Flirting with Fire

by Piper Rayne

  “You must be speaking from experience.” He raises both eyebrows.

  I roll my eyes at him, trying to act like we both aren’t aware of where we stand.

  “I just need you to know, I know what I’m doing here. This is my fifth house and I’ve learned from my mistakes, so I’d like it if you didn’t try to intimidate me into getting your way. That you believe the decisions I suggest and make are what is best for us and come from a place of experience and knowledge.”

  “Did you think if I wanted a different molding stain I was going to strip off my shirt? Or if we didn’t agree on what price to sell it at, I’d do a strip tease?” He hops off the back end of the truck, crumpling up his foil wrapper and tossing it in the bed. “If we’re being so honest, than I’d like you to know that I’m more than just brawn, I have some brains, too. So please respect any suggestions I make.”

  I’ve offended him.

  I follow him to the passenger side of the truck. “I didn’t mean—”

  His head turns and his blue eyes are lit with anger. It’s a side of him I’ve never seen before.

  “You meant that you thought I’d use my looks and my charm to get my way with you. That I wouldn’t respect you as an equal partner.” He steps closer. I swallow down the small amount of saliva pooling in my mouth. “Let me tell you, Madison, you might think you know me, but you know nothing about the real me. I seem to remember you telling me something similar last week.” His arm lands on top of the truck, effectively caging me in. “I’ll tell you this, you might be hung up on what you looked like in high school, but I’m not. I’m sorry if I was an idiot and didn’t notice you back then, but I could accuse you of using your looks to get what you want in our arrangement, too. ”

  I stare into his eyes, watching anger transform to heat.

  “I would never disrespect you, Madison. We’ll both get what we want out of this partnership.” He winks and pushes himself off the truck, leaving me weak in the knees. “Now let’s go get dirty.”

  God, I so want to get dirty with him right now, but not at all in the way that he means.

  Two hours later, we’re back to sitting on the lowered tailgate of Mauro’s truck. I’m finishing up sketching what I’m imagining for the main living space after we knock down the wall between the kitchen and the dining room.

  Mauro is lying next to me, his forearm over his eyes, halfway to dreamland. Part of me wants to tell him to go home and sleep, but if we’re going to start demolition tomorrow, then we have no choice but to figure this part out today.

  “What do you think about the staircase?” I ask.

  “It’s dark and scary,” he mumbles from underneath his arm.

  I laugh. “When I was younger, it left a great space to eavesdrop on my parents.”

  A flashback of their composed conversation when they decided on a divorce overtakes the one about the Barbie dream house they put together on Christmas Eve during happier times.

  “How long did you live here?” He sits up, his back slouched.

  I laugh. “You can lay back down.”

  “Nah, I’ll fall asleep on you.”

  “Do you want me to sketch this and send it over to you tonight?”

  He slides closer to me, shifting his weight to the arm behind me. “No.”

  He leans in a bit more and he points to the top, where the stairway bends to go upstairs. “We could open this up. The light from the window will come through, but there’s still room for a little girl to eavesdrop on her parents’ conversation.”

  My gaze meets his and he smirks.

  “I like it.” I smile at him.

  “You do?” The disbelief in his tone is surprising.

  “I do. So…” I scribble away to show that we’ll be taking out part of that wall. “That’s gone.”

  I hop down, mostly to get away from his nearness before I drown in his scent which may only be soap and shampoo but is still intoxicating when it’s on him.

  “That’s enough for now. It’ll be a couple days of demo,” I say.

  He follows suit, his boots hitting the ground. “I have tomorrow off and then I’m back on shift for twenty-four hours.” His fingers thread through his hair, stress lining his jaw.

  “No worries. I’ll hold down the fort when you’re at the station. We do need to hire a crew.”

  “I already have guys coming tomorrow,” he says, hands on his hips.

  “Pretty sure you were going to get the house then?”

  “Well, I didn’t think there would be a lot of people vying for this much of a fixer-upper.”

  “Only me.” I shrug.

