“Why didn’t you get his name again?” I asked myself.
Those emerald orbs stuck with me. They glared at me from my mind’s eye beneath that shit-eating grin of his. I picked my phone back up, seeing if I had missed anything. A call. A text. A voice message because I had shitty service. Anything.
And still, there was nothing.
I mean, he didn’t say he’d call me. Just that he’d call me if his bike had issues. So, I shouldn’t want a call from him, yeah? That would cost me money I didn’t have. And yet, I wanted him to. I wanted my damn cell phone to ring. I wanted to hear his voice on the other end of it, rugged and raw. I wanted to ask him his name and see if he’d give it to me.
Maybe ask him for coffee.
“Knock knock.”
Sarah’s voice emanated from my office door. I slowly pulled my eyes away from my computer screen, and I was still staring at the fucking main desktop screen. Holy shit, had I not done anything? I looked at the clock in the bottom right-hand corner and saw an entire hour had gone by.
Had I been dreaming about some nameless asshat for an hour?
“Hey there. Ready to go?” I asked.
“Actually, food is going to have to be postponed. One of our pandas is about to give birth. Want to come watch?” Sarah asked.
I ripped myself out of my chair and scrambled for my purse. I’d finish cleaning and decorating later. This was the shit I lived for, helping animals through their natural processes and making sure they were healthy. Sarah smiled at me as she opened my door further, and I closed it behind me as we poured into the hallway.
“Oh, by the way? These are yours,” she said.
And when she dangled my office keys in front of my face, it solidified my dream. I was officially a zoologist at the San Diego zoo.
The one place my mother always took me to as a child.
Eleven
Stone
I revved my bike as I barged my way through traffic. Instead of calling her, I’d go see her. I didn’t want this beautiful woman thinking that I was calling because of some shit that happened with my bike. I didn’t want my approaching of her to be misconstrued in any way. Hayley was a beautiful woman. Thick. Sassy. Independent. She had a fire in her eyes that ignited a raging forest blaze in the pit of my stomach. Just thinking about our simple interaction a few hours ago after I pulled her car over made me grin. I wanted that woman. I wanted to take her out to dinner, grin at her while she regaled me with her life, then guide her lips to my cock in some back alley somewhere so she could properly repay me for the accident.
I cracked my neck as I pulled up to the entrance of the zoo.
I got a lot of looks. Specifically, from the mothers. They were not happy that some massive asshole like me, clad in leather with stone in his eyes, had pulled up to their happy place. Children looked up at me, gawking with their little mouths open. I looked down at them and nodded, acknowledging their presence before their mothers shooed them off with soft whispers of how I was not to be toyed with.
I’d gotten used to the stereotypes my hometown afforded me.
“I’m sorry, sir. But the zoo closes to the public in an hour.”
I stared at the attendant as I slid my wallet out of my pocket.
“Then I have an hour to enjoy it,” I said.
The guy looked at me sideways before shrugging and punching in the amount for my ticket. He looked to be of high school age. Definitely high school with the acne that riddled his face. Red and purple craters in the orifices he had picked at before coming to work. Or maybe during his sleep. That was a nasty habit I’d had as a child. Left scars along my jawline from how deeply my nails dug into pimples I thought would never go away.
I slid the young man my card and he ringed me up.
“I hope you enjoy your hour-long stay,” the boy said.
I grinned. “Does your boss know you like to mouth off to the patrons of this place?”
He shrugged. “Does it matter?”
Ah, a boy with attitude. I looked around, trying to see if there was someone he was wanting to impress. A young girl. Maybe a cheerleader. Oh, the shit I’d done in high school to impress the cheerleaders. I succeeded at it, though. Lost my virginity my freshman year to the captain of the cheerleading squad. A senior. Massive tits. Thick thighs. A toned stomach, which was a phase I eventually grew out of.
Now, I liked my women thick everywhere.
It made them more comfortable to collapse into after my orgasms.
“Any idea where I can find the zoologists’ offices?” I asked.
“They probably aren’t in their offices right now,” the boy said.
“And why’s that?”
“Because one of our pandas just gave birth. They’re all huddled around, making sure things are okay.”
“Well, where can I find the panda exhibit, then?”
The young boy gave me pretty good directions, then I flagged down someone racing by me in a golf cart. I reached my hand out and grabbed onto one of the edges of the cart, forcing the woman speeding around to stop for me. I hopped in with her as she gave me the weirdest look. Like, how dare I fuckin’ stop her on her zooming tirade to wherever she was going.
“Excuse me?” she asked.
“The panda exhibit, please,” I said.
“I’m not a chauffeur.”
But when I pulled out a hundred-dollar bill and slipped it to her, she suddenly became one.
I got off the golf cart and thanked her for the ride. Then, my eyes scanned the massive encasement. Part of me never understood zoos. As far as I was concerned, they were jails for animals. And I knew about jail all too much. Spent the bulk of my teenage years in juvie. Which was essentially jail, but I was surrounded by hormonal assholes and idiots. I walked up to the railing and gazed out at the exhibit. I saw a bunch of people gathered around the mother panda, who was cradling and nursing her newborn.
