Melody (THE LOGAN FAMILY) (18 page)

Melody nodded. “He molested me right there in his office.” She shrugged. “Believe me, I was as shocked as you are. So I called you over because you always give the best advice.” Melody switched the channel.

“Why are you being so nonchalant about this guy, Mel? My God, the shit he does gets worse and worse. You gotta go to the police now.”

She scoffed. “Right. And say what? I mean, how in the hell could I prove anything? Plus, would the police really care about some woman who’s having problems with her sister’s new boyfriend? Hell no, Aileen. I can see it right now. They’ll label me jealous the minute I walk into the room, then wonder why I had the nerve to bother them with something so juvenile. The police are not an option, believe me. Keith hasn’t really done anything against the law.”

“He put his hands on you, didn’t he?” Aileen crossed her legs Indian-style. She swallowed a fistful of popcorn. “Girl, if it was me, his ass would be outta here.”

“Easier said than done with Sarah thinking he’s heaven sent.” Melody waved her hand through the popcorn. “You know, we aren’t even close like we were since Keith came into the picture. Sarah and I used to share so much. Now it seems like she shares everything with Keith. We can’t have one conversation without her bringing him up. And the way she thinks of him is pathetic. Oh man, she runs when he calls. When he doesn’t call, she acts like a big nut. I don’t know what to do.”

“I told you before that if Sarah won’t listen, you need to take the initiative.” Aileen chewed.

“Before it gets out of hand?” Melody whispered.

“Melody, it has gotten out of hand and passed out of hand! When a man starts grabbing you like you’re his property, something is seriously wrong. He has no business putting his hands on you any damn way, but at work…” She shook her head. “Melody, this fucker seems to think he can do whatever the hell he wants, but you gotta make him see he can’t. Some men are like that. They push and push until you give in to them.”

“Give in?” Melody stopped flipping the channels. “What, you think this is some kind of seduction thing Keith’s doing?”

“Would you be surprised? Melody, he had his hands under your skirt today. Don’t you see that he’s attracted to you?” Aileen walled her eyes.

“He actually told me that he was. I just wanted him gone. I never thought about
why
he was acting the way he acts. You think he is trying to be with me on the side or some shit?” Aileen shrugged. “So that’s it?” Melody sighed. “He thinks I’ll play this game, huh? I’ve told him repeatedly to leave me alone, and I’m sick of talking!”

“You should be. It’s time to take action. There’s something you can do about this, Melody. You hit him where it hurts. Hit him so that he gets the point that he can’t keep doing this to you.” Aileen raised an eyebrow. “Get my drift?”

“No.”

“Dang, girl, do you need a crate to fall on your head to get a clue?” Aileen chuckled. “What’s something that Keith needs and can’t afford to lose? And I’m not talking about your bouncy blonde sister, either.”

Melody smirked. “His job?”

“That’s right. Hit his ass where it hurts. Tell Mr. Lawson exactly what he’s been doing. I bet you that’ll put Keith in his place.”

“It definitely will and piss him off in the process.” Melody grinned. “He’s so damn cocky. I’d love to stick it to his ass and let him know he can’t push me around.”

Aileen shrugged. “And there’s only one way to do that. I don’t care how great he may think he is, but Keith probably needs that job either for money or clout or both. This will not only make him leave you alone, but he’ll see that you’re no one to mess with. You go to Mr. Lawson and this shit will end real quick, believe me. Anyway, what choice do you have?”

“You’re right, this is the only choice. I warned Keith that I’d report him. I think Mr. Lawson would at least listen to my claims. After all, why would I have reason to lie? Mr. Lawson has to be objective, anyway, because if something like sexual harassment is even suspected, he could end up in trouble himself for not paying attention to me. Shit, I may even get Keith fired.” Melody grinned.

Aileen winked. “The bastard would deserve it any damn way. Mel, reporting his ass is the only way to prove to him that you mean business. He isn’t listening to words so you gotta use action.”