  He smiles, the one that melts my insides. “I’m glad that we’re doing it together. I think it will be fun.”

  “Hmm…you are a newbie,” I tease. “Remind me how much fun we’re having in a month.”

  He chuckles, his hand pulling on his neck.

  “Are you going to be okay to drive home?”

  He nods before I finish the sentence. “I’m good. I’ll probably be asleep until dinner. You’ve got my cell.”

  “Yep. We’re all good. I need you rested for tomorrow. If you can tell your crew to come in at nine or so. I’ll probably be here at seven, but don’t feel like you have to join me. Nine is fine for you.”

  He quirks an eyebrow. “I’ll be here at seven. Fifty-fifty, remember?”

  I giggle and nod. “See you at seven.”

  He nods and I grab all my stuff off the bed of his truck, turning to head to my car.

  “Enjoy the rest of your day, partner,” he says, securing the tailgate and heading to the driver’s side.

  “Sweet dreams.” I open my car door.

  Why don’t I want to leave him?

  Because you’re still infatuated with him.

  “Probably won’t even remember them if I have them. Bye, Madison.”

  “Bye, Mauro.”

  We both get into our vehicles and Mauro pulls away from the curb. Rather than follow suit, I open my purse and pull a few M&Ms from the bag I always have in there, then grab my phone and pull up Vanessa’s contact. Lauren should be at work and besides, Vanessa will be more on board with the crazy decision I made to be business partners with Mauro on this project.

  “What’s up girlie?” Vanessa’s huffing with labored breaths into the phone.

  “What are you doing?” I check my blind spot and pull out onto the street.

  “I’m running.”

  Vanessa and working out is about as common as seeing a leprechaun riding a unicorn skipping down Michigan Avenue.

  “Um…why?”

  “Oh, fuck it. Where are you? Can you pick me up on the way home?”

  I laugh. “Where are you?”

  “On the corner of Irving and Western.”

  “Van, that’s like two blocks from home.” I chuckle.

  “Yeah, there’s a Dunkin’ Donuts, I’ll be in there.” There’s a pause. “Large ice coffee… definitely cream and sugar.”

  “I’ll be there in ten.”

  “Thanks. You’re a lifesaver.” Her tone sounds about as frazzled as I feel emotionally right now. “Wait, what’s up? Why did you call?”

  “I’ll tell you when I get there.” I brake at a stop light.

  “No, distract me from the lack of oxygen going into my lungs.”

  My fingers tap the steering wheel while I wait for the light to turn green. “I got that house.” I start with the really good news.

  A loud screech echoes over the phone. “That’s great news! I can’t wait to see what you do with it.”

  The light changes and I accelerate through the intersection. “It is, but I decided to partner up with someone on it.”

  “Why? You don’t need a partner. Please tell me it’s not that sleazy Oswald ass you’re always telling us about…Thanks.” I hear her sipping through a straw so she must’ve just been handed her order. “Tell me it’s some hot guy with a nine-inch dick.”

  “You do know you’re in pub
lic?” I shake my head even though she can’t see me and turn right at the next intersection.

  “Yeah, the woman is kind of looking at me funny. I’ll be waiting outside.”

  “You really need to be more aware, Vanessa.”

  She huffs. “It’s not my fault if people are prudes. Like she wouldn’t want a nine-inch dick. Who doesn’t? Oh, crap.”

  “What?” I ask.

  I can hear someone who’s not Vanessa yelling on her end of the call.

  “I’m really sorry, ma’am. I didn’t see him. Yeah, I’m sorry.”

  “Van?”

  “Hold on…I will. Promise. Yes, I will definitely try to act more like a lady. Sorry again.” The phone sounds muffled for a second then she comes back on. “Okay, my lips are officially zipped.”

  “A mom and child?”

  “Yeah.” Her apologetic voice says she knows how wrong she was, but it’s Vanessa and she tends to act before she thinks things completely through. “Let’s get back to you. Who’s the lucky partner?”

