Page 20 of Haunt the Mall

He bowed. “Thank you, Miss Silver.”

The rattle of his tongue might as well have been against my slit. No one had ever turned me on like this. Any casual interaction turned my nerves on end.

Heart racing, I bounded up the stairs with Tori.

“Did I interrupt something?” she whispered.

“Just some good, old-fashioned flirting. Now, let’s worship our queen.” I threw my arms up towards The Widow in exaltation, reveling in my Spider-Man’s attention. He smiled at us and angled the camera.

Tori joined me for more wary poses, so I grabbed her and held on, mugging for the camera. In one photo, I pretended to sacrifice her. In another, I protected her. I had to keep her on her toes.

We returned to him just as a big family walked up to the admissions line.

He glanced at them and slipped me my phone. “I have to get back to work. I hope those photos work out for you, though.”

“I’m sure they will," I said.

He walked backwards and slow-blinked at me. “Oh, and I might’ve added my contact information.”

“You did?” I grinned.

“In case you need a willing victim.” His eyes glinted as he slunk away.

I caressed my phone. What a wonderfully weird person. He thought he was the victim, but I was the one all tangled up in feelings for a stranger.

11

Unknown Caller

In the car, Tori shook my arm with glee. “You got his number.”

“I did. He liiiikes me.” I shimmied my shoulders in victory.

“Of course he does, you’re amazing.” She wrapped herself tighter in her oversized jacket, her big eyes glued to my face. “You like him too, right?”

“Yeah, obviously.” Especially when he talked to me.

“Wow, this is so romantic.” Tori peered at the starry sky and let out a wistful sigh. “You met doing something you love. He feeds you when you’re hungry. He gave you his number. Plus, he made an effort with your family, taking those photos and teasing me about sleeping. He’s really…” She stifled a yawn.

“Something.” I smiled. A quiet buzz rattled in my bones. Eventually, we could be something more than flirting too.

Tori giggled and nudged my arm. “Are you going to call him right away?”

“We’ll see.” Waiting a few hours until he’d get off work wouldn’t kill me.

She shook my arm again. “Ah, Kat, this is so exciting.”

“Yes, yes, but please, no more shaking while I’m driving.” I laughed, pushing her off.

The sleepy suburban streets were pretty quiet on a weekday evening. Only a few headlights swept the sidewalks. One car kinda stuck close. I couldn’t tell how long it’d been following us, only that I’d noticed the faded red paint in my peripheral four turns ago.

What were the odds they lived in this subdivision? I didn’t want to make Tori nervous over nothing.

I pulled off to the side and pointed at an inflatable jack-o-lantern. “Hey, look at this person’s decorations.”

“Um, yeah.” Tori tilted her head. “Did we need to pull over to see them?”

“No.”