"What am I doing in here" I whispered to myself, trailing my finger tips over the top of the dresser's dark wood. I looked around my surroundings, taking time to examine each decoration on the walls and furniture.

The room smelled like... man. Masculine, like the great outdoors compacted into one single being. The sheets of the bed were crème, the blanket on top green and dark brown. I touched the sheets, amazed that fabric could be made this soft in a time like this. The amount of time, effort, and resources that must have gone into finding the items to furnish The Penthouse was almost nauseating.

In fact, this entire city was impressive. The idea of basic electricity, fine clothing, and vehicles was beyond imaginable.

I sat on the edge of the bed, placing my clasped hands in my lap.

"Why am I in here?" I sighed again, flopping backward onto the sheets. I threw my forearm over my eyes, inhaling deeply and exhaling the same.

___________________

Fifty Years Ago

Las Vegas, Nevada

"What's your favorite color?" Gerry asked as I climbed higher into the tree.

"Green!" I yelled with a laugh as I lost my balance slightly trying to walk on a tree limb.

"Alright, alright mine is orange" he said with a laugh, preparing to catch me in case I fell.

"And you?" I inquired, questioning the solemn body resting at the base of the tree.

"Blue" Brittock said slowly.

"Wow, shocker there" I muttered, grasping a limb and letting my feet dangle above the men on the ground.

"As your choice was such a surprise?" he retorted.

"That's probably the only predictable thing about me, unlike you, Mr. Consistent to a Fault" I wrapped my legs around the limb and let go with my hands.

"You are going to kill yourself" Gerry chided.

"Not from falling" I reminded him. "Alright, if you could have any food from the good ol' days, what would it be?"

"Steak. A twelve ounce steak, grilled up with a baked potato, green beans, and Texas Style Sweet Tea" Gerry said in a dreamy tone, practically drooling.

"Texas style?" I asked.

"Oh yeah. Texas man, born and raised" he said with a nod.

"So that's what that accent every now and then is from" I stated, thinking back to all the 'y'all's' and 'ma'am's that had snuck into his sentences.

"Yes ma'am, Imma good ol' country boy. Gotta keep that accent under control though. Can't have y'all makin fun of me" he replied, letting his southern drawl loose.

"Ooo well isn't that sexy" I teased, swinging back and forth.

"Ice cream sandwich" Brittock interjected suddenly.

"What?" I asked, loosing my grip with my legs from shock. I fell out of the tree and hit the ground with a thud. "Ow... what? What did you say?" I repeated with a laugh, sitting up slowly. I had fallen across Brittock's long, outstretched legs, "sorry" I added on with a whisper, patting his legs.

"I said an ice-cream sandwich. Using chocolate chip cookies. And a mug of hot chocolate" Brittock explained again, looking at me. He appeared not to care in the least that I had landed on his limbs.

"That... is not what I was expecting" I admitted, looking at Gerry to see if he concurred.

"Yes well I used to have a bit of a sweet tooth and you said anything" Brittock looked defensive, but not angry.

"A sweet tooth for a secretly sweet man?" My vixen like tone creeping into the teasing question.

"No", his blue eyes met mine intensely, "a sweet tooth for a man who only knows bitterness."

___________________

I inhaled slowly as I awoke, the fading light of sun creeping through the window. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I rolled over, realizing at some point that I had actually migrated into the bed, under the covers.

"Sleep well?"

"Holy sh-" I gasped, jumping what I'd say was a foot in the air.

"Did I scare you?" Brittock was sitting in the small chair in the corner of the room, leaning on his legs, staring at me.

"Well yes! Damn" I said, sitting up.

"Imagine my surprise when I walk into my room and find you asleep in my bed" he said, accentuating all the 'my's in his sentence.

"Yeah... I was in here planning a prank and I fell asleep, my bad" I said, crawling out of bed.

Brittock stood up and pushed me backwards onto the bed with one hand.

"Where are you going? It is almost bed time, you do not leave the bedroom at bed time" there was a menacing undertone to his statement, one that made me nervous.

"Too bad I don't sleep in here"

"You did the other day"

"You can hardly call that sleeping, I was uncomfortable the whole night" I quipped.

"Why were you uncomfortable?" he persisted.

I tried to get out of bed again, "Look I just want to-".

"Sit down" he said, standing up and towering over me. I tried to stare him down but lost, slowly settling backward on the soft mattress. I chose to sit cross legged, watching him as he strode across the room. He opened a drawer from his dresser and pulled out black clothing, then turned to me, ordering, "stay", before going into his bathroom.

I thought about leaving to be spiteful, but reconsidered because... well I just reconsidered.

A few minutes later, Brittock walked out of his bathroom shirtless, hair dark from a shower, looking gloriously... frustrating.

"When did you stop shaving?"

"When I realized I looked older and more respectable with my facial hair"

"You looked better without" I said cruelly... and faslely.

"Ah so you noticed how I looked back then?"

"Occasionally. I mean, it was the only thing you had going for you" I teased.

"Is. Not was"

"Someone is cocky" I grunted.

"Someone is lying" and I knew exactly which lies he meant. "Move over" he gestured for me move backwards, toward the headboard. He crawled onto bed and sat across from me, also cross legged.

"You look funny" I said with a laugh.

"Why?"

"Because you are the giant, power hungry, vicious Brittock sitting like a kindergartner on a bed"

"I can understand that" he conceded.

I stared at him for a while, confused. "Why am I here?"

"You were here when I arrived, you tell me"

"Ok. Why did you keep me here?"

"Because I enjoy speaking to you"

"Have you been drinking?" he was being so... Open.

"No more than my typical amount" was it possible for a person to be cryptically open?

"Which is how much?" I persisted.

"Three glasses of whiskey"

"Oh so the standard amount for an alcoholic?" shocked at the amount, I gave him the most snide and sarcastic tone possible.

"I am a big man, I can handle my liquor well"

"Yes I've seen how well you handle yourself" I teased, but received only his blue eyed stare.

"I want to play a game" he said finally.

Those words out of his mouth were probably the most terrifying thing I had ever heard, "Are you going to kill me?"

"No. I want to answer your questions. Give you information" he explained.

"Good! I remember this game now! Alright, what is my target? I'm afraid this room doesn't allow for much movement" I said, looking around the room for weapons and objects to throw knives at.

"No targets. I will tell you what you want..."

"Well that's-"

"... but in return, I want a kiss"