Call My Bluff

by Elizabeth Knox

  “Hopefully, we can afford more than a spider ring!” He laughingly said.

  I giggled, “A mood ring, at the very least, right?”

  The sun was setting, and I was a little drunk when we hit the shop to exchange our tickets.

  There, I learned that Nick had a seriously unhealthy obsession with banana Laffy-Taffy.

  He also bought a mood ring, which he promptly slid onto that ring finger. I stopped breathing for a heartbeat, then snapped back and laughed, and you could tell it was forced, saying, “Come on, you crazy person!”

  The girl behind the counter, at least, bought it and she laughed telling me, “You guys make such a cute couple, I hope my boyfriend and I are like y’all when we get old.”

  I stiffened; this little brat had just called me old.

  What the heck.

  Nick had seen me in action, so he stood and pulled me into his arms, dragging me away, great body shaking laughter coming as he said, “Calm down, Rocky. We don’t need to beat up every person we meet.”

  I looked up at him and glared.

  He pulled me even closer and led me from the building.

  Snotty little brat aside, this had been one of the best days of my entire life.

  That seemed like something I should share with him since I probably would never get the chance. We had tonight together, and then he was moving on to follow his dreams while I got in my car and tried to figure out what my dreams were.

  Aside from the man holding me close as the car pulled up and we climbed inside.

  Nick seemed unaffected by the fact that this was our last night together. In his normal fashion, he joked, teased, tickled, and brought me to orgasm, but as far as I could tell, it didn’t concern him in the least that this was the last time he’d lay down and pull me into his arms.

  He’d been far more successful than I had at keeping his heart out of it, I guess. Otherwise, he would be treasuring every second the way I was. But for him, it seemed to be business as usual.

  Chapter Eleven

  Friday

  It was still dark out when Nick’s phone broke the silence and shocked us both to awareness. He groaned and rolled over, letting me go, so he could answer it.

  I was already wide awake and braced because, in my experience, middle of the night phone calls always heralded bad news.

  Nick answered with a grunt and then sat up quickly, “Yeah. No. It had nothing to do with the game.”

  My mind went into overdrive, and the edge to his voice made me think that something had gone wrong. Maybe they’d recounted, and he wasn’t the winner. Maybe someone had run off with all the money, it was cash so it could happen, or, or, or. I was good at looking for the worst-case scenario. Nick, somehow in the darkness, sensed my distress and reached out, taking my hand and bringing it to his mouth for a quick kiss before continuing his conversation.

  “That was provoked, and the instigator was removed from the building.”

  Oh. My. Gosh. Was he talking about our scuffle? He had to be. He was using words like provoked and instigator. If I caused him to lose out on that money, he would hate me. Hell, I would hate me. I wouldn’t be leaving him with memories of a phenomenal week; instead, I’d become the girl that caused him to lose millions.

  He squeezed my hand, and it felt reassuring. I had no clue why he would be reassuring me at a time like this.

  “Right.” He spoke again, “makes sense. Okay, yeah. No worries. See you Saturday. Right. Two in the afternoon. Got it.” Then he hit the red button to end the call and tossed it to the nightstand, not speaking to me, but pulling me back into his arms.

  He wiggled and moved me until we were in a more comfortable position and said, “Gotta ask a favor, Harley. Because security was called last night, they’re worried about the boys in blue catching wind of the last round, so they rescheduled to tomorrow. Is there any way you can stick with me one more day? I know that means you’re losing a day, but we can get you packed up today, and you’ll still be on track.”

  Relief made me careless with my words, “I’m here as long as you want me, handsome.” I wiggled my rear to find the spot in his lap where it fit perfectly and sighed happily. There was no way I was going back to sleep now that I knew I had a one-day reprieve. I was going to memorize every second of this, and if he wanted to help me move, hey, who was I to discourage him? With two of us, we could have my little two-bedroom packed in a day, no problem.

  “How big is your place?”

