Her Body of Muscle: Winter vs the Nanobots

Chapter 15

Jackson pulled up to a bland, zero lot-line, two story duplex on a quiet street downtown San Francisco. It had started to rain shortly after leaving the coffee shop.

Parking on an incline, Jackson turned the wheels of the Honda away from the sidewalk. The sharply declining street felt menacing as his old car gently rolled its' tires against the curb.

Winter was about to grab the handle of the door but was started hearing Jack suddenly blurted out, "one second!"  Mystified, she watched as Jackson ran around to open the door for her. Winter felt her history with men made it clear what was happening. He was trying an age old chivalric ploy. As if he really would prioritize her over getting wet.  She had been around the block far too many times to be sicker punched by faux graciousness.  Or, maybe, would he? Winter shoved her sudden feeling of vulnerability down and scolded herself sharply.

Either way, he was trying, trying hard. Winter had to given him that. She stepped out into the light drizzle and stared at the blank, bland door of the house in front of them. Pulling out the small piece of paper, Winter squinted at the handwriting in the dim streetlights. They were at the right address, that was for sure. The rain pelted and dampened the nearly illegible letters on the page nearly instantly.

"This it?" Jackson asked.

"I guess?!" Winter said, still uncertain.

"Well, here we go!" Jackson encouraged.

They walked up to the door and searched the doorframe for a buzzer or doorknob. Nothing. Jack shrugged and made a fist, banging it on the door with three sharp thuds. They waited in silence as a car slowly made its way down the hill in the rain. Jackson raised a fist again and hit the door once before it suddenly swung open in front of them.

The interior was completely unupholstered. A single lamp sat lonely on a side table in the hallway. Old wiring hung in long loops from the ceiling. A portly, balding, middle-aged man looked down on the shivering young couple. They stood hesitantly on the step of the building, slowly getting increasingly wet in the rain.

"Hey!" Jackson said, far more cheerily than the moment warranted. The man looked at him, dismissively.

"Umh, sorry sir to interrupt." Winter chimed in. Her blue t-shirt was already getting damp. It clung in spots to her body like a saggy swimsuit. Her upper arms bulged, tightening in the cold damp rain. The bottom of her shirt now plastered her abs as they shivered, popping and obtruding aggressively as she trembled. Had she noticed, she'd have been terrified to know her black bra was clearly evidenced as the shirt was getting wet. Fortunately, she was too intimidated and uncertain at her next steps to notice.

"So, I have this key." Reaching into her pocket, Winter pulled out the small thick intricate key her x-husband had slid across the table earlier that day. The man looked at her, not bothering to glance at the object she was showcasing for him. "I'm here to get something from a lockbox." She said in one quick sharp sentence, getting it out before she changed her mind.

Finally, the man, still holding the door open in one arm, half his body shielded from sight by the bulky wooden entrance, focused his glare on Winter.

"Looks cold out there." He said deadpanned. "Can I get you a cup of coffee?"

Winter glanced at Jackson who had turned to look at her eye brows raised confusedly.

"No. Thank you." Winter said, "But I'll have tea, with cream and sugar?"

She had turned back to the man as she answered but Jack's eyes stayed fixed on her face, eyebrows raised feeling more an observer than an actor in whatever was happening.