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by N. M. Catalano

  “That sounds like a great idea. Maybe you and I can drive there together and I can work out while you’re in class.”

  The idea of watching Marco punching and sweating and being Neanderthal is really pretty sexy.

  “I like the idea of that, Mr. Bond.” I wonder if he can hear the little seductive grin curving my lips as I picture him at the bag with his sleek body glistening with sweat and a wild primitive look on his face.

  “Watching me workout turns you on, Elizabeth.” His voice has taken on that low commanding tone he uses. He apparently heard my grin.

  And my tone rises a little as my temperature does as well.

  “Yes, a little.”

  “Watching you kicking some big guy’s ass turns me on too, baby. I’ll be watching as well.”

  How does he do this? He has me melting in thirty seconds.

  “You’d better be watching me only, Mr. Bond, if you would like to keep your testicles. I’m sure you’re quite attached to them.”

  He laughs hard at my threat.

  “There is only you, love. And to make things a little more interesting, why don’t we test out your skills at the end of class, you and I at home.” I know he is insinuating something. Do I dare assume?

  “Maybe we shall, Mr. Bond. Never underestimate a Bond girl, love. We always have tricks up our sleeves.” My voice is dripping with sexual innuendo.

  “On the contrary, Elizabeth, that’s what I’m counting on.”

  Now I’m definitely turned on.

  “Well, then, until later, Mr. Bond. I’m heading out into traffic and you’ve already got me distracted enough.” I’m sitting at the entrance of the parking lot of the strip mall waiting for an opening in traffic so I can enter into the four lanes of traffic.

  “I can’t wait. I’ll see you after your dinner with your friend?”

  “If you would like, yes. I have to keep my muscles limber, you know,” I tease.

  “Just wait until you see what I’ve got planned for those beautiful muscles of yours, baby,” he says quietly enticing.

  Fuck.

  “Good bye, Marco.” I laugh.

  “Bye, baby.” I know he’s got a grin on his face from ear to ear knowing exactly how he’s leaving me.

  As I turn the corner in the evening darkness onto Market Street in the historic district, one block up from the Cape Fear Riverfront, the city is shrouded in a thick fog, lending an eerie air. One can almost sense the presence of the past from the antebellum days hiding within its mist, the ladies swishing with layers upon layers of petticoats, the gentlemen in their black tails. This was a very busy port, bustling with incoming ships being unloaded and loaded with goods making their way up and down the coast. With Halloween coming up, maybe their spirits are coming back to reclaim their city, the one they’d built with blood. As I approach the entrance to the Slice of Life, in my mind I see two lovers from that long ago time in the doorway. Their story was a tragedy that came to an end right here.

  He was from a prestigious and well-to-do family on his way to the senate; she was a beautiful mulatto from the wrong side of the tracks. He enjoyed his whiskey too much and that night he’d already had more than he could handle. She was in hiding from him because of the beatings he had already given her. They loved each other madly but it was a destructive love and she was going to leave Wilmington before it was too late. He saw her from across the street exiting the building, her friend in front of her, and he rushed towards them. They argued and she informed him she was leaving. He pulled out a gun and told her she was not going anywhere and shot her right there in the doorway. He was never convicted, his family was too powerful, and he more than likely continued his career in politics. Some say they see her agonized ghost imprisoned in this spot for eternity. Love can make you do terrible things.

  I love this tragic love story; it tells of passion so strong it is unbearable.

  I walk in and scan the room for Elsie. It’s beginning to fill up with the after-work hipster crowd who can’t really afford to eat out at nice restaurants but can look like it here in this modern but simple upscale pizzeria. A little arm starts waving from across the small room and it’s attached to my little pixie friend. An attractive Asian college aged girl greets me at the door, wearing the black Slice of Life t-shirt, at least she’s not another typical Beach Barbie lookalike.

  “Hi, welcome to Slice of Life. Just one?”

