Aphrodisiac

by Alicia Street

  A crack split the air. Gunfire. It came from my incapacitated assailant who was lying not far from me on the asphalt, moaning in pain. The SUV pulled up next to me on the wrong side of the street. Not that there was any traffic in this spooky place.

  “Get in. Fast.” Eldridge looked down at me from the driver’s seat. I was too busy being scared to be surprised.

  Rather than risk running around to the passenger side, I jerked open the back door and scrambled in. My knees slammed against the hard surface. The seats were all folded down and the back was filled with ropes and things, probably for his window cleaning business. “Let me guess. Jaleel told you where I was.”

  “Never mind. Just keep your head down,” he said, then pulled a squealing U-ee that sent me and the window washing equipment sliding across the back. We sped forward. My jaw dropped when I saw the bullet hole in the rear windshield. Two more shots rang out. I’d once read a statistic about how few bullets actually hit their mark. Oh, please, let’s hear it for statistics. Meanwhile, the fetal position never felt so good.

  I lay curled on my side, blinking back tears. Fighting against the image of a hairy, tattooed arm extending toward me and a gun pointed right at my head. Had Gwen felt the same horrible fear the night she wrote the suicide poem? Had they forced her at gunpoint to drink herself into a stupor, before dumping her into the basin? Was that my future?

  We rounded corner after corner, heading who knew where. The AC in the car was a break after my itchy, buggy communion with nature in the garden. I studied the Mace-man in the dim light. His strong arms and hands, his firm grip on the steering wheel. I was relieved he couldn’t see how shaken I was, or that my face was covered in slime and panic drool.

  Finally Eldridge said, “It’s safe to come out now.”

  Was it? I sat up cross-legged and brushed dirt off my pants with trembling hands. “I owe you one, Eldridge.”

  “Fun way to get your heart rate up.” He tossed his words over his shoulder into the back seat. His voice sounded calm, almost indifferent. Not a Catastrophizer. But definitely an Excitement Addict. “Hungry? Want to go for a bite?”

  Hungry? Hey, if there’s one thing that gets my appetite up it’s being shot at. Was this guy strange or what? “Um…”

  “Couldn’t make the drive out here until late this afternoon. I haven’t had dinner yet.”

  “You think it’s safe? Maybe they’re following us.”

  “Along this dark maze of country roads? Forget it. Not with the lead I got on them. I saw how far away they parked their Jeep. Besides, one’s probably gonna want to go to the ER at Southampton Hospital.”

  “How did you find us?”

  “That was easy. Once I got to your aunt’s place, I just followed the red Camry.”

  “So, I guessed right. Jaleel is your informant.”

  He let out a short laugh. “Where do you want to eat?”

  I checked my watch. Nine forty. Binnie wouldn’t be looking for me until at least eleven. And knowing there might be people watching for me on both sides of the retreat gate—people who did not have my best interests in mind—trying to get back in there to finish my search would screw up everything. Appetite or no appetite, the idea of being swallowed up in a crowd of people in a public restaurant seemed comforting.

  And the idea of spending a little more time with Mace did have a certain appeal. “You pick the place.”

  He drove back to East Hampton village and parked in the lot of the Hearth Bar and Grill. I stepped out of the car on shaky legs.

  “Don’t worry,” Eldridge said. “You’re with me. Any problems, I’ll take care of it.”

  He held open the restaurant door. A hostess greeted us. I was glad when she said we’d have a short wait for a table. It allowed me to make a beeline for the restroom.

  Having Eldridge rescue me and see me as a helpless female grated against my feminist pride. I knew how to take care of myself, dammit. I didn’t go for the “Me, Tarzan, you, Jane” crap. However, it wasn’t everyday a woman had a loaded gun pointed in her face. I closed myself in a stall and sat on the throne blubbering out my fear and anger into a wad of cheap toilet tissue. My training in Gestalt Therapy would’ve had me pounding and kicking the walls, but I decided it might interfere with my sex appeal if Eldridge saw them taking me away for sedation.

  I stepped out of the booth, washed the dirt off my arms and face, and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Boy, did I look like hell. Those lovely post-crying jag eyes. No makeup. And my hair was beyond hope. Oh, well.

