Page 263 of Mayhem and Minnie

Do I have a maid fetish?

I think so. I don’t know where that comes from, though, since we never had any maids growing up—at least none I personally knew.

Maybe I just have a Minnie Maid fetish. Yeah, that sounds about right.

“You know what I mean.” I chuckle. “Your body temperature is off the charts—which by the way, is amazing. You’re so warm and cute and cuddly,” I murmur as I glance at her.

“That’s how you’d describe a pet,” she mumbles, giving me a death stare.

“Well…”

“Don’t say it, Marlowe,” she threatens. “Don’t you dare call me your pet again.”

“I wasn’t.” I pout. “Well, not a pet exactly. You’re my cuddly companion,” I say with a wink. “That I also kiss.” I sneak in a kiss on her cheek. “And whom I also hug to my chest when I sleep. Actually…” I stop when it dawns on me. “You’re more like my own teddy bear.”

She narrows her eyes at me.

Did I say anything wrong?

“Teddy bears are cute. Although you don’t look exactly like a bear. Maybe a little cat? A cute, tiny, cuddly cat?”

“As in a pet?” She raises a brow.

“Minnie! You’re not listening. It’s a plushie not a pet.”

She glares at me.

“Warm, cute, tiny, and cuddly,” she repeats. “That’s how you see me?”

“Don’t forget beautiful and smart and sometimes annoying, but that’s only when you don’t wash your clothes or shower regularly. And you’ve improved a lot since you moved in with me, so it’s not very often that I find myself annoyed with you anymore. Although… You left your clothes from yesterday on the floor of the van and I had to put them in the laundry basket. You must be careful,” I drone on, becoming very excited about getting a hotel room and doing laundry.

“Weirdo,” Minnie mutters, but her lips are curved up in a smile.

I wink at her.

The traffic is intense as we enter downtown. There’s a procession of cars that won’t end, and loud music blares from speakers all over the block.

I frown and poke my head out the window to look.

Despite it being so late and dark, there are lights everywhere. A hundred or so feet away, the traffic is only allowed to proceed right or left. The road up ahead is blocked, with police cars and officers monitoring everything.

“What is it?” Minnie asks as she strains to see.

“I think it’s some festival,” I say.

Behind the police barricade, I note a crowd in costumes, dancing around and moving up the restricted block.

“A festival?” Her eyes sparkle. “I’ve never been to a festival before.”

“Not even in your own world?”

She shakes her head.

“We have some formal parties where everyone important gathers, but I wouldn’t call it a festival. It’s more like…a business meeting.”

“Business meeting for what?”

She bites her lip.

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