Dirty Men 03 - Rough Neck

by Dani Wyatt

  I hate the thought of leaving her, but a drill site with a bunch of rig workers is no place for a girl. And especially not my girl. It’s not that I couldn’t protect her, or that any of them would do anything to hurt her—they may be rough, but they aren’t that sort. It’s just one of the unwritten rules of a site like this: no women. We all have to work together, twenty-four hours a day, and it just upsets the balance of things to have one guy with his woman in tow while the rest of the crew goes without.

  “Fine.” She pouts. “I’ve grown a little attached to you, ya know.” She raises her fingers up to show me a tiny space between her thumb and forefinger.

  “Yeah? Good, because you’re stuck with me.”

  I lean over to give her a quick kiss.

  “Okay, I’m going to actually put on clothes today. How do you like me now?” She giggles, then hops off the counter and I have to admit I’m a little disappointed about the clothes. Seeing her run around naked for two days has been one of the highlights of my life and to see that ass covered up again is going to be a shame.

  “Oh, I like you alright.” I give her ripe, round cheek a quick smack as she sashays by me.

  You have no idea how much, my sweet Babygirl. No idea.

  “Hey!” She grins as she runs into the bedroom and I’m left on my own.

  I look out the window. The ice is nearly all melted, the ground back to dirt and my mind turns back to the work that needs to get done.

  Disappointment tugs at me again when I see a line of pickups with trailers coming into the gravel drive of the site.

  “What the fuck?” I grimace and throw my head back as I stomp to the trailer door and head outside to stand there, arms crossed over my chest, as the three trucks, each of them carrying three or four workers, park up and start to unload. A minute later, Tank is standing in front of me along with Henry and Archie, a couple of the new rough necks that rode with him. This is Archie’s first job and I don’t know much about him yet.

  “Why the fuck are you here?”

  Tank looks around and raises his hands. “Er, cuz we work here?”

  “No, I mean you weren’t supposed to be here until later.”

  “We missed you, boss.” He steps forward and gives me a friendly punch in the shoulder. “I thought you’d be happy. I called everyone last night, we all looked at the weather and it was all clear. So you know what we did? We headed out early. Things are already behind schedule and I know how you hate that. So here we are!”

  They all grin, standing in a row, hands in their pockets when all three of their heads snap up in unison like they’re some sort of comedy troupe.

  “Well, what the hell is this...” Tank busts out with a guy laugh and puts his hands over his mouth in mock shock. “A girl? On the site? No, that will never do, you old dog.”

  I’ve always been the one to instill in any of the new hands the code about no females on the site, but right now Tank’s attempt at humor is about to get him something he doesn’t want.

  “Hi there.” Archie steps forward, lowering his sunglasses onto the tip of his nose and before I can turn around I hear Dahlia.

  “Um, hi.” The hesitancy in her voice tells me she’s as surprised as I am by our sudden influx of company.

  Tank’s laughing his ass off, so’s Henry, but Archie is moving toward the trailer licking his lips and I do not like the look on his face.

  “I’m Archie. Who are you, beautiful?”

  I’m out of the gate and my locked arm hits Archie dead square in the chest. This newb is about to get schooled.

  “Back the fuck off.” I rumble as my eye starts to twitch and a fire ignites in my belly. “All of you turn the fuck around. Go set up your digs and do not come back over here until I call your asses back, are we clear?”

  Archie is regarding me coolly, a challenge in his eyes, but Tank and Henry have clearly decided it’s the wise thing to shut the hell up and keep their distance. But their eyes are still trained on the unfolding situation, and I am about to give them something to look at.

  “Fine piece of ass there, boss. Sure she’s not your daughter?”

  That’s the last thing Archie gets out before my fist connects with the side of his head. A second later he’s got a mouth full of dirt as he lands three feet away.

  I look around the yard. “Anyone else have anything to say?”

  The other workers are keeping their distance, watching what’s going on. At the sound of my voice, they all turn and find something else to occupy them.

