Close Encounters of the Concrete Kind
By FlyingKit aka Christine
Note: STD disclaimers apply. I am a NON-PROFIT gal with no earthy thoughts, or heavenly for that matter, of making ANY kind of moola for this luverly little tale.
Dedicated to those unfortunates who haven't yet wrapped their hands around TBO yet. raising hand Do I count? C.)
Chapter 25
I was still bent over the seat, rooting around fruitlessly, as I heard the squeal of tires and one very frightened skip. I glanced up over the head rest just in time to see a familiar car take the corner at warp speed and was now racing headlong towards us. I scrambled outside thinking I still had time to get Picarra uncuffed. It's amazing what stupid things go through your head in these types of situations. I had the handcuff key in the lock when the sedan collided.
The god damned key broke, was all I could think as I sailed through the air. My back collided with something that felt like a brick wall, and very well could have been for the way my internal organs felt. I heard an eerie tearing sound. No worries, just my ligaments and spine, I'm sure. I heard a shrill pain filled scream. Gee, I hope some one helps that woman. It took me a while to realize it had emanated from me. What a time to have a 'Crossing Over' experience. I slid with my back down the surface and fell limply forward onto my head on asphalt, settling into a mercifully black abyss.
I groaned with recognition as my eyes cracked open to the sight of stained acoustic ceiling tiles.
"Gawd damned hospitals…"I muttered hoarsely.
"Well, if I had my way that's where you'd be right now, Cupcake, not in the damned police station lobby…although it might just be safer for all concerned to lock you up in a holding cell so you don't kill yourself," an annoyingly familiar voice boomed.
"Wha… huh?" I stuttered eloquently. I tried to sit up but some invisible force with a strong grip held me down and ordered me not to move. I tried to turn my head to discover who it was, but was impeded by fireworks worthy of the fourth of July behind my eyeballs.
"You're lucky to be alive, you know. Damn it, Stephanie!" Joe growled, "Do you know why I…"
I had heard this particular song and dance many, many times before so instead of wasting my time, I tuned him out so I could try to figure out what the hell just happened to me. I hate when I acquire Swiss cheese syndrome. Let's see, the last thing I remembered was getting out of my car and then looking for my gun…Oh shit. The sedan. Jimmy Picarra. Oh shit, shit, shit.
"I thought I was done with this worrying myself into an ulcer shit when we broke up. You are going to be the death of me, I just know it!" Joe was still ranting. From past experience I estimated he had a good ten minutes of this left in him, and I didn't have the time to wait him out.
"Joe," I Interrupted.
He ignored me. From the echo of his voice I surmised Joe seemed to be pacing the room. Hell, he could be dancing the nutcracker in a pink tutu for all my knowledge; my head was jack-hammering so hard that I couldn't think straight.
"Stop moving around and listen to me, Morelli. You're making my head hurt."
"You sure that wasn't caused by the wall and not me, Cupcake?" He laughed caustically, "Because that would make a whole lot more sense since that's what you hit! Why can't you just quit that damn job?"
This was not going well. I tried again.
"Joe," I said a little louder this time, "Joe, stop pacing and listen to me."
No luck. Gentle Jungle Jim was still primal growling and stalking around the room in turns. I could almost hear the distant rhythmic beat of tribal drums accompanying his display.
"Morelli!" I shouted, causing Notre Dame's bells to serenade me in my head. He stopped and glared at me.
"Shuddup, will ya please! What happened to my skip? You know, tall, dark and stupid, a.k.a. Jimmy Picarra?"
Morelli's immediate reaction is what gave it away. Cop face in all its stony glory. Damn, whatever happened was bad… very bad.
Someone in a light colored uniform shined a pen light in my eyes. I grimaced and tried to pull away from his grasp.
"OW! Fuck, fuck, fuck!" I uttered genteelly.
"Ma'am, please lie still. I need to finish my examination before we load you up on the bus," the EMT stated clinically.
I looked up at his face. Damn it! It figured. Low and behold, my good buddy, Grumpy the Dwarf, from my last bloody encounter. What were the odds? Don't answer that.
"Stephanie," Morelli stated in monotone, "What happened?"
Shit, that sounds like detective voice.
"Isn't that my line, Morelli?" I sighed in exasperation. I knew he wasn't going to answer any of my questions now. He had his own agenda; the infamous 'just the facts ma'am' agenda.
"Stephanie," Uh-oh, "I tried to tell you earlier, before the dumpster dive at your apartment, that your last skip…"
"Outta my way, Morelli!" I snarled, impatient with this Abbot and Costello routine, and lurched to my feet. Morelli put an arm out to stop me. It was a big mistake on his part. I reacted on instinct and effectively caught him off guard by grabbing his wrist with both hands, spun around and used his momentum to toss him over my shoulder. It cost me a lot, though. By the time I made it to the exit the nausea was pulling me under like a coastal riptide, my ribcage burned and my back muscles were seized in an agony of knots. I heard people scrambling behind me; whether to assist Joe or stop me, I'm not sure. As I staggered through the front double doors, that all didn't seem to matter much anymore. My stomach rebelled at the sight before me. I stumbled to the ground with the kind assistance of a nearby wall and melodically emptied its contents.
When I finally collected myself enough to roll off all fours and wipe my mouth with my sleeve, I realized I had an audience and apparently they had been there for some time. Eddie Gazzara, my cousin by marriage and best bud since diapers, was rubbing my back in little comforting circular hand motions from a crouched position beside me. I glanced around and saw numerous figures in blue milling around me. I would have to do this in front of the whole Trenton P.D. I closed my eyes for a second and took a wobbly, deep breath.
"I tried to tell you, Cupcake. He's dead." Morelli stated while in a squatting position mirror opposite of Eddie's.
"Gawd, I'd hope so…" I shakily choked out with a barely concealed hysterical gurgle of laughter after reopening my eyes. I felt more than saw the look Eddie, Morelli and Grumpy exchanged over my head.
"Miss, you shouldn't move!" Grumpy growled from above me as he unceremoniously shoved Eddie aside to examine me once again.
"You might feel okay now, but you could have some internal injuries. Does this hurt?" he asked as me prodded me with his stubby latex fingers in the ribs and back. My wailed moan with flailing limbs must have answered his 'yes' or 'no' question sufficiently because he moved on to next question.
"How would you rate the pain on scale of one to ten?" he asked, grilling me like a drill sergeant.
"Fuck off." I managed to gasp out in response between pain laced pants, while cradling my ribcage with both arms. I saw him frown and then mark 'ten' on his paper eval from. Guess there wasn't an official box to check for my answer. Oh darn.
"Okay, miss, we are going to load you on the ambulance now to finish this exam since we keep getting interrupted here." With that comment Grumpy took a moment to glare at Morelli before returning it to me.
