X-Treme Measure

by S. N. Garza

  And there it was...yes! My release spurted out of my dick like it hadn’t come in months. I was in serious fucking trouble.

  I finished taking a shower, got out and wrapped a towel around my waist, my dick somewhat sated. I walked into my room, Moriah still passed out on the bed. I walked to my dresser, grabbed underwear and gym shorts. I walked barefoot to my bag, put all the clothes in the hamper; I’ll wash them later. I grabbed my wallet and went to the safe I kept in the walk-in closet. I kept what I needed for the week, and an extra two-hundred to give to Moriah and placed the remaining with the rest I was saving. I had over 800 grand. Not even to mention the amount I had in the bank. I was saving for a house, which of course I could have bought a couple times over by now, but it never seemed like the right time. It felt like I was waiting for something.

  I planned on saving until I hit a million and then I’d stop working at XM and try opening up my own gym and buy a home. I wanted Reighlyn to have a yard to play in and those years were almost coming to an end when she hit puberty. She would start liking boys and dear God help me. I was just thankful she wasn’t into girlie shit except My Little Pony. She liked Karate and working out, she was learning to lift weights and becoming more athletic every damn day.

  Did she need a mother? My mother did a great job taking care of her.

  I closed and locked the safe and it was only a little after seven. Since there wasn’t anyone to watch Reighlyn while I slept, I needed to get some shut-eye. I slipped back into the bedroom and Moriah was dead asleep on the right side of the bed, taking up only a little space. I should just leave her be and take the couch, but that king size bed was big enough we probably wouldn’t even touch.

  I did not need to tempt myself any further, but I slept on the couch before. Not long enough for my body. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to move her again. I could tell her to get up and leave, but that would be rude.

  Fuck it. I walked to the opposite side of the bed, the only light was the small strip from the window and it was hitting the door so neither one of us would be disturbed. I folded over the comforter, leaving the sheet between us. My head hit the pillow and it was lights out.

  What was that noise? What time was it? What the hell was covering my face? My eyes lifted to see nothing but a blonde mass of hair covering my eyes, and I somehow drifted towards the middle like she did and she was covering me like a small blanket. Nice and warm and what was that giggling?

  I brushed her hair off my face and looked over her to see Reighlyn standing in the doorway, a giggle ready to come out again.

  “Shh. Don’t wake her.”

  She nodded and pointed towards the kitchen. I nodded back and when she disappeared I laid my head back down. How the hell did this happen? She was draped around me like ivy. Her face was tucked into my chest, her arms and legs cuddled me around my sides and hips and I tried waking her.

  Lord. I tried.

  “Moriah, honey. Time to get up.”

  She let out a deep groan and she wiggled her body, which made my body respond in kind. Mr. Playful was ready for duty. Then Moriah tensed and I knew she had become instantly awake when she felt my rock hard dick thumping against her lower half.

  “What?” her voice was thick with sleep and she was raising herself up, her hands meeting my chest. Her eyes opened and then this freaked out look came over her face.

  “What the hell?”

  “Good morning to you too, cupcake.”

  SLAP! My head cracked to the side.

  “Dafuq! What was that for?”

  “How are you in my bed? Oh, dear God this must be a dream.”

  “Dreaming about me so soon, Moriah? And no. You’re in my bed. I put you here. How’s your neck?”

  She shook her head furiously and tried scrambling off of me but with the sheets twisted around us she only ended up unbalancing and tumbling off the bed, dragging me down with her. I moved so I could take the brunt of the fall on my back and she landed on top of me.

  “Get me out of this!” Her hands moved wildly through the blanket and sheet until she was free and she flew up, standing and reaching out to balance herself on the bed.

  “Calm down, Moriah. You’re okay.”

  “OKAY? I can’t even see! What time is it?”

  I looked over to my clock and it read nine thirty.

  “Nine thirty.”

  She flung her hair back and brushed her hands down her clothes, trying to unruffle herself. She looked plenty ruffled right now and damn if it didn’t make me want to put her back to bed.

