Trick

by Laramie Briscoe

  “I love you too, kiddo.” His voice is hoarse, like he hasn’t spoken the words in a long time.

  Riley beams up at him from where we sit. “I know, now can you puh-lease finish my hair so we can go?” She turns to me, giving me a look.

  I’m stunned but go back to fixing it. In the next minute, my world turns on its axis again when Trick stands in front of me. “In case I’m not here by the time you get back…” he’s dangling a key from his fingers. “Yours to keep.”

  “Th…Thank you,” I force between my lips.

  He leans down, kisses me on the cheek, and speaks in my ear. “I’m gonna have to leave here before I lose my shit, but know I’m gonna visit you this afternoon.”

  The implication of what he’s saying makes my cheeks burn. “I’ll be waiting.”

  “Have a good day at school, Sprite,” he waves at Riley as he gets up to leave.

  “You have a good day too, Trick. Love you,” she blows him a kiss with her palm.

  He turns around, pretending to catch it as he smacks his cheek with the palm of his own hand. “Got it, you be good.” He doesn’t say it back to her, but I know it’s going to take time, and she doesn’t mind, because immediately she starts jabbering to Tux.

  Me? I need a few minutes to process what’s happened, but I know it won’t come until I’m back here with a few hours of quiet time under my belt. Just let it happen, I tell myself. I snap the barrette in her hair, hoping like hell it doesn’t break before the end of the day.

  “You ready?”

  “Yup,” she gets up, grabbing her stuff as she goes.

  “You sure you don’t want me to bring anything to your party at school?” I ask one more time as we prepare to head out the door.

  “Sure,” she nods. “If I can’t have chocolate covered peanut butter cups because Charlie has an allergy, then I don’t want anything.”

  I laugh, because I feel the same way. Like mother, like daughter.

  An hour later, I’m letting myself back into Trick’s apartment with my key. Who would have thought I’d ever say those words? Not me, at least not this early in our relationship at all. After I got divorced, I was the woman who always said I’ll never get married again. I’m not looking for a man, I don’t need a man, I’m going to work on me for a while.

  And I have been. I’ve been working on me for almost two years. I’ve devoted those two years to getting back on my feet, becoming independent, and figuring out what I want most out of life. The things I want have changed as each time I’ve met a goal, I’ve re-evaluated. Just like I’m doing now. I’ve made myself vulnerable with Trick, and while it scares me, it’s also something I had to do. I’m never going to move on if I don’t give a piece of myself to someone else. Trick is the only person I’ve wanted to open up to, so I’m going to go with it.

  My phone rings, not recognizing the number, I send it straight to voice mail. I know it’s not a bill collector, because for the first time in almost a year, I have my shit together. Sitting down, I glance at my to-do list, trying to prioritize what I need to do first, and what I have time to do before I’m interrupted or I have to go pick Riley up.

  Grabbing my phone to turn on my Spotify, I see the caller left a message, but I’ll check it later, it’s not a big deal. As long as it’s not school, I’m not going to worry about it.

  To-do list made, Caramel Macchiato at my side, and my favorite playlist blaring. I’m ready to get shit done.

  Trick

  I keep telling myself not to go upstairs, not to bother her. She has a job to do, just like me, and I wouldn’t appreciate it if someone interrupted me. It’s so tempting, knowing she’s a few feet from me. A flight of stairs and a door separate us. The apartment’s empty and we won’t have to worry about Riley for a few more hours.

  I’m hard just thinking about it.

  Like I-feel-like-I-could-break-my-skin so hard. It would be embarrassing if I didn’t need her so much. But just like Riley, Hadley’s become an important part of my life. When they told me about the program, I didn’t expect either one of them, and I surely didn’t think the little girl would be telling me she loved me. More than anything, I didn’t think I’d be telling her the same, but I do. She’s important to me, and she’s a blessing I never thought I’d have.

  That’s neither here nor there right now, because I know her mom is upstairs, alone for the next few hours.

  “Patrick, don’t make this all about you,” I warn myself, using my full name to give myself the worst admonishment I can.

