Wednesday, The Next Day After The Club

Dan yawned throughout the school day. After Rica dropped him home at one in the morning, he spent another hour examining Frank’s accounting file before falling asleep.

“Forget this, I don’t have time to be tired,” he mumbled as he sat in his empty fifth-period classroom. After a moment he pulled out his phone and dialed a business associate’s number.

Say Nothing

Rica, still on lunch break, walked to Dan’s classroom. When she reached the room she stood in the doorway and listened to him on the phone.

“Dude, I’m not kidding. We can meet with the agent this week and put down the five-grand to rent out the class spaces for, yes, I have forty thousand in donation money and that can get us-”

As Dan spoke with his back to the door Rica tuned in. Wow, Mr. Capra’s not lying about that charity at all. He sincerely wants to give all that money away. I mean, who does that?

She stepped in the classroom, “Ahem!”

Dan spun around and smiled at her from his phone call, “Rob, I gotta go, but we’ll talk again tonight...yeah...I know dude, we're gonna get ‘Math For Life Tutoring’ off the ground like this week ha!...alright, later!” He hung up and waved to Rica, “Hello, Ms. Reyes!”

“Hello yourself, and did you just call somebody dude on the phone?” she teased him.

“Haha, yes, but he’s more like my bro. And were trying to-”

“Start your tutoring charity, I heard,” she said.

“Right, you were eavesdropping, I guess?” he asked, red-faced.

“Yup! But that’s not why I’m here.”

“Ok, how can I help you?”

She smiled and moved closer to him, “Well number one, did you have fun dancing last night?”

Dan smirked, “Heh heh, I believe we’re not supposed to discuss last night, but yes. I did,” he answered.

“Good. Number two. I know an audit is deep, but Frank wants quick updates about what’s going on in those books. Sometimes daily-”

“Um, actually I’ve already found a few discrepancies of unexplained money vanishing from his gross profit, but I’ll need another day or two to get a-”

“That’s fine! Now for number three. And this is important,” Rica’s face turned serious. “Mr. Capra, my mother is a troublesome woman, so if she ever approaches you about-”

Dan’s eyes widened, “Wait, whoa? Slow down. Your mother? Why would your mother appro-”

“Because she’s insane, Mr. Capra! The woman believes being a hovering parent equals love!”

He raised his eyebrow, “Ok, but what does that have to do with me?”

Rica looked away, “Well, I, umm, may have mentioned your name, and well.”

“What? Rica, what did you say to your mother about me?”

“Eh?” Rica’s face changed from confidence to a little girl searching for an alibi, “Mr. Capra, I didn’t say anything. I mean, you're missing the point. If my mom ever comes here and asks you about us, you don’t say anything to her, ok?”

Dan glared at her, “Rica?”

“Yes?”

“What did you say to your mother about you and me?”

“I told you, I didn’t say anything. So just do what I tell you, and keep quiet!” she yelped.

“Rica!”

“Um,” she checked the time on her phone, “I gotta go, I’m missing lunch. Just, don’t worry and don’t say anything to her!” Rica backed up and out of the classroom.

Dan tried to stop her, “Rica, wait. Is your mom visiting the school-”

Too late. Rica ignored him and dashed down the hall.

Deja Vous

After school, Dan hurried back to his apartment to continue auditing Frank’s file. Earlier he’d noticed three odd shell companies that Frank paid out over one hundred thousand dollars per month to. And that was strange.

Good god Frank, how do you not notice that much money leaving your business every month? And now that I think about it. What exactly is your shady business? Import-export?

Between the audit, his regular after school tutoring, and now his budding charity, Dan had a lot on his plate. He deci-

*Baaaaaaaan!* His apartment buzzer rang, “Oh for the love of Christmas, who the heck can this be?”

He pressed the intercom talk button, “Hello? Yes?”

“Hi, is this Daniel Capra?” A woman’s voice.

“Umm, how can I help you?” he asked.

“Yeah, my name is Reyna Rai, I’m Rica Reyes’ mom! Yeah, the little girl you went dancing with last night. Yes, that little girl. So you and I need to talk right now, Mr. Capra! Please buzz me in!”

A bucket of cold sweat dropped on Dan, “Oh crap, this ain’t good!” he muttered to himself as he buzzed the woman in.

Rica’s Mom

Dan panicked, What the hell am I going to tell this woman? I can’t lie to her! But the truth is worse!

