Finally - A Good Slap

(Mason)

I touched the leather seat of the motorcycle. The smell of the newness was overpowering but in a good way. I must have walked two miles in circles around the fucking thing, rubbing my chin, running my hand through my hair. The guys were all behind me, waiting for the final call.

The paint job was perfect. Neon green flames with white skulls, eye sockets with a fade green in each. Not exactly the kind of motorcycle and custom job I would have wanted personally, but that was the best part of this job. It was about finding out what the customer wanted.

“This is perfect,” I said.

There was a collective sigh through the garage. I heard the guys slap hands together. I glanced back and saw them hugging.

I looked over at Hunter, who had a big grin on his face. I curled my lip, secretly throwing him the middle finger, then I set my eyes back to the ride.

It had been brought in in really rough shape. Truthfully, it was close to being nothing but a junker. But the client—a guy named James—had a budget of whatever. Now for some guys, that would have given them a boner. They would take the guy for all he was worth because he had an emotional attachment to the ride. It was his father’s motorcycle, and his father died when he was ten. Me, I wanted to make the motorcycle beautiful and something that could be passed along to James’s kids.

Hunter pointed to the lot and James was on his way in, driving a flatbed truck, ready to take his new wheels home.

I had done a lot of projects, and I had seen some tears here and there, but this guy was weeping. He put an arm around each me and Hunter and wept like he’d just heard the best news of his life.

I had to back away at one point and let Hunter bear the brunt of the bear hug. After all, it was his company now. Not mine. I was just a lowly worker trying to rub a few pennies together to make a nickel appear.

“James, thank you,” Hunter said. “For your story and the opportunity to bring this to life.”

“No. Thank you. Both of you. Mason, I’ve been wanting to meet you for a long time. And what you’ve done…the amount you’ve charged me is not enough.”

“Yes it is,” I said.

“Yes,” Hunter said. “You need to just take this motorcycle home and ride it.”

“Amen,” I said and put my hands together with a grin.

My long hair fell forward, and I had to tuck it back behind my ear. If James had met me a year ago, he would have found me with a shaved head, scruff on my face, and no ink showing.

James cut a check on the spot, adding a few extra hundred dollars to it.

“That’s for your guys,” James said. “Take them for drinks or something.”

We shook hands, and I nodded to James. “Remember us if you need anything else.”

“Of course.”

James broke into tears again once the motorcycle was loaded up into his truck.

When he left, Hunter turned to me. “We make a good team.”

“We always made a good team,” I said. “Just as long as you stay out of my fucking personal business.”

“That I won’t do,” Hunter said. He reached into his pocket and took out a check. “This is for you. From me. From the company.”

“What the fuck is this?”

It was a check. For a few grand.

“For your work,” Hunter said. “You deserve a return on your new investment.”

I ripped the check up and flicked it at Hunter. “I don’t want it. I’m doing fine. Keep the shop growing.”

“Mason…”

“I’m done for the day. I’ll catch you on the flip, brother.”

“Yeah. See you.”

I went through the garage and thanked the guys for their work. Then I got on my ride and skipped the bar, skipped the coming night life, skipped all that bullshit. I had a one-track mind, and that was to get the fuck home.

It was like something burned in me to get there.

Little did I know I’d find Violet at my apartment, waiting for me.

* * *

“Are you lost?” I asked as I approached her. “Because if you don’t remember, you moved out of your apartment and this building. You took all your shit and left.”

I stood with just inches between us, waiting for her to say something.

To do something.

What I didn’t expect was a slap across the face.

And I had to hand it to her, she finally got a good one on me.

Violet slapped me so hard the sound echoed through the hall. I took a step back, sucked in a breath to mask the pain, and I thought I saw a few twinkling stars for a second.

I touched my cheek and looked over at Violet. She was holding her hands, crying.

Actually crying.

Now, don’t get me wrong…a crying woman does nothing for me. Okay? You’re in my bed, you’re naked, we’re finished, I say go the fuck home, don’t start crying. It does nothing but make you look sad and pathetic. But this was Violet. She broke all the rules, she was above all the rest, and if she cried, someone needed to get their ass kicked.

That someone was me.

“Fuck, babe,” I said. “You got me good at least.”

She looked at me, tears running down her cheeks. “Well that makes everything worth it, then.”

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. She was fucking radiant. If we could just strip away the outside bullshit, we’d be perfectly fine.

“Come inside for a minute,” I said.

“Is there some whore in your bed?”

“Let’s find out.”

“I hate you.”

“I know you do, babe. That’s why you’re here, right?”

Violet didn’t answer, but she did come inside. Just that small gesture alone had me reeling on the inside. I made tight fists for a few seconds, trying not to think about taking her to the bedroom and having my way with her. Just like it used to be.

I walked to the freezer and got an icepack. I wrapped it up in a towel and gave it to her.

“To calm your hand down,” I said. “I’m sure your boyfriend will want to know why your hand is all fucked up. Right?”

Violet swallowed hard.

“Or would you lie to him? Well, then again, does he even know about me? So, if you’re already lying and hiding me, then let me hide you for a few minutes. Right back in bed. Chase all that pain and worry away, babe.”

I stepped toward her and she stepped back.

Cat and mouse. Okay, babe, let’s play…

“I read your letter,” she finally said.

“Okay. Did you tell your boyfriend? Let him read it?”

“I destroyed it.”

“That’s probably a smart move. No evidence.”

“I destroyed it because I wish I never saw it,” she spat. “I wish you never gave it to me. I wish you never fucking wrote it, Mason.”

“Then you shouldn’t have come to my apartment and bothered me. Not then, not now, not a long time ago.”

