by Jessie Cooke
“Yep, that’s my baby.”
“It’s gorgeous,” she said, wondering if that was too strong. He seemed to light up at the praise, however, so she decided it was just right.
“Thank you. I designed it myself.”
“Can I ask kind of a personal question?”
He grinned again. He probably had no idea how dangerous that was. She had never wanted to assault a man so badly. “Sure.”
“Why do they call you Snake?” Her eyes went back to his vest and he followed them. Then looking around like he was making sure no one was watching, he reached down and pulled up his t-shirt. Caitlin thought everyone in the room had to be able to hear the pounding of her heart. His chest was as sexy as the rest of him, taut and cut and covered with the image of a black python. She’d never wanted to touch a tattoo so badly before in her life. “Oh,” she squeaked out. “He’s...interesting.”
He chuckled and dropped his shirt. Even his laugh was sexy. “He’s a symbol of fertility, rebirth, transformation, and immortality.”
That made her smile. It sounded so...poetic...and at the same time she could completely identify with it. “I should get one of those,” she said. “I’m working on my own rebirth.”
His grin changed slightly...it looked almost wicked as he said, “Show me your chest, I’ll tell you if my artist could cover it or not.” Caitlin knew for sure that her face had to be bright red then; it was burning up. Snake was laughing. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you, love.”
Love? Did he just call me love? Is that an Irish thing...or is it affection? The heat from her face moved down her neck and through the rest of her body. She was almost tempted to show this man her chest...not that he’d be very impressed with it. But sometimes men were just men and sex was just sex, and they were both adults. Maybe it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to hook up with some random guy, just once...
“Caitlin?” The sound of the voice annoyed her and she didn’t even know who it belonged to. All she knew was that it didn’t come from the object of all of her attention across the table. Snake’s beautiful eyes went up first and hers followed them. A man stood next to the table. He was dressed in a funky pair of amber-colored skinny jeans, a multi-colored jacket, and Buddy Holly glasses. His hair was long and greasy and Caitlin had no idea who he was.
“Yes?” she said, making sure he heard the question mark at the end, and hoping he could hear that she was annoyed...and busy.
His eyes went to Snake, who was smiling at him. The man looked nervous as he said, “I’m Michael. We were supposed to meet for coffee.”
Caitlin heard him, but it was suddenly like a fog had descended down on top of her. She was hit in the face with the realization that she’d just made an absolute fool of herself with the hottest guy on the planet...and he let her. He’d probably been laughing at her the whole time. With wide, questioning eyes she looked at Snake. He was grinning at her. “Oh my God. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“And turn down coffee with a beautiful woman? Do I look crazy to you?” He was making fun of her now. If Caitlin knew anything it was that she wasn’t beautiful. Her eyes filled with tears as she stood up and almost knocked over the chair.
“Excuse me.”
“Caitlin!” She was already halfway to the door as Snake called out after her. She didn’t know what Michael was doing and she didn’t care. She pulled the door open and nearly ran headfirst into a man in a suit who was entering the coffee shop. He cursed at her and she mumbled an apology. She was finally out on the sidewalk, taking a deep breath of the sweltering air, when she heard Snake say her name again. She stepped off the curb and then she heard something else.
“Ian?”
It wasn’t the name that stopped her in her tracks, it was the sound of Snake’s voice as he said, “No, you must be mistaken.”
“No...I don’t think I am. Ian Parker, right? From Dublin.”
“I said no. My name is Finn McGregor.” He sounded upset, or angry. She almost turned around but reminded herself that it was none of her business, and he’d just let her make a complete fool of herself so why would she care if he was upset anyway?
“Finn McGregor, my ass,” the other man said...and that was when the fight started.
2
“Let’s go, asshole, you made bail.”
