Cole tried for an innocent look but ended up failing miserably. How he had ever become an actor was unclear to Penny. She could always see right through his bullshit.
"Oh, sure you did! I should have known you would show up and try to wreck everything, just like you always do!" She accused, all the while trying to keep her voice level and her yelling under control. She was pissed, though. The last thing that she needed was Cole seeing Sal. She would never hear the end of it.
"Don’t flatter yourself, honey.” Cole scoffed, sounding offended as he rolled his eyes. “I didn't come all the way over here to wreck your special little night with the king of the bed bugs."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes really," he tossed back copying her stance by placing his meaty hands on his trim hips.
They stood just inches away from one another, her eyes glaring daggers, while his, beamed a cocky, playful streak a mile wide.
"Then why are you here? It's Saturday night, shouldn't you be off gallivanting around tinsel town, rubbing elbows, and flirting with bimbo’s?" Penny taunted in her jaded tone.
"Tempting as all that sounds, no, I made plans with T.J. So, in your face!”
“Bullshit!”
“Not bullshit, I have better things to do with my time than to try to sabotage your silly dates, my love. Besides, you do just fine with that, all on your own." Cole defended; looking very much offended, yet somehow, completely entertained at the very same time.
“You are such a freaking liar!”
"He’s not lying, mom; we’re gonna make popcorn and play some board games. I didn't think you’d mind. I mean, since you’re gonna be gone anyway. It’s just that I really didn't wanna sit home, all alone, again tonight." T.J. spoke up, taking all the claim for his partner in the conspiracy.
Penny’s eyes narrowed on her only child. She smelled something, more than little fishy, as her son gave her his best ‘oh gee whiz, poor is me’ face. He was good, really good but she knew when he was bullshitting her and this had bullshit written all over it. He was just covering for Cole. They did this all the time for each other, leaving Penny to feel like she didn't know if she was coming or going, sometimes.
"Hmm," she mumbled, giving them both the stink eye.
"I don’t know why you're being all pissy. By the looks of it, you didn’t seem to have too high of hopes for this little date of yours with the Prince of polyester.” Cole noted, never taking his eyes off her.
“Oh ya, and why do you say that?” Penny questioned with an annoyed tone as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“Alright, I didn’t wanna do this, but I’m left with no other option but to bring up the fact that you look absolutely ridiculous right now. That’s not me judging, that’s just a fact, I’m speaking out loud, so that you can hopefully, hear me, and look for yourself. Please, just take a look; what the hell is this?" Cole scoffed, looking her up and down, once again.
“And what exactly is wrong with how I look?” Penny questioned, already knowing the answer.
"Where do I even begin?”
“It’s not that bad.”
“Yes, yes it is. What do you call this getup, anyway? I’m gonna go with schizophrenic sheik, it seems to fit the style and the woman wearing it, just sayin’."
"I'll have you know, that I'm not even dressed for my date. This was just what I was wearing around the house today.” She informed with a huff, sticking out her chin, in a, ‘so huh!’ manner.
"Sure, that sounds legit" Cole laughed as T.J. snorted from his spot on the couch behind him.
"It is legit! Now, if you will excuse me, I need to go get ready for my date… that I'm very excited about! This could be the one, boys; you never know." Penny informed, not believing it for a second. No way was she going to end up with a fifty-something-year-old mattress salesman named Sal.
When she got nothing but stupid looks from the boys she decided to tuck tail and run back to the privacy of her bedroom. Far away from judging eyes and irresistible smiles. Her flip flops flipped and flopped as she stomped her way quickly down the hall. She made it almost to her bedroom door, before she heard both the boys bust out in manic laughter.
“Assholes,” she hissed to herself before slamming the door to her room.
Cole plopped down on the couch, kicking up his cowboy boots on the coffee table next to where TJ. had his sneakered feet.
"Popcorn and board games?" Cole laughed, bumping the kid with his shoulder.
"Hey, it was all I could come up with on short notice. Did you get the movie?"
"Of course, and I got the laptop in my bag. As soon as she dips out with Serta boy, we'll grab our weight in snacks, and get our horror movie on!" He winked, fist bumping the smiling boy.
