PowerLess_Anti-Hero Game

by Chelsea Camaron

  Including Aspen’s new boss.

  She had smarts, charm, and strength. It seemed everyone fell in love with her as soon as they met her.

  Too bad I didn’t have that in me.

  9

  Aspen—Hannah

  Two Days Later

  My foot moved up and down making the wheel spin and spin as my hands did the work. It was a rhythmic dance that soothed my soul.

  There were six items in the kiln firing, five on the shelves drying, and three ready to be painted. Somehow, I got myself backed up a bit, and learning to organize was a task I needed to take on.

  While I was scheduled and thorough with my routine, my creativity flared and a full set of matching serving dishes came out of my head. Four of them. These made me lose track of time a bit, but I was working now on getting caught up. I got lost in the colors, the form, and the design. I forgot time, orders, and everything but finishing the set. It felt good to forget my problems, forget my fears, and simply create.

  Pottery was an amazing therapy. To watch something form from a small clump of clay into a working piece of art never got old. Knowing it began as a concept in my mind long before I put the clay on the wheel and see it all come together under the fire of the kiln amazed me time and time again with every piece.

  This time out from my schedule wasn’t a smart move for me since I had these orders already placed, but I couldn’t deny the pull to make them. The creative spark inside me was too demanding this time. In my previous occupation, there was no creative process. I simply had a task to open pores, close pores, redefine skin tone, aid in redness reduction, freshen, lighten, and tighten. It was all done with chemicals, science, and time. My world now was suddenly filled with colors, shapes, and endless possibilities.

  I’d never thought about how artists in different creative jobs did it.

  Painting for one, if a painter was skilled at water color but broke the norm to do an oil painting once in a while, they felt the call to branch out. A way to broaden and grow a skillset. It made sense now. I had often wondered if one was good at something why change, but now it all made sense.

  Books were another example. An author could craft an excellent book that had you begging for more, but then switch to a different series for their next release. I often times got angry at having to wait for a new book with my favorite characters. Now, though, now I saw they needed to go where the inspiration led them. They didn’t switch because they wanted to anger people. No, something struck them and they needed to get it out of their heads. I understood it completely now.

  This was what happened with the dishes. I got lost in the creative process, and it felt fantastic. Sometimes I guess the artist inside has to go where the art calls them and not where the money may lie. While this may not have been the smartest move for my business given every penny mattered, I just couldn’t find the self-control to stop once I started.

  Self-control.

  Yeah, I didn’t have much of that. If I saw a cupcake, I was going to eat it. There was no talking me out of the impulse. I had a sweet tooth, and my curvy hips were proof of my inability to resist the good stuff and indulge in the good-for-me stuff.

  “Hannah?” Cora called out as I slowed the wheel slightly to look up at her.

  With every passing day, I was getting better at being Hannah. When I looked, my breaths caught in my throat, my foot completely stopped, and my fingers dug too far into the clay. This caused it to collapse, and only then did I look down at my work.

  Shit.

  It was a mangled piece of clay. Oh well. I’d scrape it off and start again. It wasn’t the first time I had to redo a piece, and I was certain it wouldn’t be the last.

  In fact, nothing mattered in this moment but the Adonis of a man in front of me. He captivated my attention. My breaths seemed to get lodged in my throat causing me to feel as if I was panting.

  My attention remained on the tall man standing next to Cora. He had this presence to him that demanded full attention. I couldn’t explain the power and pull. Dark hair the color of night, broad shoulders, strong form and tattoos coming out under his rolled sleeves. The sharp angles of his jaw made him look utterly attractive, and midnight blue eyes were something that entranced me. Never had I had such an instant attraction to anyone. There had been plenty of men who I found to be sexy, attractive, and lust worthy. But this man took the cake.

  Every part of me was on full alert. My body, my mind, everything focused completely on him.

  It took me a moment and from the small tip of his lip, he knew what had happened in the ten seconds of introduction. Who was I kidding, he already saw me fuck up a pot just from his appearance. From his stance and unaffected demeanor, I wasn’t the first woman to get lost in his mere presence. While he didn’t come off as cocky or arrogant about it, I was still flushed with embarrassment. He seemed confident and collected about the whole thing.

  “Yeah?” I replied, but couldn’t take my eyes off of the man in front of me.

  “This is Dane. He bought the turquoise and red bowl from the front window the other day.” She paused, maybe waiting for me to nod that I knew who he was, but hell he paid triple; of course I knew of him and that bowl. She continued, “He wants to talk to you about a custom set.”

  This was a common occurrence. In fact, most of my clients seemed to buy their first piece only to return shortly after and order a custom design of some sort. For him to give me this opportunity, I saw dollar signs. After all, he was willing to pay triple the price for one piece. I would make sure his custom set not only met but exceeded his expectations.

  “Great.” I rose, looked to my hands noting they were completely covered in mud and there was no way I could shake his hand. I held them up. “Sorry, I’m a bit muddy to shake your hand. Let me get cleaned up a bit and then we can talk.” I pointed to the very small table off to the side where I had a small office set up. “Have a seat and I’ll be right with you.”

