Page 144 of Bride of Choice

Setting me down on my feet and motioning for me to wait, he walked over to a fat stump and wiggled his fingers around beneath one of the thick roots. A pop sounded and the stump opened like a hatch. Lifting the false stump, Rek motioned me over.

“In,” he ordered.

“Does it get something if it’s a good little girl and puts the lotion on its skin?” I muttered, leaning forward to peek down into the dark abyss below. “You go in first,” I muttered hesitantly.

“Rek close. Jojo in first,” he insisted.

“Fuck it. I’ve followed your dumb ass into worse idiocy,” I sassed, grinning when he snarled softly, trying to muffle it, as I made my way down the steps leading into who the fuck knew where.

“Didn’t wanna spring for any light?” Standing at the bottom of the steps in the dark, I wrapped my arms around myself.

I released the breath I didn’t realize I was holding as the hatch closed and Rek made his way down the steps.

Reaching out for him, I felt around for his shoulder, then, grabbing it, punched him as hard as I could.

“OW! What that for?!” Rek barked.

“You really wanna get into it, right here, right now? You know what you did, bitch.” Glaring in his direction in the dark, the urge to hit him again hit me.

“Not ‘sposed to mate Odix!” Rek burst out.

“You practically threw me at him!” I shot back.

“Joanie not say she not want caught with Rek?! Not want Rek force my Jojo?! Rek no force! Rek leave!”

“By throwing me to the wolves!” I gave in an punched him again.

“No hit! Rek no say rub Odix penis all over Jo- OW! No pinches!” he snapped, grabbing my hand, then the other, until he’d wrestled my hands to my stomach, his arms wrapped around me, pinning me in place.

“You little bitch boy!” I snarled at him, growling when he anticipated my next attack and lifted me up so my legs were left pinwheeling in the air. “I’ll pinch your nipples right off ya!” I threatened as he gave up trying to calm me down as he carried me, raging pissed and raring to fight, deeper into the darkness.

The second I heard water and felt warmth hitting my face, I knew.

“You made a new entrance.” My heart stuttered in my chest.

“Wait. Rek leave lights off, ‘case someone finds.”

As he lit small lanterns around the room, I gaped at the miles and piles of crap strewn about everywhere. Pool noodles, keychains, was that one of those donuts you sit on after hemorrhoid surgery?

“What is all this shit?” I breathed.

Tubes of plastic wrap and boxes of condoms crowded his side of our love nest’s bed.

The space looked very lived in since I’d abandoned it.

Grabbing a piece of paper, he walked it over to me. It looked like that old receipt I’d found stuffed into my purse. The thing was as long as a blind shade for a sliding glass door.

“I made you an actual list?” I blurted, recognizing my scrawl, if rather sloppy.

“Say Rek want Joanie,” he tapped the paper as he handed it over, “Rek get things.”

Reading the long and rather insane list, I glanced from him to the paper. “It says rainbow pasta, six.”

Rek motioned to the stack of fat pool noodles gathered. “Booger say these hued-man noo-dels. He watch in movie with Jojoknee.” With a huffy puff, he muttered, “Rek no see noo-dels movies with Jojo.”

“Because you refused to come with me to my place! I ended up taking Booger, if you’ll recall,” I burst out.

Prattling off items on the list, he pointed to each one. Prince Charming, he’d taken to mean a frog prince doll. I hoped some child somewhere wasn’t looking for that.

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