Rika, the Cuban Flame

3. Scam This, Asshole

Rika

Lucas accepts my request and I immediately go into his profile to creep on him. Not even a few minutes later, a new message comes through on messenger.

(Lucas) Why did you friend me? This has to be a scammer.

I glare at my phone, thinking my glare would pierce through to Lucas. I tap the text box on my screen and reply.

Not a scammer. Why would you think it's fake?

I see the little dots appear on the screen. He's replying pretty fast. I'm back in my city apartment and relaxing in bed. I just got new bed sheets and damn, do they feel silky and amazing. The apartment itself is lightly colored, a cream, though I'm not sure which specific shade of cream. My kingsize bed sits in the middle of the bedroom, and there's a dresser with a large mirror against my right wall. A balcony is to my left with large glass doors and windows to match on either side. Sometimes I just leave the curtains open and let the moonlight and darkness enter the room.

I live on the upper west side of the city, in one of the large and plush high-rises on the very top floor. My furniture, the apartment itself, everything is in pristine condition and the best that money can buy. Naturally, I have many homes, condos, and apartments, some in other countries, but this apartment makes me feel most comfortable. I can look out my large windows and backdoor and see the vast city skyscrapers. Even the honking of horns can be heard all the way up here, and I don't mind it.

(Lucas) Scammers do this shit all the time. You can't be real.

I poke my skin to humor myself. Yep, definitely real.

I just poked myself. I'm totally real.

(Lucas) Do you need gift cards? $500 to start? Gtfo.

"This guy..." I mutter and smirk to myself.

Do you want me to prove it?

A few minutes pass with no dots appearing. Either he's thinking of how to test that I'm real, or he's given up. I close out of the messenger app and go back to his profile when another notification pops up. I tap it.

(Lucas) Fine. Write my first and last name, along with what you said I needed, on your biceps and flex that arm. Like a selfie.

I raise an eyebrow and give my phone screen a puzzled look.

What I said you needed?

(Lucas) Yup. You said I desperately needed something right when we met. Almost the first words out of your mouth.

I'm not really sure why I'm doing this, but my body moves on its own out of my nice and silky bedsheets. I head down the hall and then into my kitchen to find a pen in the drawer. I'm right handed, so I write his first name, his last name, and then the word 'sunlight' on my left biceps. I put the pen down on the counter and head back to the glory of my king size bed. I don't go commando when sleeping and I know that's a guy term, but I don't care. I'm wearing what I like to call a jammy shirt, or a nighttime shirt for sleeping in. Once back in bed, I hike the sleeve up on my left arm and flex, making a fist and taking the selfie with my right hand. As I'm taking it, I see Lucas's new message appear as a notification at the top of the screen.

(Lucas) You sure are taking a long time. It's pretty hard to do, isn't it, scammer?

Once I snap the picture, I tap the notification before it disappears to go back into messenger. I attach the photo and send it.