What's Your Name?

Chapter 14: The Ultimatums

I spent most of the night cleaning sheets and making sure there was a lack of evidence that Rudy was here. Then I made sure that there was a lack of a lack of evidence. Dick knew I didn't like to clean, so the new, clean sheets on the bed couldn't smell too fresh. The spot where I threw up on the floor earlier had to be a bit sticky. The pots and pans from my failed attempt at dinner? On the stove for someone else to deal with in the morning. I loved the maid, but I hated cleaning.

Around midnight, Dick came stumbling in the house, crunching the carpet up with the door. The door slammed against the wall behind it with quite a bang, and it was only then that I realized we did have one of those spring things on the bottom of it.

"Honey? Are you okay?" I ran around to the vestibule to see if he was drunk, or, at the least, the visible reason for his rage.

"I am," His face was grim, and there were more lines present than usual. "Now that I get to see you."

He grabbed me by the waist and pulled me in for a kiss. His lips were sweet with a liquor that was probably older than me, and his gun pressed into my rib, reminding me of who he was. Frank didn't frankly have a lot of good days. It was either sex, cook, kiss, or marry me. Like a really fucked up version of Fuck, Marry, Kill, but it's the same person and they can make a mean risotto.

"What's got you in such a happy mood tonight, mister?" Out of habit, I pushed myself against him, subconsciously aiming to get this all over with.

"Well, I've got to hand it to you, Victoria. My sweet Gioia," His hand slipped into his jacket, pushing me off him. "I figured you and that white man were a done deal!"

Frank, by all means, you're white. But since I'm the one looking down the barrel, I'll keep this to myself.

"What white man, baby?" I try to grab back ahold of him, but he doesn't let me. I hold my breath and hope he isn't talking about Rudy. "You really have to stop all that drinking, it's doing something to your head."

He lowered the gun and placed his head on my neck. He let out a few weeps and I could feel the warmth of his breath through my shirt.

"You're right, baby. You're always right." His hands were back around my waist again, and the weeps turned to kisses. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Frank," I mumbled into his hair. I always wondered if the day would come when I get a phone call to the house about Frank's death. "How was your day?"

***

I found myself getting back in contact with Pimmit. We texted daily, we had secret phone calls in the afternoon, and before he left to go back home we enjoyed each other's company again. Now I know I said that I didn't want to see him again, but it felt like an entirely different world with him. I felt safe and loved, more than a body, more than a person with him. It was more than sexual attraction.

Frank had been out of the house more often than usual, and I used this as an excuse to divulge this guilty pleasure. I wasn't worried about him, he wasn't worried about me.

I mean, how could he? He threatened his entire staff and was apparently on edge more than usual. I heard one of the maids complaining that her husband had been yelled at more often than usual, and was constantly "bringing his work home". I wasn't too sure what that entailed, but they had an empty nest, so I wasn't too worried.

At one point, Rudy invited me to his house for dinner with his wife and Dexter. 

"So, Victoria," Marie handed me plates to help set the table. "How's California? We were just there not too long ago for Dexter's graduation present. Which was the trip itself I suppose!"