  Returning to the main room where two large barn ties held up the cathedral ceiling, I spotted Eldridge seated at a back table. A chiaroscuro portrait nestled in shadow and candlelight. Strong Mohawk features, full lips and yes, eyes like diamonds. I’d always liked the cozy feel of the redbrick walls and cedar posts in this restaurant. Perfect for romance. Couldn’t help but wonder how the controlled and mysterious Mr. Mace would react to a dose of Gwen’s perfume.

  The small square table had four chairs. I took a seat across from Eldridge.

  “Ordered an appetizer,” he said, pouring me a glass of wine from a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. Guess I looked like I needed it. In fact, I noticed him eyeing me strangely. “Turn your head to the side for a second.”

  I gave him my best profile. His hand caressed my hair. Wow. This guy moved in fast. Just as I began to get that tingly sensation, his fingers gently tugged on a few strands.

  “Got it.” He held up a dead grasshopper with a triumphant smile.

  Eeuw.

  I changed the subject. “Poor Binnie. She’s still at the retreat and will freak if she can’t find me. Can I borrow your cell?” He slid it across the white linen tablecloth.

  She picked up on the first ring. “Hola.”

  “It’s me.”

  A pause. The sound of walking. She spoke in a hushed voice. “I’m ready to blow this place. Meet me at the car in five minutes.”

  “I’m not at the Yoni retreat.”

  “What do you mean you’re not at the retreat? Where the hell are you?”

  “I’m out having dinner with Eldridge.”

  I could almost hear her internal computer short-circuiting. “Run that by me again.”

  “They caught me digging. Threw me out. Two guys tried to kill me. Along came Mace. Now we’re at The Hearth.”

  “Thank you, Doctor, for the concise synopsis.”

  “By the way, no sign of it.”

  “I figured.”

  “How about you?”

  “Viv went back to the city this afternoon. But I did get something real juicy on her. Tell you when you get home.” She cleared her throat. “You will be back later tonight, won’t you?”

  “After what just happened, I need to chill in a bad way. I estimate six glasses of wine should do it.”

  “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “I know.”

  Pause. “You aren’t wearing the stuff are you?”

  “No, dammit.”

  Benita agreed to pick me up if and when I decided to split. Meanwhile, she was heading back to Lana’s.

  Our waiter, a tan-faced surfer boy with windblown hair, placed a dish of mussels in garlic sauce on the table. Eldridge ordered grilled salmon with zucchini and fries. He seemed disappointed that I only wanted an arugula salad, but was polite enough not to ask me if I was on a diet.

  When the waiter left, I said, “Thanks again for what you just did, Eldridge. But I don’t want you risking your life for me.” Slightly ridiculous to say at this point. The gunshots tonight were way too real. “Don’t tell me you came all the way out here to play bodyguard for me?”

  “I’m into winter fishing.”

  “Bullshit.”

  He leaned in close. “I told you before. You’re cute.”

  I wanted to slug him and ram my tongue down his throat at the same time. “Sorry about the bullet hole in your windshield. I’ll cover the damages.” I walked over to the bar wher
e I borrowed a pen to write both my cell and business numbers on a coaster. Clever way to give a guy your digits. Wreck his car and offer to pay for it. I could feel Eldridge watching me as I strolled back and handed it to him.

  He stuffed it in his T-shirt pocket. “I knew this would happen if you messed around with bad company. You’re in over your head. You need me.”

  Aside from his strong feelings about Gwen and her friendship with his late nephew, I now knew what was perhaps the most powerful reason behind his sudden pro bono protection services. I decided to bring up my conversation with Jaleel. Of course, I’d leave out the part where Sub-Z called Eldridge a Mohawk wild man. “Jaleel told me about the terrible thing that happened to your mother.”

  His eyes searched my face. “I have a special loathing for men who abuse women.”

  “Want to talk about it?”

  “Don’t play therapist with me. I don’t need that.” His controlled voice that was clearly holding back a volcano ready to erupt stopped me in my tracks.

  Okay, so it was a bad move. I wasn’t used to a man who didn’t want me to be his nursemaid caretaker. “Understood.”

  He softened. His sexy smile returned. “So tell me, got any idea who these guys are?”

