by C. M. Steele
A sigh escapes me as my frustration takes away from the joy. I push off the door and walk into my bathroom, grateful that it’s in my bedroom. I know that although my dad will keep my mom from coming to question and hug me tightly, it doesn’t mean he won’t tell her. I turn on the bathroom light, and the shock hits me harder than the slap did. Wow, I look terrible. I’m terrible at wearing makeup. This is going to suck. How am I going to keep this a secret? There’s no way I can go outside looking like a domestic violence victim. We have some nosy ass people around town that would love to say something bad about my dad or any one of us.
The tears stream down my face as I clutch onto the vanity. I feel eyes on me, but I don’t look up. It’s probably just my mom.
“I knew you weren’t okay.”
I gasp and slam the door shut. What is Jackson doing in my bedroom? I have to be hallucinating. I open it just an inch for a peek to see if I’m crazy, but I can’t see him. Great. Now I know I’m going crazy.
“I promise I’m not here to hurt you, Penny.” Shit, he is here. I don’t know if that is better than me being a nutcase. “Can you please come out?”
I open the door completely and see him standing by my dresser, turning away from the pictures on my mirror. “Please tell me none of them are boyfriends.”
“No, they aren’t. Cousins and brothers only.” I’m still struck that he’s here…in my room. And damn he looks so good.
“Thanks, Sugar.”
“Oh shit, I said that out loud?”
He brushes my hair back with hand and whispers with intent, “Yes, but I promise it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Let’s forget about the fake hatred for me. I’m no longer buying it.” Geez, I think I might faint. What the hell is happening?
“What’s happening? Well, I couldn’t rest not knowing if you were okay.”
“I’m okay.”
“Bullshit. Come here, Penny. I told your father that I wouldn’t push you, but I find it hard to wait until tomorrow.”
“We can’t do that here. My parents are home.”
“Sugar, I’m going to try and let that go because I don’t want to know how many boys snuck in when your parents weren’t home.”
“None,” I confess.
“Good, but that’s not what I was thinking. I want to know more about you. I can see what happened to you today didn’t just roll off your shoulders, so I’ll leave it for now. Talk to me, Penny.” He sticks out his hand, and I place mine in his. He leads me to the window seat, and we sit there as the sun starts to set. I hadn’t realized how early it was, but my mind was everywhere today.
“Um, what do you want to know?” I manage to squeak out as he rubs his thumb in circles over my knuckles.
“What’s your favorite thing to bake?” His own bun in my own personal oven. I dart my eyes to him, hoping that errant thought didn’t escape my head out of my mouth.
“Cupcakes,” I blurted out nervously. Goodness, I’m losing my mind. Why is he so perfect?
“Any particular kind?” he presses.
I think about it because I have so many favorites that I don’t know if I could pick one. “Yes, I make a ‘cookies and cream’ cupcake with a chocolate cream center and topped with a cookie crumb frosting.”
“Sounds delicious. I like chocolate.”
“Do you? I have a feeling I’m going to see you in the bakery a lot.”
“Oh yeah, and not just there.”
“Really.” I don’t know how to handle this. My knight in shining leather came sweeping through, slaying my dragons for me. A girl’s dream guy.
“Yes, really. I’m not saying that you won’t have your space, but one day you will be my wife, and we’ll be sharing a bed every night waking up to say goodbye as we head off to work.”
“Wow, um…I don’t know what…to say,” I mutter.
“Right now, we’ll take it one step at a time. Okay. I’ll get the plans together for the build, and we can go over it over dinner tomorrow. How does that sound?”
“It sounds too good to be true.”
“A working dinner never has sounded this good, Penny.” I get up, moving away from him. I want to stay there in his arms, but I’m afraid I may never get enough. “I suppose it’s time I go,” he adds, rubbing his hands on his jeans before standing up.
“You don’t have to leave right now. I just need a little space.”
