by Bijou Hunter
Cooper grinned at the idea of a girl using mace. “Anyway, I can’t leave town and worry about you. As long as you’re at school and work, I know you’re cool. It’s traveling between that makes me nervous. Do this for me, okay? No bitching about me controlling shit. Just let my friend drive you home.”
“Who is Aaron?”
“He and I own a tattoo place,” Cooper said, wrapping me in his arms. “I shelled out the cash and he’s the artist. Known him since middle school. Solid guy and he’ll make sure you’re safe.”
I wasn’t sure what my face did, but a smiling Cooper caressed my cheek.
“He’s not scary. Yes, he’s sporting a snake up his neck and a shaved head, but the guy’s the real sensitive type. Probably writes poetry.”
Grinning now, I sighed. “I’m sorry. New people freak me out.”
“New tattooed people are the worst, aren’t they?” he said, holding me tighter. “I will be back soon and we’ll hang out. Oh, and don’t take shifts for this weekend. I want to make up for lost time, kay?”
Nodding, I stared up at him, suddenly afraid he wouldn’t be mine once he returned. Cooper likely sensed my fear because he kissed me as if making very clear how he wasn’t done with me yet.
The rest of the afternoon sucked and I wasn’t interested in hanging out with Skye. Her life revolved around Tyler and I doubted she was happy to give up time with him to follow Cooper’s commands. No matter how she felt though, Skye showed up for lunch and talked the whole time about Tyler. Her enthusiasm was funny and distracting.
After class, she insisted I hang out at her dorm where we ordered a pizza and studied. This last part ended as soon as the food arrived.
“I wish Tyler was Jewish so my parents could meet him,” Skye said as she picked toppings off the pizza and ate them. “I guess it’s possible he’d give up the Jesus thing.”
When I only smiled at her, Skye shrugged. “I hope we stay together for the rest of the year. I’m sick of hooking up. All through high school, I went to parties at the nearby college and hooked up. I wasn’t interested in dating anyone. I had a lot of stuff going on and a boyfriend takes too much work. Now, I’d like to have the same guy for a while.”
“Tyler smiles a lot when he’s around you. That’s a good sign.”
Skye grinned. “I’ve been a crappy friend because I forgot how good a friend you are.”
“I just don’t want you to worry. Tyler seems really into you.”
“Yeah, he’s so hot though that a girl is bound to stress.”
After a few minutes of eating toppings off the pizza and pretending to study, Skye nudged me with her foot.
“Have you and Cooper done it yet?” When I shook my head, Skye frowned. “Why not?”
“We’ve only been really dating for a week.”
“So? My friend in Memphis fucked him within three hours of them meeting. It only took her that long because her little brother was around. Once they were alone, she and Cooper swapped fluids. What’s your hold up? Oh, wait, are you a virgin?”
“No,” I said, fiddling with a pencil. “I’ve been nervous about being with him though.”
“He thinks you’re hot, Farah. Cooper’s too shallow to hang around a chick for this long if he didn’t think you were really hot. Strip him down and get you some of that sexy bastard. My friend Kacey said he’s really good at both redneck fucks and mama’s boy fucks. He also has a very talented tongue. Super thorough.” Skye sighed. “Tyler and I haven’t done oral yet. Hopefully, we will this weekend. I’m a big fan of oral. Well, not giving, but receiving.”
Skye watched me for a minute. “You do like sex, right?”
“Not really. I mean, it’s never been that great.”
“Oh, well, it will be with Cooper. This isn’t me talking. That’s Kacey and she wasn’t a virgin so she had something to compare him to. Cooper’s great in the sack.”
“What do the redneck and mama’s boy things mean?”
Leaning back on her fluffy white bed, Skye laughed. “You don’t know anything. What did you talk about in high school?”
“We moved a lot so I didn’t talk to many people.”
“Oh, really?” Skye asked, suddenly concerned. “Didn’t you have any good friends to bullshit with?”
“Just my younger sister.”
