One Night Baby - A Romance Compilation

by Tia Siren

  “Yeah.” Landon scoffed. “So, you still driving for Uber in your spare time? I haven’t seen you out there much, and obviously you are here with me tonight.”

  “It’s a touch-and-go business,” I said. “I learned that not every night will put you in the green between the gas and the fees you pay the company. Right now I am sticking to Thursdays and Saturdays because I can stay close to the area and get a bunch of fares on those nights. They’re really the only nights right now that are worth it. Friday is too wishy-washy for me, and I don’t want to drive out to the city. It takes too much gas, and the prices are off the charts out there.”

  “But there has to be a bunch of work,” Landon said.

  “If you’re in the right spot at the right time,” I said. “And driving out of the city to gas up and then going back is a pain and a money waster.”

  “So I’m assuming you are still chasing down that dream of owning your own place,” Landon said. “A hardware shop out here, right?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “The only one that’s ever been out here is that chain one, and everyone complains about the customer service. I figure if I can start my own, people will come to me. We support each other out here, you know? Give the little guy a chance.”

  “You think you can compete with the prices?”

  “Maybe, maybe not. But one thing I learned growing up with these roughnecks is they will pay a little extra to feel comfortable where they shop,” I said. “They also take a lot of pride in homegrown and would gladly put their money with a boy from the town than some corporate schmuck that has never even been to the town before.”

  “Yeah, that’s definitely true,” he said. “I don’t know though. It seems like such a risk to take. I’m happy putting my money in the bank, buying some brews, taking out some girls, and one day buying one of those houses on Emery that all got renovated. Take my kid to baseball down the street, you know?”

  “I know.” I smiled. “But this is my dream, and I am hell-bent on making it happen. What’s the worst that could come out of it? I fail and go back to construction? Wouldn’t be the first time that happened in this town and wouldn’t be the last either. I just want more for my kids than the life I had.”

  “I feel you, brother,” he said, lifting his beer. “And I’m behind you. I’ll definitely get my tools and such from your shop.”

  “Thanks, man.”

  Landon always talked like he was in full support of my dreams, but deep down, I knew he thought I was full of it. We heard lots of guys talking about breaking the cycle, but they always ended up retired from the union, collecting a pension, and wasting away on their run-down porches, watching their kids follow in their footsteps. There was nothing wrong with labor jobs. Hell, we needed them to make the world go around. But I wasn’t the guy who could imagine spending the rest of my life working one.

  Chapter 4

  Cassie

  “You need to make sure this is done by the end of the day,” I said to that asshole, Carl. “You guys are getting further behind by the hour, and all I find you doing is sitting around bullshitting.”

  “You know what, little thing,” he said with a smirk, “I know you are trying to be all tough with this women’s lib bullshit, but you and your kind shouldn’t even be out here, or in this field at all. You’re too pretty for that. You need to be at home, pregnant with my kids, cooking me some fucking dinner and cleaning my laundry.”

  I sighed, having dealt with this bullshit for a couple days by now. This guy had such a macho complex that it made me want to punch him right in the nuts. This wasn’t even the worst of it. He had said some vulgar things over the last couple days, things I was sure his momma would slap the shit out of him for. I didn’t know what his problem with me was, but it was really starting to get annoying and was causing an issue on the site. The rest of the guys scattered whenever I came around, but not Carl. He was all pumped and ready for it.

  Bill had noticed and made a couple comments about it to me, but I laughed it off, telling him it didn’t bother me. In reality, it did bother me. It pissed me off that he thought he was so much better at his job because he had a dick and maybe a couple balls. He acted like the field was made for men only; his mentality was stuck in the nineteen forties. I knew I could have gone to my father about it, but I didn’t, and I wasn’t planning on doing so anytime soon. One of the most important things about my internship was gaining the respect of the guys in the field. I would never achieve that if I went running back to daddy every time they said something off-kilter. I didn’t want them to see me as that kind of girl. God knew they already had that notion about me before even meeting me.

