by B. B. Hamel
I keep my mouth shut. He’s insufferable.
“I hear you’re doing this little business plan with a local boy. An Ashman boy, correct?”
I nod. “Dean Ashman, that’s right. He has a good head for this sort of thing.”
“Very good, very wonderful. I am very happy to hear that. The Ashman family owns car dealerships, isn’t that right?”
I nod slightly. “They do.”
“I want a Ford F-150 Limited. It’s the top of the line F-150. Please do not get me anything less than the Limited, I will not accept it, I am not interested. I want it fully stocked, all extras and add-ons and such. Can your Ashman friend make that happen for me?”
“Uh,” I say, blinking. I’m pretty sure this isn’t how most business meetings go, but fine, fair enough. Uncle Ron is a dick, after all. “I’m sure we can manage it.”
“Good.” He stands with some difficulty and lets out a heavy breath. “Bring it by soon if you can. I’ll be waiting.” He lumbers away without another word.
I watch him go, completely flabbergasted. It doesn’t occur to me to ask him if the truck is in exchange for the whole warehouse until he’s back inside and gone.
I get up and pace around the pool. Some old giraffe blow-up bobs in the wind as I walk around it. I’m not sure what the hell just happened, but if Uncle Ron owns the warehouse, getting it won’t be easy. He wants some fancy truck then fine, he can get some fancy truck. I take out my phone and call up Dean.
“There she is,” he says. “I knew you couldn’t go a whole day without talking to me.”
“You’re so modest.”
“Just honest. What can I do for the perfect Lora Lofthouse?”
“Well, I have some… weird news.”
“Hit me.”
“Turns out, my Uncle Ron owns the warehouse. Which is why my mother said she has nothing to do with it.”
He’s silent for a long moment. “Sort of seems like she does, though.”
“Uncle Ron hates my father and mother,” I say. “Long story, but basically he got passed over for the head of the family gig, and that went to my dad. Resented them ever since.”
“Ah,” he says. “And so I assume he’s a super nice guy and really doting?”
“You assume wrong.”
He sighs. “Of course.”
“He hates us all, but he’s always hanging around anyway, spending time with my dad, who is totally freaking clueless. But anyway, listen, he came to me just now and asked for something.”
“Money, I assume?”
“No, actually. He asked for a truck.”
Dean chuckles. “Well, we have a ton of those.”
“He wants something called a Ford F-150 Limited. Does that make sense?”
“Sure,” he says. “We’re a Ford dealer among other things. I think we have one on the lot right now. That’s a real fancy truck, goes for like fifty grand.”
“Of course,” I say. “He won’t settle for anything less.”
“So is this the price of the whole warehouse?” he asks. “Because that’s a really good fucking deal if so. I can get it at cost.”
“Well, that’s the problem. I don’t really know. He just came out here, told me he owned the warehouse, and asked for the truck.”
Dean groans. “Lora.”
“I know. But he wants the truck, so what can we do? Let’s get him the truck.”
“It’s not that easy. I can’t just… take a truck. We paid for it.”
“Oh, he also wants it totally upgraded, all the extras and stuff.”
Dean sighs again. “Well that rules out the one we have on the lot. The Limited comes in a couple varieties, one with everything, and one with just a few extras. We don’t carry the super top-of-the-line model.”
“Can you order it?”
“Sure, and I can try to source it from another lot, something like that. But we need to know if this is what the warehouse costs, or if this is just some kind of down payment or whatever.”
“Right, okay.” I take a deep breath. “I’ll work on that, you work on the truck. Sound good?”
“I guess.” He hesitates. “I really don’t want to involve my dad in this.”
“Then don’t tell him. How much do we need? You said fifty grand?”
“Lora—”
“I’m rich,” I tell him. “Did you forget? I have a trust fund and I can take money out of it whenever I want, more or less. Fifty grand won’t even set me back for a month.”
