by Mj Fields
I knew something was questionable about his actions that night. Something too good to be true. He was not single and he was hiding it from the world. He had used me, well maybe not. It was just like he had said. A vacation fling, we didn’t even exchange names.
When I realized that I wasn’t able to not feel for him after the night we spent, I left. I couldn’t face him the next day. I wouldn’t be able to spend the next few days with him without feeling something deeper. And even now that I knew we were in the same area, even if he wasn’t of the cheating kind, I would never allow a man to own me or my body, regardless of how unbelievably good it felt.
Experienced or not, I knew that to be true. When I discussed it with the girls, as I literally threw my belongings in my bags, they admitted to never have experienced a man like that. Although Laney told me I was crazy to leave, she did understand.
Two hours later and I was still sitting in my car watching the building as I looked at my iPhone and posted to the girls and my blog. I saw lights coming up the road and watched as a cab pulled up and the front gate opened again. He was handing her something. She gave him a peck on the cheek and turned around to look at her hand.
Oh my God! He gave her money. He gave her a stack of money. I knew it because when she pushed it into her bra there was a slight bulge that disappeared when she pulled her coat around her and tied it.
The gate didn’t close this time and I was sure he was looking in my direction when another car pulled up, and yes, with a woman driver. Dirty bastard! It was dark, but a shorter woman got out of the car and he greeted her with a hug and kissed her cheek. He opened the back door and grabbed a few bags and she took a few, too. Before the gate shut, he looked back toward my car.
I don’t know what possessed me, curiosity I suppose, to stay for any longer, but after twenty more minutes I was ready to leave when the gate opened again. The Land Rover exited and headed my way. I sunk down in my seat until I was nearly on the floor while waiting to see taillights in the rear view.
I sat up quickly, turned on my car, did a U-turn, and hit the gas so that I could catch up to Abe O’Donnell. All the false feelings I had for him quickly turned to disgust and fear. I had unprotected sex with him. I wasn’t an irresponsible girl, not ever, but I had made a horrible mistake and I would be damned if I didn’t confront him.
He pulled down into a street that was off a main road and not as well lit. Dear God, where was he going now? Drugs, oh please don’t let him be into that as well. He pulled into an alley and I slowed down so that I could look to see if it was a dead end or a pass through. To my shock and horror his reverse lights shown and he started to back up. I began to panic and drove faster as I watched in my mirror as he sped up. I looked up and the traffic light ahead had turned red.
Oh dear lord, please don’t let him notice. I silently prayed as I tried to grab my phone off the passenger seat to call someone to take my mind off the chaos that I seemed to be causing.
A loud thump on my window made me jump and scream.
I looked over and saw a pair of furious blue eyes in my window. Oh why? Why, why, why? I thought as I rolled down my window.
“You care to tell me what the hell you’re doing?” He snapped.
“Getting my story,” I answered as calmly as I could.
“How the hell is that going for you?”
“Well if you must know, I am pretty disgusted with myself and wondering if there is anything I should be worried about—”
“How about a harassment charge?” he spat.
My jaw dropped and he continued.
“Let’s add stalking to that and throw in a little—”
I interrupted him when I looked in my mirror trying to avoid the furious glare of his blue eyes and saw someone get in the vehicle behind me.
“Abe—”
“Mr. O’Donnell,” he corrected in a condescending tone.
I watched as the Land Rover peeled out around us.
“Is that—”
“You have got to be fucking kidding me. Move over, Miss Bassett.”
“But—”
“Now, damn it.”
I moved and he jumped into the driver’s seat and his knees hit the dash. “Fuck!”
He peeled out and darted in and out of traffic as I pulled my seat belt across my chest snapping it just before he slammed on the brakes. He jumped out of the car and ran towards his vehicle now stuck between two cars at another red light.
I unbuckled and grabbed my phone and dialed 911.
When I got up close, I saw Abe, pulling the man from the driver seat by his black hoody. I saw the man pull something shiny out of his pocket.
“Abe!” I screamed, “Watch out he has a—Oh God!”
I dropped my phone and ran to him as he held his face and jumped back avoiding the next jab.
“You better do better than that next time, motherfucker,” Abe sneered at the man.
The man looked at me and started towards me.
I froze then started to shake, “Nikolette, fucking move!”
Abe lunged at him from behind, knocking him to the ground as I stood still frozen. I saw the man reach for the knife he had dropped when he fell and finally I was able to move to kick it out of his reach.
“Fucking bitch,” the man yelled and Abe’s knee crushed down between his shoulder blades.
“You don’t talk to her like that, shitbag.”
I don’t remember hearing any other words exchanged between the two of them as I watched blood pour down the side of Abe’s face until the sound of sirens and other people talking surrounded me.
I stood as still as a statue as I watched the cops handcuff the man as another talked to Abe. He turned and looked at me. I tried to move, but I wasn’t able to, not yet.
“Miss Bassett,” Abe took a few steps to me. “You okay?”
I blinked and then finally nodded.
