by Liza Brown
“I know he disapproves of me, I probably would too if the tables were turned. It gives me a goal to prove to him how much I care for you.”
“It’s good to have goals,” I said as I squeezed him tighter. It amazed me that just over a week ago, I hated hugs. Now, giving them to and getting them from Elsu was quickly becoming an addiction.
I snuggled into him more. “Can you believe Bonnie is retiring on me?”
“You need a vacation, Mae,” he said as he guided me to sit on the edge of the bed.
“You have no idea.” I let him wrap me in his arms.
He rocked back and forth like a mom with a child. “So you’re hiring six new people now?” he asked as he leaned his head on mine.
I took a deep breath. “I guess. If I’m going to come to your games, I’m going to need someone there to help with paperwork. I’m going to have to train them and make sure everything is ready for them.” I flung myself back on the bed and draped my arm across my eyes. “Steve will hire the warehouse guys and mechanics but it’s all so overwhelming, Elsu.”
My shirt had risen up, baring my belly. Before I had a chance to lower it, I felt warm air on my navel. A wet tongue licked around the perimeter of my innie then sucked on it a little. I had always felt self-conscience about my stomach. The lack of exercise and excessive amounts of greasy food didn’t help. But Elsu didn’t seem to mind. He kissed every inch of my bared midriff then lifted his head to look at me.
“This is dangerous, Mae.”
“Yes, it is. But don’t stop,” I said as I lifted my shirt a few inches to just beneath my bra.
He took the hint and went back to my stomach. I closed my eyes as he took his time kissing everywhere my lifted shirt allowed. “Mae,” he looked into my eyes as he rested his cheek on my stomach.
“Yes?” I asked.
“What are we doing?” he asked, his breath was heavy.
“I don’t know, but I know I like it.”
“I’ve never been turned on by a belly before,” he said as he kissed it again.
“That flabby thing?” I asked as I pulled my shirt down.
I could swear I heard him growl when I pulled my shirt over my stomach. “It is not flabby, it is beautiful, Mae.” He lifted my shirt just enough and kissed my navel one more time.
“You’re crazy,” I said.
“For you,” he smiled.
“You’re cheesy, too.” I smiled back.
“I thought that was why you liked me. Cheesy Elsu.” He scooted up so his face was level with mine.
“There are a lot of reasons why I like you.” I grabbed his head and pulled his lips to mine. “Kiss me.”
We kissed and touched and grinded against each other. But he behaved and kept his hands on the outside of my shirt. I, on the other hand, was grateful he wasn’t wearing a shirt. I got to touch him everywhere I could reach. We ended our make-out session with him falling fast asleep on top of the covers. I knew he had to get up early, so I laid my blanket over him and went to change into my pajamas. I grabbed some blankets from the hall closet and fell asleep on the couch.
After what felt like five minutes, I heard a beeping coming from my bedroom. I looked at the clock near the TV and saw it was three in the morning. I heard Elsu stirring and he walked into the living room. I sat up and looked at his half-naked body and smiled.
“I have to go, baby.” He walked to me and sat on the couch.
“I know. Message me when you can. I’ll be watching the games on the TV.”
“Your bodyguard will be here about two. Her name is April and she’s been instructed to go straight to the shop after she lands.”
“Where is she staying?” I asked. “We’re running out of rooms.”
“We’ll have to move Magdalena out and into my apartment with my uncle. I’ll call her later and she can start moving out.”
“Make sure she doesn’t take it personally. I really don’t mind her being here.”
Diesel jumped up and made himself comfortable on Elsu’s lap.
“I’m sure she won’t,” he said as he stroked Diesel’s back.
“He likes you,” I said as he started to purr.
“He’s a good cat,” said Elsu.
I leaned my head on his shoulder. “You’re going to New York today, Boston tomorrow and where on Thursday?” I asked.
“Detroit.”
“Is Detroit pink?” I asked, remembering his color coded schedule where pink meant I probably couldn’t get a ticket to the away game. Yellow was good and green was home.
