By DocPaul
Chapter
Eight: Delusional versus dementia…
“Are
you going to talk to me at all?”
Michael’s
jaw flexed, but he remained silent. Kyle shook his head and stared out the
window of the car. Typical. Morning traffic was already starting to filter out
onto the highways, and though it was just shy of the first early morning rush,
it was increasing enough to force Michael to concentrate on the road. Stealing a
glance at his stepbrother, he noticed immediately that Kyle’s dark hair was
longer than usual as it brushed against his collar, and he was wearing an
expensive leather jacket, but the leather was scuffed up and scarred.
“You
broke into my home. What the hell do you want me to say?”
“Man,
it wasn’t like that! I waited a long time for you to come home.”
Michael
shook his head and keenly cut another motorist off to the blare of horns. “You
had my cell phone number. You didn’t use it.” Michael looked at Kyle, their
brown eyes meeting. “Why didn’t you go to Jim and Serena’s?”
“You
know why.” Kyle pushed the advantage
he knew he would work on his big stepbrother. “I just need a place to flop for
a little while. Yeah, I thought you might let me in, knowing how my relationship
is with my dad, but guess you agree with him so I’m on the outside again.”
Michael
gave Kyle a look of disgust. “Don’t push it, Kyle. Don’t use my feelings
and relationship with my own parents to stress yours. We aren’t in the same
situation.”
“So
this means you’re going to dump me too?”
Michael
sighed. “No. You can stay.” Michael pulled into his own driveway and before
he could get out of his car, a police patrol unit appeared. “Great,” said
Michael seeing a patrolman coming to talk to him. “You can stay, but any more
breaking and entering or anything not above the up and up, you’re gone.”
“Sure,
I’ll be a good boy, Mikey.”
Michael
snorted as he got out of his car to talk to the approaching cop, reaching for
his wallet. “Right. That’ll be the day.” Michael looked in on his brother.
“You can start by getting a job and replacing the window you smashed.”
“A
job?,” said Kyle, horrified.
“Yeah,
a job. That pesky event that happens
in most people’s lives from time to time. It’s how they get their money.”
Kyle
sat back and groaned. Sure it was.
~~~
Maria
was making another pot of coffee when Tess finally dragged herself into the
kitchen. Giving Maria an evil glare, she put her head down on her arms at the
kitchen bar. “Do not tell me that you drank an entire pot of coffee
already.”
Maria
waved her cup at Tess. “Yep. And I did some work downstairs. I’m going to
make another pot, and then I’m going to go shower.”
“Where
is Lover Boy?” Tess asked in a singsong voice.
“Michael?”
Maria giggled at Tess’s name for Michael. “He had to leave. Someone broke
into his house last night.”
“Oh,
why the hell didn’t I think of
that?” Tess said as she yawned. “I would’ve burnt his damn house down if
it would’ve gotten him out of here sooner so I could finally get some
sleep.”
“Oh,
did we keep you up?” asked Maria mildly.
“Don’t
even start with me, Mar. You damn well know that all that howling, screaming and
screeching was going to keep me awake, aroused, and frustrated.”
Maria
smiled, but at least tried to give her roommate a sympathetic glance. “Sorry,
Tessie. He is kind of loud.”
“Loud?
Him? I was talking about you!
Jungle Maria and Michaelzan. Hell. I almost called 911, because I was sure
he was killing you with his dick.”
“Oh,
nice one.” Maria poured Tess a cup of coffee. “Need I remind you of Raoul?”
Tess
laughed. “Oh, my spicy meatball! He was fun.”
“Uh
huh. I couldn’t sleep for at least two months, and when you add him
terrorizing me by running around the place in a thong flexing his man meat at
me…I think you have no cause to complain. That man damn near made me join a
convent.”
“Fine.”
Tess dumped half a pound of sugar in her coffee and some cream. “Rub that in
my face. At least he’s gone for now.”
“He’s
coming back for breakfast.” Maria sipped her coffee serenely as Tess made a
gagging noise.
“Fine,
then I’m going to soak my curls and hit the books…at the library. Maybe I
can get in a nice nap.”
Maria
started searching for blueberries and other items for pancakes. “By the way,
have you seen Jinxy? She didn’t come out for breakfast.”
“She’s
sleeping on my bed. Guess the noise kept her up last night too.”