  “No, I’m meeting a friend over there, thank you.” Don’t these kids know that people who do dine alone would prefer it if it was approached a little more delicately? Just wait, pay back is a bitch.

  “Okay, enjoy yourself.”

  My friend and I shall enjoy ourselves. Don’t judge me.

  Elsie meets me half way into the room and wraps me in her slender arms in a tight bear hug. “Hi, Elizabeth! We have so much catching up to do, you don’t have to rush off, do you?”

  Elsie is so pretty and deceptively delicate looking. She looks like she wants to take on the world but you just want to protect her.

  “No, Elsie, I’m yours for a while. I want to know what trouble you’ve been getting into, Miss Thing.” I shoot her a sly smile knowing she’s got to have a few tidbits up her sleeve.

  She laughs and it sounds like a melody.

  “Nothing nearly as exciting as your wonderful night of decadence,” she says rolling her eyes with a frustrated look. “Have you seen Mr. Sex God again?” Her expression has changed from frustrated to excited expectancy in a blink of an eye.

  The blush automatically covers me from the top of my head down my chest. Before I even say anything she’s bouncing in her chair like a little girl waiting for the surprise she knows is coming.

  “Ooh, ooh, tell me, tell me!” She’s practically clapping her hands in glee. It’s so cute it makes me laugh. Women can be raunchy, sometimes even more so than men, have you ever seen us at a male revue show? We’re bawdy, sex oozing, screaming women that would rip the men apart if we had the chance.

  “Yes, a lot has happened since the last time we talked. But I wanted to ask you if you wanted to join a women’s self-defense class I’m starting next week. It’s at Evolution gym in Wrightsville Beach. It’s a place for MMA fighters,” I ask.

  Then I sit back and wait.

  Her eyes slowly open wide as her pretty little mouth shapes into an O. She gets it.

  “Are you kidding me? Being in a place full of big, brawny, sweaty, sexy MMA fighters? I am so there! How the hell did you hear about it…and why the fuck do you think you need self-defense classes?” She got everything. Just like that. Her eyes are slits glaring at me waiting for me to tell her the whole story.

  “Let’s get a couple of beers first and order,” I say as I look up at the waitress who’s approaching our table. Here’s the Beach Barbie.

  “Okay, but don’t you dare leave anything out.” She gives me that don’t try to get out of this tone.

  We order then sit back and get comfortable. I look around and notice the place is filling up. A small group of guys by the bar are looking at us and talking to each other. Every so often one of them motions toward us and lifts his chin so I know the conversation is about us.

  “Okay, Elizabeth, talk!”

  I focus on Elsie and lean in toward her so only she can hear me. The tables are a little close together and I don’t want all of Wilmington to know the Life and Times of Elizabeth DiStefano and Marco Kastanopoulis, with appearances by Santino.

  “Marco told me about the gym it’s the one he goes to” I begin.

  “So you guys are seeing each other,” Elsie asks eagerly.

  “Yes, he texted me a few days after that first night together.”

  “You didn’t tell me you gave him your number.”

  “That’s because I didn’t think he’d really call. You know how guys are,” I almost snap.

  “Why not?” she asks as a matter of fact.

  “Elsie, do you want to know what happened or not? I don’t know why, I jus
t did.”

  “Yes, I want to know what happened but I want to get the juicy details too. My life is so boring compared to yours.”

  “Well, I’ll tell you this. He took me to dinner and then a show at Thalian Hall where we had private box seats. It was the sexiest, most sensual night of my life, even better…well, maybe…than our first night together. And I’m not giving you details, use your imagination.” I give her that little bit of information to tease her.

  “You suck!” she pouts.

  I chuckle. “Yeah but you love me anyway. So we see each other for a little while then Santino finds out about us,” I continue.

  “How? And why is he still an issue?” she asks me, surprised.

  “Long story…anyway, Santino showed up at my apartment when Marco was there.”

  “Are you kidding me?” She’s shocked.

