Chapter Six
Gabrielle
I’d been so focused on law school and the bar exam for so long, I had no idea what to do now that I had informed my dad, and one of his players, of my decision not to take the bar.
For the first time in maybe forever, my future stretched wide open and unplanned before me. It was exhilarating, and it was terrifying. I needed to talk to Heather.
She answered on the first ring. “Please tell me that you’re calling because you’ve changed your mind and are on your way to study with me.”
“Uh no, the opposite, actually. I’m freaking out because I suddenly have no plan and that is not my natural state. What exactly does one do if you’re young and free?”
Heather sighed but didn’t mention her disappointment. “I wouldn’t know, Gabbi. I’d start with not worrying about criminal procedure in Florida, as I am the moment, but you’ve always been good at the procedures anyway.” Her voice was tired, but alert.
I wondered how many more empty takeout containers littered her apartment. She’d promised on Monday that she would start remembering to care of herself again, but it didn’t sound like she was making good on that promise.
I tried to be helpful anyway. “Procedure is procedure, Heather. It follows a linear course, with some possible branches that might change the picture a little, but it all comes back together again in the same way. Don’t get intimidated by the branches. Focus on the bigger picture of how it all works together to get to the outcome.”
“You’re only making me more pissed that you’re not studying with me, you know that?” Her voice already sounded clearer, though.
“Yeah, I know. I told you that we could still do our thing. How about I come over to help you make sense of criminal procedure, and you help me make sense of life without it?” I sounded whiny, even to myself. I hated it. Also, I was kind of jealous that she was stuck in criminal procedure. I loved the procedural subjects.
I quickly pushed the thought from my mind. Heather was studying it without me because I’d chosen to follow my own path. Getting sucked in by what was familiar was precisely what I didn’t need.
“Sure thing. Sounds good, I’m sure that I could do that.” She sounded relieved. “Come on over. I’ll make the coffee.”
“Got anything stronger?” I was only half-joking. We hadn’t had much time to party over the last few years, given how serious we both had been about our studies, but I kind of felt like a buzz that wasn’t caused by caffeine.
“I’m sure I have a bottle of scotch in a cupboard somewhere. You’re welcome to it. I might add a drop to my coffee, but I can absolutely not afford to be knocked out for a day by a hangover right now.” She sounded distraught by even the possibility.
“Gotcha. I’m on my way. I’ll pick up Chinese on the way.” As far as I knew, my credit card was still active. No doubt my father would deactivate everything soon to force my hand. Which was exactly why I had to figure out where I was going so fast. I would be out on my ass before the end of the month, otherwise.
“Sure, if you want to. I think I still have some leftovers from last night in the fridge. So if you don’t want to stop, it’s all good.” I seriously doubted that whatever leftovers she had in mind were from the night before. I wasn’t about to chance old chicken. I had too much to figure out.
“I’ll stop. It’s not a problem. I’ll see you in about an hour?” I was already stuffing my wallet into my bag and grabbing a light sweater. Not that I would need it, but Heather’s apartment was near the beach, and I liked to be prepared.
“See you then, and drive safe,” she said as she absentmindedly ended the call.
****
“What the hell,” I muttered to myself as my car shuddered and suddenly veered toward the shoulder. I hit the brakes and pulled over, trying to calm my nerves.
I undid my seat belt and hopped out in the near dark, walking around the car. I’d gotten a tune-up a few months ago, so it couldn’t be anything too serious. At least, I hoped so. Otherwise, I would have to go crawling to my father for help with getting it fixed. I had some money saved up, but not enough for a major vehicle malfunction.
“Fuuuuck,” I groaned when I saw that one tire was almost completely flat. Sure, I could fix it myself, but I had never changed a flat in the dark on the shoulder of the road.
The roadside assist sticker on my windshield caught my eye, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, this was why I had roadside assistance. I settled in the driver’s seat and dialed the number. I answered the security questions and waited to be put through to an operator.
The automated voice told me I would be connected to the next available operator, and the knot in my stomach finally came undone.
The man on the other end of the line finally answered. “I’m sorry, Ms. Ralls. It appears that your roadside service has been suspended.”
“Suspended?” It all clicked into place then. My father had made a power play. Suspending my roadside assist service had been a part of it.
I groaned again as headlights pulled in behind me. The last thing I needed was for some creepy guy to pretend to help me while he tried to guilt trip his way into my pants.
“Yes, ma’am. I’m afraid the service was suspended two days ago. I’m sure you could sort it out with the accounts department, but I’m going to have to transfer you.” The disembodied voice informed me.
“Don’t bother. I’ll do it myself.” I ended the call and looked into my side mirror. I kept an eye out for the supposed knight in shining armor to make his appearance. “At least he didn’t dick with my credit cards.” Maybe there was some hope for us after all. Probably not.