"You will have to be more cooperative if you want the best medical care. I need to evaluate how serious your injuries are…"
"Oh, no. I'm fine. I don't need some ham-fisted dwarf to tell me that. Paws off buddy! Go trudge back to your mine!" I snarled and pulled away from him, swooning a bit as I did. Eddie lurched forward to grab hold of my arm as I struggled to my feet. I sent him a gracious look and saw him frown in return. Before I could tell Eddie off, the little pygmy started shouting, practically hopping about, as little people in story books are wont to do. I'll have to ask Randy if he deals with his anger this way too. It's not very menacing, that's for sure.
"Look here, miss, I don't have to take that! You must have a bigger head injury than I thought if you think I am gonna sit here and take that kind of abuse…"
Joe derailed Grumpy's tirade with one of his own in my defense. I blinked, wide-eyed, in surprise. This was an interesting new development. Huh, break up with someone and suddenly they're a decent human being. Go figure.
Eddie gained my attention by herding me away from the two now snarling beasts to the nearby ambulance at the curb. I opened my mouth to protest only to have Eddie stifle it with this hand.
"Don't fuss, Steph. Just sit." Eddie urged with a steely eyes. I must have been weaker-willed than usual because I obeyed with no further comment. I'm just gonna blame it on the shock.
Once Eddie settled on the bumper beside me, Grumpy's partner, a much nicer looking fellow with no resemblance to any Disney character whatsoever, ambled up with an apologetic smile. He finished the exam within five minutes and gave me a stern recommendation to allow myself to be transferred to the ER, explaining to me that only the awning over the door I landed on saved me from further severe injury. I figured I've had worse than a set of bruised ribs and a possible light concussion and didn't see the need to involve doctors in the situation, so I told him so. The EMT just shook his head woefully, had me sign a release form and left me to my own devices in the back of the rig.
"Jesus, Steph! Why do you have to be so stubborn?" Eddie growled.
"Genetics, I suppose. Isn't that how most people get it?" I arched back to him nonchalantly as I returned to my feet with a slight swaying motion. Ugh. Damn fuzzy head.
"Stephanie, dammit! Look, you can't even stand up with out getting dizzy can you? Just suck it up and go to the hospital already!" Eddie's eyes were blazing. I had never seen him so animated. Not even that time when my Cousin Shirley thought he was cheating on her with a meter maid, got pissed, locked him out of the house and threw all his clothes off the Clark Street Bridge.
"Better watch it, Eddie. You sound just like Morelli," I mock smiled and chased it with a loud snort.
"It isn't funny, Stephanie. You could have been killed!" He stopped mid rant and wiped an exasperated hand over his features before they went slack. When he continued it was with a much more controlled and calm demeanor.
"Look, just take care of yourself, okay? You don't want to end up Kentucky fried like your skip back there," he said and hooked a thumb over his shoulder to illustrate. My nausea returned as I got another peek at the crispy remains of Jimmy Picarra still smoldering by the hunk of twisted metal that formerly was my sunny yellow Ford Escape. I surmised from the presence of the firefighters with hoses still blasting water and the billowing black cloud hanging over the area where my car should have been that the impact of the collision from the sedan ignited more than my Peter Pan-like flight. Someone should tell the Ford Motor Company that their gas tanks weren't very safe. But to give them credit, I doubt they had a safety test worthy of the Stephanie Plum catastrophe rating. I darted my eyes back to Eddie's face desperate to have something else to concentrate on. Anything but the gory lump now semi-concealed by the coroner's sheet lying on the ground several yards away.
"Did Morelli tell you about Joey Larone yet? You know your skip that went missing a couple months ago?" I shook my head, grateful for the verbal distraction from the horrors over his shoulder. Eddie continued with a weary sigh.
"I probably shouldn't be the one telling you this, but…'" he cast a surreptitious glance over both shoulders before continuing, "a beat cop on the night shift a couple weeks ago came across a floater down by the river in Gramercy Park. Head and hands were missing, presumably lopped off post-mortem according to the coroner's assistant, Rickman, that I play Friday poker with. They were lucky and got a positive ID, thanks to a tattoo…"
I sighed.
"Let me guess, the corpse has a blue panther inked on his left shoulder…" Damn. Why were the unusual corpses discovered in this town always connected to me somehow? I felt the blood drain from my face and a new headache re-emerged.
"Yeah, you got it in one. And you can bet Morelli's next question to you is gonna be about your whereabouts around the time of his death."
I blinked at him for a moment.
"You're joking."
He shook his head gravely.
"Nope, the scuttlebutt I heard is that the Chief wants Morelli on you like white on rice. Seems they have something to connect you to the body. Wish I could tell you more but that's all I could bribe out of the chief's secretary. As it is my ass will be grass if anyone finds out I…"
"Don't worry, Eddie. It's in the vault." I managed to recover from my shock enough to tease him. He smiled slightly at the words.
"Yeah, but anyone with a pint of Chunky Monkey knows your combination, Steph. Remember I know you better that I know myself." He chuckled.
"Well, then it's a good thing I gave up ice cream for Lent, isn't it." I retorted with crossed arms.
"Uh-huh, I'm Catholic too. I know my advent calendar, Chicky, and we aren't anywhere near Lent."
"Mere semantics," I stated as I waved his comment off with a painful half shrug.
"This didn't come form me, but maybe you should lie low for a few days…take time off even. You have vacation days coming right?" he asked.
I rolled my eyes.
"Uh-huh, yeah right, Vincent Plum and vacation in the same sentence. That's feasible," I mumbled.
"Well, you should maybe find a different job for awhile, Steph." He stated with a firm unwavering gaze.
'Got it, Eddie. Never let it be said that I can't read between the lines." I stated with a tiny smile tilting the corners of my mouth.
He grumbled some derogatory remarks about that comment before pulling me in for a quick hug. He pushed out of it before I even realized what he was doing. He turned and strode a few yards away before stopping and spinning round to face me again.
"Do you have a ride?" he asked in a worried tone, "because I don't want you running around like this..."
'Yeah, yeah, Dad. I have someone I can call." I realized as I said it that I didn't have a cell phone anymore. Rats. It was probably a flaming plastic shish-ka-bob by now. Eddie must have understood because he walked back to my side with a small cell that he pulled out of his jacket pocket. I raised both eyebrows in surprise.
"What? I finally took your advice and joined the twenty-first century. Well that and Shirl was always harping on how she couldn't reach me all the time." He shrugged. I shuddered on his behalf. Hard to believe my cousin and I were related sometimes. I took the phone and stared at it for a moment trying to decide who to call. I finally dialed the number of the one person I knew who wouldn't press me for details over the phone. That accomplished I handed it back to Eddie.
