I don’t reply. I just turn toward the kitchen, leaving the door open behind me. I don’t have to wait long before I hear the click of the front door shutting.
“Do you want to eat outside or inside?” I place the food on the counter.
“Outside would be great,” she responds. “Here.” She grabs the food. “I’ll bring this out. You bring out the plates.”
I open the cabinet and pull out two plates and then I grab forks, knives, and two glasses. I don’t even finish gathering everything before she’s back inside to help me carry it all out. “What do you want to drink?” I ask her as she takes the plates from me. “I have beer and water.”
“Wow, those are some tough choices. I’ll take water, please. Do you want me to bring out anything else?”
“Nope, all good. I’ll be out in a second.” I turn back to the fridge to grab the drinks. I also take a moment to talk my cock into calming down. It seems that he is very interested in our sudden dinner guest.
I walk outside to the table that sits just to the left of the porch. I flip on the light switch, and the little white Christmas lights I have strung up all around the yard turn on, casting a soft glow over the space.
I look at the table and find that she has already taken off her flip-flops and has thrown herself into a chair that looks out onto the lake.
“It’s beautiful out here, Mick.”
I nod in agreement and sit in the chair to the right of her. She stands up, opens the bag, and pulls out one of my favorite meals. Chicken fried steak with garlic mashed potatoes. She dishes out my portion onto my plate and then opens the container of gravy, pouring it over the top of them. My stomach lets out a huge growl, letting her know she did well.
She throws her head back as she lets out a huge laugh. “Well then, I guess I made the right choice?” she asks while she serves herself a small ass portion. I think Lilah, Jackson’s step daughter, eats more than she does.
“Phyllis didn’t tell you that this is my favorite meal?” I ask her while I cut a piece of chicken, dipping it in the potatoes.
“Nope. She suggested the seafood chowder. I thought you were more of a meat and potatoes kind of guy,” she tells me while she pushes the food around her plate.
“Are you going to eat any of that or are you going to just push it from one side to the other?” I ask her while cutting up the rest of my chicken.
“I’ve got a lot on my mind. I haven’t heard from Lori again, and my stomach is in knots. I’m so worried and scared, Mick.” She shrugs and looks up at me with clearly troubled eyes. “I keep replaying her last call, the sound of her voice, over and over in my head.” She drops her fork on the plate and grabs a napkin from the center of the table to dab her eyes.
When she looks back up at me, I see tears swimming in them. The green has turned bright. “I did all this to show her you don’t run from your problems. You stay and clean them up.”
I finish chewing my food, and before I can stop myself I’m asking her, “What’s your story, Marissa?” I don’t know why I’m asking. I’m not even sure why I care. I just know that I do.
“Oh, good God, where the hell do I even start? I got pregnant at sixteen. My parents kicked me right out of their good Christian home, crossing me off the family tree forever.” She grabs my beer bottle and takes a large pull before continuing, “My boyfriend at the time, Lori’s dad, was in a band. They were good, and they were making the rounds and playing the clubs. He was eighteen, and he was going to make it big.” She laughs and shakes her head.
“The only thing big he made was an ass out of himself. I walked in on him and another guy in the band having a threesome in our bed. I packed my stuff and left. I had one thousand dollars in my account, I was six months pregnant, and I was homeless. I got myself a one-bedroom apartment in a shithole building with a scumbag landlord who didn’t ask questions as long as you could pay your rent, in cash preferably, and you could put down the deposit. The place was disgusting. Filthy, roach and rat infested. You name it, it crawled next to me while I slept. I got a job as a waitress and worked until I couldn’t anymore. Lori was a big baby, almost ten pounds. I swore I would never have another child after her. The minute I had Lori, he came back. He said he changed, and he promised me the world. So I gave him another chance. While I was busting my ass waiting tables, and he was getting wasted every night when he went to his ‘gigs’, little did I know he was betting everything we had all the time. He would bet on horses or fucking dogs, football, basketball, hockey. You name it, he bet on it at that time, and he managed to rack up bills all over the place and then one day he up and vanished, leaving me with an eighty thousand gambling debt that they were going to collect even if it wasn’t from him.”
