His lips move from my mouth to my cheek, to my jaw, to my neck, and back to my mouth. I pop the button on his jeans. He moves my bra and clasps the bare skin of my breast. I gasp at the contact.
His scent is encompassing me. I feel my arousal drastically increase with every deft touch of his fingers and mouth.
His other hand slides down my thigh. When he trails his hand back to my hip, he pulls my skirt up with it exposing my skin. He moves his hand across my hip bone around to my ass and grabs.
He bites my lip as I slowly lower his zipper. He slips his hand down again to my knee, pulls it up to his hip. I move one hand from his jeans to grab his shirt and pull him impossibly closer to me. His lips still on my mouth, he gasps again as I reach under the elastic band of his boxers and grab his—
The brassy chime of Cali’s keys jingling in the deadbolt wakes me from one of the greatest dreams I’ve ever had. My arousal carries into my consciousness, and I take a few deep breaths to quiet the pulsing between my legs. Damn, right at the good part too, I think.
When Cali walks into the apartment, she finds me and Milo on the couch. Beethoven’s Second is nearing its cinematic climax with the puppies climbing the mountain looking for their parents. I yawn with a gaping mouth and smile sleepily at her as she comes in.
“What’s this?” she asks laughing. She points first at the TV, then at the empty bowls in front of Milo and myself; mine has just a spoon in it, Milo’s is licked clean.
“Well, we went for a run when I got home from work, and then someone had a bath.” I jerk my head toward Milo a couple of times.
“And then I’m sure you needed a bath of your own after Dog Man was through with you,” Cali says.
“You’re absolutely right,” I laugh. “And now we’re having a movie night complete with some snuggles and peanut butter ice cream.” I see her eyes widen and I grin.
“There’s some left in the pint for you. I also got some more milk and cereal.”
“Thank you,” she mouths while dropping her head back and looking at the ceiling.
Cali comes around the back of the couch and kisses the top of my head before she plops down next to Milo scratching his back a little. He lifts his head from my knee and faces Cali. He wags his tail a few times before putting his head back down and returning his attention to the TV screen — Beethoven’s Second is his favorite movie after all.
“How was dinner?” I ask.
She tilts her head slightly and gives me a closed mouth smile. She knows how much I had wanted to go.
“It was good. Mom made pot roast with carrots and potatoes. She gave me a container with extra for you.” Cali holds up a plastic container the size of a hardcover book. “‘Just a little taste.’ Mom’s words.”
“Thank you, or I guess thank you to Mom,” I say as I take the container from Cali. Milo’s nose twitches a bit but he doesn’t lift his head to investigate.
“Josh was there with Sheila.”
“Sheila?” I feel a deep twinge in my heart at the name. Make good choices echoes in my head.
“His new girlfriend,” she says. “She’s very nice, helped Mom with the dishes and brought a homemade pie for dessert. She’s way outta Josh’s league though, for sure.”
“Cali!” I scold with a laugh.
“What?” she asks innocently. “Even Mickey said the same thing!” She pauses for a moment before continuing. “She asked about you.”
“Who? Mickey?” Cali rolls her eyes in response. “Oh,” I say understanding. “Matt’s mom, you mean.”
“Yup,” Cali says popping the P. “She asked how come you couldn’t make it, and I explained you had to work. Then she asked Moose if he had made a move yet.” Cali cracks up laughing.
“What?!” I can feel my cheeks instantly burn as I flush with embarrassment. I cover my face with the hand not holding Mom’s leftovers.
“I know! Josh and Sheila, and Mickey and me all choked on our wine.” Cali laughs even harder before she says, “Moose turned so red. It was awesome.”
So he’s talked to his mother about me. He must have it bad, I think. Good to know.
“Sooo?” I ask, drawing out the sound.
“Sooo what?” Cali asks back.
“What did he say!?” My voice squeaks as I ask. I raise my eyebrows and put a hand to my throat. I try again more calmly, “What did he say?”
Cali looks at me and grins. “Well, first he said ‘Mom!’ Then he got all smiley and said, ‘We kissed.’ And then he said...” She stops suddenly before finishing, “Oh, right, I’m not supposed to tell you that part.”
“What the hell does that mean, Cal?” She laughs as I reach over Milo and lightly smack her thigh. Cali, smirk still firmly in place, swipes her thumb and index finger across her lips and mimes turning a key and throwing it away. “Seriously, you can’t tell me?”
“Apparently, you’ll find out soon.”
I level a glare at her but she holds her hands up, palms out.
“That’s all I can say! Moose and Mickey made me swear on celibacy that I wouldn’t say anything. Celibacy, Lex. So one set of my lips, for the sake of the other, is sealed right now.”
We both start cracking up at Cali’s crude joke.
“Come on, you know you’re going to tell me,” I say trying to goad her into spilling the beans.
Cali laughs and says, “I take offense to that!”
