Hungry for Love (49 page)

Kevin dimmed the lights on his very excellent new Porsche as he drove up toward Angie
’
s place
,
parking several houses away from hers.  Creeping stealthily from the car
,
he slunk forward
,
his head darting cautiously to one side and then another.

Angie opened the door to reveal herself wearing a very sexy and seductive bit of lingerie
,
music on the stereo almost cartoonishly sexy
,
but if there was one thing that Kevin could appreciate
,
it was a sexy cartoon.  At the top of the list of his all-time favorite women was Jessica Rabbit.  He took in the whole appealing scene with one glance
,
then distraction set in and he moved toward the window and peered out at the empty driveway beyond.  Nope.  There was no sign of anything.  No assassins
,
no judges.  Kevin thought about the fact that his assailant hadn
’
t actually followed him to this address
,
so it was unlikely they were out there.  Angie
’
s dad on the other hand most certainly was out there
,
hopefully under the influence of a strong sleeping sedative
,
but of course Kevin had no way of knowing if that were true.

Angie slithered over to Kevin and from a lovely antique tray offered him the appetizers which she had just made.  He took one
,
popped it into his mouth and ate it absentmindedly
,
not even remarking on how delicious it was.  But so what—she wasn
’
t hosting a garden party.

“
I
’
m so glad you came
,”
said Angie.

“
Really
?
  Why
?”

Angie looked imploringly at Kevin. 
“
You know why.  Because we have something here.  Something special.  We both know it.
”

Kevin looked into Angie
’
s eyes then
,
and saw her sweetness
,
her vulnerability
,
her courage in seeking his company despite everything that had occurred recently.  She was a lovely girl
,
seemingly an uncomplicated girl
,
one to whom he was a desirable commodity
,
a treasure
,
unlike the way his wife perceived him.  It would be so easy
,
so pleasant
,
he thought.  Something inside Kevin clicked and he grabbed Angie and began kissing her passionately.

They both sank into the kisses the way a tired
,
achy person lowers herself into a steaming bubble bath
,
the scent of pleasure rising all about them
,
and kisses led to groping and that led to an ensemble stagger toward the bed
,
where they lay kissing
,
touching
,
and beginning to devour each other. 

Oh didn
’
t it feel good to be alive
,
thought Kevin
,
touching the soft skin of this lovely young girl.  Nothing was better than this.  This was what made life worthwhile
,
this sense of newness
,
of the beginning
,
the unfolding of the flower.  Life was wonderful
,
and Kevin was alive again.  And then a random noise outside distracted him or perhaps for no reason at all
,
everything went south
,
well the thing that was supposed to go north did
,
and beyond that nothing mattered.

And there they sat once again in Angie
’
s bed
,
covers up to their chins.  Kevin pressed his hands to his head for the second time that evening.  What had gone wrong
?
  He had a dick that never quit but it had quit.  Had he used up all his sex credits
?
  Did he need new batteries
?
  So many bizarre analogies coursed through Kevin
’
s mind as he sat next to a very frustrated young girl.  What was he supposed to say
?
  He
’
d said it before and he said it again.

“
Yeah
,
so if it never happened before
,
why is it happening with me
?”
asked Angie.  She
’
d been around and she knew she wasn
’
t supposed to take this personally.  This was his issue and it wasn
’
t about her
,
but it felt personal.  She
’
d been chasing him for so long and now she had him and then what—this.  It sucked.

Outside there was the odd sound of dogs barking.  Normally the dogs who lived nearby were safely at home
,
living the respectable lives of pets in this very well-heeled neighborhood.  The judge couldn
’
t imagine why it sounded as though his home was being invaded by a choir of canines.  He waited
,
expecting the ruckus to stop
,
but it only got louder
,
so he walked to the side of the house from which all the noise was coming
,
and there outside were several dogs
,
all of whom scattered when he opened the door and shouted at them
,
just the sort of reaction he expected from anyone he confronted.  He looked down on the ground.  What in blazes
?
  There
,
spread across his entryway was a bunch of half slobbered over lasagna in the very container his daughter had offered him not an hour earlier.  He reached down and picked up the container and strode angrily toward her door
,
pounding loudly on it.

Kevin
’
s eyes opened wide.  He glanced at Angie
,
who still looked irritated.  She grabbed a robe as he clutched wildly for his clothes.  Where could someone hide in this wide open room
?
  There wasn
’
t enough time to dash toward that bathroom and he couldn
’
t dress rapidly enough
,
so he wrapped himself in a sheet
,
and attempted to move around the bed out of sight.

By then Angie had opened the door and was glaring out at her irate father
,
but for once she met him
,
cranky glance for cranky glance.

He thrust the half eaten lasagna toward her
,
saying
,
“
What the hell is the meaning of this
?”
  But before she could even reply
,
he spotted Kevin and pushed his way into the guesthouse. 
“
You—Julius Caesar—what are you doing here
?”

Angie inserted herself between the two men and said defiantly
,
“
He
’
s here to see me.  To be with me.
”

The judge stepped around his daughter a second time and
,
his eyes flashing
,
said
“
I hope it
’
s worth going to jail over.  Now get the hell out of here before I have you hauled out of here.  You—you—you—doctor of depravity.
”

Kevin
,
still wrapped in the sheet
,
most of his clothes in one hand
,
but wearing only one shoe and no socks on his feet
,
saw an opening and dashed through it and out the door without even looking back.

Angie was enraged and for once she would not back down. 
“
You have no right to do this
,
Daddy
,
no right.
”

“
The hell I don
’
t.  That man belongs in a mental institution.
”

She stood up taller
,
her eyes narrowed and boldly she said
,
“
What do you care
?
  It
’
s not like you
’
re interested in any part of my life or me.  So what do you care who I fuck
?”

Antimangia was visibly taken aback by his daughter
’
s insolence and the sound of that word was like a slap that actually pushed him physically back.