“Eat a few bites of your food, please.” I don’t want to interrupt her, but she hasn’t touched her food other than to move it around on the plate.
She takes a bite of the chicken, chewing it slowly. “What’s your story, Mick?” she asks while she takes another bite.
I don’t usually talk about myself, but if it makes her eat, I’ll fucking sing my story.
“My mom was a stripper. My father was a scumbag who had another family, his real family, and my mom was just his action on the side. Phyllis was the only person who actually gave a shit about me. I was on track to pursue a career playing professional football until my throwing arm was injured during what was my last touchdown pass ever. A rotator cuff injury in the last game of high school. All my dreams of playing college and the professional ball went down the tubes. That was that. It never healed quite right, and my career was over before it even began. I spent two years getting wasted every night and feeling sorry for myself. Phyllis had to come bail me out of jail one night. I was picked up after I almost got ran over by a police car while walking home intoxicated. The next day, she packed my shit and sent me to boot camp. Didn’t even give me a choice. Just said you go and don’t fucking come back until you sort yourself out and do something with yourself we can be proud of.” I shrug my shoulders. “I met my best friend and my partner, Jackson, there. I did what Phyllis said. I sorted myself out and became someone she could be proud of.” I look up to see her staring very intently at me.
“Is that why you hate me? Because you think I’m like your mother?” she asks, dropping her fork on her plate with a loud clatter. She pushes herself out of the chair, throwing the napkin down onto her plate. Turning, she slides her feet into her flip-flops.
It takes me a second to realize that she is leaving. I push myself out of my chair and round the table to wrap my arms around her waist from behind. The action stops her in her tracks. Her spine stiffens at the intimate hold I have on her, but she doesn’t try to get away.
I lean down to whisper in her ear. “You are not one thing like my mother.” I feel her lean back into me, and I know she’s listening, so I continue, “You are out there working hard and doing right by your daughter. You’re so strong, baby, something my mother never was. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
She turns in my embrace and wraps her arms around my waist. “That is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.” She tilts her head up as mine comes down, and I take her lips in a kiss. As soon as our lips touch, my world is knocked off its axis.
I feel the kiss all the way down to my bones, the memory of it searing itself into my mind. My tongue licks along her bottom lip, and she opens her mouth, tangling her tongue with mine. We come together through this kiss, and it feels like it’s something we’ve been doing forever. I pull her closer to me, wanting to devour her. I cup the back of her head to deepen the kiss. I don’t want to stop kissing her. I can’t stop.
Her hands slide up my neck and into my hair, her fingers twining themselves into the strands. She tightens her grip on my hair, giving it a slight tug. The little bite of pain races through my body and settles in my cock. I pull her closer, pressing my hips into her belly, and she groans.
Knowing that if we don’t stop I’
m going to fuck her out here on the patio, I slow the kiss to nips and nibble at her lips before I break it. I place my forehead to hers, and we both try to catch our breaths. Chests heaving, her tits are pressed tight to me, and I already know my cock is not going to be happy with me.
“Why don’t we bring in the dishes and go make out on my couch?” I ask hopefully as I grab her hand that has now fallen from my hair to her side.
A little dazed, she just nods and takes the plates to bring them inside. I’m just coming through the door when I hear an unfamiliar ringtone. Marissa grabs the phone from her back pocket, her eyes lighting up when she sees that it is an unknown number. “This is Lori.”
She presses the green button and rushes out her greeting. “Hello?” Tears immediately fill her eyes and spill over as she continues, “Baby, it’s me. Baby, where are you?”
I spring into action. “Ask her to look outside and tell you what she sees, anything she can see.” All the while I’m sending a text to Thomas, telling him that Lori is on the phone again. His response is back within a second, telling me they are starting to trace the phone call.