He’s quiet for a long moment. “Seriously?”
“For real.”
“You’re insane.” He laughs. “Just how rich are you?”
“Small country rich. Look, go figure out how to get the truck, the sooner the better. I’ll talk to Uncle Ron again…. Probably.”
“I don’t like that probably.”
“I don’t like talking to Uncle Ron. Bye!” I hang up the phone and stand there by the pool, grinning to myself.
This feels good. I don’t know what it is, but I like it. For a long moment, I bask in my emotions, until I realize what I’m feeling.
It’s purpose.
I haven’t felt like I’ve had a purpose for a long time. I can’t remember the last time I had a purpose. Probably when I was in school, and maybe not since I was a freshman. But now I feel like I’ve finally found something worth my time and effort. And I know it’ll take a lot of time, and even more effort, but the idea is exciting.
I’ve been sitting around wasting away in the manor for long enough. It’s time to do something decent with myself.
8
Dean
I spend the rest of the day on the phone with other dealerships in the area, hunting down a fully loaded F-150 Limited. It takes me a while, but I finally get one guy about an hour away to trade me for a couple of lower end F-150s in black. Fortunately, we have an excess of black right now for some reason, so I call my garage guys and put the order in.
Everything set up, I text Lora.
Me: Sourced your truck. Shows up tomorrow.
Lora: Amazing!!! What!!! How???
Me: I’m amazing. That’s how.
Lora: YES. You. ARE.
Me: I really appreciate the pep talk or whatever this is.
Lora: Just showing you my appreciation.
Me: Talk to your uncle yet?
Lora: Nope!
Me: Do it.
Lora: I don’t want to!
Me: Do it anyway.
Lora: Fine!
I smile and put my phone away. I spend the rest of the day doing normal tasks before heading home early for the night. I feel pretty proud of myself for sourcing such a high-end truck so quickly. There isn’t a huge market for the fully tricked-out fancy trucks in this area, so I’m lucky there was one within driving distance nearby.
In the morning, I head into work, go into my office, and sit down at my computer. I check inventory, make a few calls, send a few emails, and I’m chugging along when I hear a knock at my door.
My dad pushes it open. “Morning,” he says.
I look up and feel a pit open up in my stomach. “Morning,” I say.
He grins at me. “How’s it going? Have any good news for me?”
He always asks that. And normally I tell him that all news is good news around these parts, which makes him laugh. But this time I just shrug and shake my head. “Nothing,” I say.
“You sure?” He walks over and sits down across from me. “Because I saw on the inventory this morning that two of our black F-150s were being sent over to some dealership in Monroe for one fully loaded Limited?”
I shrug. “He needed black.”
“And we needed a fully loaded Limited? Have we ever even sold one?”
I hesitate for a moment. “I think I have a buyer,” I say.
“Really?” He frowns. “I didn’t know you were still doing sales. I thought we moved you up from that a long time ago.”
“I’m not. It’s a personal thing.”
&
nbsp; “Personal,” he says, staring at me. “Come on, Dean. What’s the deal with this?”
“Can’t I just have this?” I ask. “Do you really need to push into every little deal?”
He tilts his head and smiles at me. “Sounds like you don’t want me to know, which only makes me want to know even more. So spill it, kid.”
“It’s for me.”
I know I shouldn’t lie. If he finds out, it’ll only be worse. But I know that saying it’s for Lora Lofthouse will only bring up more questions and inevitably turn into an argument.
And frankly, I don’t feel like dealing with his shit.
Right now, my plan is to try to ignore him for as long as I can, grow the car wash business, and help Lora set up the warehouse. Soon I’ll be able to leave the dealership entirely and strike out on my own. But that’s in the future, and right now I need to start focusing on building what I can.
“You can’t afford that truck,” he says. “I know how much I pay you.”
“You don’t know how much I’ve saved. And I’m getting a really good deal.”
