by Celia Kyle
Pushing her body into a sitting position, she waited for her ranting friends to find her. The curtain was thrust aside and Lisa was happy to see that the gang was all there. They shoved their way into her curtained cubicle and proceeded to help her get undressed and redressed in minutes. Just as she was shoving her old clothes into a bag, the doctor and a police officer entered.
The policeman, filled with authority, spoke first. “Excuse me. We’ll need those clothes for evidence.”
“Evidence of what?” Always the designated speaker of the group, Rochelle stepped forward.
“I’m sorry. I can’t disclose…”
“Ro, I told you that dingbat of a nurse was going to call the cops.” Lisa turned her attention to the officer. “I’m sorry you were bothered officer, but there’s been no crime committed against me. I just managed to ruin a perfectly wonderful night with a stupid accident.”
“Well, Ms…Bradenton, the nurse was certain you’d been held against your will and physically assaulted.”
The doctor, doing what doctor’s do, ignored the exchange between Lisa and the officer and began unwrapping her leg. When the wound was fully revealed, everyone, including Lisa, gasped. Innumerable cuts and scrapes peppered her leg, ankle and foot.
Some of them still oozed blood and looked to be pretty deep. For some reason she’d been able to block the pain, but looking at it made it return in full force. Lisa’s stomach rolled and the pain made her gag.
Ro, seeing her distress, stepped between her and the cop.
“Sir, she engaged in activities of a personal nature last night and when departing this morning managed to muck up her leg. Nothing illegal about it.” The doctor poked and prodded at her leg, turning it this way and that, causing her to moan.
“I’ll have to hear Ms. Bradenton explain what happened.” The cop sounded skeptical.
Gritting her teeth, she spat her answer at him, frustrated with the guy’s insensitivity. Did he not see her bleeding all over the bed? “I found a guy, I fucked him, and when I tried to sneak away this morning my leg fell through the fucking stairs! Is that plain enough for you?” Her voice rose as the doctor continued his examination until she ended with a screeching wail.
Both men’s heads snapped up and their eyes collided with hers. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what she looked like. Eyes wide, hair wild and breath coming out in great puffs to help her deal with the pain, she imagined she looked pretty scary.
At least it seemed that way since the officer left abruptly without any additional questions. Even the doctor refrained from asking her questions. He went about his business of numbing the lower half of her leg with local anesthetics and cleaning and stitching her leg from the knee down. When all was said and done, she left the hospital after a tetanus shot with her leg bandaged and a set of crutches to help her get around.
After the morning she’d had, she didn’t think any other one-night stands would be in her future.
Chapter Five
“How Chris? Explain it to me.” Jonathan’s eyes bore into the back of his best friend’s head as they paced the room. Somehow Lisa had gotten out of the apartment and out of Trasola without setting off the alarms. Chris had been responsible for overseeing the installation of the security system and making sure the place was nearly impenetrable. Cole’s life depended on the security of the bar.
Of course, he wasn’t really that mad the security system failed so much as he was pissed Lisa managed to disappear. He thought they’d had a connection, something more than just a quick fuck, but he must have been wrong. She’d fled at some point during the night and he had no idea how she’d done it. She hadn’t even bothered to leave her number so he could call her. Did she never want to see him again? After everything they’d shared through the night, he thought they had some type of future.
Running his hand through his hair, he slumped into a nearby booth. Chris slid in across from him.
“I don’t know how she did it, man. The alarm was set and the doors were locked up tight when I came in this morning. You didn’t give her a key or the code last night so she could let herself out?”
“No. I didn’t want her to leave.” He swallowed hard after that admission. “I wanted to wake up with her this morning.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah, wow.” After his last girlfriend, he hadn’t had any real feelings toward any woman. Yet, here he was, wishing he’d woken up with Lisa beside him instead of a pillow.
Chris slammed his hands down on the table and jumped from the booth. “I’ve got it! If she didn’t leave the building through here, it must have been through the apartment.”
