Flicker, p.13
FLICKER, page 13
Poncy’s large Adam's apple bobbed up and down.
“Chestnut told me that you’re the issue. That you kissed Monday. I just want to know how much it would take to get you to go away.” Poncy stood there like I owed him money and an explanation.
“Pretty sure you broke into her place with her mother’s key when you were obviously not supposed to be there.” I was feeling violence rise up in me again.
“Is that what she told you? Monday has quite an imagination. Sometimes you just can’t believe her.” Poncy rocked back on his heels.
“You’re going to get out of my way. You can leave the way you came or in an ambulance.” I had to hold one fist with my other hand so I wouldn’t put this asshole in his place.
Poncy’s eyes widened. “Wow. Sorry, bro. I didn’t know you were hell-bent on getting in here.” He stepped to the side.
“I’m not your bro. Go do something else and stop talking. Especially about Monday.” I dug my key card out and waved it in front of the door.
“Ten thousand. Ten thousand dollars to walk away from her.” Poncy really didn’t know how to take a hint.
I ignored him. As I closed the door, he spoke up just before it slammed, “Twenty thousand!”
I tossed my keys and the key card onto the desk. That was a lot of freaking money. I tried not to picture my dad’s face in the hospital and failed.
I couldn’t do it, of course. Dad would hate it. I would hate it. Monday was worth everything, and more. I felt ashamed that my brain did the finance math anyway.
If he was shouting twenty grand, chances were, I could get him to fifty grand, all for the simple act of walking away from a beautiful, hot, kind lady.
CHAPTER 25
BEAR
Monday was all over my place and I loved it. Even though she was back at her apartment, I could still feel her here.
She was a great distraction from making a decision about Hanning Electric and whether or not I wanted to take on the business once my dad retired.
With her gone, I had to make some real choices. It wasn’t fair to make my father wait. If he was finally considering the cushy life with Mom, I wanted him to be able to swing into that as soon as possible. I was half-angry with myself for leaving him on the hook for as long as I had already. Dad needed a stress-free life.
I looked around my apartment, stacked with projects and half-finished dreams. What other options did I have, really?
Instead of worrying, I basked in the glow of having had Monday. After seeing her all that time ago, she had blown my mind. She was a caring, fun lover, and I really, really was looking forward to our next date. This coming weekend was the gala, so that would have to happen first.
Packing for the gala weekend was really all about my tools and equipment and notes. I packed a few all-black outfits and some casual clothes so I could blend in no matter where I had to go. Thursday night was go time, and despite Monday wanting to do a video appearance, she’d begrudgingly agreed to appear for the auction. That meant she was going with me again. Instead of staying with Radia, though, she was bunking in my hotel room.
I made sure to include a nice handful of condoms, even though I knew we would both be busy. When I picked her up at her apartment, she was already waiting in the parking lot. She had a suitcase and a garment bag on a hanger.
“Hey, beautiful. Need a ride?” I hopped out of my truck to get her stuff.
“What kind of ride?” She was flirting and I was down.
“Any kind you want. Your wish is my command, gorgeous.” I held her door open, stopping myself from kissing her because of where we were located. I still needed the facade of being on the up and up business wise.
Once we had cleared the parking lot, I took advantage of the first red light to lean over for a kiss.
She wrapped her hand around my head and extended the kiss until after the light turned green. The car behind us honked twice before we separated.
“What are your events this weekend?” I eased onto the highway.
She was holding her phone, checking emails. “According to the schedule Mrs. Nutwell sent out, we have a meet and greet with the bidders before the gala, and we can answer any questions they have there. Then we have the gala itself which will have the auction. Later, we have the after-gala breakfast, but I don’t think I want to go to that. What about you?”
I squinted one eye as I tried to visualize my plan. “Well, I have to go over the connections of any light work that was installed this weekend. I want to upload and run the program I designed a few times tonight, just so I can see if there are any bugs or things I missed. Mostly, I’ll be working on my own projects while Burnie and the crew handle the outdoor lighting and making sure that the hotel can take the amount of wattage we’ll be pulling this weekend. There’s always something we miss. I’m just trying to tell the future.” I reached over and held her hand. She squeezed mine back.
“That’s good. Let me know if you need any help. I brought my portfolio to be shown during the auction. It’s the same as all the pictures I sent to you via email, but I have them for backup if we need them.” She pulled her hair over her shoulder.
“Better to be safe than sorry. Hopefully, I’ll have everything up and running with no problems.” I focused on the road. “Do we have a plan for Poncy?”
I’d skirted around the topic in text messages, but I wanted a review in person here.
“Ignore, ignore. I think that’s best for my whole family. After the stress of the gala auction is over, I’ll investigate mending things with my family. This weekend I made a commitment, and I plan on seeing it through. They know it’s my last one. So, as far as I’m concerned, they have the information and I just need to give my spiel and paint a session for someone.” She let out a big sigh that made me believe that she still had quite a great deal on her mind. “Thanks for not selling me out to Poncy, by the way,”
“I’m sorry that’s a sentence you ever had to say. That man is a jackhole. I’d happily hit him again if you need me to.” I flexed my hand into a fist.