He took a few deep breaths and opened his front door to peek out at the visiting parent, who could have him arrested.

As he waited, a click-clock sound of high heels ascended the stairs, followed by a voice, “Mr. Capra?”

“Yes, Mrs. Reyes?” Dan answered and stepped out to the hallway as she ascended the staircase.

“What? Did you just call me Mrs. Reyes?” the woman shouted as she emerged from the steps and faced him, “Hello, I’m not married to Rica’s father, dammit! My name is Reyna Rai, hee!” she chuckled.

Dan said nothing for three seconds. For it took him three, solid, seconds to snap his mouth back closed as he gazed at the drop-dead-beautiful woman standing in the hallway.

“M-Ms. Rai?” he squeaked.

“Call me, Reyna.”

Dan froze as the stunning, black-haired, tanned-skinned, Reyna Rai, cat-walked toward him in a thigh cut, white skirt, with matching pearl heels. This woman is Rica’s mom?

As she advanced she eyed him up and down with a skeptical look, and stopped in front of him.

“Are you going to invite me in, Mr. Capra?”

“Hunh? Oh, right, please come in! I’m Dan, by the way.”

“So I’ve heard,” she purred and entered his apartment.

Dan watched her tight body walk in, and he smelled her...perfume, “Can I offer you a drink, Reyna?”

“Maybe,” she answered while examining his apartment with a smirk, “Do you have any champagne? Dan?”

Champagne? “Umm, I have ginger ale, in a can.”

“Excellent! I’ll take it with ice in a glass! And make sure the glass is dry because I don’t like when people rinse the glass and then give you a wet glass, I mean seriously!”

“Not a problem, I have a lot of dry glasses.” Did I just say that?

Two Minutes Later

Reyna removed her heels and lay sideways on Dan’s sofa, sipping her ginger ale, “Aaaah! That is refreshing. Now let’s get to it, Dan. Now, you know I can have you brought up on charges-”

“Yes, I know you can, ma’am. But I assure you Rica and I weren’t just dancing-”

“What?” she growled.

Dan, you idiot! “No, no, what I meant was I was there to meet the club owner who offered me side accounting work-”

“Accounting work?” Her eyes steely slits.

“Yes! Even club owners need accountants, heh, heh!”

Reyna stared at him, “You sound suspicious right now, Dan.” She took another sip of soda, “Ah, this is good, what brand is this?”

“Umm…” He looked away, “That’s the supermarket brand ginger ale, it was on sale.”

“Oh? It was on sale?” She stared at him with an evil smile.

“Yeah, with a coupon.” He stared at the floor.

An awkward moment of silence passed before Reyna burst out laughing, “Pfft, hahaha! Oh, Dan, there’s no need to be embarrassed about your ginger ale. I said it was good!”

“Right. So. Reyna, you’re here now, nine o’clock at night, and I’m getting a feeling that you don’t...hate me,” he said.

Reyna evil smirked, “Why would I hate you, Dan? My daughter adores you, and she said you two didn’t do anything, and I believe my child, or at least I want to,” she side glanced at him.

“Reyna, I assure you, Rica and I danced-”

“Um-hm, I heard you the first time. Now let me ask you, what did you wear last night? A suit?”

“Umm, Yes, I wore a dark navy-”

“Do you have another suit?” she asked.

“Hunh? I do actually-”

“Then go put it on, and do something with your hair, tease it, like this,” she reached up and ruffled his hair.

Dan stepped back confused, “I’m sorry to ask, but why do I have to put on a suit?”

Reyna tilted her head and gaped, “Because you’re not going out with me dressed in a tight muscle shirt and jeans, Dan! And yes, I can see that you work out, you stud!”

Wait! What? “Did you say we’re going out? Right now?”

Reyna slipped her heels back on. She then stood up and placed her hand on her sexy curved hip, glaring at him through narrow eyes. Dan’s mouth dropped open.

“Mr. Capra?”

“Yes?”

“Get dressed.”

“Right, I’ll get dressed.”

It’s Deja Vous! Kidnapped two nights in a row by crazy raven-haired girls, who happen to be mother and daughter. What’s up with that?

Dan walked to his bedroom shaking his head, and Reyna yelled out, “Dan, put on a tie. It’s that kind of an event.”

Of course it is. “Not a problem, Reyna. I’ll wear a tie.”

…..

Next chapter~ Date with Dan