“Is that all real?” she asked skeptical.
“Of course it’s real,” Mikey said, delighted seeing his girlfriend eyes widen at the spread before her.
Unable to hold back any longer, Jenna grabbed a bundle and ran her thumb over the edge. The scent of old paper and ink tickled her nostrils. She noticed that the inch thick bundle were all twenty dollar bills and quickly calculated that it must be around $5,000. Another quick calculation and she figured nearly $200,000 laid before her. She suddenly felt faint and has to sit on the edge of the bed.
“But… but, where did it all come from?” she asked in a shaky voice.
“Nah, don’t worry about that babe,” Mikey waved a dismissive hand.
“But I am worried, Mikey! It’s not like you make this kind of money down at the garage. What did you do? Is this stolen? Who’s money is this, Mikey?” Jenna demanded.
“Ssh!” Mikey hopped up, ran over to the window and peeked through the mini blinds. Satisfied that no one was outside eavesdropping, he knelt in front of Jenna on the bed. “Babe, I’m telling you drop it. I thought you would be happy to have all this paper. You know, now we can talk more about settling down, starting your own business, and starting a family. You still want all that, don’t you?”
“Of course I do. Just promise me you’re not in any trouble, Mikey, then I’ll be happy,” Jenna said.
“I promise. Jen, babe, just relax,” as he spoke he moved his hand between her knees and gently pried them apart.
“What are you doing?” Jenna asked with a smile as he moved further up her thighs.
“What does it look like I’m doing? Seeing if all this money has made your pussy wet,” Mikey said sliding his fingers inside her panties. He grinned, “And it has.”
Jenna moaned and widen her legs. She had to admit she was excited about the cash. Jenna never thought of herself as a gold-digger, but seeing all that cold hard cash turned her on. It was more money than she would ever make working down at the bar and over a hundred times what she currently had saved. Her mind raced with the possibility of quitting the bar and opening her own business. No, that would be suspicious, she thought. She’ll just work part-time, until she knew for sure that the money was clean and Mikey wasn't in any trouble.
As she daydreamed about plans for the money, Jenna laid back in bed on the pile of cash, giggling as Mikey pushed her skirt up and her panties down. Mikey was an okay lover with an average sized cock and mediocre technique, yet Jenna didn’t mind because he loved her, and she loved him. But tonight, the sex was better than before, Jenna thought. Maybe it had something to do with the bed of money they were fucking on.
Afterwards, Jenna sat up in bed and couldn’t help but ask, again, “Mikey, where did it come from?”
Mikey gave in, “Only because I love you, and I can't keep secrets from you. So, today I was down at the garage working on that old van that I found.”
“That old creepy thing with the wood paneling and stained shag carpet inside? If it was driving down the street you would 'hide yo’ kids, hide yo’ wife'?” Jenna teased.
“Yeah, so, its kind of been a secret project of mine, since you mentioned wanting to start a food truck someday. I was going to surprise you with the remodeled, souped up van where you can sell your pies and baked goods, like you talked about.”
“Aw, Mikey, I had no idea that’s what you were doing. That's the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me!” Jenna smiled as she planted a kiss on his cheek.
Mike continued on, “As I was ripping up that ugly shag carpet, I found a secret compartment. I pried it open and there was this old dusty gym bag. I didn’t open it at first, but then something told me to look inside, because it was kind of heavy, you know. That’s when I found all that cash. Just stacks and stacks, just like that. Tim and Lewie were out to lunch, so I just filled my backpack with it and brought it here. I didn’t know what else to do.”
“Oh Mikey, you mean to tell me all this money was just hiding in that van?”
“Yeah, it’s crazy. I mean, that van haven’t been operable in over 15 years. Whoever left that money there is probably long gone and forgot about it.”
"Or someone recently stashed the money in the van, hoping to come back to it later," Jenna said nervously. "What if they are looking for the van now, Mikey?"
