Candy Canes: A Dirty Box Set

by Angela Blake

  She took one last look at Russel, who stood there with his hands braced on the kitchen counter, his jaw set, and a resolute look in his eye before she shut the door behind her, letting the door click with a finality that had her heart ache painfully.

  Chapter 5

  She thanked the taxi driver as she handed him his fare and stepped out of the car. The smell of alcohol, smoke and stale sweat hit her from the pavement. She wrinkled her nose at the smell, never really liking the smell of clubs.

  She felt the pavement vibrate slightly because of the pulsing music that came from the big double doors. She stumbled slightly, unused to being in heels before she righted herself and strode towards the door with purpose.

  She just had to walk away from a great guy to save a friendship and a father-daughter relationship, so she was determined to get trashed tonight to forget.

  Once she stepped inside the club, she winced as the music assaulted her ears, making her skull vibrate with the frequency. She shrugged off her coat and made a beeline for Lisa who wasn’t hard to find, standing off to the side with a huge group of people.

  She weaved in and out of the crowds. As soon as Lisa spotted her, a smile broke out across her face, and Anya was reminded me of why the decision was made. Sweet, loyal and fierce Lisa. How could she have even considered betraying her like that?

  She hung her head in shame at what had transpired between them in that office. They had gotten swept up in the heat of the moment, but they could never allow it to happen again.

  “Never again,” she murmured to herself as she approached Lisa, a small smile playing on her lips.

  “I’m so sorry, Lis. I made it here as fast as I could.”

  Lisa waved her apology away as she signaled to a waiter who was passing by. She ordered shots, two long island iced teas and a glass of red wine.

  “That’s a lot to drink,” Anya’s eyebrow went up as she realized those drinks were mostly for them.

  “We’re Celebrating, An! Tomorrow, we will both free of the hell hole they call college, and as of yesterday, you are officially an adult.”

  “Are things okay with your mum?”

  Anya gave her a blank stare. “My mum? What about her?”

  Lisa gave her a puzzled look. “Didn’t you say there was some sort of emergency with your mum? Or was it your Dad?”

  Anya shrugged uncomfortably as she studiously avoided Lisa’s gaze. Their drinks arrived a minute later, and Anya took a long gulp of her screwdriver before she was able to face Lisa, “Yeah, everything’s fine. She just had an emotional moment, you know how it goes, realizing that her little girl is all grown up and will probably move away soon.”

  “You already live in the dorms though, so it’s not that big of an adjustment,” Lisa pointed out as she sipped on her drink.

  “Mums can be emotional,” Anya offered as she sprinkled salt over her hand, and tilted back her shot. She immediately began sucking on a wedge of lemon as Lisa watched her carefully.

  Lisa took her hand and lead her to a couch in the corner where they both plopped down.

  “You’re not a big drinker, Anya. What’s wrong?”

  Anya cursed her inability to hide her feelings. She wished she had a good poker face because then she could easily avoid situations like this.

  Anya sighed as she felt the alcohol burn through her system. She was already starting to feel it work its magic, and since Anya was a light head, she felt her muscles loosen, and her inhibitions slowly begin to lower themselves, so she leaned back against the couch and watched Lisa, wishing she could tell her the truth.

  “There’s this guy I like,” she hedged.

  Lisa put her drink down and turned to face her, “What? Since when? Why didn’t you say anything?”

  Anya shrugged uncomfortably, “I guess because until tonight I wasn’t sure he liked me back, but today I discovered I don’t just like him, Lis. I have feelings for him, and he feels the same way.”

  Lisa frowned, “Why do I feel like there’s a but coming on?”

  Anya brushed her hair out of her eyes, “Probably because there is, he’s older.”

  Lisa cocked her head to the side, “yeah, so? We already established that you like older guys, what’s wrong with that?”

