by M. J. Parker
The sound of a knock at my door broke my concentration. It was probably the neighbor lady wanting to talk my ear off again. I didn’t mind it most of the time, but tonight I was too tired. I walked around to my bedroom and peaked out of the curtains to make sure. Nope, it was a pizza guy. He must have the wrong apartment.
I cracked opened the door.
“Lacy Adams?” The guy asked.
I nodded my head in surprise. “I’ve got a delivery for you. It’s already been paid.”
What on earth. Who would be sending me pizza? Sure I had a few friends in the area, but none of them really knew when I got home and surely wouldn’t be sending me pizza. I took the box and peeked inside. It had pepperoni and sausage and big mushrooms with extra cheese. It looked delicious.
“Do you know who sent this?” I asked the guy who was starting to walk off. I didn’t even have a tip for the guy.
He examined a receipt, “Nope. Doesn’t say.”
He left then, and I shut the door while taking in my feast. It was much better than my crummy cheese cube dinner. When I opened the box I noticed that the slices of pepperoni were all placed into a line spelling out “Thank you.” It had been that Rex guy.
At first I thought it was cute. And then I realized he knew where I lived. It struck me mid bite that Rex had tracked down where I lived. It dawned on me that I’d left the old guy with an invoice after he’d paid me. It had my address on it. So it wasn’t as stalkerish as I’d first thought.
After eating nearly half the pizza, I let the door pawing cat in and fell into bed. I’m quite certain I was asleep before my face hit the pillow. Slowly thoughts entered my head, the whining coming from the basement door turned to howls, deep lonely howls. In my dream I wanted to howl back. To mourn with the trapped animal, but I wasn’t really there.
The morning light mixed with a purring ball of fluff woke me. As soon as I gained an awareness that I was home and not howling like some animal, my front door sounded with a knock. It reminded me why I mainly kept to myself. Perturbed at being visited before I was even truly awake, I peeked through my shades again. Maybe it was another free pizza for being an accomplice to murder.
Nope, it was the man himself. Mr. Rex Huntington. From my quick observation I could see that he looked much more kempt today. He had fitted khaki slacks, with shiny dark leather shoes, and a loose fitting white button up shirt with sleeves that were rolled up to his elbows. Even though I thought there may be a chance that he could be some homicidal maniac that an old man trapped in a basement, I still checked my face and hair in the mirror. I was a mess.
“I’ll be right there! Give me a minute!” I yelled at the door.
I ran a brush through my red hair that needed a trim and put it up into a ponytail. I scrubbed my face clean hurriedly and dried it with a towel and then ran for the door. I hesitated a moment with my hand on the door knob. One two three, I counted to calm myself.
There he was, smiling a bashful smile, “Hey, Uh Lacey. Nice to see you again under different circumstances. I was just wondering if you’d gotten the pizza I sent.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
“Oh. Well, I just wanted to tell you that I got your address from some paperwork I found on my desk. I didn’t want you to think anything more undesirable about me.”
Even his teeth were perfectly white. Why was this man at my door? Why didn’t he just call?
“I came by because I was wondering if you’d like to go to breakfast with me. Maybe talk a little more.”
If this mess hadn’t happened yesterday I would be drooling and immediately nodding my head yes. I had reservations though. It was all weird. My curiosity got the best of me though. I’d go with him to breakfast, but I was driving my own car and I’d meet him there. I could hear Mouser in the background hissing up a storm.
“I guess so. I still need a shower and clean clothes. I was pretty tired last night. Just tell me where and I’ll meet you there.” I said while shooing the cat to the other room.
He told me he enjoyed eating at a local diner that was close by, but said I could pick whatever. I agreed that the diner would be fine. He left. I dead bolted the door and made sure he was really gone before jumping in the shower. If everything went well and he could offer me a sort of explanation then maybe I’d give him my number and it wouldn’t take surprise visits for me to go out with him.
