by Maggie Twain
Harrison perks up suddenly and by this point, he sounds quite drunk. “Yes, leave before we have to call in a fumigation crew.” I feel a slap on my ass. “Waitress, how about another bottle of the Coche Dury Meursault Les Rougeots.” He squeezes and I yelp. “Did I say that right?”
I’m about to throw a glass of water over the congressman but to my amazement, the homeless man does it for me.
Chapter Four
Thor
I got him with a full jug, ice and all, and the water drips down his face, neck and ears. Several people applaud, including at least three on his table.
I tell the man seated next to him, “get him out of here,” in a tone that uses all the authority that comes from being able to singlehandedly fund the congressman’s political opponent at the upcoming election. On second thoughts, I think I’ll do just that. Maybe I’ll also call in a few favors, have gossip spread about him in the media. There has to be some dirt there somewhere, especially with a man like that; lavish parties charged to the taxpayer, insider trading, who knows? All I can say for sure is that he made the wrong enemy here.
Because nobody touches my girl.
Yes, my girl!
And she is my girl. I’ll make damned sure of that.
But who is she?
I’m still in shock. Because it’s not supposed to happen like this.
They’re supposed to take one look at Jimmy and be rude, horrible, mean, call the cops, lock the doors to keep him out. They’re not supposed to be warm, kind, caring, helpful…
And the hottest girl I’ve ever seen in my life!
More than once, I very nearly blew my cover. In fact, at one point, it almost looked like she could see through me, but I don’t think she knows. But she will. I want her to know everything. Just as I must know everything about her!
No, more than that. I must have her. Own her. Possess her. Give her my babies. Many babies.
The congressman’s already a blur as he’s taken outside and now, I can concentrate on nothing other than the girl.
She looks sad. I think she’s in trouble with the old woman, who I’m guessing is her manager. I’ll fix that, whatever it is, and everything else. Because I’m minutes away from owning this place.
Shit. Usually, I’m exhilarated about making the big reveal, but now, here, at Carrington’s, I’m only nervous. Really nervous. The girl, the one who’s still staring at me, she’s floored me.
Must get it together Jimmy, I mean Thor.
And then I remember I’m still dressed as Jimmy. Oh, that’s attractive.
“Why are you still here?” It’s the old woman who screeches, too close to my ear, but at least she’s managed to snap me out of my trance. “That was a very esteemed diner and I voted for him.” There’s a surprise. She turns to my girl, my angel. “And you, Angel, in case you hadn’t guessed it yet, you’re fired.”
Angel.
It’s almost like it was meant to be.
“No!” But now she’s crying and it causes me only pain. “Please, I was only…”
“Save it,” the old woman smiles but quickly manages to conceal it, she hates my Angel, “I’m going to tell Mr. Carrington right now.”
I’ve heard enough. Nobody makes my Angel sad. Like Clark Kent ripping away his suit, I throw off the wig and slowly peel away the beard. I’m still wearing a torn shirt and manure caked boots but I think I’ve made my point.
The manager recoils in fright, what has she done, whilst Angel’s hand gravitates to touch her heart. People are gasping and clutching pearls all around.
I take ahold of Angel’s hand, gently caressing her smooth skin with my thumb, which is all I need to do for the blood to begin surging through my manhood so that I can already feel myself growing, aching. I look her intently in the eyes and tell her, “don’t go anywhere, I will fix this and that’s a promise.”
She nods. She trusts me. As she should.
“Oh, will you now,” the woman says.
It pains me to have to avert my gaze from Angel to address the other. I growl, “you were about to see the owner, I believe, so why don’t you lead the way.”
She laughs. “Why not, I’m in need of a good laugh.”
The chefs and other waiting staff all stare at me as I’m led through the kitchen, up some stairs, along a corridor and then she knocks on a door.
“Enter,” comes a voice from behind it.
I enter first and she shuffles in after me, shaking her head. “I’m sorry about this, Mr. Carrington, the cats have been busy today.”
