by Marla Monroe
“Hello.”
“Adonna?”
“Yes?”
“This is Mitch. The parts house has your alternator so I’ll get it fixed, but it will be later this afternoon before it’s fixed. I’ll give you a ride to work and deliver it to work once I’m finished. How’s that?” he asked.
“That would be great. I really appreciate it.”
“Sorry I can’t get it finished earlier, but we ran into some trouble with a car we had in before yours, and am just getting started on yours now. I’ve still got to pick up your part. What time do I need to pick you up?” he asked.
“Five would be great,” she said.
“See you then.”
She hit end and set her phone on the counter before she washed her dishes up and set them in the drainer to dry. If he worked on her car after five, he would be working overtime on it. She hated that he was doing this, but then figured he’d charge her for it anyway. It didn’t matter, she had to have her car. She worked shitty hours, so she had to pay for it.
“Them’s the breaks, girl.”
Adonna washed a load of clothes and did a little light housework as she waited until it was time for Mitch to pick her up to go into work. She packed her supper then added a seek a word puzzle book. She didn’t take her e-reader because she’d get too engrossed in it and miss when people came and went in the store. That wasn’t safe or profitable.
At five on the dot, there was a knock on her door. She grabbed her bag and keys and opened the door to find Mitch standing there with a wide grin on his face. “Ready?” he asked.
“Yes. Thanks again for doing this. I’m sure this really isn’t your normal routine,” she said.
“Honestly, it is. It just doesn’t come up very often. Most people have their partners to give them lifts or have a second car. Let’s get you to work,” he said.
He opened the door to a black pick up that proved to be just as clean inside as the wrecker had been. Then, after closing the door once she’d gotten in, he walked around the front and climbed in the cab. He backed out of her drive and asked for directions.
“So, what do you do?” he asked as he drove through town.
“Um, I run a store,” she said.
“What kind of store? I don’t remember there being a store outside of town.”
She sighed. He’d know soon enough anyway. She might as well come clean now. “It’s an adult toy store,” she said.
“No kidding. I didn’t even know there was one around here,” he said without hesitation.
“Yeah. I don’t think many people do. Most of my clientele are truckers and out of towners,” she said.
How long have you been running it?” Mitch asked.
“For several years now. I bought it from the previous owner when I moved here about three years ago. I have a couple of college students who work for me between classes, and I work the night shift,” she said.
“Can’t be very safe for a woman late at night,” he said.
“Haven’t had any trouble so far. Other than the occasional whack job that I pull out my bat and chase out of the store I haven’t had any problems, knock on wood.”
“Still,” he said.
“It’s no different than any other job at night. Convenience stores get robbed all the time. I haven’t been hit once. I’ll take those odds.”
“So, what made you buy the place?” Mitch asked.
“I wanted to run a store, and that one came on the market when I was ready to buy. I’m saving up to eventually open up a boutique in town.”
“What kind?”
“A women’s lingerie.”
“I can see that being popular in Cozy for sure,” he said.
“Right, I know. I just need another year to have enough capital,” she said.
“Good luck.”
“Thanks.”
He pulled up outside the store and cut the engine. “Let me walk you inside to be sure it’s safe.”
“I’m used to going in by myself all the time.”
“Humor me. I don’t like the idea of just leaving you like this,” he said.
She sighed then shrugged and nodded.
Mitch walked around and opened her door, then helped her down from the truck. He waited while she unlocked the door and disarmed the alarm before walking through the store and giving it the all clear.
“Have a good night. We’ll deliver your car later tonight. Shouldn’t be more than another couple of hours.”
“Thanks for working overtime on it. I really do appreciate it,” she said.
“No problem.”
Adonna watched as Mitch walked away and admired the view. He had the cutest, round ass she’d ever seen on a man. When he’d pulled out of the parking lot, she sighed. Too bad she’d never see him again once her car was delivered. She liked him but it really didn’t matter. She didn’t have time to date with running the store and working on her business plan for the boutique.
Most days of the week, the adult toy store was open from ten a.m. till two a.m. but on Mondays they didn’t open until six p.m., so she had an hour to get ready. She checked paperwork and inventory, then unlocked the door at six on the dot. She wasn’t surprised to see that she had two semis waiting in the parking lot when she did.
At seven fifteen, she looked up to find Mitch and another man walking into the store. She looked over and saw her car parked under the security light out front. She smiled. It felt good to have her transportation back in working order.
“Hi,” she said when they were close enough to hear her.
“Got your car ready,” Mitch said. “This is David. He’s my partner at the shop.”
“It’s great to meet you, David. I appreciate you guys working on my car,” she said, holding out her hand.
David’s handshake was firm but not too tight. He smiled and nodded. “Nice to meet you, Adonna.”
His smile slowly reached his eyes as he looked down at her. He was a little taller than Mitch, but not by much. He had almost a buzz cut that made it almost impossible to tell if his hair was dark brown or black. He had dark blue eyes and a dimple in his chin. She wondered if he smiled very often since it had been so slow in coming. Both men had callused hands, and though they had clean hands, there was evidence of grease around their nailbeds where they just weren’t quite able to get it all off.