  In other situations, in other relationships, I’ve been selfish. I put my own needs first, and it’s landed me in places I never want to go back to again. Sitting down on my stool, I try to focus on the bike in front of me, but immediately my thoughts turn to Hadley. Like a movie, the time we’ve spent together plays on a loop in my head. All the smiles, the sexy little smirk she gets once she knows she’s got me, the bashful blush covering her face when we start anything sexual, and then the way that blush transforms to a woman who knows exactly what she wants. I want everything about her, and I decide pretty quickly to close up shop for the rest of the day.

  The work will still be here in the morning, but there’s a part of me that wonders if Hadley will be. What’s going to happen when she wises up and realizes she’s too good for me? It hurts too much to think about, so I’ll enjoy the happiness I have, for however long I have it.

  27

  Trick

  Walking up the stairs to my apartment, I try to tell myself to keep this slow. Don’t go in there like a fucking caveman and haul her to the bedroom. I should be nice and seduce her, I haven’t done that yet. Who the hell am I kidding, I’ve never, not once in my life, seduced anyone, and I’m not even sure I’d be able to do it. For Hadley, though, I’d try. I know that without a shadow of a doubt. For her I would give anything a try.

  Love. The four-letter word Riley asked me about earlier comes to my mind. Does the willingness to try anything mean I love Hadley? The thought stops me right in the middle of the stairs. Loving Hadley is much messier than loving Riley and I’m not completely sure I want to admit how my heart feels or what my mind is pushing me towards. All I’m ready to admit is how much I physically want her, and how much my arms ache to hold her when she’s not around. Right now, it’s all I can give. Her or myself.

  When I enter my apartment, I have to grin because she’s jamming to rock music I never expected her to be listening to as she bobs her head, watching her pages print out. I don’t want to scare her, but I’m also enjoying the little show she’s giving me, this peek into her life, one I’ve not been privy to yet. Leaning against the door, I cross my arms and feet, settling in to watch what’s going down in front of me.

  She sings along to a song I recognize as one by Shinedown. One of my favorite bands. Glad to know we have that in common.

  “Fuckin’ hell,” she groans as she sees something on her computer screen.

  A scowl darkens her face, as she taps her fingers on the keyboard, and then starts moving the tips on the trackpad. “Line up, damn it.”

  This is a side of her I’ve never seen, and I’m loving it. “It’d probably respond better if you didn’t cuss it, I think it’s probably getting offended.”

  She jumps almost completely out of her chair as I make my presence known.

  “Shit!” she grabs her chest, as she eyes me like she wants to murder me. “You scared the ever-loving hell out of me.”

  “I was enjoying the show,” I grin. “You’ve got good taste in music.”

  She shakes her head. “I was always told rock wasn’t what girls listen to, but it’s the music of my soul.”

  “I grew up sneaking into concerts,” I shrug. “Actually, that’s why I did my stint in Juvie.”

  Her mouth gapes open. “Because you snuck into a concert?”

  “I have a hard time being kept out of places, what can I say? On top of that, I was drinking underage, I was belligerent to the officer who
arrested me, apparently told him to go fuck himself, and just a general nuisance. My mom wouldn’t come get me, so they hauled me off,” I run my hand through my hair. “Looking back on the shithead I was, I deserved it. But let me tell you, being in Juvie is no fun.”

  “How long were you there for?”

  “Couple of days until my mom finally came to get me. What they charged me with wasn’t anything that held time with it, but I had to do some community service. This wasn’t my first go-round.”

  I hate admitting all these things to her. It makes it look like I haven’t changed, I haven’t grown up. Putting voice to the things I’ve done in my past makes it seem as if I’m on this endless loop that never changes. More than anything I want her to see I have changed, I’ve made steps in my life to correct my wrongs and be a better person. I just keep getting in my own fucking way.

  “I’m not judging you, Trick,” she says softly as she takes a sip of her coffee and gets up.

  “I’m judging myself.”

  She walks slowly towards me, rolling her hips as she does. I’m ninety-nine percent sure she doesn’t realize she’s doing it and that’s what makes her sexy to me. Nothing Hadley Westin does is pre-meditated or meant to ensnare me in some sort of trap I’m not ready for.