“What are you talking about? You can’t get out of my apartment except through the stairwell door.”
“What about the back door?”
Yeah, there was a back door, but it hadn’t been used in forever. “But that door’s locked tight and the fire escape stairs are nothing but a bunch of rotted metal steps.” She wouldn’t risk her life by sneaking out the back door, would she? Jumping from the booth, he was right behind Chris as they dashed up the stairs to his apartment.
Flinging the door open, they raced to the back door and stared at the deadbolt. It was unlocked.
“Fuck!” Jonathan wrenched the door open and stared down at the rotted metal steps. He couldn’t believe she risked her neck by running away down those stairs.
Disgusted, he turned away from the door and paced back to the living area, walking circles around his coffee table.
“Uh, J? There’s a hole in the next to last step. Was that there before?” His mind flashed through the images of the last time he’d checked the stairway.
“No.”
He raced Chris down the stairs they came up and into the bar, adrenaline pulsing through his veins. Even if she hadn’t wanted to wake up with him, he didn’t want to think she was hurt. He’d never wish that on her.
The men were panting for breath by the time they made it to the back of the building and to the bottom of the rotten steps. Sure enough, a gaping hole was left in the middle of the next to last step. Just beneath it was a small puddle and drops of blood staining the concrete.
Jonathan braced his body against the building and dropped his head to his knees. Even if she didn’t care for him, he cared for her and the evidence of her pain speared his heart. She had probably left in those ridiculous heels and tried to come down the steps quietly. He could just imagine her delight at nearing the bottom, only to have her leg swallowed by the razor sharp teeth of the step.
“You didn’t hear an ambulance, right?”
No, he hadn’t. Even if he didn’t wake up when she snuck out, he would have heard an ambulance. “No.”
“Then she can’t be that badly hurt. Maybe a few cuts or scrapes, but…”
“I need to know for sure.”
“Okay, let’s get inside and call the hospitals. She’d be smart enough to know she needed a tetanus shot after something like that, right?” Chris asked hopefully.
“Yeah. Any idiot would know that.”
“Okay, just checking. Let’s get inside and call around then. But I’m not running, not even for her. I’m getting too old for this shit, man.” Chris’s joke brought a smile to his face even though he didn’t feel like it at the moment. His upbeat attitude and personality was just what he needed at a time like this.
Squeezing his friend’s shoulder in thanks, the men walked back to the front of the building side by side.
It didn’t take long to find her. There had been one Lisa admitted to the emergency room at the county hospital and now, Jonathan had her last name.
Bradenton. Lisa Bradenton.
Without waiting for Chris, he hopped into his truck and sped towards the hospital like the devil was on his tail. The staff wouldn’t give him any information, but he hoped he could persuade them to tell him about her when he arrived. If that failed, he could always rip the place apart, brick by brick. His beast was well and truly pissed at h
im now and desperately wanted to know about its mate.
He slammed on his brakes and squealed his tires as he pulled into a spot.
Vaulting from his truck, he ran towards the emergency room doors and right up to the nurse’s station. He didn’t wait to be acknowledged, just butted into the nurse’s conversation and talked over her and the woman she was speaking to. “I’m looking for Lisa Bradenton.”
“Just a moment sir.” The nurse turned back to the woman she had been speaking to before he interrupted.
“Ma’am, I realize you’re in the middle of something, if you could just tell me where I can find Lisa…”
“Sir. You’ll have to wait until…” Jonathan slammed his fists down on the counter top, shaking the structure with his force, denting the once smooth surface.
“Look lady. My mother taught me to treat elders with respect, but you’re pushing it. I need to know where Lisa is, and then you can go back to your conversation.”
“Well, I never.”
“And you never will again if you’ll just tell me which room she’s in.” The nurse turned her back on him as she consulted her computer. Seconds later, she came back and gave him the bad news. “She was released about ten minutes ago. I can’t give you any further information young man. Now, I’d like you to vacate the premises.”