Melody nodded. “You’re right, girlfriend. I have a feeling this is the only thing that will finally put Keith Taylor in his place.”

Aileen winked. “Just do your thing, girl. Do it.”

Melody held the fat stack of papers to her chest the next day at work. Out of all the rooms Melody regularly visited at Caper, she disliked the file room the most. Still, filing papers was a big part of her job. She couldn’t escape it. She wondered if anyone else found the room creepy. She hated that dim light that only lit up half the room. The room seemed to be the size of two conference rooms. It would have to be. It housed every piece of written information Caper needed or would ever need.

Mario had done a miracle by training her on the system. A computer, with every gadget known to man attached to it, sat on the desk in the middle of the room. She preferred searching for files manually while others relied on the computer. She didn’t trust computers. Since humans programmed the damn things in the first place, what made people think computers were any more reliable?

The room smelled of old dust. She sneezed on her way to the back file cabinets. She squeezed through rows and rows of tall, fat, overstuffed cabinets. She came to the giant black ones in the back. They had to reach at least six feet. Anyone shorter than her would probably have to use steps. She hurried to find the files. She didn’t want to be here any longer than necessary.

She heard something by the door, yet she didn’t know why she jumped. She
was
in a crowded building. Anyone had access to this room. Why in the hell did she feel it could be more than that? Maybe she should switch to decaf after all. She heard footsteps. She thought of calling out, but that seemed silly. She didn’t know why this room frightened her so much. She rushed to find the files.

She got on her knees to check the low drawers. She pulled the Thompson files from the front. She smiled at finding them quickly. She stacked the fat files under her arms and turned to leave. She gasped. Keith stood in front of her. He swatted the files from her hands, and papers flew in all directions.

“Keith!” She went to pick them up. He grabbed her. She ripped her arm from his grasp.

“You think you’re clever, don’t you, Melody?” He sweated. She’d never seen him so angry. Usually his cockiness kept him grounded. She took a deep breath. Going to Mr. Lawson
had
knocked Keith into place. Too bad that she got the feeling she would regret it. She loved Aileen, but sometimes her advice got people into trouble.

“Keith.” She looked at the scattered papers. “Did Mr. Lawson talk to you today?”

“Oh, you damn right he did.” Fury ran through his gorgeous face. His eyes were so piercing Melody had to turn away.

“Look, I didn’t want to do that, Keith, but you left me no choice. I told you not to mess with me. I deserve to be able to come to work without you bothering me. You took it too far. You’ve invaded my personal life, and now you’re in my face at the job.”

He smirked. She trembled. She wondered if he made anyone else feel this way.

“So this is how you want to do things, Melody? The hard way?”

“Look, you made that choice and not me. I want you to stay away from me, Keith. I don’t care about what you do with Sarah, just stay the hell away from me!”

“And…if I don’t?” He squinted.

“Then next time I won’t be going to Mr. Lawson. If you lay a finger on me or think of doing something because I went to Mr. Lawson, then I’ll go to the police.” He scoffed. “Think I’m playing, just try me, Keith. I’m not taking any more of your shit.”

He straightened his Omega on his wrist. “I don’t appreciate being threatened, Melody. You went too far. You do what you have to do, okay? But if you think you’re getting away with this, you are wrong. You’ve fucked with me and now you’ve fucked with my job. I’m not just walking away from this. You can believe that, okay?”

“I’m not afraid of you, Keith. But if you’re as smart as you want people to think, you will leave me alone! I will go to the cops next time, I swear I will.” She shook.

He leaned closer to her. “Maybe that’s a good idea, Melody. Because from now on, you’re probably gonna
need
to.” He walked away.

Melody leaned against the cabinets, breathless.

M
elody read the message Sarah left on the refrigerator when she got home from work that Friday. The note instructed her to heat up dinner. Once again she’d be eating alone. She didn’t mind. She loved the solitude that accompanied an empty house. It gave her time to think, which was something she longed for. Melody stared at the note.

