Trusted Page 4

  I stand and begin pacing the floor in front of their coffee table. “Two. He’s just so…. So…. So frustrating!” I yell, my hands moving up and down, waving them as I beat a path in their carpet. “He wants me. I know he does, but then he doesn’t. He kisses me, then pushes me away saying he shouldn’t have done that.” I stop dead and point out the front window. “Did you know he sleeps in his truck?” My screaming is even piercing my ears, but I can seem to stop my tirade. “He’s so infuriating!” My fingers thread through my hair, and I pull on some strands in my frustration. I stop abruptly when a hand grasps my wrist and my head snaps to Stormy, her face smiling as she gently pulls me back over to the couch, and I sit down in a huff.

  She puts her arm around me and sighs. “I know you’re frustrated. I would be too! But….” My head turns and I see the look of concern in her eyes. “He’s got something going on that maybe he doesn’t want you to know about or anyone else for that matter. There’s a reason he’s a loner, Pearl, and maybe the reason is something we shouldn’t know. Maybe he is a good person inside that rough exterior, but maybe he can’t let go of what’s in his past. Give him time. You haven’t known him that long.”

  I rub my hands up and down my face and take a deep breath. “I know. I know! You’re right but…. It’s just…. He’s the one who kissed me last night and….” Her brows raise and she smiles. “He said he wanted to do that for a long time but…. Then he told me he shouldn’t have done it. ARGH!” I lower my head, my hands going into my hair, and I begin to tug again. I look up when she takes my hand and pulls it free then holds onto it.

  “Okay. So now we know there’s feelings there. That’s good! That’s a place to start. Just let him make the moves, let him come to you.” My eyes look into hers and finally, I smile, a little. “You know guys like that are that way for a reason and my hunch is maybe it’s better not to know. My gut tells me he can’t let himself be free from whatever it is, Pearl or maybe he’s trying to.”

  I squeeze her hand and smile bigger. She’s right. I’m going to leave him alone and pretend we both don’t have feelings for each other. Two can play at this game. I just hope I don’t screw it up.

  I end up leaving shortly after, taking a long shower and eating a bit. I’m bored with watching TV, but it’s about time to head downstairs anyway and get ready for the crowd tonight. Mom called earlier and invited me over for a family picnic tomorrow, and I’m excited! Sun, the pool and the beach!

  Tonight was uneventful. Harley ignored me, but his eyes were on me the whole night, except as soon as he noticed me looking back he would quickly look away. No brawls tonight, which is always good, and we made a killing with the band and the crowd. Now, I’m in my apartment. I’ve changed into my camisole and sleep shorts. The lights are off and I’m sitting on my bed, looking out through the blinds of my front window. I see a shadow and my eyes squint. It’s Harley, walking across the street. He stops and looks up at my building, and I quickly close my fingers a little to lessen the width of the blinds, holding my breath. He just stands there staring, then turns and walks down to the end of the street and turns the corner. Gone. He’s gone to his truck. Letting out a sigh, I close the blinds and lay down. Alone.

  “Come on, Pearl! Get in!” Water splashes across my back. I raise up onto my elbows and turn my head. “You know you want to.” Smiling, I rise and walk over to the pool, diving in beside Stormy. I swim around for a bit and come up gasping, my breathing heavy as I get much needed air. Man, I’m outta shape. “Finally! I was tired of swimming by myself.” She laughs and splashes a little water at me, so I join in and splash her back. “Thank God, we got warm temperatures today. It won’t be long and it’ll be too cool to swim.”

  I give her a smirk. “It’s only the middle of October. We’ll have plenty of warm weather until the end of November. But….” I bit my lip thinking about Harley sleeping in his truck. “The evenings are starting to get cooler and in a couple of weeks they’ll be cold.” Water splashes my face, and I blink away some of the water and tilt my head.

  “Quit worrying about him. He’s a big boy and can take care of himself.” My mind starts moving and I remember the feeling of his cock against me, and the words ‘big boy’ describes him very well. A throat clearing makes me shake my head from my thoughts, but when I turn around I shield my eyes from the sun to see Mom standing by the edge of the pool and there’s some guy with her.