  “Where’s my glasses? I can barely see.”

  Sighing, I got up and walked over to her, placing my hands on her arms, caressing them up and down, trying to calm her. She looked freaked out and I couldn’t tell if the blush creeping up her neck was embarrassment or excitement. With her, I couldn’t tell anything.

  “Calm down, they are on the nightstand. Let me go get them for you.”

  “I knew I should have worn my contacts.”

  I placed my hand at the small of her back and led her to the bench seat in front of the bed.

  “Here, sit here. Why didn’t you?”

  “Because I really don’t like wearing them during the night. I wear my glasses most of the time when I’m home. Well, when I lived in the dorm I wore them. If I left, I used my contacts.”

  “Well, it’s okay. Here.”

  I held out her glasses and placed them in her hand. She opened them and pushed them up her pert little nose. She blinked once, then they widened at she stared at my chest and then she closed them tightly.

  “Please, get dressed.”

  “What? Not your thing?”

  “Ha.” She placed her hand on my abs, her nails clutching but she pushed me backwards as she stood. “I should be going.”

  The thing was, I wasn’t ready for her to leave. “Stay for breakfast? What would you normally eat right now?”

  “Probably cereal.”

  “Go on into the kitchen, Reighlyn should be already in there waiting.”

  “Oh God, did she?”

  “See you sprawled on me like a tick? Yes, but she just giggled and walked away.”

  “Oh God.”

  “It’s okay. Just go to the kitchen, grab you some OJ and sit tight. I’ll put a shirt on and be out in a moment.”

  Would she stay or insist on leaving? The look on her face suggested she was about to refuse and tell me she needed to go home, but then her shoulders slumped in resignation. She barely let out a ‘sure, whatever,’ before making a big walk around me like I was radioactive and left the confines of the bedroom.

  Good. She needed to eat better anyway. Made me wonder what she'd think if she knew what I did for a living? I've seen guys that try and date girls but once they found out what they did, performing and sometimes escorting, they flipped their shit. The whole that's cheating, immoral, and disgusting downhill process was complete shit. That was one another reason why I didn't date. So it would probably be wise to just avoid Moriah and the hot temptation she presented. She was a down to earth girl, probably had two loving, religious parents, who did what she was told, never wandering too far from her comfort zone. Although I wouldn't mind if she watched Reighlyn again. Yeah, totally a dick move but she did a good job.

  I should have let her go. Now that I told her to stay, I better feed her so she can leave and let the avoiding begin. Of course I wouldn't be downright rude to her, but I would not let what happened earlier be repeated. Bringing her into my bed was a colossal mistake. And hell. Now the bedding would probably smell like her, too.

  I was so screwed.

  I had no idea how to face Reighlyn, knowing she saw how I was sprawled on top of her father like a damn blanket. I had no good excuse as to why. Like why in the world would he even put me in his bed in the first place? It was beyond me. Although I must admit it was super-duper comfy.

  Why I had to tell him off was also beyond me. That wasn’t like me. No one ever talked to me like
that. Or even texted. I had always done whatever I wanted. Growing up I barely had parents. When I was old enough and worked, it was when they’d see a cut of my pay check. I’m pretty sure if I had stayed in Liberty, they would have been just fine with that. They’d probably be happy. I’d probably still be a doormat because they could look at me and I’d feel obligated to take care of them as much as I could. They were shocked when I was accepted at the University of Houston, and transferring to another Chili’s allowed me to make double what I made at Liberty. I sent them some money once a month, but now that I had to pay for everything myself, I was afraid to tell them I might not be able to send them as much money, if any at all, while saving up for tuition and all my other expenses.

  “Morning, Riri.”

  “Morning, Reighlyn. How was sleep?”

  “It was sleep.”

  “No dreams?”

  “Nah.” She didn’t look at me when she said this and deep down it felt like she wasn’t telling me the truth but who was I to pry? I might have had an instant bond with this girl, but she wasn’t my daughter, it wasn’t my place. I let it go, but logged it into the back of my mind. Maybe I’ll ask her the next time I get and see if she still says no.

