Echo

again. Reaching into her purse, she scribbled her cell number, clearly pleased to be asked. Placing the note in his hand, she leaned over slowly, looked into his eyes and placed her lips over his for the softest kiss he swore he would ever feel.
    “Good night, Peter. This was wonderful. I’ll look forward to hearing from you very soon.” Turning, she disappeared into the crowd on the sidewalk. Left in a daze, he drove back to Bird Key. Pulling into his driveway, he remained in the car, reliving and savoring the evening. He glowed. Could she be any more perfect? Looking down, he stroked the note she left with him, admiring her handwriting. Ginger Mae Shrute 914-555-0436. How cool was that? And off he went to bed, sleeping better than he had in years.
    ###
    Ginger Mae walked quickly to the hi-rise, not wanting Armoni to wait any longer than necessary. She knew he would be chewing his nails and spitting in anger because he almost got caught when he saw Peter walk in the bar, forcing him to make a hasty exit. They could not afford to have Peter recognize Armoni, even though they only met briefly, months ago. Armoni knew he made an indelible impression on people.
    She shook her head, amazed at the irony of the situation. Dinning in elegant expensive bars and restaurants every night for months, trying to get a lead on Armoni’s enemies could easily become a drag. But how else could they hope to run into them? Sooner or later, they would show up to eat. Their very excellent plan to track them back to their house where Armoni could then reclaim his property failed to produce results. Not so excellent after all. They hadn’t counted on the one night they decided to go to a normal, relaxed watering hole, this sudden opportunity would drop right into their lap. Armoni would be very pleased with her results.
    She sighed, watching laughing couples pass her on the sidewalk, arm in arm, enjoying each other’s company, just as she had enjoyed Peter’s. She felt a longing for the unfamiliar life of an upstanding citizen; wow, where did that come from? Had she gotten in over her head this time?
    Her big plans for Armoni were slowly turning to ash. Sure, he took them to Florida, paying for everything, but he never let her out of his sight. That was not what she had in mind. And she could only handle his disgusting habits in small doses. She expected him to set her up in her own place, seeing her when he had the urge (she could handle that) and then get back to his life. But it appeared, he had no life. As a matter of fact, he seemed to want to turn her into his life. Ugh. Not going to happen . She hoped if she helped him recover his property, she could say goodbye and strike out on her own. The wealth and opportunity in Sarasota made her head spin. She could clearly see from the kind of men she met in the bars and clubs that she and Daisy would be well able to fend on their own, without the odorous Armoni.
    But she must be clever. She came to the conclusion that Armoni kept mysterious secrets to himself. She began to suspect the veracity of his stolen property story.
    And then there were his hygiene issues. A godly problem. He must have grown up with wolves. How one man could ignore simple baths, deodorant and oral care blew her mind. She finally reached the point where she could no longer eat around him for fear of vomiting. So she just drank instead.
    Fortunately, his appetite for sex slowly mellowed. That’s bound to happen, as his attention was so focused on getting his property back, thank the Lord . And she must consider Daisy’s welfare. This is not a good environment for her. Ginger Mae regretted exposing her to Armoni, something she refused to do with her Johns. This must end, as soon as possible.
    That’s why she said yes to dinner with Peter. She hoped he would ask for her phone number and then a date. She could find out where he lived and where his clients lived. That should satisfy Armoni. Given enough time, she confidently planned to obtain the information Armoni constantly gnashed his teeth over. Then she would be done with this. She and Daisy would dump this smelly piece of garbage and strike out on their own.
    Ginger Mae remembered the trailer trash, horse faced, fat, little blond in the gym at the hi-rise who happily bragged about how she left her loser husband after she met a wealthy guy on a website for dating millionaires. Within three weeks, she left her husband and moved in to the millionaire’s house.