I have no idea what she means by that but I reach forward to offer my hand to the man. “Hello, sir, my name’s Thor, it’s nice to meet you.”
He takes my hand. It’s a sickly grip. “Um, nice to meet you too.” He sniffs and glances at the woman, as if expecting an explanation. “Alma? Perhaps you’d like to start.”
She steps forward and coughs, regrets it and shuffles away. “Well, as you can see or, rather, smell, I asked this, um, man to leave the restaurant, only, he decided to make a scene and threw water over a particularly esteemed guest.”
He shifts in his seat so that the leather makes a strange sound. “Oh, I see. Who was it?”
“Congressman Harrison.”
He slaps the table. “Good. He’s an odious man. What else?”
Alma gasps. I grin. This guy might be alright. I lean forward and place both my hands on his table so that I loom down on him. “Mr. Carrington, the thing is, I have a little bit of an issue with a very different incident that transpired downstairs and feel I must do everything in my power to ensure the correct outcome. That’s why I’m here.”
His expertly plucked eyebrows pull together. “Oh? And what is that outcome?” He glances at Alma, totally confused.
She braves the stink to step closer. “Yeah, Mr … whoever you are, what are you going to do?”
I want to see her face for this part so I turn to her when I say it. “Mr. Carrington, I’m buying this place, so why don’t you name your price.”
She bursts into laughter and slaps the tabletop. “Oh, that’s a good one, an out of town vagrant wants to buy the best restaurant for miles around.”
I’m still looking at her when the man whose name is on all the stationery says, “wait, you’re Thor Castleton.”
“Huh?” Suddenly, Alma looks like she’s been slapped in the face.
The owner starts rustling through a stack of magazines on the bookshelf and I already know which one he’s about to pull out. “Here,” he produces a copy of Men’s Health magazine from sometime last year. My sister doesn’t know how right she was but what can I say, I’m modest, in fact, I’m the kind of man who dresses like this even though I can afford to buy my own chain of high-end fashion stores.
Carrington flicks through the pages. “Yes, here you are, you bought out one of America’s largest health club franchises.” That’s what happens when the manager of my local gym refuses to permit entrance to Jimmy - I buy the whole chain. He lingers on the photo and bites his bottom lip. If I recall, they made me pose in my trunks. Finally, he manages to pull himself away. “I’m sorry,” his voice is suddenly very faint, “you said you want to buy my restaurant?”
I spare a glance for Alma, who’s been very quiet this last minute. “No. I said I am buying your restaurant. Shall we call our lawyers?”
He sucks on his bottom lip. Glances once to Alma. Back to me. And finally, he holds out his hand. “Five million dollars?”
It’s a lot more than what I would have wanted to pay for it, but that was before knowing it came with a certain little Angel. “Deal.” I reach forward to grasp his hand. It’s a fucking bargain!
Alma looks like she’s about to be sick.
“Oh, and Alma,” I say, as I take the seat opposite the former owner, “you’re fired.”
Chapter Five
Angel
Alma’s been gone for a while and now everybody’s talking.
After the lunchtime rush end
ed and the last customer had left, Janice made the decision to close the doors until further notice.
“Whatever they’re discussing, it must be good,” Clare says as we clean the tables. “Anyway, that homeless guy seemed to like you, don’t you think?”
When he’d taken my hand, I’d definitely felt some kind of a stirring deep down in my belly. That was no ordinary homeless guy. I turn away, all shy suddenly.
She nudges me with an elbow. “Maybe he could take you back to his cardboard box,” she says as she flicks some of the spilled water at me.
“Oh, stop it,” I flick some back. A full jug had been thrown over Harrison. Maybe I should thank the guy, that’s if he ever returns.
And just then Alma comes running through the restaurant. She’s crying and there’s a pink slip of paper flapping about in her hand. Everybody knows what that means and I hear at least three chefs cheering from the kitchens. Within a second the cheer spreads and then everybody’s laughing, roaring and slapping tables. Alma reaches the door and attempts to exit but finds that it’s locked.