  Eyes still closed I said, “Two bedroom. One bath, small kitchen. It’s more of a studio, but we have doors.”

  “You have a roommate?” There was a hint of annoyance in his tone, and I smiled, lying to myself with the thrill at his jealousy.

  “No. We got it when Edgar was still alive. It was our first real place. I’ve wanted to move since I found him, but I never did.”

  His arms around me went solid, and he asked carefully, “When you say ‘found him’?” He trailed off, but I knew he was connecting dots. It wasn’t impossible that Rico had mentioned bits and pieces over the years.

  “I told you I ran with him because he was into drugs and overdosed. Well, the battle didn’t stop, even when we had a better home life. He went to rehab three times. Turns out the third time isn’t a charm. I came home from a client and found him dead. I called 9-1-1 and did CPR until they got there, and they hauled him off. He was in the hospital for fourteen weeks before he died, but he was gone before I found him. I stayed with Rico for a while, then eventually, I had to go home. I don’t run, I’m honest with myself, and I had to face the fact that no matter how hard I’d tried, I couldn’t save my baby brother. Rico sent in the cleaners, had all of Edgar’s things packed away in boxes and stored in his bedroom, and I went home.”

  I stopped talking because my voice had gone tight and cracked on the last word. It hadn’t been home since, even though it was the first one we’d ever had.

  Nick skimmed a hand down my side, but it wasn’t meant to be sexual. He was offering comfort and security. I turned in his arms and fought back the tears when it occurred to me that since I’d lost my brother being here, in Nick’s arms, was the first time I’d felt like I was somewhere I belonged.

  Before I drifted too far down that path, Nick spoke up, “Well, I’m definitely going to be there helping you while you close this chapter. Give me a kiss, Harley, and let’s go face the day.

  We didn’t even stop to eat, I had food in the fridge at my place, hopefully, and he seemed on a mission to get this done, so I happily went along with him, the way it seemed I always did.

  The car drove through town as the sun slowly peeked out to start the day.

  “This is my favorite time of day.” It was an inane thing to say, but nonetheless, it was the truth. “Everything is on the cusp of coming to life, and in that solitude, you feel like you’re alone, but not. Like you’re being blessed with a sacred secret.”

  He bumped me with his shoulder and said, “You know a place to watch an incredible sunset? The beach.” He gave me the wicked grin and finished, “In Mexico.”

  I snorted and leaned against his arm, resting my head on his shoulder and informed him, “You’d be tired of me in a week. I snore, and I’m a slob. I live in sweats and sometimes forget to brush my hair unless I have to go out. Then it takes me twenty years to get dolled up and ready to go. Really, I’d drive you insane in a week.”

  “Baby Doll,” his tone was pure irony, “I’ve lived with you for a week, snoring, cover hogging, slob-like tendencies, sweats, and messy hair. I love every bit of it.”

  My stomach hollowed out when he said the word love. He wasn’t saying he loved me, but he was insinuating something very much like it.

  I wasn’t touching that one with a ten-foot pole.

  I shrugged, playing at cool and said, “Yeah, for a few days. And that’s with separate rooms! Just imagine what a monster I’d be in a month.” I shuddered, “Or a year. Don’t take my word for it; we’re about to be t
here, and you’ll see. I panicked while trying to figure out what to bring this week and left the contents of my closet spread far and wide across my bedroom.”

  He just grinned his infuriatingly handsome grin and nudged me again.

  We fell into a comfortable silence and didn’t say anything until we got to my door. There was an envelope taped to my door with some very familiar handwriting on it. I yanked it off the door and ripped it open, not even bothering to unlock the door. I had to give Nick credit, he rolled with my crazy and waited while I opened it up.

  It was a note and his emergency key to my apartment, which he would no longer need. Though, it irked me that he’d left it there when someone could break into my place.

  I unfolded the paper and read it.