  I knew when I came home for the summer that I was going to have a tough job on my hands, and not because of the workload. The most challenging part was going to be getting the guys behind me. But I was strong and independent, and I wasn’t about to let a guy like Carl cripple me from moving forward. I wanted the guys to see me as a strong woman, not some weak little daddy’s girl.

  “Anyway,” Carl said, stopping his rant, “I will get the job done, your grace. You can report that back to your daddy.”

  He walked past me, brushing his shoulder against mine and knocking me off balance. I grabbed on to the scaffolding and shook my head, taking a deep breath before letting it go. I had a lot of work to get done that day and sitting around fucking with Carl was going to do nothing but put me behind. I did my rounds, checking up on the structures when I needed to but mostly focusing on the steps coming up. Toward the end of the day, I took a break and used the bathroom. When I came out, I sighed and shook my head upon seeing Carl standing there with his arms crossed over his chest.

  “Don’t you have a bar to be drowning your masculinity in?” I said, walking forward.

  “You have quite the smart little mouth on you,” he said, grabbing my arm. “And I can think of a couple things you could be using those pretty little lips for instead.”

  I whipped around and glared at him. “Let go of me.”

  He smirked. “You know you like my big hands on you.”

  “You better knock this shit off,” I warned him.

  “Or what?” He chuckled. “You’ll go tell daddy on me?”

  I clenched my teeth and stared into his eyes as his hand tightened around my arm. Everything about the man made me sick to my stomach, from the way he looked to the way he smelled and the foul shit that spewed from his mouth every time he opened it. He was a real bully, picking on me because I was a woman, not understanding I could have his job in about two seconds.

  I heard footsteps coming around the toilets. Carl looked up and grimaced, and I turned my head to see Scott standing there. He slowly walked toward us, staring Carl in the eyes. I could tell it wasn’t the first time the two of them had had an altercation. Scott walked up to us and looked at him and then at me, trying to figure out what was going on.

  “Why don’t you take your hand off her?” he said, the muscles in his neck bulging. “I know you think you’re God’s gift, but the lady doesn’t look like she’s enjoying herself. Not that I blame her.”

  “Why don’t you run home to your mommy, Scott,” he said. “This is adult business, and we don’t need your input.”

  “Fuck off,” Scott said.

  “What did you say to me, boy?” Carl dropped my arm and got in Scott’s face.

  “I said, fuck off,” Scott replied, not standing down.

  “It looks like it’s time I put you in your place,” Carl said, grabbing Scott by the back of the neck.

  I stepped back as the two men went at it, pushing each other around. I knew I should step in, but I really wanted to see Carl get what he deserved. I didn’t know what had gone on between them in the past, but Scott looked furious. Carl leaned back and took a swing at Scott, but Scott was faster. He ducked and ran forward, pushing his shoulder into Carl’s gut and slamming him back against the porta-potty. Scott stood up and grabbed Carl by the neck, pulling him forward and then s
lamming him back against the metal wall.

  “I told you, Carl,” he said. “I told you it would be dumb for you to try anything with her. You think you’re so badass, that you can do whatever you want. Well if you look at yourself right now, you’ll see that you have to answer for your actions.”

  I had to admit, what Scott was saying surprised me. Not only was he sticking up for me, saving me from Carl’s grasp, but he hadn’t been one of the guys shit-talking before I got here. From what he was saying, it sounded like he was one of the few who knew it would be a bad idea to fuck with me. He was handsome, sure, but I had pegged him as just another roughneck, working in the company since he was a kid, probably inheriting the same sexist and disgusting attitude that Carl had. It was more than surprising that I was wrong.

  Scott let go of him, pushing him to the ground and standing back. Carl slowly got to his feet and walked past him, giving me a nasty look. Scott brushed off his hands and turned toward me.

  “Sorry. He’s an asshole to everyone,” Scott said before walking past me.

