Beauty’s Monstrous Demons (Fairy Tales With A Monstrous Twist)

Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

ALECTO

T he blonde haired bartender at The Siren’s Lounge is beautiful and a new addition to the club. There are gorgeous creatures all around me working, but my gaze is only on her.

“Stop eye fucking my new bartender,” Patrice grunts in my ear. He owns the place, even though he’s been back and forth with his other businesses. He’s a straightlaced businessman who saw a need for a place like this.

Frankly, it’s a goldmine.

I’m his silent partner, someone who knows that this quiet town has a lot of creatures who work in the surrounding areas that are always looking for a good time, and it keeps our pockets nicely lined. While I’ve been smart with my money over the long years, my current stint as an adjunct professor isn’t paying much.

I’m bored with my life, the students are amusing with their desire to learn, and it’s allowing me to get closer to fulfilling my bucket list. When you’re over three thousand years old, have experienced empires grow and crumble in the blink of an eye, it’s easy to grow weary of the world.

Now, I’m working on the last few items on my list before I tell the world to fuck off and end it all. Morose? Yes. But, the reality is that I’m very alone in the world. I’ve had children, and watched my entire line die out over the years.

After I held the hand of my great grandchild many years removed as she died of a cough no one could find the cure for, I started to create my list. I have no desire to share my life with people who will wither and die.

As monsters, we’re supposed to have long lives, but the reality is that we are not infallible. Mistakes happen, and the medical world has come very far in the past hundred years.

The advancements make me angry, lighting the very blood in my veins aflame.

Where was this when my kin were growing old and dying from infection or plague? It’s infuriating to watch the world march on and advance.

My horns are reflecting the light in the club, and the bartender is unfortunately getting blinded from time to time by them. It’s amusing, and I decide to make a game of it as I stretch my neck and see her flinch as the light hits her gaze as she works.

I shouldn’t be so amused, but what else am I to do?

“I’m not eye fucking anyone, Patrice,” I drawl, crossing my legs to hide my erection. Fuck, no one else makes me have this kind of reaction and the cockeyed bartender that I’ve been playing with does.

I’m becoming absurd in my old age. The girls glance at me periodically as they work, as if asking if I want to play. Occasionally, I’ll take one of them to the back to fuck them hard, or watch two of them eat each other out. Other times, I turn to the perverse and use pain with them to get us both off.

Surprisingly, they don’t gossip amongst each other, and none of them know how much of a stake I hold in the business. They sleep with me because they want to, and they all greedily watch for signs that I may be interested.

Unfortunately for them, I’m ignoring them all as I gaze at the blonde haired girl whose curls are loose today and wild.

“How has she been doing?” I ask, not that I give a shit. I’m hoping for scraps of information that may be interesting.

“That’s very cute, Alecto,” Patrice grunts. “She keeps up, the customers think she’s cute, and she’s saving the other bartenders since we had two people quit. They moved on for various reasons, but it’s difficult to keep good people.”

“She is cute,” I agree, smirking as Patrice snorts. “Do you have any idea what her deal is?”

“She’s a student at your fancy university,” he says. “Lorelei recently transferred there and is working through her degree. However, a girl’s gotta eat and the scholarship is limited to room and board, so she’s here. That’s all I know.”

Nodding, I stand up, adjusting my suit jacket. I’ll have to see what I can find out on my own.

“Don’t burn the place down for the insurance money,” I remind him absently, glancing at him.

Rolling his eyes, he nods.

“Place pays out better standing,” he counters. This is how we say goodbye now, and it works.

My filmy white gaze connects Lorelei’s for a moment as I walk past the bar. She holds it for longer than is considered polite, and I know what she sees. A demon who is eight and a half feet tall with dark skin and black freckles. I’ve always noticed it, especially near my cheeks and hands. My black horns have midnight blue highlights throughout them, and my hair is spiky and platinum blonde. In my old age, it’s turned that way after being as dark as my horns.

I command attention wherever I go, my tail ensuring that no one encroaches on my personal space. I’m not above whipping someone with it if needed.

I’m walking under a spotlight, so she has a clear view of me, my claws curling as my hand fists. This is going to do nothing for the erection growing in my pants.

I need to find a reason to see her outside of work, learn why I’m so attracted to her. While I may fuck around, it’s more so out of boredom than interest.