  Har,

  Daughter of my heart, while it saddens me to see you spread your wings, I cannot wait to see you fly. Don’t fret as you take this journey, Mami, I’ve waited for it to happen for years. You are ready for what comes next. Do not forget to call and check in with me daily, every other day at the very least. For holidays I expect you at home, and yes, before your mind wanders and you get lost to your thoughts, I mean mine.

  While this isn’t goodbye, only I’ll see you later, I can’t bear to say the words. When you call me to yell about the landlord later, please don’t dwell on it. We’re family. Nothing means more than that, and you will always have a place to call home with me. Call me. Don’t put it off.

  I will come find you.

  I took the liberty of having most of your things packed up. The only thing left is your bedroom— which was a wreck— and your bathroom. The perishables are being delivered to Nick’s hotel room, and everything else is safely stored in my unit.

  Live life to the fullest, mi amor, and make an old man happy.

  I’m proud of you. The scared little girl I let crawl into my heart has turned into a fierce woman who can have every little thing her heart has ever craved.

  Be Safe,

  Rico

  I was sobbing when Nick took me into his arms, pulling the letter from my grasp. My lover read the letter over my shoulder and then pulled me closer, kissing my forehead, another thing I’d cherish forever, and said, “My uncle is a big ol’ softy. If word got out about that, no one would fear the big bad wolf of Vegas.”

  I laughed. Rico had a formidable reputation around town, it was the reason none of the clients of Lush ever crossed the line. When they did, as my date had last week, they were removed from the list and banned. I hadn’t asked, but I knew Rico, so I knew the man who’d pinned me down last weekend had already been blacklisted.

  Finally composed, I put the key in the door and let us in.

  If I hadn’t read the letter first, I would have panicked. Everything I owned had disappeared, and the only thing not nailed down that I could see were the two bottles of champagne sitting next to a box of Pop-Tarts. There was a note, it appeared to be from Ted, scrawled on a napkin.

  H,

  Drinks in the fridge.

  Boxes and tape in the bedroom.

  Package for Nick on your bed.

  Leave your boxes, and I’ll pick them up in the morning.

  I will return my spare to the super then.

  -T

  Nick read over my shoulder and laughed. “When you said you’d feed me, I pictured eggs benedict or breakfast soufflé, not children’s food.”

  I grinned and scurried to the fridge, yanking it open and whooping when I saw that not only had they left water, there was chocolate milk and orange juice waiting for us in single-serve bottles. I called out, “OJ or chocolate milk, hot stuff?”

  “Do you have anything for grown-ups? Maybe some water or black coffee?”

  I curled my lip at him and asked acidly, “Why the judgment? You drink OJ or brown cow juice with Pop-Tarts. None of that water or coffee bullshit. There’s, like, a law against it or something.” I decided he could have OJ and grabbed a bottle of each.

  He was frozen in thought, then looked at me silently.

  I set his juice down in front of him and opened the tiny milk carton to take a sip. He still wasn’t speaking, so I shrugged and grabbed the box of our heavily processed, extremely delicious breakfast and tore it open, shaking one of the silver packages free and pulling it open. I shoved the box toward him and tore a corner off of one of the rectangles, popping it in my mouth and chewing.

  When I swallowed, and he still hadn’t spoken or moved, I caved and asked, “What?”

  He shook his head slightly and said, “I’m worried.”

  I cocked my head in question and tore off another piece of maple and brown sugary goodness, waiting.

  “It should be a turn-off. The way you have no problem mixing sugar with more sugar. The way you leave shit lying around, and Baby Doll, it isn’t just your room that’s a mess. You’ve made your mark on my room as well. Yet, I find it endearing. And I find that I want nothing more than to lay you on that carpet,” he nodded toward the living room floor, “and worship at the altar of your body.”

  I grinned, “Told you I was weird. Good thing I’m not actually coming with you. It’d be bliss for a few days, then reality would give you a boot in the ass, and you would see I’m not all that I’m cracked up to be.”

  He shook his head again, but I noted and refused to process, the steely determined set to his jaw.