"Hey, babe, don't worry. I'll get rid of the van first thing tomorrow. I mean, since we have all this dough, we don't need that old van, you can just buy a brand new truck. Just imagine, your very own food truck. Jen, baby, you can finally quit the bar. We could move out of this tiny apartment and get a real big house, with a yard and a fence."
Jenna laid her head on Mikey's chest as he spoke of their dreams. She picked up a stack of cash and fanned herself with it. The slight breeze was refreshing and as they drifted off to sleep.
*****
The next morning, Jenna and Mikey both agreed not to go on a crazy spending spree, but they did allow themselves some small luxuries. Jenna started her day at the spa and salon. She pampered herself with the works; a full body massage and facial followed by a mani/pedi session. She even splurged and experienced her first Brazilian wax treatment. Jenna left the spa sparkling and rejuvenated, ready to change her life with the unexpected windfall.
That evening, when she went into work she was in such high spirits that she actually didn't mind it was a slow night and thus low tips. She received compliments from the regulars who sensed a change in her mood. Not long into her shift, a handsome stranger sat at the bar. Jenna noticed him right away. She never flirted with patrons at the bar, most of them were regulars. But this guy drew her in. He was simultaneously dangerous looking and highly attractive. His soft grey eyes were a high contrast to the deep tan skin and rigid jawline. Jenna noticed the faded black ink peeking out of the neckline of his fitted t-shirt and covering his muscular forearms. Some were colorful detailed artwork, others were crude amateurish sketches. Clearly the level of pain involved in allowing someone to carve a needle into his flesh like that spoke of his tolerance for pain.
Jenna walked over to him and gave her usual friendly smile, “What are you having?”
“Blue Ribbon,” he said, then added, “And let me have a shot of Jameson with that, too."
“Sure thing.” When Jenna sat the glass of beer and shot of whiskey in front of him, she smiled, “Hard day, huh?”
“Actually, it’s turning out to be one of the best days of my life,” he smiled broadly before lifting the shot glass to the air, “Cheers!” he said with a wink before knocking back the whiskey.
“Celebrating, huh?” Jenna asked curious.
“You can say that,” he said cryptically.
“Can I ask what are you celebrating?” Jenna smiled.
“You can ask, doesn’t mean I have to answer,” he smiled back.
“Okay.” Jenna said getting the hint that this guy like his privacy. She moved on down the bar to her other customers.
As Jenna worked around the bar, she noticed the stranger kept an eye on her. She only noticed because she couldn’t keep her own eyes off him. He ordered a few more beers and received another shot on the house as Jenna joined him, knocking one back herself.
“I figured you shouldn’t be celebrating whatever you’re celebrating by yourself,” she flirted.
He winked at her, again, “Thanks for the drink, but I have to head out. I have some old business to tend to. If all works out, maybe I'll stop back and see you."
"You should do that." She smiled as she watched him walk out of the bar. Jenna shook her head at her useless flirting. It was just harmless fun, so she thought.
*****
Usually Jenna didn't mind the short walk home, but tonight she had an uneasy feeling that she was being watched and followed. She was pretty sure she heard footsteps behind her, yet when she looked there was no one there. She shook her head, laughing to herself, she was just being paranoid. All that money sitting at home was making her nervous. They had to put the money away somewhere safe soon or she'd go crazy. As she approached home, the feeling that something was amiss grew stronger. She rushed inside, locking the door quickly behind her.
“Mikey! Are you home?" she yelled out as she ran into the bedroom. "I think someone followed...” She stopped short when she saw the guy she was flirting with at the bar standing over Mikey. The room was in disarray and Mikey looked like his face was used as a punching bag.
"What's going on? Mikey, are you okay?" she ran over to him, wiping at the blood seeping from his split lip.
"Well, well, well, what a little coincidence this is," the handsome stranger smiled at her.
“Jenna, you should have stayed away. Please, don't hurt her.” Mikey said in pain.
"I'm not going to hurt Jenna," he gave her a friendly smile, "We're kind of old friends, aren't we."
Mikey looked up at Jenna, "What's he talking about?"
“I don’t know, he was at the bar tonight.
