by Lionel Law
Heading into the hallway, she found the spare bedroom with the box “Grady’s Stuff” sitting on the queen sized bed. It was simpler than the master bedroom, but still rich and luxurious. Inside the box she found a shirt that read “HTM PE” across the front. Shaking her head at the fact that Grady was exactly who he had said, she slipped the old shirt on, finding a pair of comfortable shorts inside that fit nicely once she rolled the waistband once. Looking at herself in the full length mirror on the other side of the room, she chuckled and shook her head. “Look at you, already dressing like a girl with a boyfriend,” she said, laughing. “Enjoy it while you can, I guess.”
In the kitchen, she saw more evidence of Grady’s understated wealth. The knives that hung from the magnetized rack were German, and looked sharp enough to do surgery with. The copper bottomed pots that hung from the hooks set into the wall were equally impressive, and she was at a loss until she opened the cupboards, laughing as she saw that she and Grady shared the same taste in breakfast cereals. Pouring herself a large bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, she splashed on milk before sitting down at the divider that doubled as a bar, switching on the small flat panel TV she saw there.
“And the White House said they expect the trade negotiations to continue on schedule,” the news anchor said on screen, shuffling his papers. “In a bit of local news that is starting to make national headlines, a local underground hero, once thought the realm of gang legend and myth, may in fact be real. Action Five reporter Maria Mendoza, has details. Maria?”
The anchor’s face disappeared, and a shot of one of the worst neighborhoods in San Diego flashed on screen. “They call him The Horseman,” the reporter said in a voice over. “For the past year or so, a scourge on the criminal underworld of San Diego county has been cleaning up the streets. Given credit for dozens of incidents, street gangs in the county have taken on almost a superstitious fear of this figure. Few members of the gangs we spoke to were even willing to say The Horseman exists, and those that do, insist on having their faces and voices disguised.”
“He’s huge, like around six and a half feet tall,” a disguised voice and scrambled face said in a darkened room. “He came down into our neighborhood, coming down off a rooftop or something man. By the time we had even pulled our first gun, he had three dudes laid out. I swear I emptied a whole clip at him, and it didn’t do nothing.”
The reporter’s voice took over, cutting to a shot of a police officer. “Detective Ernest Lomax of the San Diego Police says that while the Department is sure there is some form of vigilante action going on, the stories his team have heard are too unbelievable to be true.”
“Some of the people we’ve brought in, they’ve said things like he’s knocked down a steel door with a punch, and that he grabbed a car with his bare hands and stopped it from speeding off. Now, while we can understand some of the stories coming out, some of them are most likely the delusions of gangsters who were more than likely drunk or high when the incidents occurred. While we appreciate the help, The Horseman has also committed serious felonies in doing what he has done as well.”
“That is the dark side of The Horseman, and what earned him his nickname from the local criminals, a play on the Four Horsemen of the Book of Revelations,” Mendoza continued. The shot changed again, this time to her standing on a street in one of the poorer barrios of San Diego, in front of a taped off section of sidewalk. “In addition to over a dozen people put in the hospital, local gangs are blaming The Horseman for at least two deaths of high ranking street gang members. These normally untouchable leaders have found themselves targets of The Horseman, and last night was another incident.”
The scene cut again to a shaky cell phone video, with Mendoza taking over narration duties. “This video was taken this morning at two fifteen. In it, you can see five suspected members of a gang affiliated with the MS-13 group fighting with a man in a red and black suit. The result of this fight left all five gang members in the hospital, two of them in critical condition.”
Mendoza appeared back on screen, her face and voice serious. “When Action Five was given this footage, we immediately turned it over to the police. However, we also turned it over to our national affiliates to see if it could be enhanced or in some way worked with to give us a better image of what this Horseman looks like.”
