her butt-ended.
“Thanks…” she said, and realized she was looking into the deepest black eyes she’d ever known. She wasn’t even aware that she let out a little gasp.
“You’re welcome, Sally,” he said, giving her a barely detectable curtsey. “Didn’t mean to frighten you…My sincere apologies.” His voice was euphonic, almost as mesmerizing as his eyes. Even his scent was tantalizing.
She was completely lost in his hypnotic gaze, and it was he who broke the spell, just a hint of a secretive smile on his perfect mouth. “Yeah…sure…” she heard herself say, eyes following him as he walked on into the store. “God!” she gasped. “What just happened?” She realized she was shaking from head to foot.
Though she had been completely captivated by him, there was something there that frightened her to the roots of her very soul. She took a heavy drag off her cigarette, exhaled, threw the cigarette down, smashed it out with her shoe, and glanced into the store, glad it was Paul in there and not her. She didn’t want to meet up with Klaus again so soon and found herself running around to the back and knocking on the door for Judy to let her in.
Judy lifted the drawn blind to see who it was. Seeing it was Sally, she swung the door open for her. “What’s wrong?”
Sally hurried inside. “Just close the door!”
“You look like you seen a ghost…What happened?”
Sally exhaled loudly. “Shit! Honestly, I’m not really sure. That Klaus fella came up to me out front. I swear he just suddenly appeared! I didn’t see or hear him walk up…You know how the gravel crunches when anyone walks up to the door…Well I didn’t hear a blessed thing. He was just there!”
Judy led her over to the table she had set for Paul’s supper. “Sit down for a minute…Want me to get Paul?”
“No…No…He…Klaus really didn’t do anything. In fact, he was a perfect gentleman…picked up my cigarette for me and handed it over. But I looked into those black eyes of his – God! I’ve never experienced anything like that in my life!”
“Like what, Sally? You sure you don’t want me to get Paul?’
“Please…No…I just need time to compose myself.” Her eyes went to the door that led into the store. “See if he’s still in there.”
Judy did as she asked and popped her head out. “Dinner’s warm,” she said to Paul, not letting on the real reason for looking out.
Paul responded that he’d be there in a few; that Sally should be back already. The sound of the register closing meant he was finishing up the transaction with Klaus.
Judy closed the door and turned back to Sally, “He’s leaving now!”
“Thank God!”
Just then, Paul stepped inside, “Wonder where Sal…” then he saw her at the table. His face transformed to instant concern. “You’re white as a sheet! You sick?”
Judy interrupted. “I guess Klaus frightened her.”
Paul instantly turned to go back out.
“No!” Sally cried. “No! He didn’t do anything…really.”
Turning back around and frowning, “Then what’s this all about?” He sat down to the table.
Sally quickly told him what happened, and then said it was probably silly…for him to please not say anything to Klaus. Paul set there for several minutes, absorbing all she told him. He finally spoke. “Okay…But we’ve known you all our lives…And you’re not the kind of person who freaks out easily. If you’re afraid of this guy, then there’s probably a reason.”
The bell tinkled in the store and Judy ran out to wait on an old man.
Sally continued, “I’m sorry, Paul…Maybe I’m just tired. I haven’t been sleeping all that well lately. Not really sure why. But this guy is different. Can’t put my finger on it…but no one’s ever unnerved me like that before. No one!’
Paul raised his eyebrows. “I noticed that, too. He is a foreigner, Sally…I think German. Accent’s not strong enough for me to be sure. Definitely from Europe someplace. You know, their ways are different from ours…”
“Yeah…You’re right. Probably all it is.” She stood. “Guess I should get back to work…only a couple of more hours to go.”
“You sure? You can go on home, if you want? I can close up.”
“That’s sweet of you Paul…But honestly, I’d kind of like to make sure he’s long gone before I leave here…don’t ask me why. I feel safer here with you guys…”
“You know you’re welcome to stay all night, Sally. The sofa makes into a bed.”
She shook her head. “No…I’ll be okay. Besides Ginger will be waiting for me.”
“Ginger?”
“You know…my cat. Had her for ten years.”
“Yeah…I remember now…the hundred-pounder but pretty, long-haired, yellow tabby,” he said teasingly.