“Actually, Penny, I do need to leave. I’d explain it to you, but you’re not ready for it. Goodnight,” he says, brushing his lips against my temple before walking out of my bedroom door without a second look.
Chapter 13
Jackson
Leaving her last night had been harder than I thought. It was for the best though because I was putting too much pressure on her. She needs time to recover from the attack.
Last night, I rode so hard and fast that I got there before they did. The beauty of owning a motorcycle. I shocked the shit out of her father when he saw me in the kitchen. Of course, he gave me the same stern warning as earlier, but his wife just smiled at me. I like both of them. They seem to be really good people. Her father though, makes me wonder if there’s more to him than just a banker in a suit. In fact, I’m sure there’s a shit load more he has hidden. The man wasn’t just a banker.
Now with a cup of coffee in my hands, I look over the space for the bakery.
There’s not much to it. I saved all the mock-ups from the first attempt. The front would be like any bakery. The back will be to the baker’s tastes. I want to come up with a couple of layouts for her to look at. Shit, I need to pick a place for us to have dinner. Where can I take her?
Just as I’m thinking it, my cell rings, and I set my coffee down on the table without checking the number, I answer, “Hello,”
“Hi, Jackson,” Penny says cheerfully.
“Hey, beautiful. I was just going to call you.”
“Well, I did it first,” she points out playfully. “Anyways, I’m calling because I was wondering if you wanted to have our working dinner here.”
“Are you baking me a dessert?” I question greedily. Fuck, she could be my dessert.
“If you’re a good boy,” she teases and my cock throbs in my shorts.
With a grunt, I respond, “Damn, I’ll give it a try. It sounds good. What time?”
“Five-thirty.” Her voice is as sweet as she is. I don’t know how she’s still single, but fuck if I’m not grateful for it. I can’t wait to see her. I look at my watch and see it’s only ten in the morning. Hell, five-thirty is an eternity away from now. I want to hear her sweetness up close and maybe get a taste of her lips. I’m getting carried away.
I take a deep breath and say, “Great. It’ll give me enough time to get a lot of work done.” It’s not like it will take me that long, but I don’t want to make it obvious how damn eager I am to see her.
“You work on Saturday, too?” she asks.
“Well, I’m finishing up some other projects and going over your plans for the bakery,” I remind her. It’s good that she is thinking about dinner and not work because in truth work is the last thing I want to do with her right now.
“Ugh. Jackson, I’m really sorry about our first meetings.”
“Don’t. Let’s leave that shit in the past. How are you doing today?” I hope that she’s a little better than last night. I can’t ask her to forget that it ever happened, but I’d like her to never cry again. That shit destroyed me last night. The way she clung to the edge of the sink like it was her only support made me more determined to protect and worship this woman.
“Good. My mother and I had a long talk after you left last night,” she admits.
“Oh yeah, anything about me?” I’m sure her mother probably warned her about me. She seemed kind and sweet, but like any mother, you have to worry that a man is going to hurt their baby girl. Fuck, I’d murder any bastard that hurt our daughter. I don’t even have kids, but I’m already picturing a couple of blonde princesses runnin
g around in the backyard with her hair waving in the wind like a superhero cape. What the hell has happened to me since I met her?
“Yes, but that’s not any of your business, Mr. Steele. So, on that note…I’ll see you at five-thirty.” I laugh as she gets playfully tough.
“Can’t wait, sugar.”
For the next three hours I layout several options on my drafting table, then add them to the computer, printing out a clean set of choices for her to look at and mark up. The grumble in my stomach reminds me that I need to eat. Just as I’m about to fry up some homemade burgers on my grill on my back porch, my phone rings.
“What’s up, bro?” I ask Boomer.
“Okay, relax, but what I’m going to tell you is going to piss you off.”
I take a deep motherfucking breath then drop the burgers on the grill. I’m going to need to eat if I’m going to be fucking angry. “What is it, Boomer?”