  “Nothing’s wrong with that, he’s amazing, we talk for hours about all sorts of stuff, and he makes me feel incredible, Lis,” Anya trailed off as she noticed the funny look Lisa was giving her.

  “An, I’ve known you a long time, and I’ve never seen your eyes sparkle the way they are right now, and I’ve never seen you go on about a guy like that. You’ve got it bad.”

  “Yeah,” she miserably laid her head in between her arms.

  “So what’s the problem?” she pressed gently.

  “If he dates me, his daughter might never forgive him because I’m about her age, and the thing is I know his daughter, I care about her, and I really don’t want to hurt her either.”

  Lisa pursed her lips as she studied her, “I see, well if you and this guy think it’s worth it then you need to talk about telling his daughter in a way that she might be sympathetic to. Surely, if she sees that what you feel isn’t wrong, she’ll come around.”

  Anya gave Lisa a small smile, “Maybe.”

  “Alright, enough of that, you’re not allowed to be sad on your birthday, so let’s dance.”

  Lisa stood up and yanked on Anya’s hand till she was on her feet, they made their way to the dance floor where Lisa began twisting and twirling looking very attractive as a lot of the guys on the dance floor gravitated towards her, but she only had eyes for her boyfriend who came up from behind her.

  She pressed her body against his and began to move her hips while he ran his hands up and down her body. Anya stood self-consciously for a while before she grabbed a shot from a passing waiter. She downed it quickly and allowed her buzz to escalate into full on tipsy before she started to dance.

  Before she knew it, she was pressed up against a guy who was doing a very good job helping her forget all about Russel. She spun around, so she was pressed up against his chest, and she ran her hand up and down his chest as she lowered her lashes and gave him a flirty grin.

  Her dance partner gave her a devilish smile as his hands traveled down till they lay on her ass and squeezed. A flash of annoyance shot through Anya before she stamped it down telling herself that she wanted this. That she couldn’t have Russel, and that tonight of all nights, she didn’t want to feel undesirable or lonely.

  The man’s hands moved forward, so they were cupping her breasts. Lost in the haze of alcohol, Anya pressed herself to him and hooked one leg around his, and her dress hiked up a little bit.

  The man made a low guttural sound and buried his head in her neck where he began to lightly nibble. Flashes of Russel doing the same thing had Anya freeze in her spot as she tried to think clearly. She might not be able to think clearly, but she definitely didn’t want this guy hanging all over her.

  She brought her hand up and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up at her through hooded eyelids, “Want to leave already? Wow, you are impatient.”

  “Actually, no,” she tried to keep the disgust out of her voice because it wasn’t directed at him, it was at herself, “I just want you to stop.”

  The man chuckled as he pinched her ass, “Very funny, sweetheart. That’s not the vibe I was getting just now.”

  Anya shot him a look, “I know what was happening earlier, I just don’t want to anymore.”

  All traces of humor vanished from the man’s face as his eyes darkened, “So you think you can just lead a guy on like that? Dance all provocatively then stop when you get bored.”

  A tiny prickle of fear began to worm its way up, and Anya glanced around for Lisa or her boyfriend, but they were probably off somewhere making out. Anya steeled herself and swallowed back the fear, she was sure he wouldn’t try to force her here in the middle of a crowded dan
ce floor.

  “I shouldn’t have lead you on, but dancing provocatively doesn’t mean I’ll sleep with you. Now if you’ll excuse me,” she stepped to the side, but he blocked her path.

  He gazed at her, his nostrils flaring, his putrid breath suddenly hitting her senses as she wondered why she even started dancing with him in the first place, “Where do you think you’re going?” He placed a hand on her arm, and Anya deftly removed his arm and twisted it behind his back, “Don’t ever touch me like that again.”

  He nodded painfully before she released him, “Whore,” he spat out. She walked up to him menacingly before she felt a pair of broad arms wrap around her from the back.

  “Let me go.” She struggled furiously before she heard Russel’s face in her ear, “relax, Anya. He’s already afraid of you, he’s just trying to salvage his pride.”

