Jelly Bean Theif

"But ever since she left, though, none of the girls here know how to put on a show," Ryan said and smiled as the girl hefted the tray up to his window.

"What you mean?" Alida asked and used her teeth to rip open the mustard packet.

"They used to jump them benches, do figure eights, skate backward, all kind of stuff," Ryan said and declined the change.

"Ain't busting my ass over no nine dollars an hour," the blonde girl said, face darkening with anger.

Ryan ignored the girl and dug into his burger with gusto.

"Ew, onions?" Alida said, pinching her nose.

"No, GRILLED onions," Ryan corrected. "Wanted to take you to the Dead End; they got the best burgers ever, but..."

"That Biker bar?" Alida screeched.

"Not no more," Ryan defended. "If anything, it's a cop bar now.

"And like I want to watch a bunch of girls bebopping all over the place, half naked," Alida groused, stuffing way too much hot dog into her mouth.

"So don't look," Ryan suggested. "I'll tell you if you're missing anything."

She reached over and slapped his arm.

Oh, ow, ooh, that really hurt," Ryan teased.

She managed to eat all of her hot dog but Ryan got most of her fries. She still had more than half of her strawberry malt left when Ryan pulled up in front of their apartment complex.

"See you later," she said and practically skipped to her apartment.

"Hope so," Ryan smiled and entered his apartment.

Three hours later, Carl was exhausted, in a bad mood when he entered their apartment.

"Dinner's about ready; hungry?" Alida asked, shutting off the crock pot.

"What you think?" Carl asked, flopping into his seat at their small table.

"Got this recipe off that Ranch bottle," Alida said, putting a plate in front of him.

"What is it?' he asked, sniffing it suspiciously.

"Pork roast; what's it look like?' she asked.

"Don't know," he said and took a cautious bite.

He then saw the cup from Clark's Drive-In sitting on the kitchen counter.

"Oh hey! When you go to Clark's?' he asked, becoming angry.

"Lunch," Alida answered, putting her own plate on the table.

"Huh? When? Today?" Carl asked, voice rising.

"No, last year!" Alida yelled. "Yes today! You seen that cup there before?"

"And how'd you get there, huh?" he asked.

"Ryan showed me this house, and then we ate there," Alida answered, having no reason to lie.

"Thought I told you, I do not want that son of a bitch over here; this is MY apartment," Carl thundered.

"He didn't come over here; I passed by and seen him," Alida retorted.

"Let me make this as clear as I possibly can to where even you can understand," Carl hissed. "I do not want you around that Ryan Thibodeaux. At all. Here or at his place, or Clark's or any where. Got it?"

Chapter 6

"Hey," Alida greeted Ryan. "What you doing?"

"Getting ready to go to a closing," Ryan admitted.

"A what?" Alida asked.

"A closing; bought this duplex," Ryan admitted as she sauntered into his apartment.

Aw! "What happened to that house?" she asked, disappointed.

"Working on it," Ryan admitted and shook his head as she made a bee-line for his jar of jelly beans.

"Well, that calls for a jelly bean, huh?" she smiled and knelt on the kitchen stool.

"Leave them black ones alone," he warned.

"Or what?" she asked, digging around to grab a black one.

"Smack that ass again; that's or what," he threatened.

"Ooh, I'm so scared," she mocked and popped three black ones in her mouth.

He gave her a smart little backhand to her buttocks, admiring the way her rear looked in the Daisy Duke shorts she was wearing.

"Ow!" she laughed and tossed some more jelly beans into her mouth.

"Believe it or not; and I know you're going to find this real hard to believe, but I did not buy those for you," he said, giving her another light backhand to her rump.

"Who'd you buy them for?" she mumbled around the mouthful.

"Um, me," he said, slipping his shoes on.

She dug around, couldn't find any black ones and grabbed a heaping handful of the jelly beans.

"Come on; I got to meet my lawyer," Ryan said, gesturing with his head toward the door.

"Lawyer? Why? What'd you do?" Alida asked, clutching her jelly beans.

"Just told you; doing a closing," Ryan said.

"I can go with you?" Alida asked as he locked his door.

"Yeah I guess, but why would you want to?" he asked. "Takes about two hours of 'sign here, initial there and on the second page you need to sign at the bottom' and God! I got writer's cramp by the time I'm finished!"

"Oh, okay; have fun," she said and walked back to her apartment.

Ryan watched her creamy brown thighs and the two crescents that peeked out the shorts, shook his head and got into his truck.

As expected, the seller, Victor Tripani, was in a sour mood during the closing and barely acknowledged the check that Penny Richards, Ryan's lawyer slid over to him.

After all the papers were signed, notarized, and copies given to each party, Ryan extended his hand to Victor.

