“Grrrrrrrrr!”

“Juicy stop. Sit, Juicy! I don’t think I’m talking to anybody; I am unequivocally and without question talking to you.”

“Grrrrrrrr!”

“Juicy, go pee. Pee, Juicy! Montana, I have worked very hard to get where I am and I’m not going to let you just pop up out of nowhere and tear down what has taken me ten years to build.”

“Grrrrrrrr!”

“Juicy, sit. Sit, Juicy!”

“How am I trying to tear down what you’ve built up?”

“Grrrrrrrrr!”

“Langston, all I did was make a joke.”

“Grrrrrrrrr!”

“A joke, a simple little joke. And you got twice as much money because of my joke.”

“Grrrrrrrr!”

“This is not about the money.”

“Grrrrrrrrr!”

“Then what is it about, Langston?”

“I’ll tell you what this is about, Juicy, this is about—” He froze. Caught up in the moment, he had done the unthinkable.

Barely able to utter the words, I asked, “Whhh…whhh…what did you just say?”

“What did I just say?” Langston countered, attempting to downplay his blunder.

“You just called me Juicy.”

“I did?”

“Yes, you did.”

“Then I apologize, but again, you have to admit, at times the similarities are overwhelming.”

No he didn’t. Yes he did. One, two, three, four, five and all the way up to ten times ten times ten to the tenth power I counted. And then I spoke. “Langston?”

“Yes.”

“I think I should go.”

“Why? We haven’t even spent any time together.”

“And I don’t think we will.”

“Why?”

“Because, Langston, you’re an asshole,” I said calmly. “You’re a greasy-headed, pompous, pale, pomade flinging ass. You’re a freak, a bigot, and if it were not for your Eveready battery–operated tongue, you would have absolutely no earthly value,” I said, still calm, never once raising my voice above a whisper. “It’s late. I’ve got an early flight first thing in the morning; I probably should be headed back to the hotel. If you don’t mind, I’ll mail you the dress.”

“Keep it. Your performance tonight earned it.”

I grabbed my coat, lifted the handle of my overstuffed rolling bag, and walked to the door. Pausing, I looked in his eyes. For all his shortcomings, which were many, he was still single, successful, articulate, and good looking in a world where the women outnumbered the men, thirteen to one. If not me, I’m sure Langston would have no problem finding twelve other bitches that would learn to obey.

Chapter 10

11:05 P.M. EST
MONDAY, DECEMBER 9TH

14 DAYS, 20 HOURS, AND 55 MINUTES TO “E-DAY”