“You’ve only been trying a couple of months, right? I’m sure it’ll happen in its own time,” Bianca tried to reassure the other woman.
Meredith crossed her arms and bit her lip, kicking her hip out to the side. After a moment of thought, she crooked her finger. “C’mere.”
Interest piqued, Bianca did as she asked. The two of them went to her front door and gazed out the window beside it. Below, Tyler, Jagger, and Layne were all doing manly things. Jagger hammered a nail as Layne held a board in place for him. Tyler though, he sat to the side, obviously supervising, giving his input on how to fix the problem of her wobbly stairs.
“Look at that man and tell me that he couldn’t impregnate me by just looking at me.”
Bianca laughed, bending over at the waist. “I think there’s a bit more to it than that,” she giggled, wiping her eyes.
“He’s just so…so virile…” Meredith continued. “It’s gotta be me.”
Putting a hand on Meredith’s shoulder, Bianca gave it a squeeze. “Chances are it’s neither one of you. Maybe you just haven’t hit your sweet spot yet when it comes to time of the month.”
“I don’t see how that’s possible,” she murmured. “We’re doin’ it every night.”
“Oh my God, you are my hero.”
“With Tyler, it’s not work,” she grinned. “You can trust me on that.”
“I would venture to say the two of you probably have a good time,” Bianca grinned back.
“Probably about a good a time as you and Jagger.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to deny what she and Jagger had, but he’d slept here the night before. Why keep a secret? “Then the two of you aren’t hurting in that department.”
“No we’re not,” she sighed. “But I don’t want Denise to know that I’m jealous. Since she found out she was pregnant she’s walked on eggshells around me. This is supposed to be the happiest time in her life, and I don’t want her to not enjoy it because she’s afraid she’ll hurt my feelings.”
This friendship stuff, Bianca was beginning to realize, was going to require a lot of work. “Well you don’t know how she’s going to react unless you talk to her. It’s just like any other relationship, you have to be open and honest.”
“I know, but I have to admit, I feel just a little like a bitch to be unhappy that she’s happy. Especially after we’ve talked about it before and I assured her I would be fine. I just can’t help how I’m feeling.”
“I’m sure Denise won’t see it that way. She was there after everything happened to you. It’s normal to feel envy. Fuck, I do it every time I see people who don’t have to work at Wet Wanda’s for a living.”
Meredith bit her lip and blew out a breath of frustration. “You’re right. Maybe if I’m honest with her, I can get over the feelings I’m having. Then I can just move on.”
“Maybe you can, but you’ll never know until you try.”
An hour later, Bianca and Meredith sat discussing some of the options that Bianca could do with her degree.
“I know almost as soon as I find a full time job, I’m really gonna have to buckle down and start on my Masters. There’s such a small window for a teacher to get the next required classes that I don’t want to get lazy with it.”
“That’s a good idea,” Meredith agreed.
The lull in the conversation between the two of them wasn’t strained at all, but it gave Bianca a chance to ask a question she had wondered about for a while. “What are you going to do with your degree?”
“I’ve thought about that,” she admitted, running her hands along the denim of her jeans. Reaching over to the table that sat next to the couch, she picked up her cup of coffee and took a drink.
Bianca had never taken this woman for a staller, but that appeared to be what she was doing right at this very moment. “Tell me.”
A small grin tilted Meredith’s mouth. “I seem to be telling you a lot of stuff.”
“Hmmm? Maybe it’s just because I ask the right questions. I’m very self-conscious when it comes to talking about myself, so I’m usually the one asking. When you ask, you don’t have to divulge anything.”
“Oh that’s where you are wrong! Next time we have coffee, you’re answering a metric shit-ton of questions. But to answer you, I’m not really sure. I could do a number of things with the degree that I have, but none of it appeals to me right now. I’ve debated on doing some volunteering at the abused women’s shelter and maybe taking some classes that interest me. You know, just to get my feet wet again.”