“I’ll let you know. I can’t promise I won’t punch him in the mouth when I see him.” She also wrapped her hand in a fist.
“Can’t damage the assets there.” I pointed at her hands with my pinky.
“My boobs?” She pointed at her breasts.
“Well, those, too, but I meant your hands. You need those to do your art and teach your kids.” I reached over and covered her fist with my hand. “You interested in the diner for tonight’s dinner?”
“Oh, you really enjoyed my old high school haunt.” She seemed tickled. “Let’s do it.”
* * *
After we were sitting in the same booth as last time, I took her hand. “Are you comfortable with this weekend? Do you have any concerns?”
I wanted to know how she was approaching this event. Seeing her family and Poncy’s family had to be giving her stress.
She closed her eyes for a few seconds before responding. “Yeah. I don’t know. Part of me wants to make a huge scene and make my mother regret everything she’s done. And part of me just wants to be done. I mean, she put Poncy above me. It’s really going to be hard for her to redeem herself in my eyes.” Her eyes filled with tears.
“That’s her loss, Monday. You’re an amazing daughter.” I rubbed my thumbs on her hands. She took one away to use the napkin from the dispenser on the table to dab at her eyes. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
She tucked the napkin into her purse and shook her head. “No, it’s okay. I really should try to lay out what I expect to happen. I know Mom pretty freaking well.”
Our server interrupted to take our meal order. After repeating our meal from last time, we had the space to talk again.
“I know your auction offering is top billing. They have it listed in the biggest font in the lighted case in the lobby.”
“Yeah. They’re hitting the ‘last one’ drum pretty hard. I think they’re hoping it will bring more money in.” Our server dropped off water and our shakes.
“Will they do it first or last?” I was trying to remember the brochure that I had perused.
“Oh, last. They always make me go last. They hint at it all night.”
“Like a surprise superstar.”
She gave me a soft smile. “Yeah, just like that.”
“So what else will you be required to do?” While monitoring the lights and effects, I fully intended on keeping an eye on Monday as well.
“I’ll have to talk up some of the big donors, and I usually take a picture with any previous auction winners that happen to be attending.” She stirred her water with the straw.
“And Poncy?” I had no idea what his role was in this event.
“He should keep his distance. Especially if he wants people to think we’re still together. If you weren’t working, I’d pull you out on the dance floor and out him as a liar.” She rolled her eyes.
“Hey, I can get a fifteen-minute break. If you need that, we’ll do it.” I liked the idea of claiming her in front of all the fancy folk.
“I’ll consider it, for sure. Mom would die. Mrs. Nutwell would pass out.” She smiled at the thought.
“Seems like a good option then.” I tucked into my burger almost as soon as it was set down.
After we finished our meal, I paid and we headed out. “Do you want to go to the hotel and check in? I can drop you off before I get started on running things over at the NBCC.”
She put her seatbelt on. “That would make sense. I can take out my dress and make sure it doesn’t need to be steamed. My family will be having their pre-gala fight, as is tradition, so I don’t mind missing out on that.”
“Okay. Will they actually get in a brawl?” Her family was so different from the way I was raised.
“Not usually. Most of the time there are broken plates and tossed art pieces. Slammed doors. It’s rare that they actually come to putting hands on each other. Mom will yell, my father will sulk, and my sisters will rage.” Monday seemed tired of it all. Just knowing her like I did now, fighting didn’t seem like it was her default setting.
“When will you see them first then?” I wanted to make sure I was close when that happened.
“When I get to the gala tomorrow. My mother will tell me my gown is wrong and my makeup is flat. I’d bet money on it.” Monday unbuckled as we pulled into the check-in loop at the hotel.
She leaned over and gave me a lingering kiss. The things I could dream up to do with her in that hotel room flooded my mind. We ended the kiss and I got out to get her bags and mine. After we checked in, I was getting nervous about missing the meeting. I set our belongings on the rolling cart.
“Go. It's okay. I don’t want you to be late.” She kissed me again and started pushing the cart toward the elevator.
It would be fine. It’s a nice hotel. But I couldn’t place the sinking feeling that I was getting. I swallowed it and turned my back on her.
CHAPTER 26
MONDAY
It took me a few tries to line the large luggage cart up with the opening on the elevator. When I was inside, I shimmied alongside it to press the third-floor button. I could’ve sworn the button gave me the tiniest of zaps.
Oh no. Not my old frenemy, electricity. I recognized that it had been nice to me lately. Maybe a little too nice. I hadn’t even had any real powerful static electricity jolts this year.
I eyed the illuminated buttons. They flashed once. Then the whole elevator went dark in the blink of an eye. Before I could scream, the lights were back on. After a slow turning of gears, the elevator seemed to want to head back down to the lobby. I hit the number three again.
The elevator ground to a halt and then reversed directions. It delivered me safely to the third floor. I stared at it as I pushed my cart out.
It was a warning. The small scare to remind me who was in charge, who was always in charge. Even if I was dating an electrician. If I could give it a sacrifice to acknowledge that it could make me its bitch whenever it wanted, I would’ve done so.
