by Brook Greene
Placing his hands on hips he studies the floor as he answers, ‘no she doesn’t, not entirely,‘ looking up at me, ‘and I would like to keep it that way for now.”
For the first time one of the others speaks up, ‘I don’t think it is a good idea to keep all this from her, it might blow back on us and might end up getting her hurt,’ Roman shifts his weight from one foot to the other, ‘or worse and none of us wants that.”
Glancing over at him I give him a nod and then look back to our boss, who is going through his own internal battle, being the boss of a crew and trying to keep his daughter safe.
I cross over to the bar, ‘what’ll have Prez?” Beeker asks as he throws the cloth he had been wiping the bar down with into the sink behind the bar.
“A bottle and five,’ I look up at him, ‘make it six glasses of the strong stuff bud.” All the men come up behind me and cozy up to the bar each taking a stool to sit on.
Downing the first round we all wait as Beeker fills our glasses for the second time. I study the amber liquid in my glass before I speak choosing my words carefully, ‘boss I want you to know I am serious about her.” Looking over at all the men staring in my direction, ‘more serious than I have been in a long time and I promise you I will do everything in my power to keep this shit out of her life.” The weight of acknowledging what I have just said hits me right dead in the chest, and it is not lost on anyone else in attendance either.
Kent swallows the last ounce of liquid, standing he braces his weight against the bar, ‘but her being in your life has already put her at risk and you know it.” I don’t turn to watch him walk out of the door. It slamming closed is the only sound in the room.
Each of the men stand one at a time saying their goodbyes leaving me alone in the half lit room, struggling with the thought of walking away from her. Standing I turn and look down the hall at the door to my room, to her, I might be a strong man but letting her go is no longer an option.
I reach across the bar taking the whiskey bottle, shunning the glass I head for the now empty couch. Pulling a stogy from the pack on the table I draw in a ragged smoke filled breath, I need to clear my head before I go back to her and make damn sure I am doing the right thing.
Around midnight I raise my groggy head and push my numb body from the overused lounger staggering back to my room I climb into bed with her, pulling her soft, warm curves into me.
****
Avery
I feel the bed dip, blinking through the haze I turn my head and squint to see the blurry red numbers on the clock and see it is late. I turn into him, ‘Shhh baby go back to sleep.” He coos as he encircles me in his soft embrace, ‘sorry it took so long.” He kissed the top of my head.
“Okay.” I snuggle down into him and plant my nose in his bare chest. He takes my thigh in his hand and brings it up to his wrapping it around his hip. His hand on my ass tucks me into him deeper, I don’t see how this is conducive to sleeping, but it doesn’t take long for me to drift back off in his arms.
I wake shivering and cold, wrapped up in a sheet. The tee shirt I had chosen to wear gave little protection from the ice cold air conditioner keeping it cold enough to hang meat in the joint. Getting my barrens about me I hear a noise from the opening leading to the bathroom. I roll towards the smell of shampoo and shaving cream, letting them caress my nose, making my skin tingle.
A clean shaven Leo steps from around the door and out of the bathroom, wearing only a towel slung low on his hips. I push myself up on me elbows giving him a once over and smiling at him, ‘morning, waking up to this every morning could spoil a girl.”
He brushes another towel through his wet hair giving me a panty dropping grin, ‘that shirt isn’t a bad look on you either, especially since your panties are still laying right over there on the floor.” He points with his free hand, ‘that is what you are to wear to bed with me every night, understand the shirt and nothing else.”
Even though we had gotten interrupted last night an excited shiver runs down my body I raise myself up to my knees and reach for him. He walks over and I tug at his towel, taking my hand in his, ‘no time for that this morning babe, got uh court.”
I withdraw my hand, ‘court?”
“Yeah a drunk and disorderly from a few months back, it’ll be fine. I will just have to pay the court costs and then I will be ready to continue this later.” My hands find their way back up to his bare chest brushing his hard nipples with my palms.
