“When was the last time you had your car serviced?”
I blanked.
“I don’t understand the question.”
If I was annoying him, he was being very patient with me.
“Service. Fluid check. Oil. Have you been back to your dealer or a Buick service station lately?”
“No. Never.”
“What about you?”
“Huh?”
“When was the last time someone took a look under your hood, checked your oil? Made sure everything was working the way it was supposed to?”
Say something. Say something. Say something.
“I’d like to say last night, but my car guy didn’t show up.”
Damn Dana. That one shocked even me. He smiled knowingly, remembering our exchange in Dad’s kitchen.
“Good thing he makes house calls. Classic models tend to need a gentler touch. More attention. Constant manipulation.”
This guy had a talent. How did he make the most innocuous words sear the pit of my stomach?
“Do you know whether the car has all its original parts?”
Seamless transition. I swear. Wasn’t he just asking me what was under my skirt two seconds ago?
“Wrong person to ask. My dad would have the answer to that.”
“What did he do, just hand you the keys to a beautiful vintage car and tell you to go wild?”
I frowned at him.
“Without people like me, people like you would be out of a job,” I told him. “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong or not?”
“Not. I have to get her to the shop first and get under the hood. As far as your other problem, you keep running away before I can solve it for you.”
“Excuse me?”
“Janie isn’t the only girl whose hood I need to get under.”
He had taken a step closer to me. One arm was resting on Janie’s roof and the other at his side.
“Are you going to keep flirting with me, or are you going to do something about it?” I stuck the landing on that one, even if my voice was a little shaky.
“I can get your car to the shop within the hour. You... you’d take a little longer than that to thoroughly work over.”
Boom. Dead. Deceased. He had killed me.
“Shame. I need to head out,” I managed to squeak out.
“Somewhere to go?”
“Work. I have to get downtown.”
He looked at me for a few seconds before his next question.
“Need a ride?”
“I just told you I needed to go to work,” I said sweetly. That got a laugh out of him.
“Not that kind of ride,” he motioned to his bike. “Not just now anyway.”
“With you?” I frowned.
“Would you rather walk?”
No. I wouldn’t rather walk. Ideally, in that already unfortunate situation, I would have taken a taxi. The thought of riding to work on the back of Adam’s bike, however, enticed me more than I cared to share.
“Do you have a license to ride that thing?” I asked him. He smirked.
“I’ll get you there in one piece. Scared of a little speed?”
“Scared of the driver is more like it.” He smiled.
“What? You don’t trust that I can handle my machine?”
“I’ve never had a demonstration.” I was being playful now, but I saw his eyes darken and become predatory.
“You’ll need protection, but I’m thorough. I’ll take care of you.” I wanted to roll my eyes and spontaneously combust at the same time. “Ready to go?”
“I just need my purse,” I said. I walked back into the house feeling like I needed to change my clothes—like I’d been running in them or something. I felt like I needed to take my cardigan off, fan myself or have a cold drink, so I didn’t swoon. I’d never been a flirt, but I hadn’t been able to resist Adam coming onto me.
That was what he was doing, right? Coming onto me? Surely he didn’t just talk to people he’d just met like that. When I walked back outside, he was already on the bike, both his legs planted firmly on the ground.
“Have you ever ridden before?”
“Nope.” I awkwardly tried to mount the bike without flashing him as I did so. My decision to wear a dress that morning had been based on the fact that it was cool and comfortable. I hadn’t anticipated mounting Adam’s hog, though the dress would have been the perfect clothing choice depending on which of his hogs we were referring to. Adam was silent, watching me struggle.
“The goal is to get the bike between your thighs,” he teased. I looked at him scowling. I placed a hand on his shoulder to help me swing my leg over the bike, then purposefully ran my hand down his arm and around his bicep before releasing him and adjusting the skirt around my thighs. I mean... since I’d have to be hanging onto him anyway.
His hand briefly closed around my thigh, near my knee as I scooted into him, wrapping my arms around his body. My bare inner thighs rubbed against the worn denim of his jeans.
“Keep your knees tucked in,” he said. I swallowed at the intimacy of the embrace.
“Comfortable?” he asked. He passed the helmet back and waited for me to secure it over my head before revving the engine and roaring down the street.
He hadn’t waited for my answer, but yes, I was comfortable. Between the man between my legs and the powerful machine below me, my breasts pressed against his back, and arms wrapped around his solid midsection, this was likely the most erotic experience of my life to date. I’d had penetrative vaginal sexual intercourse that was less hot than this.
Once we got downtown, I had to direct him to the shop, talking above the roar of the engine and the wind whipping by us. He slowed down at a spot across the street, stopping the bike and balancing it skillfully with his feet on the ground.
I plucked the helmet off my head, running my hands through my hair.
“You okay back there?”
I clambered off as gracefully as I could manage and smoothed my dress over my hips and thighs. I worried at my hair again. All that heat damage and time creating effortless waves with my curling wand that morning were for nothing.
“I am never doing that with you again,” I said. He got off the bike and took the helmet from me.
