Promises and Pomegranates by Sav R. Miller

Putting his arms up in surrender, he ducks his head, one hand dropping to
the floor. I glance up at Gwen, who’s watching with a bored expression on
her face, like this kind of thing happens all the time.
Given the complete disinterest of the other customers, maybe it does.
Pushing my purse strap farther up on my shoulder, I lift my foot and drop
it onto Vinny’s fingers, reveling in the crunch of his bones beneath my
weight. He squeals like a gutted pig, his other hand stretching and twitching
as if having sympathy pains.
I start to turn away, my eyes back on the exit, when I feel a sharp
sensation prickle on the back of my calf. Glancing down, I see Vinny’s hand
wrapped around the needle from before, which he drags quickly from where
it’s just penetrated my skin.
Panic floods my chest, and I look up at Gwen, who stares with wide eyes,
mouth slightly parted.
“Vinny...” she says, an edge of worry creeping into her voice.
He rolls onto his back, tossing the needle behind the bar and grabbing his
crotch. “Whatever. She had it coming.”
My chest tightens as the seconds pass by, my feet apparently frozen in
place as I watch Vinny go fetal on the floor. My heartbeat kicks up, pulsing
so fast and loud it’s all I can hear between my ears, and fear claws at my
throat, making it difficult to breathe.
I turn around, unsure of what to do, or how long it’ll take for whatever he
just injected me with to kick in.
Gwen doesn’t come after me even when my feet start forward, moving
me to the door. Pushing it open with shaking hands, I squint against the
sunlight and ignore the cool sea air, taking a moment to let my eyes get used
to the drastic atmospheric change.
Heart in my throat, I glance up and down the alleyway, realizing I’ve
somehow exited through the wrong door. Unsure of how I got turned around,
I grab the handle to get back inside, finding that it’s locked behind me.
Swallowing, I shuffle down the alley, my eye throbbing with each step I
take until I come to a stop back on the main street.
I don’t see Kal anywhere, and the idea that I’ve actually been abandoned
resurfaces, making my stomach cramp. Confusion solidifies in my psyche,
rejection weaseling in and making me feel like an idiot.
Just because he gives you his credit card and a couple of orgasms,
doesn’t mean he’s interested in more.