House Call

He held her head silently and laid her gently on the hard wood before straightening her towel. She was a beautiful woman. 'If I couldn't have her...' He walked to the entryway and laid his gun on the dining table before placing a gloved hand on the knob of the front door. He paused, looked around and sighed.

Isabel was full. Those steaks had her beat as she leaned back and patted her tummy. Charles stabbed another steak from the hot plate and transferred it to his. He glanced at his coworker and shook his head.

"Tsk, I'm never taking you out to eat again. Your appetite is weak and embarrassing. How could you be full after six rounds?" Charles asked before stuffing a small chunk of meat and barbecue gravy into his mouth. He smacked his lips again as he savored the taste before moving onto the waiting sauteed mixed vegetables.

Isabel grumbled and eyed the delicious looking New York fruit cheesecake with a watering mouth. She ignored the ache her stomach gave in protest as she sliced a thick piece and placed it right in front of her. She closed her eyes and pressed her hands together.

"What're you doing?" Charles' tone was indifferent, but he glanced in her direction just the same.

"I'm praying to the food God to empty my stomach so I won't get itis, " she replied with her eyes still closed.

Charles snorted and shook his head as Isabel finished her 'prayer' and devoured the glistening cheesecake. She bit into the soft and delectable cake and moaned, her eyes closing as she savored the creamy texture. She sobbed Internally as she reached the last bite before excitedly looking at the rest of the cheesecake on the untouched desert plate.

Isabel extended her arm to slice another piece when it was suddenly lifted onto a tray a whisked away by a long pair of legs and a waiter uniform. She pouted and made a sobbing expression. Charlies couldn't contain his laughter. Her face and reaction tipped him over the edge. He doubled over and clutched his impossibly flat stomach. How can this man eat so much and not get a bloated stomach? She eyed his tummy and frowned.

"Are you full already?" Charles struggled to suppress a smile as he lifted a finger to call the attention of one of the waiters. A large chested waitress spotted him and hurried over. She was pretty even if she had on too many layers of makeup that it made her look a little lopsided. Her rack was too big. She must know this as she stood close to Charles and smiled brightly. He was seated but the middle of her right breast was only inches from his nose.

Despite her attempt to catch his attention with her chest, which he seemingly avoided. She tried being polite with his requests but all he asked for was the rest of the fruit cheesecake to go and the check, neither required more than an "Excellent choice, sir, right away, " before she turned toward the kitchen. She put a little sway in her hips as she walked away, but it'd only work if he was paying attention.

Her frown when she returned with the check answered that question. Isabel snickered quietly in her seat and gave the waitress a knowing smile when she turned again. Miss big rack huffed and pouted as she went to ring up their meal.

"Hasn't your aunt ever told you you'd be a heartbreaker when you grew up?" Isabel giggled, pointing a fork at him.

He pressed his hand to his chest and tried to feign innocence. She snorted and retrieved the travel vaseline from her bag she had slung over her chair. She missed Janice. It saddened her knowing how large a workload Mr. Kim would leave behind as he rushed home to his "ill wife."

"You have everything?" Charles said as he signed the receipt and crumpled the customer copy in his free hand, grabbing his jacket with the other. "I'll take you home."

"Oh, I'm not going home. You can leave me at Jan's place. I'll grab a cab from there."

Charles thought for a moment and nodded. He draped his jacket over his shoulder and stood. As they left he turned to catch the eye of the waitress that'd been trying to seduce him and winked. Her shocked look brought a smile to his face and a fit of laughter from his glutton of a coworker.

Once outside they headed toward the main street to avoid the alleys of Chinatown. It must have rained a little, there were puddles near every pothole.

"So, you're going home after you drop by Janice?"

Charles broke the silence as he watched Isabel childishly skip over a large puddle. He smiled and glanced at her hand swaying at her side. It was a tempting thought but he restrained himself, she was so clueless.

"Huh?" Isabel didn't register his question.

"I said, are you going home after you drop by Janice, " he said loudly.

He readjusted the jacket over his forearm and quickly made a grab for her waist as she nearly toppled into a puddle. She shrieked in surprise and quickly felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment when she realized the warmth of his chest. She hadn't noticed how desperately she pressed into him as he kept her from falling. If he kept going like this he will surely make her heart burst. He's only just confessed!

He let go of her after setting her back onto her feet. Charles stepped back slightly and mumbled under his breath. She saw the color slightly raise in his cream cheeks. She smiled.

"Yeah, " she answered quietly. She wanted to spend more time with him, but she had a report to finish in the morning, she sighed. They started walking in silence again. The path to Janice's apartment was short but the long silence between them made it drag on longer.

As they approached a set of condominiums, Isabel looked up and squinted in the beam of bright light until her eyes adjusted. They've arrived. Charles looked at her slowly and smiled. She returned it sheepishly and instantly flushed as he came closer. She stiffened as he embraced her in an intimate hug that pressed her chest to his. He let go and caressed her cheek as he backed away.

"See you tomorrow?" he asked. Isabel opened her mouth to reply but no words came out. She nodded and he smiled again before turning to walk away. She watched his back until he disappeared into the darkness of the alleys before turning to walk through the brightly lit lobby.

Mr. Clark was sitting sternly at the front desk reading the evening newspaper. For a man who always took his job seriously, he knew when it was okay to relax. He looked up at Isabel's approach and his eyebrows shot up in surprise. He glanced at his watch and back at her again.

"A little late for a house call, no?"

" It's just a social visit, " she protested.

He eyed her with playful concern and pressed the buzzer to let her in the second door. Isabel grinned at him and walked briskly toward the elevators. She walked up to the front door of her best friends apartment and turned the knob without knocking. It opened easily. 'sheesh, talk about feeling secure. I'll tell her to lock the door from now on.'

Once inside, Isabel noticed the eerie silence before her eyes locked on a dark object on the dining table. She walked slowly and picked it up to take a closer look. It was a gun! What was a gun doing on Jan's dining table?! Fear crept over her and she held the gun tightly as she removed her heels. The clicking would make too much noise.

She quietly moved around the foyer into the the living room and kitchen. Nothing. She dared not utter word as she crept toward the large double bath around the bend. Isabel froze at the scene laid before her. Lying still in the creme bath sheet she had once wrapped as a last minute birthday gift was the body of Janice Johnson.

Blood streamed into a small puddle beside her neck. Isabel felt numb as she dragged her feet until they gave way and she collapsed to her knees. She crawled beside Jan and embraced her lifeless body. Her eyes were open, a look of fear still etched into her cheeks. Isabel caressed her face, closing her eyelids before allowing a sob to escape her throat. Clinging to her body, Isabel cried noisily, not flinching as the front door was suddenly kicked in by New York's finest.