"He said he'll be here in ten." I told him reassuringly. It seemed to ease the tension from his shoulders a bit.
"Who is coming?" he inquired. I guess he wasn't as relived as I thought.
I just smiled mysteriously in response.
"Fine be that way. See if I tell you anymore secrets in the future…" he threatened me with a grin.
"Buh-bye, Eddie. Take care." I mocked him with a finger wave. He grunted once and returned his cell to its home. He sobered in the blink of an eye, startling me. I guess I was going to get another admonishment on safety now. I held back the exasperated sigh…barely. Eddie looked over his shoulder before returning his gaze to mine. I had followed his lead and saw him looking at Morelli. I raised my eyebrows in silent inquiry and tapped my foot. It's a good thing I didn't sigh after all, because I probably would have swallowed my tongue at what he said next.
"Go easy on him, Steph. He only says some of those hurtful things because he is upset. We, men as a species, are stupid like that. And before you say it, I know you two broke up, but it's not like a water faucet. You can't expect him to just shut the feelings off overnight, okay?" With that cryptic remark he spun on heel and strode back to the milling crowd of blue uniforms.
You could have knocked me over with a feather. Edward Gazzara was defending Joseph Morelli? This coming from the very same guy in high school who had gnashed his teeth and vowed bloody vengeance on Morelli on my behalf after reading a few choice entertainment establishments' and arena walls? That was unexpected. Huh. Something to ruminate over until my ride shows up, I guess. I sat on that bumper doing just that until I heard the familiar purr of a luxury car. I turned my head toward the sound. That noise signaled time to go, and not a moment too soon if you ask me. It looked like Morelli was slowly making his way via a circular route through the press of bodies, walking in my general direction. I scanned the crowd quickly and waited until Morelli looked away before disappearing around the corner of the ambulance. I made it to the waiting steel gray Mercedes idling across the street without incident. As I reached over to open the door I couldn't help but think: 'Now if only the ride home to my apartment would go as smoothly…'
To be continued in chapter 26…
Close Encounters of the Concrete Kind
By FlyingKit aka Christine
Note; STD disclaimers apply. I am a NON PROFIT gal with no earthy thoughts, or heavenly for that matter, of making ANY kind of moola for this luverly little tale.
Dedicated to those that I dread to name as friends for fear that they would retaliate. Thank you for hugging me and making me seem not quite as crazy as others would perceive. Lol C.)
Chapter 26
You could have knocked me over with a feather. Edward Gazzara was defending Joseph Morelli? This coming from the very same guy in high school who had gnashed his teeth and vowed bloody vengeance on Morelli on my behalf after reading a few choice entertainment establishments and arena walls? That was unexpected. Huh. Something to ruminate over until my ride shows up, I guess. I sat on that bumper doing just that until I heard the familiar purr of a luxury car. I turned my head toward the sound. That noise signaled time to go, and not a moment too soon if you ask me. It looked like Morelli was slowly making his way via a circular route through the press of bodies, walking in my general direction. I scanned the crowd quickly and waited until Morelli looked away before disappearing around the corner of the ambulance. I made it to the waiting steel gray Mercedes idling across the street without incident. As I reached over to open the door I couldn't help but think: 'Now if only the ride home to my apartment would go as smoothly…'
I slid into the leather interior of the bucket seat with as much grace as I could muster with my injuries, i.e. wincing and groaning the entire time, and faced my companion as I slammed the car door shut.
"I'd ask what happened to you but I think I can pretty much guess," the driver chuckled. "They weren't exaggerating about that Bombshell business, huh?"
I glared at him. Was it too much to ask that the merry men not to tell Stone about every friggin' fiery exploit I had been involved with since making my grand debut as a primo bounty hunter four years ago? Gossip mongering bastards.
"Not another word, just drive!" I growled lowly, "I'll dish when we get to my place."
Stone looked like he was going to protest until he saw me turn and point to the shadowy figure that was even now jogging crossing the street towards us. That Morelli sure didn't waste time, did he? The engine revved and we took off in a blaze of reckless speed normally reserved for NASCAR professionals and jet pilots.
Amazingly Stone stayed completely silent without any further prompting from me. It must have been sheer torture. When his lips started twitching uncontrollably I knew the gig was up. Rats, I had really enjoyed those blissful two minutes.
"So do I get to ask why you smell like Cajun barbecue yet?" He arched the question as the smile he was fighting turned into a full-blown grin. I'm sure he had some witty things to say after that, but I didn't hear it. All I could do was think of was pork. Brunt pork. That's what it… he… smelled like. A shudder ran through my body and I rubbed my arms to warm my skin. Poor Piccy. The schmuck never had a chance. I should never have handcuffed him to the luggage rack, I…
My thoughts came to an abrupt halt when I realized the car had too. I looked around and realized the Mercedes was sitting curbside on a street I didn't recognize. From the lack of ticking sounds from the now silent engine, I realized we must have been sitting there for a while. I turned towards Stone. He was arranged in the seat with his torso toward me, watching me with a completely somber expression affixed, and had a solitary arm hooked behind the headrest as he leaned against the door. A gal couldn't help but admire the way his pectoral muscles pulled the fabric of his blue shirt taunt to showcase his muscular chest… and the outline of his leather shoulder holster. I sighed shakily. How could one man manage to look so sexy and yet so dangerous at the same time? The thing that bothered me the most though was that he wasn't teasing me anymore; it was disturbing. I shuddered again for an entirely new reason.
"Something wrong, Stone?" I ventured.
He arched a brow. Could everyone besides me do that?
"Funny, Jersey, that was just what I was gonna ask."
"Huh?" I cleverly returned.
"Well, something sure as hell happened to you back there, dammit. You have been shaking like a leaf and talking to yourself for the last five minutes with no awareness of your surrounding. And I came to that conclusion discounting the fact that you are sporting quite a few bruises on your puss that a boxer would envy."
"Never let it be said that you are slow, Pebbles," I sighed.
His hand darted out and smoothed my hair back from my face, lingering gingerly over my cheek. I winced in pain and pulled away. I flipped down the passenger side sun visor and looked at my face in the mirror. Angry red, scabby scratches and lumpy welts were running parallel to my hairline and left cheekbone; must have been from the asphalt when I broke the fall with my face. I rolled my eyes and even that small motion hurt. Geez, I knew I was scratched up when the EMT scrubbed disinfectant on my face earlier, but I didn't think it was this bad. I looked like a side of beef; a slimy, week-old pot-roast actually. No wonder Eddie and the EMT had harped at me to go the hospital. I slammed the visor shut and glanced back toward Stone as he grabbed my hand and settled it in his lap. Stunned didn't cover my reaction. The action and the look on his face could only be called tender, and that was one word I didn't associate with Stone very often... hell, who are we kidding here. I didn't associate it with him at all! I tried to pull my hand away but Stone resisted the motion and clenched my hand between his thighs. I felt the molten heat rise in my face and tried to clear my throat awkwardly. He grinned. Oh-kay, this Stone I could deal with.
