"Hey, you two," someone yelled at them as they were lighting up their cigarettes. It was Al and Torchy sprawled out casually on one of the couches in the back of the room.

More guests kept arriving and soon the room was full of people all talking, smoking until they were all high, laughing at almost anything and a warm feeling of contentment and peace stole over her. She was leaning back, her head resting on Al's knees as she listened to the talk that floated through the air. She closed her eyes, her face relaxed, giving the appearance that she was sleeping, but she was aware of everything they were saying.

Her mind was so engrossed in the conversations that were going on around her that she didn't feel Frankie slip away from her side and make his way back to the bar at the other side of the room.

He walked cautiously, exaggerating each step as he stepped between and over couples that were lying on the floor.

"Hey, look at Frankie taking those seven foot steps," someone yelled, and she opened her eyes and watched him weave his way toward a group of their friends who were mostly junkies at the far end of the room. They looked dull and listless, as though they were having a horrible time, but she knew that they were actually in a state of complete pleasure as she had seen them earlier in the kitchen, boiling and injecting heroin.

Music floated through the room, deep throaty sounds of a jazz singer belting out the blues and everyone seemed to be in a half-lethargic state.

She felt Al stroke her hair, running his fingers down the nape of her neck, massaging, caressing.

"Let's go on back to the other room," he whispered in her ear. "Torchy's hot to go too."

Just the thought of the room at the back of the apartment made a tight knot of desire swirl in her stomach. He helped her to her feet and pulled Torchy up and the three of them stood there for a moment clutching at each other for balance, laughing loudly, Al reached over and slid Cynthia's low-cut blouse off one shoulder so that it lay in a curve, half-revealing the soft swell of her full, ripe breast.