  “Nope, there was a little bit of a conflict,” if you can call me getting choked a little conflict, “and Marco had called a couple of his friends from the gym to come by. They showed up about that time.”

  “Holy crap, Elizabeth, I knew your life was interesting but I had no idea.” She sits back in her chair taking this all in.

  “Yeah, things have been pretty interesting. Well this morning while Marco and I were talking I decided that maybe I needed to start going to the gym. He gave me the name of his and since I kind of know a couple of the guys who work there I thought I’d take a ride over. I went today and they have this new program they’ve just started. I thought it sounds perfect, killing two birds with one stone, building some strength and stamina and learning some self-defense.”

  She gives me a sly grin. “You need to keep up with Marco, don’t you, you kinky little thing you.”

  “Elsie!” If I thought I was blushing before I was wrong. My face is on fire now.

  “It’s cool. I wish I had someone to get my kink on with. I’m so tired of the plain, same old stuff,” she sighs, and her breath puffs, blowing away her fringed bangs.

  “Well come to the class with me and find yourself a great big toy to play with,” I say, trying to entice her, wiggling my eyebrows.

  “You bet your ass I’m going with you. When does it start?”

  “Monday night, I’ll text you the details.”

  Barbie comes with our food and we dig in. No dainty pretending-to-pick-kind-of-eating but the-hot-spinach-and-ricotta-pie-with-white-sauce-then-washing-it-down-with-a-long-slug-of-cold-Michelob-Ultra kind of feasting.

  Two guys from the group who were looking at us approach our table as we both have mouths full of food. This is not a smart move on their part.

  “Hi, ladies, we thought we could buy you a beer.”

  Elsie looks up at Mr. Smooth Talker.

  Oh no, this isn’t going to be pretty. I can tell by the look on her face.

  “Didn’t your mother ever tell you that it was impolite to interrupt a meal?” Elsie informs them pointedly.

  “You don’t have to be such a bitch,” one of the men snap.

  “Obviously I do because you’re an ignorant asshole. Please leave,” she replies coldly.

  They look at her for a long second, not believing that she actually just ripped their dicks off and shoved them up their asses in thirty seconds flat.

  “Do you need me to draw you a map? Oh sorry, you probably can’t read,” Elsie adds.

  “Fuck you,” Frick and Frack say in unison and turn to leave mumbling some string of curses as they go.

  “Never, baby,” she says to their backs as they walk away.

  She turns to me and asks, “You didn’t want them to buy us a beer, did you?”

  I look at her and burst out laughing, “No! Holy shit, you just beat the shit out of those guys without lifting a finger.”

  “Well, that was rude, coming over and interrupting us while we’re eating. I hate thoughtless people, especially good-looking guys who think any girl will drop her panties if they just smile at her. Fuck those arrogant assholes,” she states, picking up her pizza and taking a huge bite.

  “You’re absolutely right. I hate guys like that,” I agree.

  After finishing our pizza we pile our dishes to the side and sit back contented with full stomachs. The waitress comes over and takes the clutter from our table.

  “So what about the Halloween party? Are you going to come with me…as my date?” She winks playfully at me.

  “I’d love to, as long as I don’t have to service you afterward. I hate going out on a first date when my date thinks it’s an automatic-get-in-my-pants-as-payment,” I play along.

  “Oh, no, baby, unless you want to,” Elsie replies, her voice dripping with sexual innuendo.

  The girls look at us from the table next to ours. Elsie and I blow each other kisses sealing our meaning.

  “Maybe I will. I always thought you were hot,” I tease her.

  The girls’ mouths just fall open.

  Elsie turns to them and asks, “Would you like to join us?”

  I think Elsie is missing that tiny part of her brain that’s supposed to hold the filter that catches things before you blurt them out.

  “Um, no thanks,” one of them quietly answers. They turn back to each other silently.

  Elsie returns her attention to me. “So what about a costume for you?”

  I get a little embarrassed before I say, “Don’t think it’s stupid and if you can’t help me with this, just say so. But I was wondering if you had any access to something like a medieval female?”