Instead, I just used my key card to open up the hotel door.
Things would be fine. The electricity would mind its business, my mother wouldn’t tackle scream when she saw me tomorrow, and my painting session would be my last, uneventful experience raising money for the Hartford Greens Country Club.
I was willing this into reality. Manifesting it. I looked around the room and noticed that all the outlets looked like a set of eyes with matching, shocked mouths. There were a lot of them. More than normal? I would say so. Odd heights. Also yes.
Shaking off the feeling that those ever-open O mouths were singing the Jaws theme, I unzipped my suitcase and started to unpack. Being distrustful of electricity for sure put me in a tough spot.
After I hung my gala dress in the bathroom, I set the water in the shower to blisteringly hot and closed the door. A good ten minutes in a makeshift steam room would make the wrinkles from travel fall right out. I had a pile of papers to grade for school, so I set them on the desk.
I should have a few hours in a peaceful hotel room to knock out a few grades. Everything was good. Fine. Boring.
* * *
BEAR
For some reason, the lights around Monday’s advertisement refused to work properly. Every other auction had a little cubby set up in the lobby highlighting what was included in the prize that was up for grabs.
Monday’s beautiful face and the lights around her portfolio screen were giving me the business. The iPad that was scrolling through previous winners’ portraits flashed on and off, dividing the screen into triangles while it did so. I checked the connections, the code, and the batteries. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I bypassed the battery issue using an extension cord to connect the iPad to constant electricity instead of depending on the batteries inside.
After a few more checks, Monday’s cubby finally stopped being a problem. This cursed by electricity thing was not something I was too concerned about. But this whole iPad and light debacle was giving me pause. I mean, I believed that Monday thought that electricity had it out for her, but having worked with it for so many years, I found it hard to believe. I think she was just surrounded by incompetent adults that let her down supervision-wise.
The NBCC was super busy as it was turned into a winter wonderland. There were artsy snowmen and my falling snowflakes. Well “falling” snowflakes. I had them light up in a pattern that mimicked tumbling, dancing precipitation.
I made a few more notes and then stashed my tools and equipment where Burnie and his crew had theirs.
“See you in the morning, Bear, bright and early.” Burnie gave me a parting handshake.
It was going to be a big day. I didn’t see any Nutwells or any of Monday’s family. When I mentioned it to her upon arriving back at the hotel room, she was not surprised.
“Oh, today is a huge pre-party day. There will be spa visits and colonics, fasting and cold sculpting. A little Botox, too.”
Her black dress was hanging on the closet door and she had on leggings and a tank top.
“Did you finish grading your papers?” I started peeling off my clothes. I wanted to grab a quick shower before I grabbed her.
“Yes. I got that done. What time do you have to leave in the morning?” She stood and leaned against the doorframe like I was putting on a show.
“I have to be at the job site by five-thirty. It’s going to be a long day.” I unbuckled my belt and slid the leather off.
Monday bit her knuckle while she watched.
“Everything okay?” I set the belt down on the chair.
“No problem at all.” She tilted her head.
“Mind if I grab a shower?” I thumbed over my shoulder toward the bathroom.
“Mind if I join you in a few?” She pointed in the direction I was planning on heading.
“That would be my pleasure. And yours.” I dropped my pants and headed to get the water started.
I opened the glass door and slid in. Once I was clean, Monday’s silhouette appeared on the other side of the steamy shower door.
I pushed on it to open it up. Monday had a chill as she stepped in and I grabbed her hips to steady her. “Careful, the tile’s slippery.”
Shower sex was dangerous and seemed like it would be great but ultimately resulted in bruises and pulled tendons, but shower foreplay? That made a man believe in miracles.
Seeing her soaped up and in the full light was what daydreams were made of. My male brain growled in approval. I wanted to touch all of her soft skin at once. My hands were greedy, grabbing a handful of breasts and then wanting to slip farther south. Once Monday was almost useless, I reached over and turned off the water. The orgasm I was planning on giving her needed to have a sturdy, safe place to lay her down.
After she swayed at the loss of my touch, I offered her my hand. Instead, she grabbed my erection. “Lead the way.”
In a clumsy shuffle, I got her to one of the two queen beds. “The sex bed.” I lifted her by her hips and tossed her gently onto the mattress.
She laughed as she bounced, her wet hair plastering itself on her chest like a scrolling design. I ran my hand from her hip to her knee, watching her leave her inhibitions behind. She let her legs fall open and I died.
This gorgeous woman, revealing her most sensitive places to me, hit me hard. I touched myself while she did the same. When her hand started moving too aggressively for my liking, I nuzzled my way between her legs. She started moving counterclockwise underneath me, and at first I was confused, but then I got it. Monday used the leverage of the bed to get her mouth around my dick while I had my mouth on her.
And then we were battling to stay focused on our task while the other person used all the skills they had.
We were as close to simultaneous orgasm as two humans could be. When I fell, I made sure to go to my side so I wouldn’t crush her. I shifted so that both of our heads were hanging off the end of the bed.
