#atj edit

“Guy sounds like a dick.” Todd said.

“A major dick. So major that when my mother started leaving my light on in my room, he took the light bulb out.” Melinda said and Todd shook his head. “She tried leaving the light on in the bathroom that was across from my room and he took that light bulb too. He got so fed up with her trying to leave lights on for me at night, that he ended up killing power to the house when it was my bedtime. He even went as far as putting a lock on the breaker box that he only had the combination to.”

“Jesus.” Todd said.

“So my mother decided to give me a nightlight that he would never notice.” Melinda said and she looked back at the painting. “On my fifth birthday she recreated Starry Night on my ceiling. My father didn’t think anything of it and he didn’t even notice the glow in the dark paint she used on it. As soon as it got dark, my whole ceiling lit up. It was so beautiful.” She smiled. “The most beautiful thing I ever saw.” Her smile faded as she let out a soft sigh. “It was the last thing she painted before her accident.” Tears started to form and she looked away quickly. “I uh, I should get going.” She started walking off when he grabbed her hand. “Todd if you're about to ask me about dinner I swear…”

“I’m not.” Todd said, he pulled her back towards him as she looked over at him. “I’m not.” He sighed seeing how red her eyes were already getting as she fought back the tears. “Come on sweetheart, let’s go to their office so you can collect yourself.”

“I don’t think they’ll let us.” Melinda said. 

“They will, I’m friends with the curator here.” Todd said, his fingers entwined with hers and he led the way to their office area. Todd waved at the curator and motioned to his office. He nodded back at Todd and they continued down the hallway. “Here we are sweetheart.” He let go of her hand and opened the door for her, she went inside and he followed behind as he closed the door. “Take a seat.” She sat down and he pulled up a chair to her, and sat in front of her. “Here,” he pulled out his handkerchief and handed it to her.

“Thanks.” Melinda whispered as took it. She looked down as she gently dabbed her eyes, removing the tears. “I’m sorry for getting all emotional in front of you. My mother is a sensitive subject for me.”

“Sweetheart, you don’t have to be sorry, okay?” Todd said, placing his hands on her thighs and started to rub them. “It’s completely fine.” She looked at his hands and back to him. “I can move them higher and rub something else if you like.” He winked and she sighed. “Hey, where is that smile and little giggle of yours or one of your sassy comebacks?” She looked back down. “Come on sweetheart, talk to me.”

“I doubt you want to hear about my mother Todd.” Melinda said. 

“Well once we’re together we’re going to be talking about our folks. So we might as well start talking about them now.” Todd said. He waited for a response but he got none. He sighed as he looked down for a moment before lifting his head back up. “Did you know I was born in a trailer park?” She looked back up and shook her head. “I was born right there on the living room floor. My grandparents, Lily and Gus, said they didn’t even know my mom was pregnant with me. It wasn’t till she got up and used the bathroom. Then her water broke right there by the coffee table and next thing they knew, I popped out into the world. I actually came out before the ambulance even got there. But lucky for me and my mom, grandma Lily was a midwife and she delivered me without a problem. My mom Annie, she was just a kid, barely turned sixteen. So when we went to the hospital and got checked out, she went and got that uh, that procedure to get her tubs burned shut.”

“Tubal Coagulation” Melinda said.

“That’s it,” Todd said, nodding his head. “She didn’t want anymore kids, well, she didn’t want kids period. Neither did my sperm donor. When she found out she was pregnant, she kept it hidden because she was going to give me up for adoption. But my mom, she said though she didn’t want kids, once she saw me,” he smiled. “She fell in love with me and knew she couldn’t give me up, so she kept me. My mom went to school during the day and at night, she worked in a diner. My sperm donor just dipped on her but my grandparents watched me when they could. But if they were working she would take me to school or work with her. And when I was about hmm,” he thought about, “three months or so, my dad George, who was the same age as my mom at the time, came into the diner with his folks, my grandma Heather and grandpa Mark. They were visiting New York for the sites and all that good stuff. My mom had me in one of those baby slings while she was waiting on tables and she came up to my dad’s table.”

