by Sky Winters
“Miss McNulty?” he asked her, checking his clipboard to make sure he had gotten that right.
Jolene forgot how to talk for a moment, but she nodded as she looked at him. Maybe moving to Burlington, Vermont was going to be the best decision she ever made in her life. But after a few middle schoolish moments, she told herself to be cool. He was, after all, just an electrician. A lowly service worker.
A sexy, muscly service worker…
She realized then that she had been staring at him without saying anything for going on two minutes. Clearing her throat, she ushered him inside, taking a peek at his shiny blue motorcycle before closing the door.
“So what seems to be the problem?” he asked her. He had a gravelly, growly voice like one of the best old country singers minus the southern accent.
She was almost embarrassed now. It seemed so silly. She felt like it may even be her fault somehow. “I plugged my laptop into the outlet here,” Jolene said, indicating the place on the wall. “And it didn’t start charging from either, uh, hole. And so then I tried the kitchen and the light won’t turn on and the outlets don’t work in there either.”
The guy whistled slightly and made note of that on the papers on his clipboard. “Well, I’m Luke Weir and I’m here to help you with that,” he said casually. “Do you mind if I step over and check it out?”
“Sure, go ahead,” Jolene replied, realizing that that made it sound like she did in fact mind. “I mean, I don’t mind. It’s why I called you.”
Luke looked at her and smirked, causing her to blush and turn his smirk into an all-out grin.
She felt weak in the knees then, so she sat on the edge of the couch. Had she really been so romance-deprived by her ex that the mere sight of another man caused her to get all wet in the panties?
But Luke was not just ‘another man.’ He was gorgeous. She had not been prepared for gorgeous in the land of rolling green hills and farms.
“You can go about your business,” Luke told her, not unkindly but not entirely nicely either. She got the sense that he was minorly annoyed that she was still watching him. “I’ll let you know when I’m through where we’re at.”
Jolene nodded a little. She couldn’t get her work done without the cord working, and she would also have a hard time focusing due to the hottie a few feet away from her. So she got one of her books off of a shelf and started reading. She hadn’t paid attention to what the book was and only realized once she’d started trying to read that it was a French-to-English dictionary.
She could hear Luke chuckling and did not even have to glance up at him to know why. She was so embarrassed that she felt like burying her head in the book and maybe dying a little.
“All right, you can watch me,” he said, still laughing. “I didn’t want you to be bored, is all. Watching me fiddle with outlets and cables is not that exciting, I’m sure.”
Now that’s where you’re wrong, she thought.
“Would you like a drink?” she offered him. “I’ve got some cans of soda in the fridge, some beer and of course there’s water.”
Luke looked up from the place where he was kneeling on the floor and smiled at her. He had a wicked, almost dangerous sort of smile. “What kind of beer do you have?” he asked her.
Jolene grinned at him. As soon as she had listed the brands of bottled beer she had, Luke gave her his choice and she got up, practically skipping into the kitchen to retrieve a cold Rolling Rock for him. She got a can of soda for herself. She wasn’t much of a drinker, even though she currently had several types of beer in her fridge. It was just that she had foreseen many lonely, bored nights there in that cottage. Perhaps she should have planned to go out and mingle with the Burtlingtonians or whatever they called themselves.
She handed him the beer as soon as she got back to Luke. She had been kind enough to pop it open beforehand.
“Thanks,” he said, sitting down on the floor and mopping some sweat from his brow with the back of his long, black-haired arm. He took the beer from her outstretched hand and took a long swig.
Jolene sat on the arm on the couch which, as it happened, was the closest place she could sit in order to be near him. She popped open her can of soda and took a sip, smiling as she did so. She wanted so badly to flirt with him, but she had no idea where to start. She was rusty, since she had been out of the dating game for years. Not that she had ever exactly been a master flirter anyway. She was more like a master attracter, somehow. Guys dug her. At least, back when she was younger…
It was good that Luke seemed to be in his early thirties, at least. She wasn’t robbing the cradle or anything like that.
“New to town?” he asked her, catching her off guard as she was trying to think of something to ask him.
“Is it obvious?” Jolene asked him.
He chuckled. “Well, by the looks of things you just moved into this cottage today. Either that or you love keeping your stuff in suitcases.”
Jolene looked over at her suitcase by the door. She had not been too concerned about putting her things away yet. Really, she had just been trying to play around on the internet. “You’re very perceptive,” she said.
Luke smiled at her as he took another pull at his bottle of Rolling Rock. Then he set the beer down on the coffee table and got back to work testing the outlets and working on the wiring. After a few moments, he got up from the floor. “Where’s your circuit box?” he asked her.
Hey, there, tiger. Take me out for a drink before you ask such personal questions.
“Um, I think it’s in the laundry room?”
He went off in search of it. Jolene felt like such a dork. She worried that she was being too obvious. Was it a stereotype, to be the lonely single woman in need of a serviceman’s help?
Suddenly, the light turned on in the kitchen. It was as if she had had a great idea all of a sudden. Man, did she wish…
“Problem solved!” Luke announced, striding back into the room. “This is a nice place you’ve got here. I’m glad the electricity is not really faulty. That’s a nightmare avoided.” He smiled at her, showing off his dimples.