  “Wait,” I said, turning around. “Tell me your name again? I’m sorry. There have been so many people, and I have a hard time keeping track of names.”

  I knew what his name was, but I didn’t want him to know that. He had made an impression on me with those big blue eyes when I first met him, and a girl didn’t forget when a stranger made her weak in the knees. He took off his gloves and walked a few paces back to me, wiping his brow with his arm.

  “No problem,” he said. “It can be a bit overwhelming walking onto a site with hundreds of men on it. I barely remember my crew members’ names most times. Except for Carl. Everyone remembers Carl’s name.” He paused and licked his lips. “I’m Scott, Scott Davis.”

  “Scott Davis,” I said out loud. “That’s right. You’ve worked here since you were sixteen, right?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “Fourteen long years with many more to go. It’s what we do out here.”

  “Right,” I said. “Well, Scott Davis, thank you for helping me. That guy is a tool.”

  “It’s no problem,” he said, nodding his head and looking at me for a moment.

  There was a pause, and he drew in a deep breath as if getting ready to say something important. I raised my eyebrows, showing him I was listening. But he hesitated and nothing came out of his mouth. The sound of clanking metal behind us stirred him, and he patted his leather gloves against his side and turned to walk away. He left me hanging, curious to know what he wanted to tell me – or ask me. For some reason, I didn’t want him to go yet. He was confusing and intriguing at the same time.

  “Scott Davis,” I called out. “Is that it?”

  He turned back to me. “What else are you looking for?”

  “You aren’t going to ask me out?”

  He chuckled and looked down at his hands. He picked his head up and looked around to make sure no one else was listening. He slowly walked toward me, stopping at a normal distance. Just that closeness made my hands start to sweat, and I clasped them together, waiting for his response.

  He smiled. “Do you want me to ask you out?”

  “I, uh, I—” I was stuttering over my words, which was a first. “Maybe. But I know I shouldn’t go out with any of the crew. My father wouldn’t be happy about that, and we wouldn’t really have anything in common.”

  “Right.” He chuckled with a charming smirk as he stepped closer to me, stopping just inches away. He smiled and licked his lips, charm oozing from him. I could tell he liked to be in charge, that he was the alpha, and I wasn’t planning on fighting him at all.

  My breathing increased, and I felt a little out of my league. I could smell a mixture of soap and sweat coming off his body as he stood there looking at me, planning his next words carefully. He put his gloves down by his side and shook his head with a cocky laugh.

  “What?” I asked, unable to hide a smile.

  He moved in even closer, and the heat between my legs grew. He was so big, so strong, and the way he looked at me made me think he wanted to fuck me right there on the dusty ground. I wasn’t sure I could have resisted him if he tried. He licked his dry lips again and looked into my eyes.

  “Let’s see,” he said quietly in a deep voice. “What would I do with you if I took you out on a date, seeing as we have nothing in common?”

  “I didn’t mean you. I—” I could feel my face getting hot.

  He shook his head and smiled, stopping me from continuing. “Well, if there was nothing to talk about, then we would have to come up with something else to do, wouldn’t we?” He smirked. “Maybe go down to the lake, peel those tight jeans off your sexy body, and go for a little swim, let the water cool that hot, moist skin between your legs. You’d wrap your legs around me under the moonlight in that water, feeling how hard and ready I’d be for you. And then we’d see where it’d go from there.”

  His mouth was so close to mine, I could feel his breath, and I couldn’t say a word.

  “But,” he said, pulling back and smiling, “I wouldn’t ask you out. You’re too stuck up for me.”

  With that he turned and walked away, chuckling to himself. I stood there unable to move, panting in lust and captivated by his words. This guy did a number on me, and I knew I was in some serious trouble.

