I clear my throat. “I wanted to feed Beast and change his litter box. I didn’t get a chance last night and don’t want him to starve. Funny thing, though. His dish was already full. Know anything about that?” I ask, knowing full-well my uncle’s developed a sweet spot for the kitten he didn’t originally want to move in.
“Nope. No clue. Must have been that damn gnome again,” he muses.
“Those gnomes sure seem sweet on that kitten,” I tease. The cat has been an awesome addition to the Ignition Inc. family. I found him alone—shaking and starving—in between two of our blue recycling dumpsters a few weeks back. I wanted to bring him upstairs, but Aunt Tillie suggested the shop might be better, seeing as I’m down here most of the time anyway. She thought our back storage room would be a nice big space for him, and he could earn his kibble by keeping the mouse population under control. Dex and the others weren’t too keen on having the cat as they worried he’d be underfoot, but Beast ended up staying out of the shop and now that he’s here, the guys like having him around, and he’s become the resident mascot. (Well, all of the guys except Hendrix, I guess).
I place Dex’s tablet on the desktop. “All set. You’re confirmed, and I sent the payment via PayPal, too, since I figured you probably don’t remember the password.” I pat his shoulder.
“Watch it, kid. I might be blind, but I ain’t senile, yet,” he grins.
“Um, so…yeah. I…uh…I met the Ogre Hendrix Hills last night. That was interesting and informative, to say the least.” I plunk down in the leather chair in front of his desk.
“Shit. Trin. I didn’t plan for you to meet Hendrix before I talked to you first, or for you to find out that way. I’d planned on telling you what was going on first thing this morning,” he sighs.
“So it’s true?”
“Let me explain, darlin’. It all happened so fast. I was gonna talk to you, but with your school tours and me unsure if I was ready to sell, I wanted to wait for the right time. I knew it would be an emotional conversation, with you no doubt offering to move out before I even decided what I was doin’, and I didn’t want to lay any unnecessary stresses on ya. And Hendrix wasn’t supposed to move in until today, but he had a lot to do so I guess he ended up here last night. I had no idea, and for that I’m sorry. Must have given you a bit of a surprise.”
“No kidding. I’m not too happy with you, Dex. I left the garage feeling pretty pissed last night. That guy’s an ass. I wish I’d’ve known you sold the place to him.”
“I know. I should have said something earlier. It was all just sinkin’ in, you know, me about to be half-retired and only workin’ part-time from now on, and all that. Heck, I didn’t tell Joe and Brody either, until Hendrix called me yesterday before you and I left, sayin’ he was popping by in the morning to drop off some paperwork for me. I know I could have told you in the car, but I figured it could wait one more day. Lesson learned.” He rubs his beard. “I was planning to introduce you guys later today.”
“I’m glad you’re doing what makes you happy, Dex. I was just caught off guard,” I whisper, not quite able to hide my emotions. “One more thing. He called me ‘the stipulation’. What does that even mean?” I ask, getting annoyed as the asshole’s self-satisfied grin comes to mind. Sexy jerk.
“As regards the stipulations, there were a few conditions that I wanted met before I’d sell. One, he had to keep all our current employees, and two, he’d have to let you keep living upstairs until you chose to move. Now, I know there’s a chance you might be thinkin’ about maybe getting back into some fancy finance gig one day, but truth is you’re doin’ a great job here, darlin’, and I think the place still needs ya.”
How can I stay mad at Uncle Dex? “I feel stupid. I threatened to hit him with a tire iron, Dex. I thought he was robbing the place,” I groan, embarrassed.
He lets out a loud belly laugh. “Hell, I wish I coulda seen that…you in all your pissy glory, ready to lay the beats down. I bet you were a sight.”
“Not the point, Dex.” I can’t keep a straight face, my own laughter breaking through. “I can hold my own, just so you know.”