“The women’s shelter idea is a very good one. You have no idea how many women have come through Wet Wanda’s over the couple of years that I’ve been there. They tend to just hang around long enough to get the money they need to move on. When they do that, they’re gone and you never know what’s happened to them or their children. It’s kind of sad really.”
“Yeah, so that’s what I’ve been kicking around. If it was up to Tyler, I’d never work again, but I’m just not sure I can do that. I mean, yeah, it’s been fun for a while, but I crave knowledge and social interaction now. At one time I thought that I wouldn’t ever be able to be in a group of people again, but I’m able to now, and I get bored at the clubhouse sometimes,” Meredith admitted.
Bianca hoped she wasn’t reading more into this than there was. “Well I always need someone to help me study, and there’s always people to hang out with at Wet Wanda’s. Just c’mon down if you get bored. Hell, bring Denise. We could be the epitome of southern. A pregnant lady, not only in a bar, but in a strip joint. If I know Wanda, it will crack her up.”
“I can’t believe you just offered yourself up to do something with me on your own. Bianca Hawks, you’re becoming downright friendly.”
Bianca blushed slightly. “Don’t let it get around. I do have a rep to protect.”
“My lips are sealed.” Meredith made the motion of sealing them with her fingers. “Well, I take that back, they’re sealed after I give Denise her invite. Lord knows I have got to see what patrons of a strip joint do when a pregnant woman walks in.”
The two of them were laughing as the men made their way up the stairs, boots pounding.
“Sounds like they fixed it,” Bianca commented dryly. “Otherwise, we’ll hear it collapse in just a few seconds.”
“It’s fixed,” Tyler announced as he walked into the apartment.
“So I can hear,” Bianca answered.
The Native American grinned. “She’s got some spunk and her humor is dry. I really like her. What’s she doing with you?” He pointed at Jagger.
Blushing, Jagger went over to stand next to Bianca. He slung his arm around her neck and tucked her into his side. “I wonder that myself, but I guess I’m just lucky.” He nuzzled her neck before facing the rest of them.
“We’re hungry,” Layne announced. “So let’s go get something.”
Everyone agreed to meet up at a local Mexican restaurant a few minutes away that they all enjoyed.
“We’ll be along in just a few minutes,” Jagger said, pointing his finger at Bianca. “She’s gonna have to change before we leave. It’s gonna be cold on my bike.”
Her pulse kicked in her throat. She loved riding his bike with him. “Let me go change real fast,” she grinned up at him.
She heard the group leave as she hurried to her bedroom and pulled out a pair of jeans and a warm sweater. Looking through her closet, she wondered if the boots she’d lucked up on at a thrift store would be too dressy. From experience she knew they were well over $300 at the local mall. She had gotten them for $25. A dark brown that looked well worn, she decided to wear them anyway. Quickly, she threw her hair up and put on some mascara before going to the living room.
“I’m ready.”
Jagger whistled. “Those boots make your legs look a mile long.”
“Thanks.” She couldn’t help but turn in a little circle for him. “I’m hungry,” she admitted. “Let’s get going.”
> “Don’t forget to grab your jacket,” he told her, as they walked out the front door.
“I’m so excited to try these stairs out.”
The two of them walked down the stairs together, without them creaking, groaning, and swaying. “We did good?”
“You did real good. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate everything that you do and have done for me,” she told him, reaching up to hug him around the neck.
He leaned down and kissed her softly. After separating their lips, he leaned his forehead against hers. “I don’t do things that I don’t want to do. I just want you to know, I don’t expect anything from you for doing the things I do. But if you wanted to repay me in kisses, hugs, and other activities…well let’s just say I wouldn’t say no.”
The mischievous grin on his face melted her heart. “We’ll see what we can do, but don’t count on it. Now let’s go.”