“Drunk and disorderly uh, why am I not surprised?” I give him a little smirk. Because it doesn’t shock me at all, Leo disorderly sober is bad enough, but drunk Leo could probably redefine the meaning of disorderly. The thought spurs me on, I continue to caress his skin adding my tongue, glancing it up his stomach.
Wrapping his hand in my hair he drags my head back, ‘shit Avery,‘ he murmurs barely audible, ‘you are going to have to stop this shit, I can't do this right now.” Sitting back on my legs I pouch out my bottom lip pouting like a little girl.
His smile is wide and warm, his laugh sends tingles over me, ‘okay fine, I will get up and get ready, I have to work anyway.” I sigh as I watch him out of the corner of my eye, the towel hits the floor displaying his firm ass. A little embarrassed I look away and feel my face flush with heat as the memory of the ass grabbing conversation comes to mind.
“Avery baby, we need to talk about your job.” He has pulled on a pair of jeans, more decent looking, meaning no holes or oil stains. He shrugs on a crisp pressed button up shirt leaving the two top buttons open rolling the arms up displaying his tattoos, just like the night we had gone out.
“Ya know you might make a better impression on the court if you would not show those off.” I point out the tattoos coloring his arms trying to dodge the topic of my job, more over where I am employed.
“Don’t go changing the subject babe, discussion, job, find a new one.” He sits to pull on his cowboy boots. I never thought it but it is a great look for him. His long legs tight in the jeans with the black dress shirt tucked in accented by a belt with an understated belt buckle. His cologne is familiar but I can't quit put my finger on it yet making a mental note to ask later.
“What time do you get off this afternoon?” He puts the finishing touches on himself by slipping on a watch.
I look at him and giggle, ‘whatever time you see fit to put your head between my legs.”
He shakes his head, ‘Avery enough, what time do you leave work this afternoon,’ he shoots a devious smile at me, ‘you little pervert.”
He is telling the truth, since I have met him my mouth has become something of a public restroom and my thoughts are this side of me becoming a sailor. I stand and go looking for my jeans, ‘five.” I absentmindedly toss clothes up in the air behind me.
“So when is your next day off?” He is sitting on the bed now watching me get ready as I had done with him.
“Thursday,’ I huff, ‘look Leo I don’t see how my job is your concern.” I pull on my jeans without underwear not completely unbearable but uncomfortable all the same.
“I told you already, people find out you are with me and they will see an opportunity.” He is now standing in front of me invading my personal space.
I knew it before they left my lips I should have never spoke the words, ‘you said yourself this wasn’t one of those apple pie relationships, no expectations remember?” I am now fully dressed and headed for the door.
Taking me by the arm he spins me around to face him, ‘I have not been a dick to you since we first met, hell I wasn’t a dick to you then, so why would you not think what you do for a living wouldn’t concern me?” His angry tone is palpable.
“Because maybe I have known you all of four days and you think because we have fucked you can start to tell me how to live my life, I need this job, there are no more jobs Leo, why can't you understand?” I am screaming and I know everyone down the hall can hear us.
His nose is within an inch of mine, ‘because
I would much rather have you flipping burgers than put you in danger working at the fucking prison.”
“I wasn’t in danger until I met you, besides what do you care where your piece of ass works? No strings, take it day by day, I think is what we agreed on.” I shriek. This conversation has taken a turn for the worse and it is going downhill quickly.
I watch as his face morphs into the Leo I had meet the first day at Mayhem, ‘is that how you want to play this shit, fine,’ he leans picking up my other items of clothing and sandals shoving them into my arms, ‘here take your shit and get the fuck out then.” He turns his back to me and stalks into the bathroom, ‘I didn’t hear the door hit you on the ass while you were leaving Avery.”
I turn and do the walk of shame out of the club and to my vehicle. Reaching it I see the new set of tires he had installed on it the day before. Jerking my checkbook out of my purse I quickly write a check for a general amount and stomp to the office. Throwing the check at the portly lady behind the counter I watch as it flutters down landing right in front of her.
