Gasping, I brought my hand across my mouth. “That’s the price I paid for the car.” I dropped my hand, allowing it to rest on the weathered wood counter. “How can this happen? It was perfectly fine before.”
The mechanic—Bob, from the name on his uniform—offered me not a single stitch of sympathy as he sneered at me. “Well, you’ll find a way to make this work if you need to get from point A to point B. Or…you could borrow someone’s car.”
“My father needs his car,” I explained. “I wouldn’t leave him stranded. I can’t drive…” the other car in the driveway. I couldn’t stand being inside it for more than thirty seconds without reliving the loss. It smelled like her. It felt like her. It reminded me of the times she took me on the open road and went faster than she’d promised my father she would go. She was a free spirit and I loved her for that. I forgave her when she abandoned me to chase her racing career.
The car was the white elephant in our lives. Neither my father nor I could stomach getting rid of or utilizing it. It went everywhere we went, like a ghost haunting us with memories and afflicting us.
The mechanic shrugged off my sob story. “Well, what do you want me to do?” He thumbed the corner of the yellow estimation sheet and ran his finger underneath the print detailing my address.
My father claimed he had spent the last of his money toward moving expenses. The purchase of our new identities and wiping away the past was paid for with my savings. We had nothing left beyond each other. The town was supposed to be our final destination—the place where we would obtain what was owed to us. We hoped that once we succeeded, we’d no longer have to live hand to mouth while living in places we couldn’t really afford.
“Figure something out,” he snarled, leaning against the counter while he boldly leered at my breasts. “I have other clients to get to. Shit, it’s not like you don’t have the money.”
I glanced around the quaint repair shop. It was empty save for the three of us. “I have a quarter of it,” I said, thinking out loud.
He perused over what I had decided to wear for the day: black patterned tights, jade stilettos, and a mid-thigh length belted black chiffon tunic dress. “You look like you wouldn’t have a problem paying for it.”
Skylar gasped and bolted up from the plastic chair in the customer waiting area. “How dare you, you worthless slime. What? Do you think she’ll suck you off in the back room for payment?” Bending over the counter, she pointed a finger in his face. “You disgusting slimeball! She’s not like me. I’m me, and even being me, I would never suck you off for payment because you’re an asshole.”
I grasped Skylar’s arm, stopping her from crawling over the counter and wringing the guy’s neck.
He wiped the back of his hand on his light blue work-shirt. “Priorities. Get some. Do you want your car fixed or not?”
“Not by you,” Skylar spat him, struggling against my need to pull her toward the exit.
“Good luck getting it out of the shop,” he yelled at our backs. “My truck guy won’t move a finger to help you ungrateful cunts.”
I enacted a stronger hold on Skylar’s arm and lured her completely out of the shop.
“Don’t worry about that useless asshat,” she snarled, glaring back at the guy in the shop. “If I have to take you to work every day, I will.”
“We don’t always work the same shifts,” I reminded her. She’d been transporting me to and from work for the last two weeks, and it was becoming an inconvenience for the both of us.
“You have three other cars in the driveway.” She tripped on a loose piece of gravel and cursed. “Why don’t you borrow one?”
“There are only two, and it’s the principle.”
“Principle of what?” she snorted. “You’re so weird, Hanley. I knew there was a reason why I liked you right away.” She linked her arm in mine and walked alongside me back to her car. “Let’s just get to work before Claudia gets pissed at me for failing to open on time for the fourth time this month.”
When we arrived at our storefront, there was a bundle of ipomoea flowers tied to the metal handle of the glass door.
“Aw, which one of my boy-toys sent me flowers?” Skylar picked up the bouquet, fingering the delicate petals with her fingertips.
The flowers looked like the ones Elias had shown me. I could’ve been wrong in thinking they from him and for me, but I didn’t know of too many florist shops who would send such rare flowers.
Over the course of the past two weeks, I hadn’t heard from or seen Elias. I figured he had given up, or decided to give me space. It was odd to have barely met him and have him cross my mind as much as he did. He made an impression on me which couldn’t be denied.
Skylar frowned and shoved them toward me. “They’re for you. I told you. He’s not going to give up on you until you fuck him.”
Fingering the flowers, I searched for the note she must’ve found. If there was one, it was gone. “I’m not completely convinced he’s like that.”
She turned the key in the door to unlock it. As she propped them both open, she pointed to my face “I’ve seen so many girls have that same look, think they’re different, and then nurse their broken hearts in five months or less. You do not have a magical vagina that will turn Elias Cari into something other than a douche. No woman does.”
Smiling while looking at the flowers, I walked inside the store with her.
Across the threshold, I pushed a few of the wheeled display racks closer to the front, spacing them in a perfect way to draw the eye of potential customers.
At the counter, I brought the flowers to my nose and inhaled. Something caught my eye in the trash can underneath the counter. Pieces of a notecard were easily seen thanks to the huge air bubble that brought the bottom of the trash liner to the surface. The notecard was torn to pieces and thrown haphazardly inside the bin. It was suspicious, because we always took out the trash at closing. Only one person could’ve done it. I had the answer to what happened to the note that came with the flowers.