  “So what’s for breakfast?”

  “Toast, eggs, then probably a banana or an apple. It’s Saturday.”

  “So what does that mean? And what kind of breakfast was that? No bacon?”

  “I don’t keep bacon in this home.”

  I shrieked, having jumped from Daniel sneaking up behind me.

  “Bacon is a major food source.”

  He chuckled and shook his head. “Just because you love pig fat doesn’t mean everyone should.”

  “Reighlyn, don’t let his blasphemous words penetrate those innocent ears, bacon is delicious.”

  I looked at Daniel while I said it and he just looked me over and rolled his eyes.

  “You know, in some cultures, rolling your eyes is just bad behavior. Haven’t you ever been spanked? Did your mother keep bacon out of the house?”

  “Bad behavior? Ha. I’m not sure who really needs the spanking here, girl. I’d like to see you try to spank me,” the look in his eyes as he said this made my tummy contract, the searing, dark gaze sent tingles coursing in my stomach at the exchange. “And yes, I’ve had bacon before and Reighlyn can have bacon if she wants it, I just don’t buy it.”

  “Okay then. Toast and eggs it is.”

  “No fruit for me. I’ll eat an apple if you have it.”

  He snickered and walked past us to make breakfast. I must admit, I felt full afterwards.

  Bossy buster. I thanked him for breakfast, told Reighlyn to call me if she wanted to hang, and I hurried after that.

  Best to not make things any more awkward.

  “Moriah! Wait a moment.” Ugh. Just when I was ready to escape. I turned around to see him take out his wallet and a wad of cash. “Here. This is for watching her and doing it at the last minute.”

  Now, I didn’t even think about getting paid because it was a favor for a favor. He helped me in a jam and I returned the favor. I mean, did he have a sitter for tonight as well? He said his mother wasn’t going to be home until later this week. And it wasn’t like it was a few twenties. It looked like it was at least two hundred.

  “Uh, thank you, but this is way too much. I didn’t watch her very long.”

  “It was last minute.”

  “Daniel, do you even have a sitter for tonight? What about the rest of the week?”

  “I only work Friday through Sunday.”

  “Must pay very well.”

  My hand flew to my mouth, having just realized I spoke out loud.

  “It is. And no I don’t, but that’s my problem.”

  “You can ask me, Daniel. I didn’t mind watching her. And if you’re going to give me that much money, consider it a weekend gig until your mom gets back.” He looked me over, his eyes roaming every curve and line. I felt a thrill rush over my skin at being looked at so thoroughly. It wasn’t like he was critiquing, but mesmerizing. “I work from noon to five.”

  “You’re not going to get any rest.”

  “Okay, I’ll admit. I have a good GPA, but there’s one thing I’m not good at.”

  “One thing. Ha. What’s that?”

  “Well, I was taking this gym class, and I have a high B, but the teacher said if I did this paper on the body and how nutrition and fitness helps with emotional stress levels in a person, he’d bump it to an A. I really want that A.”

  “Gimme your paper. I’ll look over it.”

  My eyes blinked hard in astonishment. “Really? Are you an expert or something?”

  “Yes. I worked at a gym for one and I have a BA in kinesiology. So nutrition and fitness? Yeah, I can help. Let me have a look and I’ll get it back to you tonight.”

  He held out his hand, and even though I was skeptical, I wouldn’t mind having a person who actually knew physical fitness to look over it with an unbiased eye. Hell, any eye. It’s not like I had anybody else to proofread it. I was up all night typing it.

  “It’s on my iPad.”

  “Then let me look it over and if there’s anything to mark, I’ll highlight it with another color.”

  “Uh, handing over my iPad, I don’t know.”

  “Honestly? I’m your neighbor, I’m not going to pack my things and take off with your tablet. I’ll look over it while I take Reighlyn to Karate class. I will give it back. It’s not like you can take it to work. Where do you work anyway?”

  “The Chili’s around the block.”

  “Hmm…that’s good. I’ll see you same time then tonight.”