“What is this for baby girl?” I can see she is a sweat lady so I keep my tempter in check along with my mouth.
“The tires from yesterday, tell Leo to shove it up his ass.” I turn and stomp back to my Ford, noticing Piper’s car was still parked next to mine. I quickly jot a note down on a fast food napkin leaving it under her wipers, telling her to call me at work as soon as she gets the time.
I had held them back but by the time I drove out of the sliding gate tears had started flowing and there was no damming them up. As I pull through the gate I take one quick look back, to see Leo standing with my check in his hands and see him start to rip it up and toss it in the trash.
I turn and head for home and hopefully back to the sanity I had once knew before Leo Tucker.
****
Leo
I listen as the door slams, the reverberation rattles my heart, I had done it and I hope the boss is fucking happy now. I had to lie to her again this morning, I wasn’t due in court although I had been arrested for drunk and disorderly a few months ago, Kent had so graciously gotten the charges dropped. I do how ever have to go over to the prison, not wanting to run into Avery I am guessing I will have to wait until Thursday. There are a few things I need to discuss with a certain inmate.
A slight knock at the door disturbs my little pity party I had going on, ‘what?”
“Um Leo,’ the small voice belongs to Alice, our shop manager. I stand and pull the crack in the door fully open when she offers me a check, ‘Avery left this for you.”
Jerking her hand free of the small slip of paper I take off to get to her, when I reach the front of the compound I am just in time to watch her truck hesitate at the gate and see her looking back in the rearview, I rip the check up and toss it in the can next to the steps, ‘Fuck Me!”
Dalton rounds the corner wiping his hands on a greasy towel, ‘she leave?”
Looking at him I lace my eyebrows together, ‘what the fuck do you think?”
He drops the cloth and comes up to stand beside me, ‘so you did it uh, what the boss wanted?”
Pulling the half empty pack of smokes from my breast pocket I light one up, I have been smoking like a freight train since I met Avery, ‘yeah, I was a prick. Keep an eye on her, you are going to be over at her place anyway,’ I pull the office door open, ‘and Dalton don’t let her do anything stupid.”
“Sure man, do you want hourly updates or will one call a day suffice?” Watching her leave had taken all the fight out of me or I would have ripped him a new one for being such an ass.
Taking a deep breath, ‘yeah let me know what she is up to, be smart about it okay?” I look at him and know he is on the other end of being stealthy. I let the door hit my back as the automatic spring pulls it shut. I have really fucked this situation up but what is new. Sucking it up I have work I have to do.
****
Avery
The next few days pass in a fog I go to work and then I come home, sadly to say is the way of it. I would mentally kick myself every few minutes, I had only known Leo four days and he had wrecked my world and turned my emotions on their heels.
I staggered through days, and tossed through the nights. My reflection had started to resemble something from The Walking Dead and the constant nagging by Piper had grated my last thread of nerves.
I was working through one of those tidal wave of emotions at my station in the prison when Zach interrupted me, ‘Avery babe why the screwed up face?” Zach was a guard in his late twenties and works out, a lot. His sandy blonde hair is cut high and tight as with all Marines, he fought in Iraq and then took his walking papers when they offered them.
“Uh? Oh not anything I really want to say out loud.” I give him a weak smile, which those are about all I can manage here lately too, weak, pathetic little ole me.
Zach drags a stool over next to the metal table I had been trying to do paper work on, ‘you can tell me just about anything, I am sure.” He begins to fumble with a pen I had laid down.
Running my hands trough my hair I give him a once over, Zach isn’t bad looking he just isn’t Leo, oh mother fucker did I just do that? I did just compare another man to Leo, is this how the rest of my life is going to be like? Standards for which no one will ever add up to.
He nudges me with his elbow, ‘go ahead tell ole Zach what is going on.” His eye slight with youth.
“Oh just man problems, ya know?” I look down avoiding his searching gaze.
