by Quinn
I had a type, and she was it. Women who caused more problems in my life. I’d managed to avoid them since my ex had decided I was not good enough for her, that she was too good, too beautiful for some blue collar roughneck.
Victoria was the love of my life in college, up until I realized she’d only seen me as a possible meal ticket. Football ran in my veins. My father had a short stint as a Pro player back in his days, and I’d been only too happy to get into the best College Football team when a scout had spotted me duringin one of my best games.
Victoria had caught my eye the first night I met her. I was young and horny and stupid. For a couple of years, I thought we’d be together forever. I was that schmuck who believed in love. Victoria had painted sunshine and blue skies with fucking rainbows. I was twenty when shit fit the fan. All too soon, after a vicious on-field hit, my football career was over. Sayonara to a bright future in sports. It hadn’t taken Victoria long to show her true colors soon after. My life shattered, and she stomped all over the pieces.
And I learned my fucking lesson.
Since then, whenever I had to scratch an itch, a night with a random woman would do. The rest of my days were spent on the rig or building my house. No woman would ever walk all over me again, particularly ones who wore expensive shoes with red soles. No matter how gorgeous and tempting Ainsley was, I had to stop letting her affect me.
When I walked into The Wonky Donkey, a hole in the wall pub owned by an expat, in a comfortable shirt and well-worn jeans, I knew practically everyone’s name, and had either worked with each man or slept with almost every woman. Most of The Wonky Donkey’s patrons came from the US, Canada, mainland Mexico and even France. But my eyes zeroed in on one in particular. She swept her hair over one shoulder, exposing smooth skin, tempting me to come nearer. Have a taste of temptation.
Swearing under my breath, I stopped by the bar and before I could greet the bartender, he handed me a cold beer. Avoiding temptation with the fiery red hair, I headed to a group and clapped the man of the hour on the shoulder. “Hey, Jack! Happy Birthday, man.”
He slurred a thanks and asked, “You wanna play the next round?”
“Nah, I don’t want to embarrass you on your birthday.”
“I’ll play the next one.” Her voice should not be that familiar to me. It should not sound soothing or sexy or should not make my cock twitch. Ainsley appeared by Jackson’s side with a beer in her hand. One sleeve of her green shirt fell below her shoulder, and the whole shirt stopped just above her belly button, exposing more skin. I didn’t care what else she had on, for me, she might as well be naked. That soft-looking skin of her stomach caused me to salivate, calling to me. I chugged the whole beer in one go but kept my eyes on her. Unfortunately, she was staring at me too. So much for seeming unaffected.
“Hey, Reed!” Stephanie, one of the girls who worked at HQ snaked her hand around my left arm, and I couldn’t help but rejoice at the slight twitch in Ainsley’s eye. “We didn’t think you were coming.” Stephanie had been trying to get me to hook up with her since we first met. She was cute but she reminded me too much of my sister. And she was Jackson’s little sister. I wouldn’t touch her with my ten-foot pole even if she was the last woman on earth.
But with Ainsley around, it was hard not to play a little. What could I say? She brought out the jerk in me. “Hey, gorgeous, why wouldn’t I show up? Wouldn’t want to miss your cute ass.” Stephanie giggled and her hand around my arm tightened, thank God Jackson seemed sauced enough to notice me flirting with his sister. Ainsley on the other hand, witnessed all of it, but this time, she did not let on.
She turned away and talked with other women from the office. I felt like a fool. I peeled Stephanie’s hand off me and made an excuse to get another drink. When I got to the bar, Jon the bartender leaned over, handing me another bottle. It was safe to say I’d frequented this pub. It was a hole in a wall and rarely do we see tourists in here despite Cozumel being one of the busiest ship ports. They knew my name, my drink and my business. Secrets spread faster than the local news here in the island.
“Hey, Reed. That hot new chick? What’s the deal on her?” Jon asked.
I had to grip the edge of the bar in order to keep my hands away from his throat. I shrugged. “New HSO at Meridian.”
He pulled at the ends of his stupid ass beard, which he had been growing since puberty. “So what’s her story? She with someone?”
