I lifted happy eyes to him and saw he was grinning. “Yeah, mamita, but be careful with that.”
“Is it for me?” I trilled happily.
His hand went to the side of my neck and slid up, fingers in my hair, thumb at my hairline.
“Yeah. Keep it in your purse where you can get to it. It’s got fresh batteries. You turn it on, touch the prongs to your target, a one-second touch causes an incapacitating jolt, three seconds it’ll take someone down.”
I lifted the stun gun between us, stared at it in awe and murmured, “Aces.”
I came out of my stun gun euphoria when I heard his soft laughter and my eyes went to him.
“What’s funny?” I asked.
His fingers wrapped around my wrist, pulled the stun gun from between us and he closed in, his other hand sliding to the back of my head.
“You don’t know, mamita, it’ll be more fun to watch you figure it out.”
Then he kissed me, another slow, sweet one (with tongues) that again lasted until I wrapped my arms tight around his waist and melted into him.
Then he was gone.
* * * * *
Ralphie and I went into Art and at eleven thirty Ralphie picked up the phone and dialed.
“Jet, you pretty girl, I’m callin’ in a delivery,” Ralphie said into the phone as I watched in stunned surprise. “Sadie and I will simply expire if we don’t have two of Tex’s specials. Can you send someone over with them? I’d come get them but, see, Double H says I’m in charge of Sadie’s safety during the day. We opened late, we can’t close down just to get coffee and I can’t leave her alone.”
I stood beside Ralphie still staring at him wondering when Hector made Ralphie “in charge” of my “safety” while Ralphie nodded and said in the phone, “Un-hunh, un-hunh,” then, “Oh, ‘Double H’ is Hector, stands for Hispanic Hottie’.” I heard laughter through the receiver, he finished with, “Toodles,” and put the phone down.
Then he turned to me calmly and said, “Daisy’ll be over in ten with two specials.”
At this point, I rewound my life back six weeks.
Six weeks ago, my father was in prison, my days were spent with Ralphie in Art and my nights were spent either at yoga class, a movie (by myself) or curled up with a book in my living room.
I had no excitement except a scary call or a buzz up from one of the Balducci Brothers but that wasn’t good excitement, that was bad excitement.
I was alone and, albeit frightened, my life was my own and my destiny was decided by me. Except for the Balduccis, I was in complete and total control.
Now I was never alone and I made no decisions for myself. When I did, they were circumvented. Ralphie thought he was my bodyguard. Blanca was going to teach me how to cook. Tom thought I was the reunited member of “the whole family”. And Hector was going to put his mouth between my legs that night (and, by the way, the very thought made me shiver).
And then there was the imminent arrival of YoYo the pug who was being delivered tomorrow night.
Instead of reveling in this which I should be doing, I was planning to disappear.
For a second I wondered if I was crazy. Then it hit me that I wasn’t.
First, a lot of people were going out of their way to make me safe and that wasn’t right or fair. They had better things to do and furthermore, they barely knew me.
Second, even though they all appeared to like me no matter who sired me, I’d never forget and I’d always know I was the odd girl out.
Last, because Hector was a good guy (maybe even the best guy ever born), when he found someone, she should not be a Belinda but she should also not be a drug dealer’s daughter.
And she certainly shouldn’t be the tawdry, broken, throw-around toy of the Crazy Balducci Brothers.
I knew I had to ride this out, keep my plans to myself and, when things were all ready, I’d sit down with Ralphie and Buddy and explain. Then I’d sit down with Hector and explain. Then I’d go and let them get back to their normal lives being good people and having nothing more to worry about than their Z Gallerie credit cards (not that Hector had a Z Gallerie credit card, more like Home Depot).
Daisy and Ava showed with the coffees, taking me out of my unhappy thoughts.