Page 51 of Trick or Tease

It was the spider she spoke of.

She was holding up what had to be the most realistic fake tarantula I’d ever seen. The thing was the size of a dinner plate and covered in coarse black fur that looked disturbingly real.

Goosebumps spread up and down my arms.

When did I become such a pussy?

She turned and held it up for me to see and then lunged at me with it.

I stumbled backward so fast I nearly tripped over the cardboard box behind me. My heart hammered against my ribs as that thing swayed inches from my face.

“Fuck, Sabrina!” I snapped, my voice coming out sharper than I’d intended.

She froze, the fake spider still dangling from her fingers. The playful grin on her face faltered as she took in my reaction.

“Shit, I’m sorry,” she said quickly, lowering the spider. “I was just messing around. I didn’t think⁠—”

“It’s fine,” I said, even though it wasn’t. My pulse was still racing. I could feel that familiar tightness in my chest that came with being caught off guard. I hated how exposed I felt, how she’d managed to rattle me so easily.

I forced myself to take a deep breath, trying to regain some composure. This was ridiculous. I was a grown man who negotiated billion-dollar deals for a living, and I was letting a plastic spider turn me into a nervous wreck.

“That thing is ridiculous,” I muttered.

“And awesome.” She grinned.

I rolled my eyes. “I suppose there are more?”

“Lots!”

“Where are they going?” I asked with resignation.

“Corner of section three,” Sabrina said, consulting the hand-drawn map Billy had sketched on notebook paper. “Right where the path makes that sharp turn. We want people to walk right into it. Jim’s section.”

“Jim. Right.”

“Here, take some web.”

She tossed a bag of white stuff at me. I knew what it was. I had helped decorate the office last year.

I carried the spider into the maze, following the narrow path between towering cornstalks. I found the spot Sabrina had indicated and looked around for somewhere to hang the spider. There was a wooden support post about seven feet up that would work perfectly. I dropped the spider on the ground and ripped open the package of spider web material.

I started to spread it out, creating what I hoped looked like a realistic web. I almost laughed at myself. If my coworkers could see me now. No one knew this side of me. Some knew I came from a small town, but they didn’t know just how small or the fact I grew up on a farm.

“Need help?” Sabrina appeared behind me, carrying an armload of what looked like bed sheets.

“I’ve got it,” I said.

“It looks good.” She nodded.

“Can you hand me the spider?”

She handed me the spider, our hands brushing. I ignored the heat that ran through my body. It wasn’t just the touch. It was the close proximity.

“Thanks,” I managed.

I adjusted the nasty spider and stepped back. “Good?”

“Perfect. Perfectly terrifying.”