  He nodded and moved, all the while Cora had a huge smile on her face. I just shook my head, cleaned up, and made my way back to the obscenely gorgeous man. Dane was currently sitting in the chair, his long legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles like he had all the time in the world.

  He was confident. Relaxed. There wasn’t a problem in the world for him. He studied the space, but something about him made it feel like he was in command of the room even though he had nothing to do with Fired Up except his purchases. He happened to be one of those kind of men. The kind who sucked the air out of the room when they entered. And they managed to be engaging, charismatic, sexy as sin, all without being pompous, arrogant, or cocky.

  Shaking off the nerves fluttering in my belly, I made my way over and sat on the roller chair that I used with my wheel. I felt his eyes on me following my every move, and my skin prickled.

  “Hi, Dane. What can I help you with?”

  When I looked up from grabbing a piece of paper and a pen, his face was split into a wide smile that once again threatened to take my breath away. His already attractive face took on an entirely new look, one that spoke of mystery and sexiness. Damn.

  “My mother loved the one I bought the other day. I’d like to get her a set of four smaller bowls for her oatmeal, which she has every morning, and a larger piece for the center of her dining room table.”

  I scratched all of this down on the paper as he spoke taking in every detail, all the while trying not to think about how his deep voice sent chills down my arms. When he didn’t speak, I looked back up at him. His teeth were perfectly straight and so white they would be perfect for any toothpaste commercial. Blinking, my mind thought about what he might taste like if we kissed. A thought it would be a strong mint with a hint of coffee. I shook my head to stop the crazy thoughts.

  “The same colors, correct?”

  “Yes.” The way his lips moved with that one word had my girly bits tingling. Shit, it had been way too long since I’d had a man. My mind went to thoughts of me saying ye
s over and over again under him. Yes, yes, yes. My panties were dampening, and I felt my face flush from one simple word. I was clearly losing it.

  I cleared my throat getting the frog out that decided to take residence. “Do you want them exactly the same with the red on the inside or do you want them mixed up?” Everyone had different styles, and whenever someone ordered a custom piece, they usually had their own thoughts that I tried to accomplish.

  “You can do anything you wish. The only stipulation is the colors.”

  “Right.” My hand scribbled some more on the paper. “It’ll take me a week or so to get it finished, and it’ll be four hundred for the set.”

  “Wow, and I paid three hundred for one pot.” He gave a half-smile that had me beaming.

  I smiled up at him. “Yeah, that one went for a bit more than I’d thought. Thanks for that.”

  His head shook like he was coming out of someplace and back to the present. “Worth every penny.”

  This warmed me from the inside out, and I really didn’t want this to be over. I wanted him to stay in that chair while I worked at the wheel, just for eye candy. How fucked up was that?

  “Great. I’ll have them done in seven days and ready for you to pick them up.”

  He eyed me, something was working in his depths that I couldn’t read. It took a bit, but I was patient. He obviously had something on his mind.

  “This may be forward, but can I take you to dinner tomorrow night?”

  Everything around me stopped for a moment. I couldn’t remember the last time anyone asked me on a date. And never by someone so hot. This gorgeous man wanted to take me out on a date. Me.

  “Why?” The word came out automatically, and I wanted to kick myself after. He smiled, but I shook my head. “Never mind.”

  “Hannah?” he said, grabbing my attention, but I didn’t turn to him. “Please look at me.”

  Slowly, I was able to meet his eyes. My face heated, and I was certain my cheeks were flushed every shade of red.

  What got to me were his eyes. They burned bright with desire—for me. Holy shit. “You’re beautiful, and the fact that you’re so flushed about it makes me hope you don’t have someone at home.”

  “No,” I whispered. There was no one at home; hell, there wasn’t anyone back in Philly. The dry spell was long for me. Home, the word hit me hard. I knew he meant it as a husband or live-in partner here in Colorado, but this wasn’t home. Except, thinking on it, I realized I didn’t have a home anymore.

  “I’d like to take you out. There’s a great steak place down the road, and I’d love to take you. No pressure. You intrigue me, your work is something special. I’d like to get to know the woman behind the wheel, so to speak.”

  The past few weeks flashed through my mind. Jolin. I breathed out deep trying to calm the thoughts. He wasn’t here, and this guy looked nothing like someone Jolin would associate with. He couldn’t know me. Right?

  But if he did know Jolin, why would he be asking for me to make pottery for his mother and taking me out to dinner? If he were working for that asshole, he wouldn’t go to this much trouble to get my attention.

  My instincts told me to blend in, and if I wasn’t in so deep with Jolin I would happily accept his invitation. If this was to become my new life, I should embrace it completely. Except, I wasn’t living a new life; this wasn’t real. It was all a cover to hide who I truly was and what I witnessed.

  The emotions were waging a war in my mind. My stomach was doing flip-flops.

  Out of the corner of my eye, Cora peeked around the corner, her eyes wide as she nodded her head emphatically. She wanted what was best for me, but hell if I knew what that even was at this point.

  “Tell you what.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a card—deep black with gold letters and numbers. “Here’s my number. Call me if you’d like to go.” He rose from the chair casually. “If you don’t, no worries; I’ll be here next week to grab the pottery.”