“It is this week. If it were later in the season, you’d probably be good,” he said.
“Ok. I’ll miss you.” I wrapped my arms around his body.
“I’ll see you Friday. I’m free until Sunday and that’s home.”
“I can’t wait,” I said as I kissed his shoulder.
“You like my shoulders, don’t you?”
“Among other parts,” I smiled.
I kissed it again. “That’s for your guardian angel. She’ll be on your shoulder all week.”
“I’ll make sure she stays put,” said Elsu as he kissed my forehead, then my lips. “I have to go. I’ll message you when we land. We have workouts and practice and press and whatever, so I might not reply right away. But know if you message me I’ll get it and reply when I can.”
“Ok,” I stood up reluctantly and walked him to the door.
“Millard will be down once I go. I’ll leave him the key. Go back to bed.”
I kissed him one more time and let him out the door with a sigh. “Be safe, Elsu.”
“You too, Sweet Mae.”
I watched him walk down the hall to the stairs and then he was out of sight. I soon found myself sitting at the window in my bedroom watching the car ports, waiting for him to leave with Brent, Saul, and Peter. I had turned on my light, hoping he would look up, but he didn’t. That was ok, I probably would have cried a little more if I had to wave goodbye.
CHAPTER 9
When my alarm went off at seven, I found myself with a death grip on the pillow Elsu had slept on. It smelled like him. I didn’t want the pillowcase cleaned until he got back so I decided to stick it in my closet just in case Magdalena decided between moving out and into Elsu’s that she needed to do laundry. When I went to open the closet door, I saw a shirt laying on the floor next to the rocking chair where Elsu had been spying on me the night before. I picked it up, recognizing quickly that it was his. The blankly staring Whoopster’s Owl was the obvious giveaway. I quickly brought it to my nose to inhale my new favorite scent. The poor guy didn’t have any clothes left from the fire and was in a constant state of team gear. I looked at the size and made a mental note. I had a plan that I didn’t have time for, but I didn’t care. I slipped the shirt on the pillow and stuffed it in the closet. I dressed and when I got to the kitchen, I found Magdalena, Millard, Uncle Richard, Colette, and Arnold sitting, and standing around my table drinking coffee and eating eggs and sausage that Magdalena had so kindly made for everyone.
“Well hello, and welcome to Mae’s Diner!” I smiled.
Millard stood up and offered me his chair. I sat down and a plate appeared before me. “Magdalena, I’m going to miss you living here,” I said then covered my mouth, not knowing if she knew. “Did I say too much?” I asked.
“No, she knows. I’m going to help her move up to the fourth floor today,” said Uncle Richard.
“Whew,” I said as I took a bite of eggs. “Thank you, Magdalena, this is perfect.”
“You’re very welcome, ma’am. I can make you meals still. I just come down from upstairs,” she smiled. “I love to cook. I miss Mr. Benjamin’s house. He had a wonderful kitchen.”
I smiled at her then looked at my neighbor. “Colette, your brother is tall, right?”
“Yes, six foot four.” She took a sip of her to-go coffee. “Why?”
“Where does he shop?” I asked.
“I’m not sure, he’s an adult. I d
on’t take him shopping.”
“I will throw eggs at you, don’t think I won’t!” I said with a smile and a piece of egg dangling off my fork.
“Someone’s in a mood,” she said as she gathered Arnold’s plate and hers and took them to the dishwasher.
“Elsu needs clothes, I want to surprise him. I don’t know where to go,” I said, sticking my tongue out at her while she had her back turned to me.
“Oooh shopping for a man! I’m in!” she said as she sat back down.
“No! I’m perfectly capable of shopping for him. I just need to know where to go!”
“Mae, you were about to buy a dress from Sears for that formal dinner you went to last week! You are not going shopping for your man alone!” She had a point.
“Hey, the stuff at Sears wasn’t too bad.” I grinned as I looked down to avoid the stink eye I’m sure I was getting.