“Oh,” she wails, too ashamed to ask for help, and the cheer intensifies at her misfortune. Eventually, Janice takes pity and opens the door and then she’s slinking outside just as a torrential downpour starts.
“That is so awesome.” Clare slaps me on the back. “Looks like you won, babe.”
I shift onto my other foot, the dirty table temporarily forgotten. I mean, I wasn’t her greatest fan but that was pretty harsh, and I definitely wouldn’t have wished her out of a job, even if that was precisely what she was about to do to me.
What is going on?
For the next hour there’s no more news, which only intensifies the rumors. At one point, Karl even went up to see Mr. Carrington but he was only told to leave and he came back down shaking his head. Janice is overstaying her shift, so keen for gossip that woman is, and only later on does it occur to her that with Alma now gone, she’s the one now supposedly running this ship.
And then Ben dashes into the restaurant and pants, “meeting, now, staffroom.”
There’s a rush to get there first but I enter last, just behind Clare. Mr. Carrington’s standing beneath his portrait and beside him is a man I’ve never seen before in my life. He’s wearing one heck of a snappy suit and spots me immediately, his eyes refusing to look away. I recognize those deep orange irises or, at least, I’m pretty sure I do, but it can’t be. I’m squinting at him now but the intensity of his gaze from across the room soon has me looking down to the floor as my entire body seems to tingle.
“Who the heck is he?” Clare mutters from beside me. “Now that is what I call a man.”
Carrington clears his throat. “I won’t keep you long, my children, but there are about to be some changes made around here.” He checks his watch and it’s only now I notice the travel brochure clutched in his hand. He uses it to gesture to the man beside him, who’s so tall and put together that he makes Mr. Carrington appear tiny by comparison. “Maldives introduce you to…” he coughs into a closed fist, “excuse me. Might I introduce you all to Thor Castleton, who’s you’re new Barbados.” He mutters something to Thor that I don’t hear, Thor nods, and then Carrington’s removing the portrait from the wall. “Well, have fun, children, and bon voyage.” He squeezes past and leaves, doesn’t bother looking back. To be fair, it wasn’t much of a parting speech.
I’m sure I’m not the only one who can no longer avert their eyes from Thor and I’ve now absolutely no doubt that this is the same man who’d been the source of all the earlier drama, his eyes, smoldering good looks, as well as instinct all tell me that this is him, the homeless guy. Yes, I’m confused right about now.
His brown hair is swept back stylishly and his trim beard gives him a look of power. His eyes hold an incredible intensity, like he’s lived a life far beyond what his age might imply. He’s muscular but his tailored suit, that looks like it’s worth more than the average car, fits perfectly around his size and shape. But most of all, Thor has that little something else that cannot be identified, and certainly cannot be learned, because it comes from the confidence that the power I’m sure he possesses has bestowed upon him.
Again, his gaze finds a straight path through everybody else and claps onto me. “I would speak alone with Angel. The rest of you, take the night off. Go.”
For a few seconds, everyone remains rooted and I can sense more than a few people are looking straight at me. Yes, there was an incident, and I was at the center of it. And now I’m sensing what’s about to happen.
I’m going to be fired, just like Alma was.
“Good luck, babe,” Clare says and brushes my arm as she files slowly outside with everyone else. The door closes and now I’m alone with what has to be the most devilishly attractive man I’ve ever seen.
And he’s about to fire me.
“Angel,” he moves forward and takes my hand and my body is immediately assailed by sensations I’ve never before known, “do not look so afraid, I can’t bear to see it.”
I feel so small before him, indeed, my hand is consumed by his and I have to tilt my head back to see his face. “Um," I swallow, “what happened to Alma?”
His jaw clenches briefly. “You won’t ever have to worry about her ever again, your job here is safe, but if you choose it, you will never have to work another day in your life.”
