A Whole New World (Minnelli Family Series book 2)

Call On Me

Downtown Golden Oak, Michigan

Missy stood at the window chewing her bottom lip. The snow was coming down in larger and larger proportions by the minute. Her boss was making her work all day, so it was understood she'd be stuck in the hellhole of the diner. Her coworkers had the news on so they could get the updated version of the news as it came in. Her mind kept drifting from her tasks at hand to the last time she was saw Antonio, a few weeks ago. "I want you..."

Finally after procrastinating on allowing everyone to leave, the diner closed until further notice. Missy ran out to her car and was immediately dejected. Her car was buried in snow. Her coworkers helped her mow most of the snow, only to find out her battery was completely dead. All out of options, she called her boyfriend, Deion.

"Hey babe. I'm stranded at the diner. Could you please come?" She asked, shivering and teeth chattering.

"I'm already at the apartment...none of your friends can help?"

"You right...never mind." She hung up immediately. "Call me if you need me." She could hear Antonio's voice like he was standing next to her. Swallowing the shred of pride she had left, she dialed the number for the first time.

"Hello?" His sleep voice was baby making in itself. "Hello?"

"Uh this is Missy...are you busy?" She introduced herself nervously. She could hear rustling in the background and then nothing.

"Nah, I'm not busy...what's up?" His voice sounded much more alert. A cold shiver whipped through her body before she spoke.

"I need your help-"

"Say less. Where you?" He interrupted her.

"Outside my job-"

"OUTSIDE! Where you?!" He yelled in anxiousness.

"If you would stop interrupting me, I'd tell you. My job on 13th Street. The 13th Street Diner." She kept calm.

"I'm on my way. Just stay there." Antonio promised and ended the call. He got on the elevator to Amiri's floor. He looked down the hall. Amiri was at his desk in his office with his glasses hanging low on his nose.

"I know I look good but you don't have to stare at me like that." Amiri didn't even look away from the screen.

"Missy needs my help. She's stranded at her job." Antonio watched Amiri stand at attention and grab a shirt.

"Fuck we standing here talking for. Let's go!" The duo dressed as quickly as they could and took off in Amiri's Jeep to find Missy.

Twenty minutes later, after getting through detours, they found Missy nearly frozen by her car. Antonio kept the woman close to his chest in the backseat, rubbing his nose in her cold neck. Missy was deeply slumbering against him but had a strong pulse.

"You really love her huh..." Amiri looked in the rear view mirror with concern.

"I do. But I don't even know if I can fix the mess with her for her to see it." Antonio admitted quietly. "She shouldn't want for anything." The car got quiet again as they maneuvered the snowed in city. Antonio lifted Missy out and toward the elevator in the car garage. Amiri made sure they got in first and he decided to wait for the next one. Antonio laid her on the bed in a guest bedroom on his floor of the penthouse, two doors down from his room.

Hours later, Missy woke up groggy and sluggish...and hungry. She didn't recognize her surroundings but realized she was still dressed in her diner uniform. With a massive headache, she stretched and hopped down from the huge California king bed. She stuck her head out of the room for any sign of life. A light down the hall caught her attention. The room smelled just like Antonio. A smell that ignited so many memories. Missy closed her eyes to allow herself to transport to a simpler time.

Antonio was stepping out of the shower. Wrapping himself in a towel, he got in the bathroom mirror to massage his beard. He left the bathroom altogether afterwards.

"Ahh!" Missy jumped when the bathroom door opened. Antonio wore a shocked expression. "I, uh-I." She stopped stammering. "I'll just leave now." Missy started moving toward the door, tripping over her feet. Knees wobbling, she found herself exploring the huge space until she came to the kitchen. Her feet hurt, her body was sore and she was emotionally wounded.

"I charged your phone for you. You should call your landlord." Antonio sat down at the island, now fully dressed. His green eyes watched her intently as she sifted through the messages from Hope and her boyfriend to an urgent text from her landlord.

"Mr. Martin? You called." She called him immediately.

"Yes. I have dire news. The pipes burst in your apartment overnight and flooded your apartment. I couldn't save anything." The old man's voice was filled with regret.

"Oh! I see...thank you Mr. Martin. I'll be there as soon as the city is operable to see what I can do." Her voice wavered at the end. Her eyes welled with tears. Determined not to let him see her cry, she fixed her face and turned around. "Thank you Antonio. I appreciate it."

"What was that about?" He asked, digging into his plate of food. He noticed she hadn't touched the food on her plate. He waited expectantly. Missy started to cry like a balloon had been burst. All the pressure of the abuse finally boiled over.

"My car battery is dead. My 'boyfriend' wouldn't even come to help me in a fucking storm. I'm in the last place I thought I'd ever be in under any circumstances. My body is bruised, my feet are cracking. I can't feel my body. I'm hungry but can't eat. And now I just found out my..." her voice wavered and cracked. "My apartment is completely flooded. Nothing could be saved. My books, my laptop. Notes. Everything is gone. I have nothing." She hobbled away from the island in frustration. Antonio watched her in heartbreak. He put away the food before following the battered woman to her room.

He helped her to the shower and waited for her to cry. He listened to her wail to herself, mumble and wince. He waited to dry her off. He took in the different bruises and scars, seen and unseen. He took in how tense she was under his touch. He noted how she appeared to shrink from her Superwoman exterior. He took in everything and nothing at all. He carried her down the hall to his room.

"How long?" He finally spoke, taking off his shirt but keeping his sweats on. He lathered his hands with calming oils.

"How long what?"

"How long has he been beatin your ass?" He whispered in the darkness of the room, massaging the naked skin in earnest.

"Since my last year of undergrad maybe. I just remember the first time. He was mad I had lunch with a fellow candidate for the program I'm in, a man specifically. Ouch!" Her breath hitched. Antonio had barely touched the area under her breast before she was wincing. He kept his temper in check. "I remember coming home from the lunch all excited to have a partner right? So I'm explaining what's going on. He asks me who it was I was having lunch with. And I tell him because I don't have anything to hide. The second I reveal it's a man, he backhanded me into the door, making my jaw swell instantly."

"The most recent time then?" He asked, keeping his hands steady.

"About a week ago, I didn't have his dinner. Or I didn't have what he wanted to eat. He punched me." She answered. Antonio was glad she was laying on her side away from him. So she couldn't see his anger.

"Does it hurt?" Antonio was still massaging that spot under her breast.

"Just...a...little." She answered. He released the pressure. "Who are you exactly?" She mumbled. "Why are you so perfect?" He spent hours exploring her body, massaging every inch of skin. From her scalp to the bottom of her feet. Sometimes he kissed his favorite parts softly, sometimes he applied more pressure to relieve soreness. Sometimes she winced, whined or moved away in pain. The whole time Antonio kept his anger in check...for now.

"I'm not perfect, by no stretch of definition, but I aim to be perfect for you." He answered honestly hours later. His fingers just barely ghosted her opening. He felt her heat, just how wet she was for him. He wanted her in the worst way. Ease her pain. Be even closer to her. But he respected the situation she was in. "I need you to come to me more often. I can help. Call on me. I'll be there." He watched her with loving but lustful eyes.

"Thank you Antonio." She landed a peck on his lips before leaving his room, feeling much lighter on her feet and in mind.