“Did you fuck Elias, Skylar?” I asked casually.
While trying to make her way to the computer on the cashiers’ desk, she tripped over her feet.
Walking over to the freestanding wall that ran the length of the desk, I fiddled with the control panel until I’d successfully turned on the lights and the music.
Turning toward her, I waited for an answer.
“Nope.” During her quick response, she kept her eye trained to the computer screen.
I grabbed a bottle half full of water from the ones stashed behind the counter and cut into it with the switch blade I retrieved from my purse.
Skylar laughed. “I don’t know if I should be scared, or call you awesome.”
“I also have pepper spray and a taser in there,” I joked.
“It’s official; I’m scared.” She punched her employee number into the computer and slid her keycard into the RFID reader, initiating the opening of the cash drawer.
“Do you think you can come with me to an event for an hour next Saturday?” I asked her.
“Depends,” she replied, counting the opening balance and ensuring the count compared to last night’s balance.
“Elias is having something for his company at the Design Center. He invited me and I don’t want to go alone.”
Keeping her head trained on what she was doing, her eyes shot up to me. “Elias invited you? Oh no! No! No.” She shook her head dramatically. “See, I knew it. Don’t fall for the pretty face and the ‘I’m so sensitive until I get into your panties’ act. He’s known for his hit and runs, and he doesn’t care if that hit is someone else’s wife or girlfriend. Just ask his employee Jaco.”
“Make up your mind, woman,” I quipped. “First you wanted me to fuck him, now you want me to ignore him? He only invited me to an event. He seemed really genuine about it being a simple outing.”
Rolling her eyes, she crossed her arms across her chest, making her breasts struggle against po
pping out from her low-cut strapless dress. “Next thing you know, you’re at his house and he’s in between your legs jack-rabbiting your head into the headboard.” Tsking, she wagged her finger at me. “Don’t be so easily dickmatized.”
The longer I stared at the flowers, the deeper my frown became. “I guess you’re right. I won’t go.”
“I changed my mind,” she said in a surprising turnaround, slamming her hand down on the desk. “Hell no. We are crashing that thing for one reason only—free champagne. I’ll fix you up with a friend of mine to send a message to Mr. Beautiful Nightmare loud and clear that your legs are not open for his business. Watch how fast he finds a new flavor of the week.”
Glad she was easily persuaded into going with me through my slight manipulation, I grinned at her. “You’re fixing me up?”
“I would never do you wrong, girl. He’s a hottie. Trust me.”
DURING OUR WALK through the parking lot on the way to her car, we were alerted by the roaring engine of a black car. The car pulled in front of us, halting our navigation through the lot. The passenger side door swung open, revealing Elias in the driver’s seat. His dimples appeared deeply implanted in the center of his cheeks when he grinned at me.
Skylar muttered a few choice words under her breath and yanked my arm to make me keep walking.
Recoiling from her, I shook my head. I bent down with my hands on my thighs to regard Elias from the passenger side. Despite the sudden onset of shivers, I fought hard to appear coolheaded. “I’m not sure why you are so persistent. I know there are prettier girls who would like your attention.”
He immediately got out of the car and came over to me. “Ley?” He opened the passenger door a little wider. His seductive smile was no longer there. “I would like your attention. Stop the games and get in the car.”
“Asshole,” Skylar spat. “He thinks it’s his right to just shorten your name and boss you around.”
“What was that, Sky?” Glowering at Skylar, Elias raised his brows and stepped toward her. “I don’t think you’d like for me to embarrass you in front of your new friend with the truth I’m sure you conveniently forgot to tell her while you were very busy spreading lies about me.”
Skylar suddenly had an issue holding Elias’s stare.
Elias’s piercing gaze settled on my face. “Better now?”
My attention darted between the two of them. Their cryptic exchange reinforced the notion they had personal dealings in the past. The exact extent of their relationship would surely be unwrapped someday.
Skylar quietly bade me goodbye and headed to her car alone.
“Okay,” I said to Elias as I watched Skylar walk away.
“Were you unable to get your car repaired?” Elias asked, driving a little more carefully than he did the first time I’d gotten into his car.
Concerned about how he knew, I eyed him through the corner of my eye. “How did you know about my car?”
“I have an opportunity that might solve your problem,” he intoned, ignoring my question with very little effort. “My brother put one of his cars on the market. If you’re interested, it’s yours.”
“You have a brother?” The skepticism in my voice was for reason. I had no knowledge of him having another brother—especially not one living in the same town. It was either a well-guarded secret, or a lie.
“Whenever you’d like to take a look at the car, we’ll go together.”
“Thanks for the offer, but I'm sure I couldn’t afford it.”
Appearing troubled with my answer, he squinted at me, glancing between me and the traffic ahead. “I haven’t told you the price.”
“Is it reasonable?”
“He’ll cut you deal. In the meantime, I can take you to and from work. If you reject my help again, I might feel inclined to give you whiplash, and my actions might cause an accident. Think on it carefully, Hanley. I’m not someone who threatens without following through.”
