Laurels Literary Magazine Spring 2015 | Page 59

Escape An Do Night immerses into the retreating day. Beau Quibbideaux sits stoically on his tired leather easy chair, watching the evening news. The faint sound of footsteps outside the door startles him. E table beside him. With one hand resting on it, he methodically slows his breathing and listens for more. Knock, knock. With practiced precision, his hand slides deftly down to the drawer and soundless pulls it open, revealing a gleaming black and silver Kimber 1911. A soft voice stops him from grasping the loaded .45 caliber pistol. “Hey, baby, let me in,” she murmurs through the locked door. Beau stares at his meticulously cleaned gun, slowly liberating the air from his lungs. Wiping off the beads of sweat forming above his lip, he slowly closes the drawer—concealing his weapon as well as his hidden sickness. Silently slamming back two Somas with a quick gulp of water, he unlocks the door and lets her in. The one-bedroom apartment has a laissez-faire quality about it. It is quiet, no pets or nosy neighbors, unassuming like faint scent of masculine cologne lingers perpetually in the air, The blinds are drawn shut, and the only light comes from the broad shoulders and eagerly leans in for a kiss. Beau reciprocates her, he squeezes his eyes shut for the briefest moment, trying to will away the aching pain growing in his head since the sound of footsteps startled him. Sensing his distance, she throws herself onto the faded red futon and begins to undo the few remaining buttons on her tight black shirt, all the while seductively smiling up at him, daring him to resist. [48]