“I have no doubts, darlin’, I have no doubts.” He shakes his head and wipes a tear from the corner of his eye. “Listen. Til and I had been talking about selling the place for a while, as you know. I’d talked to Joe and Brody first, seeing if either of them was interested in takin’ it over, but they’re both happy just working as mechanics and aren’t looking for more right now. I only listed it to see if I’d get any bites, and I wasn’t expecting any so fast. Next thing I knew I was meeting Hendrix, saw the fire in his eyes, and he agreed to all my terms. It just became final a couple days ago. I accepted the offer, agreeing to have him partner up with me for a year before I relinquish the whole thing to him. He’s okay, Trin. He’ll keep the place the way we built it, he’ll uphold the name. He’s a good guy. Just give him a chance.”
“He seems like an idiot, if you ask me,” I snort, crossing my arms over my chest like a bit of a spoiled child, admittedly.
“Is that ’cause he’s good looking?” He looks at me, his eyes twinkling.
“Dex! God, no. He’s rude and big and has tattoos and smells like a player…” I look up to find Dex staring at me, a knowing grin splayed across his bearded face.
“Well, Tillie told me he was one attractive man and that I’m lucky I’m as irresistible as I am, otherwise he’d be giving me a run for my money. Then she mentioned maybe you two might hit it off,” he chuckles.
“No, thank you! Remind me to call off the dogs. There’s no way I need that in my life.” I’ll need to have a word with my loving aunt.
He raises his hands in defeat. “You’re right. The last thing I want is a soap opera up in here. Glad we’ve got that sorted.”
By the end of our conversation, any ill feelings or thoughts I had about the situation are gone. I can’t believe Dex would go so far to make sure that the sale of his business wouldn’t impact my life at all. What’s more, I can’t believe I doubted him in the first place.
It’s also not lost on me that a man like Hendrix was so accommodating to a virtual stranger in agreeing to the deal. Maybe—just maybe—he’s not a complete ogre after all. But I quickly tamp down those thoughts, because there’s no way I’ll allow myself to get close enough to find out. Ever.
15
Hendrix
It’s only my second week working at Ignition Inc., and I gotta say I fucking love it here.
The place is a well-oiled machine. Joe and Brody are wicked mechanics, and we’re really starting to mesh well together. Business is steady and with the clients that have followed me from my old job at Wheel Wizards, I’m guessing things will only get busier. Flynn has taken me under his wing, showing me all the aspects of the business side of things, and has allowed me to take over a few of the management tasks to break me in. We’ve decided that we may want to look into hiring another mechanic, too, something he’s putting me in charge of.
The only downside to this place is Trinity. I can’t get this chick out of my head nor can I get her to utter more than five sentences to me. My first week here, I barely saw her, seeing as I was so busy. A part of me thinks it was deliberate on her part, too. Seems she managed to work her schedule around mine. I’ve made a mental note to ensure I work the exact same shifts as her. You know, just to get to know her like I have all the other staff.
Earlier this week, I decided to offer Trinity an olive branch, a means to bury the hatchet, if you will, since she’s refused to warm up to me. There’s nothing hotter than a girl that’s hard to get, and she has proven herself that. Part of me that thinks she’s enjoying this one-sided game of Silence Wars she’s got us playing, so I decided to up the ante and do something over the top to show her that I’m not actually the asshole she thinks I am, that working together could be a lot of fun if only she’d give me a chance and accept my apology. I thought it would be nice to send her some flowers at first, but since
I’m not really a flowers kind of guy, I opted for something more unique, something she might get a kick out of. I found one of those fancy chocolate places that do custom orders.
Boy, was I wrong about her reaction…dead wrong. I did, however, find her response exciting as hell, especially when she came storming into my work bay fuming mad. I almost keeled over laughing…
“Hendrix!” she yells, stopping right in front of where I was working at my bench, a carburetor and its parts spread all over. “You really are an asshole, aren’t you?” she asks, her face flushing with anger as she waves the plastic-wrapped chocolate tire irons around, giving me a piece of her mind. “You think this is funny?”
One of the little purple ribbons detaches from the cellophane and drops to the shop floor.
“I do,” I smirk back, watching her tits bouncing under her white tank top as she flaps the chocolate tools at my face, continuing to tell me off.
“You are not looking at my boobs right now!” she shouts, and believe me, it takes a lot of restraint not to shut her mouth with mine as she goes on and on about respectful working conditions, and how normal bosses don’t do this immature shit.