The image changed again to a computer enhanced freeze frame of the fight. A bit of animation moved the figure, and isolated The Horseman. “From what our national experts tell us, The Horseman is between six feet and six foot four, and in the neighborhood of two hundred and thirty to two hundred and forty pounds. He’s extremely muscular, and is obviously in top physical condition. He has pale, almost platinum blonde hair, and is most likely a Caucasian male. Due to his eye mask and costume, there are no other identifying marks about The Horseman that can be made at this time. In any case, it looks like San Diego may have our very own costumed vigilante. In Lincoln Park, this is Maria Mendoza, Action Five News.”
The anchor reappeared, going on to local sports news. Renee shook her head and shut off the TV, thinking about the story. A real life vigilante in San Diego? She’d expect some whacko to get dressed up and pull stunts like that in Portland or maybe Berkley, but San Diego? She hadn’t thought there were enough weird folks like that around the city for it to happen. In any case, she doubted it would last for long, as The Horseman would most likely find himself on the wrong end of a Glock before too much longer. She finished her cereal and washed up the bowl, setting it in the drying rack for later. As she did, her mind kept flashing back to the computer enhanced image of The Horseman. He looked a lot like Grady, she thought, minus the hair which was so much blonder than Grady’s light brown it looked almost platinum. Still, The Horseman had the sort of muscularity that she had seen on Grady, and he moved with the same liquid grace. She laughed at her own self-delusion. “Come off it girl. Just because he’s ripped and gave you the best sex of your life, does not make Grady Voelker a superhero,” she joked, heading back towards the back porch.
Along the way, she found Grady’s bookshelves, and selected a light novel that she’d been interested in for a while. She was happy that he had real books, there was something about the feel of real paper under her fingers she appreciated. She was on chapter two of what had turned out to be a pretty decent light adventure novel when she next looked up. Nothing mentally stressing, but she hadn’t picked up the paperback expecting to read War and Peace. Setting the novel aside, she watched the waves break out on the sand, when suddenly the thought occurred to her, she’d had sex on the table of this very patio the night before. While it wasn’t quite like having sex on the beach itself, the porch was a bit more public than she would have expected, and she shivered at the memory. Grady awoke a primal need in her, one that left her almost unable to control her actions, and it was something she needed to come to grips with. Thankfully, he had been nothing but respectful and considerate of her. She knew it would be too easy to be taken advantage of with as much as she felt last night.
Turning her eyes back to the ocean, she decided to relax and enjoy the warm sunshine, when the phone inside rang. Thinking of the time, she saw it was nine forty seven, and she wondered if it might be Grady. The caller ID didn’t show a number she knew, but the title said “office,” so she was pretty confident. “Hello?”
“Good morning, beautiful,” Grady said, his rich voice flowing into her ear and making her smile. “Did you sleep well?”
“Almost perfectly. It could have been better to wake up with you still holding me, but I understand, and thank you for the note.” She took the cordless handset back out onto the porch, where she could keep watching the waves. “How was your meeting?”
“Good,” he replied, and she could hear him shifting around. She imagined him in an office, wearing a starched white shirt and red tie, his suit jacket hung up on a hanger behind the door. She wondered what the rest of his office looked like. She expected it was utilitarian, but still top o
f the line, like almost everything else she’d seen from him. Then again, with that Lotus, maybe his business persona was more playboy. She wanted to find out. “So does this mean you’re sticking around for the day?”
“I was thinking about it, and decided to make a decision after you’d called. I’ll be honest, I’ve found a good book, and figure I can’t leave until I know how it ends. I’m just that kind of person, you know.”
Grady laughed softly, sending a light thrill through her body. It reminded her of the sound he made when they were engaging in foreplay the night before. “Well then, I shall have to remember that and keep a very good supply of interesting books on hand. So does this mean you’ll join me for dinner again tonight?”
“Actually, I had an idea,” Renee said. “I’m not working tonight, and I was wondering…. would you let me make you dinner at my apartment?” She was nervous. While Grady had seemed relaxed enough picking her up the night before, she knew there was a big difference between going to an apartment building in City Heights and actually staying there for a while. A lot of people, not just ones who were as rich as Grady, didn’t like the neighborhood. Not that she could blame them, it was that sort of neighborhood. “Unless….”