  “Darling, this is Michael Brooks. He works with your father. We thought it would be nice to have him over for our early dinner with everyone.”

  There stands a man with blonde, curly hair, glasses and plaid shorts and wearing a polo shirt. I smile and whisper to Stormy, trying not to move my mouth much, “Is she kidding?” My eyes move to her and watch as her hand covers her mouth trying to contain her laughter. Great.

  Stormy and I decide to get out of the pool and at least try to be nice to their guest. I know it’s just Mom and Dad trying to set me up, again. After drying off, I throw on my shorts and tank top and sit down on my lounger. Stormy sits beside me and Michael pulls up a lawn chair. “Well, Michael. How long have you worked with Dad?”

  He pushes his glasses up his nose and smiles. “Oh, about four years now. Started pretty young, but I love working with him and learning from him. He’s a genius in graphic design.” I smile and notice he has a dimple when he smiles. His blonde, curly hair blowing in the slight breeze looks soft and unkempt. His teeth are straight and white, and his brown eyes have some gold coloring in them. “So, I hear you own Hot Rocks. Nice. I’ve been meaning to go check it out.”

  Stormy looks at me, smiles and snaps her eyes to him and back to me. I cough when my laughter tries to evade me and sit up straight. “Well, you should stop by. I have some pretty cool bands that play. The food is good and we make some mean drinks.” He smiles at me, and I thank the Gods when Dad yells out that dinner is ready. Michael stands quickly and reaches his hand out to me. My eyes look over at Stormy, who’s winking at me, and I look back at him and place my hand in his. “Thank you.”

  Of course, Mom placed us right next to each other at the table but thank God everyone kept the conversation going. “So, Michael. What do you do for fun? Surely you don’t just work all the time,” Bo asks in between bites of the delicious steak Dad cooked out on the grill and winks at me. I roll my eyes, as discreetly as I can and look over at Michael, my curiosity piqued.

  I watch as he smiles then wipes his mouth with a napkin, setting it down in his lap and then takes a drink of his beer. “Well, not much, really. I go to an occasional bar, jog, workout and mostly stay home and read. I’m pretty much your normal geek, I guess you would say.” He chuckles and everyone at the table laughs. Then he turns his head to me and his eyes sparkle. “But I do love a good movie, great dinner, great dancing and great company.” I swallow and look down at my plate quickly. Then, he speaks again and my eyes shift to him. “I’d like to check out your new bar some night.” I clamp my mouth shut when Stormy kicks me under the table and thank God it wasn’t my bad leg.

  Turning my head to him, I put on the best smile I can. “Well, that would be very nice.”

  The evening actually turned out lovely and for a little while, I didn’t think of Harley and all things brooding. Michael ended up being nice, quite funny, and he really is cute, in a geeky sort of way. I walked him out and he told me that since tomorrow is Friday, he’d come by the bar later on that evening and then leaned towards me, giving me a kiss on my cheek. Maybe this is just what I need to help me get over Harley, who obviously doesn’t want anything to do with me. Story of my life.

  ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

  The bar is usually a little slow during the day and today was no exception, but I stayed busy enough. Pearl’s been gone all afternoon and now, some of the evening. I’d heard she was over at her family’s having dinner, but then, why am I worried? I have no right to be and certainly she deserves better. It’s starting to get packed in here, and I’m beginning to worry a
bout her but then my head turns as I hear her voice and see her standing at the front door, talking to Rider. Now, I thought I was quiet, but Rider beats me tenfold. He’s a huge guy, great bouncer, yet he rarely talks. As I’m cleaning glasses, I see him nod at her, and then she saunters towards the bar. Immediately, I notice her halter top that stops right under her ample breasts, her flat stomach and trim waist, her mini jean skirt that begins under her cute belly button and ending high on her legs, making them seem to go on forever. As she walks I look down to see her feet are in flip flops, and her toenails are painted with a little sparkling stud on her big toes. Damn, she even has beautiful feet. I notice her getting closer so I finish up what I’m doing and help a customer.

