Page 54 of Maid in America

“You know it.”

He readjusted the bag and stared at her for a moment.

“Thank you for letting me crash at your place.”

“No sweat.”

“And thank you for…allof this.” She motioned back to her now-empty apartment. “I wish I had some cash to give you.”

“All good. I needed the practice. This was some great on-the-job training.”

“Well, damn, I should have had you do this dressed as a slutty dark angel in a speedo and nipple clamps or something.”

“Whatever you do, don’t say that to my boss, or else it’ll end up as a drop-down option on the website, for God’s sake. Cleaning in feather wings... I take back what I said earlier…that’smy damnednightmare.”

Chastity laughed and rose to her tiptoes, wrapping her hands around the back of Barrett’s neck to pull him down. She kissed him, long and soft, and he kissed back, cherishing the feel of her lips, her tongue.

She pulled away, eyes fixated on him for a moment before releasing his head from her hands. “Call me sometime?”

He started to walk down the hall, dragging the heavy sack on the carpet behind him. “No can do. Somebody lied about her number.”

“Fuck.” She slapped her forehead. He was right.

“But,” he chuckled, “you know where I live and how to find me.”

“I do.”

He grinned over his shoulder. “See you around, Aphrodite.”

20

Barrett awakened from hisnap to a chirping cell phone beneath his ribcage, tearing him from his dream about Chastity, naked and bent over her newly-scoured stove, being fucked from behind by him so hard that her screams of pleasure would surely have gotten her evicted.

He looked at his boner and groaned, snatching up the phone and looking at the row of text notifications, all from Will Jessup.

He struggled to focus on the tiny font, muscles aching from two straight days of scrubbing.

WILL: Nussbaum might be in love with you.

WILL: She called and raved about you this morning. Said you did a hell of a job. Shecame by with a big cash tip. I’ll give it to you tomorrow at the office.

WILL: Good work, man. Proud of you. Thanks for taking the emergency call.

Barrett smiled, remembering the events of the night before. He thought about Mrs. Nussbaum’s joyous laughter, the way Chastity took care of the woman, the exchange of heated glances and shy smiles as they cleaned together.

Then, he thought about the green and purple smudges on her cheeks, about the boy scrambling for his ugly ass shoes, about the torn wrapper, and the look of embarrassment on Chastity’s face.

Jealousy twisted within him again.

That little piss-ant didn’t deserve to be inside of her. He wondered if the little twerp made her cum anywhere as hard as Barrett had just days before.

Before his mind could wind any further down the rabbit hole, another text alert chimed.

WILL: I called the bridal boutique. They said you still haven’t had your tux fitted yet? I told him there must have been a mistake because my best man wouldn’t be putting shit off until the last minute. Otherwise, I’d have to kick his ass.

Barrett winced.

They had not been mistaken. The more Ava had begged him to do it, the harder he seemed to procrastinate the task.

---