Then, I saw her. Wrapped up in a uniform that did her body no good. But I saw her beauty underneath it. The massive tits that threatened to spill out from underneath the button-front shirt. A hunter green with the zoo logo emblazoned on her chest, and khaki shorts with tennis shoes. I licked my lips as my eyes raked over her thighs. What I wouldn’t give to suck and nibble on them until she cried out for my tongue to be elsewhere.
She looked decadent, even in the pathetic uniform.
I watched her kneel down and tend to the newborn panda. Her long fingers were delicate and easy in their movements. The last of the sunlight streamed through her hair, illuminating the auburn highlights of her dark brown hair. She flicked her eyes over to another zoologist and the sunlight caught her bright blue stare. I saw the colors of the world swirl within them, and her beauty left me breathless.
I checked my watch. My cock lurched to life, and I wasn’t wearing the type of pants that masqueraded that kind of bullshit. It was six in the evening. Plenty of time to whisk her away to get dinner and dessert.
I looked back up to find her and found her staring at me. Hayley. With those summer blue eyes and those thick, sloping curves.
And she had shock written all over her features.
Slowly, a smile spread across her face. A smile that slammed me right in my gut. It almost knocked the breath out of me, how gorgeous she was in that moment. Then, I watched her lean over and talk to someone. She began her journey out of the encasement. She went back behind the scenery and took a back door I hadn’t even seen. I grinned as my head fell off to the side, waiting for her to come out and face me.
Come out and look up at me with those wondrous eyes.
“Fancy seeing you here,” she said.
She walked out onto the pavement and came to stand in front of me.
“Something wrong with the bike?” she asked.
“No,” I said plainly.
“Well, that’s good news. I was concerned that maybe it was something so terrible that it warranted more than a phone call.”
“No, you weren’t.”
Her face faltered. “What?”
“From the second your eyes looked up and saw me, you didn’t give a shit about my bike,” I said.
“I, uh…”
It was cute, watching her stammer over her words. The flush that rose up in her cheeks suited her nicely. I wanted to know what it looked like over the rest of her body. Over the peaks and valleys. In the crevices where no one else touched.
Where she’d let no one else touch after I was done with her.
“Is the baby panda okay?” I asked.
She blinked. “Oh, yes. Momma and baby are doing fine.”
“So, is this what you do for a living?”
“Tend to animals? It’s one of the many facets of my job.”
“What else does a zoologist do?” I asked.
“Mostly paperwork. We help coordinate feeding schedules. Make sure the animals are healthy and mentally comfortable. Emotionally stable. Coordinate the delivery of new animals and the shipping of others, if necessary.”
I nodded. “Do you enjoy what you do?”
She smiled. “Very much so. Which makes me wonder, what do you do for a living, Mr…?”
I grinned. “You can call me ‘Stone.’”
“Stone.”
“Yes.”
“No last name?”
“Is that important?” I asked.
She shrugged. “I suppose not. Technically, you don’t know mine either.”
“I could look at your card.”
“I have my first and middle name on there. Not my last.”
“Any reason why?” I asked.
“So handsome men like yourself aren’t tracking me down at the drop of a hat.”
I grinned, my eyes raking down her body. “Doesn’t serve you very well to put where you work, then.”
“I never said the plan was flawless.”
“Well, you leave the planning to me, then. I’m very good at it,” I said.
“Is that what you do for a living? Plan things?” she asked.
My eyes slowly panned back up to hers, taking in every blossoming inch of her curves.
“In a manner of speaking,” I said.
Hayley bit down onto her lower lip and the motion of her lip unfurling made my cock jump. Fucking hell, the things I’d do to this woman right now. My nostrils flared with animalistic intent. Ironic, that we were surrounded by a massive zoo full of them.
Full of species I’d channeled one too many times in my “career.”
“How long have you been working here?” I asked.
“Today’s my first day, actually,” Hayley said.
My eyes flickered up to the small wound on her forehead.
“Your first day,” I said softly.
“Don’t worry about that. It wasn’t anything bad. Are you sure you’re not hurt?”
“Nothing I’m sure a beautiful woman like yourself couldn't heal with a kiss from those beautiful lips of yours.”
I grinned at her and watched that gorgeous flush overtake the length of her neck. Then, a woman yelled at us from the panda exhibit.
“Hayley! We need you over here!”
She whipped her head around before sighing. I knew our time would probably be cut short. But I didn’t think it’d be cut this short. Her eyes came back around to mine and she smiled at me, but her smile was filled with something else.
Regret, almost.
“Stone?”
“Yes, Hayley?”
“Would it be possible to meet up with you after work? I need to get back and wrap some things up. But I’m off around nine.”
“A night owl, I see.”
“Just to talk. Maybe get some food. I’m going to be starving once I can get out of here. I didn’t have time to pack myself a dinner to have on my break,” she said.
“I suppose you shouldn't make it a habit of slamming into motorists on the days you work, then.”
“You’re not going to let that one go for a while, are you?”
I shook my head, smiling. “No. I’m really not. But I’ll be outside at nine o’clock to meet with you.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Hayley! Come on!”
