Project Produce(4)

The man spoke in a hushed voice. “Let me show you.”

Whipping the can of pepper spray out in front of me, I said, “Back off.”

The guy looked at the can and hitched a shoulder as he took a step toward me.

What on earth? I glanced at my shaking hand and... and nearly dropped Gloria’s flipping deodorant. “Really, I would back off. Way off. I smell bad. Horrible, in fact.”

He just stared at me, his brows narrowing. Okay, if I couldn’t use the deodorant as a weapon, I had to stall him until I could think of something else. I gritted my teeth and proceeded to spray my non-smelly pits, then I slipped the useless can beneath the counter and tried not to freak out.

“So, would you like a double bed or a queen?” I perused the ledger to see what was available, hoping the guy would just take a room and leave me alone.

“I’m more the king-size kind of guy. Can’t you tell?”

I gawked at the little man. King-size? Maybe in his dreams. “Sorry, sir. We’re fresh out.” Men. I wanted to believe there were some good ones left, but time and again they proved me wrong. I had a feeling they were all the same.

“I don’t need a room.”

“Okay.” I watched his stubby tongue moisten his dry, cracked lips and tried not to vomit. This was so not what I needed right now. “Well, then, how else can I help you, sir?”

His eyes were glazed, and the excitement emanating from them sent shivers up my spine. I stood and racked my brain for the best way to handle the situation. Just because I was a fresh-faced blonde from a small town, people tended to think I was an airhead. That usually made me angry, but maybe it could work in my favor right now.

He didn’t answer but panted like a dog.

Eew!

Our eyes met and he tugged his gloves on tighter then slid his hands in his pockets. I didn’t want to, in fact, I tried like heck not to, but the devil in me made me look. My whole body jerked, and I gasped at the tent poking out the front of his Trench coat, his hands fiddling beneath the fabric. Either he had a bad case of jock itch, or there was some serious pocket pool being played. Judging by the sick smile on his face, I was betting on the latter.

My skin crawled and fear shot through me, followed by a layer of anger. I’d gone through enough to escape my past and make a new life for myself, thank you very much. No way would I let some “flasher wannabe” ruin things for me.

Flasher Freak took a step toward the desk, so I put the small-town, dumb-blonde plan into action. “Listen, mister, we have very little cash in the till after dark. You aren’t going to get much for your trouble.” I emptied the cash register into a trash bag, stalling. I knew he wasn’t a robber, but I had to do something to take his mind off any other notions he might be entertaining.

“Money?” he sputtered, then took another step toward me. “Let me show you what I really want.”

Oh, I had a pretty good idea what he really wanted, but I had no desire to check out his cue stick. I swallowed the bile rising in my throat and told myself I could handle this. “Ahhh, you’re more into jewelry. I should’ve known with the king-size bed and all. Gotta go for the big guns, right? Sorry to tell you, but you hit up the wrong hotel if you wanted jewels.”

His forehead wrinkled and he paused, then he started to round the desk. I blocked his path, my heart in my throat. His eyebrows shot up, but he recovered and reached for me. Using the element of surprise, I functioned solely on adrenaline as I tossed the bag at his chest. He snatched it out of reflex, stumbling back a step. While his hands were occupied, I commandeered his elbow, towering over him.

He looked dazed as I maneuvered him around while I talked, laying on a thick Ellie-May-takes-on-New-York accent, and striving to keep my voice calm. “Whoa there, Mister. I can be kind of unsettling, I know. But don’t you worry none, you’ll get your bearings in a jiffy.” I reached for the door, and he snapped out of it like he’d just now caught on to my game plan. I had to hurry. “Have a nice day, but don’t ya come back now, ya hear?”

He narrowed his eyes and lunged for me, but I ducked then kicked him hard. He stumbled out the door and I turned the lock, my heart hammering through my chest. When I realized I was safe, I wilted in relief, and a sense of accomplishment settled in. I had faced my fear and stood up for myself for the first time since I could remember, and it felt fantastic.

Dumb blonde, my behind.

“Hey, wait a minute... I was supposed to... but you wouldn’t let me. What the hell just happened here?”

I smiled through the window. Couldn’t help it. “I’m confident you’ll figure it out soon enough. You really should cover your legs this time of year, ya know. And wear some socks. You’re liable to catch pneumonia.”