“Really, when did you start dating someone?” I detect a little hurt in his voice, seeing how Zach has been trying to get me to go out with him for the past three months.
“We just started kinda sort of seeing each other but he is so not my type.” I lay my hands flat on the table and do a full body shiver, because personality wise he is a jackass but god ole mighty he can play my body till it sings with pleasure like an orchestrated pro.
“Interesting, who is it?” He ruins his hands over his stubbled jaw as his mouth curves with a curious grin, ‘because I might have to kick his ass.”
I inwardly laugh at his last statement not wanting to bruise Zach’s ego, but kicking Leo’s ass is not an option, ‘there will be no need for that, Leo and I pretty much went our separate ways.”
“Oh okay, wait a minute, Leo?” His eyes flash with recollection, ‘Leo Tucker, the one who owns the kick ass bike shop down on Alamance Street?” Then it really hits him, ‘the same Leo who is President of the Knights of Mayhem?” Admiration crosses his face as he puts the pieces together.
I clear my throat jarring him from his little trip on the star struck express, I have found in the past couple of days Leo is a somewhat a celebrity in these parts How I had never heard of him until now is a mystery to me, seeing how too Piper’s brother is a member of his band of merry men.
“But like I said Zach, no need to get all excited, it is over and done with. Now if you will let me get back to my paper work so I can go home, I have a day off tomorrow.” I turn my eyes down and try and focus at the immediate task at hand, having absolutely zero success at it. Talking about Leo had brought up memories I had been working all week to suppress.
Standing he stretches his long arms over his head, ‘sure babe, see ya Friday.” He leans in and grazes my cheek with his lips. I close my eyes and see a tuft of black hair sweep by in front of my eyes, and hear the low gravelly voice of Leo. Shit, the man has ruined me forever.
****
It is Friday afternoon and I am still struggling with my Leo hangover. My joints ache and I find it difficult to be interested in anything for any length of time. Piper doesn’t help the situation by parading Dalton around the apartment. The day off on Thursday hadn’t done any good to make me feel better. I had just laid around all day wallowing in misery. I should have known better to tangle with a master at breaking hearts.
“Call him.” She takes a chip out of the bag and tosses it into her mouth, ‘shouldn’t s
he, Dalton?” she pokes him with her toe as he sits at the end of our couch slumped down watching the TV, ‘pay attention, damnit.”
“She should what?” He sits up taking his beer from the table and finishes it off.
“Avery should call Leo.” She states more of a declaration than asking Dalton what he thinks.
He leans back, ‘yeah, if she wants.” He is no help and hasn’t in the past four days, divulged one bit of information about Leo and what he has been up to. I am going nuts wondering and not knowing, I let him under my skin and I give myself hypothetical kicks in the ass everyday for doing so.
Piper slaps his shoulder, ‘you are no help Dalton,’ refocusing her attention to me, ‘anyway you should call him because didn’t he say you guys were playing this game your way? So he may be waiting for you to ya know, play it your way Avery.” She redirects her attention back to Dalton, ‘he is waiting for her isn’t he Dalton?”
Dalton shrugs his shoulders, ‘he is not mine to baby sit.” But the look on his face told me everything I needed to know and the thought made my stomach churn. He hasn’t waited, oh god I bet it was Mavis, he took that skank into his bed just like she said he would.
“Avery, you look green.” Dalton points out, ‘and to save you from having to eat lunch again, no he has been going home alone every night.”
“It's about time you ease her pain, ass wipe.” Piper jumps up and heads for the table in the foyer where I keep my phone, ‘here, call him, now. And put both of you guys out of this misery.”
I push my phone and her hand away, ‘no Piper, I think it is best we keep it this way, ya know with the somewhat clean break before I had too much invested in him. We should just stay away from each other,’ I push myself up from the couch, ‘I have to get ready, I pulled the late shift today.” I stumble down the hall to my room with my head still filled with thoughts of him being with another woman.