by M. Piper
We head out shortly after the sun comes out. It’s muggy, but that’s typical for a summer day. My uncle’s burner phone in my bag beeps. I pause, watching the people around me to make sure there’s no one out of sorts.
Van: Tonight. Ten PM. The usual.
Nodding to myself, I shove the phone back in my bag. I guess I didn’t fuck up too much last night if he’s letting me go on another job so soon. Grinning and feeling good about the day, I head into the market where people are crammed, each searching for the freshest food.
Abu’s whining next to me, which isn’t typical. I really hope I didn’t poison him with that breakfast. The first water fountain I see, I fill up his bowl and let him have a few good drinks before dumping the rest out, eyeing a fruit stand nearby. God, I’m starving. Usually fruit stands are the easiest to grab from since everything is right out there in the open. Plus I don’t feel as guilty because it’s going to go bad if it’s not all purchased, anyway.
I click my tongue and tug on the leash, practically dragging Abu with me as I weave through the crowd. As I inch toward the stand, I see the owner start to talk up a girl next to me, so I wait until he walks away to check her out before making my move.
In one swoop, I fling my bag open and take an armful of apples, dumping them into my sack. Tossing one in my mouth, I grin around the fruit as I fling my bag back on. That’s when he sees me.
“Aww shit,” I mumble, taking off.
“Hey! Stop him!” the man yells.
Abu isn’t far behind, mostly because of his leash. I hear the footfalls behind me and I hope it’s not the police. I don’t need another hit on my record.
We dash and curve our way through the busy street. The people here aren’t paying a lick of attention to me. Well, not until the guard behind me yells again to stop me. I have a few bystanders attempt to be Good Samaritans, but it’s futile. I’m too fast for them.
I round a corner, turning to look behind me, checking that the guard isn’t following me after the turn, and plow completely into someone, taking us both down.
“Mother fucker!” I bellow. Trying to right myself, I grab Abu’s leash, and secure my hold on my bag as to not lose it. All while trying to not hurt the person I plowed over. I have to get away!
“Shit,” the tiny voice squeaks and my eyes fly to the face of the person I just trampled.
It’s not just a person…it’s a fucking beautiful woman and I just trampled her like she’s a piece of dirt!
“I’m…good. God, I’m so fucking sorry,” I mumble my apology as I help her up, watching her dust dirt off her dress. Her teal colored dress that fits her fucking body like a glove. Her dark hair is in a loose braid, slung over her shoulder and her eyes are looking down at her body, assessing the damage.
God, what I’d do to that body.
“Are you okay?” I ask, outstretching my hand to her. She swats it away, looking up at me. When her eyes land on mine, my chest explodes in tiny fireworks of feelings. Tiny little bursts of emotion with one glance from this girl. Who the hell is this woman?
“I’m fine. But I don’t think you are.” She raises a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at me and I let out a nervous laugh. “I saw them chasing you. What’d you steal?”
I furrow my brows at her and take a step back. “Why would you assume I stole something?”
“Because of the look of panic across your face. You did something wrong. Men don’t run that fast in a public place like this just for fun.”
I rub my neck and grab Abu’s leash, tugging my backpack back on. “Sorry to run over you,” I mumble. “I’ll be going.”
She obviously sees me as nothing more than trash and isn’t that what I am, anyway?
I take a cautious step toward the corridor, making sure no one’s around. My typical attire for something like this is a hoodie, it keeps me hidden, but it’s too hot to cover up. Tightening my hold on the straps of my bag, I take a breath, preparing to expose myself.
“Wait!” she yells, her soft, sweet voice echoing through the vacant alley. I stop, cocking my head, but I don’t turn around. If she wants me to stay, she has to use more words than “wait”. I take another step and she huffs. “Fucking stop, okay? I can help you.”
Her words make my fists clench and my ears burn. “I don’t need help,” I growl, spinning to face her.
“Then a friend. At least.” She shrugs, grinning. “You ran me over. You kind of owe me.”