  “I’ll get everyone organized.” Tank says, his voice even and calm, his eyes pinned on me. “I’m sure you’re going to be taking a drive someplace here shortly, yeah boss?” He clears his throat and nods.

  “Get to work.” I grunt as I turn and wave Dahlia back through the door.

  TWO HOURS LATER, I’VE got her secured in the cabin. I’ve looked all around. It’s a nice place, safe, and I’m only about forty-five minutes away.

  “You’ve got food, all your stuff from your car is in the bedroom.”

  She’s sitting cross legged on the couch, glaring at me.

  “Baby, you can’t stay at the site. It’s not a good place for you. I’ll be back though. Tonight.”

  “Just...” She sighs. “I don’t want you to go.”

  “I don’t want to go either, but there’s work I have to do. And didn’t you say you wanted to come up here and work on writing a book? You said you wanted to write that children’s book. You’ve got your laptop, plenty of quiet, no distractions—work on that, Babygirl. I’ll be here as soon as I can.”

  My stomach drops, knowing on a drill site shit can happen and you have to get the work done. Sometimes it doesn’t happen on the timeline you’d like.

  “Did you bring my phone in?”

  “Yes. It’s in the bedroom. We haven’t tried it since yesterday morning, maybe it will come on. If not, just use the spare.” I gave her my spare phone, so we can text and call if we need to. I want to know she’s okay, every minute of every day.

  “Come here, Daddy.”

  She knows by now that’s my fucking kryptonite.

  “What can I do for you, baby?” I walk over and crouch down to where she’s sitting, and her arms immediately go up and around my neck. My already half-hard dick rises to full height in an instant, nearly breaking in half in this position.

  “Stand up. Right here.” She points a finger to the floor and my balls tighten. She’s taken quite a liking to worshiping my cock with her mouth and god damn if she’s not got a mouth on her.

  “On one condition.” I swipe my hand from the top of her head down her hair, twirling it between my fingers.

  “What’s that?”

  “You come on my fingers first, then I’ll feed you what you need.”

  Her eyes sparkle. In the last few days, she’s taken to my fingers and I can’t think of many things in this world that bring me greater joy that feeling that gush of liquid that fills my hand when I hit that perfect spot inside her and she cums so hard she nearly passes out.

  “I’ll take that deal.” She wiggles her ass on the floor as my hands both tangle in her hair.

  “Hurry up, take those pants and panties off and let’s get this party started.”

  She’s up on her knees in a flash, winking at me as her hands work the button on her pants.

  Her enthusiasm and desire for me makes my heart swell and the words I’ve been thinking for days spill out.

  “Fuck, I love you Babygirl. I fucking love you.”

  She giggles and kisses me on the nose.

  “I love you too Daddy. I know, it’s crazy, but I really do.”

  An hour and two orgasms each later, I’ve finally got myself out the door and on my way to the truck.

  I leave her standing in the doorway waving and my heart is never going to be the same.

  N I N E

  Dahlia

  THE NEW DEADBOLT ON my bedroom door makes a klunk sounds as my father locks me in. I
t’s pitch dark and lonely as the last cell in Alcatraz.

  By the time my dad’s hired guns arrived at the cabin I was dozing on the couch, waiting for Davis to come back. I heard the front door open, and in my stupidity got all excited thinking that he was there. He had texted that he wouldn’t get there for a couple more hours, but I just figured he couldn’t stay away from me and had come back early. I bounced through to the living room, already wearing my happy face.

  My heart sank when I saw it was two of my father’s paid muscle dead-heads, there to take me home and back to my indentured servitude and upcoming nuptials.

  Sylvia was there waiting when I arrived, her eyes red rimmed because she was so worried about me. I’d been gone three days. The Mercedes had a security tracker in it and once the ice cleared my father sent his goons looking for me. Knowing that if the car was on that road, I was surely here in the cabin.