  “Don’t,” she saunters up to me, grabbing my hand. “Don’t beat yourself up over a past you can’t change. More than anything, I’ve learned I can’t change my past. I can’t make the mistakes I’ve made go away. They’re there, regardless of how I wish or hope they aren’t. What I can do is work to be a better person for however many days I have left on this planet. That’s the only thing in my control. Nothing else matters, because I can’t control the way people react to me, the way they perceive me, or the way I make them feel. The only thing I can do is be a good person, love myself, and be a good example for my daughter.”

  “I’m not a good example.”

  “You weren’t a good example, but you’re a great one now. You’re building your business, you’re patient with her, you attend her piano lessons when you have no fucking clue what the hell it is she’s doing there, you carved a pumpkin with her, and took her to your shop. Whether you know it or not, you’re giving her the one thing money can’t, Trick, and that’s memories. Neither me nor her want anything more than your time and the ability to be in your life. None of that has to do with what you’ve done in the past.”

  “What I’ve done in the past is what brought you to me,” I remind her.

  She grins, stepping up, putting her arms around my neck. “Then that’s a blessing from God, because I swear to you, our lives have been a thousand times better since you walked in that room.”

  “So has mine,” I grip her around the waist, picking her up, putting her legs around me. I can’t have this heart-to-heart with her anymore, she can see too deeply into the real me. The shield I usually have in place slips a lot when she’s around.

  Squealing, she locks her feet around my waist. “I’ve never done it up against a wall before,” she whispers in my ear.

  Challenge. Accepted. I turn her around so her back’s to the door. “Against the door okay with you?”

  “Yes,” she giggles. “But I think the clothes are going to be a little bit of a problem.”

  “No problem at all,” I release her legs and tap her ass, motioning for her to put her feet on the ground. Once she’s got her feet under her, I snag the edges of her long-sleeve t-shirt, pulling it over her head. “Get where I’m goin’ with this?”

  “Sure do,” she reaches over, pushing her hands up my shirt, letting her nails score the flesh of my stomach as she lifts the material up and over my head. “You finish yours, I finish mine?”

  “Funny thing is, I was gonna try to seduce you since we have some time alone. You know, try to be sweet and romantic, not just fuck your brains out like I seem to have done every other time we’ve been together.”

  “You’ll hear no complaints from me about how you’ve treated me so far, but right now, for today, I think I want it hard and fast. I want the man who can’t keep his hands off me.”

  Her words send a shot of heat straight down to my groin. If that’s what she wants, then who am I to deny her? “Hold on tight,” I grab hold of her waist, and hoist her up against the nearest wall. I figured the door might be pushing it.

  Twining her arms around my neck, she pulls me close, fusing our mouths together. The kiss is a slow fuck of our mouths; tongues twining, breath combining, moans being eaten up by our need to be all up in each other’s business. Never in my life have I felt a kiss like this, have I felt the type of emotion in a kiss. It’s one hundred percent Hadley, and I fight not to let myself sink too deeply into the comfort of her arms and legs around me. There’s always a chance she’s going to wise up and realize I’m an ex-convict who has no business even being around her and Riley. The hours are counting down quickly to zero and I’m scared to death.

  “Where are you?” she asks as she pulls back from the kiss, gripping the hair on my head. “Don’t think about anything but me when I’m in your arms, because I can assure you, you’re the only thing I’m thinking about when you’re in mine.”

  It's a slap in the face as I realize I’ve been doing her a disservice by thinking ahead, assuming how we’re going to end, before we’ve even gotten there. It’s my damage, not hers, and at this moment, I tell myself I’m not going to look for the end of this. I’m not going to doom us until either one of us decides it’s over. I have to tell her.

  “Thinking about what’s going to happen to me when those hours hit zero,” I cup her face with my hands, pushing her body further into the wall to keep her steady, with my own. “Hoping like hell that doesn’t mean the end of us.”

  “Do you want it to be the end of us?” she asks, her eyes the bluest I’ve ever seen them, as clear as I’ve ever seen them.

