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Beach House

I heard the real estate agent exit the sliding glass door. She was a heavy-set woman, impeccably dressed, with a phony happy sales attitude. I didn't care for her much. She wore a bit too much perfume and always thought she knew what was best for me. Of course, I didn't really care for anyone so she was at a disadvantage to begin with.

"I'll take it." I said without turning to look at her. I heard her high heels stop on the rock patio.

"You haven't really looked at the house, Mr. Tomlinson." There she goes trying to control my thoughts again. I was only interested in the privacy. This place blocked out the rest of the world. It would be my private little slice of heaven. The house was devoid of furniture which was a good thing. It meant it was already vacant and I could close the deal quickly.

"Make the offer Mrs. Johnson. Full asking price." I raised my hand in hopes she would see that I had already made my decision. This was the fourth place I looked at and the first to meet my original qualifications. If she had just listened, she could have sold it this morning and not wasted half my day.

"Are you sure? I am quite confident we can negotiate it down ten, maybe twenty percent." God, I am glad she doesn't work for me. I would fire the bitch on the spot. What part of "make the offer" didn't she understand? I wanted the property and didn't want to deal with anyone any longer than absolutely necessary. I turned to her.

"Make the offer. Full asking price." I made it sound a bit ominous. Why did I have to repeat myself? I hated the need for agents. She stepped back a bit and reached into her purse for her phone.

"Of... of course, Mr. Tomlinson." She fumbled her phone, and it almost dropped to the stone patio. "I'll have the papers drawn up immediately. They will want ten percent in earnest money." She was back to her business self. "Would you like me to bring the paperwork to you tomorrow morning?" Like I wanted to see this woman first thing in the morning or ever again for that matter.

"A Monica Rose will call you and complete the purchase." I started walking back through the house toward my car. I wasn't interested in a conversation or politely accompanying her out. Happily, I chose not to ride with Johnson so I hopped in my car and sped off.

I entered the hotel at the rear entrance. I don't have to feign niceties to the staff that way. I needed to get my new house livable as soon as possible. I expected to close by end of next week. I had enough lawyers on the payroll to make sure that it would go smoothly. I would need furniture and all the other necessities to make it home. I called up one of the few people in the world I respected.

"Monica, its Dale Tomlinson." Monica handles things for me. She doesn't discuss options and try to help. She just does.

"Mr. Tomlinson, what can I do for you?" Yes, that's what I like to hear. No bullshit niceties. Just business.

"I am purchasing a beachfront home and need it furnished and move-in ready as soon as possible." Watch her work.

"This week, sir." She sounded a bit hesitant. Not like her at all.

"That is what 'as soon as possible means.' " I usually didn't have to repeat myself to her.

"Of course sir! Address?" I could almost see her writing it down as I regurgitated it. I told her to talk with Mrs. Johnson to finalize the sale and to access the property.

"Style?" I told her it would be classic comfort. I intended to spend a lot of time there. I don't think it was an actual style, but Monica had a wonderful way of interpreting my needs.

"Budget?" Whatever it takes. I didn't want to limit her creativity. I was going to actually live there.

"I will get a flight out tomorrow." She was fast. That's why I liked her. I don't think she cared for me personally, but that was unimportant. I knew she liked my business, and she charged me well for her speed. Fine with me; I can always make more money. It's time that is at a premium. What's funny is that I have only met her in person a couple of times. Now I just call her with what I want and it's done. I couldn't think of a more perfect arrangement. I hung up the phone—no need for goodbyes.

It took three weeks to occupy the house. Damn owners were out of country, and I had to wait till they returned. They should have made arrangements for a possible sale before they left. Assholes pretty much ruined a week of my life. I really hate people. On the other hand, Monica was wonderful as always. The house was move-in ready. I was sure it cost me an arm and a leg, but it was worth it. Even the kitchen and bar were stocked. I only had to transfer my personal effects, and I was home.

I wasn't sure why she had put a pool table in the rec room. I never have guests so it won't get any use. I guess it was just there to take up the large space available. The pool had way too many lounge chairs, but I guess it gave the area a more lived in look. The beach itself was exactly as I envisioned. One lounger under a giant umbrella. This is why I bought the place. I aimed to spend a good portion of my life lying in that chair, reading books and letting the gentle waves wash away the rest of the world. This was paradise as far as I was concerned.

I walked down to the sand, and sure enough, the waves were playing a symphony on the bordering breaker rocks. Civilization was drowned out. The adjoining beaches were completely blocked from view so I could expect zero interruptions. I was so pleased, I decided not to go back up. I stripped to my boxers and lined the lounger up for maximum shade time. I loved the beach, the waves, and the warmth. I could do without the sun. It was way too bright and made me sweat. I lay back and let the sound of the waves roll over my body. This was by far the best purchase I had ever made. It wasn't long before I was sound asleep. It was just that peaceful.

The damn sun woke me about two hours later. It began to roast my feet by the time I had pulled myself from dreamland. There has to be an umbrella that tracks the sun. I vowed to find one as I snapped my knees up to cool my feet. There is always something in this universe that likes to screw with my well-being. Today, it was the sun.

I returned inside and fired up my laptop. It was time to review my trades. I had inherited a huge bond portfolio just before the 2008 crash. My grandmother, the only person I ever enjoyed being around, had conservatively purchased munis, federal and triple A corporate bonds. She purchased them from selling off my grandfather's position in a highly profitable internet firm at his death. She was a lovely woman whose passing I took hard. Having lost my parents early in life, Grandma was my rock and my soul. As the bonds matured and the munis were called, I dumped the money into the stock market. My timing couldn't have been better. When everyone was selling, I was buying. I grew a $100 million portfolio into a half billion dollar empire with me as the emperor.

Most people didn't even know my name, and I liked it that way. Money can buy power and influence. I used it to ensure my isolation. Monica was my wall against the world. She would handle all the crap that the money generated when it was spent. She, unfortunately, was becoming a bit irreplaceable. I paid her generously in hopes that she never moved on. It would be almost impossible to find anyone who could match her efficiency. I sometimes got shivers thinking about life without her.

With my portfolio looking as good as ever, I started opening cabinets in the kitchen looking for something to eat. Monica had seen to that with her usual perfection. There were plates and silverware, a drawer full of take-out menus sorted by Yelp ratings, the fridge and freezer filled with food, and one cabinet filled to the doors with wonderful cans of heaven. My one vice was SpaghettiOs.

High School was hell for me. I had never fit in so I spent four years trying to stay far away from others. When I failed, I suffered. I wasn't big enough, not good looking enough, and I never knew what to say. There was only one person who didn't care about my awkwardness. My Grandma would be waiting for me to return home and could tell from my expression what kind of day I had. My best memories of high school were sitting in the kitchen eating SpaghettiOs with my Grandma. It may sound sad to others, but to me it was a wonderful stress-free environment. Just the smell of the canned wonder cooking on the stove would let me forget my nameless torturers. To this day, those cans brought Grandma back to my mind. Monica was priceless; she knew me well.

I poured a can into a pot on the stove and sat back to enjoy the aroma. Just like the waves, the smell washed away the world. I could almost see Grandma's smiling face. I tried not to eat it every day so I wouldn't get bored. I grabbed a bowl and poured a serving and headed off to the flat panel to watch a movie. A nap on the beach, SpaghettiOs and a good movie. This day was better than most. I made a mental note to eat something a bit more nutritious later.

Besides some annoying interruptions by assholes that needed my signature, my week went fairly well. I allocate one day a week to clean house and do the laundry. I had a maid once, but I just couldn't stand having her around. The repeated "good mornings" and "how are you todays" made me want to puke. I decided it was easier on my soul to just handle it myself. Hell, it was the only real work I had to do anyway. It was almost ther*peutic. One day of work made the other six days more valuable.

It was about four o'clock when I finished the final load a laundry. It being summer, I still had a good four hours of good beach time left. I grabbed a book, donned my swimming trunks, and headed to my lounger. I mentally kicked myself for forgetting to research a self-adjusting umbrella. I began to adjust the umbrella and felt a sharp pain in my ankle as my foot dug into the sand. Something jabbed me hard right below where the ankle bone stuck out. I whipped my foot up and saw two small welts just above the heel. It didn't look that serious although it was a bit sore. It must have been some glass or something in the sand. Just another thing trying to ruin my day.

I lay on the lounger and opened my book at the marker. It wasn't a great book, but I had a rule about finishing every book I start. It even paid off one time with a fantastic ending that made the slog through the rest more than worthwhile. I flexed my leg and ankle a bit trying to shake off the noticeable discomfort from the sand bite. I figured I would be stuck with the pain till I was able to sleep it off tonight. I went back to my book.

An incessant uneven humming began to disturb my world. I looked up from the book and saw a boat breaking the waves not far off shore. It seemed too small for the ocean. Every time a wave went by, it pulled the small engine out of the water and it emitted a high pitched scream. Fucking idiots. They had a whole ocean to play in, and they picked my back yard. I went back to my book figuring they would pass in a moment. The engine got louder as I read.

I looked back up and saw the small craft heading toward my beach. It sounded like the throttle was opened all the way. I lost the grip on my book and it dropped closed. "Son of a bitch!" I said as I realized I would have to spend the next five minutes trying to find my place again. I was really beginning to dislike the captain of the annoying vessel. The boat wasn't slowing and was still heading to my beach. If they thought they were landing here, they had better think again. I grabbed my phone in case I had to call the police.

The boat began veering off to the left toward the breakwater. The idiots should be able to see the rocks. That's all I need is a smashed up boat to ruin my pristine view. "Hey, wake up!" I shouted and waived my arm. The boat kept coming and didn't slow a bit. I screamed again, signaling with both arms, but the boat stayed to its course and slammed into the rocks. I heard wood give way when it hit and saw what looked like a naked body fly out toward the rocks.

I stood quickly from my chair. A little too quickly as my leg had seemed to go numb a bit. I moved toward the shore trying to work the sleep out of it yelling for whoever would listen. "Hey asshole! This is a private beach." I received no response, but saw something bobbing close to shore. It looked like a body. Fuck, that's all I need. Someone came all the way to my house to die. I moved quickly to water in hopes of forestalling a visit from the coroner. My arm didn't really want to cooperate as numbness ran up my side and toward my neck. I moved quickly into the shallows and rolled what I now realized was a naked woman onto her back.