This girl actually makes me want to crawl under her skin and absorb all I can about her. I doubt she’ll survive the encounter as she’s so tiny, but I’ll enjoy every moment.

LORELEI

I’ve been sleeping between Samael and Phenex for the last four nights, living in this apartment, and everything I worried about happening hasn’t.

Flopping onto my back as I hear the males in the kitchen, I gaze around the room. Light resistant curtains cover the windows, ensuring I sleep deeper, and the curtains Phenex hung around his bed help me feel safe and enclosed.

It’s as if he downloaded the guide to how to take care of me, and I’m not mad about it. Sitting up, I smile as I think about how Phenex made space for Samael and I in his closet. As well as started stocking things they know I like.

Scooting off the bed in one of their long sleeved shirts, I stop when I hear Phenex open the front door to the apartment to speak to someone. I don’t want to go out there half naked. Samael appears in front of me, finger up to his lips as we listen to the conversation as it filters through the apartment.

“Why yes, President Christa,” Phenex says. “You want to discuss the renovation of the history buildings? With me?”

I can tell he doesn’t quite buy her reasoning for stopping by. It appears as if she’s grasping at straws and I really want to know why.

“That woman will talk his ear off,” Samael mutters. “Grab your things and come shower at my apartment. He’s not even the Dean of the department.”

Samael may live here as much as I do now, but he is also keeping his apartment for appearance’s sake. I would feel bad about it since I know there’s a housing shortage and the professor in dorm quad hates sharing his space with students, but since he’s a dick, I refuse to.

Nodding even as I listen to the president and Phenex speak, I begin to grab my things. I don’t want to have a conversation with the president of the university about why I’m in a professor’s apartment. My cheeks are already burning with embarrassment.

“Are you expecting company?” she asks as she walks further into the apartment. “That appears to be more food than one person can eat.”

“She’s digging,” Samael mutters, reappearing with my hair products in a bag. “Ignore her. We’ll come back for your backpack.”

“I left it in the living room last night,” I whisper.

“Knowing Phenex, he already hid it,” he reassures me.

“Professor, are you in some kind of illicit relationship?” President Christa asks, and my eyes widen in horror.

“And what if I was?” Phenex asks, chuckling. “Are you here to ask about how my sex life is or isn’t doing?”

“Still digging,” Samael grunts, pulling me into his arms. “Hold on, beautiful.”

Doing as he says because I would prefer my body’s particles to come back together properly, my mind races. The question burning in my mind as we leave the apartment is why does she care so much?

Despite an odd beginning to my day, I lean into the idea that things have to get better from here. Dashing around creatures that tower over me and refuse to look down reminds me of a video game, only the stakes are higher to stay alive and not get squished.

Blowing out a breath, I race up the stairs to the chemistry lab. I need to make some more descenting spray now that I know it works, and I don’t want to go to my dorm room to pick up my lotion. Honestly, I’m surprised I forgot to grab it in my frenzied rush to pack when it’s been my saving grace for the past year and a half.

“Miss Rose,” a voice calls out as I hurry down the hall. Twisting around, I keep my back against the wall so that those behind me can get through without knocking into me.

“You’re a difficult woman to track down,” the head of the chemistry department says with a smirk as he gets closer. It’s true, we haven’t been able to connect again in the almost two weeks that I’ve been here. “Do you have a minute? I want you to meet someone.”

“Ah, yes. I was just headed to the chem lab,” I explain. “I’ve tried popping into your office a couple of times, but the timing hasn’t been right.”

“I was kidding about being difficult to find,” Dr. Alvaro says, waving his hand in the air. “I saw that you declared a major. Congratulations. Just because we haven’t been able to connect, doesn’t mean that I’m not keeping up with you. Nonprofit management and social work is an interesting choice.”

“I grew up in the foster care system,” I explain, walking next to him as he commands attention in the hallway simply by his presence. What I’m telling him isn’t a secret, and I’m not going to hide where I come from.

People shift around us, and I begin to worry less about being slammed into a wall. I swear, I’m collecting bumps and bruises. While Samael walks with me when he can, I still have to get around alone at times. I’m not helpless, just fun sized.

“Is that why you want to join a government agency?” he asks. “Where does chemistry come into play?”