“Coleman was fired yesterday before he even went to see Penny. His motives were clear to cause her harm." My blood boils on the spot. I take a few more deep breaths because my vision is blinded with rage. “We know he’s fled his home. He’s not anywhere to be found. It seems that he left his family and split. I’m guessing he drove to the border.”
It’s then that I have an epiphany. If he’s fled, then he’s not my problem today. Getting Penny to be mine is my problem. “Fuck it,” I respond.
“What the fuck, bro?” Boomer’s indignant.
“Boomer, I’m about to eat some of the patties that Morgan made me. Then I’m going to get ready to see Penny. From now on, Penny won’t be out of my sight. I don’t want any more details because I’m afraid I’ll hunt him down tonight. I have to win her trust and everything in between. That fuck is on the run, so I want Cyber to track him down electronically. Until then, I’ll deal with keeping Penny safe. Have the guys ready to build the shop by Thursday at the latest. I want everything up and running for her as soon as humanly possible.”
“Understood, bro. Remember, kidnapping her is against the law.”
“She’s mine. There’s no kidnapping, just going to be a fuck ton of convincing.”
“Good thing you can work from home.”
“Yes, it is. I still have to do some rearranging with my schedule, but for now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m about to eat.”
“So am I,” he moans.
“What are you having?”
“None of your business.” I laugh out hard. Fucker is talking about his wife.
“One day I’ll have my own piece of sweetness.”
“Remember, don’t forget the fingers. Bye.” He hung up, and I nearly dropped my burger between the damn grates from laughing. Asshole.
Chapter 14
Penny
I think I’ve changed my clothes six times since I finished the cupcakes. I start to run to my closet and slip on the pile of clothes on the floor. My bedroom door opens just as I’m doing the dang splits on the floor.
“Wow, I didn’t know you could still do that,” my brother teases, coming into the room and closing the door behind him.
“What are you doing here, Justin?” I can’t believe he’s here. I try to stand up with a hint of dignity, but it’s too late, I tore my pants over my ass. He helps me up, then goes into my closet.
“Here, this will look perfect, Pen.” He hands me a snug pink dress I bought a year ago, but I haven’t had a reason to wear. “I’m taking my wife out tonight. Mom and Dad are watching Bobby.” He has great tastes in clothes. His wife lets him buy her clothes for her birthday. We all do.
“Oh, I didn’t know that,” I say, walking into the closet for a quick change. As the only daughter, my dad had a walk-in closet built for me. My mother and I love our clothes. And dad accommodates our need for more of them.
“Well that’s because you’ve been getting ready for your Sir Galahad,” he jokes through the door.
“Shut up,” I spit out, stepping out for his take. His eyes widen, and his mouth makes an O shape.
“Damn, you look great. I think dad may need to bust out a gun or two for this guy.”
“You’re silly,” I remark and turn to the mirror. Holy shit. He’s right. If it wasn’t for the bruise, I would look stunning. Now I know why I didn’t wear it. My dad is going to freak out. “I just came to see if you’re okay. Dad told me. And warned me to keep my nose clean.”
“Yeah, it’s not good if one of Irving’s finest committed felonious assault.”
“Actually, it would be considered a homicide, but I doubt a motherfucker would blame me.”
My dad knocks on the door, comes in, then freezes. “Jackson’s here. And wow, you look incredible. I have a feeling I’m going to have a wedding to rush very soon.”
I roll my eyes at both of them. “You’re both ridiculous.”
I brush my long waves with my fingers, creating the look I’m going for and turn to the door. “Hey beautiful, are you planning to go country? Where are your shoes?”
“Oh dang.” I run into the closet and grab a pair of black heels that tie at my ankle and have a sexy point in the front.
“Damn, she picked the ball kickers. We better warn him,” Justin says with a laugh.
“Nope. Let him. The bastard is going to steal my princess away.” I walk in front of them down the main stairs, and there he is with a beer to his lips, slowly lowering the bottle. His mouth practically drops while I’m counting the steps one at a time, trying not to fall. He’s so handsome in his black suit and shirt. His pink tie matches my dress. He bites on his lower lip as he gives me a look I’ll remember forever.