“Millard, tell her, no Sears!” said Colette.
“I’m staying out of this,” he said as he stood by my door, looking at his phone.
“Millard, what do you know about my new babysitter?”
“Not much, Miss Mae. Her name is April Smith, she’s 30 years old.”
“Babysitter?” asked Arnold.
“My bodyguard starts today,” I said. “Will she let me go shopping with Colette?”
“I don’t know why not,” said Millard. “Her job is to make sure your life is as normal as possible while making sure your surroundings are safe.”
“Do you think this person would be brave enough to attack me directly?” I asked.
“It’s really hard to say at this point.”
“Ok,” I sighed as I finished my meal and coffee and Magdalena took my dishes. “I can do that,” I said.
“So can I, ma’am.”
“Mae, please, Magdalena.”
“Yes ma’am,” Ugh! I looked at Millard who was still standing by the door, while looking at his phone, but he was smirking. He didn’t miss a thing.
After we had eaten and I was putting on my coat, I looked at the wall next to the door. “What’s this?”
“That is your intercom and buzzer. The wire here is for the monitor that will go in today.” I pushed the button under the intercom and it lit up.
“Well that’s rather nifty. Now my mom, Candice, and Christopher can’t just come in.”
“Right. After today, you’ll need your code which I texted you last night to get in at the front door.”
“Thank you, Millard. I just wish Elsu wasn’t paying for it. This should have been done a long time ago.”
“Don’t worry about that. Elsu wants you safe. He’s going to spare no expense to do that.”
Once I was at work, Millard informed me that there would be people coming in to help with the safety upgrade he had planned. He would get them started and then would be back in the customer service area standing post near me. I felt like the president. A president who doubled as a chop shop owner.
I went to my desk and pulled out my cell phone to find a few messages from Elsu.
LANDED ON TIME, IT’S COLD HERE. MISS YOU. STAY SAFE. GOING FOR A SHOOTAROUND, THEN WORKOUT, THEN REST, THEN GAME. STILL MISS YOU. STAY SAFE.
I replied.
GLAD YOU MADE IT SAFE AND SOUND. I’M PRETTY SURE I MISS YOU MORE THAN YOU MISS ME. TRYING TO PUT ON A HAPPY FACE FOR EVERYONE, BUT KEEP THINKING OF YOU AND THOSE SHOULDERS. HOPING YOUR GUARDIAN ANGEL IS HOLDING ON. BE CAREFUL AND GOOD LUCK TONIGHT! BY THE WAY, IF I DIDN’T TELL YOU YESTERDAY, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP AT THE SHOP!
I put the phone down and started working on my daily grind.
“Well…well…well.” The most annoying sound came rattling to my ears from the doorway of my office.
“Carl? Shouldn’t you be with the team?”
“I will. I have some business to tackle first.” He pulled the chair out across from me and sat his wide body down. “How are you doing, Mae-Belle?”
I ignored him and continued working.
“That’s no way to treat a guest, Mae-Belle.”
“You’re not a guest, you’re an intruder and I’m half tempted to call the police.”
“Hmm,” his response was subtle but there nonetheless. He sat and watched me as I typed some memos and did some ordering. I tried my hardest to completely ignore him, but his heavy mouth-breathing was starting to smell up my office.
I stood to open the window and sat back down. “So, was your business to just sit and watch me work?”
“No, I was waiting for you to stop what you’re doing and give me the respect I deserve.”
“You’re going to be waiting a long time then.” I pulled out a pack of gum and pushed it toward him. “Here, take two.”
“No, I don’t care for gum.”
“Or toothbrushes, apparently,” I mumbled quietly as I started forcing myself to find work to do so I could continue to ignore him.
“You know, Mae-Belle, when Elsu goes out of town, he could be doing anything with anyone.”
“Good to know,” I said as I finally turned and faced him.
“Women. Pretty women. Prettier women than you. Of course, that’s not really hard to find.”