He put his leg over the bike and had a seat before motioning for her to get on behind him. He loved the feel of her body next to his as she leaned against him. Loved the way the extra weight on the bike felt. It was something he hadn’t known he wanted until he had it. Reaching around behind him, he tapped her thigh as he started the bike and they went to meet their friends.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Why are you lookin’ at me like that?”
Bianca shook her head and looked away. She had been staring at Layne, she realized. Taking a drink of her Margarita and dipping a chip in their queso, she looked back at him. “You probably think I’m crazy, but I feel like I know you from somewhere else besides the club.”
From where he sat on the other side of the table Tyler smirked, as did Jagger.
“Go ahead, assholes, laugh it up.” Layne took a drink from his beer bottle and ran a hand through his hair. Reaching over to the side of the table, he grabbed a toothpick and put it in his mouth, chewing on the end.
“What’s so funny?” Meredith asked. She had also gotten the feeling that she knew Layne from somewhere, but didn’t know where.
“Yeah, why are you guys acting like it’s some secret?”
Layne cleared his throat and lifted his eyebrows. “You might remember a few years ago—it was all the rage for members of the service to ask celebrities to their balls?”
“Oh yeah,” Meredith smiled. “That girl who got Justin Timberlake to go to hers…let’s just say I’m still jealous.”
He did his best to ignore that. “Well I was one of those people. I’m an ex-Army Ranger. I asked Jessica Shea to accompany me to my ball. She said yes, and it made a huge splash because she had never accepted one before.”
“I still don’t know why she accepted yours,” Jagger broke in, talking around a chip in his mouth.
Layne flicked his straw paper at the other man and couldn’t help the grin that tilted the corner of his mouth. “Me neither, but she did.”
“I remember now, the two of you did a talk show right?” Bianca asked, leaning back in the booth against Jagger’s side.
He nodded. “We did.”
It was obvious that he wasn’t comfortable with their line of questioning, but she couldn’t help asking one more. “Have you stayed in touch with her?”
Both Tyler and Jagger leaned forward. They had wanted to know the exact same thing, but had never had the guts to ask. He was so closed off on everything that had taken place during his time in the military that no one wanted to disturb the grip on reality that he had.
“Yeah,” he admitted softly. “The two of us email and text a lot. We got to be friends and have stayed that way.”
“No shit?” Tyler drug out the words so that they seemed to be a couple of syllables apiece. He was surprised, much more surprised than he had thought he would be, by this new member of theirs.
“No shit.”
The waiter came over, bringing their food, and they all waited a few minutes for it to get delivered. When the right plates were sitting in front of the right people, Meredith turned in her seat to Layne and opened her mouth. He held up his hand. “No more questions. I’ve already told you guys more than I’ve told anyone in years. Just leave it alone.”
The woman who had once been a reporter wasn’t used to being told not to question something. Everyone could tell by the way she opened and shut her mouth numerous times that she struggled with not prying. Tyler laughed and flashed her the most amazing smile that Bianca had ever seen. He put an arm around her shoulder, almost as if he was holding her back physically from asking the questions that had come to her mind.
“It goes against everything in me not to ask you anymore questions, Layne. But I learned the hard way what prying can get you. Just tell me this and I’ll leave you alone. One day can I ask you all the questions I have?”
There were snickers at the table.
Layne regarded her closely, tilting his head and pulling his eyebrows together. “You know what? I think one day I might tell you everything you want to know. I’m not sure why, but I get the feeling you wouldn’t steer me wrong.”
A triumphant, almost gloating, smile appeared on Meredith’s face. “That’s all I can ask—that you keep me in mind. The rest of y’all can suck on it.”
This was nice, Bianca realized a few minutes later. The conversation had died down while the group of them concentrated on eating their food. Having friends was more fun than she expected, especially since these friends also included guys. The dynamic of the group was different than what she was used to, and it surprised her to realize just how much she enjoyed it. Being at the club and being around only females wasn’t what many thought it was. With women came backstabbing and name calling. Here, there was a nice, equal split. She didn’t have to worry about being talked bad about if she wasn’t wearing makeup.