A knock sounded off, making both of their heads snap in the direction it had come from. They were both off, like a bat out of hell, pushing and shoving one another to see who would get to the doors peephole first. Cole won out by holding T.J. back with the palm of his large hand over T.J.’S face. Leaning down, he pressed his cheek to the door. One curious green eye focused in on the peephole.
"Oh… my…, dear Lord in Heaven! This is just too fucking epic!" Cole exclaimed, checking out the cheese ball that stood on the opposite side of the door.
The man ran one hand over his greasy looking comb over, just as his other hand brought a little bottle of mouth spray to his lips.
"Let me see jerk-face; come on, move over!" T.J. whisper shouted as he gave Cole’s much larger body a hard shove away from the door, so that he could take his turn checking out his mother's new freak show. As soon as he took in the awkward looking man, T.J. burst out in a fit of deep belly laughter.
"Hey, shh, shh, shh" Cole ordered, grabbing the kid from behind as he put his hand over his mouth. Walking a few steps away from the door, he set him back on his feet, before turning him around and putting his finger up to his lips, hushing him once again.
"T.J., is that him?” Penny, sounding a bit short of breath, could be heard calling out from her bedroom.
"No mom, it’s just me and Cole sparring!" T.J. lied, winking at Cole who smirked at the boy's quick answer. He was the best sidekick, ever!
"Don’t you be breaking anything, assholes!" Penny warned, sounding as if she was hopping on one foot in the back bedroom.
"Okay," they both called out in unison.
Another light knock sounding off, had Cole going into action. Quickly he stripped off his T-shirt, tossing it over the back of the couch before making his way over to the door.
Sal’s eyes went wide as the door swung open to reveal a very muscled, very shirtless, Cole, who was leaning up against the door frame like a junkyard bouncer at a club.
"Who the fuck are you?" Cole questioned, sounding more New York city thug than a good old southern boy. His tone somewhere between Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci. He peeked his head out the door, looking both ways down the hall suspiciously before turning his attention back at the mortified looking bed hawker.
“I… I'm Sal… um… I think, I might have the wrong apartment." The shorter man stuttered. Quickly his eyes darted down to his sweaty palm, matching the numbers scribbled on it, to the ones he had just looked at on the door behind Cole’s intimidating figure.
"Well, I guess that all depends on just who in the fuck you’re lookin’ for, don’t it?" Cole challenged with the raise of his brow, stretching his arms out on each side of the door, successfully filling the small space with his broad frame.
Sal looked him up and down, biting his lip before finally daring to speak.
"Um… Penny Lane, I’m looking for a strip… a woman, named Penny Lane." Sal quickly corrected.
Cole didn’t say a word, didn’t make a move, just gave him a dead stare that would have had, most men, running for the hills. Old Sal must have really needed this date, though, because he didn’t make a move to leave out.
"Hey, don’t I know you? You look kinda familiar."
"Yeah, maybe, I just did a stretch in Attica,” C
ole said with a nod before cocking his head to the side, his brows furrowing. “Ya know, now that you mention it, you do kinda look familiar. You look a bit like Piggy Boy, from down on the rape-o block. Is that you Piggy Boy? Let me hear you squeal!" Cole ordered, crossing his arms over his wide chest.
"Are you a baby raper? Oh God, I think he's eyeballing me, dude. Stranger danger, stranger danger, someone call John Walsh and get this guy out of here!" T.J. tossed in, peeking out from
behind Cole's shoulder.
"No! No, that's not me; I've never even been to jail! I'm not a rapist, I swear!" Sal defended, looking horrified as T.J. started humming the tune to Dueling Banjos.
"If you say so, man. So, what are your intentions with Penny Lane? You tryin’ to get in her pants or what?" Cole questioned, leaning into the man.
"Oh, no, well…, I mean if… no,” Sal stopped fast, thinking better of it. “I just want to take her out, that’s it. She wanted to go, I swear!"
"Dude, you totally wanna bang my mom, that’s so gross." T.J. accused, sticking his finger in his mouth and pretending to gag on it.
"NO, I can assure you, that's not my intentions!"
"Why, are you gay?" Cole challenged, leaning back on the door frame, once again.