"Unhand me, you dirty ape," I snarled, hoping he would think all the flushing was from anger alone.
"What's the matter, Skipper?" he smirked, "Afraid of my magnetic pull? Please control yourself. I don't put out before the first date; I'm just not that kind of guy."
"Smart ass," I muttered trying to withhold the smile he had coaxed from me with his actions.
He leaned over and wiggled his brows at me.
"See! Still thinking about my ass, huh?" he asked. I started laughing. Fool.
"So you gonna tell me what happened now?" he inquired when I finally recovered a modicum of composure.
"Let's get back on the road and I'll explain," I informed him. He turned back around and started the engine but didn't release my hand from his lap. Needless to say I found it hard to concentrate as we sped off. I told him everything that happened with Picarra, from the takedown to the explosion, only leaving out the info about Piccy's mother issues. Didn't want him to draw any parallels in the future, now did we. By the time I wrapped up with the news of the discovery of the former Mr. Joey Larone, Eddie's illuminating advice and Morelli's belated chase, we had arrived at my apartment building's parking lot. Stone shut off the engine and studied me for a silent minute. It made me nervous.
"What!" I gasped. He chuckled shaking his head.
"It's just that I have never met anyone who has these kind of problems before… who wasn't a serial killer or cartoon character," he guffawed.
I rolled my eyes, unceremoniously pulled my hand from his warm grasp, and sprang from the car in a huff. As I stomped toward the front door, I realized I didn't hear him following me. The dawn came upon me like the clarity of a thousand-watt bulb. The fire escape, oh shit. I whirled around to find Stone doubled over at the waist laughing so hard that tears were streaming down his beet red face. I glared at him with crossed arms and testily tapped my foot until he recovered.
"Are you done, Giggles?" I spat haughtily which apparently just set him off again. I spun around. I had enough of this crap. Chuckles could just sit out here by himself for a while. I was running out of valuable get-away minutes to escape Morelli. If I knew him, and I did, he would be over here breaking in faster than you could say 'MacGyver."
I had made it to the stairwell by the time Stone caught up with me and grabbed my elbow. I glared at his hand until he removed it and resumed my ascent upstairs, except at a slower pace this time with Stone at my side.
"So had a Lover's spat, did we, Jersey?" Stone intoned voice merry with amusement. I growled.
"What'd he do to earn having all his worldly goods hung out to dry, so to speak?" He chuckled.
"The asshole broke my mug." I said calmly belying my irritation.
"Way to go, Brown!" Stone cheered with glee. "It's about time someone put it out of its misery."
"That's not funny. Why does everyone hate it so much anyway?" I asked in bewilderment.
As we walked through the doorway from the stairwell to the second floor, stone looked at me and grinned.
"Hey, it's not every day you see a see someone drinking out of a cup with a picture of a big, dirty…" He trailed off and whipped his gun out toward the general direction of my apartment door.
"What were you…?" I started and lost my train of thought upon seeing whom Stone held at gunpoint. I smiled when I spied my landlord, Dillion, frozen mid-hammer motion, tacking a pink notice up on my door. He looked like he was about to lose control over his bodily functions. I guess seeing a guy like Stone pull a gun on me might make me wish for Depends too. The smile faded as soon as I realized what that paper was. I spoke to Stone next but kept my narrowed eyes on Dillion, the traitor.
"Put it down, Stone. I know him. He's harmless enough, for a backstabbing…"
"Hey! I didn't have any choice in the matter, Stephanie. You know if it were up to me I wouldn't be doing his." He gasped backing warily from the doorway as I advanced on him. At another time I might be amused since he was the one who had at least fifty pounds on me and a hammer.
I yanked the pick monstrosity from the door and read it even though I knew what it represented. I gasped when I got to the reason.
"In violation of lease per section five of the morality clause!" I yelled at him, causing Dillion to jump about a foot into the air. I heard a chuckle from behind me but I ignored it.
"What the fuck does that mean?" I snarled.
"I think it means loose hips sink ships, Jersey." Stone deadpanned. I ignored him.
"Steph, look, I'm sorry. The owners called me this morning. Apparently they got some calls from some tenants and, well, they were under the impression you are running an escort service," Dillion gulped out.
"What!" I screamed. At that moment I saw my neighbor Mrs. Simmons stick her head of her door to see what the commotion was about. She sniffed at me and I swear I heard her mutter the word 'hussy' under breath as the door slammed shut. Guess we know who narced, don't we?
"Dillion, why would they think…?"
"Think about it, Steph all those scary looking guys coming and going from here at all hours the last three and half years. If I didn't know better myself…"
"But that's just it, Dillion. You do know better!" I shouted.
He shook his head with a sad smile.
"Yeah, I do. But it doesn't matter. I think the owners were just looking for an excuse because of…"
"All the dead bodies, break-ins and fire bombings. Yeah, yeah, I get the point, Dillion." I finished for him and shut my eyes briefly with a sigh. Today was a nightmare. You find one body, okay maybe more than one, and you are all of a sudden branded a lady of the night.
Dillion made some more excuses and scrambled from my sight as I unlocked my door. Stone followed me in as I started pulling a couple suitcases from the front hall closet and opened them on the floor before me.
"So what's the plan now, Heidi Fleiss?" Stone quipped. Little did he know that was just what I was thinking…
To be continued in chapter 27…
Close Encounters of the Concrete Kind
By FlyingKit a.k.a. Christine
Note: STD disclaimers apply. I am a NON-PROFIT gal with no earthy thoughts, or heavenly for that matter, of making ANY kind of moola for this luverly little tale.
To Ellie, who made me laugh today; Much love to you girl from the fabulous MS. Oral Looselips. And to Marcie for being my steadfast friend despite the consequences of the police raids on our crazy compound and threat of jail time. ("I swear officer she was the one who set the fire, not me.") .also thanking Aly and Moriah for numerous helpful reasons C.)
Chapter 27
Dillion made some more excuses and scrambled from my sight as I unlocked my door. Stone followed me in as I started pulling a couple suitcases from the front hall closet and opened them.
"So what's the plan now, Heidi Fleiss?" Stone quipped. Little did he know that was just what I was thinking…
I stopped mid suitcase introspection to look at Stone. I studied his face for a full minute before answering. I don't know what I expected to find there. Support? Understanding? Sympathy? An offer to whisk me away to a deserted tropical isle with no means of communication with the outside world? Hmm, the last sounded better by the minute.