Yeah, me, I wanted to say, but I kept that to myself as it surprised even me, and asked him for shots for the group. Stephanie stepped up while Kyle was pouring drinks in rows of The Wonky Donkey shooters.
“Oh can I have one?”
“Sure, sugar tits.” She giggled. I didn’t know what it was. I was annoyed at myself for calling her that, and even more annoyed with the way she reacted to it. If I had said it to Ainsley, she would have ripped me a new one.
Frustrated at the warring thoughts in my head, I grabbed two of the shooters and tilted my head back, the amber liquid warming my throat as it made its way to my stomach. Wide-eyed Stephanie did the same. I was gonna be in deep shit if all this goes to hell. I grabbed the tray of shooters and brought it to our group, with Stephanie at my tail. When I reached the pool table, I almost dropped the tray. Aisnley was bent over the pool table, her back arced, her ass sticking up, her tits touching the felt. She had a stick between her fingers. Before she pulled the pool stick back, she glanced over at me and stuck her tongue out.
Never had I thought pool could be this sexy. I wanted to take her there, pound on her from behind until her stomach had burns from the felt. I didn’t even give a shit who was watching. And in one sweep of the pub I realized everyone was watching her, even the women. The men’s tongues wagged. They might as well had their dicks out.
It didn’t help when Ainsley managed to pocket her ball and she jumped up and down, her breasts bouncing under her thin shirt. Jackson handed her a drink and she toasted to her success. The ass hung an arm over her shoulders and had the guts to look at me. My hand fisted, ready to wipe the smugness off his face. I didn’t care if it was his birthday. I could take him down in one punch. He needed to get his hands off my girl.
Fuck. What was I saying? My girl? Ainsley wasn’t my anything.
With a frustrated sigh, I strode to them and offered, “Shots.” My gaze focused on Ainsley. Her eyes were a little glazed and her cheeks were pink. If she wasn’t drunk now, she would be after a few more drinks. “Not for you, Ivy League, you look like you can’t handle your booze.” Her mouth opened but the rest of the crew gathered around us until all the shots were gone. Whatever she had to say was drowned in cheers, however, her eyes said it all. Ainsley hated my guts, but she was smart enough to know when she was beaten. She pressed her full lips together and stomped away.
When I walked into The Wonky Donkey in a comfortable shirt and well-worn jeans, I knew practically everyone’s name, and had either worked with each man or slept with almost every woman. But my eyes zeroed in on one in particular. She swept her hair over one shoulder, exposing smooth skin, tempting me to come nearer. Have a taste of temptation.
Swearing under breath, I stopped by the bar, and before I could greet the bartender, he handed me a cold beer. Avoiding temptation with the fiery red hair, I headed to a group and clapped the man of the hour on the shoulder. “Hey, Jack! Happy Birthday, man.”
He slurred a thanks and asked, “You wanna play the next round?”
“Nah, I don’t want to embarrass you on your birthday.”
“I’ll play the next one.” Her voice should not be that familiar to me. It should not sound soothing or sexy and should not make my cock twitch. Ainsley appeared by Jackson’s side with a beer in her hand. One sleeve of her green shirt fell below her shoulder, and the whole shirt stopped just above her belly button, exposing more skin. I didn’t care what else she had on, for me, she might as well be naked. That soft-looking skin of her stomach caused me to salivate, calling to me. I chugged
the whole beer in one go but kept my eyes on her. Unfortunately, she was staring at me too. So much for seeming unaffected.
“Hey, Reed!” Stephanie, one of the girls who worked at HQ snaked her hand around my left arm, and I couldn’t help but rejoice at the slight twitch in Ainsley’s eye. “We didn’t think you were coming.” Stephanie had been trying to get me to hook up with her since we first met. She was cute, but she reminded me too much of my sister. And she was Jackson’s little sister. I wouldn’t touch her with my ten-foot pole even if she was the last woman on earth.
