Bearly Apart (Big Paw Security Book 5) (130 page)

“What?” Nesha looked to Michael, who nodded.

“It was about seventeen years ago, and my parents were driving me and my best friend Michael home from field hockey. Right as we came to the overpass on the freeway…” Christopher said, but Nesha stopped listening as the memories came back to her.

It all came back to Nesha now. That horrible crash. She had been on her way home from her nursing residency and stopped right after the accident. The parents stumbled out of the car and fell unconscious. The two boys in the back, trapped when a fire started under the car. Nesha smashed the windows with a piece of concrete and pulled both boys to safety before the car went up in flames. Ambulances came soon after and the whole family was rushed to the hospital.
But those boys couldn’t have been more than…ten or eleven.
 

“…And then there was a lot of physical therapy, but we all made it through ok. Inspired by that, we decided to open a spa to help others. And who better to invite for the grand opening and VIP treatment?” Christopher smiled at Nesha. “We got your name from the police reports back then, and you weren’t hard to track down.”

Wide-eyed, she looked back and forth between them.

“So yeah…that’s the big secret. Is there anything you want to know?” asked Michael.

“Yes,” Nesha said. “Do you validate parking here or at the front desk?”

They all laughed at this, smiling and shaking their heads.

FIN

CHOCOLATE VANILLA SWIRL TITLE PAGE

Chocolate Vanilla Swirl

by

Becca Fanning

CHOCOLATE VANILLA SWIRL

“Is this Iyesha Barnes?” a strange voice came through the phone.
 
Barely conscious, Iyesha’s eyes tried to focus on the caller ID on her cellphone but it was all a blur.
 
The light barely coming through the blinds told her it was still early.
 
Much earlier than the 10am she normally rolled out of bed.

“Yerth…” Iyesha mumbled.
 
Her tried licking her lips but her mouth was a desert.
 
She tried to sit up but any attempt to raise her head above her pillow caused crushing pain behind her eyelids.
 
Oh yeah…margarita bowls.
 
Those sounded like such a great idea last night.
 
Now…not so much.

“Excuse me, I’m looking for Iyesha Barnes…do I have the right number?” the voice now said.
 
Pure exasperation came out of Iyesha’s phone.
 
Whomever this person was, they’d already had a very long day.

Iyesha swallowed, painfully.
 
“Yes, this is Iyesha.”
 
Her spare hand fumbled blindly by the side of the bed, hoping some kind of hydration was in arms reach.
 
“Uhh…how can I…help you?” Satisfied with her professional businesslike response, her hand found a bottle and she brought it up to her face.
 
Raspberry Vodka?
 
Why would I buy this instead of clean crisp water?

“Ms. Barnes, my name is Maxwell.
 
We got your name from Aaronshire Assistants.
 
We have an immediate need for someone with your qualifications.
 
I have three questions that I have to ask, however.”

“Ok, go ahead,” Iyesha said while trying to remember who the hell Aaron-whatever Assistants were.
 
Ahh!
 
That agency I gave a resume to when Dad threatened to cut off my rent money.
 
That day began with an unexpected visit from Dad, which lead to a mad dash to clean up incriminating evidence around the apartment.
 
Then she shoved the cute skater boy under her bed, where he had to keep quiet for two hours until her Dad left.

“First, do you have any warrants for your arrest or reasons that would prevent you from air travel today?”

“Uhhh…” Iyesha’s mouth hung open.
 
This has to be a dream.
 
What is even happening?
 
“No, none that I know of.”

“Is your answer no, or is your answer none that you know of?” Maxwell asked with a sigh.

“My answer is no,” Iyesha said, sitting up in bed.
 
Headache be damned, she needed to pay attention.

“Second, do you have a valid passport?”

“Yes.”
 
Iyesha knew that well enough: she’d just gotten it renewed in expectation of a trip to Finland in summer.
 
If she could afford it.
 
Of course, there was the issue of where it was at the moment, but she would cross that river when she came to it.

“Third, would you be willing to sign and abide by a non-disclosure agreement that prevented you from revealing any details about the activities or persons you might witness during your employment with us?” A heavy silence hung over the room as Maxwell finished his question.

“Yes,” Iyesha said, her stomach fluttering.
 
And that’s not the hangover.
 
There was something…exciting and forbidden about this, she could tell.

“Excellent, Ms. Barnes.
 
We’ll be needing your services as a private attendant and assistant for the next four days.
 
You’ll need to report to the Dallas Executive Airport in four hours.
 
From there you’ll be flying to Tahiti, spend a weekend in a tropical paradise, then arrive back in Dallas Sunday night.”

“Wow, a trip to Tahiti!
 
Wait…wait,” she said, getting her bearings.
 
“Who is this?
 
Is this some kind of timeshare scam shit?
 
Listen, asshole, have you ever heard of the Do Not Call List?
 
I’m pretty sure I’m on it!”
 
She knew she wasn’t.
 
They wanted you to fill out a whole form for that.
 
Who has that kind of time?

“Ms. Barnes, this isn’t a timeshare opportunity.
 
I’m the manager for an individual who will have to remain nameless until you’ve signed the NDA.
 
And while this won’t be a vacation, it will be a very enjoyable and memorable experience.
 
Your day rate will be fifteen hundred dollars, plus incidentals.”

Fifteen hundred dollars a day!
 
Holy shit!
 
Alarms started going off in her head.
 
Who would pay her this much?
 
She had some experience interning for muckity-mucks at her dad’s firm, and she had completed both massage training and bartender certification.
 
But no one in those fields earned this much.
 

“Hello?
 
Are you still there?”

“Yes!
 
I’m just a little shocked, that’s all,” Iyesha responded bluntly.

“Look, Iyesha…can I call you Iyesha?”