Maria
stuck her tongue out at Tess. “Will you be gone all day?”
“All
day and then some. I’ve got test block coming again. Amazing how fast the
weeks fly.” Tess took her coffee. “I’m off to soak my head and drown
myself in the shower.”
Maria
smiled to herself as she opened the morning paper.
~~~
Michael
checked his pockets and reattached his watch. “Look, Kyle, the glazer is
coming at ten. You can be here, right?”
“Where
else do I have to go?” Kyle said sourly. Michael sighed. “Look, just go. I
can take care of it. Really, it’s my fault. I broke the glass.”
“Okay,
I’m on sites today.” Michael looked at his watch. “If you need anything
call my cell. I probably won’t be home tonight, or not until late, so…”
“Oh,
yes. The fiancée.” Kyle threw himself down on the sofa. “Deana, Darla or
something.”
“Daphne,
and no. We broke up. This is someone new.”
Kyle
stared at Michael. “How do you keep doing that? I thought your reputation
would be for crap in this town.”
“I’m
working on it.” Michael smiled wryly. “Hey! Imagine that. Something you
can’t accuse me of being perfect at.”
“Shocking.”
Kyle picked up an object and stared at it. “I’ll pay you back. You know
that, right?”
“Sure.”
The room was quiet between the two of them. “Kyle, you can stay, but I don’t
want any drugs in my house, and no parties. If you’re still using, then you
need to take it somewhere else.”
“No.
I’m clean. I swear.” Kyle tried to keep himself from being angry. He needed
to be here, and pissing off the big bad brother wasn’t going to do anything
but get his ass tossed. “I still play the horses and stuff, but I’ve been
cleaning up on the alcohol and the other stuff.”
“Don’t
make me regret trusting you. If you want a job, let me know. You worked
construction in the summers in high school, I could find you a crew to work
with.”
“I’ll
let you know. I just need a place to hang low until I can get together some
scratch. I’ve got a real good deal coming.” Michael refrained from
commenting on another of Kyle’s get rich quick schemes.
Michael
started to leave, but he stopped. “You should call your dad.” Michael
noticed the face Kyle was about to make, and he forestalled him. “I know. None
of my business, but honestly, Kyle, he worries about you and he misses you.”
Kyle
nodded. Watching Michael leave, he ran his hands through his brown hair. The
anxiety in his brown eyes was accentuated by the strain on his face. The natural
humor and joy of life that once was part of a young boy so long ago was
completely buried in the man. Kyle reached for the phone, but held back. Closing
his eyes he rested his head in his hands. What the fuck was he doing? This was
going to be bad. Real bad.
Unfortunately,
it had always been in Kyle’s nature to find ways to shift blame, to excuse
away the countless times he got in trouble. This would be just another one. He
wasn’t really hurting anyone. One time. He was through, and it would be okay.
He’d make it up to Michael.
Picking
up the phone, he dialed a number from a piece of paper.
“This
is Kyle.”
“About
time Valenti. I was beginning to think you were welching on our deal.”
“I
pay my debts.” Kyle closed his eyes. “I’m in. What’s the information you
need?” Kyle wrote down the name and required information. “After this, my
debt is cleared, right?”
“Of
course. Have it by tonight.”
The
dial tone was prominent in his ear, and at first he didn’t realize what it
was. “Wait!” Kyle swore at the phone. “Great. What if I can’t find it by
tonight?” Tossing the phone across the room, he sat back in the chair rubbing
his face.
~~~
“Heyyyy!
There’s my girl!” Maria reached down and lifted the cat onto her lap.
“Where have you been, Ms. Jinx? I was worried you got out again.” Maria
stood up to feed her cat, rubbing her face against Jinxy’s fur, as Jinxy’s
purring increased. “How’s my pretty girl? Did all that noise scare you?”
Maria
sat down again at the kitchen bar and stroked Jinxy as she ate. The knock on the
door made her heart slam in her chest. No panic attack. That was good. Very
good. Maybe she was riding out the worst of it. This might actually come out
okay. It felt okay. It felt better than okay.
Opening
the door, she stood staring at Michael who was dressed in a work shirt and old
tight jeans with a leather jacket. From zero to sixty in less than a minute.
Hot
air, it ran over them despite the air conditioning, but it was cool in
comparison to the temperature of their skin as their lips met. Michael tasted
like toothpaste and mouthwash, with a faint sharp taste that was all Michael.