“Now, my mom thought she would get those usual stares she got from people that weren’t regulars or from the trail park when she went up to the table. But instead of getting nasty looks or comments,” Todd said and he smiled. “My dad looks up at her and says, your baby is beautiful and so are you. Then grandma Heather asked if she could hold me because she just loved babies. So my mom let her hold me, pretty much the whole time they were there. And my dad,” he smiled, “he flirted with my mom every time she walked by or stopped by the table. By the time they were heading out, grandma Heather handed me back and my dad just walked up to my mom. He takes her hand, kisses it and asks her out to dinner. And unlike you she said yes.” Melinda giggled, making him smile. “There’s that little giggle I love.”

“So your parents have been together since they were sixteen?” Melinda said.

“Yeah,” Todd said, nodding his head. “Though my dad and his folks lived here, they allowed my dad to transfer to a private school in New York. My grandma Heather stayed with him, since my grandpa Mark could handle the business by himself. My dad even started working in the diner with her as a bus boy. When they both turned seventeen, they got married and moved into a small studio apartment. Then when they both finished high school and went to college, they started seeing how smart I was and how fast I was developing. So my dad told my mom it was best after college for them to move out here because I would get better education. My mom didn’t want to, she pulled a you and kept saying no.” She giggled and shook her head as he smiled. “But eventually she did agree to move out here. Like you’ll agree to let me take you out to dinner one of these days.”

“I will one day,” Melinda said, he smiled. “Next to Nevermber.”

He chuckled. “Anyways,” Todd said, smiling as he shook his head. “When they finished college, they moved out here. And that’s when my mom found out exactly who she was marrying.”

“What do you mean?” Melinda said, raising an eyebrow.  

“My dad never told her he came from money.” Todd said.

“Really?” Melinda said.

“Really.” Todd said, nodding his head. “My grandpa Mark was always strict about learning the value of a dollar. That’s why my dad worked and why I worked, and we earned our money. It’s also why my grandpa Mark admired my mom so much. Though she was a young single mom, she worked her ass off and didn’t asked for handouts. So once they came here, my grandparents got them a place and even offered to move my other parents over here. But my grandpa Gus and grandma Lily,” he smiled, “were too damn stubborn to move, they love their little trailer. So every summer and winter break, I would go and stay with them. Then when I went to MIT, I stayed with them the whole time. And now, I visit them for a couple months or so whenever I get a chance. I actually just came back from there before we met. Here,” he took out his phone and pulled up a picture. “This is them.” 

He handed her the phone. “Aw you look just like your grandpa.” Melinda said and they both smiled. “Wait,” she zoomed in on the photo. “Why is your right knuckle all bruised up and you got a brace on?” She looked up at him and he smirked. “You got into a fight didn’t you?”

“Just a little one.” Todd said, taking his phone back. “My sperm donor showed up during my visit. Turns out he’s been looking for me for a fews years since he found out about my parents passing. I was upset with my grandparents because they never told me he’s been coming by asking for me. And though he ditched my mom, I always wanted to know who my real dad was. So when he came up to me, he said he wanted to go somewhere and talk, I accepted. But then,” he leaned back in his chair. “My grandpa Gus stopped me and told me they didn’t tell me because my sperm donor found out about all the wealth we had and all the businesses I owe. So naturally,”

“He wanted a piece of the pie.” Melinda said and he nodded his head.

“Besides wanting it because he’s greedy, he had a major gambling problem and had been in and out of jail. So he wanted me to settle his debts and start taking care of him. He tried to say my grandpa Gus was lying but,” Todd said and he shook his head, “I knew he would never lie to me. The only reason why he didn’t say anything about the sperm donor is because he was trying to protect me. So I told him fuck off and never come back. He started to beg me to help. Then he tells me a loan shark was looking for him and if he didn’t have the money by the end of the week, they were going to kill him. I told him I didn’t give a shit and to leave, but he kept refusing. Rumlow was with me, so grabs him and throws him off the porch. He got up and started walking off, and as he’s walking off,” He sighed and closed his eyes. “He had to shout out the most stupidest fucking shit ever.” He opened his eyes back up and she could see pure anger in them. “Your mother was nothing but a fucking whore and I’m glad that fucking cunt is dead.”

“Oh my god.” Melinda whispered.