Finn lifted the arm he’d had over his face and looked up at the deputy. He was lying on his back in the drunk tank. He’d been there before, but every other time he’d been drunk. The smells and sounds of people puking in the corner were a hell of a lot worse when you were sober. Fuckers told him they didn’t have any holding cells, but he knew they were full of shit. They enjoyed making him suffer.
“How the fuck did I make bail? I haven’t even called anyone yet.” He knew he wouldn’t have to wait and see a judge since there was a “standard” bail amount for assault...he knew that because he’d been there before too. But, as far as he knew, no one knew he was there yet. They’d had him in the tank for three hours and had yet to let him use the phone. The booking for assault and battery was bullshit too as far as he was concerned. He was the one that was assaulted; he had simply defended himself. It wasn’t his fault the stupid fuck couldn’t fight and had gotten himself battered.
“You wanna go, or not? You’re welcome to stay and continue enjoying all the amenities that the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department has to offer.”
Finn got to his feet. “Fuck that, man, I’m going on Travelocity as soon as I’m out and giving this place less than one star.”
“Oh, how will we ever attract customers now?” the deputy said with a sarcastic tone of voice and a roll of his eyes. He pulled the bars open and stepped back so Finn could walk out. Jace or Beck had to be the one to bail him out, or they’d sent the lawyer, but either way, Finn couldn’t figure out how they knew. He’d gone straight to the coffee shop when he woke up that morning. He was supposed to meet someone...Fuck! He forgot about his meeting. His dad was going to be pissed. The deputy left him at the barred window out front to collect his wallet, phone, keys, and vest. They wouldn’t give his knife back, which was more bullshit since he could have stabbed the asshole with it and he didn’t. He put on his vest and after making sure everything was in his wallet, he signed for it, stuffed it in his back pocket, and said, “Where’s my bike?”
The cop shrugged. “Probably the last place you left it.”
Shit. That meant he’d have to take a cab or bus to get back to the coffee shop. With a disgusted sigh he turned around. He was shocked to see Caitlin, the girl from the coffee shop, sitting in a plastic chair. She stood up and he raised an eyebrow and said:
“You posted my bail?” She nodded, acting almost embarrassed to look him in the eyes. He was the one that smelled like piss and old vomit; he wondered what she’d have to be embarrassed about. “Why?”
She looked around, like she didn’t want to talk in front of the thirty other people sitting on plastic chairs and having a bad day. Finally she said, “Can we talk outside?”
He nodded and put his arm out for her to go first. He followed her, feeling a little guilty for checking out her ass as he did...but it wasn’t his fault that it was fine. Once they were out in the bright sunlight he said, “I thought you left when that asshole started throwing punches.”
She shrugged and said, “I should have, especially...never mind. Anyway, you’re out now so I’ll go...” She actually turned to leave. Finn put his hand out and touched her arm, stopping her dead in her tracks. He was barely touching her and she shrugged his hand off and took a step away before turning back around to face him. “Your mother should have taught you to keep your hands to yourself. That’s how you got into this mess.”
He kept a straight face and said, “I never had a mother, love...maybe that explains it.”
She covered her mouth with her hand for a second and said, “Oh, shit. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean...” He grinned.
“It’s okay, love, I was
just acting the maggot.” She screwed her face up and he laughed and said, “Pulling your leg? Joking around?”
“Oh, well...you’re not very funny.”
He laughed out loud at that and put his hand on his chest. “That one went right through me heart.”
She rolled her eyes and said, “I need to go.”
“You didn’t answer my question, love. Why did you bail me out?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “I started to go home and just leave you here, but I didn’t know if you had anyone to come and I felt bad. So I bailed you out. That’s it.”
