Lester's Keeper

1) Lester and Maggie

This was to be the last night of Lester's relationship. It was time for him to move on. Almost time. One last piece of business remained. First, there was the matter of the wager.

He glanced at the rearview and gunned the Mercedes. It glided through the gears and the countryside blurred by. The engine noise was damn smooth, like butter. He figured very few things in life sounded so good to the ear. Maybe a classic record came close. Or perhaps the sound of his voice in a girl's ear when he was in the zone. The latter likely sounded better, if he was honest.

"Doesn't that sound sweet, Babe?" he said. "I'm never going back to a Beemer. This thing is so much more me." He threw a sideward glance at Maggie and showed her his smile.

"It's beautiful, Lester," Maggie agreed. She was staring out the window with bright, wide eyes, seemingly distracted. She nibbled delicately at the corner of her lip, a gentle stroke of coral pink amidst an alabaster complexion.

The car cut through the evening traffic, sleek and new. Dusk had come and the world had a delicate tinge like tangerine.

"How much further?" he asked, weaving amongst cars.

"It should be pretty close," she said. "Exit 16."

"Place must be in the middle of nowhere. You excited?"

She glanced downward. "A little nervous," she said softly.

He straightened in his seat and gave her his softest eyes. "You don't have to be nervous Maggie. I'm gonna be right by your side. You're gonna kill it." He smiled, all teeth.

She offered a delicate smile.

"The only people who need to be worried are everyone else," he said. "Worried you'll put them to shame cos you're so damn hot."

She snickered gently and turned her gaze to the scenery.

They continued along the highway for another few miles, him putting the car through its paces and her staring gently out the passenger's side window. The sun hung on the horizon, illuminating the skyline like a slowly spreading blot of watercolor.

"This is it," she said. "Exit 16."

He floored the accelerator and crossed lanes between two cars, pulling the car onto the off-ramp. One of the cars' horns blared in protest.

"Fuck you, buddy!" he called, flipping the bird over his shoulder.

He turned a double right and the car glided into an empty car park overlooking the highway. It was a carpooling lot, all but empty at this time on a Friday evening.

"Shit, we're parking here?" he asked. "My so-called mother will soil her pantyliner if the car gets stolen again."

"They told me it was a safe place. There's a twenty-four hour restaurant just over there. Park close to it."

He pulled the car into a space under a street lamp by the fast-food place.

"I hope so. I don't want to have to listen to her bullshit if I interrupt her dirty weekend with whatever-his-goddamn-name-is."

He pulled on the parking brake. Behind them the evening traffic continued to make its way along the highway, their lights blinking in the darkening evening, like shoals of luminescent marine life. The car purred idly about them.

He looked at the car's clock. "Six fifty-five. They said pick-up at seven, right?"

"Seven sharp."

"Cool." He powered on the overhead light and inspected himself in the rearview. "My hair okay?"

She nodded. "Perfect."

"Teeth?"

"Dazzling."

"Eyebrows?"

"Meticulous."

"Good."

She waited in silence. "And?"

"Huh?" His eyes widened. "What?"

"How do I look?"

She was wearing the dress he had once said he liked. He could smell the perfume that had been his favorite too. Her hair was carefully styled, makeup careful and striking. He had to give it to her, she had always made an effort for him. He almost felt a little bad for her. Not quite though. The fact was that being a man sometimes resulted in collateral damage. If you couldn't deal with it then you weren't a goddamn man anyway.

"Like you even need to ask?"

"A girl needs reassurance in strange situations." She regarded him mildly from beneath her eyelashes.

"Smoking," he said. "Head to toe. Smoke."

"And you promise you're not going to feel different afterwards?"

"Are you crazy?" he said. "You know what's so scary when a guy like me falls so hard for you?"

She shook her head, waited for him to continue.

"It's because I know how hard I've fallen. How you're the one."

"So, what's so scary?"

"Cos I know how hard I've fallen. I don't know for sure that you've fallen as hard as me."

"But I tell you all the time."

"Yeah I know. But Babe, girls can be cruel. Especially with guys like me. Guys who have money."

"Go on."

"They'll say anything to make me believe that they're the real deal, when all they're really after is a meal-ticket. Words don't mean anything. It's actions that talk in this world."

"And my actions?"

"Well, when I suggested this thing you didn't seem keen. You had fears, right? Suspicions?"

"I guess."

"Just like any high caliber girl would. The fact you didn't jump in straight away is evidence itself. But you know what the clincher is?"

"Tell me."

"That you agreed. Once you knew it was important to me and I was on-the-level, you cast aside those fears, for love. That's what a keeper does Babe."

"Sometimes I think your tongue's made of silk Lester."

"That's God's truth Babe. That was my sign. You put me first. Just like I'll put you first, forever."

Or until tomorrow.

Six months had been enough relationship for Lester. In fact, five months had been enough, but the sixth had been necessary for making tonight happen. That sixth month had been a productive one. It was amazing how much more easily you could bend a woman to your will when you were no longer restricted by emotional investment. Tonight was evidence that he had her in the palm of his hand. She was a nice girl, just a little too vanilla for a guy like Lester. What you saw was what you got with Maggie. Maybe she could have held his interest for longer if she was a little tougher to figure out, a little less nice, a little more complex.

She was still talking. "And what if I feel different? About myself?"

An engine sounded and a pair of headlights glared in the rearview, dazzling him. Lester watched in the rearview as a limousine backed up and aligned its broadside to their rear.

"Rain-check, Babe. Is this our ride to the party?"

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Hi all! I hope you enjoyed the first part of my story!

If you enjoyed it please remember to vote, comment and share. A story is nothing without enthusiastic readers.

Make sure to keep reading as things are going to get very dark!!

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