“I don’t know if there’s an environment where the two are married to each other, but I’d like to investigate my options,” I tell him. “I enjoy creating things in the lab. If I can find something where I can also do research and pave the way to do some sort of work in the public sector, I’d be happy. Even if I need two jobs to do it.”

“I believe in a work-life balance, Lorelei,” he rumbles. “Time to enjoy yourself while you still fulfill yourself with a job that you enjoy. It’s important not to burn out. What if you looked at a company that would allow you to do research and apply for grants to further its development? Or you could look at a private pharmaceutical company that has a sector for developing new medication. Or fuck, write your own story and open your own place with private funding and do what you want!”

Dr. Alvaro is a free spirited person, and truly believes that the sky is the limit. He’s been a lawyer, a journalist, and various other things before he became a chemist.

“You make it sound very easy,” I tease him. “I still don’t know how things will pan out, or in what direction, but I appreciate the enthusiasm and confidence.”

“Always,” he says. “I am hijacking your day a bit, but Alecto Ferros is a good asset toward helping your dreams come true. He is an adjunct professor this year with the university and is teaching business management and chemistry.”

“Both?” I ask, tilting my head toward him.

“Mmhmm. He has a good head on his shoulders for business, so the graduate business school has been very excited about his teaching a class. The time slot filled up as soon as it opened too,” the head of the department says with a shrug. “It was fun watching people fight each other to get into his class. He’s also an incredible chemist, and his students have been enjoying his teaching. He’s a very good example of someone who has managed to do it all.”

Monsters live much longer lives than humans do, but I’m not going to point that out. It would be considered rude, and that’s not my intention. Dr. Alvaro continues to speak as we walk around the corner, and I notice a gorgeous monster with bleach white hair and black horns. Almost tripping over my boots, my lips part as I realize that I saw him yesterday at work.

What is an adjunct professor doing at a strip club in such an expensive fucking suit? I can’t stop staring at him, trying to wrap my mind around how beautiful he is.

“Miss Rose, this is Professor Alecto Ferros,” Dr. Alvaro says, checking his watch quickly. “I promised that I would introduce you two, but I unfortunately have to run.”

My eyes widen as they say, ‘ Are you fucking kidding me? ’ He doesn’t notice, though, as he apologizes and walks away.

“How exceptionally lucky I am that he’s in a hurry,” Professor Ferros purrs, making my pussy clench.

Fuck a duck, I shouldn’t be so attracted to him. He looks like sin, and sounds it as well.

“And why is that?” I ask, my head craning back to look at him.

“You’re intriguing, and I need to figure out why,” he says.

Breathing in deeply, I find that I smell… nothing. There’s not a hint of scent, which can’t be right. It’s as if he’s not even here, yet he is.

I’m flummoxed, which is making me uncomfortable. I don’t like it when I don’t understand something. My life feels as if I’m on the precipice of danger every day, and I’m even more on edge since moving into Phenex’s apartment.

Professor Ferros’ gaze is intense, the milky white of his eyes reminding me of the fortune teller while she was in the throes of her reading. That may be yet another reason that I want to run away from him.

The unknown is disconcerting.

“Good luck with that,” I mutter. “Is there a reason you wanted to see me, or are you stalking me now?”

“Do you have a stalker problem I should know as a member of the faculty?” he deflects, smirking as I roll my eyes and turn to walk away.

“I have a problem with people wasting my time,” I reply. “I have work to do in the chem lab.”

“Good, I’ll join you to attempt to sweeten your mood,” he rumbles.

I need my body to stop responding to his voice, or I’m going to need to drown myself in descenting spray.

The almost silent steps of the monster follow me as I walk to the lab. I have time to give to people who want to help my career, not ones that want to shove me under a microscope so they can poke.

“Lorelei, I was just going to leave,” the professor who runs open lab hours says, standing from the desk as I walk in.

“But there’s two hours left,” I remind her, checking the clock on the wall to ensure I’m not losing my damn mind.

Sure enough, the time states that I’m correct, and I look helplessly back at the professor.

“I know, I just got called away,” she sighs. “I really didn’t think it would be an issue. Mondays are typically a slower day and we don’t get many people in.”

“I’ll keep her company,” Professor Ferros says with a shrug. “I don’t mind.”

I want to scream in frustration, but I hold it all in. I’m annoyed by the way I started my day, and if I’m honest with myself, I hate being someone’s dirty little secret. It hasn’t been long, I know there are reasons why we’re sneaking around, and yet I’m still pissed about it.