“Why do you want a friend like me? You said it yourself, I’m a thief.”
She bites her lip and lets her eyes roam my body. I’m not a gym rat, but I’m damn proud of the body I’ve kept over the years. Being three years out of the foster system, my early twenties are showing me what it’s like to stay in shape and not over eat. Mainly because I don’t have the option to. No money equals no food.
“Maybe I like to live on the wild side.” She grins.
“I’m not sure the wild side is a place for a pretty little thing like you,” I bite out, letting my feet bring me back to her. God, she’s radiant. Her pink, plump lips curve into a devilish smile. She takes one step closer to me, letting her hands rest on my chest.
“I think the wild side is exactly where I belong today.” Moving to her tiptoes, her lips crash to mine so suddenly I barely have time to brace myself. I drop my bag, forgetting about the apples inside and shove my hands in her hair. The heat between us is palpable and the way she moans when I lift her and spin us against the brick wall is so goddamned sexy.
My tongue traces her lips before she slightly parts them, letting me taste her. Her hands are wild at the hem of my shirt, before pushing her palms higher, tracing my muscles. I hear Abu bark from nearby, but I can’t stop myself from enjoying this beautiful stranger.
“Scarlett?” a male voice calls and everything in her body turns to ice almost immediately. She pauses, her hands resting on my abs, her fingertips lingering near one of my many scars, as she furrows her eyebrows. When her blue eyes hit mine, she gives a quick shake to her head. I slowly let her legs down and she straightens her dress before reaching up on her tiptoes, pushing her lips to mine once more.
“Tomorrow. Same time, same place,” she whispers. She runs off so fast I struggle to keep track of the girl in the teal dress and black hair as she fades into the crowd.
Scarlett.
Fuck, her name’s even sexy. And those lips? I’d love to see those lips wrapped around my cock.
I huff and find my bag, collecting the contents that spilled out, before grabbing Abu’s leash and taking him home for the day.
I need to be on top of my game for tonight’s run.
On the walk back to the apartment, I keep looking over my shoulder. Once I’m good and locked in my room, I shred my shirt off. My skin still burns from where her hands touched me today. I’ve been touched by plenty of women, but nothing ever felt like she did.
One look at the girl, though, told me she wouldn’t even be there tomorrow. I’m not really her type, and that’s not hard to tell. I’m wearing jeans I haven’t had the money to wash in a couple weeks. She had on a dress that probably cost more than my month’s rent.
Stepping into the cool shower, I attempt to right myself and get my head on straight for tonight, but the minute my hands slide over my body my thoughts immediately go to her.
Scarlett. Just the thought of her lips on mine makes me hard as a rock.
With soapy hands, I lather my body, ignoring the one aching part that wants it the most.
Groaning, I rest my forearm against the shower wall and wrap my fist around my dick, starting with a slow pump. All it takes is closing my eyes and I’m right back in the alley with her. My hand moves harder as I imagine what it felt like to slam her against the wall. Her lips on mine, her tongue darting into my mouth. I groan and my hand jerks faster, water droplets dripping down my face. I squeeze my eyes, letting out a grunt as my balls tighten.
“Fuck,” I huff; letting my hand do the work I wish she was he
re for. I feel it in the base of my spine, that mind blowing numbing feeling. Soon, everything around me seems to go blank and behind my closed eyes it’s just me and her.
Squeezing out my release, the water washing it away, I let my head fall to the shower wall, out of breath and a little light headed.
Fuck.
Chapter 2
Daddy’s Girl
“What’s wrong with you today, kid?” Jeannie asks from the doorway. I try not to think about how weird it is that I’m best friends with an old lady who doesn’t seem to have any friends or family.
“Date,” I mumble, trying to rub out a stain on my only ‘nice’ shirt.
“Oh!” she claps her hands and walks into the room, petting Abu as she plops on my couch. “With who?”
“Some girl. Rich little thing, too. And I have nothing to fucking wear,” I growl, ripping my shirt off.