“Bummer. I had a solid group of friends and I miss the shit out of them. Oh, well, the various fucks. Okay, so the redneck fuck is fast and hard. Some chicks dig that and all guys do. Most guys around here can only fuck fast and hard. They couldn’t slow themselves down if their lives depended on it. Tyler’s good though. Real mama’s boy.”
Sitting across from Skye, I mentally prepared for the fast and hard fuck from Cooper.
“Now, some guys love their mamas so much that they get real sensitive to a girl’s needs, if you know what I mean?” When I just stared, Skye continued, “Thorough, you know? They take their time and really make the girl come apart. Cooper is known for being really good at fucking a girl until she can’t walk and not like Tucker does. That boy will fuck a girl so hard she’ll lose brain function afterwards from the head injury she gets from hitting the headboard so much. Cooper’s got some moves. And Kacey said the fucker has the best tongue. I’m sure you’ve enjoyed more than a few major hot kisses by now.”
As I nodded, Skye’s gaze became distant. “Tyler kisses like heaven. I really wish I could keep him, but my dad wouldn’t be cool with it. Even if I could convert Tyler, my mom would still be weird about having a science nerd in the family. She’s so weird that way.”
“Do you think Cooper is okay with this thing for his family?”
“Sure. He’s inheriting the mantle from his dad so he’ll need to handle a lot of shit soon.”
“What exactly do the Johanssons do?”
Skye studied me in an odd way. “Cooper hasn’t told you?”
“No.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t then.”
“If you did tell me, I wouldn’t tell him you did.”
“Well,” she began, sucking in a deep breath, “they’re in management. Or sales, I guess. No management of sales.”
“I don’t get it.”
Skye twisted her long blonde hair around a finger and shrugged. “Kirk worked in Memphis for a long time for a powerful business. When he met Jodi, she wanted to move somewhere quiet to raise their kids. She also wanted to be near a college so she could take courses. It was always her dream to do that, so Kirk found this place. Back then, another business managed the area, but Kirk talked to his bosses and they agreed to help him remove the businessmen. Kirk would take over and give a percentage back to his old bosses. That was obviously a few decades ago and since then the Johanssons have managed this area.”
“Managed what exactly?”
“Do you really want to know?”
Everything about Cooper was something I wanted to know, even the bad stuff.
When I nodded, Skye squinted hard at me. “If you mouth off about his family business or blab to the cops, even Cooper can’t protect you,” Skye said, snapping her fingers. “Just like that you’d be gone and no one would even ask about you. You understand, right?”
Even with my heart pounding like crazy, I needed to know because I wanted Cooper to be mine.
“They manage everything,” Skye said, holding a pillow on her lap as if for protection. “Drugs, whores, guns, gambling. Anything that doesn’t fall under the banner of legal, they manage it. They allow people to work in their territory for a chunk of the profit. If someone doesn’t pay or starts trouble, the family gets rid of the problem and installs someone new. If this area’s criminal activity is a business, they are management. Soon, Cooper will be the new CEO.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t fucking tell anyone,” Skye hissed. “Don’t think it’s cute or cool and talk about it with anyone. Not your mom or anyone. If you do, Cooper will have to cut you loose. I don’t think he’d have the stomach to get rid of you himse
lf because he seems really into you, but Tucker would do you in a minute. That’s what the idiot’s good for. He doesn’t care about that shit, so don’t fucking talk.”
“I won’t,” I promised, thinking of how I’d have no one to tell even if I wanted to blab. “I wouldn’t hurt Cooper or his family.”
Skye’s angry expression eased and she sighed. “I just don’t want you blabbing and anyone getting mad at me, okay? My dad is an accountant. He’s not some badass. If we were in trouble, he wouldn’t know how to hide like some other fuckers. Man, you better not tell.”
“I promise I’ll never tell. I just want to go to school and hang out with you and be with Cooper. I have no reason to start trouble for anyone.”
As Skye nodded, I saw both fear and anger in her eyes. After a few minutes of sitting silently, she nodded again.
“You’re cool, Farah. It’s why I told you,” Skye said, calming herself. “I have a good life though and my parents worked hard to do well. I don’t want anything fucking that up.”
