12 Angels and Demons
Angels and Demons
I walked out of class and saw that it was raining. Dammit. Looking out the front window of the building, I realized I didn’t have an umbrella, and I’d left my light-rail pass at home. I wondered if I should wait for the rain to let up, and as I was dawdling, I got a message from Naya:
I left a costume on your bed.
I shook my head and wrote back:
Do you think Will would come pick me up?
She responded:
Will’s in class. But I know someone who would.
Fine. I rang him after a moment’s hesitation and brought the phone to my ear. He responded on the second ring.
“If it isn’t my favorite girl,” he said.
“Calling her favorite boy.”
“So you finally admit it,” he said. “Now what can I do for you on this lovely afternoon?”
“Are you busy with anything important?” I asked.
“Not more important than you. Why? Let me guess. You need a chauffeur.”
“I mean…I could use one. Like, if you can, you know. I didn’t bring my wallet with me, so I can’t catch the light rail, and…”
“Jen, you don’t need to make excuses. I’ll be right there. All I ask for is one kiss of gratitude in return.”
“We’ll see,” I said, giving him directions. “Wait—you’re not talking to me on the phone while you’re driving, are you?”
“So what? I can do two things at once.”
“Ross, no you can’t! There’ve been studies! Distracted drivers cause tons of accidents!”
“Sure, Mom,” he said and hung up.
I tucked away my phone, knowing he would be there in no time. Even in bad weather, he drove like a maniac. I’d seen it, and he’d told me he behaved himself when I was with him, so I was terrified to think what it must be like when he was alone.
I glanced over at the announcement board close by and noticed that there were job offers posted all over it.
A lot of them looked boring, some of them looked shady, but there was one place that was looking for a waitress, no experience required, and I thought that might work.
The hours weren’t great, but the place was close to Ross’s house, and I still needed money.
I reread it, thinking it over, until a pair of hands around my waist frightened me, nearly making me jump out of my skin.
“What are you looking at?” Ross asked.
“Jesus, you got here fast. A job offer,” I said.
I grabbed the piece of paper as he frowned and responded, “May I ask why?”
“Uh, because I need a job.”
“No you don’t. What you need is money. Now it’s just a question of how much.”
“I don’t know,” I stammered. “I’m not sure. I mean, I’m OK, sort of, right now. It’s just that I need to pay for my dorm fees for next semester. So I can have somewhere to live, you know.”
“You could just keep staying with us.”
“And let Sue murder me in my sleep?” I joked.
“Surprisingly, Sue seems to like you. And so does Will. Naya you know, and I suppose my opinion’s no secret to you, either.”
“Whatever. I’m keeping the job posting.”
“What’s the problem?” he said. “If it’s money, all you have to do is ask. I don’t mind, and it’s better than you working for starvation wages.”
“The problem, Ross, is I want to have my own money. I don’t want to use you.”
He looked almost angry as he said, “Fine, but not this job. This job looks like it sucks. Try and find another one that’s better. There are tons out there.”
“I’m not sure that there are.”
“Don’t be silly.”
“Whatever. Ross, just take me home.”
His face lit up when he heard me refer to his apartment as home .
I don’t know that I’d ever done that before.
But I didn’t want to dwell on it just then, so I asked him if he had an umbrella.
He told me he had something better, and he lifted one side of his coat to cover me up, throwing his hood over his head.
I huddled in close to him, almost slipping and falling, and getting water from a puddle all over my shoes and socks.
Of course he laughed at me all the way to the car.
“I don’t know what’s so funny,” I said. “You won’t be laughing like that when I’m dying of pneumonia.”
“Stop being dramatic and take off your shoes and socks.”
“And what? Walk barefoot upstairs to your apartment?”
“Jen, if you want me to carry you, just ask.”
On the drive, we talked about our Halloween costumes.
I didn’t know what Naya had chosen for me, but that didn’t stop him from taking guesses: sexy nurse, sexy stewardess, sexy fairy…
He told me he’d be going as Michael Myers from the Halloween movie.
I asked him if he meant sexy Michael Myers, and he said, “Of course. I can’t help it.
I assumed you knew that by now. Be careful, I might get into character and chase you around all night. ”
He drove slower with me, just as I’d imagined, and it took us twice as long to get home as it had taken him to get there. When he parked, he said, “Now about that kiss I was supposed to get as a reward…” and I leaned in and gave it to him. I shouted as he grabbed me and pulled me into his lap.
