Downfall(18)

Lester snorted and pointed the muffin in my direction. “You know why I’m tellin’ you. Don’t play dumb with me, boy.”

Swearing again I jerked the door open and gave the older man a nod. “Can I at least get some sleep before I call that asshole? In case you can’t tell, I was not the victor tonight. Got my ass handed to me, old man.”

Lester chuckled. “A loss is good for you every now and again. Keeps the ego in check and reminds you that you don’t, in fact, rule the fucking world. Help the girl out after you get some sleep. She was right; you do look like shit.”

I trudged up to my apartment, body aching, face throbbing. It was early enough that the fighting couple on the other side of the wall were blissfully quiet for once. I immediately rummaged through my freezer in search of something frozen to slap over my eyes and across my lower lip. No peas, but there was a bag of tater-tots which looked like they’d been in there since the day I moved in. There was also a bottle of vodka that looked nice and frosty. I grabbed both, and meandered into my living room. I plopped on the couch, setting an alarm on my phone for a more reasonable time so I could call the super about Orley’s AC. The guy was a scumbag of the highest order. I hated having to deal with him, but he would get his ass over to the building if I pushed hard enough. We’d gone round and round enough times that he knew not to push me.

I also needed to call my mother and make sure she was up for a visit before I drove all the way out there. If she was having a bad day, it wouldn’t do either of us any good for me to try and see her. I used to think some quality time together would be enough to keep her episodes at bay, but I’d had enough bad experiences, and watched mom break down enough times to know that simply wasn’t the case any longer. I knew I was still her favorite person in the entire world, but I wasn’t what she needed to keep her stable and safe.

I rolled the bottle of vodka across my forehead before unscrewing the cap and taking a long swig. The alcohol burned on the way down, but the cool liquid did wonders for my throbbing lip. I plopped the tater-tots across my eyes. It was a long day in a series of never-ending long days. They were all starting to blend together.

It made me extremely uncomfortable when I realized the few days that stood out the most were colored with fiery red hair and a splash of gleaming blue eyes. Sighing, I closed my eyes and willed sleep to take me so I didn’t have to think about the way my ribs ached, or the way simply passing by my prissy neighbor made my dick hard.





Orley



I was out of breath by the time I dashed up the stairs and skidded to a halt in front of my apartment door. I had a whole new respect for people who worked in food service. I also regretted not paying closer attention to what percentage I tipped in the past. My feet were killing me, my arms were sore, I’d had to tap into a well of patience I usually only reserved for dealing with my three-year-old, and I constantly smelled like any variety of fried foods. All of the aches and pains aside, I liked the job, and I was making enough money to keep my lights on and to finally make good on the piece of cake I owed my kid… times ten. I also worked with some pretty awesome people. Ramon was a riot. He was loud, flirty, and totally over the top. But he was a good manager and he kept a close eye on all the young staff who worked under him, especially the girls. I’d heard a rumor that at one point, a couple of the girls who worked at the diner long before me had run into some trouble. Ramon apparently took on a huge heap of guilt that the incidents happened right under his nose, so now he is extra vigilant. He was also incredibly understanding when I told him I had to leave my shift early this afternoon because the landlord finally agreed to fix my air conditioner. Only, he told me he was going to be at my place at noon, and if I wasn’t there to let him in, he couldn’t guarantee the next time he’d be around.

He complained during the phone call about the extra locks I’d added to the door as soon as Noble and I moved in, saying it went against fire code. I was secretly glad the creep couldn’t just waltz into my apartment unannounced with his master key. My paranoia and obsession with keeping Noble safe had its perks.

I gasped to catch my breath as the older man standing outside my door glowered at me. I glanced down at my phone and noticed it was five till noon, so I was technically early and in no way deserved the dirty looks he was firing my way. I tried to hide a shiver at the thought of letting him into my apartment, and the two of us being alone in the space together, but ultimately my desire for working AC and a non-cranky child won out over my apprehension.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. I had to get off work and find a place to park.” I bit back the complaint that he’d taken his damn time showing up to take care of the problem. I’d been waiting on him for over a week.

The man grunted and lifted his chin in the direction of the door, muttering something about stubborn women. He stood too close to me when I went through the process of unlocking the extra locks, and I could feel his breath on the back of my neck. He was a pudgy man, around my height, with a pronounced balding spot and mean eyes. He made me uncomfortable when I looked at the apartment, and when I’d reluctantly agreed to take it. When I’d signed the lease, I clearly remembered him asking if I was going to live alone. I might be na?ve, but I was never stupid. I told him I was going to live with my daughter, and that her father would be over regularly to visit. A total lie, but I suddenly wondered if that was why it had taken him so long to make an appearance. Maybe he thought there was a man in my life who was perfectly capable of handling something like a wonky AC.