“Look at you,” Violet said. “Who are you? Why…” She shook her head. “No. I didn’t come here for this.”

“Then why are you here?”

“To slap you,” she said.

“You did that. And you drove all that way for that? What did you tell your boyfriend? Huh? Did you lie about a business meeting?”

“Fuck you, Mason.”

“Bedroom’s behind you.”

“Don’t be like that. Your tough-guy act doesn’t work on me anymore.”

“Oh, it doesn’t?” I asked. I stepped toward her again. I touched her waist. “I think it does. I think that’s why you’re here. You read the letter. You want to know more. You want to know everything. Still.”

“Is that so wrong? I cared about you to want to know. So I could understand you. And you broke my heart.”

“Correction, Violet. You broke your own heart. If you stick your hand into a fire, do you get mad at the fire or yourself?”

Violet grabbed my hands and pushed them away. “Don’t question me. Don’t question my boyfriend, either. You’re just acting jealous. Like you’ve done before.”

I laughed. “Jealous. Right. I don’t get jealous, babe. I move on.”

“So you’ve moved on?”

“Want to check my bed for one-night-stands?”

I saw her hand ready to swing again. I grabbed it before anything could happen. I had her by the wrist and lifted her hand, palm up. I stared down at the lines on it. I took my pointer finger and started to trace the lines.

“You know, I can read palms…”

“What?”

I looked at Violet. I had her locked on me.

Fuck, I was almost happy in that moment.

“I can read palms. Tell you your future. What you love. Hate. All that.”

“Liar,” she said.

I ran my finger to the center of her palm and stopped. “See…right here…this spot on your hand is missing my cock. Missing trying to grip it tight. Waiting for my hot-”

“Scum,” Violet growled as she ripped her hand away.

She was still gripping the ice pack with her other hand. And she held the hand I had been touching out still, like she wanted me to keep going.

“Boyfriend,” I said.

“You keep going back to that. You’re jealous.”

“Whatever you say. Is there an actual point of you being here?”

“The letter,” she said. “You want me to be the bad guy? I won’t. I fell in love with you, Mason. I don’t give a shit what you said to me about hurting me. You think that makes it all okay? It doesn’t.”

“I never lied.”

“You never told me you had a wife.”

“You never asked.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Is that something I should ask everyone I date?”

“Did you ask your current boyfriend?”

“Fuck you,” Violet said again. “Davis is not married.”

Davis.

Davis?

DAVIS.

Now I stepped back.

Davis.

The prick she dated back in high school who tried to force her into having sex. The prick who confused her, hurt her, then went off and fucked other chicks, leaving her wondering what was wrong with her.

“You went to him?” I asked.

“Why? Does that matter to you?”

“That guy hurt you, Violet!”

“You hurt me, Mason.”

“That’s not the same. You told me the things he did…”

“And if I told someone the things you did…”

“Nobody knows?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe so I don’t look stupid.”

“And you’re happy with him?”

There was enough of a hesitation to prove that she wasn’t happy at all. Maybe she was standing in my apartment looking for me to save her. Damn, that was a tough one. As much as I wanted to walk away from her, I couldn’t. It was Violet. I was pissed at her, but I couldn’t leave her in pain.

“What the fuck are you doing, Violet?” I asked. “This isn’t you.”

I took one step, and she started to get upset again. “I still don’t get you. You write me that letter and…I feel like I know nothing.”

“I’m not your victim to fix,” I said.

“I loved you!” she yelled. “I fucking loved you!”

“Loved?” I asked. “Meaning…now…”

Violet bit her lip. She swallowed hard. “You know what? Screw this, Mason. I thought I could come here and get something out of you. That you’d want to explain yourself. Tell me about your wife. Tell me who Kate is. Is Kate your wife? Or is Kate…I just don’t know, Mason. I can take the mystery, but I can’t take you hiding stuff from me. I have to go.”

She hurried to the door.

I chased after her.

Finally.

Like a switch had gone off in me, and I decided I couldn’t lose her.

I spun her around, and she let out a little groan sound that shot straight down to my dick. Even upset, hurt, sad, whatever, she made me fucking hard. I wanted to protect her. Hold her. Have her. Savor her.

I gritted my teeth.

“You walked out on me,” I said. “Don’t do that again, Violet.”

“I can’t stay,” she said.

“I won’t touch you,” I said. “I promise. I won’t compromise your relationship with Davis.”

“I don’t believe you,” she said. “You want me in bed just to say you did it again. I won’t let it happen.”

“Bullshit,” I said.

There was silence. We just stared at each other. I wasn’t the kind of person that did the whole hold back thing but there was a first time for everything.

I fucking held myself back.

Not because I was being a gentleman, fuck no. It was because I had a plan forming in my head already.

“When you want to tell me the truth, I’ll be there,” Violet whispered. “That’s what I want from you, Mason. Just the truth. I’m not trying to invade you. I’m not trying to fix you. I’m not trying to hurt you. I just want to know you.”

“Then stay,” I said.

“I can’t. I have a thing tonight.”

“A thing…a date with your boyfriend?”

“Yeah,” she said. “Problem?”

“Not at all. I hope he’s taking you somewhere nice.”

“We’re just going for drinks.”

“Classy,” I said.

“It’s a hotel bar,” Violet said. “Not some shit dive you’re used to picking women up in.”

I grinned.

Violet had given me everything I needed.

I opened the door and let her get out into the hallway before I grabbed her wrist one more time.

“Just remember, babe, you left me. And you came back. Whatever happens from here on out is on you.”

I winked and shut the door.

I felt alive.

For the first time in six months.

I grabbed my phone and decided to call in a big favor from Hunter.

As long as I was right with what Violet had said to me…

I was going to be taking a job as a bartender.