That woman cried out again and I wanted to turn around and growl at her to shut up. I was enjoying my time with Hayley. Enjoying how easy the conversation flowed between us. I enjoyed making her blush. Flattering her. Complimenting her and teasing her about the incident earlier that afternoon. She sighed before she pulled away from me, tossing me a soft wave.
“See you at nine,” I said.
“I’ll be ready and waiting,” she said.
Twelve
Hayley
I kept checking the clock. I kept waiting for my day to be over. The minutes slowly ticked by as I waited for the clock to strike nine. I wondered if he was being serious. If he was really going to be there, or if this was some trick. Some sort of stunt he was pulling in retribution for running into his bike that afternoon. But when I locked up my office and made my way out front, I saw him sitting there. His bike running. His lights on. His helmet over his head. Dressed in all black, from head to toe.
Sitting next to my car.
“I see you remember what it looks like,” I said, walking up to him.
“How could I forget the rust bucket that ran into me?” Stone asked.
“Hey, now. This car has been with me through a lot.”
“Looks like it, too.”
I swatted him playfully and he chuckled from beneath his helmet. I slipped into my car and rolled down my window, but before I could get him to tell me where we were headed, he sped off.
“Guess I’m following him, then,” I murmured.
I cranked up my car and turned on my lights. He sped across the empty parking lot and was already sitting at the exit. How he got over there so fast, I’d never know. Part of me wondered what the hell I was doing. Wondered why in the world I was following this random biker through town. We made our way to the gaslamp district. I followed behind him every mile we drove, making sure I didn’t lose him. We pulled into the small parking lot for a bar, then I parked next to him and got out.
“I’m surprised you didn’t slam into me while you were following,” Stone said, chuckling.
“Come on, Mr. Jokester. I’m ready for a drink,” I said.
He got off his bike and I playfully pushed him through the bar doors. He threw his head back, laughing. And me? Well, I got a wonderful feel of the thick, rippling muscles underneath his leather jacket. I pulled my hand away quickly, flexing my fingers and trying not to let my goosebumps get the best of me. The touch of him puckered my nipples against my bra. I got the best glimpse of his ass while he walked in front of me, guiding us to a booth in the corner.
“Enjoying the view?” he asked.
I whipped my head up and saw him staring at me. Our reflections caught in the mirror, and my face flushed with embarrassment. Shit. I’d been caught staring at his ass. How long had I been staring?
“Don’t worry. You just haven’t caught me in my moments,” he said.
I had to swallow back my moans at his words.
We slipped into the booth and Stone raised his fingers. A rail thin waitress came up alongside us. Petite. Cute. With a bubbly personality. She ran her eyes along Stone and pushed her meager tits together to try and get his attention. But I noticed his eyes were on me.
Specifically, on my tits.
Take that, Barbie.
“Enjoying the view?” I asked coyly.
“An eye for an eye,” he said, smiling.
The two of us ordered our drinks. Him with his cold beer and me with my glass of wine. I would’ve gone for the beer, but the carbonation makes me burp. And the last thing I wanted to do in my fucking zoo uniform was belch in front of this chiseled god of a man. Stone licked his lips before our eyes connected, and the weight of his darkening green gaze settled in the pit of my gut.
“So, how was work, honey?” he asked jokingly.
&nb
sp; Except, I liked how that sounded coming from him. Maybe a little too much for a first encounter.
The hell’s wrong with you? Are you really that lonely?
“It was good, actually. Got to decorate my office a bit. They’ve given me the lead on making sure the new momma panda and baby panda are healthy and nourished. Plus, they’re paying me much more than the Los Angeles Zoo did when I was under their employ,” I said.
“More money’s always a good thing,” Stone said.
“It is in my world, since it’s just me.”
“Nice to know I don’t have any competition.”
I smiled at him from beyond the rim of my wine glass. Then, I felt something settle against my foot. My eyes peeked underneath the table and I saw Stone’s massive black boot resting against my white tennis shoes. I wasn’t sure what it was. Something about the sight, or the sturdy feel of him. But I scooted forward a bit and leaned my entire leg against his. Let my knee fall against his calf.
“Comfy?” he asked, grinning.
“Very,” I said softly.
“You outshine that uniform, you know.”
“It really is a tacky uniform, isn’t it?”
“Not really tacky. Just… doesn’t so much for your figure. But with a body likes yours?”
He whistled lowly, and a shiver crawled up my spine.
“Someone could put you in a plastic sack and you’d still find a way to be beautiful,” he said.
It was like that all evening. The flirting. The back and forth. The innuendos. The outright compliments. Sometimes, I’d catch him staring at my tits. Sometimes, I’d catch him staring at my arms. At my hair. At my lips. We tore through one drink. Then, two. And on the third one, I watched him slow down.
I needed to as well. Since we were both driving.
I felt comfortable with Stone, despite his rugged and rough demeanor. Despite the stubble on his jawline and the soft scars on his face. He had deep jagged scars on his knuckles and a darkness in his eyes my father always warned me about. And yet, he made me laugh. He made me feel beautiful. He made me feel important.
Stone: The Lost Boys MC #2 Page 7