"Good doing business with you," he said.

Victor stared at the offered hand, then stared hard at Ryan's face, then left the room.

"Well!" Penny said, surprised at Victor's rudeness.

"He um, he barely broke even on the sale," Stacy Falgout, Victor's real estate agent apologized as she gathered her purse and briefcase.

"Tough toenails," Ryan smiled shook Stacy's hand, Penny's hand, then left the conference room of Richards, Pellichet, and Richards law office.

In her apartment, Alida fixed Carl's lunch by reheating the leftovers from last night's pork roast and pouring it over rice. He was still grumpy after working a double shift and only grunted his appreciation.

After half-heartedly shoveling the food into his mouth, Carl got to his feet and staggered back into the bedroom.

"What? You just going to sleep all day?" Alida asked.

"What? We got something we need to do?" he snapped.

"Well, no but..." Alida said.

"Huh? We need to go somewhere?" Carl asked angrily.

"No, but God damn, beautiful day outside," Alida said.

"I worked twenty hours yesterday, Alida; I'm exhausted. Forgive me if I don't care if it's a beautiful day or not," Carl barked.

"Fuck, just go to sleep, ass hole," she muttered.

Stepping outside of his lawyer's building, Ryan looked across the street at Bombay's Indian Restaurant, checked his watch and saw that it was after twelve o'clock.

"Ever eat there?" Ryan asked Stacy as she stepped out of the building.

"No; they any good?" Stacy asked.

"Don't know; about to find out, Ryan admitted. "Join me?"

"I'm seeing someone," Stacy said quickly.

"And?" Ryan snapped "I am too. I just wanted to know if you'd like to get some lunch; I'm not asking for a piece of ass."

He walked across the street, not looking to see if she was following him or not.

"Ah, yes sir, just one?" Hashim asked as Ryan entered the dark interior of the building.

"Guess so," Ryan said as he turned and watched Stacy's Jaguar drive away.

"Ever been here before?" Hashim asked as he showed Ryan to a comfortable booth.

"No; my lawyer's office is right across the street," Ryan nodded in the general direction. "I've seen this place before, thought I'd try it."

"Well very good," Hashim smiled affably. "Any questions, you just ask, okay?"

With Hashim's help Ryan decided on a lamb curry dish, along with a vegetable appetizer. He smiled as he glanced at the back of the menu and saw 'jelly bean pie' on the list of desserts.

"Ah, my sister, she's silly girl," Hashim smiled with all the pride of a big brother. "She comes up with crazy idea of mixing jelly beans with ice cream and calls it pie. Kids, huh? What you going to do?"

"What I'm going to do is have that to go; two pieces, okay?" Ryan smiled.

"Tell me if it's any good," Hashim smiled. "It's no good? I throw sister away in dumpster."

"You will not," Hashim's mother laughed as Hashim placed the order and told her what he told the customer.

"Whew!" Ryan groaned as he barely managed to finish his meal. "Glad I'm getting that pie to go!"

"Oh, so sorry you didn't like the meal, sir," Hashim smiled, looking at the empty plates.

"Terrible, worst stuff I've ever had," Ryan laughed. "I might even have to come back tomorrow."

"Ah, we are open at night too, sir, if you want to come back tonight and bring lady friend," Hashim smiled widely.

"Just get me my pie," Ryan laughed, putting his credit card on the table for Hashim.

"My mother cut it kind of big,"Hashim apologized as he placed two large slices of the cold dessert in front of Ryan.

"Man!" Ryan said, hefting the desserts.

"Don't like one? Use other as door stop," Hashim suggested.

It was another two days before Ryan spoke with Alida; he saw her and Carl the afternoon of closing on the single family dwelling, but Carl had glared daggers at him and jerked Alida toward their car. Alida just shrugged her shoulders at Carl's rude behavior.

Carl's rude behavior did not spoil Ryan's good mood; the mother and her two daughters had been present at the signing. She looked haggard, almost lifeless as she scribbled her signature on the papers Penny put in front of her.

"Thanks for giving us sixty days; trying to find some place close by; wanted Cheryl and Cathy be able to go to St. Richard's," Samantha Gernard mumbled.

"Any luck?" Ryan asked, looking through the open door as Penny's receptionist, Ethel, played cards with the two young girls.

"No," Samantha admitted. "I mean, there's this one place, but he wants like eleven hundred a month and I just don't..."

"Tell you what," Ryan smiled as Cheryl, the five year old girl whooped as she one a hand of 'Go Fish.' "There's a duplex two blocks over; Side 'A' is available and the landlord's wanting six hundred a month."

"You're kidding!" Samantha gasped, sitting up. "I thought they was going for nine hundred!"