As I showered I let the hot water run all over me. It was pleasure feeling the grim and grit run clean down the drain and off of me. It was as if a layer of dead skin had been peeled off. The clothes I picked out weren’t my usual tank top and blue jeans. I chose carefully, finding a top that accented my better features and pants that fit snuggly enough to reveal some actual semblance of a womanly figure.
My hair was a mess, it took a while to get it straight and styled. I went light on the makeup for the most part. I didn’t want to seem like I was overdoing it. I mean if the dude was crazy I shouldn’t bait him. As soon as I opened the door to leave Mouser ran out and into the grass rubbing against everything.
The diner wasn’t very crowded, only a few cars parked here and there. I immediately recognized what was probably Rex’s car. Shining and sporty and probably cost more than what I made in five years. He sat in a back booth staring at a menu. I smoothed my hair out as I walked towards him and joined him.
A round figured waitress came over and took our drink order. She looked us over with eyebrows raised. I suppose this wasn’t a popular place to dine when you were dressed in anything other than completely casual clothes. After our brief hellos Rex got to the point rather quickly.
“I hate to intrude on you again Lacey but I have a favor to ask of you.”
I watched as the words left his mouth. His white teeth showing over his soft lips. He’d shaven the scruff from his cheeks and neck as well. His blue eyes waited for my response looking me over and stopping at the top of my shirt. I’d let a tad bit of cleavage show and wore one of my better bras that put my breasts up higher than they normally were.
“What can I do for you Mr. Huntington? If you’d like me to finish the cleaning job then I can. I’d like to raise my price though, because the size of the house was understated by Charles.” I wonder what happened to the old guy.
Rex chuckled, “No no. I’m hiring a team of people to finish the cleaning process of the manor. I am in need of a new assistant now that I’ve let Charles go. It will require some paperwork and light duties but I think I can make it worth your while.”
Let him go? I hope this was nothing more to that. I decided not to dance around the subject any longer. “What happened to Mr. Charles?”
Rex didn’t speak all at once. The rounded waitress had brought our drinks when I got finished asking about the whereabouts of the crazy old man. He took the time to take a sip of iced tea before answering, and then cleared his throat.
“I did exactly as I said. I called the higher ranking members of my club and let them know of the situation. He’s banned from being within proximity of any of our territories. As long as he sticks to those guidelines he will be just fine.”
Maybe this guy was some sort of criminal. Mob maybe? I didn’t get the hint that he was Italian. There were other sorts of Mafia right? As for the job offer, I did need the extra cash. I’d love to do something that didn’t require me to constantly be breaking my back scrubbing other people’s floors and walls. This guy could be a criminal, but if I never saw anything illegal, then what was it to me?
“Mr. Huntington…” I started
“Please call me Rex.” He corrected
“Rex. What do you do for a living?”
He didn’t hesitate to answer this time. “I come from a wealthy family. Before my father passed he put a good portion of his money into several small businesses that have grown. The trades that they operate vary. I just oversee that my money is being used wisely and monitor its growth. “
He sits around and watches his money turn into more money. What a job. I
wondered how much he was really worth. Maybe if I was his assistant I’d get a glimpse of that. It’d be interesting to see how the ridiculously wealthy lived. The hint of insanity I had seen the other night hadn’t reared its head.
We both ordered something similar. Eggs and bacon and some toast. Although he enjoyed his eggs runny and his bacon only lightly cooked. I questioned whether that was healthy or not but I suppose the guy knew what he liked. I told him I’d give the job a shot. He offered a 90 day tryout period. He had brought along some paperwork that detailed some various tasks I’d be doing. Set up conference calls, take things to the post office, pick up crap he needed.
Finally he handed me my proposed amount on the salary. The number was way higher than what I had made even in the last three years combined. I wanted to faint right then and there but I kept my composure. He didn’t hint that my internal surprise showed outwardly.
