Till Dark

He glanced about him waiting for the door to open. He had not seen anyone in the hallway since he had gotten off the elevator but that didn't mean his luck would hold out. Suddenly the door flew open and Jordan stood there looking absolutely delicious in the outfit she was wearing. He walked in and set the tray on the table and hesitated, waiting for the tip and signature from her. "I'll be back in a minute with your tip." She said hoping Andy would hear her and take that as his cue to go home. The door had been shut and he didn't see or hear anyone else so he bent to place the lids on the bottom of the cart. Slowly he reached his right hand into the jacket he was wearing and fingered the pearl handle of the gun he was carrying. He heard the toilet flush just as he was about to pull out the gun and then the bathroom door opened noisily.

Removing his hand swiftly from the tailored black evening jacket, he rose to see the man from the beach staring back at him. "Damn" he swore softly under his breath. The seconds ticked by like minutes as each man surveyed the other's weaknesses. Andy had him in height by a good five inches he noted, but he was stout and reminded him of a pit bull waiting for its master to give the word to attack. He sized Andy up in two seconds flat. He knew the type tall and agile but strike low and these jokers didn't stand a chance. Jordan walked in from the bedroom where she had been retrieving money for a tip. Both men turned to her as she stepped into the fighting arena unaware of the sparks in the air. She was oblivious to the tension in the small space between the two men. Walking over she pressed a few folded bills into his left hand. "Thank-you, I don't think I need anything else tonight." She smiled at him aware of how handsomely dangerous he looked. That smile almost made him forget why he was there but he quickly sobered and looked back at Andy; gave a curt nod and pushed the cart toward the door. Moving in front of him she opened the door telling him thank-you once again.

Jordan turned around to face Andy. "I didn't like the way that guy was looking at you. There's something that I don't trust about him. Please be careful around him." "Would you stop with the big brother act please! I have dealt with the scum of the earth and look I'm still standing here and not a scratch or scar on me. I'm not a helpless child even though I may appear to be. Look I would just like to eat my dinner in peace so if you don't mind I would really like you to go now." She motioned toward the door. "I just hate to see a pretty face like yours end up on the list of the local obituary or on the side of some milk carton. I didn't save your life the other day for some crazy fool to undo all my handiwork." For a moment all Jordan could do was meet his steady concerned gaze with a look of understanding and admiration. Why is it that I am with this guy for only a few hours and already I feel like I should tell him my life story she mused silently to herself as she gave Andy a dazzling smile. "There's something about you that just makes me not trust myself in your presence for fear I'll tell you how very sweet what you just said sounded and then the conversation will go in a totally unwarranted direction." The unexpected admission wasn't lost on him. "I'm game if you are he challenged" A prime evil look put a gleam in his eyes. "Some other time perhaps but right now I would just like to eat my dinner in quiet and go straight to sleep." Looking Andy in the face purposely saying sleep and not bed so that he would not give her any kind of grief about joining her as he had hinted at since the moment she laid eyes on him.