“You know how they say, you see red when you get pushed past your breaking point?” Todd and she nodded her head. “That’s all I saw. I don’t even remember getting on top of him and punching him over, and over again. I just remember being pinned to the ground by Rumlow and my grandpa Gus throwing water on me to snap me out of it. And when I did, I looked over to see his face just covered in blood. His eyes were both swollen shut, nose broken and his jaw was just,’ he shook his head as he looked away a bit. “Just dangling. The last time I saw red like that was when I found out my parents were killed. I smashed all the glass and windows. I busted the furniture up and punched holes in the walls.” He looked down and his hands were shaking. 

“It’s okay, I’m here.” Melinda whispered as she put her hands on his. “I’m here.”

He turned his hands around, taking hers in his. “After that, we never saw him again. Well,” Todd said. “We did on the news when the cops found him in a dumpster with over seventy stab wounds.” He stroke hands with his thumbs. “But, he had it coming. No one ever disrespects my mom. And,” he raised her hands to his lips as he looked at her. “You.” He kissed her hands.

“Did you sic that guard dog of yours on him?” Melinda said. “And on those frat boys?”

“Your hands are soft.” Todd said, he kissed her hands again. “I wonder if your lips are just as soft.” He winked at her.

“Todd Keefer, OG of London.” Melinda said and he chuckled. “You said your parents were killed.” He looked at her hands and nodded his head. “How? If you don’t mind me asking?”

“They were on their way home from one of our charity events.” Todd said. “It was raining pretty hard and there was this car that ended up dying right on the road. The driver and the passenger were trying to push it out of the way when my parents came up on them. My dad swiveled to avoid hitting them and out of nowhere,” he swallowed hard as he tightened his grip on her hands. “This semi truck nailed them head on. They died on impact and I didn’t get told till a few hours later when I got back to my place.”

“That’s when you saw red.” Melinda said.

“Yeah,” Todd said, nodding his head. “I was filled with so much anger, so much anger. I was pissed at the driver for not throwing down road flares so my parents could have seen them. I was pissed at the semi driver that wasn’t even allowed to drive down that road with his haul. I was pissed at myself because I made them stay later because I wanted them to meet the girl I was dating at the time. And I was fucking pissed at her,” he grit his teeth as he grunted. “She was over four hours late, because she was bullshitting with some girlfriends of hers. She came over to my place and was on her hands and knees, begging me to forgive her. I told her if she actually gave a shit she would have been on time to meet them and they would have been home before it started raining. I told her I wanted her to meet them because of how much I cared about her and how important she was to me. Then I told her, it was her fault they died and I wish it was her instead.” He sighed. “Next morning, the cops show up and I’m thinking it’s to give me more details on my parents’ death. But it turns out my ex killed herself after she left my place.”

“What?” Melinda whispered.

“She jumped off the roof of a skyscraper where I first met her.” Todd said. “She had a note addressed to me saying she was sorry for everything she did. And since she couldn’t take my parents place. She hoped her death would ease my pain a bit.” 

“Fuck.” Melinda said.

“Yeah.” Todd said, sigh. “It was really fucked. I regretted even saying those words but I was just….”

“In too much pain.” Melinda said and he nodded his head. “I’m sorry you had to endure all that pain and suffering. And I’m sorry you had to lose them the way you did.” He nodded his head again. “At least you weren’t there when it happened and saw them like that. I think even without my photographic memory I would still remember the light going out of my mother’s eyes when she died in front of me” He looked back up at as she looked away. “I woke up, my ears were ringing and everything was blurry. Then when everything became clear and the ringing stopped, I saw this rebar. It was inches from my face with something with blood dropping off of it. It would have gone through my head, but my mother's body and the seat slowed it down. There was this gurgling sound coming from the front seat. I unbuckled myself out of my booster seat and I tried to open my door, but it was smashed up. I tried my best to get through the other rebars that came through the windshield but,” She shook her head. “I couldn't."

“I looked into the rear view mirror and I,” Melinda said, she closed her eyes as tears started to form. “I see she’s crying and there’s blood coming to her mouth. Blood that’s slowly filling up her lungs. She was drowning in her own blood. Drowning," a few tears came down. "It's one of the most painful ways to die." She started whipping her tears with the handkerchief. "She tried to talk, but blood just spits out. Then she finally manages to say something. Just one word, one word over and over again.”