I looked around skeptically at the stream of lights, brightening up the interior of car during the dark of night. The street lights waved back and forth across my lap, entrancing me.
“I’m offering.” The statement wasn’t open and definitely impeded my ability to make a decision. It was clear there was only one way my answer could go—his way. “Take the offer. Are you always this difficult? Or is this due to the lies Skylar filled your head with?” He audibly sighed. “On second thought, you don’t need to answer. You only know one other person in this town, and I’m sure she gave me a less than glowing recommendation.”
The thought of him having me watched, or watching me, and collecting information sent me into an uneasy state. How else could he have easily, and correctly, assumed Skylar was my only friend in town, and know about my issues with getting my car fixed? The layers to Elias seemed to become more plentiful. I was on the brink of thinking I was in over my head.
“Skylar told me you were only after sex. It made sense to me because of the way you carry yourself. I’m not blaming you or anything. I understand. You’re a hot commodity and why shouldn’t you be that way?”
“A hot commodity?” he questioned, his tone lightening up from the more severe one he’d adopted when speaking to me only seconds earlier.
“I’m sure you know. You’re a very, very attractive man, Elias.” Catching sight of his mischievous grin, making my stomach flutter, I continued, “What I’m annoyed with is the feeling that I’m a conquest. I can’t work out in my mind how it could be anything else. I don’t believe in instant love, or instant attraction.”
“Because you don’t believe in it, I shouldn’t?” He continued without expecting or allowing space for an answer, “I’m infatuated with you, Ley. What I want beyond that, I guess we’ll find out once you stop pretending you’re not curious about where this could go. I’m very straightforward. If I want you in my bed, I’ll say so. When I’m done with you, I will say so. I’m not going to string you along or make you think this is more than it is. I will be brutally honest with you. Right now, I’m not sure what I want beyond getting to know you.”
Feeling it burn with a familiar pain, I touched my neck. I wished my body would stop reacting this way. It had become a dead giveaway.
“Oh, minha amada,” he snickered, showing his heart-melting dimples again. A slight hint of an accent he hadn’t shown before seeped in. “I’ve barely started. You’re making me think I might break you if I stop holding back.”
“I’m not fragile,” I said, showing my blindingly apparent uneasiness. “My body just doesn’t do what my mind wants it to do.”
His smile transformed into something sinister enough to give me chills. “You’re separating the two because of your denial. In full disclosure, have I thought about you sexually? Yes. Did I think about the millions of ways I wanted to take you inside the dressing room and make you realize why you shouldn’t be underdressed in public—because of what it does to me? Yes. That is what you always get from me, Ley. The truth.”
I looked between my thighs, because he’d awakened a desire there.
“With that said, if the rumors about me were true, I would’ve given up my pursuit the moment you turned me down.”
“I’m embarrassed to say this.”
“Don’t be. We’re at the very least friends, correct?”
“I haven’t had the best experiences with dating. I’m taking a break right now, because I’m not sure if I want to thrust myself into a serious relationship so soon. My previous one was toxic. Very, very toxic.” It was the truth, I simply didn’t disclose who was toxic to whom. I knew starting a relationship with Elias was important to a goal, but it was very obvious I wasn’t mentally ready. “Minha amada? Can you tell me what it means?”
“It’s Portuguese, and someday I will. That is, if you have the patience to wait.”
“Are you a second-generation American?”
“Third on my father's side,” he answered, his tone clipped, “second on my mother's side.”
/> Easily persuaded into changing the subject, I switched gears. “There is this thing in the back of my mind. It tells me you’re a very dangerous man.”
“Depends on what you’d consider as dangerous.” He glimpsed at me, so rapt with me he could barely pay attention to his driving, as a crooked grin spread across his face. “Because I have to tell you, there is something about you that makes me think you are more dangerous than I am.”
“You could be right.”
“Are you going to stop me from finding out?” He leaned to the right, ensuring the scent of his cologne permeated my senses.
“Even if I tried,” I croaked, “I know you’d never stop until you wore me down.”
“When two dangerous people collide, very interesting things happen.”
“That…concerns me.”
“Good. I’m glad to know it does.”
Confusion made my eyes whirl around in their sockets and forced an unrestrained smile from my lips. “How is that…good?”
“Because now I know you’re human.” At stoplight, his eyes locked on mine. “Saturday?”
“I’ll be there with a friend.”
FOUR
ELIAS AND I SAT on a blanket, protecting the hood of his car, while we loitered in the mall parking lot after my hectic work day. I gazed at the dimming lights emanating from inside the mall. I had less than an hour before I turned into a pumpkin. It was my first day working with two other employees and a new assistant. The work day ended early because Penelope, the second assistant manager, rushed to close and was ready to go by the time I pulled the gate down. She was in a hurry to get to her date at the end of the night. She spent most of the workday talking about the date instead of actually working.
“Knowing what you’ve told me and knowing where you live now,” Elias regarded me, “you confuse me, Hanley. You’ve said your father moved up in the world financially, which makes our backgrounds similar. What I don’t understand, is why you behave as though you didn’t. Why do you dress as though you didn’t?”
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