some white on its belly, and it had a soft pink nose and ears. Now, that would be a really cool pet. “Is it for sale?”

  The salesman adjusted the water bottle in the enclosure. “Yeah. Do you want to hold her?”

  “She’s not gonna bite me, is she?” Damien’s experience with rats was limited to the rodents he saw running in the hallways of the city housing projects where he used to live.

  The salesman chuckled. “I take it you’ve never had a rodent as a pet. They’re very friendly.” He scooped the rat out of the cage, held her to his chest and scratched her between the ears like a dog. “They’re smart, too, especially this girl. And they’re fastidious.”

  Damien leaned over to take a closer look at her. The rat’s little pink nose twitched in his direction. She was adorable. “Is she hard to take care of?”

  “You just got to change the bedding every couple of days.” He pointed toward the enclosure. “Water bottle. Bowl of food every day. That’s about it. Here.”

  Damien was hesitant about holding her. He was afraid she would squirm and he would drop her. Once he had her in his grasp, he held her close to his chest like the salesman demonstrated, and he pet her fur with his index finger. “I didn’t expect her to be so soft.” She placed one little pink foot on his chest, and her nose twitched up at him. “I’ll take her.”

  Forty minutes later, Damien was in his apartment with as much supplies as he could carry for his furry little friend. He set up her cage on the kitchen table and watched her get accustomed to her new surroundings. “You OK in there, girl?” She was busy sniffing her new toys and hideaway. She needed a name, but the only female name Damien could think of was Alyssa. He couldn’t get that gorgeous mistress of the night out of his head, but he couldn’t name his new pet after her. What if they ever met? He laughed to himself. He’d never bring Alyssa to this dump.

  He wanted a name that brought to mind something feminine, yet macabre. Maybe a female villain in a horror movie . . . someone mysterious . . . Elvira! It was perfect. “Hey, Elvira.” He scooped her out of her new home, and she let out a squeak. “Do you like your new name, girl? Huh? You look like an Elvira.” Her little nose was twitching like crazy, processing his scent. A pet was exactly what Damien needed to ease the solitude in his life. He placed Elvira back in her cage, where she promptly resumed scurrying around and sniffing her new things. She looked stifled in the tiny cage, and he felt bad for her. As soon as he had enough money, he would buy her one of those big habitats that the salesman tried to sell him, and he would move her into the living room.

  Damien was in the middle of changing his boots when Angel knocked on the door. “Be right there.” He hopped across the room on one boot, while holding the other one in his hand. Walking barefoot, even in socks, on the weathered floorboards could result in a nasty splinter. He experienced that gem on his first middle-of-the-night romp to the bathroom, and it wasn’t something he wanted to repeat. “C’mon in.” He flung open the door and hopped back to the couch. “I just gotta put my boots on, then I’m ready to go.”

  Angel glanced at the time on his phone. “Good. As long as we’re on the road in the next thirty minutes, we’ll beat the traffic to my parents’ house.”

  “Cool, ‘cause I’m starving. I skipped breakfast to save my appetite for your dad’s cooking.” As he laced up his boots, he was reminded of his visit to the pet store. “Hey, I got a pet like you suggested. On my way home from the coffee shop this morning.”

  “You’re kidding?” Angel immediately started looking around the living room floor with a brightness in his eyes.

  “She’s in the kitchen. Her name’s Elvira.”

  Angel laughed and headed straight for her. “I love it. I can’t wait to see—” His voice abruptly stopped as soon as he rounded the entrance to the kitchen. “A rat?” Angel poked his head out from the doorway. “You got a fucking rat?”

  Laughter threatened to leak through Damien’s clamped lips. “Yeah. Isn’t she cool?”

  Angel disappeared back into the kitchen. “On the t
able? Really, Damien?”

  “Just until I get her a bigger cage. Then I can move her into the living room. Pets are expensive.” With both boots on, and the risk of tetanus thwarted, he grabbed his keys and joined Angel just past the doorway to the kitchen. Elvira was standing on her hind legs, sniffing at Angel through the bars of her cage. “Do you want to meet her?”

  Angel raised his hand and gave her a half-hearted wave, but didn’t move. “H-hi, Elvira.”