  The soreness between my legs reminds me in every sob of Davis. How foolish I was to think I could just fly off and start some sort of new life after knowing him a few days. Meet some white knight on the side of the road and be transported away from my gilded prison.

  I lie in my bed, losing track of time, seconds becoming minutes becoming hours. I know it’s early morning when I hear a key in the lock and the door opens. I don’t move my face from the pillow, sure it’s my father coming in to make some demand or lecture me again about family loyalty.

  “Sweet.” Sylvia’s soft voice breaks into my melancholy. “I brought you your favorite.”

  She comes in with a tray full of Oreo’s and and two enormous glasses of milk. Over the years, this has been something we share. We sit in my room, dunking the dark chocolate cookies and talking about anything. I love her so much and the thought that my father is now holding me hostage by threatening to turn her into I.N.S. punches me in the gut.

  “I’m not hungry.” I turn my head away. She doesn’t know of my father’s threats. She’s never shared with me her status and I don’t care. I just could never let her go through that.

  “Oh, you don’t need to be hungry to eat Oreo’s and milk.”

  She places the tray onto the bed and takes her seat next to me. I flop over onto my back, pondering my fate while still feeling all the tingling and wonder left in my heart and body by Davis.

  But when I hear her dunking an Oreo... even in my melancholy state I can’t resist. I scoot up and join her, in silence at first. Then finally, I break open in sobs and tell her everything about the last three days and the man I still can’t believe I fell for, ass over teakettle, so fast.

  “Oh, sweet. It can happen that fast. That’s the best kind of love, you know? That kind that swoops in before you can think twice and takes you to all those wonderful places. It doesn’t take time always to find love, some people just have fate and destiny on their side. Serendipity. Let your father calm down, explain this to him as you did to me. He can’t force you to marry that Petrov boy. It will all work out. What’s the worst he can do? Kick you out?”

  I don’t dare tell her what he’s holding over me, as I know Sylvia would take the fall for me in a heartbeat and I can’t allow that to happen.

  My head spins. My chest aches. I’m trying to figure out any way out of this mess, but everywhere I turn there seems to be a wall. If I run away again, if I could even get out, Sylvia would pay. If I marry like I’m supposed to, I’ll lose Davis forever. I could try to talk to my father...

  Never mind. That’s the worst option of all.

  Sylvia and I eat the cookies until we are both nearly sick and I tell her more than I probably should have about the time I spent with Davis.

  “You’re glowing.” Sylvia brushes my hair back from my face.

  “It’s called ugly cry afterglow, Syl.”

  “No, sweet. It’s more. It’s love. Nothing looks like love but love.”

  She gathers up the empty milk glasses onto the tray and stands. The ache in me won’t stop and I can’t imagine living with this feeling forever.

  Sylvia nods her head toward the bedroom door.

  “Come on downstairs. Your father went to his room. I don’t care if I get in trouble for letting you out. Your father’s a terrible man, Dahlia. I’ve known that for years. And then when your mother left and didn’t want you to come with her, so sad for you, sweet. Such a beautiful, lovable girl to come from two cold hearts. Only reason I stayed was you. Let’s go.”

  I reluctantly slink out behind her, wearing my baggiest pair of jeans and a grey zip-up hoodie. I know my father would be so proud of his princess and her fancy clothes.

  In the kitchen, I hop up onto the counter and watch Sylvia work. My eyelids are swollen and heavy. My head is pounding and I can’t think beyond the next minute. I never knew what a broken heart felt like, but now that I do I can’t imagine this pain ever going away.

  T E N

  Davis

  THE ENGINE OF THE TRUCK screams as I punch the accelerator and pass two semis. I’m on the wrong side of the road heading to Lubbock, but I don’t care. All I care about is her.

  When my phone rings a part of me hopes it’s her, that I was wrong and she’s back at the drill site.

  Please let that be the truth.

  Looking at the rectangular monitor in the dash though, I see it’s Aunt Becky. I need to talk to her, too, so I hit accept. Even in my crazed state, I need to wrap up a few details I started with her late last night.