  Chapter 5

  Scott

  It was finally Friday. Half of the structural crew had been pulled to go over plans on the next building, but they left me there to work, knowing I didn’t need a refresher. I had been doing it long enough to know what to do next. Cassie hadn’t been here for the first half of the day, and I figured that she had been called into a meeting or something like that. The whole day, though, I kept one eye on my work and the other trained on every truck that came up the drive. I was looking for Cassie even though I was fighting myself on it. She had snuck into my brain again, only this time it was much worse. I couldn’t believe how badly I wanted her. I had gone home the night before and thought about her until I passed out in bed. She was running circles through my mind, and this time she was completely naked every time I pictured her.

  The day before, when I had walked up to her and told her exactly what she wanted to hear, it had turned me on like nothing before. I could have hammered the nails into the wood with my own dick it was so hard after that. The whole point of me doing it was to tease her, to show her not every man was out there sweating her like Carl was. Apparently, though, that interaction had backfired on me, and instead of finding it humorous, I found it incredibly erotic. I kept thinking about all the things I would do to her if I had the chance to be alone with her.

  This girl was a total enigma. I couldn’t wrap my head around how she could be working at a constructions site, getting dirty, commanding the troops, and still be as stuck up as she was. She still had that rich-girl air to her like she was better than everyone else, like she could never imagine going out with a man like me. She thought she was so different, so beyond the other guys and me, that there wouldn’t be anything we could find in common with each other. It was infuriating, but in a way, that made me want to bend her over the scaffolding and show her something we could have in common.

  I shook my head, trying to get the thoughts out of mind before I got so distracted by her and the hard-on in my pants that I nailed my finger to the beam. Just then, though, Bill’s truck pulled up outside the office trailer and Cassie hopped out of the passenger side. She was carrying her clipboard and hard hat in her hands, and her long brown hair cascaded over her shoulders. I swallowed hard, watching her from afar, noticing how incredibly beautiful she was. The way she smiled, the way her green eyes shimmered in the hot sun, and the way her hair glistened as it swung around her shoulders—it was all so mesmerizing. Then Bill walked up and stood in my way, blocking my view of Cassie.

  I sighed and turned back to my work, remembering who exactly she was. She was the boss’s daughter, here for a summer, and one hundred percent off-limits. She was bad news, the ki
nd of woman that could lure me right off the deep end, and when she went back to school, I would find myself out of a job and alone again. I needed to get my head back in the game and forget about her.

  After work I went home and cleaned up, deciding I wasn’t going to waste a Friday night. Besides, I needed to do something to get Cassie off my mind. I changed my clothes and headed out to Arthur’s, my favorite little dive bar across town. Landon had gone out with one his girls, so I was alone, and I was okay with that. The last thing I needed to hear was more stories about Landon’s many trysts and how he didn’t know what to do. Like I had any good advice for him. I hadn’t been out with a girl in a long time.

  I sat down at the bar, ordered a beer, and shook the bartender’s hand. We had gone to school together, and our parents had been good friends. Arthur’s was the kind of place where you knew everyone but no one seemed to pay you any mind. I could sit at the bar all night and no one would bother me. I looked up at the television as the bell on the front door dinged. When I heard the chattering and laughing of a couple girls, I glanced over out of habit. My mouth fell open for a second at Cassie and her friend walking through the front door. She glanced over, laughing at whatever her friend had said, and her eyes stopped on mine. I stared back for a minute but then turned myself around and looked down at my beer.

  I was trying to get her out of my head, not get her into the same bar as me. I told myself that when I was finished with that beer, I would head out and either go somewhere else or call it a night. I had gotten to the point where one girl was ruining my entire Friday night out. Cassie and her friend sat down at a table within eye range of me and started talking. After about ten minutes, a guy came over and asked her friend to dance. They exchanged some words and then her friend went off, leaving Cassie alone at the table. I watched her sit there, sipping her drink, looking around the room. Then she finally looked over at me.

  I sighed and turned back, shaking the beer in my bottle. After a few more looks, Cassie got up from the table and made her way over to the bar, sitting down next to me and turning toward me. I stared forward, trying to ignore her, but she was right there, her perfume wafting into my nostrils.