Page 29 of The Arrangement

I flip off one of the smokers in response to a lewd comment and swing open the door. “Of course.”

“Hey, little mama.” The man from 1B steps into the hallway. “Have you been cryin’, sweetheart? Come inside and let Daddy wipe those tears.”

“Chloe? Who was that?” Jason asks.

“Hang on,” I say into the phone before turning to Mustache Man. I slide my key between my fingers. “Why don’t you fuck all the way off?”

His belly bounces while he laughs. “Let’s do that together. You can hold on to these handlebars and ride me as long as you want.”

“Chloe!” Jason yells, his voice barreling over the line.

My neighbor reaches for me. I jerk my arm back, hitting my elbow on the wall. My phone goes flying down the hallway.

Mustache Man’s eyes glimmer with something I can’t name—something I’m too scared to identify.

“Don’t touch me,” I say, squaring my shoulders to his. My knees tremble from the adrenaline coursing through me. “If you ever try to touch me again, I’ll spoon your eyeballs out and feed them to you. Got it?”

“Ooh. I like ’em feisty.” He licks his lips in a vile manner. “You know where I live, baby. Come on over anytime and ride Daddy’s dick.”

I walk backward until I pass my phone. Then I scoop it up, jog up the stairs, and down the hall. I quickly let myself in the apartment, locking all three locks.Click. Click. Click.

“Chloe!”

“Oh shit.” I fumble with my phone and bring it to my ear. “Jason! I’m sorry.” I get a quick glimpse of my flushed face in the mirror. “You caught me at a bad time.”

“What the fuck was that?”

His words,his tone, send a shiver snaking down my spine. Each word is sharp enough to cut through glass.

I don’t want to have this conversation with him, not tonight, not after the insurance company's highway robbery. If I talk about it, I might cry. If I cry, there will be hell to pay.

“It was nothing,” I say.

“Don’t bullshit me.”

I laugh angrily, slipping off my shoes. “Jason, with all due respect, please let this go. I’m not built for this tonight.”

The line quiets, but that doesn’t mean it’s still. His energy ripples silently through the phone. I know the exact face he’s making right now, and while it’s hot as hell, it’s also scary.

It’s a good thing we aren’t face-to-face.

“Are you safe?” he asks, the edge blurred from his words.

I sneak down the hallway to my room. “Yes, I’m safe. I’m home.”

“Who are you talking to?” Mimi shouts from her room.

“Was that Mimi?” Jason asks.

I sigh in defeat.I can’t handle these two at the same time. “Yes. Will you hang on again?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“I’ll assume that’s rhetorical,” I say. “Mimi, I’m back.”

“I heard ya,” she says. “Did you lock up?”

I hold my phone behind me to prevent Jason from hearing and pop my head in her bedroom door. “Yes. I locked up. We’re as snug as a bug in a rug.”