“Well, what if I guess?” I say. “Then you would be in the clear. Or you could tell me and just not tell them that you to—”
“No way, Lex!” Cali cuts me off and laughs. “I’m not risking my sex life on a technicality or secret. All I’m allowed to say is you’ll find out soon.”
She deliberately turns her attention to the movie that is now almost over. We watch the end of Beethoven’s Second, and as the credits roll, Milo drags himself off the couch and stretches out. He shakes from head to toe then puts his head back in my lap and raises his eyes to look at me.
I pick up the remote and exit the on-demand menu. I flip through the channels until I land on a home renovation show. Milo whines a little when I don’t look at him right away. I drop my eyes to him, he takes a few steps backward and lightly stomps his front paws. I check the time on the cable box and see it’s almost ten.
“Oh, I’m sorry pup! Didn’t realize it was this late. It’s time for Milo’s nighttime walk.” I turn to Cali. “Do you want to come with us?”
Cali stands up and stretches herself. “Nah, I’m gonna head to bed. I can’t afford to have you pry what Moose said out of me.”
A frown settles on my face as I look at her. I cross my arms and say, “You saw through my plan.”
“I know your tricks! You can’t keep anything from me, Lex.” Cali calls over her shoulder, chuckling as she heads to her bedroom.
The words cut straight through to my heart as I stand up and put the leftovers in the fridge. I rinse out our ice cream bowls and notice my hands are shaking slightly as I turn off the tap.
I hook Milo into his harness and attach his leash. I throw on my rust-colored jacket and put my phone and keys in the pockets. As I walk down the stairs, I think about the last thing Cali said.
I know I’ve made the right choice in trusting her. She’s proven to me time and again that she’s a solid friend, I’m confident she’ll be there when I need her. However, I can’t help but wonder exactly how Cali will react when she finds out just how much I am actually keeping from her.
The gust of chilly Portland air that greets me when I open the building’s door clears my head. I tell myself I’ll worry about the spectrum of Cali’s possible reactions when the time comes. Since there is absolutely nothing I can do about it until then.
● 30 ●
Julius
“I know that, Viribus. I’m just telling you what I’ve found out so far.”
Julius listens to the demon’s number two for a minute. He’s sitting on one of the two double beds in the decent motel room the men are hol
ed up in. They are now in Emeryville near UC Berkley, just outside of San Francisco, California. They had stayed in Louisiana overnight into Monday and got a flight out midday.
Damon is laying down on the other bed on top of the comforter, fully clothed, staring at his phone. Julius hasn’t told him how long they’ll be staying, so he’s left his clothes and shoes on for the moment.
“I understand that the boss doesn’t care how Blue is doing and that we spoke to an old guy who likes buildings,” Julius says into the phone. “What I’m saying is... Will you just shut up for a fucking second?!”
He gets up and starts to pace at the foot of the two beds.
“This is what I’m saying,” he continues with his voice still loud and agitated. “I’m saying to tell the boss that we’re already in California. That we’re going to drive to Portland tomorrow. We’ll get another motel room, and then on Wednesday we’ll check out the library and ask around about the girl.”
Damon keeps his eyes on his phone, not wanting to draw any of Julius’s current ire toward himself. He does a Google search for a nearby diner to get some food, but before he taps the magnifying glass icon, he changes the text in the bar to “Portland library.” His first results show up in Maine, so he adds Oregon to the search bar and hits enter again.
The top three results are all for Multnomah County. The public library has Central, Belmont, and Midland locations. He pulls up the Wikipedia page for the first one, Central Library. He scrolls through it while Julius paces and grumbles some more. On the right side of the page is a picture of what the library looks like.
Damon notices that there is a resemblance between it and the Hubble library they went to in New Orleans. Seems to fit what the old guy, Smith, told them about the buildings. He glances up at Julius who is getting more frustrated with his call and then back down to his phone.
Damon thinks for a moment before he closes the browser window and puts his phone in his pocket and turns on the small TV perched on top of a mini-fridge. He’s been told many times to keep his mouth shut on this trip of theirs, so he decides that’s exactly what he’s going to do.
Julius suddenly stands and shouts into his phone. “Goddammit Viribus! If the boss asks, tell him what I just told you. If he doesn’t ask, then don’t tell him anything. If you absolutely have to tell him something and you don’t like what I’ve told you, then fucking make something up.” Julius ends the call and throws his phone onto the bed.
“That fucker is only higher up than me because of his gigantor size,” he grumbles. He sits on the side of the bed, the old springs in the mattress squeaking as they take his hefty frame.
“I need a drink,” Julius says. “Come on, let’s go.”
Damon looks away from the TV and stares at the man on the bed next to his. He raises his eyebrows and stares at Julius.
“Stare all you want little man,” Julius taunts. “Wherever I go, you go.”