Coffee. It was all distracting to Maria as her slender fingers, ran through his
hair and around his neck to hold him tight against her. She couldn’t stop
moving against him. It was like being on speed, or a hell of a lot of caffeine.
"Want
to taste you...," Maria mumbled. "Drink you..."
"Oh,
god..." Michael groaned as her hot mouth slid down his neck, her teeth
capturing skin, and drawing him into her mouth. He moaned in time to the
sucking, thrusting his hips gently. Maria's fingers caressed his freshly shaved
face, brushing up against the softness of his masculine skin. One finger slid
down his cheek to rub over his mouth as their tongues tangled. He moaned and
captured the finger drawing it into his mouth, as his eyes opened to stare into
hers. He nibbled the edges of the finger savoring the taste of her skin, then
pushed forward his mouth joined to hers.
Oh,
god, she was killing him! The finger moved to stroke the skin beside his mouth,
as he pushed his tongue into hers in a gentle rhythm of sucking and probing.
Maria made a sound deep in her throat, and she sucked his tongue into the warm
crevasse. Shit! He felt that all the way to his toes! Michael whispered hot
encouragements which made no sense, since she had his mouth captive. He was
going to orgasm from a kiss! Hell...
“Oh
my god! My eyes! My eyes!” Tess’s voice finally pulled them apart, but only
slightly. Tess charged past them with a hand over her eyes, face averted. “For
the love of me! Get a room!” Maria
laughed as her roommate charged away, rushing down the stairs to freedom.
"Jesus,"
Michael muttered when he could speak again. He looked down. She was plastered to
his front. He had her dressing gown half off, and she was nude under it. His
jacket was gone. So was his work shirt, and somehow without him realizing it,
she had all the buttons on his button fly jeans open.
"Hi,"
Maria licked her lips as Michael stared at her tongue wetting her lips. “I
mixed up some blueberry pancake batter. You hungry?”
Michael
felt his blood surging again. “Starving,” he said as he gave a low growl and
pulled Maria into a rough embrace, his own tongue parting lips that opened
willingly for him. He reached back and slammed the front door shut as he walked
her into the apartment.
He
could taste himself in her mouth. It was like he left a part of him inside her.
It was so incredible, that something like that could get him so hot again...he
shuddered as the pleasure flooded through him.
“Is
everything okay?” Maria muttered, her mind and mouth on other things.
"Tell
you later...," he muttered against Maria's mouth before sliding his lips
down to graze a cheekbone, continuing lower toward throat and neck. "Need
to...have to..." His brain shorted out somewhere below his belt. His lips
found an earlobe and he suckled briefly before scoring it gently with his teeth
loving the way it made her moan and rub hard up against him. He moved his mouth
up to rim the outer edge of the ear, then headed back down. "How firm is
that dining room table?"
Maria
held his head firmly, irritated that he was talking again. “You never know
until you try. Don’t worry, I never liked that table anyway.” Pulling his
mouth back to hers, she giggled as he walked her backwards...
~~~
Michael
was in his second shower of the morning. A hand came through the shower curtain
and handed him a cup of coffee. “Thanks. Come join me.”
Maria
sat on the toilet. “Nope. You’ve got to go to work sometime today. If I join
you, my shop will never open, and your company will be calling the cops
suspecting that you’re a victim of foul play.”
Michael
stuck his head out of the shower. “Why foul play? Why not me just being a
little crazy?”
Maria
snickered. “Michael, you’ve got six ex-fiancées.”
Michael
shrugged. He would give her that point. There were more people out there gunning
for him, than people who would believe he was capable of taking a day off to
laze around in bed. He got out of the shower and held out his hand for the
towel. Maria held it back, checking out his body with a tongue in her cheek.
Michael snatched the towel and wrapped it around his middle reaching down to
kiss her.
"I
knew you where going to be a problem the moment I met you," Michael groaned
as Maria's fingers moved up his chest and began playing with his nipples.
"Oh, god, Maria..." he covered her mouth with his own, drawing the
sweetness into himself.
It
was hot; fire racing through him at each touch of Maria's tongue against his
own, followed by an icy chill as the heat moved on. Stroking, gliding, slick
movement as they sucked on each other's tongues before tangling them together.