"What's it look like? I'm packing. Do me a favor and go grab Rex's cage from the kitchen counter. Oh, and don't forget his food pellets. There're in the strawberry pop-tart box in the cupboard over the microwave. And don't jostle the cage; he gets motion sickness easily," I instructed him as I walked to the bathroom and started shoving toiletries inside my bag. I swear he mumbled something about Dramamine and rats under his breath on his way to the kitchen. I wisely chose to ignore him. I know, very uncharacteristic of me.
By the time I made my way to my bedroom closet I had filled the second and third suitcases. I was trying to find a way to cram my favorite pink FMPs inside the pocket of the near bursting fourth when I realized someone was staring at me. I turned around to find Stone nonchalantly leaning a shoulder against the bedroom doorjamb. He bore the weight of the first suitcase over his broad shoulder and his lips tipped up in a semi-smirk.
"What?" I huffed and carefully stood up after throwing the duffel strap over my shoulder. I staggered a bit under its bulk. Who knew shoes could weigh so much?
"So, where are we scurrying off to?" Stone uttered. I walked over to the two remaining suitcases and tried to pick them up. After dropping them twice each on my big toe I turned a very pointed look on Stone and then at the suitcases. He chuckled, walked over to the bags, and picked them up with ease after handing me Rex's cage. Show off.
I strode out into the living room and checked the answering machine. That's odd; No messages. I sighed. No one loves me. Oh, well. I guess I should be glad Morelli hadn't found access to a phone yet. He could weave a blue streak better than any other person I knew when he was pissed…well, except for Lula. Street 'ho beats sailor hands down every time.
"I am going to my parents' place to crash for awhile. Do you really want me to tell you where to go?" I fluttered my eyelashes at him as I duck walked over to the front door. Was there ever any graceful way to lug a bag? Huh, guess not. This must be why Grace Kelly married a prince; the fringe benefits. Why couldn't I find my prince? Or even a rakish intergalactic space-pilot? Must be due to all the damn frogs I keep kissing; either that or the eau de corpse that keeps lingering around me like a black cloud, take your pick.
We shuffled into the hallway and shut the door. I fiddled with the deadbolt for a solid minute, trying to lock it without success. Laughter boomed over my shoulder before Stone shook his head, took pity on me and grabbed the key. I snorted. Damn meddling men! Who needs them? I don't. I managed very well without one so far, right? I spun haphazardly and marched down to the elevator somehow managing to retain the pissy mood long enough to get in the car and activate the elevators doors. I realized the gravity of my error as the doors closed on seriously flaming eye sockets. Shit. Now that I think about it, I depended a lot on men, good men. Men like Bobby, Lester, Tank, Eddie, Morelli, Hector, Rang… um… even Stone. I leaned against the elevator wall with eyes tightly shut thinking furiously. How do you get out of this one, Plum? Let's see, no visible way out. I glanced momentarily at the trapdoor in the ceiling with the unidentifiable brown strain. Well, a way that I was willing to use anyway. I heard the car squeaking slowly down, not terribly unlike the gears turning on an open fire spit.
Fuck.
I panicked. An alarm blared as I hit the emergency stop button. Well, it was an emergency, of sorts. As the car finally stilled, I paced in circles trying to think of a creditable excuse. Head injury? That's a good one, believable too. But would Stone accept it?
Double fuck.
A loud clank sounded and the alarm abruptly silenced. The car chugged sluggishly back into motion with a jerk. I stared in wide-eyed horror at the doors. Mouth open and working soundlessly in abject terror. What just happened here? The doors flew open and a large mass loomed in the doorway. I moved sideways against the elevator handrail, slowly slinking away, eyes never leaving his. I pay attention to 'Animal Planet'. I know the rules for predators.
"How did you…?" I stuttered.
He lifted a single hand. A couple of red and black wires still dangled below it. I followed the ends to the source: the elevator's electrical wall panel. I swallowed my tongue.
"Multi-talented," he growled as he dropped the wires and backed me into the car wall, looped a hand behind my head and into my hair. He surprised me with the unexpected action. Anger I anticipated, not…this. He dipped his head so his lips were mere inches from mine, a devilish glint in his eyes.
"I can also multi-task."
With that be pulled me into a heart-stopping kiss. He used his tongue to do things to me most church going folk knew nothing about, trust me, I should know. He pulled slowly away, nibbling at the corner of my mouth, down the sensitive curve of my jaw, and nipped a trail of molten heat down the slope of my now arched neck. I shuddered with a breathless sigh. This was nice, but how was this…? That was when his palm made contact with my collarbone; a single callused finger trailing slowly downward toward more promised land. I heard a large clanking sound and I suddenly couldn't breathe. My chest heaved. Since Stone was practically eye level with my breasts he definitely noted my involuntary reaction. He must have taken it for encouragement, because he was now palming my right breast tracing my peaked nipple through the thin fabric of my halter-top with one glorious thumb. I moaned at the sensations that shivered through my belly down to a place that hadn't been given much attention for months now. That same traitorous entity was now standing up and begging for attention like a yappy Yorkshire terrier. It had been a long time…
Stone made his way back up to my mouth with his, being very attentive along the way. All the while his hand never once missed a single stoke at my breast and my hardened nipples could attest to that first hand, no pun intended. His second kiss blew the first away on technical merit alone. I was still panting, eyes closed in ecstasy, and head slouched back against the wall when he pulled back. The gravitational pull of his body was only slightly lessened with the distance. I felt his heated gaze on me even through my reclining eyelids. He leaned his lips against my ear to whisper and I felt his hot breath slither down my neck in a moist cloud of desire.
"Maybe next time you'll remember to never, ever walk away from me…"
My eyes flew open with an outraged gasp and I shoved him away violently. He stumbled back with a chuckle. I glared at him as I balled up a fist and punched him in the well developed chest. Ouch. Damn pectoral muscles. I shook my hand out at the wrist and deepened my scowl further.
"You pig!" I snarled and hit him a second time for good measure. It was effective as swatting a fly with chopsticks. He leaned back and gave me a though once over from head to toe with those grey eyes of his. I felt the blush rise in my cheeks at his detailed inspection and I became even more mortified. I opened my mouth to yell at him but was silenced by his overgrown paw suddenly covering my lips. He bent over and picked up something and held it out to me as an offering. I followed the movement and…
"Oh Rex, baby. I'm so sorry!" Apparently I had dropped his cage during the red shoe diary moment. Jesus, could I be a worse hamster mommy? I scooped up the cage to eyelevel and studied his furry face lolling haphazardly out of the soup can. I swear he looked green and his eyes bulged. Yup, definitely seasick.
