He didn’t wait for a response, maybe didn’t need one. I didn’t know and I didn’t ask. Instead, he handed me the hanger and took the marshmallows from me, opening the bag with his teeth.

“What’d you do?” I asked.

“Probably better to ask what I didn’t do.”

I let out another small laugh as he made me hold my hanger up to his hand and he fed some big, fat marshmallows on it.

“Okay, what didn’t you do?”

He gave me one of his glamorous smiles. “I never killed anyone.”

My body started shaking with laughter.

Through my laughter, I said, “So I take it you’re one of the ones who f**ked around enough to cause your parents problems.”

He guided my hanger over the grill and dumped the bag of marshmallows on the side shelf but kept his arm wrapped around my neck, his eyes trained on my marshmallows.

“Carlos, Rosa and Elena were the good kids, Eddie, Gloria and me… not so good.”

I felt this somewhere deep and the laughter left my body.

Hector’s arm gave my neck a squeeze. I knew he wanted my attention so I looked up at him.

He was watching me closely.

“Now what’s in your head?” he asked softly.

“She loves you all the same. The good and the not so good,” I whispered, referring to Blanca.

“Always has,” he replied.

Immediately I replied, “You’re very lucky.”

At my words, he curled me so my front was against his and his face dipped to mine.

I saw that look in his eyes, the warm, intense, eyes-soft, face-hard, signifying-possession look but something else was there. Not pity but maybe understanding that he had something beautiful that I had not. I knew instinctively he didn’t feel sorry for me but he felt something.

“I know,” he murmured and there was a great deal of feeling in his soft words.

Perhaps sensing I’d had enough, perhaps wanting a s’more, he showed me how to make them and we ate them. Then we made out by the grill in the now-chilly Autumn air, our mouths tasting of s’mores (Hector’s kisses were amazing but when he tasted of s’mores, they were simply heaven).

After s’mores, we walked upstairs and lay, fully-clothed (but shoeless) on his bed and watched a movie (The Big Easy, I hadn’t seen it in years and forgot how good it was).

Then, likely inspired by the movie (thank God), Hector played out a certain part but his effort lasted longer, was a bit more creative, included more than just fingers (moving on to lips and tongues) and it finished a whole lot differently.

Before he snapped out the light, he put balm and a new bandage on my tattoo.

Then he tucked my back to his front, YoYo snuggled close into the crook of my lap, Hector held me tight and I laid there, listening to him breathe (and YoYo snort) until I knew he was asleep.

Then I rewound my day from start to finish.

Then I rewound it again.

Then I did it again.

Then I felt the wetness slide silently down the sides of my eyes, soaking into the mound of pillows I shared with Hector, I put my arm on his at my waist and linked our fingers.

In his sleep, his fingers tensed until they held mine tight.

Only then did I fall asleep.

* * * * *

Hector

Hector felt Sadie’s fingers relax in his and he knew she was finally asleep.

He took in the scent of her expensive perfume, knowing and liking the fact that it was on his sheets.

His arm wrapped tighter around her waist, pulling her deeper into his body.

Her head tilted forward, his went with it, he buried his face into her hair but he felt the wetness her tears left on the pillow against his cheek.

His eyes opened in the dark.

“Fucking hell,” he muttered.

Chapter Twenty

Bon Bons

Sadie

Art was filled, shoulder-to-shoulder, with people.

I’d never had an opening this huge.

Even before my father was arrested for trafficking drugs and half my contacts shunned my openings (the other half only continuing to come to drink my champagne, look down their noses at me and feel superior), no opening had been this popular.

My artist, Lisette (who painted unbelievable watercolors), was beside herself with the turn out.

I didn’t have the heart to tell her it was not prospective buyers but the ever ready to party Rock Chick/Hot Bunch crew, complete with Hector’s entire family, Indy’s Dad Tom, Tod and Stevie, Tex and Nancy and Duke and his wife Dolores. Even the Zano clan came, Uncle Vito and Angela, Dom and Sissy and Ren and some woman I didn’t know.

Indeed, every single Rock Chick and their respective Hot Bunch Guy was there. All the girls looking glamorous, all the men looking knockout gorgeous wearing suits and shirts with collars opened at the neck.

That said, Duke had dressed up how I guessed any Harley biker guy would dress up, he still had the bandana around his forehead and the leather vest but his black t-shirt had long sleeves and no saying emblazoned on the chest and he’d switched to black jeans. Tex, on the other hand, didn’t look any different and was wearing jeans and a plaid flannel shirt.

I didn’t even know they’d been invited (Ralphie’s doing, no doubt). But I had to admit, I was happy they were there.

It felt different with them there. Good. Safe. My openings had not only never been that crowded, they’d never been that filled with laughter.

“I told you pigs in a blanket would be a hit,” Shirleen said from beside me, nabbing (at my count) her fourth gourmet “pig in a blanket” off a passing tray and shoving the entire thing in her mouth.

She wasn’t wrong; the blanketed pigs were going down a treat. Everyone seemed to love them.

“You were right Shirleen. I promise I won’t have another opening without pigs in a blanket,” I assured her, crossing my heart and putting up two fingers so she’d believe me.

“Damn straight,” she replied, her tawny eyes smiling then her gaze moved across the room and she went on. “Hector sure cleans up good.”

I looked at Hector.

She was not wrong.

I’d gotten ready at his house that morning and he’d dropped me off at Art. The day had been busy, hanging the paintings and going over everything one last time even though I didn’t have to. I was obsessively organized, never procrastinated, always checked and double-checked every detail and was a list maker. The entire thing was ready to roll with no hiccups days in advance (as usual). Even the installation had gone easier than normal because Daisy, Roxie, Stella and Ava came to help.

Hector had stayed away all day, he didn’t even call. It felt weird being away from him that long. Since Ralphie let him in the brownstone over a week ago, it seemed like he was always around or, at least, never far away.