Midnight Madness

Ms. Turlington stopped dabbing immediately and looked hopeful.

Marly thought the omelet looked and smelled fabulous, but the Hammer wrinkled his statesman-like nose. He poked at the mass of eggs with a knife and looked unimpressed. He set the dome back over the plate, and just then Marly’s stomach had the poor timing to growl. She hadn’t eaten anything before leaving her apartment.

He brightened. “You’re hungry!”

“No, no,” Marly stammered, under Ms. Turlington’s ominous gaze.

“Yes, you are. Isn’t it fortunate that we ordered some extra breakfast!” The gov grabbed a fork, cut a bite of omelet and made choo-choo noises, driving it toward her mouth.

Marly was so appalled that she opened it and he deposited the bite of eggs onto her tongue, emitting a long engineer’s whistle as he did so. Then the lunatic said, “Yum, yum!” and sent her a big ole shit-eating grin.

She almost spat the eggs onto the carpet at Ms. Turlington’s expression, but she managed not to. Instead she swallowed them.

“Now,” said the Hammer, advancing on her with a napkin, “you just be a good kid and eat the omelet. I’ll return to my breakfast of champions. Turls, where’s your oatmeal and prune juice?”

“I have already consumed my morning meal,” growled Ms. Turlington, and swept from the room, closing the French doors with a snap.

Marly blinked. “Governor, really, I’m only here to cut your hair.” She looked at her watch. “And I’ve got to get back. I have a client coming at ten….”

“It’ll take you all of five minutes to eat that omelet, sweetheart. C’mon, can’t you do it for the Ham?” He advanced toward her and put his hand at the small of her back.

His touch was casually intimate, for someone who’d just met her. Though she thought he was nuts, her body didn’t agree. Marly leaped forward as if burned and grabbed the plate of eggs. She held it in front of her like a shield and dodged around the serving cart. “Thanks.”

“Can’t have you all shaky when you’re snipping the gubernatorial locks, eh?” He grinned. “Gubernatorial—isn’t that the weirdest word? Sounds like all things relating to a goober.”

Marly laughed in spite of herself.

“Now, my family and friends know the truth—I am one, but do we need to advertise the fact?”

He didn’t look at all like a goober. He looked like blue-blooded sin in half of a thousand-dollar suit. And he was crazy. Obviously. Because he insisted on returning to their earlier topic of conversation.

“Now that I’ve found you, Marly Fine, I’m going to have to insist that we get to know each other. Are you free for dinner?”

Marly set down the omelet once again. “No, Governor, I’m not. We run a salon, which is open until midnight.”

“You work a sixteen-hour day?”

“Sometimes. Usually I work a twelve-hour one. I go in at noon. Miami is half-Latin, and Latins like to keep late hours.”

“Hmm. I’m asleep by eleven. This could be tough to work out….” He stuck another bite of waffle into his mouth.

Her sense of outrage rose. “Governor Hammersmith, while I am certainly, um, flattered by your interest, there is nothing to work out. I have a very full life and—”

“You married?”

“What? No.”

“Engaged?”

“No, but—”

“Boyfriend?”

She hesitated a split second too long.

“Then we can work something out.”

“Governor, maybe I don’t want to work something out!”

“I’ve been told I’m passably handsome. I floss regularly and use mouthwash. I can even be charming, when I want to be.” He cocked his head to one side and licked a bit of whipped cream out of the corner of his mouth. “What’s not to like?”

Marly closed her eyes. Then she opened them and took a deep breath. “Women don’t say no to you very often, do they?”

He looked a little sheepish. Then he shook his head.

“In fact, I’ll offer a guess that not many people say no to you.”

Hammersmith stuck the last bite of waffle into his mouth and chewed pensively. Then he shook his head again.

“Well,” Marly said brightly. “We all encounter new experiences, don’t we? Now give me that—” she took the plate from his hand and set it on the cart “—and come sit down in that rolling chair again so I can do my job.”

He blinked at her, then went and sat down. She unfolded the salon drape and threw it around him, covering him from the neck down. Thank God I don’t have to look at that chest any longer.

Then she handed him a mirror. “Now, you like a side part on the left, correct?”

He nodded.

“And it looks like…are you having these strands near your temples colored gray?”

“Yes. They decided I looked more statesman-like with a little silver around the edges.”

Marly pursed her lips. “I don’t have anything with me to do color. All I can do today is a cut.”

“Isn’t that a shame. Guess you’ll have to see me again, won’t you?” His lips twitched.

“You know,” said Marly severely, “if you were anyone but the governor, and if you were even a smidgen uglier, I wouldn’t put up with you.”

“Even though you’re curious?”

“Who said I was curious?”

“Your eyes, your voice, your body language. The fact that you’re still here and haven’t run screaming out the door—even though you think I’m crazy.”

She glared at him. “I don’t think you’re nuts. I know you’re nuts.”

“We’ll see about that. History often repeats itself.”

Again, a shiver spiraled around her spine before dispersing into hundreds of tiny ions of unease. Marly dug her spray bottle of water out of her nylon bag and depressed the nozzle several times, soaking the man’s head.