Damon doesn’t move. He doesn’t shift his gaze or appear to even breathe. He stays still for a long minute before looking Julius up and down.
“You think I’m intimidated by you?” he asks.
“I think if you were smart, you’d think twice about me,” Julius responds. He leans forward slightly, adding, “And I think you’re just a dumb fuck.”
Damon has had enough of Julius’s posturing. He sits up to face the shorter man. He faints like he’s going to launch himself at the Victus. He expects the shorter man to flinch, but Julius stays as still as a statue.
The second Damon settles his weight back onto the bed, Julius’s arm flings forward and Damon is hurled through the air across the room. He slams into the wall, his head snaps backward and makes his vision spin. The sheetrock behind him crunches from the impact of his solid body against it. He’s pinned there, his feet dangling off the ground.
“You know why you’re a dumb fuck?” Julius asks as he stands up. His arm is locked in a straight out position, keeping Damon frozen on the wall. He’s seen the demon do this before and it always has the desired effect of obedience.
“Because you forget who you’re dealing with.”
He walks around the bed and comes to stand in front of the footballer. He looks up at Damon’s face, luxuriating in the fear he sees in the taller man’s eyes.
“You’ve seen a glimpse of what the boss can do. You don’t know what I can do, yet you continue to test my patience, minuscule as it is already.”
He lowers his arm and Damon immediate drops to the floor. His legs crumple underneath him not ready for the impact, and he lands hard on his hip. A concave spiraled web is left on the wall in his place. Julius leans in close to Damon’s face.
“Don’t test me again.”
Damon stays still as Julius steps away from him and moves toward the door of their motel room. He checks himself in the mirror and adjusts his shirt collar. Damon watches as Julius sighs at his reflection and rolls out his shoulders. He turns back to Damon with an almost friendly expression as if the last few minutes hadn’t even happened.
“I could really use a drink right now,” Julius says. “So get your ass up off the floor, man. Let’s go.”
It takes a moment for Damon to get his legs under him. His vision is slow to clear. When he finally stands, he keeps his hand on the wall to ground himself. He shakes his head roughly and straightens up. He rolls out his own shoulders and dust and bits of wall fall off his back.
Damon doesn’t say anything to Julius but glares at him with open hostility. The Victus patronizes the man by giving him a thumbs up with an overly cheerful smile before throwing open the door of their motel room.
They leave the room and walk down the block to a bar. They’re in a college town so the place is filled with men and women in their late teens and early twenties. Damon’s eyes narrow as his gaze locks onto a busty blonde. He sneers as he watches her cross the room to the bar. Julius notices and laughs gruffly.
“Well, no wonder the boss took such a shining to you,” he says. Damon’s stare leaves the young woman and his eyes harden as he looks at Julius.
Julius looks his associate up and down before he says, “You’re a predator.”
**********
After a night spent at the nearby college bar, drinking and leering at coeds, the demon’s number three and his human tagalong get into their rental car at noon to head out for Portland. Damon starts the engine and adjusts the driver’s seat to his long legs. Julius pulls up the GPS app on his phone and directs Damon to the on-ramp for Interstate 580 West.
They follow the road running parallel to the California coast bypassing Richmond, Vallejo, Fairfield, and Red Bluff, merging from I-580 W to I-80 E, from there to the 505 N and ultimately to I-5 N. The men make their first stop three hours later in Redding, California. They pull off the highway at a rest stop.
After gassing up the car, they pull around and park right out front of the small building. Julius reaches over and takes the key out of the ignition before the two men enter the building.
Damon goes to the bathroom and when he comes out, Julius is holding two coffees, two bottles of water, a handful of Slim Jims, some peanuts, and a book of crosswords. He doesn’t say anything to Damon before turning on his heel and going back to the car.
Julius drives the next leg of their trip. They get back on Interstate 5 North and follow it all the way through California into Oregon. After passing Ashland, Medford, and Canyonville, the men pull off at Roseburg. The two have spent the last four hours in almost total silence. The gas tank of their V-8 rental is again close to empty, plus it’s dark and nearly eight o’clock so both men are hungry.
They find a diner not too far from Interstate 5 and plop down in a booth for dinner. They quickly scan the menus and place their order as soon as a waiter comes by. Julius is studying his phone, trying to determine their next stop and only looks up once their food arrives.
“From here it’s only another couple hours to Salem. We’ll get a motel there or somewhere around it fo
r the night,” he says around the cheesesteak panini in his mouth.
“It’s only about an hour to Portland from there, so we can leave first thing.”
Damon swallows the bite of his gyro before tentatively asking, “Do we have anyone we’re meeting in Portland to... show us around?”
“No,” Julius pauses before answering further, considering how much to tell the man. Eventually, he says, “My contacts don’t reach this far. The boss has people out here who know of him, but they aren’t… on his payroll. We’re on our own.”
My Name Is Not Alexa Pearce Page 17
