by Livia Lang
He also didn’t like to think about what would happen to Martina if she lost her dream. Seeing her upset had ripped his heart open, and he felt a strange sense of protectiveness toward her. He’d never cared about anyone, and yet somehow her big sad eyes was rewriting his DNA and turning him into a softie.
"There's got to be something I can do to help," he mumbled.
He looked out over the sanctuary and saw Martina nearby. The thin woman was in the coyote enclosure, brushing and playing with the pups. Little grey tufts were circling her feet, and Martina was waving her hands around energetically, teasing them. It was too far to hear much, but Ace could imagine the happy yipping that was filling the pen.
The coyote pups were the most recent additions to the collection. Some old fool in town had decided he wanted a dog that was smarter and faster than his neighbor's. So he had bought coyote pups from a black market dealer and tried to train them. It only took him four days to realize he had made a terrible mistake and dump the little fuzz balls at the sanctuary's gate, taped up in a cardboard box.
Martina took in so many strays like that and gave them a second chance. She was a beacon of kindness in a shitty world, and Ace didn’t want anything to dull that shine. It was important to the community to have a rescue center that did such great work.
"Since when did I care about the community?" he scoffed, kicking at the dirt aimlessly.
He knew the answer though. He had cared ever since Martina had brought him into the park and given him a second chance. Because he was one of the strays too. She was saving him, just like she had saved all the other animals.
CHAPTER 8
"Say bye-bye to Ms. Fierro," the blonde mother said, holding tightly to the hand of her little daughter.
"Bye-bye!" the little girl squealed, a big grin crossing her face.
Martina chuckled and waved back, watching the happy family walk to their car. They had been the only visitors to the park so far that day, but they had lifted her mood considerably. She’d enjoyed taking them on a long tour of the animals, spending extra time at the crows because the little girl had been fascinated by the black birds. Martina had even let the kid throw some treats to the pigs, which had brought out many happy sounds from both the toddler and the piglets. At the end, the mother had donated fifty extra dollars to the facility.
Martina just wished she could have more of those customers. About one hundred more a day. Then maybe she would be able to keep things going.
"They look happy," a deep voice behind her said, sending a small shiver up her spine.
She turned to find herself face to face with Ace, who was looking sweaty and tired after a long day cleaning pens. The fence had finally been finished, so Martina had relented and let Ace spend some time with the animals. Well, spend some time cleaning up the animals’ poop, anyway.
Ace hadn't complained. In fact, he seemed almost excited at the prospect, much to Martina's surprise. The cocky troublemaker had become a truly dedicated worker over the past couple weeks. So much so that Martina was actually starting to truly enjoy working with him.
Apparently miracles did happen.
"Yeah, they left a huge tip too," Martina said, flashing the money.
Ace chuckled, and a rakish grin spread over his face. "A huge…tip?"
"Really? That is what you are going to take away from this? A penis joke?"
"That’s what I take away from everything." Ace sat down on the bench he had recently set up by the park's main pathway. He spread his arms along the backrest, smiling smugly to himself. It highlighted his square jaw and chiseled cheekbones.
Martina pretended to give him a disapproving face. Over the past couple of weeks their initial frostiness had gradually warmed up, and playful banter was now the norm for their daily interactions. In fact, Martina found it hard to believe that Ace's smugness had initially made her want to hit the jock over the head with a shovel. Now it was endearing. Sexy, even.
I've got to stop thinking about him as sexy, Martina chided herself. She sat down next to Ace on the bench, but just beyond the reach of the man's outstretched arms. I'm his boss, first of all. Secondly, he made it very, very clear in high school exactly how he feels about me.
Martina expected to feel the usual surge of anger from thinking about high school and the mess Ace had put her in. However, she was pleasantly surprised to find that the memory didn't cause any visceral reaction anymore. She was healing.
"I have to get some forms signed by you soon, by the way," Ace said, breaking into Martina's thoughts. "I'm over halfway through with my community service hours and they want you to sign off on everything I've done so far."
"No problem. I'll write a glowing report on your rehabilitation. You are practically a normal member of society now. Almost."
"My report card will get good grades? Shit, that might be the first time in my life." Ace was joking, but Martina could see pride sneaking into his features.
"You know, I think you could have done a lot better in school than you did. You lower the bar for yourself all the time. But you are a smart guy, no matter how much you try to hide it."
"I didn't know this was going to be a therapy session," Ace grumbled, his cocky look now replaced with the sullenness he had displayed the first day he arrived at the sanctuary.
Martina looked closely at him, surprised at the sudden mood swing. Ace was the most confusing man she had ever met, and there was definitely something going on in his head that he desperately tried to keep hidden. Getting to the truth of the matter would require a lot more digging, however, and Martina didn't feel like prying into someone else's private business at the moment. Maybe one day he’d trust her with the reason he was trying to sabotage himself, but for now she was going to let it go.
"You're right. What you do with your life isn't anyone's concern but your own," Martina said lightly, standing up and stretching. "Want to get a soda before your dad comes to pick you up?"
