Apartment For Three

Chapter 30

Once nightfall came, Marlon parked us at a Bed & Breakfast in the hopes of getting us rooms. With his usual confidence, he looked back at us as in the backseat. He held up his fingers as he clarified exactly what we would be staying in. "So I'll tell them two rooms."

"Two rooms?" Judy said reluctantly as she looked to her boyfriend. "I don't know if we could afford a room."

Her boyfriend seemed a bit nervous. He let out a laugh. "Yeah, we're headed to work not for a place to spend."

"How much further down the highway is your job?" I asked Eddie with my head tilted to the side. "Do you live around there? Maybe we can drop you at your house."

"I really don't feel like driving another mile." Marlon sighed as he stood up out of the car. Then he rested his hands on the side of the convertible. My eyes ran up his strong arms and looked into his. He was looking down at me. "Plus I don't want to pry into our guest's business."

"It's a legitimate question." I snapped back.

"Do we want them gone so soon?" Paul chimed in. "Come on, let's be upstanding hosts."

The only thing these men seemed to be concerned with was keeping Judy around.

"No, no, really it's fine. Some women just are straight forward and I guess you've got one on your hands now." Eddie smiled at me. I didn't smile back. "The thing is we just started our jobs there. We saw a newspaper ad and gave them a ring to get our gigs. All we need to do is get there and we'll sort out where we're saying later on."

Paul crossed his arms with a smile. "I can admire that about the two of you. What lucky job did you bag?"

"Oh, just your average little..." Eddie didn't finish his thought. Instead, he got out of the car. "I'll head into the building with Marlon, here and see if we can make something happen with these rooms. How about that?"

"No problem to me." Paul nodded. I couldn't help but notice how he seemingly dodged the question. Eddie and Judy's vagueness made me wonder exactly what these two were really up to. Marlon and Paul were so invested in them, and Jackie was so oblivious, I felt a little cynical for being so suspicious of them.

"I need to go inside. It's freezing out here and you all seem to refuse to put up the hood of the car." Jackie complained.

"It's just Marlon. He insists on everyone knowing it's a convertible." Paul said as he pressed a cigarette between his lips.

"Hey, you make sure you don't start a fire this time." I rose a brow. He smirked at me as he blew out smoke.

Judy seemed concerned.

Jackie laughed. "Just an inside joke. Say, how about you and I go inside to warm up. Maybe even powder our noses?"

"That'll be great! I'm sure I look so ruddy. I've been outside trying to thumb a ride all day." Judy nodded as she and Jackie exited the car.

Now it was just Paul in the front seat and myself in the back. My mind raced as I debated whether or not to express my doubts about our "guests".

Paul knew already. "So, you hate them."

"I wouldn't say hate them." I answered in a soft voice. "They're just strangers."

"I was a stranger when you moved in with me." Paul reminded me with a risen brow. Then he took another puff of his cigarette. "Strangers are only strangers if you don't get to know them."

"Who says we should get to know them?" I whispered. "Something seems off about them."

Paul grinned, holding the cigarette between his fingers in front of his face. He paused before he took another puff. The smoke came out chopped up as he laughed.

"Well, what's so funny?" I asked him.

"It's just that— you seem a little jealous." Paul laughed.

My answer was immediately defensive. "I am not."

"You are." Paul answered.

"Am not!" I insisted, now I gripped on the seat in front of me tightly.

"You know, I always liked it when you got jealous." Paul mumbled as he leaned toward me. His chin was right above the seat as he looked back at me. My face was only a few inches away as I held onto the three-seater row separating us.

"You have a wife, Paul." I squinted at him. "How many times do I have to remind you?"

"You'll have to keep on reminding me until she stops giving hot eyes toward Marlon." Paul nodded. "And until he stops giving them back."

"Marlon is what has you going crazy?" I sat back in my seat. "It's Marlon. He flirts with everything and would fuck anything."

"Exactly and that's why I don't want him giving heart eyes to my wife." Paul turned around in his seat, his back now facing me. After taking a puff he looked back at me over his shoulder. "Besides, she gives him that same look back."

"I don't see that." I told Paul, crossing my arms. "I think she's very smitten with you."

"She's married to me." Paul corrected. "She's smitten with Marlon."

"If that's how you feel, why don't you speak to him about it?" I suggested. Paul didn't answer, he only flicked his cigarette out the window and slumped in his seat.

After a long moment of silence, he finally spoke up. His voice was smooth and soothing in the most intoxicating way. "You know, sometimes when I take off my day clothes. Then slip under the sheets. I lay next to her, but all I think of is you. When I close my eyes, I see you. When I drift off to sleep, I taste—"

"I'm spending more money than I imagined." Marlon interrupted our moment as he returned back to the car. He was looking down at a brochure for the bed & breakfast. "They couldn't afford a damn room so I had to p... what the hell was going on here?"

"Nothing." I sat back in my seat, crossing my legs and fixing my skirt. Paul outstretched his arms so it rested in the back of the front seat.

"Hey, you gave up that privilege when you decided to lie about your marriage." Marlon pointed a finger at Paul. In his other hand, he crushed the brochure, turning it into a useless ball.

"Sure thing." Paul nodded. "Beside I should watch myself. Room's on you."