Page 11 of After Midnight

“Ah, fuck you,” Payton grunted. “You’re going to be the one needing help. You’re a dead man walking.”

“Motherfucker,” Sex-on-a-stick spat. “You don’t know me, and you don’t know when I’m going to die. But I tell you what, you keep running off at the mouth like that andyourdeath date is going to come quick. Much quicker than mine, and I’ll be sure to sign your death certificate myself.”

“You’re right,” Payton laughed with pain etched into each syllable, as he continued to grasp the hole in his leg where his intact knee used to be. “I don’t know you, but I’m going to get to know yourealsoon. You just wait till Victor hears about this.”

Sex-on-a-stick chuckled and then stomped his heel down onto the ankle of Payton’s wounded leg. The crunch made by the collision caused me to turn my head and shut my eyes as Payton screamed a high, ear-piercing sound.

“I wonder ifVictorheard that? Huh? What you think?”

I never knew of Payton to cry until this moment.

“Ladies,” I heard Sex-on-a-stick call out. “Go into the backroom.”

I felt a soft hand on my shoulder and opened my eyes. Jeanette had wrapped her arm around me and together we ran into the backroom and shut the door. I jogged to the middle of the room and spun on my heels. Jeanette had her back against the door, and her eyes were as wide as mine felt. Neither one of us moved, as we heard the muffled sounds of moans, grunts and furniture as it moved across the floor. Frozen in place, we stayed put even as we heard the sound of the bell above the front door as it jingled. A moment later, a soft knock on the backroom door caused us to get ourselves in motion as Jeanette opened it. Sex-on-a-stick was there on the side of the door and in a grand gesture, waved us through. There were blood splotches on the floor, shards of marble from the table swept into a pile in the corner, and a few chairs displaced, but other than that, no other signs of a struggle as the three men were gone.

My jaw dropped to the floor. “I’ve got to stop calling you Sex-on-a-stick,” I heard myself say.

“Come again?” He asked as he came up beside me.

I turned my head and stared at him. “Whoareyou?”

“My name is Dustin Munoz. I’m the undefeated number one fighter in the world.”

“You’re hired!” Jeanette blurted out and came up on my left.

“Jeanette,” I gasped. “You already hired him.”

“Right,” she said and placed her index finger on her chin. We both continued to look at the scene in front of us. “You’re hired again,” she repeated and a smile as big as a canyon formed on her face.

“I can’t,” I protested and shook my head. “I can’t. I thought you were just passing through?”

“You’re right,” the man formerly known as Sex-on-a-stick and now going by Dustin agreed. “Besides, I don’t have a place to stay.”

“Dream has plenty of room,” Jeanette responded.

“Jeanette!” I gasped.

“That’s very kind of you, Jeanette,” Dustin said with a laugh. “But I just wanted to learn how to make eclairs. You were so gracious in showing me that this morning, and giving me the experience of serving customers, but it’s probably best if I move on now.”

“I think so too,” I agreed with a nod.

“Nonsense,” Jeanette declared. “You’re hurt, and Dream has plenty of room. You stay with her for a while and rest up until you’re healed. You can always move along any time you want. But for now,” she said and passed by me. She settled in front of him and placed both of his hands in hers and continued. “You’ll stay with her. Besides, we have so many more sugary delights to show you how to prepare and make, how could you possibly leave?”

Dustin and I made eye-contact and my face grew hot. My body became as warm as the oven we used to make those sugary delights Jeanette told him about.

“I’d love to stay with you, Dream.” His voice was so deep and masculine, I began to tingle.

“Okay,” I whispered.

“Oh, yeah. One more thing.” He separated himself from Jeanette and walked to me. He reached out, clasped my hand and opened my fingers. Inside my palm, he placed a thick wad of money. “Those guys forgot to pay you for your damages. Here you go. It’s an even two thousand.”

I wanted to look at the money he pressed into my palm. I wanted to tell him how much trouble could be coming our way thanks to what had happened moments before. I wanted to say anything, but I couldn’t. All I could do, was nod my head and gaze into his deep, dark brown eyes. I wanted to speak, but the words were caught in my throat. His touch had set the nerve endings in my skin on fire.

#

ICLOSED MY EYES ANDinhaled a slow, steady breath. I exhaled even slower and when my lungs were emptied, I opened my eyes and placed the key in the lock. My home was a one-bedroom style ranch house set on a half-acre of land. There was a huge kitchen, generous living room, a large dining area and a snug garage. The building was rectangular shaped, and I had surrounded it with a modest garden with mostly grass and a few small trees. It was built with brown stones and had tan brick decorations. Inside, my motif was earth tones, from the furniture to the flooring to the walls. Deep browns with splashes of green and blues with the occasional yellow mixed in to set me at peace every time I stepped through the door.

Dustin was behind me, but his heat had surrounded and enveloped me. His presence was overwhelming. I fingered the key for a second and then turned it, feeling the latch give way until the familiar click sounded. I opened the door and stepped through, with Dustin behind me as I trembled. With a wave of my hand I ushered him in and hoped he wouldn’t notice how much it shook as it glided through the air.

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