  “Mauro Bianco.” I bite my lip, waiting for her to either lecture me or tell me to find out if he’s got a nine-inch dick.

  “Really?” I get neither of those reactions. Her voice is one of concern and worry.

  “Yeah. He was there and we were both bidding on the same property, increasing the cost for each other, so he proposed that we partner on it and I accepted. We’re fifty-fifty.”

  Silence.

  Deafening silence.

  “And he put down half the money?”

  I’m stuck behind some guy on a bike and though I know it’s good for your physical health and the environment and all that, they are really annoying when you’re in a car and can’t get around them.

  “Yeah. And he said he’s good with his hands and has friends on the department who do side work.”

  Traffic eases in the opposite lane so I pull out and around the bike.

  The lack of enthusiasm on the other end of the call is popping my balloon filled with excitement.

  “Are you sure this is a good idea?” she asks after a moment.

  “I am.” Not entirely true, but glass half full and all that.

  “But this guy is the guy you had a crush on all through high school, right?” she asks in a wary voice.

  “I can handle myself, Vanessa. You would’ve been so proud of me. It’s like after our date when he was annoyed with me, I’m not afraid to speak to him anymore.”

  “That’s good, Mad. Has he done this before? Flipped a house?”

  “No, but he wants me to show him everything there is to know.”

  I make a left onto the street where she’s waiting.

  “But don’t you wonder why he wants to partner up?” she asks.

  “I just told you. It just made sense for this project. I’m a big girl, Van.”

  “Of course you are.”

  “I’m excited. To have a contractor who is as invested as me can’t be a bad thing. He’ll want to get it flipped as quickly as I do. Time is money and since it’s half his money, he won’t be dragging his feet.”

  The more I work to convince Vanessa what a good idea this is, the more my own reservations at the back of my head ease. I could list a bunch more reasons, but I’m stopped at the light across from her. I spot her sitting on the cement block of a parking space, head in her hands.

  “I just don’t want you to get hurt. He could be…using you.”

  I don’t respond right away because to be honest, I’m a little hurt that she thinks I’d let myself be manipulated like that.

  “You think I’d just sit there with a smile on my face and let him fuck me over?” I ask.

  “No.” Her head picks up and she’s shaking it. I watch her until the light turns green. “I just think this guy is your ‘what if’ guy and you might not even realize you’re letting him take advantage of you until it’s too late.”

  Vanessa comes from a place of caring and I have to remember that as I accelerate forward to pick her up. She doesn’t think I’m weak, she just thinks my long-lasting crush on Mauro could cloud my judgment.

  “I’m here,” I say and she glances to her right and spots me.

  Instantly, a smile overtakes her face. She slides into my car, her arms around my shoulders. “Congratulations, Maddie.”

  “Thanks.” I pat her arms, sweaty from the two block walk. “Nice try with working out.”

  She falls back into my seat. “I’m done with that. It was a stupid idea.”

  I giggle, pushing back the deflated feeling she left me with admitting her worries with Mauro swindling me. “One day and you’re calling it quits?”

  She sips her pale iced coffee and shrugs.

  Typical Vanessa, bored with something after two point two seconds.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Mauro

  With two coffees in hand, praying that Madison takes her regular coffee like she does her iced coffee, I step up onto the porch, where she’s already in a folding chair with her computer on her lap.

  “Good morning.” I hold up the coffees and danishes.

  “Finally rested?” she asks, her hair in a high ponytail, exposing her neck that’s like a spark to kindling.

  It doesn’t help that I had a dream last night about her naked wearing only a tool belt.

  “Yeah. I slept, ate and then slept again.”

  If I wouldn’t have had to go to Cailin’s, I probably would’ve slept the entire time. Usually I function on small pockets of sleep, but I hit a wall yesterday.

  “Great because you’ll be using those good hands you mentioned today.” She smiles. Her teeth all white and glowing. “You’re going to think I’m a dork, but I drew up a list of responsibilities yesterday.”