“What word?” Todd said.

“Run.” Melinda said. “She told me to run.”

“Run?” Todd said and she nodded her head. “She waited for you to run from the accident?”

“My father.” Melinda said, she looked back at him. “She was leaving him. She was sick and tired of how cruel and ruthless he was towards us, especially towards me. She grabbed money she had hidden in the floorboards and came to get me while my father was in the shower. His friends that always hung around, didn’t even notice we went past them. She used the thick fog as cover for us to get to the car and take off. We were barely an hour outside the city when a herd of deer just ran into the road because a black bear was chasing after them. Everyone just slammed on their brakes and swiveled, but there was nothing anyone could do.” She shook her head. “Twenty seven people, including my mother, died. Only me and four others survived it. When my father came and got me from the hospital, told me it was our own fault for what happened. He said if we weren’t so weak and stupid, he wouldn’t have to treat us the way he did.” Todd shook his head. “At the funeral, anytime I started to cry, my father would pitch my arm. He would whisper, "Crying is a sign of weakness and we aren’t weak. So stop your crying or you're going to get punished again.” She looked down. “I always got punished.”

“Sweetheart” Todd said, he gently touched her face and raised it up. “Did he beat you?”

“No,” Melinda said, shaking her head slightly. “He had other ways he would punish me. The light stuff was me reading an encyclopedia book and doing an essay on it. Or I couldn’t have dinner and I had to stand perfectly still while facing the wall for hours. If I move a bit, finger twitch or even sneeze, the time would start over and I would lose a meal for each time I moved. Then there was the harder stuff,” she moved back a bit and he moved his hands away from her as put her foot on her lap. “He would make me walk on rocks, like the one Mr Miller has outside the nightclub.” She took off her flats and he saw all the scars on the bottom of her foot. “I would have to walk on them for five hours straight. If I complain about the pain, I start over again.” She put her shoe back on and then rolled up her leg past her knee, showing more scars. “These are from kneeling on grains of rice for eight hours, four times, when I came home with an A instead of all A plus.”

“Are you fucking serious?” Todd said and she nodded her head. “Oh sweetheart.” He bent down and kissed her kneel, then he started rubbing it for her. “Where’s that asshole now? Is he still alive?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know,” Melinda said. “As soon as I hit eighteen I left and moved to LA with a few of my cousins. My father is another reason why I just stayed out here instead of going back to the states. I always worry if he is alive, he’ll find me and drag me back there.”

“Listen sweetheart.” Todd said, and he leaned in close to her. “If he ever shows up I want you to tell me okay?”

“Why?” Melinda said.

“Because I’m not going to let him take you back. And if he wants you,” Todd said, he smirked. “He’s going to have to get past my guard dog first.” She smiled. “Don’t worry sweetheart,” he put his forehead against hers and whispered. “I’ll protect, I promise.”

She smiled. “Thank you,” Melinda whispered. He closed his eyes and moved his head down towards her lips. “Mr Keefer.” She pushed him back.

“What?” Todd said, he chuckled as he leaned back in his seat. “I thought we were having a moment.”

“We were,” Melinda said, smiling. He leaned forward again and she put her hand on his chest. “Not that kind of a moment Todd.” He sighed and leaned back again, making her giggle. “You know, you're lucky my cousins aren’t here. If they were,” she smirked. “You definitely would be getting beat up for getting all handsy with me.”

He smirked. “Is that right sweetheart?” Todd said, she nodded her head as she rolled pants back down. “I doubt they’ll get past Rumlow and his team. No one has so far.”

“Oh trust me,” Melinda said, smiling as she leaned back. “They would.” He chuckled and shook his head. “Todd?"

“Yeah sweetheart.” Todd said.

“I lied to you.” Melinda said.

He tilted his head to the side. “Lied to me about what?” Todd said.

“About Cole,” Melinda said, He titled his head back. “My cousins, Eddie and Erick, along with a few others came down to visit me when they found out I was dating someone. Because I’ve always been their favorite since I’m the only girl born into our family. The rest of the girls have always been married into my family. So they favored me and were always overprotective of me.” She curled up her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. “So when they heard about Cole they came down to meet him and intimidate him. Which, they intimidate everyone because of how massive they were. And I mean massive, like The Mountain from Game of Thrones massive.”