  I shake my head, looking up at the ceiling because her eyes are too much for me. “No, I hope like hell it’s just the beginning, but I also understand what being with me means. I understand a thousand percent what I’m asking of you. I’ll never get rid of the label the courts gave me. I’ll always be an ex-convict.”

  She pulls my head down, forcing our gazes to meet. “And I’ll always be the woman whose husband left her to be with his secretary. I’ll always be labeled, in his circle, as the woman who trapped him in a pregnancy and hoped I’d trap him into the rest of a life-long marriage. Guess what, Trick? That doesn’t define me,” she grips my chin, and fuck if that doesn’t turn me on, too. “It used to define me, but you’ve shown me another way. What defines me now is the smile on my daughter’s face when she realizes we’re going to spend time with you, and the way you look at me when I enter a room. I’m not asking you for promises you can’t make. We’ve both been there,” she leans in, kissing me softly. “What I’m asking you for is the chance, the truth, and the understanding we’ll tell each other if this doesn’t work anymore. I want fucking honesty, and honestly…neither one of us can change our past. It’s labels and it hurts, but it’s not here between us, not right now.”

  There are no words for what she’s just told me. I can’t hold it together and speak, so I don’t.

  “And if you didn’t get what I was saying, I don’t give a shit about the zero hour. Once that’s over, which will be this week, because you’ve spent so much time with her, we can be free with one another. There won’t be anything held over our heads, even if it never was to begin with.”

  Just like that, I don’t want to talk to her anymore, I want to show her what she means to me. Blowing her mind is my only objective, and if there’s one thing about me, it’s I’ve got a one-track mind when there’s something I want to accomplish.

  Today. This afternoon. I want to accomplish rocking Hadley’s world.

  “Hang on, babe. It’s gonna be a wild ride.”

  28

  Hadley

  I wasn’t exactly prepared for what Trick had in mind when he said it was
going to be a wild ride. There were many things that ran through my head when I heard those words. What didn’t run through my head was him lifting me completely over his shoulders with my back against the wall, spreading my legs with his shoulders, and connecting his mouth to my core.

  “Oh Holy Jesus,” I gasp, reaching for something, anything to hang onto. There isn’t anything and I do my best not to think about how high up in the air I am. I’m short, he’s taller than I ever thought about being, and the only thing holding me here are his hands pressing against my thighs and his mouth against my pussy. If I die, it’ll be a hell of a way to go.

  He pulls his mouth back, grinning up at me. “Relax Hadley, I got this.”

  I’ve trusted him with a lot of things so far, and he’s managed to pass every test. Why not trust him here? Even if I do feel like I’m on display for the whole world to see. “Okay,” I tilt my head back against the wall and close my eyes.

  “Just enjoy it,” he whispers as he moves closer. “Take one of those hands you have plastered against the wall and rub it up and down your stomach. Feel your soft skin, how hot you are for this.”

  His voice is weaving a spell around me, making me do things I’ve never done before. But maybe that’s the advantage of having Trick in my life. He makes me think outside the box, makes me want to do things I’ve never done before. Listening to his soft words, I run the palm of my hand up my stomach, until I feel the edge of my breast.

  “Let go, Hadley,” he whispers again before I feel him back in between my thighs, tongue lightly stroking my clit.

  It feels good, especially when I run my palm over the slight swell of my breast and close two fingers around my nipple. As I close them around the pebbled skin, he uses two fingers to breach my tight tunnel. “Ohhhhh,” I moan as he plants his shoulders further against the wall, holding me up with his strength. Suspended like this is an arousal all on its own because I feel weightless, the only thing holding me there are his tongue on my clit and his fingers working the depths of my core. It forces me to focus on nothing but those sensations. “Fuuucccckkk,” I breathe out, using my other hand to grasp the hair at the back of his head, pulling him closer to me. I want to thrust against his tongue and his fingers, but I’m scared to fall. Instead I press my body further back against the structure holding me up and let him work me. I give over every aspect - except for my fingers squeezing my nipple - of my pleasure to him.