“Sorry, I don’t mean to stare, but they’re eye-catching. Kinda like you,” I say, regretting the words as soon as they fall out of my mouth.
This is not going the way I had planned at all.
“Jesus, Hendrix, you’re a harassment lawyer’s wet dream,” she says behind a small grin, one she tries to hide.
“I know, Fruitloop. It was supposed to be funny, and I’m sorry, but you’re beautiful, can’t help lookin’,” I say, shrugging, trying to appease her.
“Stop. Just stop,” Trinity calls out, raising her hand. Unfortunately, all I can do is start chuckling again at how fucking adorable she is, standing there giving me a piece of her mind, paying no attention to the guys watching from their bays or any customers who might be lurking around.
“Well, it’s the truth. You’re smok—”
She cuts me off.
“Stop right there. I’m about to shove these so far up your ass, Hendrix Hills. It isn’t funny, and I don’t accept. Keep your gifts, you big jerk,” she says, whipping four of them at my head before stomping off.
“Well, this is gonna be fun to watch, Hen,” Brody laughs. “Trinity just handed you your ass on a plate. She doesn’t take anybody’s shit. Man…good luck with that.” He continues to chuckle as I stand there, stunned, watching every jiggle her retreating backside makes.
“Lunch is here!” Brody calls, shaking me from my thoughts and tossing me a white deli bag.
“Thanks, man.”
“Don’t thank me, it was Trin. She dropped them off before she left for the afternoon. She usually brings us lunch on Fridays,” Brody shares before biting into his ham on rye, lounging on one of the stools he’s pulled out from under the workbench.
Huh. And she got me lunch, too? Maybe there is hope? Maybe the Starbucks I left her this morning helped, but probably not.
“I’d try and thank her if I didn’t think she’d try to bite me.”
“At this point, she just might,” Brody teases, wiping his mouth.
“That’s all right. It’s only temporary. I’m determined to win her over no matter how long it takes. I really am a great guy once you get to know me. Charming as fuck,” I laugh, thinking about what a pain this girl is being, even though I’ve been going out of my way to apologize. I swear she secretly loves watching me grovel.
“Yeah, she’s not a big fan of yours yet, eh?” Joe asks, walking over to join us. “Not sure you’ll win that one over. She’s pretty self-contained so good luck with that,” Joe adds, giving Brody an odd glance and making me feel as if I’m missing something, before he bites into his pita.
“What’s her deal, anyway? She always such a pain in the ass, or am I the lucky target?” I ask them. Despite Brody being married to her cousin, Nadia, and Joe being her cousin, I was hoping maybe they’d give me some insights. I want to know what makes her tick, what makes her happy. I wanna get to know the things that piss her off and the ones that make her smile, too. Besides, she’s too fucking nice to look at, so it would be a win-win to at least wear her down a bit to the point where she doesn’t want to rip my head off with a tire iron—chocolate or otherwise—every time I’m near her.
Looking between them, Joe nods, and Brody says, “She’s been hurt in the past, has her guard up high around new people. And you pissed her off, so that puts you on her shit list, despite your valiant efforts.” He chuckles. “I can’t believe you sent her tire irons. You’re such an idiot.” Brody shakes his head, and Joe laughs right along with him at my expense.
“Whatever. I’ll get her to like me. Just wait,” I add before taking a bite of my roast beef sandwich.
Everyone had, of course, heard about our chance meeting and had been watching me trying to suckhole around this maddening woman all week. They all thought my gesture had been a nice touch at the time, a good way to show I was sorry, despite them throwing it in my face now. Unfortunately, everything I do seems to have the reverse effect with her. Trinity Adams is a little firecracker and I can’t wait to set her off, over and over again. I just gotta get her to actually talk to me, because she hasn’t said a word to me since the chocolate debacle, and that was four days ago. Since then, even though she’s been avoiding me, I see her watching me, and fuck if I don’t like it.
Now to figure out how to make her let me in, to see that I wasn’t trying to be a dick the night we first met, that maybe we could be—I don’t know, maybe…friends? Jesus, I’m not sure what to expect from her. It’s not like I’m looking to become buddies with some chick, but for some reason I feel as though us being in each other’s lives is in the greater plan. I’m drawn to her and, I’ll admit, I’m curious about my Fruitloop, too.
