Miss Nobody Ch 18

Chapter 18

ALEJANDRO LOPEZ

Evening Day 6

In that moment, I realized I would follow Jonny's smile anywhere. Into the darkness and unknown. We crossed the threshold and stopped in front of a dimly lit hostess stand.

A woman in a tight black dress and striking violet eyes greeted us, "Mr. Zantana." She looked him up and down and smiled at me. "Glad to have you back and with such a lovely guest."

"Thank you, Jade, our normal table today."

"Of course, right this way." She led us through a busy restaurant. The atmosphere was lively and laughter and conversation filled the room.

Jonny put his hand on my lower back and expertly guided me through the crowded tables and booths. The dim lights made the small restaurant intimate and mysterious. We made our way past a small crowded bar in the middle of the room. The hostess stopped at a small table in a back corner.

"Stephanie will be here shortly with your drinks, Mr. Zantana." She bowed slightly, winking at me, and left the table.

Jonny slowly lowered my jacket, goosebumps trailing as his hands glided down my arms. His breath was warm on my neck. "I ordered something special for us tonight." A sudden coldness between us as he draped my jacket over the back of his chair.

"I think the hostess was flirting with me," I whispered conspiratorially as I sat at the small circular table and hung my cock purse on the back of my chair. I smiled and looked around.

"Probably. She dated Diane." Jonny sat in the chair next to me, his back against the wall and facing the restaurant.

Diane? Should I remember this name?

"She works at the hot springs on the Lodge property. I heard it ended badly. Lots of drama. Don't forget about our deal." He winked at me.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah." I smirked. "What is this place?" Our knees touched and I pulled my leg away quickly, nervously. My pulse pitter-pattered in my throat.

Jonny reached his hand under the table and slid it down my thigh bringing my leg back against his. He held his hand on my thigh and stroked his thumb up and down.

The chatter was loud and filled with laughter and clinking glasses. The dim lighting and shadows provided a sense of anonymity. "It's a locals-only restaurant. Hidden from the tourists." He smiled.

A small woman carried a tray of drinks. She didn't look at us as she placed the glasses on the table. "Water, soda with extra cherries, and coffee, black. Your food will be out shortly."

"Thank you," I said to her.

Jonny nodded and the waitress walked away quickly. He leaned back in his chair and watched me as I sipped the bubbly soda. How did he know cherry soda was my favorite? He sucked on his bottom lip and I tried to avoid looking at his face.

A waiter carried over plates of food and set them one by one on the table. "Quesabirria tacos with handmade tortillas." Another plate on the table. "Tamales de dulce." A large platter was placed on the table. "Have a good meal Mr. Zantana, Mrs. Zantana." He walked away briskly.

I raised my eyebrow at Jonny. Mrs. Zantana?

"Let them think what they want." Jonny sipped his hot coffee.

I looked over the delicious-looking food on the table. "Pink tamales?" Something about the fact that they were pink made me smile brightly.

"They're strawberry flavored." Jonny grinned and served me from the bowl of Birria. "I thought you might like them." If he smiled like that and told me it was poison I would still eat it. Man, I had it bad for this man.

I blushed. It would be difficult to keep him at distance after tonight but he was probably going to leave again anyway.

"This is Quesabirria." He filled a smaller bowl with fragrant liquid and squeezed a lime over the juices and herbs. He did the same for himself and served me too many delicious tacos. He put even more on his plate and dipped the taco in the Birria juice. "You dip the Quesabirria in the consume." He took a bite and I did the same with mine.

"Wow." I sat back. "I've never tasted anything like this. Not that I can remember anyway." I paused. "It's not triggering anything." I laughed to myself and continued eating the tacos and Birria.

"Is that what happens when you get that faraway look in your eyes, you're remembering?" Jonny asked me and finished his plate of tacos.

I looked at him and swallowed the bite of my second taco. Dabbing at my mouth with the napkin. "Is that what it looks like?" I sipped my soda.

"Is that what it feels like?" he asked me in return, taking a drink of his water.

I shook my head and sat back in my chair. "It feels a lot more chaotic than that in my head. Like I'm in that moment again." I took a bite of the sweet tamal. A faint taste of strawberries and warm masa filled my mouth.

"Have you been remembering a lot?"

"There's been a few." I laughed. "But it's hard knowing some of the things and not the context around it." I shook my head and shrugged, finishing the tamale. I was absolutely full but I had to try more of the strawberry tamales.

"Like puzzle pieces without knowing what the puzzle is." Jonny's eyes locked with mine.

I nodded and looked away when the waiter approached our table. He was followed by a man in a chef's coat and another man behind him wearing a very, very nice suit.

Jonny stood and greeted the chef with a friendly handshake. "Hola, Chef."

The chef said to Jonny, "I'm sorry to interrupt but I have someone to introduce you to." He put his hand toward the man in the suit.

The man in the very nice suit put his hand out to shake Jonny's.

I briefly saw a wolf head tattoo on his wrist as they shook hands.

The man in the suit said in Spanish, "Hola, Primo. Soy Alejandro Lopez."