“I’ll never tell anyone what you said.”
Skye looked around the room then back at me. “You need to fuck Cooper soon if you want to keep him. I’m not trying to be mean, but he doesn’t go long without fucking. He shouldn’t need to wait for anyone and no other girl would tease him. If you’re teasing to make him like you, just stop. If you’re scared or nervous or whatever, get over it. Guys like Cooper get what they want and he wants you. Either you’ll give him what he wants or he’ll stop wanting you. Again, I’m not trying to be mean, but if you want to keep him then you need to ditch your emotional shit and put out.”
“I was thinking this weekend.”
“Good. Anything longer and I don’t think Cooper would want you anymore. I mean, he likes you for real, but he’s got needs,” Skye said, glancing towards the door where girls talked loudly. When her gaze returned to me, she smiled. “I know he likes you, so maybe he’d wait. Not wait for sex, but for you. He’ll just fuck someone on the side until you’re ready. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want Tyler fucking someone on the side because I was too uptight to put out. Not that you’re uptight. I mean, if you’ve had crappy fucks before then you’re bound to not want to jump in bed. Still, Cooper’s really good so just put out as soon as possible.”
“This weekend,” I said quietly, feeling anxious now.
“Look,” Skye said, sitting closer and softening her expression. “I get how you’re scared. A guy like Cooper can be overwhelming, but he can also be a great friend. Like even after he’s done with you, he’d still help you out if you needed something. Like if you were short on cash or if someone’s hassling you, Cooper would make things easier.”
“I heard he acts like he doesn’t know girls’ names after he’s done with them.”
“Oh, yeah, sometimes, but only if they get clingy. Also, a few of those girls were bitches to Bailey. Cooper can’t have anyone shitting on his sister. Still, with Kacey, he was always nice. When her ex was hounding her, Cooper busted the guy’s head open. Problem solved. They weren’t even fucking anymore, but Cooper helped her out. That’s what you need to keep in mind. You have a tough life with being poor and having nothing, but Cooper can make it easier. Not just while you’re together, but even afterwards. It’s a long four years you’ll spend here and why not have a friend like Cooper? So when you think about how maybe you’re not ready or whatever, just think about how being a friend to Cooper is better than being the bitch that teased him and never put out. Don’t be that bitch.”
Swallowing hard, I nodded. “I won’t.”
“Of course, you won’t because you’re cool. That’s why you’re my best friend. Even better than Bailey who threw a beer at me because I have a boyfriend and she doesn’t. You’d never do that, would you?”
Shaking my head, I smiled at Skye who smiled back at me.
“Bailey is like a cousin to me. That’s how family is, you know? They suck sometimes, but you still love them. Well, I love Bailey, but she sucks a lot. You better be ready to duck if you go out with us this weekend. She’s really pissed about not having a boyfriend.”
“She’s so pretty and fun. It seems weird that she can’t find someone.”
Skye frowned at me then reached for another pizza slice. “Would you want to date a chick like Bailey, knowing who her family was? Like what if you pissed her off and Tucker showed up at your place with a baseball bat? Not cool.”
By the time Skye drove me home, I was ready to cry for the rest of the night. I felt stuck in a relationship with a scary guy from a criminal organization. A scary guy I couldn’t get enough of either.
Arriving home, I found Amy at the kitchen table with a hippy-looking guy. While he was probably a decade younger than her, my mom screamed MILF. Cougars ran in my family too.
“Yo,” the guy said. “I’m Tex.”
“That’s my oldest girl. I have two, remember?” Amy mumbled, sounding drunk.
“Oh, I remember,” Tex said, giving her a grin. “I remember every sexy word you say.”
Amy laughed while I tried not to roll my eyes. Walking to my room, I shut and locked the door before considering whether to shove a dresser against it. I wanted to call Tawny, but my thoughts were all jumbled up.
I needed to have sex with Cooper that weekend. It was all I could think about as I waited for Skye to pick me up for work. If I put off sex any longer, Cooper would punish me. Or cheat on me. I didn’t like either consequence. If I made Cooper happy, he could be a good friend. I needed good friends.
