Blood Red

When he awoke in the morning, Avery was still missing. He left the house with the dawn and began searching again. There were so many places his son could be; Avery loved to explore. He was never happier than when he was out finding new things.

II

Maggie had to give credit where it was due; Lance Brewster was very good at groveling. After she had finally conceded to call the man, he spent twenty minutes apologizing for the way he’d mistreated her. She spent twenty minutes listening to his attempts at an explanation without giving an inch to him.

He swore it would never happen again and confessed that he had feelings for her that went beyond what he should have. That did not get him any further with her. Maggie didn’t have the time to be his personal toy and she most certainly didn’t have the time to listen as he went on about how his wife didn’t understand him. She knew all about the divorce he was going through; she just did not care.

Finally, after almost an hour of his begging, she allowed that she could be free that night.

The man was in tears on the phone. It was really rather embarrassing. Still, he was normally a good client. Unless he wanted to make sure that he never saw her again, he would continue to be a good client.

Besides, after the incident with Tom the night before, she needed a little reminder that some people actually cared for her, even if they cared for all the wrong reasons.

Monkey Boy had come in on a rampage, ready to cause her no end of grief, and had managed to show mercy for whatever reason. She was grateful, which was really the main factor that made her give in to his request.

Yes, grateful; because now the one person she’d met recently who was becoming a friend wasn’t suddenly looking at her like she was a whore. In the grander scheme of things, it wouldn’t matter all that much what Ben Kirby thought of her, but it was still nice to have a guy she could talk to who didn’t seem desperate to get into her pants.

They arranged to meet at the Windbreakers, a very fine dining establishment known for their excellent food and atrocious costs. He brought her a pair of diamond earrings that was beyond excessive, and gave her a matching necklace as well. She thanked him politely, and warmed up a small amount. They had a nice meal, with excellent food, just a little wine, and some decent conversation. Of course he had to mention his wife again and the misery she was putting him through, but that came with the territory.

After dinner, she made him beg again; in the bedroom she made him beg as well. She did not stay the night with him in his hotel suite. He wanted her to, but she had school in the morning.

She left Monkey Boy’s portion of the money in the drop slot of his front door. She knew the signs that Tom was getting antsy. She also knew the best way to get him to behave was to keep her end of the bargain they’d struck some time back.

She kept the diamonds. They were hers. Any apologies that had to be made were made to her, and not to the prick who thought he owned her.

She didn’t feel like going home, and she was far from tired. So it was off to the diner. Sally was probably working, and Sally was normally good for a few jokes while she ate.

No one was more surprised than she was to find Ben there. It was a nice surprise, but unexpected.

He was leaning over his laptop and typing furiously. His fingers moved so fast she would have thought the keyboard would catch fire. She slipped in across from him, moving as carefully as she could, amused by how intent he was on his typing.

When he finally looked up, he actually jumped in his seat. “Hey!” He looked embarrassed. “I mean, hi.”

She laughed, and reached across the table to graze his hand with her fingers. “I didn’t mean to scare you. You just looked so intent I didn’t want to disturb your work.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m just . . . gathering my thoughts.”

“Did you get what you were looking for? For your friend?” She didn’t have to clarify. He knew what she was talking about.

“Yes.” A quick flash of a smile that degraded into a yawn. “Excuse me. I did get it. I’m going to tell her tomorrow.” He rubbed at his eyes for a second and stared at her. After a second he remembered it wasn’t polite to stare and looked greedily at his now empty coffee cup.

“You’re sweet to go through all of that.” He blushed. She had never known anyone who blushed as often as he did. She looked around and waved to Sally, who had been taking a large order from a group of businessmen. Sally smiled and nodded as Maggie made a few gestures for food, coffee, and a refill over here.

“Why are you staring at me, Ben?”

If she thought he’d blushed before, she was mistaken. He was red all the way to his ears when she asked. It was cruel, maybe, but she couldn’t help teasing him just a bit. He almost begged for a good teasing.

“Sorry. Really, I am. You just took me off guard and I’ve never seen you dressed that way.”