  She stands up and meets me on the edge of the porch, accepting her coffee and taking a sip before continuing. “Oh, you remembered. Thank you.”

  She’s wearing a set of denim overalls with a white t-shirt underneath and she looks cute as hell. Not in the two-year-old sense. In the ‘I wonder what she’d look like in just the overalls and no t-shirt underneath’ way.

  “You’re welcome,” I say. The stirring of happiness inside me over the fact that I got her coffee right needs to be squashed.

  “I usually make my own, but of course having roommates, I came down this morning and we were out. Not a note on the chalkboard adding it to the list to buy or anything. Not that I should be surprised, I tend to be the mother hen of our trio.”

  “You’re making me feel kind of bad for Cristian.” I sip my coffee, my eyes transfixed on her dark ponytail swinging as she talks.

  “You live with your brothers?”

  “Just Cristian. Luca’s on his own with his buddies. Partying is still everything to him so we kicked him out two years ago. Not that he doesn’t use our place as his grocery store. Drives Cristian crazy, but he’s still young.”

  “He’s as old as me.” She drops her pen, crossing her arms over her chest and resting her hip on the ledge.

  Her eyes remain on mine. This is a nice change of pace.

  “You’re not in the same spectrum of maturity, I assure you.”

  She giggles, that curl at the end of her ponytail teasing me as it appears and disappears.

  “Well, Vanessa is about the same. Can’t hold a job to save her life. Scrapes by to pay the rent. Lauren is determined and has a drive like no other, but only when it comes to succeeding in her job or winning a sports game, not so much with her laundry or keeping food in the cabinet.”

  “I haven’t even asked my brothers, have they gone on their dates yet?” I open the bag of danishes and hold them out in front of her.

  “No, thank you.” She might deny them, but I catch her licking her lips after seeing the cheese and strawberry pastries. “They haven’t. Vanessa is delaying because her dad is the Commander of Cristian’s district and Lauren is downright refusing to date Luca. What kind of brothers do you have?” She smirks, clearly joking with me.

>   “I wouldn’t want to date them either. I’m the best of the lot in case you were wondering.”

  She quiets for a moment, her gaze moving down to the pad of paper.

  “We really should finalize this before they get here. The dumpster should be here by ten.” She turns away from me, and I take the opportunity to check her out while she isn’t watching me.

  Her overalls hug her ass perfectly. I just manage to move my eyes back up to her face before she spins around to say something.

  “Here’s the list I came up with. I’m totally flexible, but I think it gives us each multiple areas to work in. It wouldn’t be fair if you did all the manual labor and I only took the decorating and redesign. I have dates down that I’d like us to go shopping for fixtures and tiles. I think I have your schedule right, but if not, we can change it up.”

  “I feel like I’m the slacker between us.”

  A frown crosses her lips before she raises the coffee to her lips and takes a sip. “I’m sure you’ll be proving your worth this first week of demolition.”

  I wrap my hand around her bicep. “Let me feel. I bet you have biceps of steel.”

  Her arm lays limp.

  “Come on.”

  Rolling her eyes but obliging, she raises her arm and flexes, showing off some serious guns for a girl her size. I press my four fingers on the top and my thumb on the bottom. More than her muscle, I notice how soft her skin is.

  “I’m gonna call you Zena,”

  “The warrior princess?” she asks, her eyebrow quirked so high it’s near her hairline.

  I laugh. “Yeah.”

  “I guess that’s a compliment.”

  My hand leaves her bicep even though I don’t want to pull away.

  “It is.”

  She rolls her eyes again, but more playfully than the first time. I pick up the sheet to scan it over.

  It’s printed in two columns, one with my name and the other with hers, on the other side is a two month calendar of dates she’d like things to be done.

  “Two months huh?”

  “Well obviously there will be things out of our control, but this is the proposed schedule if everything goes smoothly. We need to talk budget. Figure out how much demolition and contracting is going to cost. If you’re comfortable with it, I’m going to leave that up to you.”