Deadly Dosage (22 page)

     “No!” we both said.

     “Don’t worry about the room cost. I’m sure Nino’s
family plans on a big contribution. I intend to stay in a suite.”

     “What about Mom’s birthday?”

     “She’s got a free suite pass. We can all room
together that night. I think we should make that a different hotel. Just so
it’s special for her.”

     “Yeah, that’s a good idea. What about the
Cosmopolitan for Mom. She seemed interested in that last night,” I said. “We
can take her to one of the dinner shows.”

     “Okay. We’ll figure out the details, but we’ll
have to let her book it to get the discount.”

     “So we’re talking a month from now?” asked
Autumn.

     “Isn’t that going to be a lot to plan in a
month?” I said.

     “Don’t you know your mother is the best travel
agent in town?”

     “Mom!” we said as she walked into the room in her
furry robe and slippers.

     “That’s if Spring isn’t gone every week on a
business trip.”

Spring shot her a furtive
glance.

“Don’t worry, dear. I’ve done
it for strangers; I can do it for my own daughter.” She eyed the kitchen.
“Autumn, will you get me a cup of coffee?”

Autumn rose to the task and
came back seconds later with a cup and saucer, and placed it on the table. 

We spent a couple more hours discussing wedding plans,
laying down the foundation for the big event. Mom promised to find cheap
airfare to keep the costs down, for which I was grateful.

     I dropped Autumn off at her house around eleven
and returned to my apartment a little after noon, with two bags of groceries.

     My stomach was growling, so I ate a few peanut
butter cookies before taking a quick shower.

     When I got out, there was a message from Brandi
saying she would be home in time for lunch. I guess that meant I was supposed
to have a meal waiting when she walked in the door.

     She would get her wish. The cookies weren’t
enough for lunch, and I needed a big meal to satisfy my appetite. I pulled one
of those meal-in-a-bag frozen pasta dishes from the freezer and dumped the
contents of the bag into a frying pan. Instructions said ten minutes. I could
wait that long. In the meantime, I heated up a pot of broccoli and warmed some
Italian bread.

Brandi walked in just as I was
setting the table.

     “Hi. Mmm, smells yummy.” She dumped her stuff on
the couch and strolled over. She washed her hands in the kitchen sink, dried
them on the dishtowel, and took a seat.

     I hadn’t planned to serve her, and I refused to.
I poured some milk in a glass for myself and took it to the table. I went back,
and spooned some pasta and broccoli on my plate and carried that along with a
plate of bread back to the table. Brandi stared at me dumbly.

     “Help yourself,” I said and began eating.

     Reluctantly, she got up and fixed a plate for
herself.

     “So, Brandi,” I asked casually with my mouth full
of bread. “How’s it going with Sam?”

     She took a sip of milk and looked down at her
plate. She stabbed at her pasta with her fork as she spoke. “Not going anywhere
I’m afraid.”

     I sat up straighter and gave her my full
attention. “What do you mean by that?”

     “Well, that first night I ran into him, you know,
at Hot Pants, he was all into me. He was drunk, but then most of the guys there
had a few too many.”

     She bite into a slice of bread and chewed so long
I almost told her to spit it out and continue.

     “I mean the sex was great, real intense. Frankly,
I can’t understand why you broke up with him. He sure knows how to move,” she
grinned.

Not what I wanted to hear. I
felt like choking her until her eyes popped out.  

Brandi ate some broccoli.
“This is really good. Kind of crunchy.”

I silently prayed that the
broccoli gave her horrible gas the next day.

“And the pasta is good too,”
she said selecting a chunk of chicken from the creamy sauce.

     “Yeah, not bad for six bucks.” I tore a piece of
bread roughly in two. “So, Brandi, go on. If Sam’s such a stallion, what seems
to be the problem?”

 She stared off into space,
remembering something that put a smile on her face and then she pouted. “I
wasn’t too thrilled when he called me Sunny when he climaxed, though.”

Her expression brightened.
“But then hey, the guy was drunk. Am I right? And it wasn’t the first time some
guy called me by the wrong name. Guys can be so stupid.”

     Women too, I thought. He might have called my
name out of habit; however, this added a new twist, so I probed deeper.
“Happens,” I said. Not to me personally. “You two have been quite an item
lately.”

     “Not as much as I’d like. He’s always so busy.
Whenever I call, he’s working, going to the gym, or hanging out with his
friends. No offense, Sun, but every time I get him over here, you show up and
ruin all my fun. I want to be irresistibly hot, so he concentrates only on me.
His kisses make me so horny.”

     “So, what? You want advice from his
ex-girlfriend?” I asked sardonically.

     “Got any?”

     How about, go fuck yourself. I took a deep breath
and plodded onward, ignoring her question.

“Didn’t get any fun on your
sleepover party?”

     “Well, Friday night, he was in a real pissy mood
after that dreamy Lloyd left. I figured Sam was jealous because I paid too much
attention to him. He said Lloyd was full of it and he didn’t understand how you
and I could be taken in by such an obvious line of crap. I didn’t know what he
was talking about. Lloyd seemed real nice to me.” She shrugged her shoulders
and took a slice of bread. “Anyway, I ended up going to bed early and he stayed
up watching the news.”

Her eyes opened wider. “Then,
I swear it must have been around four in the morning, I heard a door slam.” She
made the motion with her hand and almost knocked her glass over. I made the
save in the nick of time.

“Nice catch. So where was I?”
She paused.

     “Door slammed.”

 “Oh, yeah. Okay. Then I heard
him in the hall, mumbling something like, “goddamn her, if she wants fucking,
I’ll fuck with her” and he storms back into the bedroom and jumps me.”