"Did you rape other dudes, is that why you were in prison?" T.J. questioned, leaning against the other side of the door frame opposite of Cole. His arms crossed over his chest, mirroring his Co-interrogator’s stance, to a perfect T.
"No, I’ve never raped anyone and I'm not gay!" The man sounded offended, his eyes wide in shock.
"What do you have against gay people, bro? They're born that way. You know that right? It’s not a choice like wearing that stupid looking suit, was for you." T.J. scoffed, giving the man a judgmental look as he eyed him up and down.
"I don’t have anything against them; I don’t have anything against anyone!" Sal tried to assure.
"So, you like people who rape other people?" T.J. challenged, with the raise of his brow.
"No, of course not!" Sal shook his head.
"Well, you’re the one who said you didn’t have anything against anyone, and rapists would be classified under anyone, so…," T.J. reminded.
"The kids got a point, man." Cole tossed in with a shrug.
Sal’s eyes darted from T.J. to Cole, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
"Are you her… brother or…," Sal finally found the words to question.
Cole and T.J.s eyes met and they both busted out laughing.
“Damn, if I was, some of that shit her and I have done together would be pretty fucked up. I mean…, it was pretty fucked up anyway, if you catch my drift.” Cole winked, giving a lewd smile. “But not like sister fucking, fucked up. No one should see their sister in some of the positions I've seen that hell cat in. Shit man, I still got the scars, that woman’s a fucking tiger!" Cole informed, turning around quickly while T.J. pointed at the aged scars here and there on Cole's bare back. Sal didn’t need to know that they were actually, from Cole doing his own stunts a few years ago, on a low budget indie flick.
"Oh so you’re her…," Sal started but was cut off as Penny made her way into the room.
"He's my nothing, less than nothing, really. He’s just some guy who loiters in my apartment.” Penny informed, a sour look on her face.
“Not what you were saying last night when you were screaming my…,” Cole started, turning to find Penny standing behind him. Instantly, his mouth fell open as he took her in.
She looked like a fucking dream. One, with a very happy ending. Her hair was down, curled at the tips, making it fan out all around her face. Her little black dress was skin tight and dipped low enough in the front that he could see the top of her lacy white bra. A bra that had her tits standing at full attention. Her long tan legs stretched on for miles and ended in a pair of ‘knock your dick in the dirt’ heels.
Penny gave a quick victory smile as she took in Cole's stunned expression.
"Oh, thank God, you’re here!" Sal announced, half under his breath.
"In the flesh," Penny winked, before doing a perfectly executed spin.
"You look…," Sal started.
"Fucking amazing," Cole finished, finally managing to clamp his mouth shut.
"Why do you not have a shirt on?!" Penny hissed, finally taking note of Cole's bare chest.
"Because, shirts are for pussies," Cole informed, flexing his pecks so they danced up and down.
T.J. gave Cole a high five before ripping his own shirt over his head and tossing it behind his back, where it landed on Sal’s balding head.
"Dear Lord," Penny scoffed, rolling her eyes as the boys turned their attention back to Sal, who was busy peeling T.J.’s sweaty t-shirt off his face.
"Stop sniffing my shirt, you creeper!" T.J. ordered in a disgusted tone as he snatched his shirt back, giving the man his best ‘I’ve been violated’ look.
"Trent Jonathon!" Penny scolded, swatting him on the arm.
"Oh no, he's fine, kids will be kids, right?" Sal offered, with a nervous smile.
"Kids, ya, but what's his excuse?" Penny questioned, sending a pointed look Cole's way, which he sent right back.
A moment passed of them eyeing one another while Sal stood awkwardly by. Finally, he cleared his throat, breaking the spell the two seemed to be under.
"Oh, ya, sorry; let's get out of here, shall we?" Penny offered, grabbing her suitcase of a purse off the end table in the living room. Cole, quickly snatched it from her, tossing it over to T.J. who instantly dove inside.
"Mace, check, switchblade, check, phone, check, brick, check, we’re all clear!" The boy announced, holding out the purse to his frustrated mother. Penny rolled her eyes as she snatched it, slinging it over her shoulder with a bit of effort; the damn thing weighed a ton.
"Um…, yes, we should probably get going." Sal agreed, glancing down at his fake gold watch.