My life makes even less sense than normal, and my skin feels itchy with anxiety as the professor who runs the lab leaves quickly and I’m suddenly alone with Dr. Ferros. There’s something wrong, but I can’t pinpoint what that could be.

Pulling on a lab coat after hanging up my chunky, soft cardigan, I gather my supplies and ignore the interloper taking up my time and space.

His heavy gaze remains on me as I work, carefully organizing my ingredients and placing my timer where I need it.

“Are you a perfectionist?” he asks casually as I move something for the third time.

“Nope,” I mutter. “It just didn’t feel right where it was before.”

I work on instinct when my life is messy or doesn’t feel ordered. The worse things are, the more I need to organize what I can control. My anxiety is screaming at me, my heart is pounding for absolutely no reason, and things feel fucked.

I can’t fathom why I can’t detect any kind of scent from the monster near me. I can smell the ingredients in front of me, the smell of fire from the burner, and everything else. Dr. Alecto Ferros remains an enigma.

It’s infuriating.

Continuing to make my descenting liquid, I do my best to ignore the monster who is leaning a short distance away from me. Fuck, he makes me nervous. There’s no way he could know what I’m making, yet I still feel as if I’m doing something wrong.

Setting my timer once there’s nothing else to be done except let my experiment do its thing, I step back and begin to clean my station, even though I tidy as I go. There’s nothing for me to do, but I don’t want him to know that.

“So about this stalker who may be me,” he drawls, making me roll my eyes.

“Yes?” I ask, sighing. I’m wearing safety glasses, yet he’s gazing at me as if I’m not wearing a stitch of clothing except for them.

“Why are you working in my club if you’re worried about your safety? It feels silly to me when you work such late hours,” he says.

I didn’t know it was his club. No one ever mentioned it while he was eye fucking me as he left last night. He doesn’t need to know that somehow, Samael is always in the passenger seat when I leave work, waiting for me. Even if he didn’t originally drive down with me. I’m perfectly protected.

“Who says I’m not protected?” I ask. “It seems very presumptuous of you.”

“Perhaps, but I should know if you’re going to?—”

“Do what? Is this going to be a thing where you throw my job in my face at every turn? I can drop you my resignation after my next shift if that’s what’s needed,” I tell him boldly.

Fuck, I don’t want to be pushed on this because I need the money. Bertie and I are holding on together with a wish and a prayer.

“Woah, who said that’s what I want?” he asks, shaking his head.

“I do not respond well to veiled threats, Professor Ferros,” I growl, lowering the heat a little on my experiment.

I’ll be so pissed off if I burn this and make myself seem incompetent.

“Noted,” he grunts. “Your job isn’t an issue for me. I’m a silent partner at the club, and rarely there. Instead, I want to know more about you and what you’re creating.”

“It’s hair serum,” I murmur, lying.

Professor Ferros growls under his breath, causing me to scrunch my nose. Fuck, I hate that I can’t lie.

“It’s none of your business,” I state instead. “I don’t need to explain every little detail of what I’m doing. You’re simply observing to make sure I don’t blow something up, which I won’t.”

“I am surrounded by people who are obsessed with explosions and fire it seems,” he says cryptically. “I asked Dr. Alvaro if we could meet because I was intrigued as to why a student would be working in a strip club.”

“With all due respect, that wouldn’t be any of your business even if I was up on a pole dancing,” I mutter. I’m trying to keep my voice low because rumors have a way of circulating. “I’m just trying to keep gas in my car and food in my fridge.”

“I went by your dorm room,” he says, changing the subject so quickly my head spins. “They said you haven’t been home.”

“Stalker,” I pretend to sneeze into my arm. “That’s also none of your concern.”

I’m beginning to think that my cute long sleeved dress and thick tights were a mistake based on how he’s staring at me. At least the tights are going to help keep my scent down.

Hopefully.

As the timer goes off, I turn off the burner and swing the beaker off it so it hangs suspended as it cools.

“Now what are you doing?” he asks, his features sharp as he watches me.

“I’m going to let this cool and do some math homework,” I state before he’s yanking me to him.

My back hits the wall, his hand around my throat without hurting me and his arm underneath my ass as he drags his nose up my throat.