Sarah hadn’t mentioned if she’d be working tonight or hanging out with Keith. She heated up the frozen dinner of fish sticks and cheesy macaroni. Sarah rarely worked late on Fridays. Even Mr. Pepskin wasn’t that cold. Just imagining Sarah cuddling next to a naked Keith made her sick to her stomach. She refused to think about them anymore tonight.

She thought of the other day in the file room at Caper. Surprisingly, Keith managed to keep his distance over the last few days. Every now and then he shot her a threatening glance, yet he hadn’t dared to touch her or even speak to her. He hadn’t even been to the house. Had she really put that slick, slimy, egotistical SOB in his place? Melody loved to believe that she had. But still she wasn’t sure.

She looked out the kitchen window. Driveways were vacant. Fences were locked for the night. The streets were bare. Even the old folks across the street were out. Lucas had plans with his parents. Tonight would be the perfect time to invite him over to embark on both of their fantasies. She couldn’t believe Lucas had plans tonight of all nights. She couldn’t call Craig, either. He taught paint techniques at the community center on Friday nights. Aileen spent her Friday nights at her book club meetings. Melody had no choice but to pamper herself.

Sarah claimed milk baths helped women relieve stress. Melody decided to try one. She got the dried-milk packages from the kitchen cabinet. Sarah made trips to the spa with girlfriends from work now and then. She brought back plenty of beauty products. Sarah had a special drawer for her spa products. Melody searched through facemasks, brushes, hair removal gels, vegetable face creams, body oil removals and everything else that Sarah claimed brought out a woman’s natural beauty.

Melody headed toward her bathroom with some delicious-smelling lotions and facial creams. She loved taking scalding hot baths. She had been blessed with smooth yet tough skin. She could take the heat. She sucked in the fog from the steaming tub.

Her clothes practically melted from perspiration. She leaned against the sink. She enjoyed the dirty thoughts about Lucas. No telling what she’d have done if he’d been here. She may have taken him up on his offer of going all the way. God knows she got hornier by the second. She found it typical to want him when he wasn’t there. She grinned.

She turned off the water. She searched for a gown in her bedroom. She didn’t want to wear the boyish T-shirt tonight. She’d been in a sexy mood for days. She wanted something silky, lacy and seductive. She found a lacy pink nightgown she’d bought when she dated Enrique. She ran her hands through the soft silk. He’d gone crazy with her in it. She wondered if Lucas would ever do the same.

Being alone felt deviously exciting. She grew incredibly aroused. She had a feeling she’d end up doing more in that tub than washing. Melody didn’t see a thing wrong with masturbation. Others shied upon it. To her, not touching yourself seemed unnatural. She never believed a person who said they hadn’t masturbated. She knew how aroused she got from slipping into a comfortable pair of panties.

She knew how hot she got if she accidentally tickled her nipple while sliding on her bra. Masturbation brought a girl such undeniable pleasure. She couldn’t see anything being wrong with that. Many times she’d enjoyed masturbating more than actual sex. For some reason, when she made herself cum, she appreciated it more than some guy that couldn’t last more than three minutes.

Thirty minutes later she emerged from the bathroom feeling refreshed. She thought about taking in a movie. She couldn’t remember the house being so quiet. She went to her bedroom. She left the curtains open so that she could see when Sarah got back. She ran her hands down the nightgown. She had masturbated during her bath. It had been absolutely heavenly. Yet she remained aroused.

She knew the gown had something to do with it. The sensuous fabric hugged her cleavage. She slid her hands across her breasts. She tickled the edge of her nipples until they peaked. She moaned. She couldn’t believe being alone could feel so good. She started to wish Sarah would never come home. She shut her eyes. She slipped her hands toward her buttocks, cupping them. She slipped her hand toward her vagina.