He rolls his eyes. “Even at cost, even slightly below cost, which you better not do, you still can’t afford that truck.”
“I can and I am.”
He shakes his head. “Son, have I taught you nothing?”
“You’ve taught me the value of good things,” I say. “I’ve been driving my truck for a few years, but I’m ready to upgrade.”
“Then get something more sensible. The Limited is overpriced and we both know it.”
I shake my head. “Already made up my mind.”
“Fine.” He stands up. “Do what you like. It’s your money.”
“By the way, construction starts back up tomorrow on the car wash.”
He grunts at me. “Yeah. All thanks to the Lofthouse family. Do they own half that place now?”
“Nope,” I say. “And you should be happy. If it weren’t for me and Lora, that car wash would be sitting there half built. It’d just be a liability. Now it’ll get built and start generating some revenue.”
He shakes his head. “Nothing in this world will ever make me happy to be in business with the Lofthouse family.”
“We’re not in business with them. She just helped get a permit.”
“That’s business, son.” He frowns at me then shakes his head. “Probably buying the damn truck just to impress your little rich girlfriend.”
“All right, now you’re pissing me off.” I stand up and stare at him. “I get that you hate the Lofthouse family, but from now on, you’ll be more respectful of Lora.”
“You think so?”
“I know so.” I stare at him for a long moment. “Don’t test me, Dad. And don’t be a dick. I like her and she might be around for a while. Time you got used to it.”
He stares back at me then shakes his head. “Your mistake to make.” He turns and leaves my office.
I sink back down in my chair.
Any elation I felt at sourcing the truck dissipates into anger. My fucking father is very, very good at pissing me off and meddling where he doesn’t belong.
I’ll have to be careful. He’s going to be watching me closely now. He doesn’t believe my story about the Limited, that much is obvious. I’ll have to be careful.
I turn back to my computer and start working again, trying to push him out of my head. But around midday, I get a call from my guy down at the garage.
“Your truck’s here,” he says.
I can’t help but smile. “Really? That’s fast.”
“Yeah, guess the dealer was in a hurry. Had customers waiting on those two black ones, so.”
“Good for him. I’m coming down for it. Have it out for me.”
“Roger that, boss.” He hangs up. I save what I’m doing before I head outside. The truck is sitting out by the curb, parallel to the garage. The key’s on the dash and it’s open, so I climb in, start the engine, and connect my phone to the Bluetooth.
“Call Lora Lofthouse,” I say as I slowly pull out of the dealership.
“Calling Lora.”
The phone rings three times before she picks up.
“Hey,” she says. “I knew you couldn’t go a whole day without talking to me.”
I smile to myself. “Not even gonna deny it.”
“What’s up? Just wanted to hear my pretty voice?”
“That, and I got a surprise for you.”
“What is it?”
“I’m on my way over right now. Are you decent?”
“Uh—”
“Better if you’re not. Come out and greet me in whatever skimpy outfit you’re wearing.”
“Don’t be a dick,” she says with a laugh. “How far are you?”
“Ten minutes. See you soon.”
I hang up the call and keep driving.
For a small town, Loftville isn’t bad. It’s pretty and well-kept at least. Houses are nice and decently spacious. Cost of living isn’t too high. There’s a decent grocery store, some shops and restaurants, a bar and such, that sort of stuff. There’s not much in the way of entertainment, unfortunately, but we’re looking to change all that.
It’s easy to hate this town. Putting aside its quaint little vibe, everyone knows everyone. There aren’t all that many jobs available. And it’s not growing anytime soon. Most folks born in Loftville stay in Loftville forever. They meet their future wife in high school and marry her way too young. They have too many kids and end up regretting every little choice they made.
But the town itself… it’s not the town’s fault. It’s the culture in the town. I know opening a car wash and an indoor fun zone isn’t exactly changing lives, but maybe it’ll show people that there’s possibility in life. There’s always potential, so long as you’re living.