  “Jackass!” She called out hotly as she struggled to free herself of Russel’s vice like grip. The man opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Russel had released Anya and strode over to him. He punched the man squarely in the face before he stood up and dusted off his pants.

  He casually made his way towards Anya who was watching him shell shocked. He cupped her face in his hands as he casually checked her over. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

  “I’m fine.” A smile tugged on the corner of her lips. “Not that I couldn’t handle it, you know.”

  “Oh, I know, I was watching for five minutes ready to pounce till I saw how you twisted his arm behind his back like that, nice grip by the way.”

  Anya blushed, “Thanks,” her smile fell away, “what are you doing here?”

  “I was grabbing a drink with some buddies from work, then I saw you from across the dance floor,” he leaned his forehead against hers, “Took everything I had to just stand there and not yank that guy away and dance with you instead.”

  Anya breathed deeply as she allowed the scent of him to wash over her. Their spell was broken when a pair of high heels sounded on the floor, “What the hell is going on?”

  ***

  They both froze as jumped apart guiltily. Anya began to rub her arms up and down to ward off the sudden chill, “Lis, I can explain.”

  Lisa looked shocked as she stared from her dad to her best friend, “He’s the older guy you were telling me about?”

  Russel threw her a look which she ignored as she took a step forward, “Lisa, I meant what I said, I won’t ruin your relationship with your father, nor will I risk our friendship, you have to believe that. This guy was just getting handsy and Ru-“

  “Your father,” she hastened to correct herself, “Just came over to see if I needed help, that’s all.”

  Lisa opened and closed her mouth separate times as she looked between the two of them, “I give up.” She said suddenly.

  “What?” They both echoed in unison.

  “I could see that you two were attracted to each other from the minute I brought you home, but I thought it was just attraction, and I mean you’re my best friend, and he’s my dad, but I’ve seen the way you two look at each other when you think I don’t notice, and I’ve seen the connection you two have.”

  Lisa threw her hair across her shoulder, “Now maybe I’m drunk, and I’ll regret this in the morning, but I honestly don’t care if you two date. I mean it is going to be weird as hell, but I’m not getting in the way of your happiness.”

  She gave both of them a wide smile before she grabbed Patrick’s hand and walked off. They both gazed after her, wondering what just happened before they looked at each other, identical smiles of relief and happiness spread out across their faces.

  She threw herself at him, and he hugged her tightly, nearly tripping over because of the weight of her impact.

  “Now then, how do you feel about a real date followed by eating food off of someone else?”

  She responded by throwing her head back and laughing as he lowered her to the floor, and they began to dance slowly, caught in their own little bubble.

  THE END

  Rebound: A Secret Baby Sports Romance

  Chapter 1

  Lucas Ramirez groaned as he realized that the coach was going to make them run another mile, probably just for kicks. At twenty-three, Lucas knew that the odds were stacked against him as the youngest player on the team. Most people don’t get picked up fresh out of college, but he lucked out. But that wasn’t the only reason the odds were stacked against him. Lucas was also half Spanish, and he knew that it set him at a bit of a disadvantage because although most people would be horrified if you mentioned race within the NBA, he knew it was very much a thing. It wasn’t obvious, but he noticed the way some of his teammates snickered at the way he pronounced certain letters, and how they elbowed each other when they caught a glimpse of his Spanish flag tattoo. Maybe it was a bit cheesy, but he liked that tattoo. He hadn’t been to his country in five years, and he missed it terribly, but he knew that he was where he needed to be to make his dreams come true.

  At 5’7’’ he was taller than most of the guys on the team which earned him respect, and with his jet black hair, chocolate brown eyes and fit physique most women would glance his way when he walked past.

  He had a reputation for being the ladies’ man, and he enjoyed it.