"Yeah, that'd be great." Ace's sour expression lifted almost immediately. "Can I put some rum into it?"
"I'm sure that is one-hundred-percent against your court rehabilitation order. So, the answer is no." Martina led the way towards the house, clomping up the stairs and pushing open the front door with a flourish.
Ace paused at the bottom of the stairs, his foot hovering indecisively. He looked at Martina with eyebrows raised. "You’re really letting me into your home? I thought you said this was absolutely off limits?"
She smiled shyly at him. "I did say that in the beginning. I also called you a jerk a lot in my head. But I think things have changed for the better and I can trust you. Now, are you coming in to grab a soda or what?"
The two went inside the home. Ace dropped onto the living room couch while Martina went past to the kitchen. She first dumped some fish food into the tank that sat on the kitchen counter, and watched her large angelfish swim towards the goodies. Then she grabbed two sodas from the fridge and headed back out to the living room.
"Thank god. What took you so long? I think it’s going to eat me," Ace greeted her crossly. He pointed at the bird that sat above his head.
Azul was perched on the back of the couch. The bird had puffed itself up menacingly and was currently trying to jam its large beak into Ace's ear. Its beady eyes were full of mischief as it made the big man squirm.
"Azul! Stop that. Go sit on your perch."
The bird let out a frustrated squawk directly into Ace's ears, making him jump. Then the feathered troublemaker hopped away, heading for the large wooden perch Martina had set up in the corner of the room. It stopped every few feet to turn and glare at Ace.
"I don't think it likes me."
Martina chuckled and sat down next to Ace, handing him a soda. "He’s just protective. They tend to only bond with one human, and then get very jealous of anyone else disturbing the nest, so to speak."
"I have to admit, I didn't expect your home to be crawling with animals too." Ace smirked before taking a swig of
the soda. “Considering you have like two hundred right outside your doorstep, I figured maybe you’d want to be alone in here. But I guess you can’t be more than five feet away from a creature at any one time, huh?”
"I only have a couple in my house. Just the special ones." Martina blew a kiss to the bird, who was on his perch giving Ace suspicious looks still. At the attention, the bird seemed to calm down a bit. “I don’t think a house feels like a home without some animal companions.”
"Wait, is that a Super Nintendo?" Ace asked suddenly, getting up from the couch and going to the entertainment center.
"Yeah,” Martina mumbled, feeling self-conscious. Having been teased for being a nerd all through school, she suddenly felt very exposed. She’d enjoyed escaping into video games for years – it helped her relax and unwind – and she didn't want to be teased for her hobbies.
I shouldn't have invited him in. This is my house and I shouldn't have to worry about being mocked for what I like to do in my own home, she thought as she twisted her hands nervously in her lap.
“Sweet! I love playing retro games," Ace burst out, suddenly looking like a young kid and not the overly-confident man he usually appeared to be. He quickly shifted through the stack of cartridges next to the console and whistled in appreciation. "Oh man, you have the Mario RPG? And Donkey Kong? This is a great collection."
Martina sat up in surprise, her former apprehension melting away. "I never would have thought you were such a nerd, Ace."
Ace gave Martina an exasperated look. "Everyone likes old Super Nintendo games. Everyone. Want to play? My dad texted while you were in the kitchen, and he said he'd be a bit late picking me up, if that’s ok. So we'll have time to play a couple of levels of Donkey Kong before he gets here."
Her heart beat a little faster. There was nothing she wanted more than to spend a little extra time with her handsome employee. "Sure, why not."
Martina smiled in bemusement as the beefy jock quickly slapped the cartridge into the console and unwound the video game controllers that had been placed neatly beside it. She was reminded once again that there was a lot more to Ace than she often gave the guy credit for.
I shouldn't have been so quick to judge. He's been making huge improvements the last couple weeks, and in some ways he almost feels like a friend. I shouldn't put up walls or be quick to assume the worst, Martina mused as Ace handed her a controller. It was a realization that shocked her. Never in a million years would she have guessed she’d one day be friends with Ace Bennett.
"What is that expression on your face? Is that fear because I'm about to school you at Kong?" Ace said, plopping down next to her on the couch. His leg lightly pressed against hers, sending an electric shock through her body.
Martina snorted. "You wish. I bet you five dollars that I can beat any level faster than you can."
"I'm pretty sure betting is against my court order," Ace teased, using Martina's earlier words.
The two quickly settled into the rhythm of the game. They teased each other ruthlessly, but also cheered when the other person performed a particularly tricky jump. They were both talented players, and they fed off of each other's excitement and fun. It was the type of friendly, relaxed hang out that Martina had craved her whole life, but had never really gotten to enjoy.
And it was definitely made better by the fact that they were sitting so close. She could feel his body heat radiating next to her, reminding her constantly of the hard block of muscles just inches away from her own skin. She had to use all of her energy to avoid panting from the warmth that was rising in her core.
They played for well over an hour like that, pressed close together, and were just about to tackle a particularly tricky level when a horn sounded outside in the visitor's parking lot. Ace groaned at the noise and hit pause on the game.