  Damien chuckled and slapped him on the back. “Are you afraid of a little rat, Angel?”

  “No. I’ve just never seen one up close before.” He took four or five tentative steps in her direction and leaned over at the waist to get a better look. “Nice to meet you, Elvira. OK, we gotta go.”

  Normally, Sunday dinner at Angel’s parents’ house stirred up ambiguous feelings for Damien. It showed him the meaning of family and togetherness but also reminded him that he was alone. Now that he and Alyssa were in a relationship – the first real relationship he’d been in – a large part of that disconnect to society was erased. Their tie was new, but it was strong and powerful and filled with passion. They fit, and it gave Damien the sense of belonging.

  Dinner at the Garcia’s took on a special appeal this weekend because of Damien’s high spirits. He could embrace the loving atmosphere without the reflection that it was Angel’s family and not his own.

  Angelita and Ricardo Garcia were the perfect parents. They doted on Angel and his brother and sister the way loving parents were supposed to, and they all shared a close bond. Angel was particularly close with his dad, working as a chef at the family restaurant every day, but Damien had a strong affection for Angelita. She was a beautiful woman who shared her mannerisms and kind heart with Angel. Although she spoke with a slight Spanish accent, her words were formal and articulate. She exuded class and sophistication, and love poured freely from her heart.

  Damien relished the delicious aromas that filled the Garcia home. An authentic home-cooked Cuban meal, with two days of leftovers to take with him, was heaven, but it was the one-on-one time with Angelita that Damien looked forward to the most. He adored the motherly concern that she always bestowed upon him.

  He helped Angelita set the dining room table while Angel was busy cooking in the kitchen with his dad. It was a formal setting, with linens and stemware. Damien set down the dinner plates, while Angelita followed him with napkins and utensils.

  “My daughter owes you a big favor, Damien. It is usually Maria who sets the table.”

  “I want to help.”

  She abruptly stopped halfway around the table, and Damien turned toward her to see what was wrong.

  Angelita had a scowl on her face and stood with one balled fist on her hip. She took his chin in her free hand and turned his face toward her. “What is this in your eyebrow?”

  He fingered the piecing Alyssa gave him on her first day at Designs For The Flesh. “I met a girl. She’s the new piercer at the tattoo shop.”

  “A chica? And you think this will impress her?”

  “No. I just wanted to talk to her, and she offered to do it. I couldn’t say no. It’d be rude.”

  Angelita frowned and shook her head. “I do not approve of this thing. You have such a handsome face, and now you made a mark on it. It is unnecessary.” She showered him with unsolicited advice, just like a stereotypical concerned mother, and he loved the attention. Her gaze moved to his freshly tattooed neck. “You are a sweet boy, Damien. Why this ugliness drawn on your skin?”

  Angel entered the dining room carrying a covered dish that smelled of spicy chicken and set it on the table. “Mami, please stop lecturing Damien. He likes his tattoos.”

  She waved her hand at Angel and dismissed him. “I have known Damien for many years. I talk to him no differently than I talk to you or your brother and sister.” She turned back to Damien and her eyes traveled up to his mohawk. “Your hair – it is fun. It is colorful and different.” She motioned toward the demonic tattoos across his neck. “But this artwork . . .” She pressed her lips together and shook her head with disapproval. “You are a kindhearted, sensitive young man, and these images do not represent who you are.” She put her arm around his shoulder, and he immediately tensed at the close physical contact. She felt his stiffness, but she never released her embrace. She held him tightly, patted his shoulder, and sighed. “I do not wish to make you feel bad. I only say this to you because I care.”

  His throat closed and he nodded. “I appreciate it, Angelita. I appreciate everything your family has done for me.”

  “You are part of this family. I hope you know that.” She pulled a chair out, sat down, and motioned for him to take the one next to her. “Now, tell me about this chica you met. She does this piercing for a living?”

  “Yeah. She just started working at the shop about two weeks ago.” He was like a teenager telling Angelita about a schoolboy crush, and he enjoyed every minute of it.

  “And have you asked her out on a date yet?”

  Angel retuned with another plate. This time, the smell of sweet plantanos filled Damien’s nostrils and made his stomach churn from hunger.