The door to the SUV behind me opened and a hulking figure emerged. A vaguely familiar voice called out. “Need any help?”
My breathing hitched as his features came into focus in the side mirror. Short dark hair, chiseled jawline, arrogant swagger.
Oh, hell no.
The very last person I wanted to see appeared at my door.
James Skye. Fucking great.
“No, I’m okay. Just a flat. I got it.”
He leaned into my window like it was the most natural thing on earth. Mesmerizing eyes stared at me, dancing slightly, like he was amused.
“It doesn’t look like you got it. Come on, pop the trunk. It’s just a flat. I’ll have you back on the road in a few minutes, tops.”
Were his eyes blue or green? I couldn’t see in the fading light. Then I kicked myself mentally for even wondering.
“No, really. I can do it myself.” I popped the trunk and heaved myself from the car.
He watched as I pried at the latches holding the spare tire in place. Then, he shook his head and gently pushed me out of the way. His nimble fingers fiddled with the latches.
“I know you can do it by yourself, but I’m offering to do it for you. Let me prove that chivalry isn’t dead.”
I would’ve rolled my eyes if I wasn’t so grateful that I wasn’t by myself in the dark anymore. Even though I would never admit it. “As long as the record shows that I didn’t need your help.”
He smirked. “I figured you’d studied law from the conversation between you and your father the other day. So, rest assured, the record will correctly reflect that I swooped in to save the damsel in distress, despite the fact that she was perfectly capable of saving herself.”
“Good.” I let him get to work. True to his word, he had the tire changed in a few minutes. He fired off random questions while I tried not to stare at the bulging muscles in his arms or the graceful way in which his body moved.
He’d started with, “What’s your spirit animal?” and was up to “Cranberry or pomegranate tea?” by the time he was done. He was completely effortless. Despite myself, I’d found myself answering his questions while ogling his ass as his designer jeans scraped the pavement.
“An eagle and coffee,” I answered as he worked.
“Is coffee a variation of either of those teas?” he asked as he wiped his hands on his jeans.
“Nope, but I’d take coffee over every kind of tea any day of the week,” I said.
He kicked the tire once he was done. “That should be fine, but you should get the other ones checked.”
“Thanks, I will.”
He was standing too close for comfort now. His musky scent invaded my senses, mixed with a cologne that I didn’t recognize, but it smelled manly and divine.
“So, where were you off to?” he asked.
I tried to forget what those lips had felt like on mine only a couple of days ago. They’d had no business there, but since I’d been responsible, I could hardly take it out on him.
I took a breath to calm my pounding my heart. It was a great kiss, sure. But he was a football player. One of my father’s stars, no less. Sure, he was attractive, but that was it. “None of your business.”
“Well actually, I came to your assistance when you were in need, if I’m not mistaken. I happen to have a need of my own.” Seriously? The guy couldn’t be that direct. At least not with Richard Ralls’s daughter.
“Yeah? And what might your need be? A blowjob from the boss’s daughter? If that’s where you saw this going, you should’ve kept driving, buddy.”
A slow smile spread on his lips, and his eyes danced with amusement. “You have no idea how happy it makes me to know you’re thinking about blowjobs, but I actually meant dinner. This time.”
“Oh, ha. You’re hilarious.” I flushed crimson, despite my best efforts. Maybe I had jumped the gun on the blowjob thing. Still, it wasn’t so absurd to have thought that was what he meant. “I can’t have dinner with you anyway. I have plans.”
He didn’t skip a beat. “Plans that couldn’t come and help you out themselves seem like shitty plans.”
“Wow, you really do think highly of yourself, don’t you?”
“I’m a star, babe. In case you didn’t know. And I’m also not wrong about your plans. My teammate dropped out of dinner, and I have this reservation. Come with me?”
He seemed sincere, but I had no doubt that it was all an act. Again, I’d grown up around football players. “I can’t. My plans didn’t come help me because I never let her know that—”
He cut me off with a huge grin. “Her, huh? I’m totally down with that. Just let me hold the camera?” He pleaded with a goofy grin on his face.
I couldn’t help but smile. And taunt him, of course. “You should’ve said something earlier. Of course you can hold the camera. Imagine all the riveting footage we’ve been missing of Heather studying, and me trying to figure out what to do with my life.”
He looked crestfallen. “No sexy pillow fights, then?”
“None whatsoever,” I assured him.
“In that case, my dinner reservation definitely wins.” His eyes held a mischievous glint that drew me in. “Come with me?”
“I really do have to get to my friend’s place,” I said, but I had a feeling that James Skye wasn’t one to give up that easily.
As it turns out, I was right. “Come on, come to dinner with me. You know that you want to. Besides, you kind of owe me.”
I hated that he was right. Still, I wasn’t letting him get away with cheesy pickup lines without calling him out on it.
True to form, he laughed it off and told me to meet him an hour.
He was trouble. My father would hate it. It was perfect.