* * *
She likes the apartment. No feelings of ghosts or weird high pitch frequencies throughout the place. The agent told her the last people to live there was over a year ago. She likes zero residues of others energy in the place.
* * *
Wesley searches through Blue Nile selection. He likes the princess cut but since asshole Richard got the cut for Shelby, Wesley decides on the pear or oval shaped diamond.
* * *
He smiles the pear-shaped diamond; it is perfect for Camryn's dainty hands. Camryn has a metal allergy so ...he'll consider platinum. He laughed when Camryn told him she kept the metal allergy info to herself. She told him it's been a giveaway for jewelry quality.
* * *
"I like it," Camryn said. She startles Wesley. She laughs. "What are you doing?" She asked.
* * *
"Working on designing your engagement ring. I need to re-measure your sweet finger to make sure of the size. "He kisses her and smiles.
* * *
"Let me see!" She said.
* * *
"You will see when I put it on you...I mean the ring." He winks at her.
* * *
Camryn chuckles. He is the first guy that made her feel beautiful before, during and after sex. He didn't make her feel obligated to have sex with him. He didn't imply or "playful" imply she's a slut for telling him what she wants and needs with sex.
She told him she wasn't a blow job expert...they are learning about each other. He learns touching only her breasts was more for him unless he strokes her back while touching her breasts. She learns stroking his inner thighs turns him on. He has sensitive nipples.
* * *
"I like this place too. So, let's put a security hold on it. Any surprises with your credit?" He asked.
* * *
"Yes, but I have a cosigner plus some extra money to throw at it." Camryn assures him.
They walked back to the leasing office. They placed a security hold on apartment 4352.
Alison walks into the coffee shop of the bookstore. She wants a prime seat. Alison caught a reflection of herself in the shop window. She has on a Chanel top with her blue jeans and black and white Prada tennis shoes. Camryn doesn't carry off wearing them with the way she does.
* * *
Alison got her tea and scone. She sat at a table pretending to read a newspaper and waited. She gone through a few dating sites and found profiles from people that only wanted to date someone white.
She created several fake profiles and used photos of attractive men and women on the profile. She chatted with them online. She spoke to the guys on the phone, and she nearly lost her shit when one guy told her he could hear 'black' in someone's voice.
She hired a few guys through an online listing to speak on the phone with the women. She had considered using some voice altering software, but none is good enough to use in a real conversation. Besides the guys were college guys they needed some extra cash, and no one asked questions.
* * *
She's delighted when five out of six people arrives for a face to face meeting. One guy, in particular, she enjoyed his nervous and confused expression. A guy calling himself Vance. She and Vance had chatted. She went to meet him at a bookstore. They told each other what they would be wearing. The problem she saw Vance calling her from across the store pretending he was stuck in traffic and apologizing for not making it.
* * *
Alison got several texts from her props on her prepaid cell phone. She kept texting that she was on the way. She wanted to screw with Vance the other people were additions to her fun. Only wanting to date a particular race.... when they all listed no black women or no black men on their profiles. People were dressing up the issue with colorful use of the word 'preference'...she knew what they meant.
* * *
The name she used for the guys is Patsy and the name for the women Dick. She made sure the phone is on silence. She will not risk someone being observant ruining her fun.
* * *
First would be nervousness from meeting the person for the first time. Second would be doubt would Patsy or Dick show up--even when they got the 'running late, on my way text.' Now the third step, they'll start texting or calling Patsy or Dick, and she will not respond. She wonders how long it would take before they leave the bookstore.
* * *
The first woman left after 20 minutes, and to Alison's surprise, Vance is still there after an hour.
* * *
"Alison?" Vance said.
* * *
She glances at Vance. "Hello?" She pretends she didn't remember him.
* * *
"Vance. Um...we went for coffee a few weeks ago." He smiled.
* * *
"Oh, that's right. Actually, we didn’t meet. You were stuck in traffic and then you stopped responding to my text or calls." Alison said.
Vance scramble for words.
* * *
"I'm... I'm...um...sorry about that. I…I never dated a black woman before." Vance said.
* * *
"It was coffee, Vance. Despite what some of your brethren may have heard, we don't have any extra parts or some extraordinary talent for sex. Waiting for someone in a bookstore?" Alison said.
* * *
"Yea...no browsing," Vance said.