But with Ainsley around, it was hard not to play a little. What could I say? She brought out the jerk in me. “Hey, gorgeous, why wouldn’t I show up? Wouldn’t want to miss your cute ass.” Stephanie giggled, and her hand around my arm tightened, thank God Jackson seemed sauced enough not to notice me flirting with his sister. Ainsley on the other hand, witnessed all of it, but this time, she did not let on.
She turned away and talked with other women from the office. I felt like a fool. I peeled Stephanie’s hand off me and made an excuse to get another drink. When I got to the bar, Kyle the bartender leaned over, handing me another bottle. It was safe to say I’d frequented this pub. It was a hole in a wall and rarely do we see tourists in here. They knew my name, my drink, and my business. Secrets spread faster than the local news here in the mainland.
“Hey, Reed. That hot new chick? What’s the deal with her?” Kyle asked.
I had to grip the edge of the bar in order to keep my hands away from his throat. I shrugged. “New HSO at Meridian.”
He pulled at the ends of his stupid ass beard, which he had been growing since puberty. “So what’s her story? She with someone?”
Yeah, me, I wanted to say, but I kept that to myself as it surprised even me, and asked him for shots for the group. Stephanie stepped up while Kyle was pouring drinks in rows of The Wonky Donkey shooters.
“Oh, can I have one?”
“Sure, sugar tits.” She giggled. I didn’t know what it was. I was annoyed at myself for calling her that, and even more annoyed with the way she reacted to it. If I had said it to Ainsley, she would have ripped me a new one.
Frustrated at the warring thoughts in my head, I grabbed two of the shooters and tilted my head back, the amber liquid warming my throat as it made its way to my stomach. Wide-eyed Stephanie did the same. I was gonna be in deep shit if all this goes to hell. I grabbed the tray of shooters and brought it to our group, with Stephanie at my tail. When I reached the pool table, I almost dropped the tray. Ainsley was bent over the pool table, her back arched, her ass sticking up, her tits touching the felt. She had a stick between her fingers. Before she pulled the pool stick back, she glanced over at me and stuck her tongue out.
Never had I thought pool could be this sexy. I wanted to take her there, pound on her from behind until her stomach had burns from the felt. I didn’t even give a shit who was watching. And in one sweep of the pub, I realized everyone was watching her, even the women. The men’s tongues wagged. They might as well of had their dicks out.
It didn’t help when Ainsley managed to pocket her ball, and she jumped up and down, her breasts bouncing under her thin shirt. Jackson handed her a drink, and she toasted to her success. The ass hung an arm over her shoulders and had the guts to look at me. My hand fisted, ready to wipe the smugness off his face. I didn’t care if it was his birthday. I could take him down in one punch. He needed to get his hands off my girl.
Fuck. What was I saying? My girl? Ainsley wasn’t my anything.
With a frustrated sigh, I strode to them and offered, “Shots.” My gaze focused on Ainsley. Her eyes were a little glazed, and her cheeks were pink. If she wasn’t drunk now, she would be after a few more drinks. “Not for you, Ivy League, you look like you can’t handle your booze.” Her mouth opened but the rest of the crew gathered around us until all the shots were gone. Whatever she had to say was drowned in cheers, however, her eyes said it all. Ainsley hated my guts, but she was smart enough to know when she was beaten. She pressed her full lips together and stomped away.
For the rest of the night, all I could do was watch Ainsley from afar. There wasn’t much I could do but count how many more beers she’d had and which guy I had to kill later. She was a flirt when she was drunk.
At one point, Eva, a beautiful Mexican girl married to one of the guys I worked with, led Aisnley to the dance floor when salsa music played. Her dance moves were fluid and rhythmic. Every sway, every step had a purpose—to attract attention, to bewitch her audience, to seduce, to drive me insane.
Every once in a while, one of the guys would saunter to the floor to dance with her but she remained entranced on her own, not paying any of them any mind, which was a good thing since I had my own issues. Stephanie did not leave me alone. Even as I stood against the wall with my drink, not paying her much attention, she ground her ass against my crotch. Near the end of the night, one of her friends had to peel her off me.
“You driving her home?” I asked her friend.
“Yeah. Stop her from doing anything stupid. Her boyfriend just broke up with her.”