She wanted to fully make love to herself. All the while she’d think of Lucas. She moaned. A loud truck passed, interrupting the moment. She opened her eyes. Her arousal vanished. She concentrated on how exhausted she’d been the last few days. She couldn’t remember such a beautiful night. The full moon provided the perfect amount of light.

She stood at the end of her bed. She noticed something moving underneath the sheets. At first she thought her eyes played tricks on her. The movements grew faster.

She heard a light hissing sound. Whatever swerved underneath the sheet moved rapidly. The mattress wobbled in the center. “What the fuck?” Melody whispered. Something told her to call the police before moving that sheet.

She didn’t know what the hell to think. She would turn back the sheet now or never. She wouldn’t call the cops unless she knew what to tell them. She took a deep breath as she lifted the end of the sheet.

Ssssss!
A snake hissed.

“Ahhh!” Melody jumped back. She tried to catch her breath. She felt a panic attack coming on. Sweat ran down her face.
Snakes
! A pile of small brown and black snakes slithered around the center of the bed. They made their way to the floor. They coiled themselves around the bedposts. Melody hopped on the chair beside her endtable.

She snatched the phone. Snakes slithered from under the bed. Melody huffed and puffed. She couldn’t call anyone if she couldn’t breathe. “Oh, oh, oh God.” Her hands shook. She tried to dial despite her shaking fingers. “Oh my God, I don’t believe this.” She trembled. “Oh…oh God. Ahh!” She noticed a snake slithering up the leg of her chair. “Oh shit!” She nearly dropped the phone.

She noticed a few snakes slithering against the walls. She didn’t know how many there were. Right now she didn’t give a damn. She couldn’t gather enough courage to even scream. Everything happened so fast. She jumped off the chair. She ran downstairs. She bent over to control the panic attack. She finally made the call.

Sarah tore through the front door. She darted past the group of officers in the living room. She busted into the kitchen. Police searched the hallways, entrances and bedrooms for any key to where the snakes came from. Melody shivered in the chair beside the kitchen table. She waited for someone to offer any reasonable explanation.

She calmed down when she saw Sarah.

Sarah knelt beside Melody’s chair. They embraced. They tried to block out the overlapping voices from the officers in the living room. A group of bewildered animal control officials scattered past the kitchen. Sarah kept her eyes on the officers by the kitchen doorway.

“Mel, what in the world is going on? Are you all right? Shit, I saw all the cop cars and I didn’t know what had happened!”

“I tried to call you but…”

She sighed. “Damn it, I turned my cell phone off this evening and forgot to turn it back on.”

“Well, at least you’re here now. Sarah, I’ve never been so scared. It was like some kind of nightmare! Sarah, snakes were all in my room! I don’t know what in the hell is going on!” Melody huffed.

Sarah gaped. “
Snakes
?” She glanced at the officers at the kitchen door. “Okay calm down, sweetie.” Sarah rubbed Melody’s hand. “We don’t need you to go into a panic attack right now.”

“Believe me, I’ve already had about ten.” Melody held her chest. “And you know I’m petrified to death of snakes. Sarah, how in the world could something like this happen?”

“Well, what did the animal control people say?” Sarah pointed.

“They’ve been looking upstairs for about thirty minutes. They haven’t said anything to me yet, but a policeman said they could have come through a small hole in the wall or floor. Hell, I don’t know. He claims that this happens a lot. Especially in this area.”

Sarah nodded. “We got that big swamp about two blocks down. Some neighbors have complained about snakes in their homes a couple of times. That may explain it. Snakes can come in all kinds of ways, Mel. Sometimes they can come in with something brought into the house, you know? And they can easily get somewhere and hatch. Especially in the walls.”

“No, Sarah, we would have seen something. Look, I know you’re just trying to comfort me, but do you really think this is just a coincidence?”

She grimaced. “Melody, what am I supposed to think? I mean, that’s Mother Nature. You can’t control it. Bees, snakes, rats, raccoons, you name it…they get in people’s homes all the time. I don’t believe this is any different.” Melody shook her head. Sarah stared at her. “But
you
seem to. Is there something you want to say, Melody? You think this is more than a coincidence?”