“Call me Iyesha.
 
Everyone does.”

“Ok Iyesha,” Maxwell continued, “I know this sounds unconventional, but I promise that it will all be made clear once you sign the paperwork at the airport.
 
I just can’t divulge anything else until then.
 
Can we count on you?”

“Yes.
 
Four hours you said?
 
That’s plenty of time to get to DFW,” Iyesha said, swinging her feet out of bed.
 
Easy-peasy…even in rush hour, which it would be soon.

A chuckle came through the phone.
 
“Not DFW airport Iyesha.
 
Dallas Executive Airport.
 
Different place.
 
When you get there just tell security who you are and they’ll direct you to the right hangar.”

“Of course, Dallas EXECUTIVE Airport,” Iyesha emphasized, trying to hide her embarrassment. “I know where that is.”
 
She didn’t.

“Ok, then we’ll see you in less than four hours.”
 
A click told her that Maxwell had hung up the phone.

Shit shit shit!
 
She prayed she still had enough time to get to the airport, wherever it was.
 
She planted both feet on the floor and stood up.
 
The room spun around her and she crashed into her dresser, her favorite bong bouncing off it and landing, mercifully, on a pile of dirty laundry.

Iyesha held onto the dresser with an iron grip.
 
She heard a cough behind her and looked back in alarm.
 
A bunch of covers on the other side of her bed animated and a hairy arm came into view.
 
Who the hell is this?

“Umm…hey!
 
Hey there!
 
Wake up!” she yelled at the man, who began snoring.
 
She took a deep breath and launched herself back towards her bed.
 
Her face was the only part of her body that made it, her arms splayed out below her trying to reach the floor.
 
She pulled herself up and climbed onto the bed.
 
She put her feet up against the side of this sleeping person and slowly pushed him off his side of the bed.

His body landed with a thump, and a loud groan came from the floor.
 
Iyesha quickly laid back down and closed her eyes.
 
As the guy got up, she pretended to wake up and stretched.

“Oh hey…you,” she said.

“Kyle,” he mumbled.

“Right!
 
Kyle.
 
Kyle, I had a great time last night.
 
That thing you did…wow.
 
It was awesome.
 
But now you have to go,” Iyesha said, hoping she sounded convincing.

“Come on baby, let’s have some snuggle time,” Kyle said, crossing over the bed and leaning in for a kiss.

Nope!
 
Iyesha put a hand on his chest.
 
“Hey, I’d love to, but I have to go to work now, so you have to leave.”

“But you don’t have a job.”

“Huh?”

“You told me last night.
 
You don’t have a job and your dad pays your rent,” Kyle said, wiping his eyes.

Iyesha cursed her momentary onset of honesty.
 
In vino veritas, as the Romans said.
 
Summoning her best scared look, she grabbed Kyle by the arms.
 
“You’re right, I don’t have a job.
 
But my boyfriend is coming home.”

Eyes widening, Kyle scrambled out of the bed.
 
“Boyfriend?
 
You said-“

“Look I’m sure I said a lot of things but my boyfriend is coming home from third shift and his watch commander has been giving him hell recently.”

“Your boyfriend is a cop?” Kyle shrieked, grabbing his jumble of clothes and making for the front door wearing nothing but socks.

Iyesha heard her front door slam and footsteps going down the stairs.
 
She barely registered a lady screaming outside her window a moment later.
 
She stumbled to the bathroom and hovered over the toilet.
 
She peed for what seemed like a half hour, even standing up to admire her handiwork.
 
She drank from the faucet, using a cupped hand because no glass was in reach.
 
Toothbrush in her mouth she ran back to her bedroom and pulled out her laptop.

She tried to pull up the website for the airport, but her computer said she wasn’t connected to the internet.
 
Goddamnit, Clarissa must’ve changed the password again.
 
Picking up her phone, she dialed her neighbor.

“Hi Iyesha,” Clarissa said.

“Hey Clarissa, real quick, what’s the new password for your WiFi?” Iyesha said, poised over her keyboard.

“I’m not giving that to you, Iyesha.
 
Carmelo said we got a cease and desist letter because you downloaded something,” Clarissa said.

“Your boyfriend is so full of shit Clarissa.
 
Maybe he was downloading something he didn’t want you to know about, you ever think of that?”

“I…uhh…no.
 
Wait, what do you mean?”

“Clarissa I need the password: it’s an emergency.
 
I think my dog ate poison and I need to rush him to the vet,” Iyesha said.
 
She felt a little bit guilty at this degree of manipulation and deceit, but she was trying to get a job.
 
Clarissa would be devastated if she knew she was the reason I was forced to live off my parents for the rest of my life.

“Oh no!
 
Here, the password is Carmissa, it’s like if you put mine and Carme-“

Iyesha hung up the phone as her computer joined the network.
 
It’d be a few minutes before Clarissa realized she didn’t have a dog.

DING!
 

The bell over the gas station door rang as Iyesha made a beeline straight for the coolers in the back.
 
She grabbed a purple bladder buster jug of sugar water, unscrewed the cap, and drank it down.
 
The freezing air from the open cooler made her nipples stand up in her white tank top.
 
She spun around and walked up to the cashier.

“Just the drink?” the portly man asked her breasts.

“Yes and…you asshole!” she said, covering herself in faux humility.
 

The man tore his gaze from her perky breasts and looked down at his register.
 
Sweat began to stain the armpits of his shirt.

“I’m trying to support a small American business and you eye rape me like a piece of hamburger!
 
I want to talk to your manager,” Iyesha said, hoping she still looked offended.
 
There are so many pictures of my rack on the internet there are probably websites devoted to them.
 
But this guy didn’t know that.

“Look, you just take the drink and we’ll call it even,” the man said, still not making eye contact.