Jonny replied, "Hola, Primo. Please sit down." The two men pulled out the chairs and sat at the table. The chef sat next to me and held out his hand. "Chef Julio, Mrs. Zantana."

I shook his hand. "The food was delicious. Thank you."

The man in the suit continued speaking to Jonny in Spanish, "no pude evitar notar tus tatuajes. Me acabo de mudar a este territorio y quería presentarme."

The Chef spoke low to me, "this was not me. Mr. Zantana made this." He gestured to the plates on the table.

I looked over at Jonny and tried to hide the surprise on my face.

He slid his hand on my thigh under the table and gave it a little squeeze. He kept his hand there as he conversed with the man in the nice suit.

The man in the suit continued in English, "I am having a housewarming party and I think it would benefit you to come." He stood up. "Please don't stand up cuz." He shook Jonny's hand again. "I see you are busy with a beautiful woman. I will not take any more of your time." He looked over at me.

Jonny's hand was a little tighter on my thigh.

The man in the suit lingered over my face. "I look forward to seeing you both there." He nodded his head slightly and walked away.

The Chef shook Jonny's hand and stood. "It's good to see you around again my friend. Don't be a stranger." He walked away and Jonny and I were left alone.

I wanted to compliment him on the food but he spoke before I could.

"If you ever see that man and I'm not around-" He looked me in the eyes. "-I want you to run and hide."

I tried to keep my face neutral as my heart beat rapidly in my chest. I stayed quiet as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and typed something quickly under the table. He stood and grabbed my jacket from the back of his chair.

I stood and grabbed my purse trying to act casual.

Jonny helped me into my jacket and I looked at the uneaten strawberry tamales left on the table. Jonny lifted my hair out of my jacket. "I will make them for you again," he whispered in my ear. He put his hand on my lower back and guided me out of the restaurant.

The hidden restaurant had become more crowded as the night went on. I tried not to be too obvious about looking around, but I spotted Alejandro Lopez surrounded by men in a corner booth. He watched me leave.

Jonny had his arm around me as we stepped outside and the heavy metal door shut behind us, closing off the lively crowd and leaving us on the cold, dark cement. He guided me around to the driver's side of his truck, looking around the empty street as I climbed in. He closed his heavy door behind him and started the vintage hunk of metal. "We have time to look for that woman."

I nodded and directed Jonny to drive down the street toward the last place I had seen the homeless woman. He looked tense as he watched the road, checking the rearview mirror more often than usual. I searched for the woman as he searched for an unknown opponent. I looked at Jonny closely. He's not safe with you. I was close to telling him to go back to the Lodge but I spotted the woman down an alleyway before I could say anything and make this a clean break. "There." I pointed out the window.

Jonny nodded and pulled over. "Wait in the truck." He got out before I could protest and walked over to the homeless woman.

She yelled at him and threw trash from the dumpster she was digging in.

I got out of the truck and waved to her.

She didn't seem to notice.

"Hello," I shouted from a distance.

She looked at me. Her eyes shifted as she seemed to recognize me. She cried, "I thought you were dead. I thought you were dead," she repeated.

I stepped closer to her slowly. "When you found me?"

"You look like a dead body," she said quietly, her eyes wide. "Money. Money. Do you have money?" She rocked back and forth on her feet, wrapped in rags.

Jonny held out a generous amount of cash and I was grateful.

The old woman sucked in her breath and reached for it. She clutched it to her chest and looked at me. My hair caught her fascination. "What pretty hair." She reached for me, her eyes fixated.

Jonny stepped between us and gently held the woman's outstretched hand before she could touch me. "We have a room for you at the Moonlit Mountain Lodge if you like?"

Her eyes seemed to clear with the mention of the name and she stood up straighter. She looked behind me at the truck and quickly walked up to the window, where we could see our reflections in the glass.

"What's happened to me?" She looked at the rags her clothes had become. "I fucking stink." She sniffed, her face wrinkled in disgust. "Before you forget about me again." She scribbled a name on the back of my hand with a marker.

Noralee.

She shrank back into herself. Her eyes shifted as they fogged over and gave me the empty look of the woman before. Noralee was gone.

"We can't just leave her out here." I looked at Jonny unsure what to do.

"We'll take her back to the Lodge." He moved the shopping bags into the back of his truck making room at our feet.

"We have a hotel room for you." I turned to her.

"No, no. I don't like hotels," her voice sounded like a little girl and she shuddered.

"Oh." I sighed. "The Moonlit Mountain Lodge is so beautiful though." I thought so anyway. Even though most assume a horror movie has been filmed there.

"The Moonlit Mountain Lodge?" She stood up straight. A clarity back in her eyes. "Do you work there too? I just got off the bus and was heading that way. I was hired to work the front desk," she said with pride.

I looked at Jonny.

He shrugged.

"That's fantastic. We do work there and we are going that way. Would you like a ride?" Not technically a lie.

Jonny opened the passenger door. "Let's get off the streets, Ladies." I could tell he was on guard but his tone was flirty.