The tall cop Melody spoke to earlier walked in. A short, sweaty bald guy followed.

The cop looked at Sarah. “Are you Miss Johnson, Miss Cruz’s sister?”

“Yes, I am. This is my house. Can you tell us anything about the snakes?”

“This is Mr. Loggia.” The cop pointed to the sweaty guy. “He works for the animal control department.”

He dabbed his bald head. “Hello, ladies.” He laid his hands on his wobbly belly. He wore a yellow-and-blue suit that made him look like a human burrito. “I took a look at the room and our men are taking the snakes out. Wasn’t that many, really.” He looked at Melody. “Though, I can understand even five snakes will seem like a million to someone who may have a fear of them. Uh, they are completely harmless.” He shrugged.

“Not poisonous?” Sarah asked.

He grinned. “Not at all. But I am sorry for the trouble, Miss Cruz.”

“Thanks.” Melody slipped her hands between her thighs. “Uh, but how could they have gotten in like this and me not know it?”

Sarah interrupted. “I told Mel that snakes are common in this area because of that bayou a few blocks down. We’ve had complaints of snakes before. Uh, this is common, right? Sometimes snakes can just get into homes, right?”

“Certainly, Miss Johnson. But that isn’t the case here.”

“What do you mean?” Melody glared.

“Well, the snakes found in Miss Cruz’s bed aren’t snakes that are found in this part of the USA. No, these were more like Midwestern snakes. Or snakes you would find in the desert or country.” Melody and Sarah exchanged glances.

“So what are you saying exactly?” Sarah crossed her arms.

“Uh, well, these would have to have been purchased from a pet store. These types of snakes are just not found here. Also, I’ve studied snakes for years and these were bred to be pets. Children far and wide love this specific type of snake. Uh, but you couldn’t find them around here.”

“Not even in the bayou, huh?” Melody contemplated Loggia’s theory.

“No, not even in the bayou.” He shrugged. “So, uh…we’ll be gone in probably about twenty more minutes. Any questions?”

“Uh, you searched all around the room, right?” Melody asked.

Loggia nodded.

“I know you said the snakes don’t come from around here, but did you see any holes?”

“I saw no holes that any snakes would have been interested in. Anyway, snakes don’t just crawl into someone’s bed and stay there.” He grinned. “They’re adventurous, curious creatures. They get bored easily, and Miss Cruz’s bed wouldn’t have been that entertaining to them, unless a rat was in it.”

“Oh God.” Sarah held her chest. “I’m scared to death of rats.” She looked around.

Loggia laughed. “I was just kidding, Miss Johnson. I’d better stop talking or neither one of you will be able to sleep. What you can do is track down the pet store that may have sold these. Then you can find out exactly what happened.”

Melody leaned up. “Are you saying that you think someone
put
these snakes in my room?”

Loggia looked at the officer. “Uh, maybe you should speak to the policeman about that.” He left the kitchen.

Sarah looked at the officer. “This is just a simple situation, right?”

He took off his hat. “Miss Cruz, you may want to make a report of this.”

“Report…” She looked at Sarah. “So you really believe this wasn’t accidental?”

He cleared his throat. “All the facts are telling me that it’s probably not. So since I’m here you might as well do a report. Judging from what Loggia said, and he’s the expert, these snakes being here was no accident.” He tapped his pencil on the table. “You said you’re very frightened of snakes, Miss Cruz?”

“Very. I only have to see a picture of one and I go crazy.”

“Uh-huh. Do a lot of people know you’re afraid of snakes?”

Melody shrugged. “Of course my friends do. And Sarah. Wait.” She grinned. “My friends wouldn’t do this.”

“Not as a practical joke?”

“No. Believe me, my friends wouldn’t do something that would scare me half to death.”