her
eagerness to unpack her new clothes, I’d say she’s on cloud nine.
“Now that I’ve
talked your ear off about my family and childhood, it’s your turn to open up
like you did this morning. I need to shut my mouth for the rest of the day,”
she says. “It’s your turn.”
I take off my coat
and place my gun next to the television, then slip out of my shoes and unbutton
my shirt. “I can tell by your expression how happy I’ve made you and it’s
obvious you’re even happier now that you know I’m staying here for a while.”
She blushes. “I am
happy, but I’m wondering if you find me bland because I own so little? I have
clothes, accessories, and books, but my apartments have always been furnished,
so I don’t have anything of substance. I could tell you were surprised by the
size and contents of my storage unit... you know what? Forget it. I just
answered my own question. I know I’m mediocre. That’s okay. I have years ahead
of me to change that.”
“I love how your
mind works,” I laugh. “You process your own questions before I even have a
chance to respond. And you seem satisfied with your answer, even though it may
be different from what I was going to say.” My fingers run over a box as she
places a sweater into a drawer. “Our day was a heck of a lot easier than I
imagined it was going to be. I thought we’d be making four or five trips with
my truck and was worried I’d have to put you in a larger room, further away
from my suite. If anything, what you own makes me feel at ease. And if it
doesn’t work between you and me, I can dispose of you and your things quite
easily.”
“Smartass,” she says
under her breath. “Are you gonna tell me more about
yourself like I asked or do I have to listen to you being a dick until I finish
unpacking?”
“Why don’t you ask me what you want to know? That
way I won’t make the mistake of telling you something you don’t want to hear.”
“Alright, tell me
more about your family.”
“Very well.” I put
my shirt on the bed and pull off my belt. “My mother tried to commit suicide
recently and she’s in a psych ward. It’s the fifth time. My sister has a house
in St. Louis with her alcoholic husband; they own a wine bar. My father got a
well-deserved bullet in his head and he’s six-feet under. I took over his porn
company for a while, but sold it after my divorce. My ex moved back to Philly
with my son. It’s our hometown... but, our relationship and the entire marriage
was nothing. I was fucking her on and off for years, but the two of us were
just friends. Then she got pregnant and decided against an abortion. I was
young and ignorant, and she wanted to get married. I should’ve walked away.
There was never a romantic moment between us, just loud sex that was cold and
heartless.”
She stops unpacking
and closes her eyes. “Jesus, you weren’t kidding that the porn was the simplest
thing to discuss. I don’t even know what to ask you after that.”
“Keep it simple.”
“Okay, where’d your
sister meet her husband?”
“That’s
complicated.”
“Why? Was she a porn
star too?”
“Not by choice.”
“What? That was
supposed to be a joke. Your family’s fucked up! Didn’t you ever have a Sunday
dinner together or go to the park, or on vacation, or anything with one
another?”
“No.”
She stands and
places her hands on her hips. “Don’t you crave normalcy?”
That one throws me
off guard. “I’ve never really thought about it before.”
“Think about it
now.” She takes off her clothes and points to the bed. “Sit.”
“Yes, my sexy
domineering one.” I drop my pants and sit on the edge of the bed.
“Mark, look at me.
I’m pretty damn normal.”
“You’re the furthest
thing from normal,” I say, straight-faced with her hand in mine. “But if you
insist that you’re normal and you want to know if that’s what I crave, then the
answer is yes.”
“You’re agreeing to
everything I
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