Morning Ritual
Valerie Gaumont
Copyright 2011 by Valerie Gaumont
Smashwords Edition
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Morning Ritual
Mike waited. Soon it would be time to move. He shifted in his seat and slowly turned his wrist to glance at his watch, taking care to make the movement seem nonchalant in case anyone was looking. 11:15. He looked up, eyes scanning the crowd in an almost bored gesture. No one appeared to be watching. He reached for the folded newspaper on the table. Maybe he should open it again. Maybe the bus was late. He resisted the urge to look again at his watch. Instead he took a deep breath and let it out in a slow measured stream. As he exhaled, the bus rounded the corner, brakes protesting loudly and pulled to a stop.
He took a sip of his cold coffee in order to hide his relief. The acidic muck bit his tongue and he tried not to wince. A petite blonde in a wine dark business suit stepped off the bus. Mike watched as she walked. She moved as if her love of life could not be contained inside and her smile she gave freely to all she passed. She stopped at the newsstand and bought a fruit juice.
As she took her change, Mike slid out of his seat, tossed away his cold coffee and newspaper and started off in her direction. He followed her down the street, close enough to keep her in view but not close enough for her to spot him. He was good at this. Very good.
Her hair caught bits of sun while they walked, making her glow like an angel. He sighed. Emily was perfection. All he could ever desire was wrapped up in her perfect form. A flash of sunlight caught on her hand as it moved and seemed to stay there like an earth bound star. His eyes narrowed, focusing on the one flaw, her wedding ring. It winked at him, taunting him. He ground his teeth. It should be his ring she wore. His. Mike felt the molten pressure building, filling his veins with white-hot rage.
"Charlie," he snarled the name like a curse, his lip curling in anger. His rage made his vision waver and Emily became a burgundy blur. Just the thought of him made Mike ill. The man who made Emily, his perfect Emily, think she had fallen in love caused Mike's bile to rise, the acid burning in the back of his throat. He swallowed hard.
He would happily kill Charlie. The sound of his last gasps for air would sound so sweet. The only thought that stayed his hand was of Emily. It might upset her to have Charlie die. Not a moment of pain would she feel. She would have to realize that she didn't really love him first. Then Charlie could die.
Emily disappeared behind the smoked glass doors of her office and Mike entered the small cafe across the street. He ordered coffee and slipped into his usual booth to wait for her lunch break. He paid no attention to the petite brunette with dark sunglasses who entered a few minutes behind him. She was just another of the regulars. Just another person he would have to pass time with until he made Emily his own. In a breathless voice the brunette asked him for a light as she slipped a cigarette between her lips. With a sigh Mike flipped open his lighter and lit the woman’s cigarette.
He slipped the lighter back into his pocket and turned his attention back towards the double doors of Emily’s office building. The brunette slid into a booth towards the back of the café and ordered coffee black, just the same as Mike’s. She smiled to herself as the waitress poured the heavy ceramic cup full of the scalding black liquid. Today she had made progress. She had talked to him. After months of just watching, she had finally talked to him.
She sighed as she let her eyes wander over his profile. Her heart raced at the sight of his determined chin flecked with bits of black sandpaper stubble. She wondered what he was thinking as his eyes gazed off into the distance. She settled herself comfortably in her booth and took a long sip of coffee. She cautioned herself silently to drink slowly, after all it would be quite a while before they were ready to move back out into the street again.
Other Books By
Valerie Gaumont
The Channel Riders Series
Pilot (Book 1)
Storm Chaser (Book 2)
Alliance (Book 3)
Roses for Juliet
All works by this author can be found at www.smashwords.com or are available for kindle on Amazon.com. More information and upcoming works by this author can be found at http://www.valeriegaumont.yolasite.com