“How would you know that?” Jeannie patiently watches me shuffle through my closet for something else to wear. I shouldn’t go. This girl doesn’t even know my name. If I don’t show there’s no harm no foul. Maybe even less harm than if I did show and she found out how poor and lowly I really am.
“I’ve stolen a bag like she has.” I shake my head. “Got me a couple months worth of rent for one bag and she was tossing it around like it was yesterday’s newspaper. And her dress had one of those fancy zippers on it. Nothing cheap. Definitely money.”
Call it a perk of the job, but being able to tell what people are worth simply by staring at them for a second is something I’ve gotten good at over the years.
“And what’s wrong with having money? Wouldn’t we all want money if we had the chance?”
“Yeah.” I laugh. “But someone like her will probably drop my ass the second she realizes I have nothing to give her.”
“You can’t put a monetary value on love, Roman,” she scolds, standing up and stretching.
“This ain’t love, Jeannie. This is me needing to get fucked.” That’s all she needs to know. I don’t need to tell her how I’ve been obsessing over this girl since the moment she walked away from me. I felt like I was invincible around her. Like I was actually someone rather than just a piece of dirt. In those brief moments, she made me feel more than I’ve felt in a very long time.
She barks out a laugh that slowly warps into a coughing fit. “Fucking cigarettes,” she mumbles. “Hang on. I’ll be right back.”
She shuffles out the door and across the hallway as I grab two more shirts from the closet. The first is a dark blue shirt that fit me well before I hit puberty and a white one that looks nice enough held in front of me. When I put it on, I remember the bloodstain I could never get out of the arm. Ripping it off, I toss it in the reject pile. God, I’m worse than a woman!
“Here,” Jeannie says, tossing a pile of clothes on the floor.
“Where the hell did you get these?” I pick them up, all still attached to the hangers, and smile wide. The crisp lines of the bright white linens in my hand are a stark contrast to the pitch black suit pants that I’m wearing. Upon further inspection of the shirts, they will all fit me perfectly.
“My son passed away a few years ago.” She pauses, but before I have a chance to ask for more, she clears her throat and goes on, “ I never had the heart to get rid of them. That shit’s worth some money.” She shrugs. “They’re out of season,” she says, rolling her eyes. “But they’re a rich man’s wardrobe. Keep them. They’re yours.”
She pats my cheek and takes Abu across the hall with her. He’s happily on her heel knowing she has treats for him over there. Looking at myself in the mirror, I laugh, a grin on my face. Maybe I can pull this off after all.
***
With the stark contrast in my appearance from yesterday to today, I make sure to keep an eye out for the girl in teal so she doesn’t miss me. Scarlett. Hell, I’m driving myself crazy over this one. It’s not like I’m at a shortage of women…not when I have my last name going for me. Enough people in my circle know my uncle and the last name of South. It’s definitely not hard to find a bed mate. What is hard, however, is to find one I’m truly interested in.
Leaning against the old brick wall that I shoved her against yesterday, I’m sporting a pair of dress pants that fit like a glove. I’ve never felt handsome before, and honestly I don’t even know that’s how I look, but I damn well feel it. It’s amazing what expensive clothes can do to one’s confidence.
The streets aren’t as crowded today as they were yesterday. Standing with my leg propped on the wall, I shove my hands in my pocket and wait. The watch Jeannie gave me ticks slowly on my wrist. Every minute that goes by where this girl doesn’t show is one more minute that I feel like a tool for thinking she really would remember.
Right as I’m ready to call it quits and leave, someone rounds the corner. A girl.
It’s her.
She’s tucked under a hood with her head hung low, like she’s hiding from someone. Her eyes flash behind her quickly, but the second she turns and they meet mine, she slips off the hood and my heart starts thumping.
“You look nice,” she purrs.
“You look…” I let out a puff of air and shake my head. The girl is beautiful. Breathtaking. The bright red dress, fitted even better than yesterday’s, paired with black heels, and her dark hair tumbling down her back all do heavenly things for the color of her tanned skin. “Holy fuck, you’re beautiful,” I murmur, my eyes not so delicately trailing her body.