* * *
"Maybe she's already here and is about to call you from a corner in the bookstore to let you know she's stuck in traffic," Alison said.
* * *
She gathers her things and walks away from Vance. He stood silent looking shame faced. She humiliated five people tonight and Vance...she is pleased. Alison phone rings.
* * *
"Hello." She said.
* * *
"Alison! Alison! I need you to come over to my mother's house now!" Claudia said.
* * *
"I will be there 20- 30 minutes," Alison said
* * *
"No I need you here now... don't take the train!" Claudia said.
* * *
"Claudia, what's wrong?" Alison asked.
* * *
"I'll explain when you get here." She stated.
Jeremy didn't like this idea. Kathy is a sweet girl. Drama filled but a sweet girl. He already had Camryn on the next trip at a discount. Now Liz wants Kathy along on the tour.
* * *
"Why don't you go on the tour with Liz," Jeremy said.
* * *
"Why don't you want me on your tour?" Kathy asked.
* * *
"I overheard you all talking. Liz thinks I use the tour to have sex with other people. You’re there to spy on me." Jeremy said.
* * *
"If I'm with my sister, I will distract her, and I want to go. I have never been on a tour." Kathy said.
* * *
"She is going," Liz said.
* * *
"Liz...sweetheart. It's not that I don't want her go..." Jeremy struggled to find a good reason.
* * *
"She's going with you," Liz stated.
* * *
"This is gearing up into an argument between you guys, so I'm going to leave and call Lance," Kathy said.
* * *
Jeremy waited for Kathy to go upstairs and close the bedroom door.
* * *
"Kathy...is she gay now?" Jeremy asked.
* * *
"What are you talking about?" Liz asked.
* * *
"She was attacked by a woman...does that mean she's gay? I don't like the gays. God love them because I don’t." Jeremy stated.
* * *
"Wow. Let me pose this question to you, Einstein. Your father is from New York. Your mom is from Dublin. When your parents had sex did your father's dick turn your mom into an American?' Liz asked.
* * *
"Of course not!" Jeremy said.
* * *
"My sister was assaulted by a woman. That doesn't mean she's transformed into a le
sbian. Get your head out of your ass! You're not going to ask her why she was in her own apartment at the time of the attack. You're sure as shit not going to ask her if she had an orgasm! You're not going to ask or say anything to her about the attack. Got it?" Liz said.
* * *
"Another woman she could have fought her off? Jeremy said.
* * *
Liz punches Jeremy in the eye. He screams.
* * *
"Ouch! Shit!" He said.
* * *
"Didn't you see that coming Jeremy? Why didn't you stop me from hitting you? You wanted me to hit you. The way you're dressed... of course, I hit you. Dumbass! Do you get the point now?" Liz asked.
* * *
"Yes! You didn't have to abuse me to prove a point." Jeremy said.
* * *
"Apparently I did," Liz said.
Wesley and Camryn were seated at a booth. She and Wesley were under a time crunch for moving. The tornado tour season started, and Wesley is scheduled almost on all the tours as a driver. She is scheduled for the eight-day Supercell tour. It is amazing people spend almost $3000 on average to drive around gawking at a tornado...Camryn is excited. Texas Twisters Adventure Group (TTAG) charges more since Liz is a tornado celebrity.
* * *
Wesley being a part of most tours, Shelby's moving in with Richard, they all had to be out of the apartment in a week. They signed a lease agreement.
* * *
"The beef stew in this place kicks ass. The bowl is huge and the cornbread the size of a small pillow." Wesley smiled.
* * *
"Well let's order that!" Camryn smiled.
* * *
"You folks ready to order?" The waiter said.
* * *
"We are. We're both having the beef stew and cornbread." Camryn said.
* * *
"My favorite. And to drink?" He said.
* * *
"Ice tea and a glass of water please." She said.
* * *
"Same for me," Wesley said.
* * *
"Thank you. I'll be back with your drinks." The waiter said.
* * *
"You didn't finish telling me why you stopped being a cop," Camryn said.
* * *
"Oh." Wesley pokes his lips out. "Remember when you said you had to stop working at call centers because it started making you not like people?" He asked.
* * *
"Yes," Camryn said.