“Whatever you do, you better not hurt her. She’s been through enough. Trin doesn’t need any more stress in her life,” Joe says, and I know it’s the protective cousin thing coming into play, so I let the implied threat slide. We finish up our lunch spending the next forty-five minutes shooting the shit about everything from the Jays to the next few jobs we have lined up.
“How long before the McAllister restoration’s done?” Flynn calls from the glass door separating the offices from the work area, effectively ending our downtime. “Hendrix, come get me up to speed when you’re done eatin’.”
I’ve been working on that complete overhaul of Greyson McAllister’s ’54 Chevy Bel Air as my first big project, and it’s been a real bitch. But with Brody’s and Joe’s help, we’re killing it. After cleaning up, I make my way to Flynn’s office, where I lean against the doorway and knock despite the door being open.
“Come on in, son. Have a seat.” He juts his chin at the chair in front of his desk.
“Okay, tell me. Where are we with the McAllister job?”
“Not much longer. Maybe another week at most, Flynn. I’ve got my buddy Cannon working out some paint details over at his shop. We need to get that guy to leave Wheel Wizards and come work for us,” I tell him, because it’s true. Cannon would be a definite asset around here.
“Agreed,” he says, “there’s gotta be something we can offer to get him to make the move.”
“I’ll try to convi—” I’m cut off by the ringing of Flynn’s desk phone.
“Shit, it’s Trinity. I’ve got to get this,” he says, picking up the receiver. “Hey, darlin’, what’s up? I’m in a meeting.”
A strange desire to hear her voice washes over me, but I quickly dismiss it. I’ve got a date tonight and that’s what I should be thinking about, not some chick that snubs me at every turn.
“You sure you’re okay?” Flynn asks, and I want to ask him what’s wrong with her, but I don’t. I try to pretend I’m not listening in. “Look…okay, yeah. You sure? Alright, sit tight. I’ll be there soon, sweetheart. I told you to let Joe look at it last week, so I’m not happy. It’s getting a complete tune-up, I
hope you know.” Ending the call, he stands. “Got to be the most stubborn woman I know…” Flynn mutters, reaching for the tow truck keys. I couldn’t agree more.
“Everything okay?”
“That shitbox car of hers broke down at the Walmart over on Centennial. She had an appointment in the plaza there. Thinks it’s just the battery, but I’m guessing it’s the alternator. I’m gonna head out and grab her.”
“I’ll go.” I lean over and grab the keys before he can. “Might help get me into her better books.”
“Not sure that’s the best idea, kid. She was pretty pissed about those chocolates. Was in here checking on our harassment policy after she admitted all the things she wanted to say to you,” he barks, laughing. “For some reason, you’re high up on her shit list. Funny, never seen her react that way to anybody before.”
“I can handle her,” I say, heading out the door.
“Well, good luck, kid,” he calls. “You’re gonna need it.”
16
Trinity
Every Friday for the last year-and-a-half, I’ve attended group therapy.
It was Lindsey—whom I met at The AIDS Network—who convinced me that it would be good for me to have a place where I could vent and share my feelings, and to listen to others who were walking in my shoes. She described it as a positive buffer to reduce stress, since people living with HIV can be impacted by different stressors than people with other chronic illnesses, because of the type of disease and the stigma. The group has been a blessing and I’ve built some great friendships with a few members in particular, but I feel respect for every person in the group. As Lindsey promised, it keeps me from feeling isolated. The best part is having a place to go where, no matter what someone discloses, seeks advice about or shares, it will be kept within our circle. Group therapy has also given me the opportunity to open up about my own fears and experiences, and to seek advice from others who share the same struggles, people who understand—who get it. It’s funny how quickly we can bond with people when we know they’re facing the same issues that we are, and most of all, when we know they won’t judge us. It’s not always easy, as we’ve lost a few members to the disease since I joined, but I couldn’t imagine my life without these Friday sessions. They’ve definitely had a positive impact on helping me adjust to living with HIV.
Tainted by Love Page 7