  Before my life upended. Before I realized that everything in my life hinged upon a future that included Dahlia.

  And that she was gone.

  When I got back to the cabin around three AM, it was empty. I spent the next hour figuring out where she lived from some emails and her father’s rather high-profile name. Then I had to make some phone calls to the company. Get a new boss up and running to handle things while I was gone. Tank rose to the challenge, and I was on the road. I’ve got to find her and I’m sure it’s that piece of shit of a father that came and ripped her from my life.

  “Hello.” I keep my tone as even as I can while swerving back into the correct lane and pushing the truck to near ninety.

  “Hi.” Her chipper tone reminds me that, as of last night when we spoke, all she knew was I had found my ‘one’, and her call to offer me half the family land and the old creek house in exchange for helping her out a bit more. At the time that was the biggest thing on my mind.

  “Hey, Beck, how you doing?”

  “Okay, so we have a deal then? So funny how things happen. You calling me right when I was getting ready to call you. I’ve got all the paperwork in order here, Davis. Just need you to come and sign and I can’t say thank you enough for taking this on. I never wanted to be a burden to anyone.”

  “Stop.” I soften. “You are not a burden, Aunt Beck. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

  Before her call, I wasn’t certain what I was going to do. I knew I needed Dahlia in my life, but I also knew my life on the road wasn’t going to make the sort of life she deserved. Then I had a brainwave, called Beck and the pieces fell into place. But now, the only thing I can think about is finding Dahlia and making her safe.

  “Well, you just let me know when you can be here. I’ve put a call into the agency and they will send over some full time live in candidates for me, but, well, I don’t know, Davis. I’m just going to have such a hard time trusting a stranger to move in and help me. This is so hard. I need your level head and another set of hands until I get all these arrangements made. I’m so sorry, it’s hard being like this. Not able to take care of myself anymore.”

  “Beck, we will work it out. But right now, I’ve got a couple urgent issues that have come up. So I’ll be in touch as soon as I can. You okay for now?”

  “Yes, I’ll be fine. Just going to take it easy. Louise from my bridge club is going to stay with me for a couple days.”

  “Great. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  “Thanks, Davis. I’m so thankful to have you.”


  We click off with a quick goodbye and I’m coming up on the Lubbock exit that will take me to Dahlia’s father’s house.

  And right now I’m ready for anything.

  WHEN I SLAM ON MY BRAKES and throw the truck into park at the door to the house, I’m itching to rip flesh from bone, if only to settle my stomach. I hope Dahlia is here. It’s the address I found for her father, but this place is more castle than home.

  I’m on the closest door and I don’t knock. I can’t afford to give them any sort of warning. I try the handle but it’s locked.

  I work my way around the back of the house. There are windows everywhere, but I have no way of knowing I’m even in the right place for sure. It’s early morning, the sun is just starting to heat up the day, but my heart is racing and I’m sweating already.

  I’m half crazed by the time I stomp through some bushes and come to a stone patio and a wide expanse of windows. Another door here leads into the house, but I’m starting to question myself. What if this isn’t her house? Then what? I don’t know where to go next and if I don’t find her, I’m going to lose my mind.

  I come up next to the windows and blood rushes in my ears.

  There she is. Sitting on the counter of a center island in a kitchen. Her head is hanging low and there’s a woman with her, speaking to her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. But there is sadness in her eyes, too. How many people has Dahlia’s father upset?

  I don’t wait, I crack my knuckles against the window, shaking it in its frame, and Dahlia and the other woman’s heads both snap around. I point to the door with a nod.

  “Now! Open this door!” I shout, not caring who hears. She’s in there and that’s where I need to be.

  Dahlia’s off the counter and at the door in a flash.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “What the fuck do you think?”

  I lean down and kiss her hard, holding her head between my hands before tucking her under my arm, much the same way I did at the coffee shop that first day.