“What sort of trickery is this,” he growls. My feet aren’t touching the ground and his fangs are gliding over my skin.“You’re not supposed to fucking exist.”

“No tricks,” I gasp, frozen between fear and concern for how upset he sounds. “Why shouldn’t I exist?”

“The world killed you,” he mutters. “Sickness, bigotry, you’re just too fucking fragile. I don’t deserve a second chance. Why do you smell so good?”

“Why can’t I smell anything from you?” I ask, unsure of what’s happening. Why is he so upset? I want to help, but I don’t know if I can or not.

“I dampen and hide my scent,” he says.

“That’s what I’m making now. A descenting spray,” I explain. “For some reason, it doesn’t work on my scent matches.”

He snarls as he snaps his teeth at me, making me shriek with surprise. Who the fuck does that, anyway?

“I’m expected to share you?” he asks, annoyed. “How many of them are there?”

“Alecto, don’t be a child,” Samael says, appearing next to us. “You’re scaring her, and only I am allowed to do that.”

“Out of everything I didn’t know about you, I didn’t peg you for a fear slut,” Alecto says, dropping me. Shrieking as I fall, I’m caught quickly by Samael, who lunges forward.

They’re so tall, they don’t think about how far I have to fall if they drop me. Well, Samael and Phenex are always careful. Alecto is a dick.

“Trust me,” I gasp, “discovering I have a spoiled monster as a scent match wasn’t on my bingo card for today either.”

“Is this why you don’t live in your dorm anymore?” Alecto asks. “You’re shacked up with Samael?”

“Someone broke into her room and fucked with her shit,” Samael replies, holding me close to him. “There was no way I was going to allow her to spend another night there.”

For some reason, the possessiveness he exhibits doesn’t bother me as much as Alecto’s does, and I curl up in his grasp.

“She’s supposed to be dead,” Alecto hisses instead. “This is going to fuck everything up.”

“Your path to suicide?” Samael asks. What?! “Do you really think I don’t see the despair in your eyes? You’re older than I am, with every living member in your family dead. Take this as a mercy, Alecto. Killing yourself won’t help anyone, least of all Lorelei.”

I don’t understand what’s happening, and I look back and forth between them. It feels as if they’re having a conversation all their own, and I wonder how well they know each other. It’s clear though they share the trauma that comes as the long years pass them by, each one leaving their own scars. How old is Alecto anyway?—

“Three thousand, three hundred and twenty-two years old,” he says. “Your thoughts are very loud, and your face says a lot without a word being spoken. Samael is also speaking tales that do not bear being discussed. When I finish the reasons for which I’ve been put on this earth, I’ll leave it.”

“Just like that?” I ask. My mind is racing, struggling to process things and what the fortune teller told me. His words are reminiscent of someone who truly believes that their time is growing short, and I don’t want that for him. “What if I told you that your death is tied to mine?”

I don’t know why I said that, but there’s something very sad about the creature in front of me. He swings haphazardly between anger and sadness, as if the path that he’s set has to be the only one. Samael mentioned that Alecto’s family was dead, which seems to be the driving force for his own death.

“I’d call bullshit,” he says. “I don’t want a mate who will leave me when she dies too. I’d much rather snap your neck and be done with it. The pain of my scent match dying nearly broke me. I won’t allow it to happen again.”

I’m still in Samael’s arms as Alecto’s clawed hand wraps around my throat, but this time it squeezes so tightly, I can’t gasp in a breath. There’s nothing Samael can do, though the veins in Alecto’s throat are strained with exertion.

“I’ve already lived through every fucked up thing you could possibly imagine,” he growls. “My mate died eight hundred years ago, and the last in our line left me bereft of anything good. You’re intriguing, but that’s all.”

“Liar,” Samael breathes. “You’re afraid of watching her age, and I can’t say that isn’t also my fear. I’d rather spend as much time as possible with Lorelei rather than worry about the day she’ll no longer grace the earth with her presence. I can feel the soul crushing fear you feel without needing to enhance it and see what ails you. Let it go, Alecto. Take the second chance to build something.”

Spots begin to burst in my vision, clouding the angry monster leaning in my face. I can feel his warm breath, see his white pupils enlarge with fear and a small bit of hope.