She sputtered a little water out of her mouth and looked up to me with hugely dilated eyes. "Should have just left me," she said with a Spanish accent before she broke into laughter. Pissed, I grabbed her wrist and began pulling her lethargic body toward the sand with my good arm. Her head was oozing a bit of blood although it didn't look too serious. Suddenly, pain forced me to my knees. Something was really wrong. I didn't have any energy to stand back up. My whole chest felt like it was collapsing in on itself. I dropped her arm and remembered my phone. I picked the first number in my recent list and dialed Monica.

"Monica... Monica." I couldn't finish the sentence. I didn't have enough air in my lungs. I realized I might be dying. A wave a fear ran through me. I wasn't ready to go yet. I haven't even finished the book.

"Fuck! You're having a heart attack!" The woman sat up, and two rather attractive breasts bounced on her chest. She was failing miserably at trying to hold back laughter. My vision was drifting in and out which made the whole situation surreal. I fell backward, half in and half out of the water. She grabbed my phone before it got wet. "Mr. Private Beach needs a doctor." She laughed into the phone and threw it over her shoulder into the water. The last thing I remember was her Spanish laughter as she straddled my stomach.

I awoke in a quiet beige and white sanitized room. I could barely hear movement and muffled conversations beyond the door. My memory came back slowly. Obviously, I survived. I moved my arm and leg, and the numbness was gone. That was a good sign. I tried to sit up and decided it really wasn't worth the effort. Still a bit weak. I closed my eyes again and was soon fast asleep.

"Mr. Tomlinson... Mr. Tomlinson?" A woman's voice woke me from my sleep. "Good morning, Mr. Tomlinson," she added when my eyes opened. It was a nurse, dressed in a blue set of smocks. "You're in St. Vincent's. You experienced a sudden cardiac arrest." No shit, I thought. Even the naked lady on the beach knew that. "Dr. Heller wanted me to wake you up before he began his rounds." She checked an IV bag that was attached to my arm. "Would you like to sit up?"

"Yes." I said a bit hoarsely. I was feeling a bit vulnerable fully on my back. She adjusted the bed a bit and then helped me raise my shoulders.

"I'll get you some fresh water." She grabbed a pitcher that was next to the bed and headed out the door. At least I had a private room. The walls seemed thick enough so I didn't feel crushed by the number of people that were obviously in the building. All in all, it could have been a lot worse.

She returned with a full pitcher and a cup with a built-in lid and straw. It looked a little juvenile, but I was pretty thirsty. She filled the cup and place it in my hand. For a second there, I thought she was going to hold the cup to my lips so I kind of fumbled the handoff. Good thing it had a lid. I took a few sips and relieved my dry throat.

"Do you have any questions?" She looked at me quizzically. I wasn't sure what to ask. I felt kind of like I had to ask something.

"Yes! How did I get here?" It was simple enough and showed I wasn't completely without my wits.

"I wasn't here last night, but I understand you were brought in by helicopter." She said pointing to the roof. "You were very lucky. I understand you flat-lined in transit, but the paramedics were able to revive you. Dr. Heller will have to explain the treatment you received once you arrived. He should be here in a few minutes." Fuck, I died in a helicopter. As if on cue, the doctor wearing the same color smocks as the nurse walked in with a clipboard.

"Good morning Mr. Tomlinson." This was getting a bit repetitive. "It's good to see you awake." I felt the need to respond.

"Good morning." I said. A lot of my hoarseness was gone.

"I'm Dr. Heller, and I was the attending physician when you came in last night." He looked up from the clipboard. "You had a very close call. Luckily you had some good first aid." He went over to a terminal on the wall that was wired to a clip on my left finger. After playing with the settings a bit he returned his face to mine again. "We were unable to locate a next of kin so I had to accept that Monica..." he looked at his clipboard "Rose was acting in your interest."

"Yes, she always does." I said carefully.

"You were stung on the foot by a jellyfish." He was looking at me closely. "You had a rather strong allergic reaction and your heart stopped. Usually these things are just uncomfortable, but reactions like yours are not completely uncommon."

"I don't remember going in the water." I tried hard to think back.

"Actually, the animal can remain quite potent a few days after death. You could have just step on one on the beach." He leaned over the bed and disconnected the clip on my finger. I remembered the sting when I was adjusting that damn umbrella.

"Are there any lasting effects?" I wiggled my toes again to make sure they were still working right.

"No." He chuckled. "At least not normally. Some Benadryl for the symptoms. The toxin flushes itself out in a few days. Believe it or not, we're only going to keep you overnight. Once we make sure you won't relapse, we'll release you." He was pretty cheerful sounding. "You should be able to continue on with your life as normal, but I would recommend you see a cardiologist in a week so just to make sure there is no permanent damage." Wow, drive-through medicine.

"Thanks, Doctor." I wasn't sure if there was a protocol for what to say to someone who saved your life. I was afraid to add any embellishments that might sound fake. He just patted my on the shoulder.

"I'll see you before you leave tomorrow." He walked out to continue his rounds.

"Monica Rose is waiting outside to see you. Do you feel up to a visitor?" The nurse smiled like it was a good thing. I wasn't excited about seeing her in my weakened state, but I am sure she was instrumental in my survival.

"Yes, of course." I tried to smile because I felt the nurse expected me too. I hated dealing with people. Everything felt uncomfortable. Good thing I was going home tomorrow. She opened the door and waved Monica in on her way out.

"I understand you're going home tomorrow." Monica didn't say hello. God she was easy to talk to.

"Yes. I guess I have you to thank for the helicopter and private room." I almost died. I have to thank someone or they might just let me go next time.

"Actually, it is Mia Perez you need to thank. You will get the bill for my services." She wasn't smiling just all business.

"Mia Perez?" I couldn't place the name.

"Mia was the women who performed CPR on you for over fifteen minutes. They found her naked and quite high on heroin pumping away on you. They tell me it is the only reason you survived." She almost seemed angry about my survival.

"Should I give her some money or something?" I again wasn't sure of the protocol in these matters.

"You would give a junky money? Might as well put a gun to her head." Monica seemed pissed for some reason. I was a little shocked at her tone. "It cost a lot, but she is currently recuperating in your house. It took a long time to convince the police not to book her for grand theft and heroin use." Why did Monica's eyes seem to be so strained? "You are buying a replacement boat to make sure she avoids grand theft."

"I didn't steal the damn boat. I'm not buying a new one." Who does Monica think she is? "What do you mean I have a junky in my house?" Now I was getting pissed. Monica wasn't deterred.

"Look asshole, you screwed up my tenth anniversary trip to outfit the house." Her hands were becoming animated. "I was literally dragged out of bed when I was making it up to my husband when your heart stopped. We weren't sleeping if you know what I mean." She was being a bit louder than usual. I didn't even know she was married. "If Charlie leaves me, or Ms. Perez ends up in jail or back on the street," she ticked off her points on her fingers, "I will never answer your call again." She ended up with her hands on her hips.

I was shocked by her tirade. She worked for me didn't she? I almost told her to fuck off, but the thought of life without Monica was a depressing one. I calmed down. Money was always easy to get. "Okay, okay, I'll buy the boat and pay for rehab." That should take care of it. I quickly had a finger wagging in my face.

"No, no, Mister Selfish. You will be solely responsible for her rehabilitation. No hiring your way out of it." She had a very determined look on her face. "She saved your life, God only knows why, and you owe her more than a brush-off." She was trying to screw up my life. "You were lucky enough to be handed a junky that knew CPR when you needed it. Now you have deal with it."

"What the hell do I know about handling a heroin addict?" I was confused why she thought this would even work.

"There is a Dr. Williams taking care of her right now. He is a detox specialist that you are paying a lot of money for. Ask him." Her hands were back on her hips.

"This has gone far enough." It was time to put my foot down. "I don't want a junky or anyone else in my house, and I am certainly not going to play social worker." Let's see if she is willing to give up on my paychecks. She called my bluff.

"Fine! Then this is the last conversation we will ever have." Her voice was quiet and her expression had lost the anger. She turned and walked toward the door. I was about to let her go when visions of the hundreds of people I would need to deal with flashed before my eyes. Monica was irreplaceable as far as I knew. Life would begin to really suck.

Before her hand hit the door knob I relented. "Monica..." She turned toward me. "I'll do it!" I felt like I was ten years old finally conceding to clean my room.

"Yes, Mr. Tomlinson." She smiled and headed out the door. No need for goodbyes.

I returned home the next day with an armload of pamphlets on cardiac health. I had an appointment with a recommended cardiologist in two weeks. I wasn't sure I wanted to go. I feared he would tell me SpaghettiOs were off limits. Of course, if I died, I couldn't eat them either. Maybe I just needed to stay away from jellyfish.

A young man exited the hall bathroom rolling down his sleeves. "Hi, you must be Mr. Tomlinson. I'm Wally Williams." He held out his hand. He looked a bit too young to be a doctor. I took his hand and shook it.

"Monica says you're a detox specialist?" I wanted to verify that I wasn't going to be doing this without professional help.

"Yep, kind of evolved into the job. I started a clinic in a pretty bad neighborhood. You can say it was on-the-job training." He seemed pleased with his chosen direction. I sensed he was a do-gooder who was in it for the satisfaction. "I usually don't do house calls, but I must say, your generous donation to the clinic made me rethink that position." He chuckled. I tried to not let on that I had no idea how generous I was.

"I'm glad you're here Doc. I'm kind of committed to seeing that Ms. Perez gets through this." I tried to sound grateful. I was hoping he would handle the heavy lifting. "I've really never done anything like this before."

"You missed the easy day. Today and tomorrow will most likely be the worst." His expression became more serious. "It's like a bad flu with a bunch of very ugly side effects thrown in. Just make sure she doesn't try to sleep on her back to avoid aspiration of any discharge. It helps to make sure she stays hydrated, especially if diarrhea kicks in." He was sounding like he wasn't staying. "I put some Epsom salts next to the tub. If she complains of itchy or crawly skin, put her in a hot bath with the salts." He was reaching for his suit jacket that was lying over the back of the chair.

"You're leaving?" I felt like I was being thrown into the deep end of the pool.