When everything was said and done we parted ways, him in his ridiculously flashy sports car, and me in my battered old sedan. When I got home it was nearly noon. I hadn’t realized we’d spent so much time together that morning. As soon as I made it to the door, Mouser came scurrying up to the door, but as soon as I opened it, he hissed at me. I stepped inside and looked at him. He was puffed out and angry.
“Mouser, come on.” The big tomcat wasn’t having it. He hissed again and swiped at me when I leaned down to pick him up. Fine then. I slammed the door on the angry cat and put my things down. I’d gone from thinking this guy was a psycho killer, to a mafia man, and now I worked for the guy.
The rest of the afternoon I spent cleaning my own place and reading. Even though it was nice outside, I really just wanted to watch the day go by from my comfy couch. By evening I guess Mouser had gotten over his weird mood and began pawing at the door. He didn’t hiss or act anything like he had earlier in the day.
I went to bed early after laying out what I thought an assistant to a very rich man would wear. Again after I’d fallen asleep a similar dream plagued my subconscious. There was more howling, but this time I was running away from it. I felt scared but really the images and dreams went away quickly as soon as I’d woken up. I tried scrabbling through my brain, trying to remember what happened, but it just wasn’t there anymore. I hate forgetting dreams.
The following morning I awoke with Mouser snuggled close to my face. Wisps of his hair tickled against my nose causing me to sneeze waking him up from his feline slumber. I set about my routine. Showering, dressing, hair, makeup, fed the cat, fed my face. And then went out to start the day.
When I pulled up to the manor, I noticed the lawns were sprawling and green. A fountain centered in the middle was now clean and bubbling water over the rim into the pond below. The hedges had been trimmed, and there were painters touching up sections around the windows. A cleaning company with a professional looking van was parked out front. Rex must have hired quite a few people.
I entered without knocking and assumed Rex was probably busy with a million other things. The entire downstairs had been furnished with new rugs. Everything along the walls gleamed. I could hear vacuums coming from the upstairs. I searched around and found Rex where I would normally find Charles, sitting in his office, although Rex left the door open. He was on the phone at the moment while he twiddled a pen.
He waved his hand and gestured for me to sit down in a chair across from him. I sat and folded my hands in my lap while looking around. It looked cleaner in here too. The hole riddled dusty curtains had been replaced. All the shelves had been dusted. His desk had been shined. Rex finally hung up the phone and turned to me smiling.
“Have you had breakfast already?” he asked.
“Yes sir.”
He frowned, “Just call me Rex. No need to be formal when it’s just us.”
I nodded my head and bit my lip. I just wanted to be professional. I guess he didn’t much like it. We went over the 90 day agreement, I signed it. He told me that every now and again there would be some late nights. I said it was fine.
I was then sent out for coffee, to drop some packages off, and to buy a few items for his home. Apparently he didn’t have basic things, like a trash can, or any food in the fridge. It was odd trying to pick things up for the guy. I didn’t even know what he liked and disliked. I suppose I’d find out with time. During my ride back I noticed a car followed mine the entire way back to his place.
When I pulled in the car continued to cruise down the street. The painters had left, and the cleaning crew was packing up their vacuum and other items. Rex waited inside, still on his phone. I put away what I’d gotten for him and then sat down in the same chair across from him. He sipped at the coffee I’d placed down in front of him. I think one of his next purchases should probably be a coffee maker because my own coffee was now lukewarm.
The rest of the day was spent with me organizing boxes and boxes of paperwork into shiny new filing cabinets. Rex was in and out of his office. Taking calls, going about his day, flippantly walking around the house. Near the end of the mountain of paperwork, I was tired and bored, and covered with paper cuts.
It was dark out by the time I finished and Rex wasn’t anywhere downstairs. I climbed the stairs clinging to the bannister trying to see if maybe he was in the hallway.