  I nodded and handed over my iPad, giving him my passcode and where in my word documents I had it.

  “Thanks for lending an eye. I’ll see you later then.”

  I knew I waved awkwardly as I crossed the walkway to my apartment. I walked inside, let out a deep sigh of relief. I was finally able to relax. Being in Daniel’s presence made my insides all gooey and my nerves zing.

  “Have a good night?”

  “AH!” I looked to where Ashley was sitting at his kitchen table, a steaming mug of Joe in his hands. “I helped out our neighbor, Daniel. His babysitter bailed and didn’t have anyone. And since I was free, I agreed to watch her. No big.”

  “Wow. He normally doesn’t let anyone take care of his little girl. He’s super protective over her.”

  “He said her mom bailed on her.”

  “I’ve heard about her. Ugh. I have no idea what he saw in her in the first place. Just one look at her and you can tell she was just wrong in the head.”

  Since I’ve never met her, I’d had to reserve judgement, although abandoning your child just because you wanted to score your next fix or whatever was just wrong on so many levels.

  “Well, it looks like I’m watching her over this weekend until his mom gets back from her cruise.”

  He tilted his head, and said, “Strapped for cash?”

  “No. He actually tried giving me two hundred dollars for last night, but I refused and told him I’d only take that much if he let me watch Reighlyn the nights he works.”

  “He only works weekend nights.”

  “He said that.”

  “Did he tell you what he does for a living?”

  “No. And honestly, it’s not my business. I mean, what would a guy be doing overnight? It’s probably some heavy lifting kind of work. Maybe stocking or maybe at a plant?”

  “Keep thinking that. Alright, I’m going out. I will leave the house to you.”

  “Oh, I go to work in a little bit.”

  “Well, happy money making day for you then.”

  “Thanks.” I walked to my room, and set my belongings on the bed. It really was such a huge bed. I didn’t really need so much space, but I wasn’t complaining. I couldn’t wait to sleep in this bed. Looking at the clock it was just a little after ten. I set my alarm, then climbed on the bed, sprawling my body
out right in the middle and shut my eyes.

  By Monday, my hot neighbor, barely spoke to me. I mean, what the hell happened to make him become this cold-as-ice robot? He hadn’t been like that Friday night, or Saturday morning. When I got there Saturday night, he was brief and spoke to Reighlyn quickly before nodding a short thanks and leaving the apartment.

  Not that it was a big deal, I had a good time with Reighlyn. She wasn’t very open, but I understood why she was so closed inside of herself. Not once did I see her on the phone talking to a friend. She just read or watched TV. I thought I had made a small friendship with her, but Saturday night, it was like Friday night didn’t happen. It made me wonder if she and Daniel argued about something. My suspicions were confirmed on Sunday when after Daniel left and I asked her about the hospital volunteer thing, she said her dad thought that wasn’t a good idea.

  I was actually shocked at him saying no. Of course, I was a stranger, but hey, I wasn’t strange. It’s not like it would be anytime soon. I’d have to get to know her. She’d have to get to know me and learn how to trust me. Whatever Daniel must have said to her made her close in.

  Which made me kind of angry. Actually it made me a lot angry. I mean, I wasn’t the one that was desperate for a babysitter that I asked my neighbor. Which made everything deflate. It was wrong to think like that. It was my anger thinking. He did trust me with his daughter to watch over for the weekend, but he was cryptic with me and only said to call if there was a problem. He was a single dad taking care of a little girl who needed some female guidance. Of course, I remember him saying his mother took care of her the nights he worked, but Reighlyn seemed so closed in. She was genuinely happy Friday night when we talked about what we liked and the whole girl bonding thing. Maybe I was babysitting wrong. It’s not like I’ve ever done that before.

  Sunday, he had to leave by five and said he would be home around two in the morning. Weird shift but what did I know? I worked at a restaurant, shifts were what they were. Instead, he came home about ten, Reighlyn had just fallen asleep about twenty minutes ago when he came in, flustered and angry.