Noralee looked him up and down and rather seductively, sat in the middle of the bench seat. "Ladies," she said softly and smiled.

I slid in next to her.

She watched as Jonny entered the truck and headed back to the highway. She lightly touched his thigh and flirted. "If all the men at the Lodge are as handsome as you-" she made a sound with her mouth "-Well, I'll just be in Heaven." She giggled.

Was Jonny blushing? I raised my eyebrow.

"I'm sure we can find you a nice man at the hotel, Miss Noralee but not all of them are as good-looking as me." He laughed and winked at her.

Was Jonny flirting back?

"You are a rascal." She laughed with him and lightly swatted his arm. "I am so looking forward to our time together and meeting new people." She turned to me. "What about you, you must work in-" She paused and looked me up and down. "-You work in housekeeping?" She made it sound like an insult.

I kept my face neutral and stared out the window. I took a deep breath and humored her. "You're right. My official title is Laundry Troll. They hide me in the Laundry Tower, so I don't scare the guests." I smiled at her to lighten my sarcasm.

Jonny chuckled.

She looked over me again. "Explains that...smell." She held up a dirty rag to her nose.

I rolled down the window. Just breathe. In. Out.

She turned to Jonny and continued to flirt with him quietly.

I couldn't hear her over the wind rushing through the open window. I was grateful when Jonny pulled up close to the back entrance of the hotel. I got out of the truck quickly and opened the door to the lobby.

Jonny helped Noralee out of his truck.

We were rushing, it was getting late and I wanted to be inside before it was too dark.

We settled Noralee in one of the empty hotel rooms on the bottom floor and I showed her where the shower was, the toiletries and towels for her to use, the remote for the TV. "Do you need any help, with anything?" I asked her.

She looked in the mirror as she admired herself like she had just put on a new uniform. "No thanks." She looked past me to Jonny, who was standing in the open doorway. "I could use your help though. There's a spot on my back that I can never reach. Maybe you could help me?"

Daammnnn Miss Noralee, who knew you were such a hardcore flirt?

Jonny laughed. "I'm honored that you would ask but I'm taken."

She pouted.

He didn't enter the room but lifted his hand to me.

I stepped closer to him and grabbed his outstretched hand.

Miss Noralee huffed.

"But I could send maintenance over and maybe he can assist you?" Jonny kept his flirty tone and squeezed my hand.

Noralee perked up and smiled. "That would be just grand. Thank you, Mr. Zantana." She stepped into her bathroom and closed the door.

Jonny chuckled and pulled me out of the room, shutting the door behind us.

***

Jonny helped me carry the bags up to my room. He put them on the floor and grabbed my hips, pulling me close.

A kiss so deep, I whimpered. My legs immediately went boneless as Jonny's kiss consumed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he pulled me into him.

His hands gripped my ass tight. "I have to go." He pulled at my bottom lip.

I pouted when he let go. I sighed heavily as he pulled away. My heart broke even though I knew it was coming.

"Don't forget about me." He left my room with his smile.

It's better this way. I tried to convince myself. Jonny needed to stay far away from me and my stupid curse. I only cried a little before I was fast asleep, dreaming.

***

The bed under me is unfamiliar but Jonny's kissing me and I don't think anything of it. His hand moves slowly down my side, my hip. He slides them over my stomach and lower.

I arch my back to him, opening myself.

His fingers circle my clit slowly as his tongue spins with mine.

My body grows tighter and tighter.

Jonny vanishes into thick cigar smoke.

I follow it down to a burning ember which grows brighter as it's puffed on. The man behind the cigar is wearing a very, very nice suit. His cigar disappears and he steps forward closer to me in the bed.

Alejandro Lopez stood at the end of the bed. He fixed the ruby cufflink at his wrist.

I stared at him, afraid to speak. Afraid to draw his attention to me.

"One of these days you and I will have a conversation."

His words startled me and I scrambled out of the bed. I looked at the door.

Run.

Hide.

He grinned, sharp wolf-like teeth, extended from his mouth, dripped with blood. "Don't run." His voice was gravely, mostly a growl.

I looked at the door again and back at Alejandro, his face elongating, fur unfurling from under his skin.

"Don't run." His body contorts, his bones snapping and reforming, his skin thickening and morphing. "Don't run."

A giant wolf snarls at me and fear spurs me to the door. I reach the handle just as the wolf takes a swipe at my back. His dagger-like claws shredding my skin.

I scream in pain and fall to the ground.

Everything stills, the wolf is gone but not the excruciating pain from the gashes down my back. I lay there breathing, the searing pain making it difficult to think.

I cough on the heavy smoke being blown over me.

It clears slightly and through the fogginess, a man in a tophat lays next to me on his side. His face flickers between a skull and a fleshed-out, too-handsome of a face. He rolls a small glass vial to me. "Always choose pleasure."

I catch the vial and as soon as it hits my palm the searing pain in my back turns to pleasure.

"You still owe me," echoes over the empty room.

A warmth washes over me and I sink into it like the softest, fluffiest of clouds has become my resting place.