“Well, I’ll make sure you get your money back. How about a phone number where I can reach you when I get it together?” She hesitated, again. He couldn’t figure her out. Back at the coffee shop she’d looked at him like she wanted to eat him up with a spoon. Then, when she found out he wasn’t her date, she looked like she wanted to use that same spoon to slit his throat. Then, she bailed him out of jail, and now she looked like she couldn’t wait to get away from him again. He didn’t know much about women, but generally he didn’t find them this hard to figure out. Of course, the most time he had spent with women had been with Beck, who didn’t like anyone other than Jace, and Jessica, his old man’s neighbor who let him hide out at her place for years while they tried to get him a new identity. Jessica was infatuated with Granite, his old man. Finn and his dad had never talked about it, but Finn sort of suspected his old man was gay. He’d never seen him with a woman...in that way...yet Jessica was devoted to him nonetheless. Every other woman Finn ever spent time with had been heroin addicts, or quickies in the backroom of the bar where he and the handful of members the Phoenix Skulls now had hung out. Talking to one...well, that was new. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and held it out toward her. “Just put it in there, love. I’ll call you in a day or two.” He wished he didn’t smell like piss and vomit. Before he went back to the club and had to tell Jace and Beck that someone recognized him, a quickie might be nice. He sniffed his shirt and she cocked an eyebrow. Reverting to what he’d say to one of the girls in the bar, looking to secure a place as a club girl for the newest club in town, he said, “Was just wondering if I smelled too bad to invite you back to my place for a quick shift.”
“Shift?” she asked, innocently.
He winked and said, “You know, get naked, do the horizontal mambo...”
Her pretty green eyes widened and the hand that was reaching for his phone drew back like it had been burned. “Oh my God. I can’t believe you just said that.”
“And why is that? Nobody ever just straight up told you they wanted to fuck you before?” She certainly wasn’t the first woman he’d ever said it to. Generally he was in an environment where they might expect it, though.
“Are you serious? Of course not! What do I look like to you?” Her face was bright red and despite the shock in her eyes her pupils were dilated and she was breathing faster. Her cheeks were pink and she was clenching and unclenching her hands at her sides. What she looked like to him was a woman excited by the prospect. With a wicked grin he said:
“Well, love, I think you look like somebody I’d love to get naked with.” She gasped, sputtered, and then threw up a hand and turned to walk away again. “Aw, come on, love, don’t be that way. I won’t talk about shifting you up anymore...” She was walking away even faster, and as much as he loved to watch her ass move the way it was, he wanted to stop her even more. If she got away, he might never see her again. “Caitlin! Please stop.” He used her proper name and as remorseful a tone as he could muster, and it worked. She stopped just next to a little Toyota car. “Please just give me your number. I’d like to pay you back for the money you put up.”
She glanced over her shoulder at him and said, “Just show up for court and I’ll get it back. I have to go.” She got in her little car and he stood there, frustrated, watching her go. It had been a long time since he’d met a girl that really piqued his interest. He didn’t know what it was about her that piqued his interest so much, but he really didn’t want her to go. He’d been surprised when she sat down at his table and on the verge of telling her she had the wrong guy, when she started talking. Something about the animation in her face and the light in her eyes captivated him. He sat on the bench at the bus stop and took out his phone. He was surprised that Jace or Beck or his father hadn’t called by now. Especially his father, wanting to know about the meeting he was supposed to have. He pulled up his Uber app and was about to call for an Uber when he heard Caitlin’s sweet voice.
“I forgot you don’t have your bike. You want a ride back to the coffee shop?” He looked up at her and grinned. She frowned at him and said:
“Don’t look so proud of yourself. I still think you’re a pig for the whole sex thing...but I’m a nice person.”
He chuckled. “That you are, love. I would be eternally grateful for the ride.”
He heard the lock click and then she said, “Get in, but keep your hands to yourself.”
Finn got in and put on his seatbelt and then folded his hands in his lap. With a grin he said, “Is this good?” She just rolled her eyes at him as she pointed the car toward the freeway. The sheriff’s station was outside of the city and with traffic would take them a good thirty minutes to get back. He saw it as his opportunity to get her to at least agree to see him again. “So, you said you’re from New York. What brings you to Arizona?” She was quiet for a long time and he thought she wasn’t going to answer him. Finally, she said:
“I needed a change and my uncle offered me a job.”