  The evening moves on, and we are busier than shit but something’s off with her. She nodded at me and then smiled, but hasn’t said one word to me. Did I do something wrong? You mean other than attack her the other night? Yeah, that’s probably it. Stupid shit! My head snaps when a man sits down at the counter in front of her, and she starts laughing. What the fuck?

  “Wow! You look so different! I love the look.” She leans forward on the bar, her cleavage showing more, her chin in her hand and smiles.

  “Yeah, well. I had to get new contacts and they just came in today. So finally, I got to get rid of my glasses, again. But now I’m thinking I need a haircut.” He leans his arms on the counter and stares into her eyes.

  She stands up straight and shakes her head. “Don’t you dare! I love the length. Actually, it could be a little longer. What would you like to drink?”

  A customer interrupts my eavesdropping, but I see Pearl hand him a beer and then hear her laugh again. Why is this affecting me so much? I shouldn’t care who she sees. She’s nothing to me. Who the fuck am I kidding? The crowd has been great tonight, the band was excellent and at ‘last call’ we get slammed with orders. By the time there are only a few customers finishing up their drinks, I start cleaning up. I hear Pearl’s loud laughter as there are less people and inside my anger starts brewing. My eyes shift down the bar and see him reach across the counter. His hand places some of her hair, which escaped her ponytail, behind her ear, and I watch as her face tints a light pink with his touch. The glass I’m washing slips from my hand and crashes onto the floor, both their heads turning towards me, and I quickly grab the broom and the handled dust pan and start cleaning up my mess. Once I’ve gathered all the glass into the dust pan, I walk back to the kitchen to empty it and stop cold when I turn around and Pearl is standing in front of the door.

  “Are you okay? You didn’t cut yourself, did you?” Her face is full of worry and concern, but I’m still fuming inside or is it jealousy? I walk up to her, standing a breath away and instantly, her eyes turn from worry to lust as they look into mine.

  “I’m fine. It was just an accident, just a glass, no big deal. I’ll pay for it.” I start to push passed her, but her hand grabs my upper arm. I look down as tingles and little bolts of electricity runs down my arm and look back up into her eyes. Her full lips part as if she’s about to speak, yet no words come out. She releases my arm and steps aside.

  “No, you don’t need to pay me. It’s just a glass.” Her head bows, her eyes looking down, but I notice her chest is moving with short pants of breath, and I know I’m affecting her. Good. I rub against her side as I move through the door and those feelings inside me escalate with the feel of her body, her soft skin and her smell invading my nose. Fuck! I need to hurry and finish up and get out into the cool air.

  I couldn’t wait to get out of there. There’s only such much I can take. I walk quickly to my truck and sit for a while, having a cigarette to try to calm my mood. Once I’m done, I climb out, snuff it with my boot, then put the smashed butt in my pocket to dispose of later. After I get into the bed of my truck and under the blanket, I lay my head against my folded arm and look at the sky. The weather is getting a little cooler, and I really need to get another blanket, a heavier one. I could get a hotel room or find a small, cheap apartment, but why when sleeping in my truck is free? I should have left town by now, but I’m making such good money and need to build up my bankroll to move on, and I need to send them more money soon. I have no idea where to head next or what direction, but I’ll know when I leave. I kind of hate to leave this place. Leave her. I shiver thinking I really need to remember to get that damn, heavier blanket tomorrow.

  The light of day is bright even under my eyelids, so I grab the blanket and pull it over my head. Scrunching up my nose, I take a sniff and my brows crease. What? I squint as I lower the blanket and open my eyes to see this isn’t my blanket I went to sleep with. I sit up halfway and look around but no one is near. This is odd…. Wait! Pearl. No one’s ever cared about me, except one person, and I know she couldn’t have done this. I fold it up neatly, jump out of the truck and open the passenger side door and lay it on the seat, then grab my bag and head to the small gym across the street. A quick workout, shower, and a change of clothes, and I head to the coffee shop to get two coffees and some of their famous cinnamon rolls. I’m again at her back door ringing the bell, she doesn’t answer within a few minutes, so I ring it again. I decide she isn’t home, which is odd at eight thirty in the morning, but as I turn to leave the door slowly opens. Her eyes peek from around the side of the door, light purple coloring underneath them and her face looks pale. “Pearl.”