  He gave a nod of his head and was gone. The moment he left, I felt empty and hollow inside. How could that be? I didn’t even know the man, but suddenly I was homesick and the loneliness I had kept at bay was creeping up.

  “Call him!” Cora whisper shouted at me as soon as Dane cleared the door.

  “I don’t know…” I trailed off, not knowing where to go. I deeply wanted to go out with him; he was attractive and there was a spark between us. But that fear I’d had over the last few weeks weighed heavy on my shoulders.

  I’d moved on with my life. Built a life. Built a career. Had a home that was safe and clean. Wasn’t it too soon to let a man into my life? My past could never be talked about. What the hell could I talk about? Pottery? That’d make me boring as hell.

  “Woman. He is hot. If I were you, I’d snatch him up before some other woman grabs him.”

  My teeth chewed on my bottom lip as my mind raced.

  “I need to get back to work.”

  Cora’s shoulders slumped as she nodded and walked away. Dammit.

  I went back to work. The phone on the desk kept calling me, taunting me, and even in my mind daring me to pick up the receiver.

  Shit. Should I? It was just a date. One date.

  It couldn’t hurt.

  An hour later, I made my way over to the phone and punched in the numbers.

  One date with a hot man. What could go wrong?

  10

  Dane

  I was rather surprised to receive the call from her. For a moment, I had wondered if I was too forward. Time had never been on my side, so forward or not, I had to press on to see where I could make some progression with Aspen. In the end, my charm won and she called to accept my invitation to dinner tomorrow night.

  Time wasn’t always my friend. Especially when it seemed that my job was changing daily. Freeman sent me a message. Albeit vague and brief, I was to keep an eye on her, but not yet turn her over to him. It changed everything.

  This left me in a precarious position. The town was too small for me to remain here idly. Someone would be sure to find a pattern in my behaviors and pick them apart. One thing in my world, you never stayed on a job too long. Get in, get out; it was the only way to survive. The longer I lingered, the more risk to being exposed.

  All the focus required with every move I made always left me slightly homesick. When I was back in Lancaster, I didn’t have to look over my shoulder. In Pennsylvania, I could relax in my home with my family and friends who knew what I did and accepted me anyway. There was no judgment or criticism, only unconditional support. It was the only place where I could just be.

  Home, thinking of it put everyone I cared about on my mind.

  Going through my contacts, I first dialed Onyx. He and I had always been close. Luckily for me, he understood what I did, never judged me and never asked questions. I had been at the foster home about a week when Onyx arrived. He was angry and so was I. The connection we had wasn’t some spoken thing drowning in adolescent feeling. No, we bonded learning to survive in a special kind of Hell.

  “Dane, good to know you’re alive. You missed a meeting,” he answered, mocking me.

  “Those aren’t really my thing, and you know it.”

  We both laughed.

  “Ellen Sue is a bit worried. You know she only handles your absence for a two-week period before the mother hen in her has her up later than usual. Of course, she hasn’t spoken any of this out loud.”

  “Then how can you blame me? Maybe she needs some time off. There are four of us and one of her. She bounces from house to house.”

  “You can be the one to convince her to take time off. I’m not about to tell her what to do. She’s not too old to whoop our asses or at least give us that Ellen Sue glare. And the way Torryn and her get along, she would set my woman against me. Nah, man, I like pussy too much.”

  I sighed happily for him. “What’s Ellen Sue doing that has you saying it’s me?”

  “She told Torryn we need to have a baby, so sh
e has something more to do since you seem to be staying away longer and longer. She misses you. I like having Torryn all to myself, man. Not ready to share.”

  I laughed. “Ya selfish bastard, give the old lady another grandchild. She’s been overjoyed spoiling Keaton.” Keaton was Pax and Laurel’s son and the light of Ellen Sue’s life.

  “Look man, you haven’t been here. Torryn and I babysat for Pax to take Laurel on a date. The little shit had this explosion. Who knew a baby could poop that much, really? We see a lot of gross shit, man, but holding it and smelling it, then cleaning it… especially because Torryn wanted Ellie here too and it was like double trouble. Nope, we can wait for a little bit.”

  I found the whole thing amusing. “Anything from the meeting I need to know?” I took the conversation back to business because I still had other matters to attend to.

  “We got everything covered here. You just do you and come home when you can.”

  “Thanks.”

  There was a pause. Something most would consider an awkward silence. For us, it wasn’t. It was an unspoken bond. I squeezed my hand around the Zippo lighter in my pocket.

  “Talk soon, Dane.”

  “Yeah, man,” I replied as we both hung up.

  He was family. This single call grounded me and reminded me I had something to return to.

  From there, I scrolled through my contacts and called Link.

  “Damn, two calls in less than a month; has Dane Anderson suddenly decided to become social?” he answered on a laugh.

  “Social, I’m not. In need of information from someone I can trust, well mostly.”

  “Gotta be up front, kinda booked right now. If it’s an intensive search, I can’t promise you much. Ven took a job, and it’s giving him more trouble than he expected. Nix and I are trying to aide him without having to leave camp, but I can’t promise I won’t be mobile in the next few days for my brother.”