"I'll stop back in tomorrow morning. I left my card on the table." He pointed to the end table. "Call me if you run into something unexpected." Obviously, I wasn't generous enough with my donation.

"I'm really not qualified to handle this, Doc." I am sure it sounded like I was pleading. I meant it to be more instructive to illicit a guilt reaction. He just chuckled.

"Mia doesn't need a doctor now. She just needs someone who cares. In a couple of days we can start the real work." He was heading for the door. I considered tackling him, but discounted it due to recent heart issues. It was just two days he said. I can suffer through it to keep Monica on board.

"Where's Mia now?" I wasn't even sure where to start.

"In the master suite. It had the closest bathroom." He opened the front door. "See you around nine tomorrow." Just like that, he was gone. It was the first person in many years that I didn't want to leave.

I stood in the hallway, looking at the door for a few moments. I was secretly hoping it would open again, the doctor deciding to return. It didn't. I was a fish out of water. People take care of me; I don't take care of other people. I moved slowly down the hallway toward my bedroom. I figured the longer it took to get there, the sooner this would be over. I stood outside the door, not wanting to go in. I could hear a quiet moan, which made it worse. Without warning, I heard her violently vomit. I remembered the doctors warning and ran in to make sure she wasn't on her back. I really didn't want to go in.

I gagged as the smell hit me in the face. I was never good when others threw up. I started breathing through my mouth as I took in the scene. Mia was naked on the right side of the bed, and the left side had a puddle of vomit. The covers were pooled at the foot of the bed, and Mia was shivering. I had never seen anything like this. I didn't know where to start. Luckily she was on her side in an almost fetal position. I moved to the right side of the bed, trying to keep my eyes off the remnants of her last meal.

"Mia, my name is Dale." It sounded feeble considering the situation. "I'm the guy you saved a couple of nights ago." My hands kept making aborted attempts to touch her. I wasn't at all sure how to help her.

"Oh God, I can't do this!" She was weeping and shivering. "I thought I could, but I can't." I saw that some of her long black hair had found its way to the puddle. I knew I wouldn't like my hair to be there, so I reached over her body and retracted the errant hair. The ends were covered in puke, so I squeezed them dry between my fingers and pulled them back over her head. I looked at my hand and saw that some stomach chunks had adhered to my fingers. I retched and ran to the bathroom. I barely made it to the toilet before I empty the contents of my stomach. My heaving was echoed by another round from Mia. This sympathetic barfing had to stop. I knew I needed to clean up the discharge if we were going to get through the day. I waited till my stomach settled, then washed my hands.

I entered the bedroom and almost lost it again. Mia had covered herself in the last round of puking. She was now outwardly crying. Fuck, this was bad! The sheets had to be cleaned up, and I was the only one there. The smell was horrendous. I shut off my nostrils and grabbed the sheet that was bunched up at the end of the bed. I moved next to Mia again and began wiping the vomit off her face and pushing it toward the other side of the bed. She was rolling back and forth making it more difficult to clean her up. "Mia, stop moving for minute. I got to get this shit off you." I was desperately trying to control my gag reflex and didn't know how long I could hold off. My stomach was empty so I knew the next round would hurt like hell.

"Please don't make me do this." She was still crying, and her shivering became more noticeable. I was hesitant to start cleaning off her chest. Some morality wall needed to be breached.

"I have to clean off the rest of you. I'm sorry." I gave her all the warning I could and began to wipe off her breasts. She had gotten the bulk of the discharge in the valley between them. I had to use two hands, one to lift and one to clean. This was the first pair of breasts I had ever touched in my life that I hadn't paid to touch. Strangely, puke had a way of making the whole experience very clinical. I wasn't the least bit aroused. I rolled her toward me and cleaned off her arm and shoulder. I placed the cleanest part of the sheet along her side and rolled her back over it. This allowed me to undo the bottom sheet and roll her back to the bare mattress. I wadded up the dirty sheets and ran them to the laundry room.

I kept praying that she wouldn't puke again while I was grabbing new sheets. I reversed the process and covered the bed with clean sheets. I let my nostrils open, and, as expected, the smell was greatly reduced. Mia, I don't think, cared. She was still weeping and still had a film of vomit on her.

I went to the kitchen and grabbed the bucket under the sink. I tried one of the sponges, but they were too coarse for her skin. I went and grabbed a new bath towel from the bathroom closet and filled the bucket with warm water. I brought it all back to Mia. I dipped the corner of the towel into the water and started at Mia's head. I tenderly pushed her long black hair out of the way as I began wiping her face clean.

"Please don't make me do this." She pleaded again. Her brown bloodshot eyes were searching for mine.

"Shhh, I have to." I whispered, trying to calm her down. "I can't lose Monica," I admitted. I don't know why I added that. I guess I felt she needed a reason for me to ignore her wishes. I wiped her forehead and around her eyes. I noticed that there were tiny wrinkles beginning to form at the outside of her eyes. She looked a lot younger from afar; closer, she looked to be in her thirties. "I'm just going to get you cleaned up." I suddenly felt and sounded like my grandmother. It wasn't a bad feeling.

She shivered as I continued cleaning her cheeks and chin. Her lips were turning a bit blue. "I'm so damn cold." Her accent was becoming more pronounced, and I was afraid she might slip into Spanish. I didn't know Spanish at all. Washing her chest was a lot more pleasant this time. I knew how sick she was, but the goose bumps on her breasts were adorable. I hid my thoughts and continued to wipe her down. I stopped at her belly, thinking that going farther would be an invasion. I forced myself not to look between her legs. I didn't even know if she was even conscious of her nakedness. "So cold..." She was really shivering now. I guess the air on her wet skin was aggravating the situation. I dried her as best I could with the other side of the towel. At the foot of the bed, I pulled up the blankets that had dropped there and tucked her in.

Her lips went another shade bluer, and her shivering increased. I could almost hear her teeth chatter. I went to the closet for another blanket and added it to the bed, but it didn't seem to help much. She looked miserable. I did the only other thing I could think of. I stripped to my boxers and climbed into bed with her. I wrapped my arm around and pulled her into me. She sank her butt into my groin and I warmed her back with my chest. Still shaking, "Better," was all she said. I held her twitching body hoping another round of puking wasn't on its way. In time, I feel asleep.

When I awoke my front was drenched in sweat. Mia was burning up. She had detached from me and rid the bed of its blankets. The withdrawal process was like a roller coaster that won't let you off. "Make it stop! Please make it stop!" She was more moaning the talking. God, I wanted to make it stop. It was beginning to hurt me to look at her. It was hard watching her suffer. I jumped out of bed and grabbed the bucket. I refilled it with cool water and snatched another towel.

"I'm so sorry Mia." I don't know why I was sorry, but I was. I began wiping her down with the cool water. Her whole body was on fire, so this time I didn't stop at her belly and I continued down her thighs and calves. "I wish you didn't have to go through this." I realized that I truly meant what I said. No one should suffer like this. I moved back to her forehead and applied the end of the damp towel as a compress. As an afterthought, I lightly blew on her newly wet chest and belly which caused a shiver to run down her body. Some of those adorable goose bumps reappeared for a moment. She was still hot.

I ran to the kitchen, grabbed a small hand towel, and filled it with ice. I almost headed back before I remembered my grandmother wetting the towel before putting the ice pack on my head when I was sick. I duplicated her system and quickly headed back to the bedroom. Mia was moaning when I sat next to her and replaced the wet towel with the new ice pack. "Shhh, the doctor says it will all be over soon." I stroked her hair even though it was now heavily knotted and still had remnants of the early bout of vomiting. I didn't care, I just wanted her to feel better.

I lightly caressed her face and hair until the ice melted. I debated getting more since she seemed to be cooling down. "Oh! Oh!" she moaned and slowly raised herself to a sitting position holding her stomach. I braced for another round of vomit. She continued to carefully raise herself off the bed and brushed off my help. Half bent over, she slowly worked her way to the bathroom and closed the door before I could follow. The sounds that followed were obviously not associated with throwing up. I remembered the doctor's statement about dehydration, and I left to get some ice water. I returned, and Mia wasn't done yet. Poor girl! I felt so bad for her.

The sheets were soaked with sweat and water. I guessed it would be a good time to change them. I set the water down on the nightstand and stripped the bed. I remade the bed with fresh sheets, then sat and waited. It wasn't long before I heard the toilet flush. It was followed a moment later by the shower starting. I waited. After twenty minutes I knocked on the door and didn't receive an answer. The door wasn't locked so I opened it, calling her name. When she didn't respond, I entered and saw her sitting on the floor of the shower hugging her knees.

"Mia, the doctor said I need to keep you hydrated." I brought my volume up above the waterfall.

"Get the fuck out!" she screamed at me. It didn't leave room for debate. I left quickly and quietly closed the door. Memories of high school flashed through my mind. I really hate other people. I left the bedroom and ran down to the beach. I would have to find a replacement for Monica. I couldn't deal with this anymore.

I sat on the lounger and listened to the ocean. It was calm and repetitive, and it washed away the world. I could think more clearly. I had many lawyers who had other wealthy clients. They must know of people who knew how to handle things. I could call them and they could find the next Monica. I felt I had a solid plan of action. If I just sit here long enough, Mia would just leave, and I would find a replacement for Monica. Then everything would be back to normal. I lay back with a smile on my face and let the waves drone on. After a while, the sun forced me to shift the umbrella. Why hadn't I researched that automatic umbrella yet?

"I'm sorry." The voice was weak. I turned to see a pale Mia with wet hair. She was wrapped in my robe. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"What makes you think I'm hurt?" My defenses were up. I wasn't going to ever admit that she got to me. If you admit it, they just pile it on. She sat on the sand next to the lounger.

"You didn't come back." She was looking up at me. I wasn't biting, so I looked back at the ocean and she continued, "I was thinking of things I didn't want to remember. They wouldn't leave my head, and I kind of lashed out at you." She looked out at the ocean with me. "I not very good with people these days." I wasn't expecting that. I felt a little out of place and didn't know how to respond, so I resorted to something I rarely did. I told the truth.

"I have never been good with people." My eyes never left the ocean. I was ready for her to recognize my weakness and beat me over the head with it. It was the biggest risk I had ever taken with someone other than my Grandma. I felt naked. She leaned over and gently laid her head along my thigh.