"I promise to get you a Tasty Pastry, little guy, for the trouble. How's that sound?" Rex promptly got sick and scurried back in his can with only his two back feet sticking out. Reminded me of some monster hangovers I'd had in the past. Guess, I shouldn't have mentioned the donut so soon, huh? I walked out of the elevator, cooing at him the entire way through the parking lot. I opened the Mercedes door and gently settled him inside on the back seat pulling my leather jacket from the front to cover his cage. No one deserved to be stared at during a hangover. It was never pretty. I felt Stone's hand at my lower back and whirled around, startled. I met his eyes and felt a familiar shiver tumbled though my belly at his touch. I swallowed and met his eyes warily. He leaned close, eyes blazing with feral intensity before chuckling and slowly inching the duffel strap down my arm to the ground. I never knew luggage could be so erotic.
'Just thought you'd like a hand with that." He winked at me as he flung the strap over his shoulder, walked to the rear of the car and opened the trunk to stow my luggage.
"I think we should grab Brown's stuff, too, while we are at it, Jersey. " Stone's voice wafted over the trunk lid to me. I shook off the stupor and groaned. Yeah, Bobby might be pissed if it got stolen. It was a miracle it hadn't so far.
"What do you want to do about the clothes?" he continued as he reached my side.
There was definitely laughter in his voice when he asked. I glanced at the clothes now flapping in the late afternoon breeze. The knots I had used to tie them together into a neat multicolored rope to the fire escape railing had held up well under the windy conditions. A pair of Boxers with the word "BROWN" emblazoned in bold eight inch black block letters on the seat demonstrated this by snapping in the air currents. The whole spectacle might not have been too noticeable if the rose silk boxers weren't covered in small jovial images of Whiney the Pooh eating out of a honey pot. I sighed. I guess I had yet another future act of vengeance to be on the look out for…
"Leave them; he can come get them himself." I stated matter-of-factly.
Stone chuckled as he raised the cardboard box to his shoulder and carried it to the trunk with the rest of the baggage, effectively hiding himself from my vision as he arranged the load. I turned to slump my hormonally flushed forehead on the roof of the car while he couldn't see me. Get a grip, Stephanie! What the hell were you thinking? Hmm, I don't think I was thinking, and that seems to always be at the root of all my problems. The metal of the roof was cool against my skin. I shivered in reaction which made me think of the shivering I did after the kiss, which lead me to think of Stone's lips on mine and his hand on my… Ugh, I groaned involuntarily. Damn hormonal circular thinking! This was getting me nowhere. Gotta find a way to deal with this. Avoidance? Tempting but he won't let me… Anger? Yes, that would work. I should be angry with him, right? I whacked my head a few times softly against the metal. How come I wasn't angry with him? Shit. Find the anger, find the anger. Okay, Stone was just messing with me. He was jerking my chain. He was applying pressure at my weakest spot: my hormones. Just like someone else I knew. There! There is that trusty self righteous anger.
I jerked back to open the Mercedes door and found Stone staring at me across the roof, chin propped up on crossed arms, wearing a grin the size of Texas. I growled as I threw my body in the passenger seat and slammed the door. He chuckled softly as he joined me. I know my visage must have darkened visibly then. He continued to chuckle as he pulled out of the parking lot and made a left toward the Burg. I growled and whipped my head around to shoot him with my death ray.
"Now here's my threat to you, Stone. Don't ever touch me like that again or you will pull back a bloody stump, so help me! I don't like mental games. I didn't like them when Ra…" Shit! "…when others have done it and I don't like you taking advantage of my giving nature. Furthermore I don't like the idea of you touching me that way as 'punishment.' So back off! Capice?"
I turned back around, facing front and fumed silently. Where did this guy get the nerve, the unmitigated gall to…?
"I'm sorry."
I froze mid mental rant and turned to Stone. His jaw was clenched tightly; his eyes studiously on the road, never wavering. A pulse ticked in his jaw but other than that I couldn't see a speck of emotion displayed on his face.
"Huh? Uh, oh. Sure, okay." Not very convincing in my righteous indignation, now was I? I fiddled with the tie at the waist of my leather pants, suddenly out of my depth and not sure what to do about it. It's not like people apologize to me on a regular basis or anything. A hand reached over and stilled the motion of mine in my lap. I followed it to its handsome owner. His face was still blank, but his is eyes… his eyes were full of something I wasn't sure I wanted to name.
"I meant it, Jersey. I'm sorry. Forgive me?" He asked in earnest and stroked the back of my hand with his. I blinked in bewilderment and then gave him a miniscule nod in response. I felt his hand squeeze mine before resuming the hypnotic stroking motion. The ride to my parents' house that followed was the quietest one I had ever experienced as a bounty hunter…but definitely not the most uneventful.
Fifteen Minutes Later…
We pulled into the curb in front of the familiar row house with a squeal of tires. I saw movement at the front window behind ruffled curtains and I inwardly cursed. There were almost certainly Hail Mary's being muttered and serious genuflecting going on in there. It was probably too much to expect that my mother hadn't heard anything about my recent car debacle. The phone mostly likely had been doing the rumba since I left the police station. One thing you can say for the Burg, the speed of gossip was more reliable than the cable reception. Just ask my Dad.
I rubbed my temple in circular motions and waited for the eye tick to subside before addressing Stone. He was watching me with animation evident on his face.
"Okay. Here are the rules for entry into the Twilight Zone: Stick to simple answers when asked a question. Hell, being monosyllabic is highly encouraged. Don't give them any details about the accident and remember this one important word: denial, denial, denial. Got it?" I arched at him.
He chuckled at me and nodded as we exited the car. We started to unload the bags from the trunk after I grabbed Rex. My eyes were morbidly drawn back to the front window as I picked up a bag and turned towards the house. I don't know what I was expecting. The shadowy outline of the Bates Motel figure perhaps? I suddenly could kill for a Tums.
"Oh, come on, Jersey. It can't be as bad as all that!" Stone chortled as he lifted his three bags and pushed me towards the front stoop.
"You have no idea…" I muttered under my breath. I grabbed the door handle. Locked. Shit, this was worse than I thought. They never locked the door. The last time was after I was snatched by Abruzi's goons and branded like cattle. I knocked on the door frame and felt the eye twitch resume full throttle. As I heard footsteps loom closer to the door I turned to look at Stone over my shoulder.
"Oh, and don't get within three feet of my Grandma; Roman fingers." Heh heh. Let him wonder what that meant. Now both of us could be uneasy, I mused as I slapped a stupid grin on to face my mother's wrath.
To be continued in chapter 28…
Close Encounters of the Concrete Kind
By FlyingKit a.k.a. Christine
Note: STD disclaimers apply. I am a NON-PROFIT gal with no earthy thoughts, or heavenly for that matter, of making ANY kind of moola for this luverly little tale.
this is courtesy of Lynn and Karey's prompting. Thanks to Mo and all the ladies for being patient with me. To Marcie for making me fear and yet laugh at..Err..WITH her. And VERY special thanks to Ellie and her rapier whip err I mean wit. He heh.. She has 'branded" my bottom with her mark. No, not that. Dirty girls. lol hope you ladies enjoy. C.)