  “Mami, are you still giving Damien a hard time about his tattoos?”

  “Hush, mijo. I am only asking about this new chica he met.” She patted Damien’s knee. “I would love to see you settle down with a nice girl, Damien. You need someone to take care of you.”

  “I’m fine, really. Besides, I have you to take care of me.”

  She smiled at him. “Yes, but you need a wife.”

  Angel rolled his eyes, which caught Angelita’s attention.

  “And, what about you, mijo? When are you going to settle down? Always a new boyfriend.”

  “I haven’t met the right guy yet.” Angel looked off to the side and smiled softly. “I would love to have a guy to come home to every night – someone I could cook for and sing to – but until I find him, I’m having fun.”

  “I think you have a little too much fun sometimes,” Angelita teased her son. Their banter was amusing and reflected their close relationship. Damien was envious of the bond they shared.

  Ricardo entered the dining room carrying a large tray of sweet, succulent pork and set it down in the center of the table. “Dinner is ready. Let us sit down and enjoy the nice meal that I have prepared with the help of my eldest son.”

  Ricardo sat at the head of the table with Angelita by his side. Angel sat at the opposite end, with Damien next to him, across from Angel’s brother and sister, Nesto and Maria. The seat between Damien and Angelita echoed with emptiness. The Garcia’s were the closest thing he had to a real family, but he yearned for a family of his own. Even though he hadn’t known Alyssa that long, and he knew it was premature, he imagined she would be part of the family he envisioned and one day she would fill the empty seat next to him at the Garcia’s table.

  Chapter Seven

  Besides Spyder, Damien was always the first person at the tattoo shop when it opened for the day. He dropped a cup of coffee and a buttered bagel on Alyssa’s work station and took a seat at the front desk.

  Spyder eyed him with suspicion. “What’s going on with you and the piercer?”

  Damien was unsure if a relationship in the workplace was off limits or not, but neither was negotiable on his end. “Not really sure where it’s goin’ yet, but so far so good. She’s one cool chick. Me and her – we hit it off right away.”

  “I should have seen it the minute I hired her.” The tension in Spyder’s voice indicated he wasn’t happy about Damien’s answer.

  “That a problem?”

  “That depends.” Spyder mulled over his response. “If it doesn’t work out and you scare her off, then yes, it’s gonna be a big problem. Have you seen the amount of business she brings in? She has a steady flow of customers. If she bolts because of you, they’re going with her.”

  Damien sipped his coffee. He needed this job, but he wasn’t about to take a step back from A
lyssa. “I’m gonna do everything possible to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

  Whether or not Spyder was satisfied with Damien’s reply, he left it alone and retreated to the back of the shop.

  With his mind back on waiting for Alyssa’s arrival, Damien opened the calendar program on the computer and checked her appointments. She had another full day scheduled. He read some of the notations next to her appointments: tongue; eyebrow; apadravya; septum; PA. Some were obvious, but he had no idea what an apadravya entailed in relation to placement.

  The chime of the front door signaled Alyssa’s entrance. She gave him a sideways glance and a tiny smile without slowing her pace into the shop. She dropped her handbag on the chair and slung her jacket over the back, before she spotted the brown paper bag and coffee cup. She peered into the bag and gave Damien a questioning smile over her shoulder.

  He nodded back at her.

  She turned to face him with a tilt to her head and approached the front desk with the small brown paper bag in tow. “You brought me coffee and a bagel?”

  “Yeah. I didn’t know if you had breakfast or not.” He held up his coffee. “I got myself a cup and picked something up for you, too.”

  Her shoulders dropped and her mouth fell open. “You’re such a sweet guy, Damien. Thank you.”

  He gave her another short nod. “Welcome.”

  By mid-afternoon the shop was in full swing, and all of the tattoo artists were in the middle of elaborate pieces. Damien finally had a break. He rested his foot on the edge of the front desk and pushed back on his chair. It was sometimes difficult managing walk-ins and tending to the tattoo artists at the same time, but he preferred juggling tasks in the hectic shop over sitting at the desk waiting for activity. The extra tips the artists threw his way also padded his pocket, and there was a beauty still sitting on the wall of the guitar store waiting for him to bring her home.