His eyes widened. “Oh shit.” Todd said.

“But Cole,” Melinda said as she shook her head. “He thought they were all bark and no bite. Because of his cockiness and arrogance, my cousins decided to stick around longer and attend my graduation. So when prom night came and Cole picked me up, they gave him the talk and what they expected out of him. They told him what time I had to be home by and if it was a second over, they were going to come looking for him.”

“Cole didn’t jump on his own,” Todd said. “Did he?”

She shook her head. “When cousin Eddie and Erik were walking us back to Cole’s car, Eddie slipped an air tag into his car when he helped me inside.” Melinda said. “They were tracking the car the whole time. And as soon as they saw it going to the park, all my cousins took off to get us. They were the ones that actually saw me getting hit. A few of my cousins stayed with me, while Eddie and Erick kept following Cole. Once he got to his house and made sure he was alone, they snuck inside. They started breaking his bones with their bare hands.” She smiled. “They forced alcohol down his throat and took him to the roof, and then threw him off of it. Afterwards when he woke up in the hospital, they were right there. They told him, if he were ever to say a word, that not even his dental records would be able to identify his body. So he told everyone he got drunk and jumped off the roof to try and get into the pool.” 

“Fuck me,” Todd said, he chuckled. “Seems like I need your cousins to come work for me.” She smiled. “But sweetheart,” he leaned back over to her, “if they were so overprotective of you, why did they let your dad do all that fucked up shit to you?” She looked down. “They didn’t know, did they?” She shook her head. “Did anyone?”

“Just my mother.” Melinda said. “I always regret not telling them. I’m sure if I did, they properly would have killed him. But,” she sighed. “He’s my father.”

“I thought the same thing about my sperm donor.” Todd said and she looked back up. “For about 0.3 seconds before I sic my guard dog on him and had Rumlow took him to that loan shark.” He grinned.

She smiled. “I knew you were a gangster.” Melinda said.

“A little bit.” Todd said, he smiled and he took a hold of her hands as his smile slowly faded. “I’m sorry about your mom, sweetheart.”

“I’m sorry about your parents.” Melinda said. 

“You know, I love art but suck at picking out pieces. Maybe,” Todd said, he smiled. “You can help me out with that.”

“I’m sure you're just lying about that,” Melinda said. He nodded and she giggled. “Yeah, I’ll help you pick out some pieces."

He stood up and pulled her up with him. “Come on sweetheart.” Todd said. He let go of one of her hands and kept a hold of the other as he led them out of the room. She tried to slip her hand out from his, but he just laced his fingers with words and tightened his grip. “I’m still feeling emotional so I need to hold your hand for support.” She rolled her eyes and he chuckled. “If you want sweetheart,” he pulled her in front of him and wrapped his other arm around her waist as they stopped walking. “I can always hold something else,” he smirked as he lowered his hand down her back. She reached around and grabbed his arm, then spun around him. She bent his arm back and then shoved him face first up against the wall. “Fuck.”

“Cousin Eddie and Erik taught me that after what Cole did,” Melinda said, she applied pressure making Todd hiss in pain. “Are you going to behave yourself Mr Keefer?” He nodded his head. She leaned up to his ear and whispered. “Good boy.” She let him and backed away as he turned around. 

“You know something sweetheart,” Todd said smirking as he walked back over to her. “I’m a little turned on right now.” She rolled her eyes and he chuckled. “Come on,” he held his hand out to her and she put her hand in his, making him smile. He squeezed her hand gently as they started walking back over to the exhibits. “There’s a few pieces over there I was looking at.”

“Alright.” Melinda said.

She walked with him to the area where artists were selling off their artwork. They looked around while Todd talked about what kind of paintings he was looking for. They discussed the texture and the colors being used in the artwork. They even looked over at some of the sculptures since he was debating having one as a center piece in the room. After about an hour, Todd selected the paintings and some of the sculptures he wanted. He purchased them and gave the address where he wanted them delivered, then they started heading out.

“So sweetheart, do you paint?” Todd said.

“Yeah a little bit.” Melinda said, nodding her head. “But not as good as my mother and these artists here. If I was, I definitely would be a painter.”