  Here is that excited little girl again bouncing in her chair.

  “Oh, yes, yes, I do and it’ll be perfect for you! It’s green and it will be beautiful with your eyes and coloring. You just need to get a corset to push up the girls so they wiggle their hellos at the top.”

  I catch her excitement now. “Okay, thank you. I can do that.”

  “Come over this weekend and you can try it on. I’ll do any alterations if you need it. And bring the corset and heels,” she tells me enthusiastically.

  “Okay, perfect! Thank you so much, Elsie. I’m really looking forward to the party,” I reply, genuinely happy to be going with her.

  “Me too! We’re going to have such a good time.”

  “I know.”

  “And I want to meet this mystery man of yours,” Elsie informs me.

  “Yeah, he said the same thing about you,” I answer, smiling.

  We finish up and say our good byes. Elsie leaves as I check my phone and see Marco texted me an hour ago and it makes me smile. I have butterflies in my stomach. Why do I still get like this just from his simple random messages?

  Hi baby, do you want me to pick you up?

  That would be nice, I’m at the Slice of Life on Market.

  Ok, I’ll be there in 5 minutes

  Ok

  I slide my mini white pea coat on and shove my phone in my pocket. I look up and see the guys who came over to us earlier looking at me again. Their eyes are like daggers. I want to stick my tongue out at them but I just turn away. I take out my phone again and start going through all my messages to clean them out, keeping myself occupied while I wait for Marco. I’m lost in thought when two arms encircle me in an embrace. I instantly recognize everything about him, his smell, the feel of the weight of his arms around me, the soft tickle of the hair on his face against my cheek.

  “Hi, baby, your friend’s already gone?” he whispers, nuzzling my ear.

  “Hi, Marco, yeah, she left just when I texted you.”

  I love the feel of him against me.

  “Come on, Elizabeth, let’s go home and get naked,” he whispers in my ear.

  Heat shoots through my body. As I stand I happen to glance at those guys again and their mouths are wide open, watching Marco and me. Their surprise is written all over their faces. I stand taller thinking, Yes, this amazing man is with me. Elsie was right. They are arrogant assholes.

  When we get to my apartment Marco takes my keys from me and opens the door. He helps me
with my jacket and hangs it up in the closet in the hallway under the stairs, stairs that aren’t even in my section of the house. It makes for a cool looking closet though.

  “I’m going to get a set of keys made for you, Marco,” I mention.

  He hesitates for a moment before saying, “We haven’t spoken about you moving in with me again since that afternoon.”

  I knew this was going to come up sooner or later but I would have preferred later. I turn away from him pretending I’m fidgeting with something, not wanting to look him in the eye.

  “I know. Why don’t we wait a little while until you move in before we talk about it?” I turn back to face him and look into his eyes, placing my palms on his chest before continuing, “Okay?”

  “Okay.” He studies me, holding me gently at my waist. “So how was dinner with your friend, what’s her name again?”

  “Elsie. It was great. We had a really nice time. I asked her if she wanted to join me in the classes at the gym and she said yes. I guess you two will be meeting soon.” I wonder what it will be like between these two strong personalities. I’m sure it will be interesting to say the least.

  “I look forward to it. Did you talk about Halloween?”

  I lower my gaze and start to play with his shirt, feeling a little bad that I won’t be spending Halloween with him.

  “Yes, she wants me to come over this weekend to try on my costume.” My face shoots up to look at him as I remember something. “Oh, I need to go shopping. Before this weekend.”

  One of his eyebrows rises in question.

  “Oh, what for?”

  “I need a corset.” I unconsciously pull my lower lip between my teeth waiting for his reaction, anticipating it will be interesting.

  “I think you might need a few of them, but what’s this one for?” He smirks wickedly at me.

  “To wear under my costume, Mr. Bond. Elsie thinks I should wear one to, um, push the girls up so that they are, um, participating at the party.” I cock my head to the side and give him a flirty smile.