I was speechless.

Brandi continued, “Do you
think I tried something in the middle of the night? You know, like grabbed
him?”

“Maybe,” I lied.

     I wondered if Brandi really misunderstood the
meaning behind Sam’s actions. If so, her ignorance was a blessing. Maybe I owed
Sam an apology. He wasn’t as dimwitted as Brandi was.

“Anyway, like I was saying, he
jumps on me, and just when things get started, he swears and rolls off. He just
got up, left the room, and took a shower. What’s up with that?”

How could I tell Brandi she
was being used? She probably wouldn’t believe me anyway. So I told her,
“Brandi, Sam’s a bit self-centered. Maybe you’d be better off seeing someone
else.”

“Oh, I don’t mind that. I like
guys who see and take what they want. Only losers ask for things. That’s how
you get turned down. No, my door’s always open, if you know what I mean. Sam’s
as hot as they come. I know how to get what I want too.”

“I’m sure you do,” I said more
to myself than to her. “Finish your lunch,” I said patting her arm. Now I
understood the visit from the harry beast. Sam was holding out.

I felt the corners of my mouth
ruthlessly turn upward. I didn’t want to relish in Brandi’s sexual troubles,
but it was a needed boost to my ego.

Brandi left for orientation for her new job at two.
She officially started on Monday; however, she explained that today they would
be going over all of the paperwork, like health insurance and company policies.
It was scheduled to last four hours.

I waved goodbye and retrieved
my cell phone from my handbag. No messages. My heart sank. I needed comfort
food, so I made some instant hot chocolate.

     With mug in hand, I grabbed a plastic container
of assorted bakery cookies and took them into the living room where I placed
them on the coffee table. I tuned in an oldies station on the radio and plopped
down on the couch, listening to a song by The Grass Roots.

     By the time I finished my third cookie, I had
decided to call Sam. I wanted to put it off, but Brandi was gone and I knew
he’d know I opened that drawer by now and saw the charm.

     I held my breath and dialed his number. It rang
three times before he picked up.

     “Sam here,” he said.

     “Sam?” I didn’t know where or how to start.

     “Sunny, I’m glad you called,” he said earnestly.
“It was good seeing you last night. You looked pretty. Spring’s seems pretty
happy about her upcoming marriage and—”

     I interrupted him. “Sam, I found the charm on my
bracelet. It’s really beautiful. I honestly didn’t think you had that much
romance in you.”

     “Then you weren’t looking hard enough,” he said
softly.

     “Sam, why did you choose to use my bracelet to
propose?”

     “You mentioned how much it meant to you. I wanted
you to think of me every time you placed it around your wrist.”

     I pulled the quilt down from the top of the couch
and wrapped it around me. I felt vulnerable and wanted protection. “Why do you
suddenly want to marry me? What about your interest in Brandi?”

     “Sometimes you don’t know what you want until
it’s gone. I miss you.”

“Sam. I can’t accept the
charm. I’ve been unhappy for a while now. You know that. I just needed to break
it off.”

“Let me come over, Sunny.”

“Brandi won’t be gone long. It
would be awkward if you were here when she returns.”

“Then let me pick you up and
bring you back here. This is too important to discuss on the phone.”

“I don’t think that’s a good
idea.”

“Sunny, please.”

One way or another, this
needed to be resolved. I knew it and decided I had better just hear him out.

“Okay, Sam. I’ll be ready.”

“Sunny, I’ll be there in
fifteen minutes. Don’t leave.”

Twenty minutes later Sam was at the door. He smelled great;
thanks to the cologne I bought him for Christmas.

     He followed me down the stairs and actually
opened the passenger door for me. I had to give him credit for trying.

     “I got it nice and warm in here for you,” he
said, increasing the heat. “That’s why I’m a little late.”

     “Thanks.”

     He reached over and pulled my head close so he
could kiss me, letting his lips linger on mine for a few moments after the kiss
ended. His smile reached his eyes and as he moved away, his arm came up and
around my back. He rested his hand on my shoulder.

     He didn’t have far to drive. Sam helped me find
my apartment; therefore, he made sure it was convenient for him to visit.

Chapter
30

Sam lived in a renovated loft above a small
restaurant, whose owners changed as frequently as the menu. The new owners came
from Philadelphia, and the standard fare was meatball and cheese steak subs;
however, on the weekend, lasagna, mostaccoli, and spaghetti were served until
nine. We parked in the rear and took the steel stairs up two flights.

His door opened directly into
the living room, the same as my apartment. There were stairs on the left that
led to a loft area that held his bed, a dresser, and a nightstand. From the
look of things, he had worked fast after hanging up the phone. A large, four
wick, candle sat in the center of his glass and aluminum coffee table. It was
surrounded by a bottle of wine chilling in a bowl of ice, two wine glasses, a
round of Edam cheese resting on a wooden cutting broad, and a basket of
crackers with a knife placed nearby.

     He took my coat and laid it on an old railroad
truck he had received from his grandfather. The truck was dark brown leather
with two brass straps that crossed vertically on either side of the lock. The
top was rounded, adding to its vintage charm. I always liked it. It reminded me
of better days and a more cohesive civilization. I ran my hand over the large
brass lock.

     “I’d make that a wedding present to you,” he said
smiling.

     “Tempting,” I said. “Nice spread,” I said
pointing to the table. “You always keep me guessing, Sam. Sometimes I don’t
even think I know who you are.”

     The corners of his mouth turned slightly
downward. “Maybe you don’t,” he said regretfully. He walked over to the table
and lit the candle. “A little ambiance never hurts.”