I nodded and had more respect for the friend. “Let me help you take her to your car.” Before she said anything, I scooped Stephanie up in my arms and carried her outside.
“My car’s the red one,” her friend said, pointing a finger at a beat up red Ford.
“What’s your name?” Her face was familiar but I couldn’t place where I knew her from.
“Penelope. I’m just visiting.”
“You’re a good friend, Penelope.” She reached for the passenger door of her car and opened it for me. After depositing a passed out Stephanie and buckling her in, I straightened.
“Thanks.”
“Safe drive. I gotta check on her brother.”
Penelope scoffed. “Good luck with that.” Her tone told me something else was going on in her mind. I didn’t bother asking if she meant it. Whatever was up with the two of them was none of my business. I had enough problems of my own to deal with.
I watched her drive away, and stayed longer to look up at the sky. It was a clear night, but the scent of rain hung in the air. The loud, lively music escaped from the pub when someone opened the door behind me. Ainsley staggered on the stone pathway, fishing for something in her little purse. Her hair was swooped on one side and a think film of sweat on her forehead made her skin glisten. When she took her hand out of her purse, her keys dangled in her hand. It seemed our Health and Safety Officer liked to take dumb chances.
With a shake of my head, I ran to her side and grabbed her keys out of her hand. “I thought you were smarter than that. Driving drunk? Not very safe, Ivy League.”
Her mouth hung open. When she closed it she glared harder at me. When she spoke, her words surprised me. “What happened to your jail bait date?”
“My what?” She tried to reach for the keys but I raised over my head, high enough that she had to press her body against me.
“Your date. I thought you’d be home banging her now.”
“Are you jealous, Ivy League?”
She harrumphed, but her body stayed pressed on mine. Her breasts soft and warm against my chest. “Give me my keys back, roughneck.” She said ‘roughneck’ like it was an expletive.
I shook my head and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Well, hell now. I think someone forgot her manners.” I inhaled her sweet perfume mixed with alcohol. Even so, she smelled divine, and I already knew how my dick responded to that. To her.
She tried to push me with the palm of her hand. “You mind your manners. I want my keys back so I can go home and sleep.”
“You’re not driving home drunk. Don’t be stupid.” I held onto the hand she left pressed on my chest. “I’ll drive you home.”
“You’re one to talk. How many beers and shots have you had?” she argued.
“Not nearly enough to affect me.” Not like how she affected me.
“Well, I’m not drun
k either. Give me my keys.”
“Make me.”
She chuckled drily and rolled her eyes. “What are we eight?”
I gave her a half shrug and pulled her closer to me. “It’s more eleven, twelve inches.”
She scoffed. “You’re full of shit.”
“I’m full of a lot of things. Shit is not one of them. Now, are you going to be a good girl, Ivy League, and let me drive you home or do I have to carry your ass to my jeep too?” Her eyes went wide when I said ‘good girl’.
She freed her hand from my grasp but she kept it on my chest. “I’m not always a good girl, roughneck.” This time, the last word sounded softer, sexier as it left her lips.
Fuck the rules. Fuck the past. I wanted her and she wanted me. This had to end tonight. I’d have my fill of her and I could move on. In return, she’d be treated like a fucking queen in my bed.
I ducked my head, watching the clarity in her blue eyes shine. Her breathing was shallow, and so was mine. My cock was getting harder by the second it could rip a hole through my jeans. I leaned my head forward, and rubbed my lips on hers before saying, “Wait here. I’ll check on Jackson before we leave.”
“Okay,” she breathed out. I could taste her on my lips. Her body was vibrating against me. My heart pumped like a mad machine inside my ribs. And I knew then we were both done for.
Chapter Five
AINSLEY
There are times when you know you're making a monumental mistake, but you can't stop it from happening. It's almost as if the situation suddenly leaves your control and you're just along for the ride. As I watched Reed walk into the kitchen, admiring his well-sculpted ass encased in his worn jeans, I felt that sense of inevitability wash over me. Tonight was going to happen, and all I could do was hold on and hope that the fall out was minimal.