“A little worse for wear but you can still get it.” His hand followed mine into my hair, combing his fingers through it near my ear, making light contact with the side of my neck. Effortlessly nonchalant. “Where do you work?”
He’d done it again. Knocked me over with a flirty comment, before casually asking me a normal question right after. I could hardly compose myself enough to answer cogently.
“There,” I said, pointing at our unfinished storefront. “We aren’t technically open yet. It’s a bookstore. Well, it will be.” He looked at me briefly, before turning and walking directly towards the shop’s entrance. I panicked, hurrying after him.
Thankfully, it was empty inside. As I breathed a sigh of relief, I heard Mimi’s voice floating in from the back. She was talking to somebody, telling them where the free-standing shelves had to go. It was a minute before she noticed us.
“Dana, you’re here... and?”
“Adam,” he offered.
“We’re not open yet,” Mimi stated the obvious.
“He just gave me a ride,” I said quickly. “He came to pick Janie up. Uh... this is my roommate, Mimi.”
The two eyed each other from across the distance. Adam smiled widely.
“Pleased to meet you, Mimi,” he said. “I’m gonna go get started on your car,” he said looking at me.
“Oh, of course, thanks for the ride,” I said carefully.
“No problem. Let me know the next time you want to hop on,” he said flirtatiously. He turned and walked away. For a moment, the only sound in the room was Mimi shooting daggers at me.
“Let me know the next time you want to hop on?” she said incredulously. “Dana?!”
“What? He was at the house—”
“I didn’t take him anywhere. He came to look Janie over.”
“And to let you hop on his hog?”
“Don’t be gross Mimi,” I said defensively, my red cheeks a dead giveaway.
“Me? You’re the one who just let that man between your legs just now.”
“It was just a ride to work. There’s nothing going on.”
“There better not be.”
I looked at her.
“But what if there was?”
“Don’t do it.”
“Why?”
“You’re not like him. You’ve never had casual sex in your life. If he wants anything from you, Dana, that’s it.”
“Weren’t you the one telling me earlier that it’s been a minute since I had someone? You were telling me to go out and date, remember?”
“Yeah, date, not play with fire. You can’t play this game with that man Dana.”
“Why not?”
“He’s bad news. His friends are criminals. He’s a womanizer. Should I go on?”
“Who told you I don’t just want to have some fun too?”
She didn’t believe me, and I didn’t believe myself saying it. It was a lie.
“You aren’t like him. He and Anthony’s brother are friends. He’s told me things.”
“And you believe them?”
“Dana... don’t do it.”
I lowered my purse from my shoulder, holding it in my hand.
“All I want is my car back so I can stop bugging everyone around me. There is nothing, okay?”
I started walking away.
“Day...”
I turned.
“I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
8
Adam
Janie had a girl’s name, but she was definitely a muscle car.
Her paint looked like it was original but had suffered from heat damage and wear. The interior was clean and tidy—no ripped seats or anything gross like old food wrappers underneath them. That was probably because Dana was from LA. Girls didn’t eat in that city. She probably rode great but wasn’t at the moment; neither Dana nor the car.
Girls tended not to know that much about cars, but they at least knew to get them serviced. A lot of the time I found a lack of car knowledge from owners insulting. Especially when they had rare models. Dana could get a pass though. Besides the maintenance and proper care of the Riviera, she seemed to respect it as a vehicle. I mean, it had a name. It was clean. She hadn’t had any tacky customizations added like car-lashes.
She was just a little clueless.
Good thing she had me to teach her.
There was still no word on whether she was single or not. The presence of another man was none of my business. It was her job to dodge flirtation if she was in a relationship, not mine. She flirted like she was single, but her keys made me think differently. The car keys were on this keychain which had this miniature of a California number plate with the name ‘AARON’ on it.
Cute. Really cute. It was the sort of cute little thing guys thought their girlfriends would like. Dana apparently did. Or maybe ‘Aaron’ needed to give her one, so she didn’t forget what he was called. I had the sudden urge to scratch the name out. Your woman shouldn’t have to have your name on her keychain to remember it. If you were laying it down well enough, she’d never forget. She’d be screaming it all night long.
I wanted to make her scream. Little Dana Forester. Fuck me.
Dana Weinstein actually, according to her car registration that I found in the glove box. Why didn’t she have her dad’s last name? Reggie was divorced, so did his ex-wife get the kid’s names changed to hers? The fleeting thought that she might be married crossed my mind but no… that wasn’t it.
Whatever her last name was, Reggie’s little girl was a live wire. I had played that visit over in my head tons of times and each time we ended up inside the house, or over my bike, or in the garage fucking. It would be like those cheesy pornos where the guy would show up to fix something and then something very different happened.
I felt someone press against my back, and a pair of arms wrap around me.
“Adam, did you miss me, baby?”
Natasha. Back at it again with the infidelity.
“Tash, I know I make it hard to say no, but your boy Tommy came out guns blazing last week.” She sniffed and walked around me, hopping onto the hood of Dana’s car.