I park outside of the manor’s gates and spot Lora jogging down toward me. She slips through the bars and stands catching her breath as I climb out of the truck. She’s wearing yoga pants and a tight white t-shirt, he hair piled up on top of her head.
“Why’d you run?” I ask. “I could’ve waited.”
“Sorry. I was running… A little late... So I had to… Jog.” She groans. “I’m so out of shape.”
I laugh and throw an arm around her. She leans against me as I gesture at the truck. “Here it is.”
“What?”
“This is a Ford F-150 Limited, fully loaded, totally tricked out.”
She gapes at me. “Seriously?”
“Yep. Absolutely.”
“You got it so…”
“Fast?” I shrug. “What can I say, I’m impressive.”
“No kidding.” She walks over and runs her fingers down its side. “Is it nice?”
“It’s pretty nice,” I say. “I mean, it’s not the nicest truck in the world, but it’s the best F-150 you can buy.”
“How much?”
“Don’t worry about it.” I let the words slip out of my mouth and I’m not sure why. I think it was my father’s warning from earlier, infecting me, but I don’t want her to pay for it. I want to do it.
She laughs. “Come on, really. How much?”
“I’m not kidding. Don’t worry about it.”
“Dean. This is a massively expensive truck and I’m stupid rich. Let me just pay for it. There’s no reason—”
“I can afford it,” I say. “So don’t worry.”
“Dean.” She glares at me.
“Lora.” I smile right back.
We have a long staring match but finally she shakes her head. “Fine,” she says. “Go ahead and pay for it. But it’s stupid, there’s no reason for it.”
“I’ll give you one reason.” I walk over to her. She steps back and runs into the truck, her head tilted up toward me.
I reach back and take her hair and kiss her. I kiss her slow and deep, tasting her lips, loving the way she throws herself at me like she needs more. She moans into my kiss and I slowly break it off, staring into her eyes.
“I’m paying because I want to and because I can,” I whisper. “And because you deserve a man that isn’t just taking your money.”
“Dean…”
“Understand that,” I say. “I’m not interested in what you can do for me.” I tighten my grip on her hair. “I’m interested in what I can give you.”
She bites her lip and nods once. “Okay. I understand.”
“Good.” I let her go. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?”
“I’m going to take payment for this truck.” I open the passenger side door and she hesitates before stepping in. I go around the other side, get behind the wheel, and drive.
9
Lora
He pulls off down a dirt road half a mile further and parks behind some trees before turning to me, shifting across the seat, and kissing me again.
I know what he wants. And god, I want him to take every single dime from my body, make me pay for it all with my tongue, my skin, my pussy.
His hand tightens in my hair as he kisses me. I melt into that kiss, let a moan escape my lips. I can’t help myself. It feels so good, letting him touch me like this, letting him take me like this. We’re not far from the manor and it’s possible one of the security guys could follow us out here, but I don’t think I care.
He pushes open the passenger side door. “Get out,” he says before jumping out the driver’s side. I hesitate then climb down as he comes around and pulls me along to the back of the truck.
“What are you doing?” I ask, breathless, as he opens the tailgate and pushes me up into the back. He climbs up after me, pinning me down on the truck bed as he kisses my neck.
“Been thinking about this,” he whispers in my ear. “Been thinking about your body in the back of my truck. This isn’t going to be my truck but it’ll have to do.”
“Oh, god,” I groan as his hand moves down between my legs. He kisses me hard as he spreads my legs and slowly pulses his fingers up and down my pussy, driving me wild. I move my hips as he pulls back and tugs my yoga pants off.
I can’t believe I’m letting him undress me out in the open in the back of some truck but I know nobody’s around. We’re in the middle of nowhere, nobody around for miles, and I don’t care about that. There’s only him, his lips, his taste, the boy I’ve wanted for so long, the man I need right now. He kisses me again as he spreads my legs and pushes aside my panties, his fingers teasing my soaking wet pussy.