“I admit she’s a little overweight…Still, she’d freak out if I didn’t come home.”
Paul grinned slightly. “Okay…But we’re here should you change your mind.”
“Thanks…You guys are the best.”
Judy came back in. “Your color’s returning,” she commented.
“I’m better…I’ll get back to work now.” She went out and shut the door.
“Well,” Paul said, picking up his plate and piling it high with spaghetti, “I’ve never seen her like that. Make’s me leery of that Klaus.”
Judy sat down opposite him. “Honestly, brother…He’s given me the willies ever since I first laid eyes on him…Even more so than that Dorian guy.”
Paul had his spaghetti-wrapped fork midway to his mouth. He stopped. “Really?”
“Seriously…Maybe I’m wrong…But there’s something about him I find kind of scary.”
“Hmmm…” he took his bite, chewing it thoughtfully and swallowing. “I’ll certainly keep my eyes and ears open. And I trust you’ll let me know if he does or says anything that even slightly disturbs you?”
“Darn right! He is weird!”
“Maybe I should go get Star’s sister?”
“Get a dog?” she said, face suddenly brighter.
“You want one? Really? I thought you were still afraid of them?”
“Not so much anymore. One of my friends has a really cool red Dobie…Really gentle and smart. I think I got over my fear of dogs a year or so ago. And I have thought it would be nice to have one. Just never said anything…Thought maybe you’d think it too much to worry with.”
“No…I like dogs…Just hadn’t occurred to me that you’d want one.”
“Darn right! I want one!”
“Okay…I’ll give Jerri a call first thing in the morning.”
She shrieked with delight, jumped up and gave him a big hug.
“Hey!” he said, grinning. “I’m trying to eat here.”
“Sorry…” She danced around the kitchen. “I can’t wait! We’re getting a dog!”
“If I’d known you’d be so excited, would have got one a long time ago.”
She pulled her mobile phone from her jeans pocket. “Gonna go call my friends and tell them.”
“You do that,” he said, now ravishing his salad. He was delighted to see her really happy about something. First he’d seen her that way since he’d had to take on the responsibility of raising her.
Amber soon learned that Star was going to be her shadow, as he followed her every where she went.
He even plopped down on the floor in the bathroom while she took her shower and washed her hair. She peeked out once and he had his head resting on his front paws. He looked at her with one eye, as though to say, “I’m still here.” She smiled and closed the curtain.
Her thoughts trailed over the events of the past couple of days. And though she hadn’t been thinking of him, she suddenly thought of Dorian, and visions of him slamming into the cougar held in her mind. He had hit that cat with the speed and force of a cannon ball. It hadn’t been her imagination! Suddenly talking to herself, “How in hell can anyone move that fast? How can they?”
She st
epped out of her shower onto the rug and took her big brown towel off the rack and wrapped it around her body, then took a smaller, matching towel and wrapped it around her hair in turban fashion. She said, “Come on, Star,” and realized that it wasn’t necessary. He would follow her anyway.
She towel-dried her hair in front of her full length mirror. By then, most of the moisture had evaporated off her body. She took her yellow pajamas off the foot of her bed and letting the towel drop to the floor, slipped into the pants first and then the top. She grabbed her brush off the dresser and brushed her long hair. She looked down, sure enough, Star was not more than a foot away from her, now sitting and faithfully watching her every move. “You’re probably gonna get bored of playing shadow after a while, Star.” He let out a quick bark. “Oh…You don’t think you will?” He let out a slight woof then and plopped down, once more resting his head on his paws. “Okay…then…” she breathed. “Lights out.” She pulled her covers down and turned out her lamp and slipped into bed.
The next thing she knew, Star leapt on the bed and lay crossways at her feet. She started to tell him to get down and then thought better about it. What did it hurt? He was just doing what she wanted. He was her pet now, her companion and hopefully her protector. Feeling completely safe with the dog there, she fell fast asleep.
Sally pulled up in front of her ground-floor apartment and stepped out, quickly locking her car and heading straight to her front door. She stopped in her tracks.
A really large black bird, looked like a raven, was sitting smack in the front of her door. “What the…” The bird suddenly flapped its wings, cawed and shot off