* * *
"My last case was this literal grandma running a baby selling business. She would pick up runaway's mother them and then locked them in a basement where she had her grandsons sexually assault the girls and sell the babies. If the baby didn't survive or was born sick, she would order her sons to kill the babies and the mother. But if the baby was healthy, momma had the blessing of recovering a week before the process would start over. The case went to trail. She’s pretending she thought she was babysitting her grand babies. The jury believed the woman's son was the mastermind. The son's and grandson's all went to prison but grandma...the mastermind didn't. I sat outside her house one morning.... I was calculating the odds if I could kill her and get away with it. I was done. Scared the shit out of me. I run into guys from the force, and they ask me what I’m doing these days. I say I'm driving for Texas Twisters Adventure Group and they say...oh." Wesley said. "I love it." He smiles.
* * *
"I'm glad you're driving the tour I'm on." Camryn smiles.
* * *
"Good. So why you move to Austin?" He said.
* * *
"My family originally from Texas...at the time..." Camryn said. "Too many ghosts, school bullies, being labeled the weirdo everywhere I went and parents killed by a semi driver asleep at the wheel. It was time to leave Texas. I chased down lots of scholarships to pay for Columbia University. I was a good student. Graduated Summa Cum Laude, thank you very much." Camryn smiled. "My life wasn't working the way I hoped, string of loser boyfriends, loser jobs-even though I had a college degree. It was time to regroup." Camryn stated.
* * *
"You're definitely unique. Few people can defy the law of physics." He said.
* * *
The waiter places large bowls of beef stew in front of both of them and warm cornbread on the table.
* * *
"Do you need anything else?" He asked.
* * *
"Not right now, thank you." Smiled Camryn. Wesley shook his head he started chewing on cornbread.
* * *
Camryn admires the chunks of beef and vegetables in the stew. She started eating and thought she died and gone to heaven.
* * *
She's not ready to talk about it. Wesley thinks to himself.
Camryn did a quick scan of the restaurant and saw many of the women admiring Wesley. He's with me bitches. She thought.
* * *
"This kicks ass." She said.
* * *
"It does. I'm confused did you move her from New Mexico or Denver?" He said.
* * *
"Anna had business in Denver I was settling. I moved here from New Mexico." Camryn said.
* * *
"How did you land there?" Wesley said.
* * *
Camryn didn't want to disclose the humiliating event. Hamilton was too spineless to break up with her while they were in New York. He went across country with her and abandoned her in New Mexico. He dumped her via text when he was changing flights on his way back to New York. God, she's dating some losers!
* * *
"I got offered a job there after college. The job sucked, and I overestimated the job market... a few missteps and I started down the rabbit hole into call center hell." Camryn said.
* * *
"Richard has offered to pay for the move. Asshole." Wesley said.
* * *
"He's doing it to make sure there is distance between us and Shelby. Please stop making it so obvious you don't like him. Give him enough rope to hang himself. Don't let him use your dislike as a reason to isolate Shelby." Camryn said.
* * *
Wesley chews on Camryn's comment and his stew. "I'll work on it," Wesley said.
Alison looks at the corner of the room. She slowly chews on gum and allowed her eyes to examine the ceiling. The best description she could give it is bits of cooked beef with red sauce. She could see a tooth protruding from what she guesses is his mouth. She tugs at the plastic gloves. She gently strokes the wall and carefully rubs the blood across her finger tips. She smells it. It had an odd metallic scent to it. She wasn't sure if that resulted from the gun shot or perhaps he was being poisoned.
* * *
A warm feeling twisting its way up her body. A moan escaped her lips. Alison is swept up into her orgasm. She collects herself after a few moments. She leaves the bedroom and walks into the living room. She looks at Martha - Claudia's mother, the woman spent 98% of her time in some variant stage of sedation. She's oddly alert at the moment which Alison realizes she is going to be trouble. Eugene- Claudia's little brother is sitting on the floor looking shocked. Claudia, poor stupid but sweet Claudia sits at the kitchen table gulping glasses of whiskey.
* * *
Alison pulls the bottle of whiskey away from Claudia. "Enough," Alison told her. "So, what happened here?" She asked.
* * *
"Larry is dead," Martha said. She stares at a floor.
* * *
"Obviously. What event happened for him to become dead?" Alison said.
* * *
IF: Nowhere To Run (Camryn Morgan Series Book 1) Page 16