"We are two fucked-up individuals." Her eyes never left the ocean. I moved my hand to her long black hair and began untangling it gently with my fingers. I couldn't believe the truth was the right thing to say. We sat that way for a long time. "This is really nice... so peaceful." She was still looking out and listening to the waves.

"I come here to hide away from the world." She might as well know it all. She turned her body around and faced me.

"I can't think of nicer place to hide away." She cocked her elbow across my knee and used it as pillow. "You would've made a hell of a nurse. Not many people could have handled today."

"I'm sorry I didn't come back." I realized I was very sorry I made that mistake. I didn't want her to think less of me. I was feeling a bit wimpy and I wanted to be stronger.

"We are two sorry fucked-up individuals." She smiled. I smiled back. "If my memory serves me correctly, this is just the calm before another storm. I better get something in my stomach so it doesn't hurt to bad." I stood up out of the chair and helped Mia up.

"You've done this before?" She was still looking a bit weak. I kept her hand once she was standing.

"Seen it before. I was an RN in another life." She gripped my hand a little tighter and used me to steady her walking a bit. My survival now made a bit more sense. I had a strong desire to know more, but I didn't think it was the right time. She leaned against me as we walked back up to the house. It felt nice, sort of like the waves only a bit better.

"What would you like to eat?" I asked as we entered the kitchen.

"Truthfully? Nothing," she said as she sat on the counter stool. "But I better try to get something down. Bread, maybe?" She didn't look too excited about the proposition. I began rummaging through the cabinets and pantry looking for bread-like items. I found crackers, pancake mix, corn bread mix, and various muffin mixes. No bread.

"Pancakes okay?" It looked like they would be least invasive of the choices.

"Sure!, No syrup for me, though. Don't think I could handle the sugar." She was developing circles under her eyes. I wondered if she had slept at all last night. I grabbed the pancake mix and spent a few minutes trying to find a measuring cup and mixing spoon to go with a bowl. "You don't cook much do you?" She had been studying my assembly.

"Well, it is a new kitchen. Monica stocked it all, and I don't know where anything is yet." I added a stupid smile to try and cover my ignorance.

"The same Monica who told me that if I didn't detox, I would go to jail?" Mia seemed truly intrigued by the web of Monica.

"Yep, and told me to help you detox or she wouldn't speak to me again." I didn't think before I spoke. I regretted my statement immediately and turned to Mia in attempt to rephrase.

"So you love this Monica?" What? Where did that come from?

"No! Absolutely not! We don't even like each other." I kind of blurted it out quickly. I didn't want anyone thinking I had any romantic desires for Monica.

"So why would you agree to help me?" She seemed intrigued as well as a bit agitated.

"She does things for me." I felt a bit nervous. I was screwing things up again. "I'm not good with people, so I pay her to take care of things." I pointed around the house. "All of this she did in three weeks." Saying it out loud sounded a bit ludicrous. I fell back to the truth and quietly added, "I'm glad she made me do it." Mia looked at me funny.

"You're glad she made you clean up my puke?" Mia was incredulous. I should never have opened my mouth. Why can't I ever think before I speak to other people? I couldn't look her in the eyes, so I looked at the floor.

"I'd do it again if it meant you would sit with me on the beach again." God, it sounded pathetic. I was pathetic. I heard a gasp and expected the worse. I wasn't going to hide from it this time. I lifted my head and Mia had a hand over her mouth. She had a strained look in her eyes. I guess she thought it was pathetic too. She shook her head and ran to the hall bathroom.

The retching started immediately followed by coughing and crying. She was in pain, and I felt it. I didn't make the pancakes fast enough. I ran to the bathroom with no idea what I was going to do about it. Her entire body went into convulsions each time she tried to throw up. Hardly anything was coming out, and you could see the pain in her eyes. There was nothing I could do. I sat down next to her and pulled her hair out of the toilet. I spent the next fifteen minutes trying not to cry.

Mia finally pulled back from the rim of the toilet wincing in pain. "God, that hurt!" There were tears down her face, and her eyes looked like they had just been punched. I grabbed a washcloth and soaked it with warm water. I sat back down and began to wipe her face clean. "I like you too, Dale." She gave me a weak smile. Her eyes were completely bloodshot and underlined by dark moons, her nose was bright red and runny, and she was pale as a ghost. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever met. I hugged her to me.

I finally got some water into her. I had her wrapped up in a blanket against me on the couch as another bout of shivering ran through her whole body. As I held her, I wondered how she broke through my walls. I stroked her hair and couldn't understand why I wanted to help her. I never wanted to help anyone before. I knew it wasn't because she saved my life, and it wasn't because of Monica's threats. I wanted her pain to go away. It hurt me to watch her. I ran my hand down her arm and saw the history of self abuse. Little bruised needle marks trying to heal. I didn't understand why I didn't find her appalling. I wondered if she would stay after she was better. A little fear began to fester. I shoved it aside. I knew where fear would lead. I would prefer that she left me than to shut her out again.

The night was long. I held Mia when she needed it and gave her space when she needed it. I always came back. She barely slept. Wave after wave of awfulness tore through her body. I cried when she wasn't looking. I have never seen anyone in such misery. She finally passed out around eight in the morning. I covered her and left her to sleep. I was so happy that it she was out of pain for the moment. I wasn't sure how much more she could take.

I was just pouring a cup of coffee when the doorbell rang. I opened the door to Dr. Williams. "Good morning, Doc," I said with a smile. Normally, a morning visitor would piss me off. "Got some fresh coffee on. Like a cup?"

"You're looking a bit more chipper than I expected. And yes, I would like one. Black." Wally smiled back and headed into the house. "How's Mia?"

"She's been sleeping for about an hour. She had a rough night, but we got through it." I poured him a cup of joe and handed it across the counter. He grabbed the cup and looked at me strangely.

"I've got to say, Mr. Tomlinson..." I quickly held up my hand and interrupted.

"Please... Call me Dale." I'd never done that before. It just seemed the right thing to do, and it made me feel good.

"Well Dale, I have a really good idea of what happened in the last 24 hours." He was examining my face as I took another sip of coffee. "I expected you to be a bit more frazzled. In fact I was surprised when I didn't get a phone call last night." I smiled. I didn't think I could explain it to him.

"I don't know how to explain it. We kind of got into a rhythm." I took another sip of coffee. For some reason, it tasted better than usual. "I think I actually helped make it less horrible." I smiled at the thought. That is exactly what I did.

"You'd make a hell of a nurse." He nodded his head to me as he took another sip. I wondered if he thought the coffee was good. "Not many people are built to handle a detox." I smiled inwardly at the compliment. He chuckled a bit, "I think that Monica thought it was going to be a bit tougher on you." Now, that made me smile outwardly!

"Who knew? Yesterday, I would have agreed with her." No need to hide the fact that this was new to me also. I actually enjoyed surprising the doctor as much as myself. I hoped secretly that he would convey his thoughts to Monica as well. Wally pulled a pill bottle out of his pocket and laid it on the counter.

"Sometime today or tomorrow, the violent symptoms will cease." His voice slipped into a clinical tone. "As soon as Mia can hold down food, she needs to start taking these vitamins." he was gesturing to the bottle. "They should help rebuild her a bit quicker. The detox has a tendency to zap the body pretty hard." His expression became more serious, and he made sure he had my attention. "Dale, the next part is a bit harder." I didn't like the sound of that.

"Detox will lower her tolerance for heroin. It is extremely important that she not begin using again." He again made sure he had my attention. "Mia could easily overdose if she went back to her old patterns." Fuck! That wasn't at all a pleasant thought. I didn't even think someone would consider reuse after what I saw yesterday.

"You are going to have to find out why she started using and ended up driving that boat into the rocks." He was very serious, and I didn't like what he was implying.

"She was just stoned and lost control of the boat." I was trying to defend Mia. There is no way she meant to hit the rocks. His face became more sympathetic.

"Heroin doesn't remove all your inhibitions. It doesn't suddenly make you stupid. It removes the pain of life." He was having trouble explaining. "She meant to hit those rocks, and she didn't expect to survive it." Oh God! I didn't want to hear this. Somehow I envisioned the heroin was some kind of accident that got out of hand. It was a much better history than what he was proposing.

"We have to find out why she did it." I was looking down at my coffee cup. I wasn't sure I wanted him to continue. "She is not going to want to tell you." I remembered the pain when she told me to "get the fuck out!" I would take the puking any day over that. "If she doesn't face her demons, her future is not good. We have to heal both her body and her mind." I looked up from my cup, and I knew my eyes were watering and my hands were shaking. His expression quickly changed.

"Oh shit! I didn't realize," Wally continued in a softer tone. "I can bring in a professional to get her through this. This can get pretty painful, and feelings get hurt during the process." He looked at me with sorrowful expression. "It's normal that you would feel a bond with your patient, but it's rarely healthy if you let it go too far." Suddenly I was pissed. That he would insinuate that my concern was some kind of normal bonding process that should be ignored. Mia wasn't just my patient. She was as much my nurse as I was hers.

"Mia and I are two sorry fucked-up individuals." I didn't care how it sounded. Wally looked shocked at my statement. "We will get through this together and we don't need any psychiatrist screwing things up." I was looking him straight in the face. In the past, I would have left the room instead of entering into a confrontation. Not now, not with Mia at stake.

"Dale, I don't think..." Wally was interrupted by a weak voice from the hallway.

"You heard him Doc." It was Mia, dressed in my robe and pale as ever, leaning against the wall. She was looking at me. "I'm not going through this with anyone but Dale." Her smile was weak, but it felt like an ocean of waves. Wally looked between Mia and me a couple of times and sighed.

"Okay. If you two are still friends after this, I will eat my hat." He realized he couldn't stop it. "I would still like to drop in and monitor your physical recovery Mia." I still couldn't believe she backed me up. In public. I answered for her.

"That would be great Doc. I would hate for her to be sick any longer than necessary." I realized I was still staring at Mia's smile and quickly returned to looking at Wally. He was shaking his head, wearing a smile.