“He came back early; I wasn’t expecting him.”
“Yeah, I wasn’t either. Can I do something for you?”
I didn’t see her face because I had walked around to the other side of the car to yank the hood release lever but she probably looked insulted. I walked to the front of the car.
“Move,” I said brusquely. She hopped off dutifully so I could raise it. She followed me and stood with her ass against the grille.
“I’m sorry about what happened,” she said, her hand reaching for my face to see whether the bruising was still there. It wasn’t. For such a big guy, he swung like a bitch. I moved my face away.
“I’m working Tash,” I said. If Dana had never serviced the car, the battery was probably toast. How long had she had it? I’d have to ask her.
“Tommy’s in LA for the next week,” she offered.
A week. Tommy just didn’t learn, did he? Fool him once, shame on you Tash, fool him twice, learn to keep tabs on your bird of a girlfriend, Tommy. What did she do to that guy? Her pussy was good. Her head too but was it that good? There was no way he didn’t think she was still fucking around on him. But shit. What did I know? Maybe he had a good girl he kept in LA and Tash was his side chick.
“Is he now? So if I come over, I won’t find him pointing his gun in my face?”
“No,” she put a hand on my chest. I looked down at it, then at her. “You’ll find me, upstairs waiting for you. No top on. No bra on. No shorts on. No panties on. You can point your gun in my face.” She was wearing a shirt with buttons down the front that day and had popped one open with every article of clothing she mentioned. I sighed, looking down at her cleavage, popping out of this animal print bra. She made a convincing argument.
A couple of the guys in the shop were watching us and whistled in approval.
She wanted me to come over. It wasn’t my problem she was unfaithful. That had nothing to do with me. I didn’t promise Tommy that I would be committed to him—she did. If it weren’t me, it’d be any other dude. Lawson had been up my ass about the trouble he had gotten himself into, and Martin and Hanley were trying to get me in a cage fight.
I could use the recharge. The action. I let her lean up and kiss me.
“Uh… Adam?”
I broke the kiss to see Dana and her roommate standing there. I couldn’t help myself; I smiled at her.
“Dana,” I said. I nodded at her roommate who gave me a tight-lipped smile. Tash buttoned her top up, probably expecting me to introduce her.
“I’ll see you later?” she said hopefully, hand on my chest again. I moved it, telling her I’d see if I would be able to make it.
“Don’t make her leave on account of us,” the other girl said cuttingly. I smiled my most honest smile at her.
“What can I do for you, ladies?”
“I wanted to know how Janie’s doing,” Dana said. Her hair was down. Long down her back like the other day when we took the ride together. God, I loved her hair. It looked like spun sugar, and it felt like fine, soft silk.
“Well, first of all, I’m gonna have to change the car battery. After that, there’s a number of things that could be wrong that I need to rule out. Do you want me to go into it?” I asked her. She shook her head.
“Just tell me how much it’s going to cost me.”
“It won’t be cheap,” I said honestly. She sighed.
“I suppose I deserve it. I waited too long to bring her to the shop.”
“Don’t blame yourself. Classic cars are temperamental. D
elicate. They’re like kids.”
She giggled.
“Oh, did I leave anything weird in the glove box?” she asked carefully.
“Just a couple books.” I pulled my gloves off and reached into the passenger seat where I had put them. She took them with both hands and hugged them to her chest.
“Thanks. Do you know how long it will be until I can get her back?”
“Can’t tell you anything just yet. I hope you aren’t planning on driving anywhere in the next couple of weeks.”
She frowned.
“That long?” She looked pained.
“About that long. Why? Were you going somewhere?”
“No… I just wanted to be able to get around on my own.”
“If you need a ride, the back of my bike’s always free,” I said. She smiled. She was adorable when she smiled.
“I just might take you up on that.”
Mimi cleared her throat, signaling her annoyance. I looked at her, and if looks could kill, the glare she shot back would have taken me out cold.
“Uh… thanks. I’ll see you later?”
I smiled and said bye.
That was a sign. Actually, it wasn’t a sign; it was a damn invitation. She’d be at Reggie’s that night. That had to be what she meant. I hoped it was what she meant. I called him before I went over. He said that he was running late but would show up, and I could let myself in. Then he added that Dana was there and could open the garage up for me.
Jackpot.
The door was open like he had said it would be. The house was quiet. Really, I didn’t need Dana to open the garage for me since it was accessible from the main house, but I did want to find her. The reason why was unrelated.
There were a few doors to choose from upstairs. One was obviously the master bedroom where Reggie slept, making the other two the kids’ rooms. They all looked the same from the outside, so I just picked one.
The first door opened to an immaculate, yet empty bedroom. She must have had another sibling. A brother by the looks of it. Football posters adorned the walls, and there were trophies everywhere.
I walked out and opened the next door.
She jumped, looking up, startled. She was on the bed, legs crossed. Her laptop was in front of her, and she had glasses on. Recovering quickly from the shock she closed the computer.
ADAM: A Bad Boy Romance (The ALPHAbet Collection Book 1) Page 6