Adonna liked that they worked with their hands. They were good honest men who weren’t afraid of work. She admired them for that.
“Here you go.” Mitch handed her the key to her car. “If you have any more trouble, call us.”
David handed her the bill. “Just send the check to the address at the top.”
“Oh, I can write a check now. Hold on,” she said.
Adonna grabbed her purse from beneath the counter and pulled out her checkbook, then read off the amount on the bill before writing out the amount and signing her name. She tore it out of the checkbook and handed it over to David. “I really appreciate your help. I never expected to get the kind of help you guys offered.”
“You’re welcome,” David said.
“Now that that part is over with,” Mitch said. “How about letting us take you out for lunch one day this week?”
“What? Lunch?” Adonna was confused. Were they asking her out?
“Yeah, like out to eat at the diner,” Mitch said.
“Figure you have to eat before you go in to work. We can make it a late lunch, so you don’t have to get up too early,” he said.
“I don’t know,” she began.
“How about Wednesday at, say one?” Mitch asked. “We can pick you up.”
“Well, okay, I guess. Wednesday is fine.” Adonna wasn’t sure what she was agreeing to. Was it just lunch? Hadn’t she just talked to herself about not having time to date anyone?
“Great. We’ll see you Wednesday at one. Be careful, Adonna. See you soon.” Mitch slapped his hand against the counter then turned and walked toward the door. David nodded at her
and followed behind his friend.
Adonna watched the two men saunter out of the store, then climb into the black truck and drive out of the parking lot. Had she really just committed to going to lunch with them? Both of them? Why?
Why did both of them invite me to go eat lunch with them? Why hadn’t it just been Mitch? I mean, I don’t even know David, other than today? It doesn’t even make sense.
The rest of the night dragged by. She wasn’t a bit surprised. Mondays were always slow. She had a brief rush around midnight but after that she was slow. She double checked inventory and her order form, then read while she waited for time to close.
Tuesday wasn’t much different. She was a little busier than Monday, but not by much. She got a little more done on her business plan for her boutique and reorganized the shelves in the front of the store to try to attract more customers to the scented massage oil. By the time she closed for the day, her head was pounding and she wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed.
She locked up and drove home and took a nice long bath after downing some Ibuprofen and a glass of water. Then she climbed into bed after setting her alarm so that she would be up and ready for when the guys picked her up at one. She still couldn’t believe she’d agreed to go out with them. That was what she’d agreed to do. She was going out on a date with them. Both of them. What was up with that?
Despite being exhausted, it took her some time to settle down enough to fall asleep. She kept thinking about the two men and what had motivated them to ask her out. She wasn’t anything to look at really. Sure, she had a pretty face, nothing striking. She was a little on the plump side, and was only five feet three inches tall. They, on the other hand, were tall, built, and good-looking men. She tossed and turned for nearly an hour before sleep finally claimed her.
Chapter Three
David stared at his friend as Mitch buttoned up his shirt. The other man had washed up and changed shirts, and was even now obsessing over if he’d picked the right one to wear. It was just a lunch date.
Whatever.
“Come on, man. We’re going to be late if you keep preening like a fucking girl,” David fussed.
“I want to look decent. You could have picked a nicer shirt other than just a clean work shirt you know,” Mitch said, curling his lip.
“It’s just a lunch date. We’re coming from work and going back to work,” he said.
“Never mind. Let’s go,” Mitch said, shaking his head.
David sighed and grabbed the keys off the counter as they walked through the office. He’d drive. No way would he let Mitch drive in the mood he was in. They’d break every speed limit in town and probably get pulled over for doing sixty in a twenty zone. That would really make them late.
Mitch just scowled at him but didn’t say anything. He parked behind Adonna’s car twenty minutes later, and both of them got out of the truck. Mitch beat him to the door by a good three steps, but waited on him before knocking on the door. When there was no response after the first few minutes, he looked about ready to pound again.
“Hold off a few seconds, man. Give her time to get here. Not everyone runs everywhere like you do,” David said.
Sure enough, a few seconds later, Adonna opened the door and smiled. “Hey. I’m almost ready. Give me a second to put on my shoes.”
She left the door open as she padded barefoot across the floor back toward the back of the house. Mitch took that as an invitation to come inside though David didn’t. He sighed and followed his friend in and waited by the front door, where Mitch walked over to the living room and looked around.
David wanted to knock some sense into his friend, but knew it wouldn’t do any good. Mitch was Mitch. He was naturally curious and gung-ho in everything he did. He couldn’t be still and had to keep moving all the time. It was one of the things that made him good at what they did. Where he was slower and thought things through, Mitch jumped right in and got things done. That was why he did most of the diagnostics and Mitch did most of the repair work.
Now the other man had his head turned sideways as he read through titles of the books in her bookcases. He would remember pretty much every one of the titles since he had an almost perfect recall of things he saw.
“Okay, guys. I’m ready.” Adonna walked into the room.
Mitch turned and looked at her. “You look great. Let’s go.”