"Not what I expected at all." He chuckled and held his hand out to me. I shook it and winked at Mia. "I'll be back in two days to give you a physical, Mia." She gave him a weak wave. I showed him out the door. I gathered Mia in my arms.

"I was hoping you would sleep a bit longer." I whispered to her. She still looked weak.

"I got your back baby." I know she tried to sound strong, but it just kind of trickled out. So adorable. I brought her back to bed. She surprised me by dropping the robe before climbing naked into the bed. I felt guilty admiring her curves as I pulled the covers over her naked form. "I am so tired... Just can't seem to stay asleep." She yawned as she said it.

"Be right back." I said and for some reason I kissed her forehead. It was cold and clammy but very soft. I headed to my office library room or at least what I envisioned Monica thought it should be. I looked across the shelves and picked up my 25-year-old copy of The Hobbit. Sitting on the desk was the book I was reading the day Mia saved my life. I knocked it into the trash. I was sick of my old rules and the book really sucked.

I pulled a chair up next to Mia. I sat and propped my legs up on the edge of the bed. I opened the book and began to read. I always loved The Hobbit and the trilogy that followed. A story of the small and meek defeating evil and changing the course of all for the better. It got me through some pretty tough times. I wasn't sure it would suit Mia's literary taste. I just figured her mind needed to rest. I would read, and she only had to listen. I looked over between paragraphs. Her eyes were closed, but she was wearing a smile. I could tell she was still awake. I continued reading.

By the time I got to the second chapter, Mia was out cold. Her head had tilted to one side, and her mouth had a little drool hanging on for dear life. I closed the book and watched her for a few minutes before my head drooped down and I joined her in dreamland.

I awoke later with a stiff neck. Sleeping in a chair has a penalty for those in their thirties. Mia was gone. I wasn't surprised at first. She had been getting more animated as the hours wore on. Then I remembered Bob's comments about old habits, and I got a bit scared. I searched the bathroom and the other bedrooms on the way down the hall. I picked up my pace and didn't slow down until I saw her sitting on a stool in the kitchen. She had her back to me, looking up at a cabinet full of SpaghettiOs. Embarrassment creep into my bones.

"Ahh, that's kind of a little obsession of mine." I scratched my head trying to figure a way to explain my childish tastes. She didn't move or respond. Something wasn't right. I walked carefully around the counter, my concern was rising. As I got close, she turned to me. There were tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Adrian loved those. Sometimes, it was the only thing I could get him to eat." I could see the pain in her eyes. I didn't understand the context, but I knew it hurt bad. I pulled her to my shoulder and closed the cabinet.

"I'll get rid of them." I didn't care if I ever ate another can. "I'm so sorry you saw them." I didn't know what else to say. I had no idea why they triggered so much pain.

She pulled away from my shoulder. "No, you'll keep them right there." Her crying had stopped, and the tears were smeared by my shirt. "They are good memories: Adrian coming home from school, the kisses and hugs." She was tearing up again. "I tried to get him to eat better, but he loved that crap." She was blubbering, half laughing, and half crying. I saw more pain, and I had no way to take it away. I asked the obvious question, the one I really didn't want an answer to, but I knew she had to answer for me.

"Adrian is your son?" I gave it present tense, hoping I was wrong, but knowing where this type of pain comes from. I felt it when my Grandma died. She dropped her head back to my shoulder.

"Was." She said quietly. "One minute, life was great, and the next, there was a cop at the door." She was crying and holding me tighter. "One fucking accident, and my whole family was gone." Even though I knew it was coming, I wasn't prepared. I felt my Grandma's death all over again as Mia dredged up the memories of her loss. I think I knew where the "get the fuck out of here!" came from. God help us, we were two sorry fucked-up individuals.

I led her to the couch in the living room, and we sat. I wiped the tears from my eyes and prepared to listen. "Tell me about Adrian." I knew I had to know for her sake. He had to live again, if just for a moment in this room.

I listened for over an hour as she told me about Adrian and his father Carlos: their lives and their dreams. Adrian was obviously in line to be the next President of these United States. She was married for eleven years before the accident. Adrian was ten at the time. I noticed the color coming back to her face as she went on about Adrian's exploits. I heard how he broke his arm climbing a tree and how he won a book contest, how he had drawings all over the house, and when he drew on the house when he was three. I envied Carlos those eleven years. She looked so alive reliving them. I could only imagine the amount of love in that household. When she was done, she sighed.

"I'm so sorry you lost them." It was a useless statement, but I couldn't just keep staring at her. She scooted over to me and laid her head on my chest. I wrapped my arms around her.

"I can't even remember if I told them that I loved them that morning. It really bothers me that I can't remember that." She wasn't crying or blubbering anymore. It was just a pain that wouldn't go away.

"Even if you didn't (which I doubt) they knew it." If her description was even half way true, they wouldn't have had any doubts."It didn't sound like your family was lacking in the love department." I absently stroked her hair. I really like playing with her hair. It seemed so natural to be running my fingers through it. Her timing was a bit bad, but she said what I had already figured out.

"Heroin lets me forget them." I was a little surprised that she didn't use past tense. "I shoot up, and it all goes away." She fluttered her hand in the air. I didn't comment on her verb tense. I was hoping it was just a slip and not a Freudian one.

"You've got some of your color back." I smiled. "What do you say to something to eat?" I wanted to get off the subject of heroin, at least for one more day. She sat up.

"Dale, you haven't eaten either." She had a concerned look on her face. "We've got to get something into you, too." She stood and headed to the kitchen with determination. I followed happily. She seemed to be getting better by the moment.

We finally cooked the pancakes. I had syrup on mine, and she shied away from the sugar. Dry pancakes and water seemed to suit her stomach. We talked about nothing special as we cooked and ate. It was as if she had lived here her whole life. We decided to spend part of the afternoon down on the beach. The summer sun was shining, and we had been cooped up inside too long. I carried down one of the pool loungers so no one would have to sit on the sand. We shared the dumb umbrella.

She was still in my robe. We would have to do something about that. I didn't even know where she lived. We lay listening to the waves. I tried not to stare as she exposed her legs to the warm air. They had a wisp of stubble but looked soft nonetheless. She probably also needed toiletries. In my mind, I was filling closets and bathrooms, and I realized I had her moving in. I knew I was moving too fast, but the thought was very pleasant.

"I don't want to use again, you know." It came out of nowhere. I was a little surprised that she was thinking about it.

"What?" It was a place holder. I didn't have time to think, but I felt she wanted me to respond.

"I know I said it wrong. It just came out that way." She lifted her head up and looked at me. "I can remember forgetting, and it was nice. I don't want to do it again though." She was still tempted, and it brought fear that I felt in my stomach.

"Then move in here." It was the only thing I could think of. I had to keep her away from her old life. "I won't let you use again."

"You'd live with a junky?" She looked back to the ocean. I could almost feel her shame.

"You and all your sins are welcome. You'll just have to pile them on top of mine." I guess it was the right thing to say. She got up and cuddled into my lounger. She folded her hand around my neck and pulled me to her lips. They were soft and warm and tasted of dry pancakes. I prayed mine tasted like syrup. I hadn't showered or slept in over a day. She didn't seem concerned, so I let it drop from my mind and just enjoyed the sweetest lips in the world. It was much better than the waves. I knew at that exact moment that I loved her. The world would tell me it was too soon, insane, or just lust. For once in my life, I truly didn't care what the world thought.

"I assume that was a yes," I said, smiling like a five-year-old at Christmas.

"This is insane! We hardly even know each other." She was holding both sides of my head and looking into my eyes. "This could go so wrong."

"Letting you leave could only be worse." I pushed her hair back behind her ear. Even though they were still a bit bloodshot, I found her eyes very pretty. "Stay with me." I asked again.

"Yes." She kissed me again, then laid her head on my shoulder. "I really love it out here." We listened to the waves for a few minutes. But two unshowered people on the same lounger in the summer heat was a bit much. Mia stood up with a smile, grabbed my hand, and said, "Come swimming with me." Her energy was returning with her color. I let her pull me out of the chair, and we headed back to the pool.

"I don't think I have a suit for you." I said stupidly. She smirked at my ignorance.

"Then you can't wear one either." I had slowed down a bit. For some reason, I felt my naked body might be a disappointment to her. The sun was still bright in the sky. My fantasies with her had always involved darkness and sheets on a bed. She sensed my hesitation and turned to face me. She grabbed my other hand and gently pulled me while walking backwards herself. She was wearing a mischievous smile. When we reached the pool patio she let go of my hands and slowly dropped the robe to the stones below. I had seen her naked while crying, sweating, and freezing. I had seen her naked in pain I wouldn't wish on an enemy. I had never seen her naked with eyes that matched her heavenly smile.

"You're stunning." I realized I wasn't looking at her face. I was entranced by her womanly curves and two of the most perfect breasts. Maturity had relaxed them ever so slightly which made them all the more inviting. I could have spent a lifetime exploring them.

"Compliments won't get you out of it." She had moved her hands to her hips and she widened her smile. All I really saw was breasts when I began unbuttoning my shirt. Mia knew where my eyes were. She giggled and made her breasts bounce. I ripped the last button off my shirt, and it went bouncing into the grass. I dropped my shirt onto the patio and began undoing my pants. The stupid zipper got stuck for a moment, which forced me to move my eyes. I didn't realize how aroused I had become until I looked down. Embarrassed, I lowered my pants slowly trying to think about mergers and stock reports. It didn't work—all I could think of were those breasts. My boxers were terribly tented, and I tried to cover myself.

Mia moved in close and pushed her breasts into my chest as she leaned into me for a passionate kiss. Her right hand traveled down my side and into the elastic of my boxers. She gently wrapped her hand around my hard-on, and I barely held back a groan. "I'm glad I turn you on." She whispered in my ear.

"God, I want to swim with you." I gasped as she gave me a little squeeze. Mia broke out in laughter. It washed over me as I realized what I said and began to join in. I hadn't realized that she was turning me around, steering me by my cock. She pushed. The last thing I saw when I entered the pool was two gorgeous breasts bouncing from the effort. I tried not to laugh underwater as I removed my now soaking shorts. It was difficult with a raging hard-on. I swam to the surface to find her still laughing at the side of the pool. God, she was beautiful. I threw my now-wadded shorts at her and got her right in the leg. She gave me a faux angry look and dove in after me.