“Señoritas! Shots?” Their waiter asked as he came over to check on them.
The two ladies looked at one another, neither sure what they should do. Bianca wasn’t aware if there was any kind of club etiquette that she should follow. Meredith looked like she was contemplating if she wanted to add anything else to the smorgasbord already on her stomach. In the end, neither one of them made a decision, Tyler held up his hand.
“Bring us two shots of Patron.”
Bianca lifted her eyebrow in surprise. “High rollin’?”
Tyler looked at her head on, his face so serious when Bianca realized maybe she shouldn’t have said that.
“I was just kidding, I didn’t mean to offend you, I swear.”
He awarded her with a semblance of the smile he’d given to Meredith earlier. “I do have a sense of humor,” he told her, laughing as she squirmed in her seat. It was obvious she was uncomfortable under his gaze.
The waiter brought the shots to the table and then egged on the two women. “Señoritas! Drink!”
“Yeah, c’mon, don’t be cheap dates,” Tyler grinned, watching the two women.
“What the hell.” Bianca shrugged, clinking her shot glass together with Meredith’s. “Bottom’s up.”
The two of them took their shots together, finishing almost at the same time, and then sucked on the lime that had been brought along. “That shit’s strong,” Meredith choked, her face twisted in a sour expression.
“Bring ’em two more,” Jagger grinned at the two of them, much the same way Tyler had.
“Y’all tryin’ to get us drunk?” Meredith asked.
“We’re just a group of friends havin’ a good time,” he answered.
“It’s not even nighttime yet, it’s in bad taste to get drunk, Jagger,” Bianca chided. “I’ll do one more and then I’m done.”
The waiter came back with three drinks on the tray and put two in front of Bianca. “He only ordered one.” She shook her head, pointing to the new beer bottle that sat next to her shot.
“This was ordered by the Señor over there.” The waiter pointed to another table.
She screwed her brows up in question. There was now no one sitting at that table. “What?” she asked,
glancing around.
“I think he just left, but he told me to give you this.” The waiter handed her a folded up piece of paper.
“What the fuck is that?” Jagger asked, leaning over. The tone of his voice told her that he wasn’t happy about this.
“I dunno,” she said as she quickly took the shot that Jagger had ordered for her. Opening the piece of paper, her stomach dropped. “It’s nothing. Just somebody being a dumbass,” she smiled reassuringly at Jagger.
“You sure?”
It was obvious he didn’t believe her, but he was willing not to push it in front of their friends. Especially given the good time they were having.
“Totally sure.” She leaned over, giving him a kiss on the lips to show that she wasn’t upset. “But right now, I gotta go to the bathroom. Excuse me.” She grabbed the bottle of beer, planning on throwing it away.
Bianca got up from her seat and walked to the back towards the bathrooms. As she passed the door that lead to the back exit, she saw Money Bags outside, standing there with a group of people. She watched for a few moments as the others left, leaving him there by himself. This could very well be a bad idea, but she knew she had to do something to stand up for herself. Opening the door, she walked out, shivering in the cold, but determined to do something about this.
“Mr. Tucker!” she yelled, walking over to him with the beer in her hand.
“Bianca,” he answered her. His eyes were lecherous as she approached. That was the best word to describe them. This man made her very nervous, and as a rule men didn’t really make her nervous. She had dealt with her fair share at Wet Wanda’s to know she could take care of herself.
“I appreciate the beer, Sir, but I don’t really like beer and I don’t need you to give me one. Given you’re a superior over me, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t seek me out any longer – especially at Wet Wanda’s.”
He laughed, the sound hollow. “Given the fact that you’re entering the school system as a teacher, I really don’t think you have any leverage on what you can ask me to do. One word from me and your morality clause can be invoked and you won’t teach a day in this school district. Is that what you want?”
Losing Control (Heaven Hill Series) Page 11