"Damn, my ride is here. We were doing so well, too." His face drooped comically in frustration and Martina had to hold back a smile.
"Don't worry. We just saved the game, so we can pick it up another day."
"Sounds good. We still need to decide who is the better player. Which is me, in case you were wondering."
"Ugh, get out of here before I write a terrible review on your court papers," Martina replied, rolling her eyes.
Ace snickered and got to his feet, stretching. He seemed to be debating something in his head and made no move toward the door. Outside, his father honked again, impatiently.
Martina looked at him in confusion. "Is there something else you need?"
"Well, I know you might not want to go, but there is a party going on tomorrow at the lake. A bunch of people from high school will be there and it’s supposed to be a lot of fun. If you were interested, we could maybe drive there together?" Ace looked almost bashful as he stood before her, his strong jaw clenching and his lips pressed into a thin line.
"I'm not really close to anyone from school, so it might be weird if I show up," Martina began, her stomach doing a flip. The last thing she wanted to do was expose herself to more of the tittering and dirty looks she had received as a kid. Being the nerdy, awkward kid in school had been hell and she did not want to relive that experience all over again.
"People have changed. I've changed. I think it might be fun to hang out a bit," Ace said, shrugging like it didn't mean anything to him one way or the other. But the way he bit his lip afterward made Martina realize that perhaps this was a bigger offer than he was letting on. Maybe he really, really wanted her to go.
Martina's stomach continued to turn in fear, but she could also feel the tingling of giggly butterflies beginning. She knew she shouldn't think about this as an offer for a date. There were a million reasons why this was definitely not a date. She was Ace's boss. The muscled giant wouldn't want anything to do with a meek geek like Martina. And yet, the offer still made Martina's heart beat faster.
"Well," she found herself saying, shocked to hear the words coming out of her mouth. "I guess it might be ok if we went together. I’ll feel less like a loser if I go with someone."
The horn outside honked for the third time, longer and more drawn out than the previous blasts. Officer Bennett had reached the limit of his patience.
"Damn, I've really got to go. But yes, let's definitely do this together. I'll text you the details tomorrow and we can figure it out." Ace flashed a big smile at Martina, his face as relaxed and happy as she’d ever seen it. "And thanks again for letting me in here to hang out and play games. It was really, really fun."
With that he was out the door, leaving Martina to stare around the room in surprise. She had just agreed to go to a party with Ace Bennett. A party filled with people she didn't like, at a lake she thought was gross, all because something about Ace had bewitched her. One smile from the jock and her head had gotten all turned around, and now she had agreed to the worst not-a-date date possible.
"What the hell is wrong with me," she sighed to Azul, who continued to stare disapprovingly from his perch. "That man gets under my skin in the worst way. I either hate him turn into a mushy pushover; there’s no in-between here."
Azul let out an angry noise that made it clear he agreed with the absurdity of the situation.
CHAPTER 9
L ater that night, Ace stretched out in bed, a happy glow in his stomach. Martina was going to come with him to the party. They’d get a whole evening to hang together, without having to worry about work or his court order or anything like that.
Was it a date? He shifted in the bed, not sure of the answer to that question. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted to go on a date with Martina. Sure they had fun together, but was he attracted to her?
Shit, she’s the girl you’ve secretly always been attracted to, came a voice in his head. Think how cute she was when you guys were playing video games together. The way her plump little lips turned up in a smile when she was winning? The way you could just barely see down her shirt when she leaned over? Yeah, you want her.
Ace groaned, and reached down
to adjust himself. The rapid swelling in his pants definitely highlighted the fact that yes, yes he wanted her. His whole body had felt like it was on fire as they pressed together on the couch. He’d wanted nothing more than to just throw down the controller, grab her by the waist, and push her backwards onto the couch.
He realized that he had to let off some of his sexual energy or he wouldn’t be able to concentrate at the party the next day. Because, while he might be going crazy with lust, he knew that there was no way Martina felt the same. So he might as well get himself off real quick so he would act like a human around her and not a caveman.
Quickly undoing his fly, he tugged his jeans down. He pulled his cock out from his black boxers, noticing that it seemed harder than normal. God, something about that little nerd just drove him absolutely bonkers.
Settling back into the sheets, he started to loosely rub his cock up and down. He closed his eyes and imagined Martina laying there next to him, her curly hair pulled up into a sexy bun and a teasing smile on her lips.
She could lean over and wrap those sweet lips around my cock, using her tongue to gently slide up and down my length, he thought, biting back the urge to groan loudly. I’d lay back and just watch her work me, staring into her big brown eyes as she’d slide my cock as far into her mouth as she could. While she’s doing that, I know she’d be touching herself, her hands jammed down the front of her sweatpants working that little clit of hers. As she’d get closer I bet she’d even moan a little, the vibrations of her throat humming around my cock.
His hand was moving quicker now, and he could feel the pressure in his balls building. It felt like a tsunami was forming in his dick, as just the thought of Martina’s wet mouth drove him toward the biggest orgasm he’d had in years.