“No, I love the idea,” Grady said. “I was just thinking about how much that means to me. I mean, invited into your home so quickly, and for a home cooked meal? That’s really nice.”
Renee felt her throat tighten, and she blinked, feeling her eyes itch and start to water. Damn dusty patios. “Well, you haven’t had my cooking yet,” she joked, deflecting her emotions. “If you knew how bad I am, you’d go running the other way. Maybe all the way to Tijuana.”
Grady’s voice dropped, and his baritone words sent fresh waves of desire through her. “I doubt there is anything you’d make that could be that bad, Renee. And if I want to go to TJ, I’ll bring you along with me some time. So, how do you want to go about it? Should I meet you at your apartment?”
Renee shook her head, even though he was on the phone. “No way. That Lotus wouldn’t last a half hour at my place. Come back here, I’ll go shopping while you’re at work, and have it all ready when you get home. We can drive over to my place together, if you don’t mind. Or would you like to just have dinner here instead?”
“No, I want to see more of your place than just the front door. Besides, I bet you can show me more of your music at your place anyway. I’d love to see how you make magic that way.”
“It’s a deal then. When can I expect you?”
Grady hummed in her ear, thinking. Renee could feel a warm dampness between her legs, and knew she wanted more than just dinner with him again. “How about I get back to my place around five thirty? I can duck out of the office early this afternoon, the big stuff is taken care of. Will that give you enough time?”
“Sure will. But, I don’t know where I can go shopping around here.”
“There’s a decent market about a mile away. If you want, I have a home laptop next to the TV in the living room. It’s password protected, but you can get on with a guest account and have full Internet no problem. I know there’s more around, but I’m blanking out as to what.”
“Okay. Well, I’ll let you get back to work. I need to change out of your old PE uniform anyway and go shopping.”
Grady chuckled again, his voice dropping to a desirous whisper. “Really? Well, I bet you make that old shirt look a lot better than I ever did. You going to keep it?”
Renee bit her lip and smiled, letting a bit of her own latent need into her speech. “For the most part. I do need to take it off for a while. You see…. I’m not wearing any underwear under it right now.”
The sharp intake and held breath on the other end of the line thrilled her, and the fact she could arouse a man like Grady made her feel beautiful and wanted. Finally, he growled lightly and spoke again. “Five thirty. And you’re wearing the shirt for dinner, or else.”
“Or else? Is that a threat or a promise?”
“Perhaps both,” Grady teased, and it was Renee’s turn to hold her breath and get herself under control. Both of them chuckled, and she took a deep breath. “All right, I’ll talk to you later. Bye.”
“Bye.” Renee hung up the phone, then thought to herself. She could cook, she knew that. After all, as a single woman who wasn’t making huge money, she saved every dime she could by cooking for herself (and occasionally cadging off of the clubs she DJ’d at. Most of the managers were cool with it). But she hadn’t cooked for another person in at least two years. What did Grady like? More importantly, what did he like that she could cook?
“If in doubt, check his kitchen,” she said to herself, going back inside. Opening the refrigerator, she felt relief wash over her in an awesome wave. Instead of being packed with all sorts of unfamiliar ingredients or labels in foreign languages, she found normal things she would get for herself. While the quality was higher than what she got at the Supercenter she used, ground beef was ground beef, and pasta was pasta. In ten minutes, she had her plan, and rushed back to the bedroom to change. She needed her underwear, and while Grady’s shorts were comfortable, they weren’t appropriate for going to a supermarket. The t-shirt was staying though.
Chapter 5
“I can’t believe that summer is almost over,” Renee yelled six weeks later, as she and Grady drove in the desert. They were in his Jeep, and she was behind the wheel, enjoying the freedom and speed that came from whizzing over dirt roads and lack of traffic. The four point harness seat was tight around her body, and she whooped with joy as they came over a small rise, catching a moment of air before bouncing off the dirt.