Jolene looked at him and smiled a little, feeling sad. The problem being solved meant that this handsome electrician was going to leave. “Thank you. That—jeez—that probably should have been the first thing I thought of.”
He waved a hand at her. “Ah, it happens all the time.” She noticed that he was looking at her in a way that did not seem so professional now, like he had just noticed her green eyes and curvy physique. It didn’t hurt that she was sitting in just the right way to make her neckline dip down and her breasts press together.
“You doing anything tonight?” he asked her then.
Jolene felt both surprised and vindicated. She knew what inquiries like that meant usually. “No, I hadn’t planned anything,” she said with a flirty, coy—she hoped—smile. “Mostly I was hoping to do some research about this town.”
Luke just kept on smiling, his dimples getting deeper and more set on his face. They practically made him glow like a neon sign that said ‘kiss me.’ Jolene was glad she was already sitting down so she wouldn’t swoon or do something equally fangirlish. “I’ll do you one better,” he said.
Yeah, I bet you will.
“I have a few more customers to attend to today,” he said, looking at his clipboard of paperwork again, surveying his schedule. “But what’s say I pick you up back here at about… eight o’clock?”
Ooh, he wasn’t just going to meet her somewhere. He was going to pick her up. Jolene imagined him in leather, picking her up and riding off with her on the back of his motorcycle—a Harley. Always a Harley. She tried to imagine herself becoming one of those biker chicks who live on the back of bikes and smoke and sing songs about Danny Zuko. All further proof that she needed to get out more.
He could tell that she was considering his proposition, and he liked that.
“I will be your guide to Burlington,” he said, doing his best to
sweeten the already sweet deal.
She nodded at him, trying to be eager but not too eager. “Cool,” she said. “That sounds great. I’ll see you at eight.” She grinned at him. “How much do I owe you?”
Luke shook his head. “You don’t owe me anything, sweetheart. Just be here when I come for you.”
Something flashed in his hazel eyes. Jolene could have just been crazy attracted to this guy, but she felt like she had definitely seen a flash of something dangerous and not altogether pleasant in his eyes.
Prettying herself up was not so easy for Jolene when all of her stuff was packed away in a suitcase. She rummaged around until she found the little bag of all of her bathroom supplies, including a small, plastic pouch full of makeup accoutrements. She had no idea what kind of place that Luke was planning to take her to. The way he had made it sound, he was probably planning to show her multiple places. Jolene had to wear something that said she was spontaneous and versatile.
She put on a pair of grey-black skinny jeans and a purple blouse that hung off her shoulders and exposed her black bra straps. It was an 80’s nostalgia type shirt, but she loved it. It showed off what she considered her fabulous neckline and shoulders. And chest. Let’s not forget chest.
Jolene played on the internet for a bit while she waited for Luke to reappear. From what she could see, Burlington was a pretty relaxed, down to earth place. How the hell had a guy like Luke found himself there? Was it possible that a guy like him could be born in a place like Vermont?
Right as eight o’clock arrived, the sounds of a motorcycle could be heard in her driveway. Jolene gave herself one final cursory glance in the mirror before stepping out onto the porch. She gave Luke a wave and locked her door before strolling down to greet him. She hoped that her bag was hefty enough to stay on her shoulder while they rode. She hadn’t thought about that.
“Wanna put that in the storage?” he asked her, gesturing to… Was he pointing at his crotch?
She blinked at him, surprised, before she realized that he was actually pointing at the seat of his bike. Ooohhh… Duh. “Sure,” she said with a smile, relieved that he did not know what she had just thought. “That would be great. Probably wiser, too.”
Jolene handed over her purse, feeling strange because Luke was a stranger but knowing she could trust him with her purse because he had, after all, been in her home already. He got off his motorcycle and carefully took the bag from her. Then he opened up his bike seat to reveal a fairly decent sized storage space within. He placed her purse down into it and pulled out a helmet for her. He tossed it to her without saying a word.
“Ahh!” she shouted, managing to catch it by sheer luck.
Luke laughed at her. “Come on, McNulty,” he said, tilting his head towards his bike. “We’ve got sights to see and the night ain’t getting younger.”
Jolene smirked at him, wondering how it was that he came to sound so cartoonishly southern sometimes. Maybe it was merely an affectation. Or a joke. But one thing was for sure: her crush on him was no joke.
CHAPTER TWO
The Wily Mr. Weir
Despite the proclamation that he was going to take Jolene on a grand tour of Burlington, Luke ended up driving her around until they found a bar he liked. He parked his bike right in front, as if it was his designated spot, and then helped her off of it.
Jolene looked up at the sign above the place, arching an eyebrow. “Vermonster?” she asked him skeptically.
He smiled wryly at her. “I know. Pretty great, right?”
It sounded like it might house overly large vermin inside, but she was going to give it, and him, the benefit of the doubt. Luke was, after all, the hottest guy she had been on a date with in not-so-recent memory. Maybe even ever.
Probably ever.