"Most of them are," Ryan agreed and slid a business card for Anita Sanchez. "Tell this woman that Ryan, the guy that's moving out of there, told you about it, okay?"

Penny smirked as Ryan suddenly asked where the restroom was.

"Hey Anita, Ryan here," Ryan said into his cell phone.

Anita agreed to rent the three bedroom side to Ms. Gernard for six hundred a month and then told him of two apartments that were going to be available at the end of the month; the tenants had put in their notices.

He returned to the conference room and concluded their business.

Penny and Ryan smirked as Samantha used the office phone to called Anita Sanchez.

"Uh huh, Mr. Tough Landlord," Penny whispered.

"Whatever, Miss Heartless Lawyer," Ryan laughed, pointing to Ethel. "Who's the one hired her ex-husband's girlfriend?"

So, Carl's rudeness did little to kill Ryan's good mood.

He smiled as he watched Carl's Toyota back out and drive toward the hospital.

A few minutes later, a light rapping could be heard at his door. Ryan picked up the jar of jelly beans, freshly replenished with even more black jelly beans, and stuck it on top of his refrigerator.

"Who is it?" he called out in a falsetto voice.

"Um, Alida," Alida said, puzzled by the high pitched voice.

"Oh, I love 'knock knock' jokes," Ryan said, opening the door. "Alida who?"

"Alida going to kick your ass you don't quit fucking around," Alida said, barging into the apartment.

She looked around for the woman that had called out 'who is it?' when she knocked.

She couldn't explain why but thinking that Ryan might have a woman in his apartment had bothered her.

"That had to be one of the worst 'knock knock' jokes ever; want some coffee?" Ryan chuckled.

"Yeah; where'd that woman go?" Alida asked.

"Oh, you mean this?" Ryan asked in his high pitched falsetto.

"Ass hole," she said, slapping him on his buttock as he walked past toward the kitchen.

"Uh huh," Ryan laughed and dug out a dark roast container for her coffee.

"Hey, where's the jelly beans?" Alida cried out, looking around the counter top.

"All gone, ate them all," Ryan said, looking at the jar on his refrigerator.

"That whole jar?" Alida asked, and then followed his gaze. "Nuh uh! I see them right there!"

"Right where?" Ryan asked putting her cup of coffee on the kitchen table.

"Right there, on top the ice box!" Alida said.

"Too bad you can't reach them, huh?" Ryan asked, fixing himself a cup of Columbian blend.

"Aw, you went to Clark's?" Alida asked, spotting a cup from the drive-in on the counter.

"Yeah; chili burger, add jalapeno and onion," Ryan agreed.

"Well then it's time for dessert," Alida said, sliding the bar stool toward the refrigerator.

"Got that covered," Ryan smiled and opened the freezer, digging out the two frozen jelly bean pies.

"What's that?" Alida asked as he put one next to her cup of coffee.

"Jelly bean pie; got it from Bombay 's. Ever eat there?" Ryan smiled, digging out two forks for them.

"No; told Carl I want to do that but he said it's too expensive," Alida grumbled and jammed a fork into the pie.

Too... No, not really," Ryan said "I mean, I had appetizer, entrée, beer and two desserts; cost me thirty four dollars plus tip."

"Carl don't tip," Alida whispered to Ryan. "Says it ain't his job to pay someone else's employees."

"Tell Carl if those places paid their employees minimum wage he wouldn't be able to eat out," Ryan said and chased down the frozen bite with some hot coffee.

"There's jelly beans in this!" Alida cried out as she chomped through a few of them.

"Why it's called jelly bean pie; guy that works there said his sister came up with it. "I think it's okay; what you think?" Ryan said as he swallowed another mouthful.

"I like it," Alida said and giggled as she chased it down with hot coffee. "The coffee makes the ice cream melt faster!"

When she finished, Alida studied his pates and flatware. The plates were heavy as were the forks. Both were simple in design, no ornate scrolls or designs on them.

"Got them at an estate sale up in Rayville," Ryan said, anticipating her question. "Good plates will last you forever."

"Carl don't want to spend no money on things like that," Alida admitted. "Says what we'd spend on one set, he could get three or four of them other ones.

"Uh huh and how they holding up?" Ryan asked, collecting their plates and forks and stacking them into the small dishwasher.

"Melted a bunch of them in the dishwasher," Alida admitted.

"Dishwasher here?" Ryan asked, concerned.

His apartment backed up to the kitchen and living room area of the Betsingal apartment.

"No, no, the old one in New Orleans," Alida said and drained the last of her coffee. "It was real old; had to shut it off before it would go to dry them or you'd be peeling them plates off the rack."