I’m stunned into silence by his words and I’m not completely sure I know what he means, though there’s no mistaking the intention behind his gaze. “So, I’m not going to be fired?”
His eyes widen for the briefest of flickers. “Fired? God, no. You’re the most wonderful waitress I’ve ever encountered.” So it was him. “Do you recognize me?”
I nod. “You’re the sweet homeless man, but…”
“But I’m not so sweet anymore,” he finishes for me, matter of fact.
“Oh?” I hiss.
The moment’s so surreal, so strange but in the most wonderful way that it almost feels like I’m floating. I’m not even sure how long I’ve been standing here, my hand melting into his.
“You, um, you look different,” that was an understatement, and I feel so stupid for having stated the obvious.
But he just grins, confident that I’ve all but fully wilted before him. If he wanted he could take me right now, cast me to the couch and have whatever fun he desired with his investment, and I’d be powerless before him. But Thor Castleton is a man who can control his urges until the moment’s right. “Let’s go for a walk,” he says, and I’m both thrilled at the thought yet disappointed that he hasn’t yet picked me up with the effortlessness of which I know he’s capable and done to me what I know he wants to do.
The lights are dimmed and there’s an unfamiliar eerie silence as we make our way through the empty restaurant, that I guess now belongs to the man whose hand has never left mine. He grabs an umbrella and pops it open as we exit and lock the door. It’s a steady rain, not as bad as when Alma left, but I’m glad to have the cover this night.
Thor places his arm around my midriff and pulls me into him, though it’s not done in a way that’s meant to make me believe he’s doing it merely to shield me from the elements. No, he’s being possessive, already demonstrating that I’m his woman.
We’re heading downtown where the music is loud and people come stumbling out of the bars. I usually avoid this place, especially at this time, but I feel so safe with Thor. Ahead, on the sidewalk cramped against the walls is a line of tents, cardboard boxes or otherwise men lying on the hard ground with only a blanket for warmth. Liquor bottles lay empty or kicked over beside them, a few of the poor men have dogs, which they cuddle as though they were their only friend in the world. We come to a stop two storefronts away.
“Tell me what you see, Angel,” he says my name like he’s reading poetry.
Not wanting to disappoint him, I wait and watch as people walk past without so much as a care, their empty cups, there in the hope of receiving cha
nge, ignored. One man, having just left a bar, leans over a nearby trashcan and vomits. Another laughs, while someone else spits close to a sleeping man’s head.
I feel suddenly very sad. “I see homeless men.”
“No, Angel,” his fingers pulse against my hip, “what you see is a rotten waste of human potential.” He approaches the first three men and speaks words to them that I’m unable to hear. He then shakes their hands and although I’m not certain, I suspect he’s discreetly handing over some dollar bills. He returns to me. “Every single one of these men once held dreams but circumstances instead conspired to put them here. This could easily happen to any one of us.” It’s all in the way he said it that makes me question if he once had lived like this. “Believe me, Angel, it can happen to any one of us and at any time and when that time nears, there’s only one thing that can save us…” he lets go of my hip and moves around to face me. “Tell me, sweet Angel, why did you disobey your boss and risk losing your job, all for a downtrodden man you didn’t even know?”
I make a deep sigh. “It was just the right thing to do.”
“Yes, Angel, that’s true, but you did it because of kindness. The moment I entered the restaurant, I could see it in your face.” He shakes his head and lets out a deep breath. “You were meant to be like everybody else, you were supposed to be like these drunken men you see walking past now, you should have dismissed me and cast me out into the rain. But because you didn’t, Angel, you have instead given me a problem.”
I’m looking deep into those orange eyes as the rain begins crashing against the umbrella. “What’s that?”
“Now I have to make you mine forever.” He means it and I’m powerless to object, even if I wanted, which I don’t. “But for the here and now, Angel, let’s leave this place, let’s have some fun.”
He leads me away.
Chapter Six
Thor