I didn't swim away. I let her catch me. I just pulled her lips to mine and kissed her in the sun. I felt young again. The world couldn't be more perfect. We swam and played. I splashed her and let her win the ensuing water war. We cuddled, drifted, and talked of unimportant things. We just simply enjoyed each other. We ended up on the shallow end stairs. I was caressing her thigh when I let my hand slowly drift between her legs. Her hand met mine there, and she lifted it to her lips and kissed it.

"Dale, my body is still kind of messed up. It's going to take a few more days before I'm ready for anything more." Mia sounded like she thought she was disappointing me. I thought I was being rude.

"I'm sorry." I said stroking the side of her face. "I didn't mean to move so fast." I vowed I would let her set the speed from here on. She floated on top of me practically nose to nose. I felt her hand close around my manhood.

"I'm not sorry you tried." She whispered. She began slowly stroking my member, her eyes inches from mine. "I do want to have you inside me." The intensity of her eyes and her words generated electricity in my groin. She smiled when she felt my hips react to her manipulations. She became more deliberate in her strokes. "You won't be able to keep me off you." Her hand was speeding up, and my hips began to jerk uncontrollably. I moaned into her mouth, my eyes never leaving hers. I tenderly grabbed her hips to keep myself in place. She had me and she knew it. "We'll make love over and over my darling." Weirdly, it was the "my darling" that sent me over the edge. A simple term of endearment.

"Oh, God," I moaned as her mouth closed over mine. My hips jerked and I spewed into the water. Her tongue began to fight with mine as I came again. Her breasts dragged across my chest and caused my climax to lengthen. My legs were no longer responding to my direction and forced my hips forward as the last of my orgasm faded into the water. She was still tenderly caressing my cock as our lips became unlocked.

I couldn't believe how wonderful a real sexual experience was. I have paid to make my dick happy in the past, but it never really lived up to the hype. When the woman was participating without any cash incentive, just wanting to make me feel good, it was on a different level all by itself.

"I really love swimming with you." I said dreamily into her eyes. I loved to hear her laughter. After seeing her in so much pain, it was heaven-sent. I held her as my body recovered and her laughter subsided. I almost told her I loved her right there. I was afraid it would scare her and send her running. No, I could wait. I just gave her a kiss instead. "I need a shower."

"And a shave," she said stroking my shadow. I stood on the steps and offered her my hand. I rose, naked, with a beautiful woman on my arm. Three days ago, I was a confirmed bachelor satisfied with my ignorance. I only really trusted one other person, and it took Monica years to earn that trust. I have entrusted Mia with my heart in two days. It was risky, and I don't hurt well. I would just have to never give her a reason to crush it.

Without asking, I steered Mia to the bathroom and started the shower. She didn't hesitate or question my intentions. It was surreal compared to my past experiences with people. She followed me into the steam with a smile matching mine. I wanted to know all of her. I wanted her to know that I wanted to know all of her.

I soaked Mia's hair and massaged in some shampoo. Her hair seemed so silky as I pulled the shampoo down to the long ends that fell to the small of her back. She loved when I spend time at the base of her neck and behind the ears. It was all very sensual until I got shampoo in her eye. It broke the spell and she laughed, looking at me with one eye squeezed shut. I wiped what I could and steered her to the shower spray. She leaned back into the stream to wash out the shampoo. This move pushed her chest out. It was too beautiful to ignore. I grabbed the bar of soap and began to slowly suds up her breasts. It brought a giggle since she was still preoccupied trying to clear her eye.

I was mesmerized. I had never had a pair of breasts to play with. They were soft but firm. I ran my fingers across the nipples, and they grew. I felt proud making them stand up like that. I liked lifting them and watching them fall back to natural. They were so smooth. "Are they really that dirty?" I looked past Mia's smile and into her eyes.

"Filthy, absolutely filthy!" I tried to look serious to make up for my moment of obsession. It was hard to hold back a smile. Playing with her boobies was way too much fun. She leaned into me and gave me a little peck but never removed my roving hands. I continued with the rest of her body more clinically. I spent only seconds between her legs trying to not make any sexual overtures. I spent extra time collecting mini moans as I rubbed her back and shoulders with sudsy hands. This was without a doubt the best shower I had ever had.

Mia grabbed the soap and began exploring my body. I enjoyed her tender hands stroking my chest and got quite a tinge when she squeezed my butt. When she arrived at my half mast cock, she looked into my eyes and began slowly stroking it. My dick got a bit angry when I grabbed her hand away and brought it to my lips for a kiss. "I want to wait for you." I wanted it to sound like it was laced with love, but I didn't realize how much soap was on her hand. I kind spit it out.

Mia ignored the how and just heard what I said. Her lips locked on mine and I our tongues did a slow waltz. Even with the slight taste of soap mixing with the kiss, neither of us wanted it to stop. It was only the need to take a proper breath that finally ended it. The kiss brought me to full arousal. I ignored it as I rinsed myself clean. A small case of blue balls was worth what that kiss promised. I shut off the shower and passed out the towels.

When I handed her my robe, I remembered that Mia still didn't have any clothes. "Should we stop by your place to pick up some of your things?" I was surprised when she hesitated, almost like she wasn't sure how to answer. She made a few aborted attempts to say something, looking at the floor then up to me.

"I'm really not ready to go back there." Her face was sad, but her eyes looked hopefully at me. I knew I was going to accept the statement. I also knew she was hiding something more sinister than memories. It wasn't time for her to tell me. I loved her, so I knew I might let her get away with never telling me. I was still curious.

"Well, we can dress you funny in my sweats and a T-shirt and go shopping tomorrow." I made it sound like it would be fun. I wanted her to know I wouldn't press on her past.

"Dale, I'm not sure I can afford a shopping trip right now." She started to re-dry her legs to give her an excuse not to look up at me. I never even considered that she would think I intended her to pay for it. I was kind of flabbergasted at the thought. I spoke without thinking.

"Mia, money is the only thing we never have to worry about." It just came out. I could have said it a hundred different ways that would have come out better. I couldn't believe I just let on that my money was her money. I might as well have asked her to marry me. Mia stopped moving. When she lifted up her watery eyes, I got scared.

"There are things you don't know about me." She wasn't looking at me. She was looking at the wall behind me. "I'm not a good person and certainly don't deserve any of this." Tears were flowing and my heart was hurting. "I won't ever tell you, because I couldn't stand you hating me." Her head dropped back to the floor, and her hand covered her eyes. I dropped my naked ass to the floor, and my head fell forward in a slump.

"I didn't want to say it that way. It just came out." I was blubbering more, chastising myself. "I don't know how to talk to girls. I've never known how to talk to anyone." I was trying desperately not to start crying myself. "I'm sorry if I like you too much. I just don't know what do or say." I was sure I just screwed everything up. Mia started crying harder. I looked up at her, "I don't care about your secrets; I just don't want you to leave." She looked down to me.

"We are two sorry fucked-up individuals." It came out between her sobs. It sounded so much better than "get the fuck out of here!" but I started sympathetically tearing anyway.

"I want to buy clothes and stuff." It sounded stupid when it came out, but out it came none the less. I was trying not to start sobbing. Mia dropped to the floor with me, still crying, and hugged me close.

"Okay," she half cried into my ear. Thank God I didn't scare her off. We stayed on the floor for what seemed like forever. We just hugged until we could face each other again without tearing up.

"I don't feel like shaving now." I said as a matter of fact.

"I don't care if you do or not." She said as she stood up and pulled me up with her. She led me to the bed and dropped the robe and climbed in. I shut off the lights and tucked my naked body next to hers. We didn't say a word. We just held each other until we fell asleep.

I woke before Mia. I felt much better than I did when I crawled into bed. Mia was still there, and she had slept all night. I carefully pulled my tingling arm from under her neck. She smiled in her sleep, but the even breathing continued. I rose slowly, quietly donned some boxers, and left the room. What I needed was some coffee and space to think. Mia thought her secrets were going to come between us. She could have r*ped and murdered the pope for all I cared, but it was her thoughts that counted, not mine. The only way past this was to find out what her secrets were and prove to her that I didn't give a shit. It was past eight so I grabbed my phone and headed outside out of earshot.

"Hi this is Dale Tomlinson. I would like to talk with whoever handles my account." The receptionist sounded pleasant enough.

"No, I am sure Monica is fine. I just need to know who handles my account." I guess letting Monica handle everything was a bit extreme.

"Then Bob Farring is who I need to speak with please." This type of conversation used to piss me off. Today I empathized with the receptionist's confusion.

"Hi Bob, this is Dale Tomlinson." Finally I had the right person.

"No, Monica is just fine." I guess Monica was pretty ingrained into my business.

"You guys use investigators, right?" Now we were moving in the right direction.

"Good! I want you to do a discreet background check on someone for me. Her name is Mia Perez, and I believe she lives somewhere in downtown Capersfield. I know she used to be an RN." I waited for Bob to write it all down.

"No, not a whole life history. Just her current address, employment, what she's done for the last few years, etc." Her long past was probably cleaner than mine. I just needed the more current data.

"Bob, no one but you and the investigator will know about this. Bill it any way you want, but keep it private." I wasn't shocked by his next question.

"No, Monica doesn't need to know about this either. Send me a text when you have what I need, and I will call when I can." Bob was still a little surprised to deal with me directly.

"Thanks, Bob! You have a good day too." I wasn't sure why I felt the need to be pleasant. I went back in the house and started to make some coffee. I knew I had to keep this from Mia. I was betraying her trust and digging into what she wanted hidden. Love makes you do some really fucked-up things.

Mia followed the smell of the coffee into the kitchen. She was again wearing my robe. I was beginning to hate that robe. "Would you like a cup of coffee?" I asked as I sipped from my cup. She thought about it for a moment, then shook her head no.

"I don't think I'm ready for java just yet. Maybe tomorrow." She pulled up a stool and sat across the counter from me.

"You slept the whole night. Got to be a good sign." I gave her a small smile. I was still a little nervous that I might have pushed the envelope too far last night.

"I do feel better." She smiled back. "Do we have any cereal?" I almost jumped out of my skin. I didn't think she even knew she used the word "we." I started looking through the cabinets, trying not to look too ecstatic, not wanting a replay of last night.