Maria allowed Michael to lift her off her seat on the toilet as he took control
of the kiss. She moved her hand downward, stroking his body and he destroyed her
reason to think with his tongue, fluttering it over her lips before moving to
the hollow of her throat.
“You
taste like….blueberry pancakes and syrup,” Michael accused.
“Two.
Hot syrup. Lots of butter. Yum.” Maria kissed him. “How many can you eat?”
“I
can eat whatever you make.” Maria smiled pinched his butt, and stole his towel
on her way out of the bathroom. Ignoring his retort, she went back into the
kitchen to make him breakfast.
While
Michael was on his second plate of pancakes, he told Maria about his break-in.
Kyle was the main headliner in the topic.
“So
how long is he staying?”
Michael
kept chewing. “We didn’t get that far into the discussion. He’s hiding, no
doubt, from debt collectors of the more violent kind.”
Maria
sat with her hands holding a cup of coffee between them. “You’re kidding,
right?”
Michael
stopped eating and looked at her. “Unfortunately, no. Kyle’s mother, Sharon
was heavily into gambling. She was also a drunk and a drug user. Kyle used to
put her to bed, pick up used needles and toss out the empty bottles starting
when he was seven years old. By the time he was fourteen he had been sent to
alcohol rehab.”
“Jesus!”
Maria sat her coffee down. “That’s horrible.”
“He
didn’t have many chances being raised by her. Too much money, not enough
guidance, and a mouthful of hate for his absent father.”
Maria
pushed the last of the pancakes toward him. “When did you meet him?”
“About
a year after Jim married my mother.
Maria
snorted. “It rarely works that way. I bet he made himself suffer more.”
“Jim’s
pretty hurt too. They only seem to agree to disagree.” Michael looked at his
plate. “He resents me.”
“Why?”
Michael
shrugged. “Probably because when he came home to his father’s, he found me
there. Jim had him work on the sites, and there I was, the foreman.”
“The
golden child.”
“Pretty
much. In Kyle’s eyes, I’m the perfect son for his dad, and he’s done
everything he could to be the direct opposite.”
Maria
ran a soothing hand down his arm. “Aw, that must be why you have so many
ex-fiancées. Saving Kyle from a life of proposals!”
Michael
looked at her, and he suddenly laughed. She had found a way to defuse a tough
subject. “Sure, that was me being noble.”
Maria
smiled at him. “Oh, I like you noble.”
Michael
grabbed her, and suddenly he was very serious. “Do you?”
Maria
licked her lips and looked at his mouth that was so close. “Do I what?”
“Like
me?”
Maria
quickly looked in his eyes. He was serious, so she quickly swallowed her
quick-witted response. “Enough to lose my breath over you.”
“Enough
to have dinner with me tonight?”
Maria
seemed to be thinking about it. Looking at his clothes, she smiled. “Why are
you dressed that way?”
“I’m
working on sites today.”
“Will
you be all hot and sweaty?” Michael nodded. Sure, but he usually showered when
he got home. “Will you come straight here from work?”
“Why?”
Michael asked, suspicious of her intent.
Maria
leaned into him, her nose moving along his neck. “I think you being all hot
and sweaty could be very…arousing.”
Michael
laughed. “Your roommate is going to hate me so much!”
~~~
Maria
was restocking the front of the store when a group of women came in. They were
talking loudly and wandering around.
“May
I help you?”
One
woman turned to Maria and nodded. “I think so. I was given a basket, and I
think it was from here.” She handed Maria her shop’s card. “That was in
the basket.”
“That’s
my card.”
“I
loved the basket. The candles were great, and the candle holder was so
beautiful.”
“Is
there anything you’re looking for specifically?”
“Just
looking. The candles were so unique. I was curious.”
Maria
nodded and smiled. “Feel free to look around. Let me know if you need any
help.” Maria looked down at the cat ribboning through her ankles. “Jinxy,
how did you get down here again?” She picked up the cat. “Excuse me.”
When
she returned, the four women were still browsing. Going back to work, she half
listened to them.
“I
can’t believe he put the prenuptial agreement in it.” Maria’s whole body
went still. Glancing over, she noticed they were directing their comments to the
woman who had spoken to her.
Tall.
“It
was wretched. I couldn’t believe he would question our love.”
“Honestly,
Daphne. I thought you said you didn’t love him.”
