won’t be coming home. Mom’s fifty-eight. Not very old, is it?…to die.’
I couldn’t think what to say so I finished my drink. ‘Sorry,’ I finally said because that was all I could think of.
‘You bet, mister sensitive fucking Night Manager,’ she garbled. ‘Me too.’
It was enough.
I scooped up my jug and headed for the door. As it closed behind me she was yelling in a crazy, half-laugh; ‘Jeez, shorty, don’t go away mad…Let’s have another drink.’
Half an hour later, in bed, naked, I was smoking. There’d be no sleeping so I was trying to read. I had a new, open pint of whiskey next to my head on the night stand and I was almost drunk. My thoughts were fuzzy. I began playing withmy dick. It got hard right away. I had a decision to make but I couldn’t seem to make it.
Finally, I got up, pulled my pants over the hard-on, stuck my feet in my shoes, flipped my shirt on over my head, and took a long slam at my bottle. On the way out I grabbed my keys.
‘Yes. What?’ a stoned voice demanded through the door after I’d knocked half a dozen times.
‘Miss Von Hachten? It’s Bruno, the Night Manager.’
‘I know who it is.’
‘Just checking on you.’
Again through the door the crazy laugh. ‘What took you so long?’
‘You okay?’
‘You’ve got a pass key, right?’
‘Yes I do.’
‘Use your pass key, Bruno.’
We never found out who was doing the spying but it stopped after that night.
Near the end of my third week on the job, Saturday, at ten minutes to shift-change time, as usual, I reported to the front desk before doing my rounds. Shi smiled and said hello in his manager’s whisper then told me that Jeffrey M. Mistofsky was in the building and wanted to have a staff meeting with the two of us.
Ms. Von Hachten was gone to Florida. Her mother had died and she had flown to Key West to be at the funeral with her aunt Liz. Me and Ms. Von Hachten had spent three or four nights together in all, whacked on booze and pills, fucking and sucking. Her hot button was watching me masturbate.
I’d let her come near my cock but I wouldn’t let her touchit or me. In five minutes she’d be crazy, begging. Lick me anywhere I said. A complete fuck monster.
Me and Shi closed up the front-desk grating and walked down the hall to Room 113, which was the room Mistofsky and Shi always used to have their private conferences.
Mistofsky was waiting for us, sitting on one of two desk chairs by the window. He motioned to me and my supervisor to sit down on the beds, then he handed Shi an envelope. Without looking at it Shi passed the envelope on to me. ‘Bruno,’ Shi whispered, ‘I speak on behalf of Mister Mistofsky and myself, in my position as General Manager of The East End Hotel. You are terminated. Effective today.’
I opened the envelope. The check in it was for my last full week, plus three days. Through Wednesday.
I looked at each of their faces. ‘Why’m I being fired?’
Mistofsky glared. ‘You know why. Your supervisor tells me that you’ve been fraternizing with a hotel guest. Miss Von Hachten. More than once. Please do not attempt to deny this.’
I didn’t talk.
‘You have until Wednesday to remove your belongings and yourself from my hotel. Under the circumstances, that’s more than generous. Anymore questions?’
I thought about it but I didn’t have any.
Chapter Seven
I MOVED BACK to the rooming house on West Fifty-first Street. Not my old room, but one floor up, same line, directly above where I lived before.
After a week it happened; a depression, covering me like a wet black towel. Staying drunk stopped it but I kept going too long, feeding another need; wanting to be out of control. Wanting oblivion.
It was a four-day. I slipped in and out of blackouts. I’d find myself walking down Broadway or in a record store arguing with the clerk about an album in the Blues Section, then the next thing I’d be in a porno movie looking down at some guy sucking
I couldn’t think what to say so I finished my drink. ‘Sorry,’ I finally said because that was all I could think of.
‘You bet, mister sensitive fucking Night Manager,’ she garbled. ‘Me too.’
It was enough.
I scooped up my jug and headed for the door. As it closed behind me she was yelling in a crazy, half-laugh; ‘Jeez, shorty, don’t go away mad…Let’s have another drink.’
Half an hour later, in bed, naked, I was smoking. There’d be no sleeping so I was trying to read. I had a new, open pint of whiskey next to my head on the night stand and I was almost drunk. My thoughts were fuzzy. I began playing withmy dick. It got hard right away. I had a decision to make but I couldn’t seem to make it.
Finally, I got up, pulled my pants over the hard-on, stuck my feet in my shoes, flipped my shirt on over my head, and took a long slam at my bottle. On the way out I grabbed my keys.
‘Yes. What?’ a stoned voice demanded through the door after I’d knocked half a dozen times.
‘Miss Von Hachten? It’s Bruno, the Night Manager.’
‘I know who it is.’
‘Just checking on you.’
Again through the door the crazy laugh. ‘What took you so long?’
‘You okay?’
‘You’ve got a pass key, right?’
‘Yes I do.’
‘Use your pass key, Bruno.’
We never found out who was doing the spying but it stopped after that night.
Near the end of my third week on the job, Saturday, at ten minutes to shift-change time, as usual, I reported to the front desk before doing my rounds. Shi smiled and said hello in his manager’s whisper then told me that Jeffrey M. Mistofsky was in the building and wanted to have a staff meeting with the two of us.
Ms. Von Hachten was gone to Florida. Her mother had died and she had flown to Key West to be at the funeral with her aunt Liz. Me and Ms. Von Hachten had spent three or four nights together in all, whacked on booze and pills, fucking and sucking. Her hot button was watching me masturbate.
I’d let her come near my cock but I wouldn’t let her touchit or me. In five minutes she’d be crazy, begging. Lick me anywhere I said. A complete fuck monster.
Me and Shi closed up the front-desk grating and walked down the hall to Room 113, which was the room Mistofsky and Shi always used to have their private conferences.
Mistofsky was waiting for us, sitting on one of two desk chairs by the window. He motioned to me and my supervisor to sit down on the beds, then he handed Shi an envelope. Without looking at it Shi passed the envelope on to me. ‘Bruno,’ Shi whispered, ‘I speak on behalf of Mister Mistofsky and myself, in my position as General Manager of The East End Hotel. You are terminated. Effective today.’
I opened the envelope. The check in it was for my last full week, plus three days. Through Wednesday.
I looked at each of their faces. ‘Why’m I being fired?’
Mistofsky glared. ‘You know why. Your supervisor tells me that you’ve been fraternizing with a hotel guest. Miss Von Hachten. More than once. Please do not attempt to deny this.’
I didn’t talk.
‘You have until Wednesday to remove your belongings and yourself from my hotel. Under the circumstances, that’s more than generous. Anymore questions?’
I thought about it but I didn’t have any.
Chapter Seven
I MOVED BACK to the rooming house on West Fifty-first Street. Not my old room, but one floor up, same line, directly above where I lived before.
After a week it happened; a depression, covering me like a wet black towel. Staying drunk stopped it but I kept going too long, feeding another need; wanting to be out of control. Wanting oblivion.
It was a four-day. I slipped in and out of blackouts. I’d find myself walking down Broadway or in a record store arguing with the clerk about an album in the Blues Section, then the next thing I’d be in a porno movie looking down at some guy sucking
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