“Baby, I want to come and get you, but you need to tell me where you are, honey.” She starts to shake, my hands going around her to hold her up. “Please, baby, stop crying and look outside. You need to tell me what you see, so I can find you.”
I grab the phone from her and put it on speaker so I can hear, too, and I almost wish I didn’t. What we hear next chills me to the bone.
“I can’t move, Mom, I’m chained. The guy fell asleep on the bed, and we got his phone.” We hear the clinking of chains in the background. “So tired, Mom. No more drugs, please.”
I hear groaning in the background right before she clicks off.
“Lori? Lori, baby? Lori?” Marissa is yelling as the phone’s screen goes black, telling us the call has ended.
“NOOOOO!!!” Marissa sobs. Overwhelmed by her despair, she collapses onto her ass in the middle of my kitchen.
I don’t have time to grab her up off the floor before I hear the sound of the front door open and close. Confusion is etched on both our faces.
Marissa looks at me, wondering who it could be. I don’t even have time to think about it myself because of the sound of shoes clicking on the hardwood floor.
“Baby, I have a surprise for you.” Sandie enters the kitchen, her jacket open, completely naked, showing us everything she has to offer. She doesn’t care that someone is in the kitchen next to me. Her hands go to her hips. “What the fuck is this?”
I put my hand over Marissa’s eyes, not even sure why. “What the fuck are you doing here, Sandie?” I ask her, surprised she would be here during the night. Usually, she’s home with her son.
“I came to surprise you. You always love my surprises.” She doesn’t even try to cover up her body.
Marissa slaps my hand away from her face. “I’m going to go.” She gets up to her feet, wiping the tears from her face, and walks right past Sandie, knocking her arm away from her waist.
I follow Marissa to the door while she is grabbing her shawl. She doesn’t even try to put it on, just opening the door. She rushes to her car with me on her heels.
“You shouldn’t drive in your condition. Your head isn’t there.”
She looks at me. The tears from two minutes ago are gone. In their place is a look that could knock me down. The look that will haunt me in my dreams. “You shouldn’t be giving me the wrong idea, Mick, when you already have someone warming your bed.” She shakes her head, her green eyes shaded.
Opening the door, she climbs in, slamming the car door shut. I try to open it, but she locks it and rolls down the window. “Step away, Mick. Go back inside. Your girlfriend is waiting.” She doesn’t wait for me to answer. She just rolls the window back up.
She starts the car, and I have no doubt in my mind that she would run me over if I didn’t move, so I step up on the sidewalk, watching her pull away, watching the red lights of her car fade away till there is nothing left for me to stare at.
I rub my hands over my face, grabbing my hair, pulling it as I yell, “Fuck!” Right before I completely lose my shit, I get a text from Thomas. The call wasn’t long enough to be traced. It is the last straw that breaks me, shatters whatever control I have on my anger.
I return inside to the kitchen where I left Sandie. She isn’t there. Just her jacket is lying on the floor in a puddle.
I bend over, picking it up, and start for my room. She is exactly where I thought she would be, spread eagle, her hand buried inside of her.
“What took you so long?” she asks, her eyes closed while she continues to pleasure herself.
“GET THE FUCK OUT!” I roar at the top of my lungs. Her eyes snap open, and her hand stops moving. I throw her jacket at her. “Get the fuck out of here, and for the last time, stay fucking gone.”
I don’t wait for her to respond. Instead, I walk over to her, grab her arm, and get her off my bed. Grabbing her jacket up in my other hand, I drag her out of my room, down the stairs, straight to the front door. As soon as I’m about to open the front door, she yanks her arms out of my hand.
“You’re really going to choose that other bitch over us?”
I throw my head back and laugh at her. “Us?” I ask her, practically sneering. “There is no fucking us. But”—I lean in close to her—“she is a million times the woman you could ever be.”