“I
could’ve,” she said with a sniff. “Given a chance. He was emotionally
cold.”
Her
other friend picked up a candle holder. “He’s very sexy.”
“How
was he…?” her friend looked around and lowered her voice. “You know….in
bed?” Maria rolled her eyes. Oh, for God’s sake! Just say, how does he fuck!
Bet they use cutesy names to refer to a penis too.
“Oh,
he was awful!” Maria’s eyebrow went up at that, and she peered around a
display. “Not like terrible, or anything. He was just so….intense!”
Maria
smothered a smile. Damn straight, he was intense! Imbecile. She made it sound
like a bad thing.
~~~
Michael
was moving his fingers through her hair. It was interesting how many shades
there were in her blonde hair. Closing his eyes, he rested for a moment.
Maria
kissed his skin. Resting her arms on his chest she looked up at him. Their legs
were tangled and the sheets only halfway covered them.
“I
decided today to forgive you for being a real jerk about that prenuptial
agreement.”
Michael
made a grunting sound and opened one eye to look at her. “Really? Why?”
“Oh,
a customer today gave me a different perspective.”
Michael
shrugged. That was good. Whatever got him a break with her was good in his view.
“Why, who was this customer?”
“Your
ex-fiancée.”
Michael
jackknifed up in the bed. “My….who?”
“The
last one I think. Daphne?”
Michael
swore. Oh man, this couldn’t be good. “Daphne? She was in your store?”
“Hmmm.”
Maria moved her fingers up and down his skin, tracing patterns. “Indeed. She
and her girlfriends were talking about your performance in bed.”
“Shit!”
Michael sat up, pushing her off him
and sitting on the side of the bed. “Tell me that you’re making that up!”
“Sorry.”
“You
didn’t listen?!”
“The
hell I didn’t.” Maria looked at her fingernails with interest. “It was
very informative.”
“Really?”
Michael’s voice was anything but pleased.
“Yes.
The woman’s an imbecile. I can see why you demanded a prenuptial agreement.
Divorce was imminent.”
Michael
groaned and sank his head in his hands, and then peeking up at her, he groaned.
“Just get it over with. I can see you’re dying to tell me.”
Maria
laughed and moved in behind him, hugging him from behind. She whispered in his
ear, “She said you were horrible in bed.” Michael just shook his head.
“Which I know better, but the reason wasn’t because you didn’t perform
well, but rather too well. She said
you were too….intense.”
“Intense?”
Michael looked at her licking his lips. “Is that good?”
“Hmmm.
Very good.” Maria licked the side of his neck that was salty from sweat.
“Want me to tell you why I think it’s good? I have a list.”
“A
list?” Michael smirked a little. Oh course she did.
“It’d
be better if I show you rather than tell you.” Maria pushed him back on the
bed. “This could take some time. Any requests?”
“Food!”
Maria
laughed at his expression. “So, tell me….what is it with men and big
breasts?”
Michael
reached up and kissed her naked breasts pulling a perfectly formed nipple in his
mouth, worrying it between his teeth. “I don’t know. It’s a purely
demented thing. I seem to have changed my preference.”
“Lucky
you.” Maria giggled when he pulled her into his arms and wrestled her under
him. “So how long can you stay?”
Michael
looked at he clock and groaned. It was already late. “I need to go home soon.
I’d rather stay here, but Kyle is in my house. If I leave him alone too long,
he’ll have a wild party or a poker game.”
“Aw,
babysitting.” Maria kissed his mouth softly.
“I’d
rather stay here.” Michael rested his forehead against hers. “This is very
inconvenient.”
Maria
moved her hand down his body, smiling as he moaned at her grip. “You could
always come for breakfast.”
~~~
Kyle
waited in the shadows for his contact.
“You
got it?”
“Yes.”
Kyle turned around. “Here. All the information you asked for. So this ends my
debt. I’d like my marker back now.”
Brody
Davis came out of the shadow. “All in good time. I have to check the validity
of this information.” Brody pocketed the slip of paper. “If I win the
“Once!
You said once! This is the one and only time.”
Brody
laughed. “You’ll be hearing from me, Valenti. I hold your marker. I’ll
tell you when your debt is paid.” Brody walked off whistling in the dark.
Kyle
rubbed his face hard. Dammit! What the hell did he get himself into this time?