“Nice. So what kind of work do you do?”
“I’m going to be his accountant. He’s a general contractor.”
“Cool. We’re doing some building on our new property. Maybe you could give me his name and we could check him out.”
Again, she hesitated. While she was thinking about it and had her pretty eyes on the road, Finn took the opportunity to study her profile. She had long, very straight brown hair. It hung down in her face a lot and she seemed to be constantly pushing it out of her way. Finn had a visual of wrapping his hands up in it and pulling it back out of her face so that he could watch her...do things to him that would probably make her blush again if she knew he was thinking about them. Her nose was small and her lips full and kissable. She had on a little bit of makeup on her eyelashes and some lip gloss, but Finn liked the fact that she didn’t have that face makeup stuff caked on, like a lot of women her age wore. He didn’t know exactly how old she was...younger than him, but not too young. She had to be in her early twenties at least, which was perfect.
His eyes roamed lower, down her long neck to her chest. She wasn’t skinny and she wasn’t fat...she seemed to him to have meat in all the right places. Her breasts looked large underneath the slightly baggy shirt she wore and her thighs and butt were thick. He liked that. He loved having a woman he could grab onto. He was picturing it, again, when she cleared her throat. He brought his guilty eyes back up to her face and saw that she was blushing, again.
“His name is Anthony Galt.”
“Thanks,” he said as she pulled off the freeway. The coffee shop was up ahead just a few blocks. He decided if he ever had any hopes of the carnal thoughts he was having coming true with this one, he was going to have to change up his strategy a little...starting with just being nice. “Caitlin, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate everything you did for me today.”
“You’re welcome,” she said.
He smiled. “I’d really like to make it up to you somehow. I know you said you’ll get the money back if I show up in court, and I fully intend to do that...”
“That’s good enough,” she said.
“Maybe I could buy you a drink sometime...or dinner.” He really didn’t know how to date. He’d spent so many years hiding out next door to his old man’s apartment and only going out in the dead of night that hookups were all he knew. Before that, he was always too worried about where his next dime b
ag was coming from to even think about getting it up.
She pulled up behind his bike in front of the coffee shop and said, “It’s fine. Have a nice day.”
“Caitlin...”
“Really. I need to go.” Finn sighed. At least he knew where she worked. He thanked her again and she stared straight ahead as he got out of the car. He knew he was in for a ration of shit when he got to Jace’s and Beck’s place, but he had this weird little tickle in his chest that he hardly recognized. He thought maybe...it might be...traces of genuine happiness? A little bit of hope for his future? He laughed at himself as he got on his bike. Hope...future, yeah, that’ll be the day.
3
“So...this incredibly hot guy pretends he’s your date. Then, when you find out he’s not, you walk out on him...and he follows you? Am I getting this right so far?” Caitlin had another few days before she started work at her uncle’s office, but she’d gone by to see Joy, who was at work that day. She felt like she didn’t know what to do with the emotions and energy bubbling up inside of her. She had to talk about it, even if it did sound crazy to herself as Joy repeated it back to her. Her cousin took a drink of the coffee Caitlin had brought her, set the cup down, and said, “And then some guy starts a fight with him outside...hot biker kicks this guy’s ass and gets arrested, and you max out your only credit card to bail him out?” Caitlin opened her mouth and Joy put a hand up to stop her. “At which time,” she went on, now with utter disbelief in her voice, “hot biker guy propositions you and you are offended and slightly disturbed...yet, even after this you let him get in your car and you take him back to the coffee shop. Do I have this all right? Because it seems to me that you wanted to...what was it you said he called it?”
“Shift,” Caitlin said, feeling the heat climb up her neck just at the mention of the harmless word.
“Yeah, seems to me you might have wanted to do a little shifting yourself.”