Not one to be told that she isn’t the top of the chain, she snatches her jacket out of my hand, mumbling as she puts it on.
Before she takes one step down, she turns to me. “If you let me leave now, I won’t ever come back!” She waits for me. Waits for me to change my mind or call her back. But after that kiss with Marissa, I know I won’t. I haven’t felt like that in a long fucking time, and I want more.
“Just remember your promise,” I tell her while I slam the door in her face. Walking back into the kitchen, all that goes through my mind is Marissa.
I get my keys off the counter and head to my car where I find myself driving to Marissa’s apartment. I have to make sure she made it home okay. Once I get there, I check for her car and find it sitting alone in its parking spot. Looking up at her apartment, I see that her window is dark.
I take my phone, noticing that I have twenty-seven missed calls. Ignoring them, I pull up her number and text her.
I’m outside. Just want to make sure you’re okay.
I wait a couple of minutes and when nothing happens I send another one.
I just want to know if you’re okay. I’m not leaving till you answer me.
Nothing, not a peep, not a text. I have radio silence.
I’m coming in if you don’t answer.
As soon as I send the text, it vibrates in my hand.
I’m not your concern, Mick. Go home.
With that I know in her mind it’s over, it’s over even before it fucking started. It’s over even before we had a chance to explore it. I punch the steering wheel, turn on the car, and peel away from the curb.
I return home, where I see that Sandie’s car isn’t anywhere. I stop into the kitchen, not turning on a single light.
Dark, dark like my soul, dark like my life. I take a swig of the whiskey and throw myself on the couch, replaying the night in my mind.
I take another swig, but this time it’s bitter. So I get up to empty the bottle in the sink. Still in the darkness, I go to my room where I lie in the middle of my bed, staring out into the darkness of the night. The memories go darker. All I see are her eyes, all I feel is empty, hollow, broken, alone.
I hold my phone in my hands, hoping that she reaches out to me, hoping that she gives me a chance, just plain fucking hoping. My eyes close shut. All I see is Marissa’s face watching me, smiling at me, crying out for me. I’m afraid to open my eyes for fear she will go away.
I feel her hands on me. I feel her kissing me. It’s a fucking dream I don’t want to wake up from. It’s a dream that I just want
to keep dreaming about. It’s like she’s here with me.
And I fall deeper into a daze, sliding faster down the spiral slide that is my life.
Chapter Ten
Mick
When the sunlight hits my face, I slowly peel my eyelids open. It feels like my mouth is full of cotton balls. I can’t even swallow.
When I make it to the kitchen, the dishes from last night taunt me. I pick them up and throw them all in the garbage. I’m going to get new plates, a new table, a new bed, sheets, fuck it all.
Jumping in the shower, I stand under the water till it turns ice cold. And even after that I stay till I can’t feel my fingers anymore. I stay till my heart slows to a calmer beat, till all the memories of everything that Sandie put me through are purged from my body. I stay till I feel whole again. I stay till Marissa’s smiling face makes me realize there are things worth working for, things worth fighting for. I stay till I know I’m worth it, and I’m going to fucking show her that she is worth it, that we are worth it.
Once I get in my room, I throw the towel down, put on my boxers, and run downstairs to see that I missed a text from Jackson.
What happened with Marissa?
My first thought is that she told him something. I know I pushed the envelope the minute my lips touched hers, but I won’t fucking apologize for that. I reply back fast.
Nothing happened with her. Why, did she say something did?
I pick up the phone, checking to see if maybe she texted me also, but there is nothing there.
Where are you?
This is obviously a conversation better had face-to-face.
On my way!
I walk into the station to see Jackson smiling behind his desk. I haven’t seen him look calm in the longest time.
“Looks like you got that situation taken care of!” I tell him while I slide into my chair across from him. Our desks are connected in a small corner of the big office.
Pieces Of Heaven: Pieces Of Heaven (Heaven & Hell Book 2) Page 5