His shoulders fell at her words and his fingers raked through his hair. Turning, he stalked away from the staring eyes and shocked faces. He didn’t care what they thought. It was Lisa that concerned him now. At least he knew she was okay. They wouldn’t have released her otherwise. He just wished he knew what had spiraled through her mind when she sprinted down those damned steps.
Frustrated and tired, he dropped to a crouch and sat on the curb, trying to figure out where to go from here. Part of him said to just chock it up to one night of fun and forget it, but the other half of him said he had to find her. Now! Even if she was fine, he just wanted to see her, touch her, talk to her. Anything!
Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t realize he had company until she spoke. “Who are you and what do you want with Lisa?”
He looked up at a petite, thin brunette that vaguely reminded him of his ex. She held her body as if she was prepared for battle, and had an attitude that matched it. He didn’t know how much to divulge about his relationship, or lack thereof, to this stranger. “I’m a friend.”
“No, you’re not. If you were, you wouldn’t have had to go Incredible Hulk on the nurse in there. So, I’ll ask you again, who are you and what do you want with Lisa?”
Jonathan wasn’t a guy to kiss and tell, but he didn’t know how to describe what went on between him and Lisa. “Fine. I’m not a friend, but she and I spent some time together recently. I became worried when she disappeared…no, wait, that’s not right.” The woman’s hand flew to her mouth with a gasp. “Ohmygod. You were her fuck and duck last night, weren’t you?”
She leaned down and slugged him in the shoulder. Damn, the woman could hit.
“Why the hell did you let her get hurt?”
“Well, I sort of fell asleep and when I woke up, she was gone. I guess that was the ‘ducking’ part of the evening.” Yeah, he’d known that she’d gone out last night with the intention of enjoying a one-night stand, but it had meant more to him. Hearing this stranger’s words cut him deep.
She must have heard the bitterness in his voice. Her anger disappeared and she plopped down next to him. “Sorry. She was messed up by her ex, and last night was our attempt at getting her back into the game.”
“Mick?” The pig.
“Yeah.” She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. “How do you know?”
“One, I met him at the bar when he tried to approach Lisa. Two, we did more than just fuck. We talked. Got to know one another. At least, I thought we did. I guess I was wrong.” He propped his head in his hands and stared at the asphalt, memories of the previous night flashing through his mind. Not just the memories of them making love, but all of it, every moment. “Look, here’s my card. Call me and let me know that she’s okay, all right? If she doesn’t want to see me again, fine. I just need to know she’s okay.”
Jonathan didn’t wait for her response. He rolled to his feet and strode towards his truck. He needed to forget about what he’d shared with Lisa and get back to running Trasola while Cole slept the day away. It was just a one-night stand, right?
Chapter Six
“Remind me why we’re here? Here of all places.” Lisa yelled to her friends’ retreating backs. She made her way through the crowd, watching their heads bob amongst the bodies as they followed the hostess. If only it was that easy for her. It had been a week since her “accident” and she was still on crutches. Admittedly she probably didn’t need the crutches any longer, but she was a wimp. Her leg still hurt, and had stitches; she was using the crutches. No matter what the doc said.
After what felt like an eternity, she hobbled her way to their table. Her friends had already settled into their seats leaving two open for her. She lowered her body into one chair and propped her injured leg on the other. It wasn’t the most comfortable position, but it kept her from feeling her pulse throb in her ankle. She picked up her menu and perused the items listed. Deciding to just order a burger, she slapped her menu on the table. None of her friends had answered her question.
“Anybody?”
“What hon?” Amelia peered over her menu and pushed her glasses back into place before disappearing again.
“I said, ‘why are we here?’”
“We like Trasola. What’s wrong? You liked this place and Ro knows the owner.” Sharon replied, her menu muffling her words.
“It’s, you know.”