David opened the door and held it while Mitch led Adonna outside. She turned and locked the door, then slipped the key into her purse. When they were all buckled in and settled, David drove them to the diner with Adonna between them. He had to admit that he liked having her between them like that. She felt good there. Like she belonged there. He sighed. Thoughts like that were dangerous.
When they arrived at the diner, most of the regulars had already cleared out. Mitch helped Adonna out of the truck, then followed as they walked inside and secured a booth near the back.
“What can I get you guys?” the waitress asked.
“What’s the special?” Mitch asked.
“Chicken fried steak with mashed taters and green beans,” the lady said.
“I’ll have that,” Mitch said.
“Me, too,” David added.
“Make that all three of us,” Adonna added.
“Sounds good. What to drink?” she asked.
They gave her their drink orders and the woman strode off. After she returned with their drinks, David sipped his tea while Mitch talked.
“So, have you scoped out a place for your boutique yet?” he asked.
“I have two places in mind. Either place will do, but neither place is for rent just yet. I haven’t asked why not, but figure there’s plenty of time to ask. They’re empty just sitting there,” she said.
“What if they want to sell and don’t want to rent or lease?” Mitch asked.
“I’ll consider buying, but that will mean more money, and I’m not sure I can swing a loan for that much even with the building as collateral,” she said.
“How much of a loan for the business are you talking about?” David asked.
“I’m going to have thirty-five thousand cash to spend on the business and will be getting a loan for fifty when I get ready to set up. I’ve got my prospectus and business plan written up. Of course, I’m always tweaking it as I go, but hopefully in the next nine months I can put my plan into action,” she said.
David loved seeing her face light up when she was talking about her business. She seemed to glow from within. He sincerely hoped it all worked out for her. She was smart and determined. Those were two qualities that a savvy business person needed to run a successful business. Since she was running the adult toy store outside of town, she obviously had those qualities. She just needed the chance to set up her lingerie store and get it up off the ground.
He sat back and listened as she talked with Mitch and looked at her. Really looked at her. She was pretty. She had dark brown hair that looked thick and made him want to wrap it around his hand while he guided her mouth around his cock. Her hazel eyes were gorgeous and lit up as she talked about the store. She was the perfect size with enough meat on her bones that he didn’t have to worry about breaking her if their relationship did get physical. He didn’t like skinny women that felt bony in his arms.
“What do you think?” Mitch asked out of the blue.
“What?” he asked, looking across the table at his friend.
“Weren’t you listening?” he asked.
“Sorry, I guess not.”
Mitch sighed. “She doesn’t work on Sundays, so I thought we could go hiking Sunday if the weather isn’t rainy. Maybe take a picnic lunch with us.”
“Yeah. Sounds good to me,” he said.
“We’ll plan on leaving about ten. Is that too early?” Mitch asked.
“Not if you don’t mind me taking a nap after lunch,” she said with a chuckle.
“More than likely we’ll all end up taking naps after eating and hiking,” Mitch said.
“Long as it doesn’t turn into a marathon one and it gets dark before we hike back down,” David said, frowning.
“That only happened that one time. We know better now.” Mitch narrowed his eyes at him.
“What happened?” Adonna asked.
“We’d just moved here and decided to take a hike up the mountain. We didn’t even leave until like two in the afternoon and got to the top around four. We ate a couple of sandwiches then sat back against some rocks and fell asleep. Didn’t wake up until it was full dark and had to make our way back down in the dark. That wasn’t fun at all,” Mitch said.
“You were lucky,” Adonna said.
“Tell me about it. Now if we go hiking, we set an alarm when we eat, so if we fall asleep, it will go off and wake us up within a couple of hours,” David said.
“That’s smart,” Adonna said.
Their food arrived and they ate in companionable silence. Once they were finished, they picked up from where they’d stopped earlier.
“We’ll bring a blanket and the food, so you don’t need to bring anything,” Mitch said.
“Wear good footwear. If you wear tennis shoes, they need to have good soles. Otherwise, you need hiking boots if you have them. Don’t go out and buy any though. You’ll end up with blisters on your feet,” David said.
“I’ve got hiking boots. I used to do some hiking a few years ago. I’m out of practice, but my boots should still fit well enough. Hope I’m still in good shape. After sitting around in the store I’m kind of doubting it.” She giggled.
“We’ll go slow. We’re not in any hurry,” Mitch said.
“We better get back to the shop, Mitch,” David said.
“This had been nice. Thanks for asking me to eat lunch with you guys,” Adonna said.
“We enjoyed it, too,” David said.
“Looking forward to Sunday,” Mitch said.
“Me, too.”
* * * *
Sunday morning, Adonna crawled out of bed at nine-thirty and groaned. She’d promised she’d be ready to go by ten. She quickly brushed her teeth and dressed in jeans and her hiking boots, along with a long-sleeved shirt. She pulled her hair back in a ponytail, then drank a Diet Coke to wake herself up. She’d managed to crawl into bed by four-thirty that morning, but she’d only managed a good four hours sleep. She was going to fall asleep after lunch for sure.