  It didn’t hurt too that once he threw in a word or two in Spanish, women would practically drool over him. It definitely didn’t hurt to be a Spaniard in America.

  Lucas panted as his breathing began to turn a little ragged due to the fact that the coach had been over working them lately in preparation for the big game on Friday. He knew that the coach was doing what he thought needed to be done, but running the team ragged before the big game was only going to make them exhausted by the time the actual game would roll around.

  He took in a huge gulp of air as he finally made it past the first mile, and he threw himself onto the wet grass and breathed deeply.

  “Good job, Ramirez,” The Coach practically tossed at him as he jotted something down on his clipboard. With side burns, a patch of receding blonde hair and a physique of someone who used to be in shape, Coach Carter looked like he was tough as nails on the outside, and for the most part he was, but only those on his team knew that he was a big softie on the inside. He was like a surrogate father to most of them, and they loved him even more for it.

  Unable to do much, Ramirez simply grunted and gave his Coach a thumbs up as he waited for his lungs to stop feeling like they were on fire. The blood stopped pounding in his ears, and his lungs finally felt functional a few minutes later, and he raised his head a millimeter as he watched the rest of his teammates slowly cross the first mile and collapse much like he did.

  “That was some fast running, Spanish,” one of his teammates, Keith threw at him as he grabbed a bottle of water. He screwed the cap open before he dumped the water all over his hair and shook it off.

  Some of the other teammates yelled out insults at him as some of the droplets of water landed on their bodies, but most of them were too tired to actually do anything about it.

  Lucas watched him carefully wondering if this was another one of their pranks, or if he generally meant it.

  “Thanks, dude,” he offered cautiously as he threw himself back on the ground to gaze at the sun. He and Keith had been teammates for months now, but this was the first time he had spoken to Keith directly. He knew all about him of course, half English, half American with a legendary reputation with the ladies much like himself until he found out he had a kid.

  That seemed to be the case with two other members as well, Blake and Mark.

  He wondered how the hell they had managed to get themselves into this situation, and he thanked his lucky stars that he was fortunate enough to have avoided that scenario.

  Although he never forgot the fact that he almost ended up in that very same position.

  Her name was Lorena De la Vega.

  She was a fiery brunette wh
o had lived just across the street from him in Madrid, and her liquid grey eyes somehow managed to entice him. At the tender age of seventeen, he was convinced that he was in love. But, what he confused for love was probably nothing but lust and teenage hormones.

  Lucas pulled the brakes on that train of thought as he slowly began to backtrack to whatever he was thinking about before that.

  He tuned in just in time to hear his teammates talk about getting together later for a game of pool at this pub off Lincoln Boulevard.

  “Can you play, Spanish?” Keith asked casually as he watched him.

  Lucas froze as he realized for the first time that Keith was actually having a conversation with him that didn’t involve barking out tactics during a group huddle. The rest of the teammates seemed unaffected by the conversation, but he could tell by the way they tried to seem too nonchalant that they were actually listening.

  Keith was offering him an olive branch, and for the life of him, Lucas couldn’t figure out why. He didn’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but he wondered at this sudden change of heart.

  “I’m alright,” he said finally. In reality, he had probably only played pool once or twice in his entire life, but he supposed he could remember enough to get him through a game with the guys. Especially if it meant finally bonding with them.

  “Join us tonight then, seven o’clock?”

  “I’ll be there,” Lucas confirmed as he hoisted himself off the grass and headed towards the ice box with the water bottles.

  Keith smiled at him and titled his water bottle in salute, and Lucas did the same as he wondered if Keith was up to something.

  ***

  Lucas pulled up to the address that Keith had texted him three hours ago after having gone home, showered and had a bite to eat.

  He frowned at the exterior with its bright neon light and the motorcycles parked out front. He usually avoided places like this because he knew that a lot of the people who hung out here were pure blooded Americans, and if they caught even a whiff of foreigner between them, they’d pounce like hellhounds.