  In no time at all, my bathroom was packed, and my closet had been sorted into the things I was taking and the things I was storing. I’d done an impromptu fashion show that focused heavily on my panties as Nick decided what should stay and what should come along on my journeys. That, of course, had led to sex, which had led to the munchies and then had seen me placing an order at the Chinese take-out two blocks away that would feed seven people.

  That was what happened when you slugged down two bottles of primo champagne with a man who made you high with just a look.

  We walked out the door, laughing and holding on to each other for dear life. Nick stopped at every opportunity to kiss me, which threw me off balance because my body went from happy drunk to slutty horndog in the time it took to say, “Boo!”

  It took twenty minutes to make the normally seven minutes top walk, but it was worth it. I was drunk on him, high on the feeling, and caught up in a fantasy. The walk back went a little faster because we bought two bottles of Saki and walked out with two bags of food.

  Back at my apartment, we opened all of the boxes and, using the plastic forks since mine were all gone, we dug in. He shoved a bite of octopus in my mouth even though I resisted, and I retaliated by shoving a bite of crab into his face.

  He opened one bottle of Saki, and we took turns taking glugs from it. It was the absolute best night of my life.

  Something occurred to me as I chewed. I quickly swallowed my food and shared, “There’s this place near the strip, they sell the most delectable French sweets. Let’s go there! I could use some sugar in my life.”

  And that was the last thing I remembered when I woke up sprawled, as usual, across Nick’s body with a pounding head and a ring that was nothing like the mood ring I’d sported before, sitting shiny and proud on my left ring finger.

  Oh, fudge.

  Chapter Twelve

  Saturday

  I’d scratched myself reaching up to touch my face. That was how I knew something was different.

  I lifted my hand, watching it twinkle in the sunlight flooding my bedroom, turning it this way and that as I wracked my brain to try and remember how it had ended up there.

  Nick brushed a hand down my naked back and moaned, opened his eyes, and panicked.

  “Oh, shit!” My heart sank. If what I was recalling bits and pieces of actually happened, and it was looking like they had, he was panicking about the fact that he’d married me.

  In an Elvis chapel, if I wasn’t mistaken. Because Viva Las Vegas was running on a loop in my head.

  I moved off of his chest as he bolted upright and reached for his phone.
>
  Then froze when he slumped back into bed and murmured, “Come here, Harley. We still have time. I want to hold you.”

  Mechanically, I did as I was told, but I couldn’t keep my mouth from moving, “Did we, uh, get married last night?”

  His body rocked with laughter, but I was finding absolutely nothing funny about this whole thing. “I’m hurt. You don’t remember saying yes to me?”

  There was a note to his voice that I couldn’t unravel. I trod carefully when I said, “I definitely remember Elvis. I think I danced with him.”

  He laughed heartily at that and said, “That, my dear wife, you did. We met up with our friend, Melvis, at the bar where we stopped to grab a drink and sang karaoke. Badly. He asked why we weren’t married, and when I told him it’s because you won’t commit, he bought us each a shot, asked me if I loved you when I said yes, he asked you and then it gets a little hazy until we walked into a chapel that looked straight out of the fifties, you panicked, and I kissed you. Next thing you know, we’re hitched and living that wedded life.”

  “Is it legal?” I asked in horror. We’d have to get lawyers involved to dissolve this mess if it was.

  He stiffened, and for the first time in our time together, he sounded pissed. At me. “What the fuck? Hours ago, you were over the moon, happier than you’d ever been before, and in love with me. Now you want to know if our marriage is legal? What the hell changed between then and now?”

  “Nick—“ I stopped, gulped, and tried to compose my thoughts, and it was awkward as all hell laying in his arms and having this conversation.

  That was when it hit me.

  “You wanted to marry me?” I heard the awe in my voice, so I knew he did.

  “Baby Doll, I took one look at you and fell headfirst in love.” He squeezed me, and my heart grew ten sizes, seven more than the Grinch’s, and I jerked out of his arms, but only to swing a leg over his waist and straddle him as my hair cascaded around us.