I pulled a pad of paper and a pen from my drawer. “Out…of…town…” I looked up at him as I held the pen at the end of my sentence. “You said anything with anyone?”
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“Oh, I thought you were telling me something important so I was taking notes. This isn’t noteworthy?”
He squinted his eyes at me and sat forward. “How dare you!”
“Dude! Take a piece of gum already. What, do you floss with onions?”
“I came to talk to you and you’re insulting me?”
“Talk then,” I said as I sat back and crossed my arms in front of me.
“You have Elsu’s bodyguard working for you now?”
“No, Elsu has his bodyguard working for me. He’s getting me my own bodyguard.”
“Really? You need a bodyguard?”
“He thinks so,” I said.
“What does he have Millard doing, anyway?”
“He’s fixing some security issues around here. Millard has some guys coming in a little later.”
“You’ve really got him buffaloed, don’t you? But I can see through this masquerade you’re behind. Don’t think I don’t know your game.”
“I don’t even know my game. What is it again? Be a girlfriend for Elsu? That’s all, right?”
Carl slammed his fist on the desk. Bonnie, who was helping customers in the customer area jumped. “Is everything ok?” she asked when she came to the door.
“It’s fine, honey. I just came by to see all the pretty cars.” I nodded Bonnie back to the customers.
“No,” I finally said to Carl.
“What do you mean, no? The showroom is open to the public, right?”
“Not anymore, it’s not.”
“But your sign out front says showroom.”
“I can change that sign with the swipe of a paintbrush. It’s no longer open to the public.”
“Well, I went to see the cars. The door was open.”
“Went?”
“Yeah, already checked them out. Real beauts. Bet you wish you had one of them now, huh?” He laughed out loud.
“Did Millard see you?”
“No, the whole building was empty.”
“Checked out those old Harley’s. How much do you want for them?”
“They’re not for sale.”
“Everything’s for sale.”
“Maybe in your twisted little world it is, but not here.”
“They’re just bikes. I don’t see you riding them. Why not give them a new home?”
“Because they belonged to my grandfather. They’re not for sale.”
“Ah fine.”
“So you saw the cars. What else do you want?”
“No, I was just…”
“Carl!” Millard stepped into the small room.
“You sure know how to overstep your welcome, don’t you?”
“Millard, I was just checking in on the cars…and Mae-Belle.”
“Don’t call her Mae-Belle.”
“Leave.”
“As soon as I get copies of their contracts.”
“Contracts?”
“Storage contracts. Surely you don’t have all of those cars and not have a storage contract.”
“They all have insurance. I have insurance.”
“You need a storage contract, Mae-Belle.”
“We have a written agreement for rental payment.”
“That’s not a storage contract, Mae.”
“I don’t understand why you’re so concerned.”
“I’m just doing what I was told.”
“What who told you?” I asked.
“Just someone in upper management.”
“Can I get their name?” I asked.
“It’s ok, it’s run-of-the-mill stuff, Mae-Belle.”
“Please don’t call me Mae-Belle!”
“Nah, I like Mae-Belle. You look like a Mae-Belle.”
“What’s a…never mind! I don’t understand why you’re doing this.”
“Just for protection and insurance. That’s all.”
I wrinkled my brows at him, then looked at Millard who shrugged his shoulders. I picked up my cell phone and started searching through my contacts.
“What are you doing?” asked Carl.
“Making a call,” I said.
Carl sat forward and I saw the sweat start to form on his greasy forehead. “Who are you calling?”
“Your boss,” I said without looking at him.
“You wouldn’t.”
“I spoke with Jonathan Brothers at the game on Saturday. He said whenever I had questions, to call him. I have a question, I’m calling him. Besides, if you’re telling the truth, you wouldn’t have a problem with me calling him.”
“Brothers, this is Diane speaking.”
“Hi, is Jonathan Brothers there?” I asked.
“I’m sorry, but he’s out of town right now. Is there something I can do for you?”
