see him,” the tall one said. “Like I said, we need to talk with him.”
Rosencrantz and Donatti muscled the two men out the front door and came back inside a few minutes later. Donatti walked behind the bar and ran his knuckles under the tap for a few minutes. Rosencrantz stood there and just smiled at me. “What happened?” I said.
“Not much,” Rosencrantz said. “My guy didn’t want to fight. The other one tried to throw a sucker punch at Ed. He missed. But then his ball sack decided it wanted to launch itself at Ed’s knee, and when that didn’t work he tried throwing his jaw as hard as he could into Ed’s fist. Twice. Sort of an unconventional style if you ask me. I think those guys might have been dropped on their heads as infants.”
“Where are they?”
Donatti grabbed a dish towel and wiped his hands dry. “We helped them to their car and sent them on their way. It was either that or take them downtown. The paperwork’s a drag.”
“Yeah, we’d be up all night,” Rosencrantz said.
“Do me a favor, will you?” I said.
“I think we just did,” Rosencrantz said.
“Uh huh. Run a sheet for me tomorrow morning on a guy named Murton Wheeler. Let me know what you get.”
“No problem, Jonesy,” Donatti said.
Rosencrantz grabbed a handful of peanuts from a dish on top of the bar and tossed them in his mouth. “Hey, I was serious a minute ago. Can we get another pitcher of beer?”
I had a waitress take another pitcher over to their table and tear up the ticket she had going. When I finally got back behind the bar I remembered what Murton had said about my tip being under his drink coaster. I walked over to where he had been seated and saw the coaster. Underneath was a thick brass key, the words ‘ do not duplicate ’ stamped on both sides. I had no idea what lock the key would open or what contents may be hidden behind its tumblers, but less than a week later I would find myself questioning the thought process of repaying an emotional loan I never should have applied for to begin with.
An hour later I was home. It was late and I thought about going to bed, then thought, fuck it, and grabbed a beer before going outside where I propped my ass in a chair and my feet on the upper rail of my deck. The night was clear and calm and when I looked up at the stars it made me think of my mom, gone now an entire year.
I was half way done with my beer when the doorbell rang. I checked the time again, saw that it was just after midnight. I pulled my. 25 auto hideaway from my pocket for the second time this evening and went to the door. When I saw who was there I felt my knees get a little weak.
“I’m not wearing a watch,” Sandy said, “But I’m pretty sure it’s tomorrow.”
I tried to smile in a cool sort of way, but even as I did I was fairly certain I ended up looking like a school boy with an ‘aw shucks’ kind of look on my face before I managed to get a grip on myself and invite Sandy inside. When I flipped on a couple of lights I heard Sandy take in a breath.
“My god, Jonesy. This is beautiful.”
I designed the house myself, going through three different builders in the process before I found the one I knew could get it just right. Double doors lead from the foyer into the great room with a massive fireplace made entirely of fieldstone I had collected from the building site. The floors and walls were all wood, a mixture of natural pine, cherry, oak, and maple, all blended together that gave the interior a colorful, yet natural look. A leather sofa sits directly in front of the fireplace, and a waist-high bar with six stools separates the great room from the kitchen which is the only carpeted room in the entire house. Opposite the kitchen is an area off of the great room I use as my office.
“Thanks. It was a lot of work at first. Took over two years to build from the time I bought the site. Sometimes it seems like a little more work than I’d like, but then every year when summer rolls around and you can sit out back on the deck at night it all seems pretty much worth it. In fact, that’s what I was doing just now, sitting on the deck, finishing my beer. Want one?”
“Sure.”
I got her a beer and a fresh one for myself, then leaned against the counter. I let her wander around the great room for a minute taking it all in. When she circled her way back around next to me I handed her a beer, but she took them both and set them on the counter. Then she tilted her head to the side and just looked at me. I started to think about it, but then just as quick I stopped thinking and pulled her close. I pressed my body into hers and felt her press back. Just as I started to move my lips toward hers, Sandy pulled back and said, “Jonesy, is that a gun in your pocket or are you just happy to see me.”
I felt the heat rise in my face, even as I laughed with her. “Yes to both,” I said. I took the gun from my pocket and set it on the counter and when I did, Sandy started to laugh even harder.
“What?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Sandy said. “It’s so…uh…little. I guess I just imagined it would be bigger”
“Hey…”
Sandy: “Listen, uh, do you mind if I freshen up a little. You know… first. I love your bar and everything, but I sort of smell like barbeque sauce or something.”
“Don’t ever let Robert hear you say that. It’s called jerk sauce, and it’s his specialty.”
Sandy cocked an eyebrow at me. “You’ve got the hottest woman in the county standing in your house after midnight and you’re worried about what your cook thinks?”
I felt myself redden again. “No, no. I’m just saying…”
Before I could go on, Sandy stood on her toes and kissed me on the cheek. “Where’s the bathroom?”
I walked her to the bathroom-the master bathroom-and showed her where the towels were. She gave me a little girly wave then closed the door. I heard the lock click and thought, hmm. I decided that it was some kind of signal, so I left the bedroom and went back out to the deck.
She has a little tease in her, I thought. I wondered if she wanted me to tease back. I thought I might try it out, even played some scenarios around in my head, then thought, fuck it. What did I know about teasing a woman? I was lost in thought long enough that I didn’t hear her when she came up behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist and pulled herself in tight. I actually jumped a little.
“I thought you’d be waiting for me in the bedroom, Cowboy.”
I turned around and saw that she had put one of my dress shirts on. Her hair was still wet, slicked back from her forehead. Little drops of water had dripped from her hair, leaving dark spots on the shoulders of the shirt. She had the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and only one button half way down holding it closed. “I thought maybe…I mean, I wasn’t sure…”
“You think too much, Jonesy.” She reached up and unbuttoned the shirt, slinked her shoulders back and let the shirt slide to the floor. She stepped one step back so I could see her naked body and said, “Are you sure now?”
I discovered that I was indeed sure. I led her back to the bedroom, kissing her hard on the mouth as she undid my belt buckle and helped me struggle out of my clothes. I touched her breasts, placed her nipple inside my mouth and rolled my tongue back and forth. I heard her moan with pleasure, felt her fingernails bite into my butt, then let go as she rolled me onto my back and sat atop me. She helped me inside her, then began rolling her hips back and forth, her eyes never leaving mine. Then we slipped into a wave of rhythm and passion where we both fell headlong over the edge together.
When we were finished we laid in my bed for a few minutes, neither of us saying much of anything. Sandy gave me three quick kisses, one on the lips, one on the chest, and one on my pecker. “Don’t go anywhere, handsome. I’ll be right back.”
I told her I wouldn’t and watched her walk from the bed to the bathroom, her ass moving with just the right amount of jiggle. The jiggle factor was important. Too much was never a good thing, and too little meant you didn’t have anything to work with. I laid on my back, my hands behind my head, and listened to the sounds coming from
