The Ghost and Mr. Moore by Ryan Field Page B

inside me?”
     
Lang laughed. “It’s because you’re not dreaming, Dexter.”

 
Dexter looked over Lang’s shoulder at the clock on his nightstand. It was almost
     
seven o’clock and he had to get ready for dinner. He tapped Lang’s shoulders and said, “I can’t believe what time it is. You have to pull out and get up. I have to get ready for
     
supper.”
     
Lang bucked his hips again and his erection went deeper. “That’s right. You
     
missed your nap today. You always take a nap between five and six, then you get ready
     
for dinner at seven.”
     
The magnitude of all this finally hit Dexter. Captain Lang had been watching him
     
all along. Lang knew his routine and he knew his life. “You know everything about me,
     
and yet I know nothing about you,” he said.
     
Lang slapped his ass hard and pulled back. When his penis slid out of Dexter’s
     
body, Dexter felt a chill run down his spine, as if an important part of his own body had
     
been removed too suddenly. “I’ll tell you everything,” Lang said. “But right now you
     
have to get ready.” Then he stood up from the bed and crossed back toward the fireplace.
     
Dexter sat up and lifted his arm. “Wait,” he said. “Will you be back?”
     
Lang lifted his right eyebrow and smiled. Then he rubbed his palms together and
     
said, “Oh, you can be sure I’ll be back for more.”
     
Chapter Five
     
“Have you heard from Dad?” Brighton asked. She was picking and shoving the
     
green beans on her plate, uninterested in food. Brighton had never been a huge eater, and
     
vegetables were at the bottom of her list.
     
“No, sweetie, I haven’t. But I’m sure he’s fine.” Dexter forced a smile, but he was
     
holding his fork so tightly it started to bend. Michael had promised Brighton that he’d
     
call when he arrived in L.A. to let her know he was okay. But Michael was funny about
     
promises: you never knew whether or not he’d fulfill them.
     
“Finish your dinner, Brighton,” Marion said. She always ate dinner with them.
     
Dexter had always insisted. Marion was the most important female influence in
     
Brighton’s life, and it made her family.
     
Brighton gave Marion a look and shoved a green bean into her mouth. She
     
chewed with scrunched lips, and when she swallowed, she gulped so hard the dog’s ears
     
moved.
     
Dexter put down his fork and sighed. He had to tell them about the TV show and
     
he wasn’t sure how they were going to react. “I have an announcement to make. There’s
     
going to be something very interesting happening here at Keel Cottage very soon.”
     
Marion and Brighton looked at him with wide eyes. “What is it, Dad?” Brighton
     
asked. She was on the edge of her seat, kicking her right leg back and forth.
     
“They are going to be filming a TV show here,” Dexter said. “We’re all going to
     
be part of a new reality show.” His voice went up high, with a playful lilt. Brighton sat up and clapped her hands together. “On TV?” She was smiling and
     
her eyes were glowing. “Is Cleo going to be on TV too?”
     
Dexter nodded. “Yes,” he said. “Even Marion will be on the show.”
     
Marion put down her fork and said, “Oh, Mr. Moore. I don’t know about this at
     
all. What kind of reality show?” Marion was a stern, private woman. She avoided crowds
     
and she despised any form of attention. “This doesn’t sound like you at all, Mr. Moore.”
     
Dexter took a short breath and frowned. Marion knew him well. She knew he
     
craved his privacy just as much as she did, and this outrageous announcement was out of
     
character. “It’s very simple. They are going to follow us around with cameras, day and
     
night. It’s like a daily chronicle of our lives.”
     
“Oh, Mr. Moore,” Marion said. “Are you sure about this?” She smoothed out her
     
napkin and pressed her lips together.
     
He shrugged his shoulders. “Marion,” he