“There you go again.” Todd said, smiling. “Being humble.”

She giggled. “I’m serious.” Melinda said, smiling. “If I was good, I would recreate the Starry Night on my ceiling.”

“Why don’t you?” Todd said.

“Like I said, I’m not that good and even if I was, I live in an apartment and we aren’t allowed to paint the walls.” Melinda said and he nodded his head. “Maybe if I ever get a house, I’ll do that. But till then, I just have to come here to see it.” 

“Or you can paint it on our ceiling when you move in with me.” Todd said with a smirk, she smiled and she shook her head. “If you like, I can always meet you here and we can see the artwork together.” She stopped and looked up at him. “Not like on a date if you're worried about that sweetheart. I’m just saying,” he sighs. “It would be nice to walk around here with another art admirer. We can also visit other art galleries and museums. I heard in a few months they are reopening the Vincent Van Gogh exhibition over on Chelsea. I can take you there since you love the Starry Night painting, as friends of course.”

“Yeah, I would like that.” Melinda said, smiling.

“You know sweetheart.” Todd said, putting his hand on her cheek. “I really love this smile of yours. You light up the room every time you smile.” He started running his thumb across her cheek. “And you're so beautiful when you smile. More beautiful than any of the artwork I’ve seen before. I can stare at this smile all day long.” He closed the gap between each other. “I wouldn’t mind waking up every morning to this smile. And fall asleep every night while staring at this smile.”

“Sounds like someone is getting ahead of himself.” Melinda said.

“A little bit.” Todd said. “Sweetheart, do you want,” She put her finger on his lips and she shook her head, then she put her finger down. “Right,” He nodded his head. “No.” He sighed. “Alright sweetheart. You're working tomorrow at the lounge right?” She nodded her head. “I’ll be over there to talk to Miller, I’ll make sure to stop by and chat with you for a bit.”

“Okay.” Melinda said. 

“I’ll let you get going.” Todd said. “Have a good rest of your day sweetheart.”

“You too.” Melinda said. “And thank you for letting me vent to you, I appreciate it.”

“Anytime sweetheart.” Todd said. She turned around and he watched her walk off as she swayed her hips. He heard heavy footsteps walking up and stopped right beside him. “She has such a great ass doesn’t she?”

“She does.” Brock said, nodding his head “I take it she said no again.”

“Yeah.” Todd said.

“Going to give up now?” Brock said.

“And give up that ass?” Todd said, he grunted. “Not on your life.” Their heads tilted when Melinda turned to her side as she got onto the bus. “Fuck me, it’s so nice and fucking round.” They tilted their heads back. “Not to mention those hips and thighs.” He grunted again as he shook his head. “If I could choose the way I die, Rumlow, it would be my face buried between those thighs.” Brock chuckled.  “Fuck man,” He rotate his arm, “shit still hurts.”

“What happened?” Brock said. 

“I tried to grab her ass and next thing I knew,” Todd said, he chuckled. “She had me pinned up against the wall with my arm behind my back.”

“What?” Brock said. “You let your unicorn get the upper hand on you boss?”

“Hey,” Todd said, turning to her. “She’s tiny and moves fucking quick okay?”

He chuckled and shook his head. “Want me to teach her a lesson now?” Brock said.

“Nah,” Todd said, shaking his head. “When she did that, she got me fucking rock hard from it.” He smirked. “She asked if I was going to behave myself and I nodded my head. She whispered in my ear, good boy. I swear, I was about to just drop on my knees and beg her to let me fuck her.” Brock chuckled. “I’m serious, I never let a woman dominate me before, but fuck,” he chuckle. “I was about to let her do whatever she wanted to me and tell me whatever she wanted me to do to her.”

“I’m telling you boss,” Brock said with a smirk. “You're falling for this unicorn of yours.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Todd said. “Come on, let's go. I need to figure out what the hell I’m going to do with all those paintings and sculptures.”

“I can’t believe you bought all those shitty artwork just so you can fuck her.” Brock said.

“Shut it Rumlow.” Todd said.

James Bond: New Age Part 5

Note: Normally I do gifs in the story as well, but I think I will add them later when I have more time to edit.

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