“I try,” she says, shrugging. Her dark hair falls in front of her face. She pushes it back and smiles at me. “So what’s your name, anyway?”
I chuckle and step toward her, tucking her hair behind her ear so I can see her beautiful, clear face better. “Roman,” I whisper.
The heat in her eyes flashes and she licks her lips. My eyes are locked on her nude, glossy lips and I feel the heat rush to my dick, wishing those lips were wrapped around it.
“Wanna get out of here, Roman?” She throws me a wicked grin while tucking her hair under the black hooded cape she’s wearing.
“Where to, my princess?”
“I know just the place.” She takes my hand and pulls me behind her and I find it difficult not to watch her sway as we speed toward a waiting car.
Not just any car. A Porsche. A mother fucking Porsche. She slides in the driver’s seat like it’s no big deal that she left the fucking keys in the ignition.
“Do you know how many car thefts happen in this area?” I ask her, laughing to myself.
“I do.” She grins. “I like the thrill of the possible happening.”
“You like getting your shit stolen from you?” Noted.
“I like danger,” she says, her tone flattening. She revs the engine and before I can click my seatbelt, she’s off, speeding through traffic. I’m already more turned on than I was yesterday. This woman…she’ll be the downfall of my single days.
I can feel it.
“So tell me, what’s your deal, Roman?”
“I don’t have a deal.” I take a deep breath and watch as the city disappears.
“You were stealing at the market yesterday. You have to have a deal.” She raises an eyebrow at me, causing me to shift in my seat.
“I was taking some apples for my dog. He loves apples and the man had way too many to sell before they went bad,” I rattle off the excuse like it’s the truth, praying she buys it. The look on her face tells me she does.
It also means she’s not that smart, but that shit doesn’t matter when it comes to fucking.
“So then, what do you do with your time when you’re not stealing apples?”
“I deal cars,” I blurt, taking a deep breath.
“Really!” she exclaims, swerving in and out of traffic like it’s an empty road. “Where?”
“Oh, uh...”
“You know,” she cuts me off, “my daddy owns Sultan’s Motors. Only the richest people buy from them.” She purrs, looking over at me. My mouth goes dry an
d my nostrils flare at the mention of Sultan’s.
Fuck.
“Uh no. New in town, just transferred in.” It’s easy to lie to someone you don’t know. Hell, it’s always easy for me to lie. Period. You can’t do what I do and be bad at lying.
“Oh. Well if you ever need a job, I’m sure my daddy can hook you up.”
“Can we not talk about your dad?” I raise an eyebrow at her and she grins.
“Of course.” She pulls into a long drive and clicks a few numbers into a keypad before letting the gates to the drive open and speeding down it.
“The fuck are you taking me?” I laugh nervously, hoping she doesn’t notice it. Letting a woman take control like she is today is unnerving. I need to gain control over this situation or something’s going to go bad.
“My daddy’s guest house. He’s never here. It’ll be quiet,” she whispers. “At least until we get started.”
I watch as we approach the mansion. If this is a guest house, I’d love to see the size of the real house. Tall, white marbled pillars stretch from the ground up to the third story roof and the stone exterior is more intimidating than a brick house this size would be. She pulls around back and I see the pool, tennis court, the beginning of a golf course, and a cabana next to an outdoor beach area.
“Money talks,” I mumble as she stops the car.
“Yeah, ever since my mom died he’s spent everything on me. I live here most days.”
“So you’re a daddy’s girl, just living off his money?”
“Wouldn’t you?” She bites her lip and slides out of the car, never taking her eyes off me.
I need to get control of this situation. I’m fucking walking into the owner of Sultan’s Motor’s house, about to bang his daughter before I leave, and then steal at least one car from him tonight.
No big deal.
I block out that fact and head inside, following her swaying ass. When I make it in, I don’t see Scarlett anywhere, but the trail of clothes, starting with the bright red dress she was just wearing, starts at the door and her panties end at a sliding glass door leading out to the pool.