Chapter 28
"Oh, come on, Jersey. It can't be as bad as all that!" Stone chortled as he lifted his three bags and pushed me towards the front stoop.
"You have no idea…" I muttered under my breath. I grabbed the door handle. Locked. Shit, this was worse than I thought. They never locked the door. The last time was after I was snatched by Abruzi's goons and branded like cattle. I knocked on the doorframe and felt the eye twitch resume full throttle. As I heard footsteps loom closer to the door I turned to look at Stone over my shoulder.
"Oh, and don't get within three feet of my Grandma; Roman fingers." Heh heh. Let him wonder what that meant. Now both of us could be uneasy, I mused as I slapped a stupid grin on to face my mother's wrath.
I swore as the front door opened. It creaked ominously and thunder cracked in the distance. Ominous portent? Or too many burritos yesterday coupled with an overactive imagination?
I walked inside the foyer with Stone close on my heels. I maintained eye contact with my mother; my very silent mother. This was the very same woman who had never hesitated to withhold a judgmental word in the entirety of my thirty-odd-year lifespan. Today was a red-letter day, ladies and gents.
Once inside I realized Mom still held the door wide open with a thousand yard stare. I cleared my throat to jolt her back into action. As she shut it absentmindedly she appeared to study me, the perpetually bad daughter. Then she looked at the behemoth of masculinity I brought into her home and she paled.
I had followed all the action like a tennis spectator. By the time my mother was back to my face I realized she had noted the suitcases and hamster cage and had moved on to the productive activity of trembling and wringing her hands. I had silently counted as high as one hundred forty-seven when I realized she really wasn't going to say anything at all.
"Uh, Mom? Are you okay?"
In response she scurried into the kitchen, past the open ironing board and basket of laundry, still manhandling herself. I blinked twice like Bambi. It was then that I heard the telltale clink of tumbler against cooking sherry bottle. Oh, shit. Mom hadn't done that since Val had turned up pregnant with Kloughn spawn.
"Is your mother drinking in there, Jersey?" Stone inquired with a quirked eyebrow.
Grandma Mazur, a vision in pink velour sweat suit with the word 'juicy' emblazoned on the butt and purple jogging shoes, appeared out of nowhere and beat me to the punch.
"Don't mind her," she explained. "Ellen has been grouchy all day. I think it's the 'Change.' Every day you ignore the signs it just gets worse."
"Hi Grandma. Does…um, that is…uh…did anyone call…"I stuttered lamely.
"Yes, she heard about it already. Did you really set that criminal on fire, like Mrs. Giancatti said? She told us he went up like a burnt marshmallow. Is that true? Who-boy! Wait 'til the girls at Clara's hear about this one: my granddaughter, the human torch."
Grandma Mazur shook her head in disbelief, which evidently amused Stone. His shoulders were shaking, I suspected with silent laughter. I glared at him. All that activity must have finally made Grandma take notice of the new specimen of masculinity before her.
"And who's this hunk, Stephanie? My, oh my, you have a lot of muscles, young man. Dear me, you are lumpy all over. I wonder? Do they do all the way down?" Grandma uttered with a 'cat that ate the canary' grin pasted on.
Stone's laughter abruptly died.
Ha! Now he was gonna get it. Retribution, thy name is grandmother.
"This is Stone, Grandma. He's my coworker from Rangeman."
"Oh, he works for that Negro bounty hunter with the beatnik hair. You remember, Stephanie, the one with the nice package."
Stone burst into audible chuckles.
The laughter halted once again as Grandma Mazur reached out and touched Stone. Seeing that she was five-foot nothing and Stone was well over six foot eight, the highest she could reach was about waist level. Her hands made it as far up as his belt buckle; well, just below it actually.
"Hmm. Not that you have to worry about in that department either, Sonny. That's quite the gun you're packing there. Maybe you'd like to accompany me upstairs so we can compare weaponry. Mine is in my lingerie drawer."
Now it was my turn to laugh. That is until I heard the distinct sound of glass breaking in the kitchen. My mother rushed into the room, red faced, to find me still recovering from laughter and Grandma pulling Stone towards the stairs by his belt buckle with a startled expression on his face.
"Mother! Leave that boy alone!" Mom said as she peeled Grandma Mazur off Stone. Once freed he backed warily away to stand behind me.
"You never let me have any fun, Ellen," my grandma whined with a snort.
They proceeded to argue about that fact until Mom won by telling Grandma she would abscond with her 'secret' liquor stash in her bedroom closet if she didn't behave. That and the liquor store would be notified of her new status as a non-drinker; so no more late night deliveries to the back door. Grandma retired to the living room to indubitably annoy my father in some manner or another.
"I apologize for my mother's behavior, Mr. Stone. Please excuse her." My mother switched to a stage whisper. "She's a bit…different now in recent years."
"I heard that Ellen! I am not crazy. I can show you crazy," Grandma Mazur's voice floated in from the next room. I swear I heard my father mumble the words 'too late' under his breath. I exchanged a look with Stone as if to say 'I told you so.'
"That's perfectly all right, Mrs. Plum. I understand completely. My Nana Winston, God bless her soul, was the very same way: wonderful woman but a bit eccentric. And please call me Sean-Paul. My full name is Sean-Paul Tyler. I am so happy to finally meet the woman who is responsible for Stephanie's beauty," Stone flirted as he bent over my mother's now outstretched hand and placed a courtly kiss upon it.
My jaw dropped so far open I could have caught flies in it. No way my mother, the human bullshit detector, would buy this crock o'…
"Why, thank you Mr. Tyler!" My mother gushed and blushed prettily. It made her look ten years younger, almost girlish actually.
"I'm so happy to see that Stephanie is acquainted with such a gentleman. If only she could find someone as well-mannered as you to marry."
"Mom!" Now it was my turn to excuse my mother. "Sorry, Stone. She's a bit obsessed with nuptials since my sister got engaged."
"Nonsense, Stephanie! You know you have had such bad taste in men. Why, just look at that ex-husband of yours, Dickie. And Joe, while recently improved, was a bit too wild mannered for my tastes. Those Morellis are…"
"Sex fiends," Grandma finished from the next room.
My mother blushed but she didn't disagree. That's it; I better stop this while I could before…
I blinked, finally realizing that Stone had given my mother a name I had never heard before. What the hell?
"Well, speaking of relationships, I have been trying to get your daughter to agree to accompany me to an evening of dinner and dancing for weeks now. So far I have been unsuccessful." Stone managed to look sufficiently crestfallen at this horrible outcome and it had the desired effect.