"Please, don’t stay up all night, okay?" Penny pleaded, leaning over to land a kiss on T.J.s cheek. "And you, be gone before I get home!" She hissed Cole’s way, as she pushed by him, making her way out the door.
"Of course, my love. I wouldn't want to impose on your nighttime fun with our good buddy Sal, here. I know how busy you like to get on a first date.’ Cole said, wagging his brows before turning his attention back to Sale. “Hey, Sal, here's a tip, she likes tequila, gets her all loose and shit, if ya know what I mean?" Cole smirked, throwing the man a wink while he dry humped the air.
“You are such a dick!” Penny informed giving him a hard shove back inside the apartment. She tried to shut the door but his cowboy boot jammed in the frame, blocked her goal. That didn’t stop her from trying to slam it three more times, pesky boot still in place.
"Ouch, damn woman, I know ya like it rough but save it for Sal. He's the one buying ya dinner! Actually, forget the dinner Sal, make it a straight tequila night! Don’t forget what I said, loose as a goose, that one!" Cole called out to the pair as they made their way down the hall.
Sal, gave one more glance back before they turned the corner, earning him a double flip off. One from Cole and one from T.J., who both, now stood in the doorway, glaring in Sal’s direction.
"Where in the hell, do you think she finds these assholes?" Cole sighed out, slumping back on the couch.
"I don’t know man, but I wish she’d stop telling them where we live. That dude was a total slime ball." T.J. offered, digging out Cole's laptop from his gym bag.
"Ain’t that a damn fact!" Cole agreed, his eyes, steady darting to the door Penny had left out of.
Chapter 5
Y et again, Sal was waving the bartender over for another round.
"Can I get three more shots of tequila, pal?" He ordered, sending a wink Penny's way.
She had to fight not to roll her eyes as she silently cursed Cole.
"Here ya are, baby doll. Nothing but the best for my girl!" Sal offered, pushing the shots her way as soon as the server place
d them down on the bar.
Nothing but the best, as if he was paying top price for Penny to drink in style. It was an open bar, someone was paying for her buzz but it certainly wasn’t the idiot that kept trying to shove drinks down her throat all night.
"I think five is my limit, maybe we should take a look around at the pictures instead?” She suggested, pushing the shots back his way.
"Ya, Sure, I guess we could do that." He nodded, looking less than excited about moving away from the bar.
They had only been at the Gallery for about an hour, and so far, Sal hadn't seemed interested in anything besides getting Penny completely trashed. She had been more than down for the first three shots, hoping that they might help to stomach this train wreck of a night.
Sal was over the top in his stereotypical salesman style. Like Cole had guessed, he had shown up in a polyester suit that Penny was sure was at least twenty years older than she was. The man was in his early fifties, out of shape, and smelled like he had bathed in his dime store cologne. Not to mention, he sprayed breath freshener in his mouth every five minutes, yet somehow, still managed to have the breath of an ogre.
Ace, was on her shit list- right beside Cole. He’d been the one to set this whole thing up. If Penny could see him now, she might just strangle the wannabe matchmaker. Not that she should be surprised, this wasn’t the first time Ace had set her up on a flop of a date. She was starting to think he was doing it on purpose, maybe Cole was in on it too. Maybe, this was how the pair got their kicks, these days. The sick bastards. Well, she sure as hell wasn’t laughing.
The only saving Grace was that the exhibit was amazing. The place was packed and as she took in the photographs that filled the space, Penny could see why. The prints were amazing. They filled the walls with dark shades and off focus angles. The pictures were raw and thought provoking, unlike anything she had ever seen before. She had always loved the art world, pantings, photography, sculpture, she loved it all.
She tried to ignore the sweaty man following her, three shots still being carried awkwardly in his hands. She wanted nothing more than to sink into her surroundings and, maybe for Sal to go jump off a bridge, that would be nice too. His constant inappropriate comments, and lingering touches, were threatening to ruin her night all together, and she really didn’t want that to happen. This was a rare occasion for her. It wasn’t often that she got to take in any real culture or be around anyone who wasn't either stripping down or stuffing cash into a g-strings.
Between a Rock and a Hard Place Page 6