And then… he releases me. Coughing, I hear his scream of pain as he stalks out of the room, and Samael rubs my back slowly, striding to my backpack to get my water from it. Sitting on the ground with his back to the wall, he feeds me some water slowly, his facial features pinched.

“So you know Alecto?” I rasp, my voice rough.

“We’ve met in passing over the years,” he grunts. “The world is only so large, and we’ve lived a lot of years. He never really recovered after watching his entire lineage die. I can sense that he’s determined to wrap up his loose ends before he kills himself.”

“I’ve never heard of a suicidal monster,” I say, coughing before taking another sip of water.

“It doesn’t happen often, but it’s very systematic. They make their final decisions, and then fade from the world,” he says. “He’s hiding his scent to safeguard from being responsible for another person.”

“I’m responsible for myself,” I whisper. “I always have been. I don’t need caretakers.”

“That’s true enough,” he agrees. “It’s not exactly how I mean it, though. We take care of each other. You’re not helpless by any means, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to stop from easing into your passenger seat each night after you’re done with your shift.”

Laying my head on his chest, I nod.

“I’ve never had anyone before,” I tell him. “There’s been a lot of years of avoiding shitty foster or group homes, groping hands of guys who don’t understand the word no, and not always getting enough to eat. I’ve been working side jobs since I was sixteen. I bought Bertie with my own money too.”

“Is that why you love the old bitch so much,” he teases me, his lips grazing my temple.

“It is,” I sigh. “Alecto is my boss, Samael. What the fuck am I going to do?”

“No, Patrice is your boss,” he says. “I thoroughly cased the place the first couple of nights that you worked. I never saw him.”

“He said he’s a silent partner,” I explain. “I saw him last night as he was walking out. He conned Dr. Alvaro into an introduction.”

“He’s a manipulative prick, Lorelei,” Samael rumbles. “The end always justifies the means as long as he gets his way. I don’t know how far he’ll take this. I’m going to take you home to put something on your neck. It’s starting to bruise.”

“More bruises, fantastic,” I say.

“More?” Samael asks, helping me stand. The world spins on me, and my fingers tighten on his arm as he freezes, gazing at me. “Did you eat yet, Lorelei?”

“Too busy,” I murmur, my eyes firmly closed as I beg my body to settle. “I’ll grab something quick on the way to my next class.”

“Fucking hell,” he growls. “You still have three more classes today. This is one insane schedule you have.”

“I know,” I gulp, blinking my eyes open. “I just need to wait for this to finish cooling before I go.”

“No, that’s what I’m going to do,” he insists. “Show me what you’d usually do so I don’t fuck this up and go on about your day.”

Nodding, I explain that the liquid needs to cool for another fifteen minutes and then he can pour it into the glass container that I had set aside, waiting for it.

“Then, if you can just wash everything and put it away, that would be wonderful, please,” I rush out.

“Got it. Please go eat,” he says. “I’ll meet you somewhere with some arnica cream.”

Knowing Samael, he has me lo-jacked. Smirking at the thought, I agree.

“Thank you. See you later,” I say, taking off my safety glasses and putting away my laboratory jacket.

Grabbing my things, I rush out the door, glad for once that the hallways are empty. Going down the stairs slower because the tread on my boots is shot, I lament the fact that I’m going to need a new pair soon. One day I’m going to shoot down the stairs and break my legs.

Ugh, they just don’t make things to last anymore.

There’s a toasted sandwich cart on the way to my next class, and I make a beeline toward it. It’s almost two in the afternoon, my stomach is threatening to eat itself. My next classes are back to back, I plan to take a nap on the couch right after. This is the day from hell since I added the chem minor and extra class.

My sandwich makes me moan from the first bite, and I walk and eat. It’s not the best for digestion, but it’s better than not getting to eat at all. A couple of creatures glance at me in amusement.

I don’t care what they think, I’m so fucking happy right now. I almost passed out on Samael which was really scary. I try to be better about taking care of myself.

I’m just a girl fighting for my life. I am aware of the passage of time, the fact that I have four scent matches, and no way to know if there are more. For some reason, four feels like a good number right now.

I’m following my instincts on this and going to trust that they’re right. Unfortunately, one of my scent matches isn’t sure if he wants me or not, and the other is lurking in the shadows.

My stomach twists in a way it never has just as I throw out my trash, making me wince. Ugh, I really hope I’m not going to pay for this sandwich later.

It would be just my luck.