He held the door open for her and Jolene stepped inside, surprised by how dark the place was. “How can people even see their drinks in front of their faces?” she asked him, as if he was in charge of the lighting situation of this bar. “I assume, as an electrician, you can control the lighting levels of all things.”
Luke looked at her as he stepped through the door behind her, smiling and seeming slightly embarrassed by the mention of his profession. “I’m in charge of a great many things, but the lighting here is not one of them,” he said.
He gestured for Jolene to follow him to a table near the bar. She happily sat down across from him and immediately started leafing through the menu. Now that they were actually there, at a destination rather than travelling to one, the date felt like it had officially begun. Luke watched her as she looked through the menu and she felt her face grow hot with the knowledge that he was watching.
“I think I’ll have the Vermillion Viper,” Jolene said, smiling. “That sounds too enticing to resist.”
“Adventurous!” Luke said. “I like it. I’ll be right back.” He got up and strode over to the bar so he could order their drinks more quickly.
Jolene watched as he walked away, admiring the curves of his arms… And, yes, the curve of his ass. He was built like some kind of an Adonis. He clearly participated in some sort of strict exercise regimen. She wondered if he got muscles from riding his motorcycle. It was not a standard bike, but there had to be some muscle involved in order to keep that heavy thing working.
He returned to the table a mere moment later, grinning at her as he sat back down. “Done,” he said. “So tell me more about yourself now that I’m off the clock. What brings you to Burlington?”
That was a toughie. She couldn’t be totally honest without being at least a little off-putting.
“I had to get away from Boston,” Jolene answered truthfully. “I was coming off of a bad breakup and I thought it was time for a change. I’d lived in Boston all my life. What about you? Are you from here?”
Luke’s eyes flashed slightly in that same, haunting way that she had noticed before. He smiled at her. “I’ve lived here a long time, but I can’t quite say I’m from here.”
She looked at him quizzically, wondering what the hell that was supposed to mean. “Where are you actually from, then?” She didn’t want to interrogate him or anything, but it sounded like he was trying to get her to ask further questions.
Instead of answering, he stood up and walked away to the bar. He didn’t say anything or give any heads up this time, he just took off. Jolene watched him walk over, feeling mystified and curious about him in a way that she had not been before. He was sexy and intriguing, but it would be just her luck if he also turned out to be totally crazy.
When Luke returned to their table, he had their two drinks in hand. He placed Jolene’s Vermillion Viper in front of her. She ogled at its redness, appreciating its clever name even more. The cocktail had three kinds of booze in it. Jolene began to wonder if she was in over her head.
But then she saw Luke with his pint of lager and forgot about worrying. He was so dreamy and captivating. She wanted to just enjoy this. After all, he reminded her of all of the bad boys she used to date in school. The motorcycle definitely helped, but there was an edge to Luke that she could tell he was trying to keep in check. Jolene badly wanted him to snap. She thought he would be supremely sexy once he had snapped…
“You didn’t answer my question,” she said to him with a pout, taking the straw into her mouth and sipping. Oohh. She had made the right choice.
Luke gave her a wicked smile, shaking his head slowly back and forth at her. “The answer is a secret,” he said. “You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you.”
Jolene raised her eyebrows at him. She wanted to continue trying to badger it out of him, but she chose to just sip her drink instead. The bar they were in was more like a club. Dance type music was playing and people were in fact gyrating around on a special dance floor nearby. It was going to take a lot more Vermillion Vipers for Luke to get her out on that floor. Especially because she felt like playing hard to get.
He seemed to have sensed this very fact, and he proceeded to g
et up and replenish their drinks whenever they had both downed their last one.
“No fair!” she said with a laugh when he came back with the third glass of the thrice-boozed beverage. This glass was either extra full or she was tipsy. Or possibly both.
“Oh, you didn’t want one?” Luke asked her, giving her a cheeky sort of look. “I could take it back…”
Jolene shook her head. “No,” she said, and then corrected herself. “No, thank you. This is good. I needed a night like this, honestly.”
“Because of the break up?”
“No! Shut up!” She laughed at him then, and at herself. “Sorry. I just… No. And yes, maybe.” Jolene took a long sip of her drink. She did not really taste the flavor anymore so much as the alcohol. And it was the alcohol that she wanted.
They finished their latest round of drinks and then Luke nodded his head towards the dance floor. “You wanna dance?”
Jolene could have guessed that this question was coming. Who came to a dance club place like this without dancing? She didn’t want to make him lose interest, but she wasn’t the best dancer. Though, to be fair, he was not exactly sober anymore. It wasn’t about being a skilled dancer. It was about having the chance to touch each other.
“Sure,” she said, sucking up the last of the fruity concoction and hoping that she would not regret any of the night’s decisions tomorrow.
Slowly swaying to the beats of the music, Jolene did her best to relax and let the tipsiness wash over her. She was usually so in control of things that it felt nice to let go a little and just enjoy the moments as they drifted by. Sure, she was with a complete stranger, but hey, he had fixed her outlets for her. For free! That alone deserved some time on the dance floor.
“Do you wanna get out of here?” he asked her, whispering hotly into her ear which felt nice. The music was loud and the walls were spinning, but Luke made the effort to be heard and understood by her fuzzy brain.