“She okay?” one of the officers asked.
I cleared my throat and squeaked out a yes before tears sprang to my eyes.
Abe looked horrified and I started to turn away.
“Hey, you’re freaked out.”
“I’m fine,” I wiped a tear and he took my shoulders and turned me facing him.
“Miss—Nikolette, take a few breaths,” he gave a caring smile. “Come on girl, before you hyperventilate.”
As soon as the air filled my lungs, the shaking came and then the tears fell like rain down my cheeks. He pulled me against his chest and held me while I cried.
“You’re alright,” he whispered in a very calm tone.
After a few minutes, I stepped back and looked up, reaching up to wipe the blood off his face. The way he turned slowly away and closed his eyes was so different. He wasn’t trying to stop me, it was something else.
“You’re going to have to go to the hospital,” I said as more tears fell.
He turned back and looked at me, his eyebrows turned in and he wiped my tears. “I’ll be fine.”
A detective walked to us, “You really shouldn’t have run down a carjacker, O’Donnell.”
“That’s my vehicle, not his.”
“We have a slight problem in regards to your vehicle.”
“What?” he asked as he wiped more of my tears.
“There’s a backpack filled with a bunch of shit that I assume is stolen and some drugs. I wanna take your vehicle in to make sure we get everything done by the book. This son of a bitch needs to go away for a while.”
“That’s fine, I have a car.”
“You need a lift to your place?”
“No,” his hands finally left my face. “I’m going to drive Miss Bassett to her place; she’s in no shape to drive.”
“Then head to the hospital?”
Abe rolled his eyes, “It’s a scratch.”
“I want pictures tonight. I’ll ask you both to come to the station in the morning and file reports. Get her home,” he said to Abe and then looked back at me. “Clean that up and i
f it’s deep, make him go to the hospital.”
“Okay, Miss Bassett,” Abe took my hand. “Let’s have some pictures taken.”
And even after everything that happened, what did I do? Followed and did as he asked.
Jacked Up
Abe
When I finished with detective DeAngelo, I walked to Nikolette’s car. She approached the driver’s side.
“You shouldn’t be driving. You really should go to the—” she stopped when I took her hand and led her back to the passenger side of her vehicle and opened the door. She looked up at me with those sandy brown eyes as she sat down. She was nervous and I knew it. Didn’t like it, but there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to change the opinion she had already formed about me.
I got in and shut the door. “I’m going to need your address.”
“1273 Park Street,” she answered quietly as she continued looking down.
There was no music playing and no conversation, all there was, was silence. The wound on my head stung and pulsed. Son of a bitch got too damn close to my temple. For whatever reason he missed and I was damn glad of it. My pulse quickened as I drove and thought about what had gone down, unreal.
When I pulled onto Park Street, I slowed to look at the house numbers. The buildings were all the same, older homes that I assumed many years ago were single-family homes converted into apartments.
“It’s the next one on the left. You can pull in, my spot is all the way to the right,” she pointed.
When I shut off the engine she turned and looked at me, “I’m sorry.”
“Wasn’t your fault,” except it was. I got out of her vehicle, walked around, and opened her door. “You getting out?”
“It was my fault, Abe—Mr. O’Donnell.”
“It’s fine,” I should have told her Abe was fine, but for some reason it wasn’t. I liked her calling me ‘Mr. O’Donnell.’
I reached in my pocket and grabbed my phone to call a cab, “Son of a bitch, could this fucking night get any worse?”
“Mine’s dead, too.” She whispered as she looked down at her phone.
“Fuck!”
“I have a charger inside. I should have gotten a landline, my parents tried to make me because—” She stopped and looked up at me. “Come in, it shouldn’t take long.”
I nodded and handed her the keys after hitting the button on the key fob to lock the doors.
We walked to a side entrance that was too damn dark and she unlocked the door and flipped a light switch. The light flickered on and then the bulb blew.
She looked over her shoulder, “It’s the third floor. Maybe the next floor will be lit. If my phone wasn’t dead, I could use the flashlight app.”
“Does this happen often?” I took a step forward and bumped into her, “Sorry about—”
“It’s fine. The handrail is here,” she reached back and took my elbow and moved it to the railing, “Got it?”
“Yes.”
She let go of my arm and I followed her very closely up the stairs. This was a very uncomfortable situation to be in. I was so angry at her for leaving Ft. Lauderdale like she did, for showing up at my damn office, for not taking no for an answer, for spying on me, and for fucking following me tonight, causing me to get carjacked and nearly stabbed. Even more fucked up was that it scared the hell out of me that the piece of shit tried to get to her and that she fell apart in my damn arms. It felt damn good to hold her, and that pissed me off too. She was after a fucking story. She was not interested in me.
When we got to the second floor, the switch didn’t work.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine on the third,” her voice was shaky.
When we reached the third floor, the light didn’t work.
“I can’t believe this happened again,” she groaned.
“Does it happen often?”