“Home of the best margarita’s and seven kinds of imported beer on tap?” Lisa snatched her menu and whacked Rochelle on the head.
“No. It’s where I met Jonathan. He works here, lives here, damn it.” Rubbing her head, Rochelle narrowed her eyes at Lisa. “What’s the big? It’s not like you’ll see him again. And didn’t you say he worked nights? It’s only seven, still early. Anyway, it was a one-time thing and done. Why don’t you look around and see if you can find your next fuck and duck, dear.”
Rochelle reached over and patted her hand before returning to her menu. Bitch.
Okay, maybe not a total bitch. How about snarky pain? Rochelle, Amelia, and Sharon had been saying similar things to her all week. Every time she brought up her night with Jonathan, they told her to forget about him and move on already.
Jonathan was just a guy to get her back on the horse and he did his job, pick another. Blah, blah, blah… What if she didn’t want another horse? What if she liked him? Then again, even if she liked him and wanted more, she couldn’t contact him. In her haste to get the hell out, she didn’t bother to leave her phone number. That’s how one-night stands worked. You got in and got out with no further contact. She was beginning to understand that she just wasn’t cut out for the fuck and duck lifestyle.
Nothing against it, but it wasn’t for her.
“I don’t want another one.” She closed her eyes, waiting for her bombshell to sink into her friends.
“Okay.” Lisa opened her eyes to look at Rochelle and saw that Sharon, and Amelia were nodding their heads in agreement. “One nighters aren’t for everyone. We’ll just help you look for your next boyfriend…”
“No, you don’t understand. I don’t want another one because I want him, Jonathan.” She swallowed the lump in her throat and watched for her friends’ reactions.
Amazingly, there wasn’t much of one. Instead of ranting or raving about rebounding, they all nodded their heads as if they had been expecting the news.
“You guys aren’t surprised?”
This time, Sharon laid her hand on top of hers and squeezed. “As much as you’ve been moping around for the last week, hon, it wasn’t a big surprise.”
“It wasn’t?”
“Nope.” Amelia agreed. “We’ve known since we dru
g your sorry ass home, and were convinced that you’d seen Jonathan in the parking lot.” The table shifted with a thump and Sharon glared at Rochelle. “What was that for?”
Rochelle gave a muffled “sorry” and kept reading her menu. Something was up with her friends, but Lisa couldn’t put her finger on it.
Choosing to ignore Rochelle and Sharon’s behavior, she posed a question sure to get their attention. “So, how do I find him and keep him? Should we start a hunting expedition?”
There wasn’t a reaction. None. She didn’t get to enjoy their typical giddy giggles.
Amelia peered over her stupid menu, Sharon patted her hand and Rochelle, the mouth of the group, just shrugged her shoulders. Their reaction, or lack thereof, was really anticlimactic. Lisa had received bigger reactions over going shopping at the mall than she did when announcing that she wanted Jonathan.
When she didn’t get so much as a word out of her friends, she slumped into her chair and took a swig of her soda. Fine, if they didn’t want to help her, she’d help herself. The moment her leg healed, and she could wear Ro’s stilettos again, she’d be on the prowl for her man. She hoped he hadn’t found someone else by then. But if he did, then she supposed it wasn’t meant to be.
All thoughts of hunting and hoping flew from her mind when she heard a familiar velvet laced voice in her ear. “No hunting is needed, baby. I’m right here.” With a gasp she twisted in her seat and came face-to-face with the man she’d been thinking about twenty-four hours a day for the last week. “Jonathan.” His hand cupped her cheek as he pressed his lips to hers. She opened her lips on a sigh, allowing his tongue access to her mouth. Her tongue twirled and twined with his, searching out the smooth taste of him she remembered. His tongue glided and stroked hers, seeming to be looking for the same thing. She sucked his tongue with slight pressure, urging him closer and drawing a groan from deep within his chest. She released his tongue and licked his upper lip.