"Well, I never! I'm sure Stephanie just didn't realize what you were asking. Isn't that right, Stephanie?"
When I tried to respond to that question my mother cut me off.
"I'm sure she would be delighted to be escorted by such a polite young man. Tell me Mr. Tyler, do you like Italian? You should take Stephanie to Rossini's. It has delightful food, for a restaurant anyway. Although if you are looking for a good home cooked meal you should stay for dinner this evening. We always have room at the table for Stephanie's new boyfriend."
Christ Almighty! At this rate she would have us married off with twins on the way by the end of the evening. I had to nip this one in the bud right now.
"Mom, I am not…"
She turned a look on me that would turn milk sour. For those of you that don't speak spoiled dairy, let me translate. The look said 'if you ever want cake in this house again you will go out with him!' Shit. I had lost the battle before it had even begun. I resigned myself to this fate with a groan and narrowed my eyes on Stone. He smirked at me from behind the relative safety of my mother.
"Now that that's settled, Mrs. Plum, would you mind taking me on a tour of your lovely home? Did you decorate this all yourself? It is really quite impressive…" Stone rambled.
I kept waiting for the hot air he expelled to lift him off the ground. He looped my mother's arm through his and escorted her out of the room. I caught the covert wink in my direction as they departed. They were chatting away merrily, building that wonderful rapport that future-in-laws only aspired to in fairy tales. Dear God, the horror.
"Is it safe?" a disembodied voice whispered.
"Huh? Oh, sure, Grandma, she went in the kitchen with Stone," I finally turned toward her and realized she was now standing next to me holding a red box in her hand. She had deposited it into mine before I could react.
"Here, you look like you'll need these. I've been saving them for a special occasion, but I think you'll find a use for them before I will. My date with Milty Ranston isn't until Wednesday."
I opened my palm and read the box: 'extra large with reservoir tip, ribbed for her pleasure.' Oh my God. Why me?
I shoved the unclean thing back at her, trying to hold down my lunch. The thought of Grandma Mazur with the local pharmacist… I shuddered.
"No! Err, that is I'm not seeing anyone right now, Grandma. Thanks anyway."
"Oh, I thought you and that stallion were…"
"No, we are not."
"Oh. That's a shame. I think it's a mistake to let such a big fellow go, dear. Oh well, just leave him to me. Maybe I should go put on that special underwear I bought with the rhinestone and strings. Think he'd like that? I'll just pop upstairs…"
It was like watching a train derail. This had to stop.
"Uh, Grandma, is my room still empty?"
She looked at my suitcases and smiled.
"I knew it. You burnt down your apartment, didn't you? "
"Oh course not. They are just…renovating my bathroom finally. I need somewhere to stay until it's finished."
No way was I telling my grandma I was evicted for suspicion of solicitation. She'd want me to put her to work.
I hauled Rex and my bags upstairs to my old room. As I set the last one on the bed, I sighed. I looked around the room slowly. Standing here surrounded by my childhood memorabilia I felt safe. It was nice to know that no one could take this from me at least.
Grandma Mazur came in soon after and offered to help me unpack. I declined politely. Past experience had taught me that the more risqué items of my unmentionables had a tendency to disappear when she helped me put things away. I refused to spend any time thinking about to where. Denial is the cornerstone of a healthy psyche.
Then it was off to the living room for an exciting evening of The Weather Channel with Dad and Grandma until dinner. 'These are the days of our lives.' It was no surprise that I was actually grateful to see my mother's figure arrive through the doorway.
"Stephanie, could you please set the table for dinner?" She smiled pleasantly as she said it too, total Stepford Mom.
Then she turned and left the room, I assume to return to cooking. As I proceeded to set the table with the company china I realized that Stone was following right behind me placing the silverware. I laid the last plate and twirled around.
"How did you do it? She never said one word about… the accident. I can't figure out what's going on here. Since the only thing different about this latest incident is that you were here to help me ride the tide…" I shook my head utterly flabbergasted as how to end that thought.
Stone pulled out a dining chair and sat down. Then he pulled me down by the waist into his lap so I sat sideways across his thighs. He tucked some hair behind my ear and smiled.
"Jersey, you just have to know how to spin something. Your mother worries about you and wants you happy. I just distracted her by giving her a little peace of mind. She just wants you find someone and fulfill those wishes. That's all she truly desires, you know; for you to be happy and safe."
"But it's not honest. I can't be what she wants me to be. It's just not in me. I'll never quit my job. I like the hours too much. Also it's not right to make her think I will settle down and have two point five kids with the whole white picket fence scenario. I don't know if I ever will be ready for that. Hell, it's not like I'm even dating anyone right now. It's mean to lie to her like that."
"What if it isn't a lie?" he asked solemnly.
"W-what do you mean?" I uttered in confusion. I should have known what was coming next from his sudden smile.
"Well, since we've been dating for so long now, perhaps it's time we take this to the next level. Should we set a date? Your grandmother could be your maid of honor. I bet she'd throw on hell of a bachelorette party."
"You are insane. That reminds me; I'm mad at you, mister. I can't believe you got my mother to force me to go on a date with you," I said as I tried to push off him. He grabbed my wrist before I got very far and placed a little kiss on the pulse there.
"I would you know. Marry you, that is." His solemn gray eyes never wavered from my face once in the full minute it took for me to get my breath back.
"Yeah right," I snorted suddenly uneasy with the conversation and squirmed in his lap. "I bet you say that to all the girls to guarantee a little action, huh?"
"No, I meant it. I have never said those words to any woman before in my life. I know it's too soon, but some day…"
"You. Are. Crazy." I punctuated each whispered word with a poke at his chest.
"Maybe, but I'm not legally certifiable yet, so the offer is still good in case you ever change your mind," he whispered before fluttering a quick kiss across my lips. I couldn't help it. I leaned into his chest and responded. The world dropped away and I felt a tingling in my thighs as I deepened the encore kiss. I moaned and tried to smother the sound against his lips so no one would hear. Stone reached down between our bodies and slowly drew out his…cell phone? What the…?
Stone grinned as he answered it. He must have realized that I didn't know the phone on his belt had been silently vibrating. I blushed and pushed out of his lap. Oh lord, how stupid of me. What the hell was I doing here? And in my parents house, too. How after school special. Ugh, damn those Mazur hormones.
I stood in the corner and rubbed my arms, trying to figure out to whom Stone was speaking. Have you ever tried to eavesdrop on a one-sided phone conversation? Yeah, well, so you know why I didn't learn very much except for the fact that Stone seemed concerned when he hung up. And I got that much from his frown.
"Where's the television?" was the first thing out of his mouth. All in all, not exactly what I was expecting after our previous conversation. I stood dumbfounded as he grabbed my arm and led me from the room.
To be continued in chapter 29…