“Rex?” I called out. He didn’t answer back. I opened a few doors, and found empty bedrooms. It wasn’t until I peeked into the last room on the end that I saw a bedroom suit, and heard a rush of water coming from the attached bedroom. I walked into the oversized room and glanced out the doors that led to a balcony which looked over the backyard. Some people just have it all.
I knocked on the bathroom door, “Rex. It’s Lacey. I’m finished here and about to leave.”
No answer back. I began to worry. I didn’t want to burst in on him in the shower, but the guy had been locked in a basement the day before and as far as I knew hadn’t been to the hospital to get checked out. My worry gave in and I opened the door.
The bathroom was huge. Stone lined the walls and floor. Steam covered the glass exterior of the shower. At least six people could fit into that thing. I knocked on the glass.
“Rex? Are you alright?”
He answered back immediately, “Uh. Yeah. Hang on a minute.”
I left the bathroom, and stood waiting in his bedroom. My cheeks began to heat with embarrassment. I heard the door open again and turned to find Rex standing with only a towel on his waist. Water dripping from his head, and down his chest and body. To say he was toned would be an understatement. The man had a muscular body. It wasn’t grotesquely overburdened with bulging skin and muscle, but it was cut and lean like I’d never seen in anything but chiseled statues. My mouth dropped open and a weak sounding noise came out as I stuttered to say something. I did the only thing that came to mind and turned around. Hoping to give him some privacy.
He laughed. I could feel my entire face morphing into a hot blushing mess.
“Lacey. What’s up?”
“I uhhh I… just wanted to say I was done today. I tried to get your attention but you didn’t answer so I got worried. I’m uhh… sorry.”
Again he laughed at me. I got the feeling that I was just a big joke.
“Well. I hope you’re acting so shy because you see something you like.” He whispered now closer to me.
I felt weak then as his hot breath hit the back of neck. I didn’t know the guy well enough to respond like my body wanted to. I turned around to face him. His mouth was inches from mine. His clear blue eyes steady and calm and his lips were curved up in a lop sided grin.
“I’m acting shy because I don’t know you, and you’re standing here naked.”
He chuckled again, “Hey, I have a towel on. I’m not naked.”
I cracked a grin at that. He had me there.
“You know Lacey. You could stay here if you wanted. I’ve got a lot of open bedrooms.”
Yeah and every one of them was empty of a bed except this one, “Rex. What’s up wit
h this house? You’re having it touched up and cleaned. You seem to have plenty of money. Why are you moving here? Tell me about yourself before we start playing sleep over.” I said while crossing my arms.
Rex puckered his lips then and thought to himself before speaking, “Well. Let me get dressed and I’ll tell you pretty much whatever you want. How about that?”
Good. Although I’d miss him in his towel. I stood there waiting. He sort of motioned for me to leave the room. Oh yeah, he was getting dressed. The heat and redness returned to my face as I stepped out of the room and left him to his privacy.
I waited back downstairs in the living room. It had a huge stone fireplace and all the old furniture faced in that general direction. The ceilings were high and the rooms was littered with paintings that had been covered up the day before when I’d attempted to dust in here. Another beastly statue that matched another by the stairs was sitting in a corner. It had great slashing claws that were still in mid swipe through the air. The mouth of the animal was open wide showing large fangs protruding from its snout. What is with the whole monster aspect?
A crash sounded from near the front door. I jumped up and looked across the now sparkling wood floors. Glass littered the ground and a rock was in the middle of it all.
“REX!” Now I really wanted to call the police. Someone had hurled a rock into his window. The door began to quake then. Pounding and scrapping sounds beating against the wood. I couldn’t go back upstairs to warn Rex without whoever was trying to break in seeing me. I hid behind the wall, listening to the splintering wood.
And then, just like I had dreamt, a mournful howl erupted from the front porch. It called to no one and rang out echoing into the house. I felt the sound withering into my bones and shivered. The scrapping noises from the door turned to splintering. I could hear the wood giving in against whatever it was trying to make its way in.