“Hey!”
“Hey, what? I just wanted to make it easier for you.”
I shook my head. As I leaned in, I felt his hands moving under my T-shirt, into my pants.
“You know,” he said. “We could skip the party. If we’re going to keep doing this, it might be worth it.”
“You were the one who tried to convince me to go!”
“Yeah, that was before this started.”
I wove my hands behind his neck and kissed him some more. His stubble pricked my lips. He realized it and said, “Sorry about the beard.”
“I kind of like it,” I responded.
“You know what I like?” My eyes widened as he grabbed my butt with both hands. “This ass,” he said. “This has got to be the best ass I’ve ever seen in my life. I’m serious. You have to know that’s why I always let you walk in front of me.”
He opened the car door and hopped out, still holding me in his arms. When we reached the elevator and he hadn’t put me down, I tried to wriggle free.
“Calm down, wild beast!” he said.
“What if somebody sees us?”
He ignored me, getting in the elevator and hitting the button for the fourth floor.
“I can’t believe you said that about my ass,” I said on the way up. “You’re so crude.”
“Listen, I like your legs, too. I like lots of things. But a good relationship’s based on honesty. So I might as well be honest with you about how much your ass turns me on.”
I opened my mouth to reply, but I couldn’t before he kissed me.
When the door opened, I heard a familiar voice say, “Hey, you looking for a third?” I nearly had a heart attack. Ross let me down brusquely and asked his brother, “You want to tell me what you’re doing here?”
“Hey, don’t get all pissed, dude,” Mike said.
“I wasn’t trying to come between you guys.
I just thought you might need a pro to step in and show you how it’s done.
” Watching us awkwardly rearrange our clothes and hair as we approached the apartment, he continued.
“I just wanted to come say hi to my little bro. Is that a crime? I am starving, though, if you want to have me in for dinner.”
“We don’t have anything,” Ross said.
“Jeez. What kind of guy says that to his poor, starving brother.”
“Ross,” I whispered, “we’ve got plenty of food,” and he grunted, “I don’t care.”
The whole crew was gathered in the living room, and Mike tried to join them, until Sue nearly attacked him for jumping into one of the armchairs. He must have decided I was a safer bet, so he settled in beside me.
“Mike, to what do we owe the pleasure?” Will asked.
“These two lovebirds invited me in for a slice of that pizza y’all are eating,” Mike said. “Just so you know, I caught them in the elevator looking like a couple of wild animals in heat.”
I almost choked on my slice of pizza as Ross announced, “We didn’t invite him in.”
Sue, always the life of the party, asked me where my shoes were.
“Long story,” Ross said, saving me from having to give explanations.
When we’d finished eating, Naya dragged me back to Ross’s room to show me the costume. I was horrified.
“You didn’t say it was so revealing!” I told her.
“It’s not! Wait till you see what the other girls at the party are wearing. Anyway, I’ll bet Ross will like it.”
“Hush,” I said, pulling up like a weight lifter to try to get the skirt on. “I think this is a little tight.”
“It’s not tight, it’s formfitting. It shows off that sweet ass of yours.”
What was it with people and my ass that day?
I looked at myself in the mirror, trying on the top, which Naya was helping me lace up in the back.
I wondered if it would be hard to take off later, and as that question made me feel a tingle between my legs, I remembered I had to talk to Monty. Sooner rather than later.
“Oh, I should have told you,” Naya said, “but Will found out about you punching that jerk at the party.” She seemed to think it was no big deal as she started arranging her hair.
“How?”
“Some guy he had a class with was there and told him. We bumped into him at the bar after Ross’s mom’s exhibition, and of course he spilled the beans. I was probably lucky I was drunk because he was pretty pissed at me, but he couldn’t really show it too much.”
“It’s still impossible for me to imagine Will mad,” I said.
“I can’t really complain. I’m the one who usually chews him out. I’m lucky with Will. He’s probably the only man on earth who could stand me. And he likes me, even!”
“Don’t say that,” I told her. “I can stand you. I like you, too. If it wasn’t for you, I’d be all alone. You might have noticed I don’t have the best social skills in the world. I wish I could be like you in that way. Bubbly, just happy to be with people.”
With a shy smile—which was very unusual for her—she asked if I seriously felt that way.
“Of course I do.” I threw her top to her. “Now put this on before the conversation gets even cheesier.”