Under all of the panic, I missed Cooper. Like when Skye scared the shit out of me during our friendly chat, I wanted Cooper to hold me. He made the ugliness in the world fade away. Yet, he was scarier than Tex or Skye. Cooper was the guy other scary guys were afraid of and I was planning to have sex with that uber scary guy. I just hoped I didn’t do anything wrong to make him my enemy.
On the ride to work, Skye talked about Tyler’s chest. How she liked to touch it with her fingers. How she liked to lick it. How she liked to rub her nipples against it. Skye was deeply in love with Tyler’s chest. I also sensed she was getting me revved up for my sex weekend with Cooper. Instead, I felt worse because I doubted I would ever like Cooper’s chest as much as she liked Tyler’s. I just wasn’t that horny of a person.
Work sucked. My only customers were rude college students who tipped me a dime then came back and asked for change. My normal older customers arrived during my break so they ended up with Piper. Overall, it was a crap shift until Aaron arrived an hour before I was ready to leave.
The cobra up the neck gave him away and I doubted he could do stealth well. Once Aaron was seated, he ordered coffee and a burrito then kept his head down. I glanced at his sketches when I delivered the food and he really was an artist. I suspected he was the one who did the beautiful black and gray angel on Cooper’s arm that I loved so much.
Aaron wasn’t at all what I was expecting. Quiet and clean cut, he looked like an average guy except for his tattoos. He also had a great smile as he walked me to his little Honda.
“You’re not what I was expecting,” Aaron said as we drove to my apartment.
“Why?”
“Cooper is in heat over you,” he said then added quickly, “Not that you aren’t hot. I just thought you’d be a wild harlot or something.”
“Oh.”
Aaron smiled. “Coop’s a great guy. Loyal to a fault. He’ll bail you out when you’re in trouble. Do whatever necessary to help a friend in need. He’s loyal with girls too. Not that I’ve seen him in a relationship that lasted more than a week, but he didn’t mess around for that week.”
Nodding again, I wasn’t sure what to say so Aaron continued as we neared my apartment, “So Coop’s great, but he’s also an entitled ass. He was born thinking the world owed him shit. Things have always been so easy for him too. He’s got money, a good family, looks, brains. Everything is just handed to him so he has no patience. He wants what he
wants that very second or the world has screwed him.”
Remaining quiet, I thought everything Aaron said was dead on.
“I know Cooper can be too much. He can be loud and rude. He can dominate those around him and see nothing wrong with it. I’ve been ready to tell him to fuck off plenty of times over the years. He just takes what he wants and only after people complain does he ever think about consequences. Yet, if you like him even a little bit and think you can endure the stupid shit that comes out of his mouth sometimes, I’d suggest you hold onto Cooper. He’s pretty crazy about you and that doesn’t happen with him. Who knows, maybe you can train his rude mouth so it doesn’t spit out whatever insane shit he’s thinking?”
“I don’t know if I’m that good.”
Aaron pulled to the curb and turned off the car. “Don’t get offended by him sharing this with me, but I know you two haven’t slept together yet. Cooper has a rule about waiting a week for a girl to put out. It’s been longer than a week since he started talking about you. You haven’t put out in that time, but he’s still waiting. You have more power than you think so don’t let his big mouth make you think otherwise.”
“I really like Cooper, but he’s a bit…” I said, unable to finish.
“Rough? A huge asshole? I know, but he’s gotten away with that all of his life. If he needs to behave, he can though. I hope you’ll give him a chance. He’s my friend and I want him to be happy, but you’re not what I thought you’d be. I prefer what you are because it makes me think he has good taste.”
When I smiled, Aaron sighed. “I want to make it clear that I’m not kissing your ass or coming onto you. I should just point out how if Coop ends up with some loudmouth ballsy chick that he’d never shut the fuck up. He needs someone to keep him from turning into a fulltime asshole.”
“Do you think he’s okay? I don’t really know what he’s doing and his leaving happened so fast.”