  Eldridge didn’t know the meaning of the word quit. No wonder he was such a good boxer. I glanced around. We were sitting in a back corner, and the couple at the nearest table was busy cooing and whispering to each other. (Can’t say I wasn’t envious.) There was no point in my holding back on him after what he did tonight. And the truth was, the thought of divulging the story of our nightmare to this strong, intelligent man comforted me.

  I took a deep breath. Speaking in a near whisper, I started at the beginning with the ransacking of our apartment, the five men on Plymouth Street, the fanny pack, Detective Roach, Gwen’s poem, the search being made in her empty loft, the thief who influenced our pet mynah, the Hummer, the journal and the fact that Gwen passed the deadly baton on to me. When I described the slit-eyed hulk named Curtis, Eldridge stopped me.

  “Bad set of teeth? Space between the front two?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Number thirteen tattooed on his forearm?”

  My eyes widened. “You know this man?”

  His energy shifted. The playful seductiveness was gone. “Curtis Bardarson,” he said. “Nickname, The Monster. Ex-drug dealer, ex-pimp, leg-breaker for hire. Reputation for being one of the meanest bouncers in Brooklyn. Killed a man once while working the doors.”

  “Any convictions?”

  “Been up for manslaughter three times. Each time he got off, thanks to some slick lawyers. Don’t ask me who paid their fees.”

  “Maybe the same person who hired this ‘monster’ to kill Gwen,” I said. “A person Curtis lovingly refers to as Chub Dubs. That nickname strike any chords?”

  Eldridge answered with a definitive no.

  “Damn.” I took a sip of wine. “Anyway, this Bardarson dude said he’d hurt Benita or members of my family if I went to the cops. Should I believe him?”

  “You have to ask me that after what I just told you?”

  I shook my head, but hearing him acknowledge it brought a chill to my limbs. “Plus, he’s not working alone.”

  “Obviously.” He knocked down the last two mussels on his plate. “When you’re dealing with a bunch of jokers who are part of an operation, it wouldn’t matter if the police picked him up or not. Somebody else fills in and makes good on the threat.”

  “Trouble is, I do have to go to the police at some point,” I said. “It’s ultimately the only way out. But I need to come up with enough evidence within the next twenty-four hours to wake up the homicide division and hope they do something before it’s too late. So far I’m not exactly batting a thousand.”

  I considered going back to the remaining details of why Gwen’s ancient tablet was so valuable. Getting sidetracked on Curtis, I hadn’t yet divulged the tale of the aphrodisiac perfume. But two things stopped me. First of all, Eldridge might think I was making it up, since I already had a quasi-fib-teller status with him. The second was pure Darwin. I possessed a powerful tool other women did not. Why should I reveal it to the one man I’d most like to use it on?

  Our dinner arrived. Good thing I’d only ordered the salad. My hunger drive

  remained stuck in high anxiety land. Eldridge, however, ate like there was no tomorrow. I tried to pretend there wasn’t, since tomorrow was Friday, my last day before the Saturday meeting with Curtis. For now, I would just be in the moment, as Lana would say.

  I asked Eldridge how his window-washing business was doing and confessed that I was terrified of heights. He asked about my work and told me about an old tradition of tribal wise ones who taught the mysteries of sex. Like that night at Sunny’s Bar in Red Hook, we moved easily from one subject to the next. We discovered we both loved Beethoven’s piano sonatas and watching Animal Planet.

  Eldridge was a great listener. Soooo unlike the men I usually dated. Including Alan.

  Sure, most men have a little trouble being receptive, but I seem to have a sign on my back that says, “Need to complain, brag, worry, or spend the whole night telling your life’s story? Call Saylor at…” You get the picture.

  We split a slice of carrot cake for dessert. To thank Eldridge, I insisted on paying the bill. Unfortunately, my wallet was in my canvas bag, which I’d left in the Camry. Now that’s class. Guy comes to my rescue and in return I stick him with the check. Eldridge picked it up in his usual save the day way. My guilt runneth over.

  “You can pay me back tonight with a walk on the beach,” he said. I knew Binnie would be waiting for me to get home and discuss new info and strategies, but while I tried to come up with a sweet way to say no, Eldridge leaned forward and gave me a kiss on the mouth that very effectively eliminated any opposition.