“I’ve only been here a week and it’s happened twice,” she grumbled. “If you put your hand on the wall my apartment door is right up here.”
A bright light shone in our eyes, she jumped back startled and screamed into her hand.
I grabbed her and shoved her behind me.
“Nikolette, you okay, Hun?” I heard a male voice ask.
“She would be if you didn’t just scare the hell out of her,” I snapped.
“I’m fine, Mr.?”
“Thomas,” he chuckled. “Looks like the lights are out again.”
“I see that,” she said trying to catch her breath.
“You buy a flashlight yet?”
“No. I didn’t expect this to happen again,” she seemed more relaxed and walked around me.
“Take mine, Hun, I have two,” he handed her a flashlight.
“Thanks, Thomas. That’s very nice of you.”
“Oh, you don’t have to say that, I would do anything for you, Hun.”
This man was starting to irritate me a bit. “Nikolette, can we go inside, please?”
She looked back at me and shook her head, “Thanks again, Thomas.”
She unlocked the door and we walked into her apartment. When she flipped the light switch, it didn’t work.
“I’ll find some candles.” She said and then walked through the room with a flashlight.
“If there’s no electricity the phone chargers won’t do us any good.”
She walked back into the room and set the candles on the kitchen island. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Do you know where the breaker box is?”
“The what?” she asked as she lit a candle.
“I’ll take that as a no.”
The soft glow of the candle light illuminating her was enough to make my dick twitch and my heartbeat a bit faster.
“You need to come over here so I can see your cut,” she said as she pulled out a barstool.
“The paramedics cleaned it after the pictures were taken.”
She shook her head no, “I said that I would look at it. That’s what I told the officer. I promised him and—”
She was starting to sound nervous, almost panicky. “Miss Bassett, tonight was—”
“My fault. I know, it’s my fault.”
“Why don’t you pack a bag, I’ll put you up in a hotel tonight.”
“I can drive you home,” her voice broke.
“I don’t think you’re in any shape to drive me home.”
She nodded as she took several deep breaths. “You could stay here.”
I shook my head no, “A hotel is a much better option, Miss—”
“Nikolette. My name is Nikolette.”
“Right, let’s get a bag packed.” I took the flashlight and shined it around her apartment.
It was nice, small, but charming. The kitchen was stainless and the island a gray granite. The walls were a rose color. “You like pink?”
“Uh huh,” she said as she followed me to the other end of the open living space.
I shined the flashlight at the door, “This your room?”
“Yes,” she sniffed.
Well, she certainly liked pink. The walls in the room were a very pale pink, I think, and the bedding was all covered in hot pink and what I think was white pillows.
I looked away and at her, “Do you have an overnight bag?”
She nodded and walked towards a closet to grab it. “This is unnecessary, truly.”
“I don’t feel the same. You’re obviously shaken, there is no electricity, you have no phone, and a neighbor who’s more than a little strange.”
“He’s nice.” She said as she shoved clothes in her hot pink bag.
“Sure.”
We finally made it to her car. I opened the door for her and she got in.
It was only a five-minute drive to the Hilton. When I parked, she was looking through her purse, “I can’t believe I…I forgot my wallet. It has to be in here somewhere.”
“I offered to put you up for the night.”
“No, I can pay.” She dug through her bag, pulled out her wallet, set
it down, and ran her hands through her shiny black hair, “I can’t accept that. But I don’t want to be alone. Could I just take your couch?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Oh right,” her face flushed, “your girlfriend.”
“Miss Bassett I don’t have…”
“It’s Nikolette. My name is Nikolette, not Miss Bassett, not Four, not anything but Nikolette or Nikki.” She was pissed and it was kind of fucking sexy. “I know it was just a stupid fling and I have no idea how I ended up being given this god forsaken assignment, but I can’t mess it up. And I already have. After tonight, there is no way I could get you to do this for me. I even considered offering sexual favors, you know, Mr. O’Donnell, but then I see you with that one woman and then the one who lives with you and I realize what Florida was and—”
I got out of the car, not wanting to hear another word. When I opened her door, she scowled at me and crossed her arms. “Let’s go get you settled. I have a slight headache and your ranting about who you think I am isn’t helping one bit.”
“I—”
“Let’s go,” I reached in and grabbed her bag, then took her hand and pulled her up.
She tried pulling her hand away and I took her by the waist, pulling her to my side.
“Let. Go.”
“Then do me a favor, Miss Bassett, behave.”
“Behave?”
“I am trying very hard to be a gentleman here. I am putting you up somewhere safe. You’ve obviously had a very rough night, albeit your fault, I am doing this to make you feel safe. Instead of acting like a spoiled little girl who deserves a spanking you should be grateful.”
She gasped and I released her. I motioned for her to go ahead of me and she did.
I got her a room for two nights, allowing enough time for her building’s electricity to be properly fixed. She didn’t argue when I took her hand and walked her to the elevator then boarded with her.
“You’re being awfully quiet, Miss Bassett. Nothing else to say?”