"Here! I found Raisin Bran and Cinnamon Chex." I felt like I had found gold.

"Oh, Chex please." I went to the fridge, praying that Monica had stocked milk. I found 2%, well under the expiration date. I placed milk and Chex in front of Mia and fished out a bowl and spoon. Why had cereal suddenly become so exciting? Dr. Williams's conversation came back to me, and I grabbed the vitamins from behind me and placed them in front of Mia.

"Doctor's orders." I think I sounded a little motherly. She just smiled and popped the cap and dumped one into her hand. It was the size of a VW. She frowned a bit.

"I'm going to need some water." She rolled it around in her hand. I quickly retrieved a glass and filled it with water. It struck me that the last person I had ever served anything too was my Grandma. Here I was, grabbing items on command for Mia. I kept the revelation to myself as I watched Mia struggle to swallow the horse pill. She made a horrendous face.

"Do they dip those is shit before they bottle them?" She gagged a couple of times before she took another sip of the water. I laughed at her reaction, which I quickly realized was the wrong thing to do. She pushed the bottle toward me smiling.

"You need your vitamins too, Dale." It was an obvious challenge. I had no intention of wimping out in front of Mia. I grabbed the bottle with bravado and spilled a pill into my hand. I tossed it to the back of my throat where it immediately got stuck. The flavor began to spread from the back of my tongue to the front. "Shit" was a kind description of the flavor. I guess my expression told the story because Mia burst into laughter. I grabbed her glass of water and drank with gusto. Anything to get that rancid flavor out of my mouth.

"That was horrible!" I exclaimed as Mia covered her mouth trying to hide more laughter. I loved her laughter. It brightened the whole room. I had to find a less disgusting way to generate more. "You have some breakfast. I'm going to clean up and shave so we can go shopping." I walked around the counter and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. It felt good to share a bit of affection on a whim.

"Aren't you going to eat?" She seemed a little concerned.

"Naw, never been a breakfast person." I kept going toward the bathroom. It took about 20 minutes to clean up and locate some sweats that might not make Mia look like a complete fool. I had some T-shirts that had shrunk a while ago. I had no idea why I didn't throw them away years ago. Good thing I didn't. They might be the only things that would come close to fitting Mia.

My nose grabbed hold of pleasant scent. I was suddenly hungry, and I smiled my way back to the kitchen. Mia was stirring a pot of SpaghettiOs and heard me walking up behind her. "I have no idea why you and Adrian like this stuff." I could feel her smile through the back of her head. I sat at the counter.

"It's packed with memories. I grew up on the stuff." I waited patiently why Mia filled a bowl and served me.

"Your mom make it for you too?" She leaned on her elbows as I ate the first spoonful. It was as good as ever.

"My grandmother raised me actually." I smiled, remembering coming home from school with the same scent lofting through the air.

"Tell me about her." Mia settled on a stool and waited for me to respond. I did. I told her about the most special woman I had ever known. I had never really talked to anyone about my Grandma. Mia listened intently to my words. I left out some of the reasons why I thought of my Grandma's place as sanctuary. They seemed trivial now. It was so important a week ago, but today, right now, they were just history.

"Is that her on the wall?" Mia was pointing to the small picture hanging above the credenza in the hall.

"Yes, that's her." I felt proud pointing it out to someone. She was such a wonderful woman. Mia walked up to the picture and looked at it more closely. It pleased me that someone else would notice the picture.

"I love the butterfly broach she's wearing." Mia was touching it with her finger like it was real.

"It was her favorite." I realized I kind of missed that broach. "Whenever she wore it, I knew she was happy. I think my Grandpa gave it to her." I wondered where it was now. "I bet it's in storage somewhere, Monica would know. She is the one who set up the hospice and the funeral and took care of everything." I had forgotten about that. "That's when I first met Monica."

"Your Grandma must have loved you a lot." Mia stated the obvious as she returned to the kitchen.

"And I her." I added as I spooned another bit of heaven in my mouth. "It was hard when I lost her." I didn't know why I added the last part. I never really shared my feelings about her death with anyone.

"I hope our memories never die." Mia was staring off into space.

"They never will as long as SpaghettiOs exist." I smiled and took another spoonful. I could see that Mia liked that thought, stupid as it was. She reached out and caressed my cheek.

"I like the sound of that." She smiled and started toward the bedroom. "I going to get cleaned up." I finished my SpaghettiOs.

Mia returned wearing sweat pants obviously too big for her, cinched tight at the waist. She was wearing a pair of my flip flops, the only footwear that even came close to fitting. The T-shirt would never work. It was quite evident that she wasn't wearing a bra. She went back and returned with two T-shirts on. That was much better. At least her nipples weren't advertising. Mia thought my concern was silly, but she humored me with the additional shirt.

For someone so concerned with what I thought of her, she had no inhibitions with other people. The poor guy at the cash register at the clothing store was left in a terrible state.

"Ma'am, these panties are short a pair." He thought he was being helpful by pointing out the missing merchandise.

"That's because I'm wearing one." She said it with a straight face, never offering any reason as to why. He was a little flustered but kept ringing up the other items. He ran through a couple of bras and then found an unattached bra tag.

"Ma'am, there's no ..." Mia just smiled and winked at him. He rang up the missing bra and continued through other missing items, never asking again. Mia was looking good in a new pair of khaki shorts and a light blue pullover shirt. She had on a nice pair of sneakers that made her look a bit energetic. I liked the new Mia. The clerk rattled off some total, and I handed him my card.

"Horrible suitcase accident." I smiled at him. I think he believed me. Mia was snickering. We moved to the pharmacy down the street. Mia embarrassingly told me she was going to get me a new toothbrush too. Seems she had been secretly using mine. I laughed. It was kind of sexy to me. She thought she was being gross. I had no idea why sticking her tongue in my mouth was okay, but using my toothbrush was gross.

It took us two trips to bring all the booty inside the house. I was pleased when she started to put it all away in the master bedroom. I was afraid she might try and claim her own bedroom. I was relegated to the bottom shelf in the medicine cabinet. I just sat on the bed and watched her continue to mark her territory in the closet and dresser drawers. I remembered that she must had done it before with Carlos. It was just natural for her. I simply loved the idea of her becoming part of my life.

We ordered in Chinese and spent the evening watching movies. Mia ate a lot of rice, and I scarfed down most of the meat and veggies. I wanted to pop a bottle of wine but thought better of it. Any drug right now would be a bad drug. To me, Mia looked fully recovered, but I knew the effects of heroin would be with her for a long time.

When the last movie ended, Mia grabbed my hand and took me to the bedroom. I was grateful that she didn't purchase any pajamas. She disrobed to all her glory. We cuddled ourselves to sleep again. She was my ocean.

The morning brought Dr. Wally Williams back. He examined Mia in the bedroom and returned with her about twenty minutes later. "I've got to say Dale, you're a hell of a nurse." He was smiling at me. "Mia is in much better shape than should be expected. Her vitals are back to normal, and she seems to have skipped of few days of ugliness." Mia was obviously pleased with results. "I have to say Mia, you look a lot happier than most of my detox patients at this stage."

"Dale has been taking good care of me." Mia and I shared a smile that was not lost on the doctor.

"Mia was telling me about your beach. Mind taking me for tour?" I saw Mia fold her hands across her chest, and she seemed to lose a bit of confidence. She sensed she wasn't invited. The doctor was already heading toward the sliding glass door, not waiting for my agreement.

"Sure Doc, it's a quick walk." I gave Mia a reassuring look and followed the doctor to the door. He waited until he was sure he was out of earshot of Mia.

"Dale, it looks like you two are living together." He made it sound like it was bad thing. I wasn't really concerned about his moral opinions. I just wanted him to make sure Mia was physically okay.

"And it's done both of us a world of good." I was sporting a relaxed smile. I was committed to my course of action and I wasn't even sure convincing him was worth the time. He paused for a moment considering my response.

"How smitten are you?" He wasn't beating around the bush. I could almost hear the gears moving in his head as he analyzed the situation. I saw no need to hide the obvious since he suspected anyway.

"Fully and completely." I gave him the same confident smile.

"How do you think she feels?" I didn't expect that question. I thought he was going to just lecture me on how foolish I was. I had to think a second.

"She's terrified I will find out about her past." I didn't add that I thought she was falling in love with me albeit a bit slower than I was. He stopped walking and thought deeply.

"This can go badly for her. All though she doesn't look it, she's fragile right now. If for any reason she thinks you are rejecting her, she will return to her old habits." He sounded like he didn't like the whole situation. "You don't even really know Mia. What if you don't like what's in her past?"

"I'm pretty sure I won't like it. I won't let it stop us though." I stopped smiling as the doctor tried to put doubts in my head. "In fact, I think me knowing is absolutely necessary." I had already started on this train of thought. This conversation was just solidifying it. Wally shook his head and smiled.

"This was not what I was expecting at all." He wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "You are an insane man, Dale. I truly hope this works out for the both of you." We started walking again down towards the beach. "She's not going to want to tell you everything, you know."

"I'm working on finding out myself. I have some people looking into things." I wasn't sure why I was confiding in him, but he seemed to have Mia's health and well being on top of his list. He just chuckled.

"Damn you live dangerously." He was shaking his head again. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere near her when she finds out. You really love her, don't you?"

"With all my heart." I stopped walking. I just admitted it out loud again.

"I did not expect this at all." He looked at me. "You know a lot of people aren't going to understand this." I laughed.

"Wally, I am very practiced at ignoring people. I couldn't care less what anyone thinks about Mia and me. They will just have to get over it." It felt good to think that my past isolation had a purpose. We continued down to the beach.

"This is actually pretty nice. Kind of peaceful." Wally was admiring the view as the waves gently crashed at the breakers. "You're going to have to find out why she tried to kill herself." I didn't like hearing it put that way. I knew it was true, but I wished he would use more tactful language.

"I know, and I will." I wasn't looking forward to that part. I didn't want to think about it right now. I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I didn't have any friends, so it could only be one reason. I pulled it out and saw a text from Bob Farring that contained only a phone number. "I have to make a phone call, Wally. Meet you back at the house?" He agreed and headed back up. I tapped the number.