  Once outside, I nervously scanned the parking lot. Mace put a comforting arm around my back, guided me to the passenger seat of his SUV and took the wheel. Suddenly I felt like a nervous teenager on a date. “You haven’t told me where you’re staying,” I said.

  “I’ve got this lawyer friend who lets me use his condo in Amagansett. A white-collar boxer I train at the gym. He only comes out here on week-ends.”

  We parked in the lot and sauntered through a corridor that led to a broad yard with a pool surrounded by a two story U of apartments. Beyond that were the sand dunes with their spiny grasses bristling in the chilly breeze coming off the Atlantic. We followed a long wooden walk to the beach and pulled off our shoes. I dug my toes into the sand. Eldridge took my hand and guided me closer to the water. The surf was so loud, he’d have to shout if he wanted me to hear anything he said. But, aside from the fact that we’d talked so much at dinner, I had the feeling Eldridge was a person who liked to share quiet. It was one of the few things my mom and I did well together. Whenever it rained, we’d sit by a window or on the porch and share the listening.

  We ambled down the beach and stopped to stare out into the dark waves. I shivered from the night air. He reached out, wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to his chest. I’d just been thinking there couldn’t be any smell more wonderful than the briny ocean, when I noticed that cinnamon, sweet grass, juniper scent on his skin. Eldridge not only looked and felt like nirvana, he also smelled like it. I didn’t ask him about the scent. I didn’t want to break the spell, especially now that his lips were tracing the side of my face, moving slowly down to my mouth. His kiss started out tentative, and then became hungry, passionate, definitely heat-producing.As my hands explored his muscular back, I thought about an essay I was writing that examined whether visuals improved the sense of touch or if it was heightened when you couldn’t see. Like now with his strong arms tightening around my waist, gripping me closer, his chest and thighs pressing against me. Ohmigod. Every part of the Mace-man was hard and firm. Every part. I hoped he carried condoms in his wallet, since my bag was in the Camry’s trunk.

&nb
sp; Eldridge easily removed my flimsy halter-top, tucked it into his jeans pocket and caressed my breast until the nipple hardened against his palm. Bending on one knee, he moved his tongue from my naked shoulder down to my boobs and then to my belly. Mmm. I threaded my fingers through his shaggy hair and held on. He looked up, grabbed the back of my neck and pressed my face down to his for a five-star smooch. I began sinking to my knees, but he stopped me and stood up. “The ground is cold. You want to go inside?”

  I balked, thinking of Tara’s perfect body and of that tightly stacked twenty-something girl who approached him at Sunny’s Bar. I couldn’t bear the possibility of encountering disappointment in his eyes when he saw me naked under the cold harsh lights of his room. Yes, the sex therapist had a few issues of her own. “Um, it’s so pretty out here.”

  Eldridge took my hand. “We passed a beach chair over there.”

  “You can see a beach chair out here in the dark?”

  He just laughed softly. I knew he was a cat, but this was too much. He led me a few yards, and as he sat in a low cloth fold-up chair, he drew me in and cradled me on his lap. We kissed and cuddled for a few moments before the heavy breathing set in. Eldridge’s left hand slid under the elastic waistband of my capris and fooled around with my butt. His sent his other hand down the front of my pants, found just the right spot and worked his fingers until I was nearly over the edge.

  I yanked off his tee shirt and dragged my tongue from the gorgeous hollow at the base of his throat to the clean lines that defined his ripped torso. I wanted him so badly my hands shook as I unfastened the fly of his jeans and stroked him. He tugged at my capris and panties until they were off, then squirmed out of his jeans. Knowing something of the Mace-man’s history, I was relieved when I saw him tearing open a tiny square condom package. Refusing him for lack of one might’ve been next to impossible at this point.

  I straddled him, easing him into me. Eldridge let out a small moan, cupped my hips and pulled me hard against him. I breathed out an ecstatic sigh. With my arms around his shoulders, and his around my waist and hips, we rocked and panted, groping and kissing. I could hear the relentless rush of the ocean that seemed to urge us on. Even the wind grew stronger as our intensity built to a screaming pitch and exploded.