“Me either!” Grady yelled back over the rush of the wind. For the beautiful day, they’d taken the cover off the Jeep, and were enjoying the natural sounds of the engine growling and the wind whooshing past their ears. “But slow down, could you? I may have racing seats, but the shocks aren’t meant to go that fast!”
“Okay,” she said, taking her foot off the gas. The Jeep coasted along, dropping from fifty to thirty before she leveled it out. The wind also dropped, and she found she didn’t have to scream any longer. “Better?”
“Much,” Grady replied with a smile. “It’s not that I can’t get Bill to drop some Fox shocks and springs on this thing, but they aren’t on yet. I’m glad you’re having fun though.”
“I am,” she said, making a turn on the road and taking the Jeep back towards the road they had come in on. “I’ll be honest when you said you wanted to do this I was surprised, and at first wanted to say no. But thank you. It’s nice to get out of the city and beach rut and enjoy other things too.”
“You’re welcome. You’ve taught me a few things too. I never knew how much work went into a remix and blend like you do. I’m impressed, I’ve got people at the office with MBAs and making six figures who don’t work as hard as you do. Hell, most days in the office, I don’t even work that hard.”
His compliment touched her, and she deflected it by making a self deprecating joke, which Grady had come to expect. “Music is one thing, but I still have a long way to go on pork chops,” she said, referring to their disastrous first dinner at her apartment. It wasn’t all her fault, the power had gone out in the apartment halfway through, but it still was not very good.
Grady reached over and took her hand, gently squeezing her forearm. “Hey, stop the truck, would you?”
She coasted to a stop and shifted into park, turning to look at him. He took her hand in his, and shook his head. “Renee, I know why you do it, but please, stop putting yourself down. I think you’re smart, talented, and yes, very beautiful. Please, you don’t have to feel insecure around me. I’m having the time of my life with you. Aren’t you enjoying our relationship too?”
“I am,” Renee answered. “And I know what you’re saying. You’ve been very patient with me on it, but it’s going to take some more time. I feel like I’m in some sort of Cinderella story right now, and part of me is afraid the clock is
going to strike midnight any minute now.”
“Not by my watch,” Grady said, “but if you like, there is a royal ball we can go to, kind of. This Friday night, there’s a cocktail party I’ve been invited to. It’s a group I belong to, mostly young business leaders and political movers and shakers in Southern California. They’re hosting a charity party at the Del Mar Hilton, and I want you by my side.”
Renee felt stunned for a moment, then shook her head. “I don’t know Grady, I mean, a cocktail party at a Hilton? I…..”
Grady cut her off, his eyes intense. “Renee, have I ever had anything bad to say about your background?”
“No,” she admitted, a small smile coming to her face. “It’s one of the reasons I like you so much.”
“Okay,” he said with a short nod. “And have I ever had any problems going anywhere with you that you wanted to go?”
“No.”
“Not even to that vintage record store next to the pot shop near UCSD?”
Renee laughed. “Not at all.”
“And I never will. Renee, you’re beautiful, and I want you on my arm at this party. I promise you that most of the people won’t care a whit about your skin, or where you are from. You’re somewhat famous too, or hadn’t you noticed the newspaper?”
Renee thought back, recognizing what Grady was talking about. It was a small story in the local news, on the society page. “Litezout for Voelker?” the headline had said. The story had covered a bit about them being seen going out together for the past few months, and had included a shot of them coming out of a movie theater together. What had shocked Renee the most was the opening line. “Grady Voelker, the 25 year old CEO of Voelker Consolidated, and one of Southern California’s most eligible bachelors for the past two years, has recently been seen with one of the city’s up and coming music stars. Renee Williams, better known in the nightclub scene as the supremely talented Litezout…”