A gruff voice I didn't recognize answered the phone. "This is Dale Tomlinson; I'm looking for Bob Farring." I kind of expected a receptionist or Bob.

"Mr. Tomlinson, I'm Frank Talbot. I was hired by Bob to look into some issues for you. Due to the direction the investigation took, I felt I should talk to you directly." He was speaking rather quickly. "I felt some discretion may be required. Are you related to Ms. Perez?"

"Ah, no, Frank. I am just concerned about her." I was quite sure I wanted him ignorant of my desired relationship.

"I want to warn you that you may not like what you hear. If she means anything to you, you can't un-hear it later." What the hell is he preparing me for?

"Just give me the report Frank." I braced myself.

"Ms. Perez was an RN about 3 years ago at St. Vincent's. She was the sole survivor of a car accident that killed her family on March 23rd, 3 years ago." Survivor? I thought she said she was at home. I interrupted.

"She was in the car?" I had to know everything.

"She was driving, Mr. Tomlinson." Good God! She's blaming herself. "The report listed distracted driving as the cause." He paused for a moment, then continued when I didn't interject again. "Ms. Perez stopped showing up for work after the accident and was terminated about four months after the accident. She had refused counseling, and the hospital had to let her go." Another pause, then he continued, "In October of that year her home was repossessed by the bank. I was unable to find where she went next. About six months ago she surfaced at the Causeway Apartments. Suite Number 224. The "suites" are basically one room apartments paid weekly. The Causeway Apartments are in a seedy part of town." Frank paused again. "Do you still want me to continue Mr. Tomlinson?"

"Yes." I wasn't feeling very well anymore.

"By the time she arrived there, she was addicted to heroin." He paused again, then continued into my silence. "She earned money for her habit through prostitution." He spoke the last sentence quickly and moved on. My hands were shaking. "She is currently two weeks in arrears for the apartment. Her belongings are now in storage on site, and no one knows her current location." I wasn't really prepared for this much. I now knew why she hated herself. I knew why she would never tell me everything. Fuck me! I still loved her. I had to find the out the rest.

"Frank, I really appreciate your discretion." I paused while I collected my thoughts. "I just purchased a small boat to replace one Ms. Perez wrecked. Bob will have the owner information. I need to know what happened four nights ago when the boat was wrecked."

"I can look into it, Mr. Tomlinson, but it's my experience that these things never seem to get better." He was a bit hesitant to continue. I think he sensed that I was more than just concerned.

"Just do it Frank. Double your normal rate and contact me only." The rest of the world will just have to guess.

"It will take me a day or two. I'll get back to you when I have something." He was all business.

"Thank you Frank." I hung up the phone. I wasn't sure anymore about confronting Mia. There was a bit more pain than I was expecting. I wiped my eyes dry, put on a smile, and headed back to the house.

Mia was laughing with Bob when I entered. I caught a quick imitation of my expression attempting to swallow a vitamin on Mia's face. New clothes, nice house, and normal conversation. She didn't look like she belonged to her past anymore. I wasn't looking forward to disturbing her new image. Wally saw me walking in.

"Thanks for the tour Dale." He was all smiles."I've got to get back to the grind. It takes everything I've got to keep that clinic going." He patted Mia on the shoulder and headed toward the door. "I am so happy you're doing so well." Mia kissed his cheek and sent him on his way. As soon as the door closed her expression turned darker and she turned to me.

"Am I allowed to know what you two were talking about on the beach." She had a determined look on her face, and I could sense a little fear behind it.

"Wally thinks it's a bad idea that I've gotten so close to you." I felt a little honesty would be best. I may keep things from her, but lying wasn't a good option. She sighed.

"He's right, you know. I'm not really a good person to get close to." She looked at me with a sad expression.

"He wasn't worried about me, he was worried about you. He was afraid I might change my mind and cause you to relapse." I saw a shiver run up her spine, and a little fear appear in her eyes. I felt a little more honesty was necessary. I caught her eyes with mine. "I told him I was fully committed to you." Mia dropped her guard and moved quickly into my arms.

"I don't deserve you." She was holding me very tight. I smiled inside knowing it was I who didn't deserve her. I pissed on the world for so long that I should have died a lonely old man. I now saw a shared future. I had to get her to drop her past like she has gotten me to forget mine. I didn't care who she used to be, I only cared who she was now.

"I have to go out and take care of some business this morning. Can I leave you alone for a few hours?" I smiled and gave her a quick kiss. She kissed me back a bit longer.

"I'm not going anywhere." She was getting more comfortable with me. I could feel it in the way she caressed the back of my neck and the look in her eyes. God, I didn't want to see her in tears again.

I grabbed my keys and drove the SUV downtown. The navigator was off by few blocks so I had to circle around a bit. "Seedy" was a nice way of describing this area. I finally found the Causeway Apartments. It looked more like an old run-down hotel. There was an old guy in a grey beard on the front stoop rocking back and forth. It looked like he had deteriorated with the structure.

I wasn't confident that my vehicle was safe parked here, but I had no good options. I should have paid Frank to come with me. I parked as close as I could get, hopped out, and locked it twice. I walked up to the old man. "Is there a landlord here?"

"More like the land king." He started laughing at his joke. I could smell his foul breath even though I was a good five feet away. "First door on the left. Can you spare some change?" He held a liver-spotted quivering hand. Screw it, I thought, at least he provided the information first. I reached into my pocket and loosened a ten by touch. I didn't want to pull out a wad of bills on this street. I handed him the ten.

"Watch my car, will you?" I just nodded to him as I walked past.

"Ain't no one gonna touch it Mister. Not with Freddy on the job." He was smiling pretty well. I saw that he was missing about half his teeth. Surprisingly, there was double door entry way to the place. It smelled like stale alcohol, but it must help with the weather. I pushed through the second set and was met with another smell. Unwashed dog was the only thing that was close. I wrinkled my nose and knocked on Suite 101 on the left.

A man slightly bigger than me in a stained wife beater T-shirt answered the door. "What you want?" He sounded like he grew up on the street and was proud of it.

"I am here to bring Mia Perez's account up to date and pick up her things." I wasn't sure I should have put it quite that way. I felt it may have come off a bit snobbish. He just smiled.

"She don't pay with money asshole, and I ain't interested in no blowjob from you." I wasn't prepared for that. The image of Mia on her knees before this piece of shit hit my brain like a ton of bricks. My fist shot forward before I had a chance to consider where I was. I connected with his face before he had a chance to drop his shitty grin. He dropped on his ass like a sack of potatoes, and blood started coming out of his nose. I had never hit anyone in my life before. My hand was in extreme pain. I struggled to ignore it. The landlord's expression promised my impending death. He rose, keeping a careful eye on me.

I pulled my money clip out of my pocket. "My investigator has told me that Mia has stayed here for six months." I started counting out bills and he slowed his rise. "I have no idea what one of these dumps cost." I kept snapping more bills off the clip. He returned to his feet and took a half a step away from me. His nose was dripping blood on the floor. He didn't seem bothered by the fact. "This is five thousand dollars that says she was a model tenant, an angel of virtue, and always current with the rent." I handed him the money. He understood immediately.

"I'm sorry I insulted her, Sir." He took the money from my hand slowly. "I mistaked the name for someone else. Where would you like Ms. Perez's belongings?" Greed is a wonderful motivator.

"The black SUV up front." I handed him another hundred. "Hire some help if you need to. Lose anything that looks like it might be related to drugs or her old profession." He nodded his head.

"Bobby get out here! We gots work to do." He was yelling back into the apartment. A younger carbon copy of the landlord appeared from around the corner.

"Damn, Pops! Who did your face?" He was eyeing me with suspicion.

"I ran into the door. We got to load Ms. Perez's belongings into this gentleman's SUV." He was pointing at me. The son didn't grasp the "gentleman" reference and started to speak.

"You mean that whor..." His father's hand moved much quicker than mine ever could and slapped his son across the face.

"We don't make disparaging comments about our best tenants." The landlord smiled at me and handed his son the hundred. "Let's get her stuff loaded." Bobby moved off with renewed vigor after pocketing the hundred. I returned outside to Freddy guarding my car. He was leaned up against it like he owned it.

"Thank you Freddy." I smiled at him and received a toothless grin in return. It took the father and son team fifteen minutes to load up the five boxes that made up Mia's life. Bobby must have heard the whole story, because he apologized to me at first sighting. After the SUV was loaded, the landlord came up and indicated they were done.

"I removed some stuff you didn't want to see." He looked down toward me. He had a tissue stuffed his right nostril. "Everything else is there; we ain't no thieves." Honor among slime, I thought to myself.

"Thank you," I said. I entered my vehicle and drove away. As soon as I was out of sight, I took a good look at my throbbing hand. It was beginning to bruise and was a bit stiff. I flexed it and figured there were no broken bones. I remembered the feeling when I saw the landlord fall on his ass. It felt good to defend Mia's honor even though it was unwarranted. I conveniently forgot that I would be in the hospital if the landlord wasn't so greedy. I drove home the victor.

I found the house empty when I returned. I panicked, kicking myself for leaving her alone. I ran to each room and checked the bathrooms. I grabbed my phone and was about to dial Monica when I spotted some black hair at the top of a lounger under the umbrella. I stopped to catch my breath and laughed to myself. That is exactly where I would be if I were her. I donned a set of swim trunks and headed down.

I found her sound asleep with her finger three chapters deep into The Hobbit. "My fantasy woman" was my only thought. I moved the umbrella to extend her shade time and pulled the other lounger close. I quietly lay on my side to watch her sleep. She was wearing one of the new swimsuits we bought yesterday. I wished it could have been the white bikini. This was a full suit that still revealed her curves. I loved those curves. I watched her chest go up and down slowly almost in time with the waves. My beach was so much better with her on it. It took only a few minutes before I nodded off.

I was awakened later by a soft set of lips kissing my hand. I open my eyes and was met by a quick kiss. "Whose face did this to your hand?" She was lightly caressing my now black and blue knuckles. It looked a lot worse than it felt. There was concern in her eyes. I was about to lie about how it happened. It would just be insulting; she knew why my hand was bruised.

"I don't want to tell you right now." I looked into her eyes and prayed she wouldn't push. She shrugged her shoulders.

"Then I probably don't want