"Lovely," Ryan said and took her cup. "Want another?"

"No; I'll be peeing all day I have two of them," Alida laughed.

"So, what you do all day?" Alida asked, walking into the living room and flopping down on his couch.

Ryan fought down the groan in his throat; when Alida flopped down, the leg of her shorts gaped open and he could see her hairless mound. She picked up the remote control for his cable box and studied it.

"I uh, I do some freelance computer work," Ryan lied, still not wanting to tell Alida he was their landlord.

He'd made that mistake once, told a young husband and wife. From that moment on, the husband harassed Ryan, demanding repairs of miniscule problems and the wife harassed him to reduce their rent.

Ryan didn't think Alida would be like Jay and his wife Ruby, but he was pretty sure that Carl would make him miserable and would also blab it to the other tenants of the property.

"Should have guessed; you were a fucking nerd in high school too," Alida smirked and pointed the remote at the television. "You get any good channels on this?"

"Nope; they're all horrible," Ryan smirked. "Try channel zero one two."

"What's that, oh? That's that Shapes! My sister's Pam owns that!" Alida cried out as the one o'clock 'Ladies Work Out Lunch Break' filled the screen. "Well, she owns part of it, like one half or something."

"Yeah?" Ryan asked, squinting at the screen. "She in there?"

The camera operator was obviously male; the camera focused mainly on the leotard crotches or the snug tops then would zoom out when Trish, the aerobics instructor would call out a change.

"No, she does the cooking and stuff there," Alida said and changed the channel just as the camera zoomed in on an erect nipple in a sweaty top.

"Hey, um, I was watching that!" Ryan complained as Alida found an insipid talk show.

"Was not," Alida smirked but changed the channel back just as Trish and the five students applauded themselves for a good work out. "See, it's over."

"Uh huh, might have missed something when you changed the channel," Ryan grumbled.

She switched it back to the talk show and Ryan got out his lap top to do a little checked on his schedule.

"That's rude," Alida said as a commercial blared.

"What is?" Ryan asked, wincing against the high volume of the commercial.

"Working; you got company," Alida said, getting up.

"Uh huh, where are you going?" Ryan asked as she headed for the kitchen.

"Don't worry about it, Mister Rude Ass; you just keep working," Alida said as she pushed the bar stool toward the refrigerator again.

"Don't you dare," Ryan said, turning off his computer.

"No, no, you just keep working," Alida giggled as she climbed onto the stool.

"Alida I put them up there for a reason," Ryan said, getting to his feet.

"Told you, keep working," Alida giggled as she stood on the seat of the stool.

"Don't," Ryan said, grabbing her around her waist.

"Hey, I'm taller than you," she laughed as he attempted to pull her off the stool.

"Let go of the refrigerator," Ryan laughed as she clung to the top.

"No," she giggled.

"Alida," he said and gave a hard tug.

"Aw!" Alida complained as she was now three feet away from her target.

"Told you; those are mine," Ryan said.

"Uh huh and what you charge me for one, huh?" Alida asked, resting her small hands on his broad shoulders.

"A kiss," Ryan suggested.

"There," Alida said and gave him a quick peck on his lips.

"That wasn't a kiss," Ryan complained.

"Oh, fine, what ever, big cry baby," Alida huffed and pressed her lips to his.

He put her back on the stool and she popped the lid off and dug out a handful of jelly beans.

"One, Booger face," Ryan complained.

"Uh huh," Alida said. "Want them back? Come get them."

She crammed the whole handful into her mouth.

"Think I won't?" Ryan asked.

"Ahh!" Alida said, sticking her tongue out, showing him all the chewed up jelly beans.

"Mm, ABC, my favorite," Ryan said.

"What's ABC?" Alida asked as she swallowed the mouthful.

"Already Been Chewed," Ryan smiled.

"Oh," Alida laughed and dug out a few black jelly beans.

"Ah!" she said, showing him the three chewed up jelly beans.

"Mmph!" she protested, shocked as Ryan did stick his tongue into her mouth, did take the jelly beans off of her tongue.

"Mmm," she moaned as he held her tightly, kissing her passionately.

"I should get like the whole jar for that one," she said quietly, rubbing her small hands over his shoulders and chest.

"Excuse me?" Ryan smiled. "I should get two jars."

"Then I should get three," she smugly said.

He kissed her again and rubbed his hands up and down her back.

"Oh," she moaned as he cupped her buttocks in his large hands.

He picked her up and carried her to the couch.

Between kisses, he managed to slide her half shirt off. Alida squealed as his hot mouth sucked in one of her nipples.

Whenever Carl did play with her breasts he usually just grabbed them and kneaded them like dough; he was rough, hurried.