“Holy shit, Dad. You weren’t kidding. Next week looks good for me,” Justin adds with a deep chuckle.
“Shut it, Justin,” I bite out between my gritted teeth.
As I reach the bottom step, he’s standing the with his hand out for mine. “Wow, pink is your color, sugar,” he says, bringing it to his mouth. I’m glad I’m holding onto the banister because I’m about to melt into a puddle right here. I see a flash and see my mother is taking pictures.
“Mom, this isn’t a prom date,” Justin adds, chuckling like the dickhead that he is. I’m glad he’s the only one of my brothers here. The other two wouldn’t let me get a word in edgewise.
“Leave me alone. She’s never had a prom date.” I blush brighter than my dress. How could she say something like that to him? Why won’t the floor just open up and swallow me whole?
“Damn, mom, that’s cold. Burning her in front of her guy like that.” Justin turns to Jackson and says, “Justin Banks, brother and Irving County Sheriff.” Jackson smirks and shakes his hand.
“Good to meet you. And it just means that I have to take Penny out for a night of dancing. I’m sure they have that kind of thing in Dallas.”
“There is. We go every month,” Mrs. Banks says.
“Nice. How would you like that, Penny?” I feel my panties soak and I wonder if anyone can tell. The man’s voice is smooth and manly.
“I have two left feet.” I practically trip over myself all the time.
“Well, then we’ll have to practice together,” he whispers, staring down at me with a smile
“Come on now before you all make me throw up.” Justin is making gagging sounds behind Jackson’s back.
“Aren’t you leaving?” I snip at my brother, turning my scowl on him
“Yes, we are. It was nice to meet you, Jackson,” my sister-in-law Enid says before dragging Justin by his tie. “Thank you for keeping Bobby for the night.”
“I’m telling ya. I have a vacation next week, so if you’re getting married, it would be a really good time.”
“I’m all for that,” Jackson says, smiling at me.
“I’m not,” dad grumbles, shaking his head and walking Justin and Enid to the door.
“I am,” I whisper to myself. I catch a gasp from Jackson.
“Don’t say things you don’t mean, sugar.”
“How about we sit down for dinner
before it gets cold.” He leads the way to the kitchen holding the door for mom. It’s so cute. Then I remember they’re babysitting. “Where is Bobby at?”
My mom points to the other room, then says, “Justin laid him down in the play yard when they came in. He should be waking soon. Enid said that he’s been sleeping since they pulled out of their driveway.”
Chapter 15
Jackson
We sit down at the dining table. The Banks sit next to each other and Penny, and I sit next to each other. Before we’re all the way seated, Mr. Banks starts the conversation. “So, Jackson, I’ve been really nosy and reading up about you online.”
“It’s amazing how you can find out a lot about someone from the internet.”
“There’s not much about you on there,” Mr. Banks adds begrudgingly. I can see in his eyes, he’s looked deeper through other means. This man is careful and secretive.
“Besides my company and Steeleville, there isn’t much to interest people. I’m not some celebrity thankfully.”
“I didn’t find a Facebook or Instagram profile. There’s barely a LinkedIn for you.”
“I feel my SEO search for the business on Google is enough to bring in clientele. I’m not big on personal information online. People know too much and then look for more.”
“Penny said this was a working dinner. Did you bring any materials with you?” he questions me again.
“I did. Let me get my case and bring it over here.”
“No, wait until we’re done eating, please. I’d rather…” Penny says, but I finish speaking for her. “Whatever you want, Penny.” I raise her hand to my lips, stealing another kiss when I really want her mouth on mine. I’m going to before the night is over.
We make it through dinner without any more talk of me, but I learned that my Penny is absolutely sweet and spoiled to the core. It’s cool because I plan to keep her that way. Well, not that sweet at least.