  “You might not want to come in here. I’m sick,” she whispers with a voice that’s crackling and barely there. I put the paper sack under my arm, balancing the coffee tray in my left hand and push the door open with my right. She steps back and presses against the wall when I pass her, and I smile as I hear the lock clicking behind me. Her apartment door is open, so I walk in and head towards the kitchen and once there I set the coffees and the sack down on the table and head to her refrigerator. I open the door and bend down, moving things around and frown. “I’ve been meaning to go to the store but haven’t had time.” Her voice barely heard and when I turn my head, I notice her wince, and she puts her hand to her throat.

  “Sit.” I take her arm, leading her over to the table and guide her down onto a chair and then hold out my hand. “Keys.” Her watery eyes look up at me, and she points at the small built-in desk across the room, unfolds her tissue and sneezes. I nod, walk over and see them laying in a silver tray. “Orange juice, cold pills, what else?”

  She wipes her nose and her eyes. “Grapes?” I nod and leave the room and head out of the apartment. Grocery store? This I can do.

  It doesn’t take me long, but I ended up getting several different cold pills and cough medicine. When I enter her apartment, I find her sound asleep on the couch. I put the sack down on her coffee table and go over to her. I move her blanket up and over her shoulders, then place the back of my hand over her forehead. Her eyes blink open and she gives me a small smile. “You’re hot.” She starts to laugh but coughs instead. I give her a smirk and shake my head. “You have a fever. Be right back.” I grab the sack and take it into the kitchen and start setting everything on the breakfast bar. After putting the grapes and oranges in the fridge and then taking a glass out of the cabinet, I fill it with orange juice. I put the juice in the fridge and grab all the meds and take them into her. Sitting down on the coffee table, I set everything down and she sits up, covering herself with the blanket that had fallen off of her. I open the aspirin and hand her two of them, which she takes, and the glass of water. Next I take a spoon and pour some cough medicine on it and put it close to her mouth. She opens and swallows it down and smiles.

  “Why are you so nice to me now?” Her head tilts and then she covers her mouth when she coughs.

  “You were nice to me.” I take her glass and set it on the table, and she lays back down. “I got soup. Want some?”

  She shakes her head and closes her eyes, pulling the blanket up and pulling her arms underneath. I sit there for a few minutes as she falls asleep and just look at her. She looks so vulnerable, so pale and
frail that it reminds me of someone else, someone I’ve tried to forget for so many years now. Shaking my head, I head back to the kitchen and decide to drink some of my coffee. I put hers in the fridge and make some soup, but will keep that for later. After getting everything cleaned up in her kitchen, I sit down at the table to finish my coffee when I pull out my phone and call Pete. “She’s sick. I’m staying to take care of her. Okay. They’ll be fine for tonight. Thanks for helping out.” I end the call and then hear a phone ring but know it’s not mine. I look over at the built-in desk and see her phone lighting up, vibrating against the surface. Should I just let it ring to voicemail? What if it wakes her? Making a quick decision, I get up and walk over, pick it up and answer. “Pearl’s phone.”

  “Uh, oh! Is she there? This is Michael. And you are….?” I roll my eyes. It’s that twerp from last night. A great idea pops into my head, and I have to contain my excitement.

  “Sorry, she’s not available. She’s still in our bed.” Silence.

  “Oh, uh. She didn’t tell me she was seeing anyone else. Okay, I’ll, um….” Click. My smile is huge as I set her phone back down and walk to the table, sit down and grab a cinnamon roll, feeling a little relief.

  Chapter Four

  Oh, God! My throat hurts! I woke myself up by sneezing and coughing and when I sit up, my ratted hair falls into my face. Taking my hands, I move my hair aside and look up into the piercing blue eyes of Harley, my face in shock. “Oh, uh.” My hands cover my mouth when a fit full of sneezes occurs, my eyes shutting and when I open them there’s a tissue in front of my face. “Thanks,” my voice barely there. I grab the tissue, blow my nose and look up into his eyes. I look over at the clock and try to stand quickly, my head dizzy, and I feel two strong hands grab my upper arms, sitting me back down. “The bar,” I croak.