Chapter Two
~Maverick~
“Where ya going, Tapper?” The short-haired beauty in the bed beside me calls out as I stand to slide my pants on.
“It’s been real, Aimee. Got shit to do, though. I’ll be seein’ you around.”
She reaches out, her manicured nails scraping down my back, running over the waterfall of scratches she left there less than an hour ago. I like to be marked if it truly is out of passion. What I don’t like is a clingy chick trying to stake claim to something that certainly isn’t hers.
In order for a man to have consensual sex with a female, she has to open her legs or get on her knees to tip her ass in the air. Bottom line, for a man to have sex with a woman, she has to expose herself. She has to open the entry to the hole, a rabbit hole that I am not one bit hesitant to fall right into, or slam into as the case may be. Willing women are always waiting for me to ‘tap that,’ but somewhere between the build-up and their orgasm, some of them lose sight of what we really share.
Case in point, Aimee here. She made sure she marked me damn good. Honestly, balls deep, I love the pinch of pain as a woman’s nails draw down my back. To take a chick to such an edge she is grasping at anything she can dig into and even then she can’t hold on—pawing, clawing, and so lost in the explosion building she can’t get a grip literally—makes those marks earned. Scratching me just so tomorrow night someone else will know you were there—yeah, that shit just doesn’t fly with me.
“Come on, Tapper. One more time, baby,” she drawls out as I grab my shirt off her floor, pushing it over my head.
“You know the drill.”
“Do you ever think about settlin’ down? We’re not getting any younger.”
Looking over my shoulder, I take in the disheveled mess of a woman in the bed behind me. Her hair is short in one of those bob style haircuts. She is a curvy woman with hips and ass. The sheet she is holding up covers her small breasts while her shoulders and neck are exposed, showing a nice shade of pink as she blushes, trying to hold my attention. Her face is a smear of makeup while her eyes hide nothing, and her hair is sticking up all over. She is the epitome of a satisfied woman right now. Is it really too much to ask that she take the gift of euphoria and ride that high while I leave?
“When the right woman comes along, she’ll knock me on my ass, and I’ll know it. You’re a good fuck, but you don’t knock me on my ass.”
“You could be missing out on a great woman by not giving anyone a chance for more than a night or two.”
“Not big on speeches, and you should know that. It was a good time, Aimz. Have a good day. See ya.” I exit her room and apartment without looking back.
I wasn’t kidding; I have shit to do today.
I work long hours and have a hard job. When I have time off, I need to catch up on laundry and life. My job takes dedication and focus. Everything else must be closed off in my mind, except for the rig and the moving parts of the drill as we work. The night was fun, but now the time for regular life is here. Playtime is over.
****
It’s been another long damn day with more shit to do when I get home. Since Mom passed away two years ago, I have had to help my dad more and more. He hasn’t been feeling good today and needs me to pick up a few things at the grocery store for him after work.
Mom had ovarian cancer that wasn’t detected early enough. Even with treatment, she had a rapid decline and lost the battle within eight months of her diagnosis. Pops has been lost ever since.
Thirty years with the same woman and suddenly she’s gone. He is bitter, sad, and lately, he has been quite demanding without her. More than that, he is no longer the man I grew up with. Heartbreak will do that to you, or so they say.
Going over his list in my head, I park my lifted Chevy Silverado in the back of the lot where I can easily occupy two spaces. Then I grab a towel from behind my seat, wiping my hands one more time. Even though I scrub them before leaving work after the hours spent on a rig, I swear I have oil coming out of my pores.
Making my way through the rows of cars, I stop when I hear someone call my name. I turn to see Tonya at a cart return. Damn, she is wearing jeans so tight they look painted on. Added to that are high heels along with a shirt that is just as tight as her pants and so low cut I am seriously amazed her boobs don’t fall out. Her long, wavy, brown hair is down, and her makeup is slightly overdone. She has a nice body, and she talks a good game. In the end, though, she can be rather boring in bed. She isn’t a terrible lay, but she is far from adventurous. Yeah, I tapped that. Well, to be honest, I have tapped her and just about every other pussy in this town.
Trying to keep on my path inside, I give a quick wave to Tonya, hoping that mild acknowledgement will appease her. Wrong! She starts doing some crazy half-running thing over to me. Shit! Her boobs are bouncing as I watch, waiting for her to fall and bust her ass in those shoes.
“Maverick, wait,” she squeaks as she hurries over to me.
“Hey, Tonya,” I say when she comes to a stop in front of me.
“Just gettin’ off work, I see.” She smiles hungrily at me.
Well, Captain Obvious, I happen to be filthy, and it is dinnertime. Given the time, given the knowledge that I work on an oil rig, common sense says I am here straight from work. Rather than be a total ass about it, I merely nod in agreement.
“I bet you’re hungry after a hard day’s work. How ’bout you come over to my house, and I’ll cook for you?” she asks, her invite laced in undertones of more than dinner.
“Not tonight. I really gotta get goin’, but thanks.”
Instead of waiting for more from her, I walk on past her and into the store. After getting a cart, I make my way over to the produce section. Lost in thought, trying to remember my dad’s damn list, I am not paying attention to anything around me while stopping at the bags of salad. I don’t look up as I push my cart in front of me so I can lean down to grab the right one. I feel the cart bump something and hear a slight whimper.
Looking up, I smile at the woman in front of me as she turns around to face me. Whoa, I didn’t expect the anger she has going on over an accidental bump.
“Slick, watch out, why don’t ya? I’m sure this little ploy of yours works on every other chick, but not me, okay? So think about that next time.”
“Slick, huh? Well, my friends call me Tapper, but whatever. I’m sorry. It really was an accident, not some ploy,” I say, lifting up the bag of mixed greens so she can see I was getting something.
“Apology accepted. Moving on. Have a good day, Mr. Tapper.” She smiles and it hits me who she is.
She pushes at her cart, and I hear her mutter, “Appropriate name, Tapper. Humph.”
“Kenzy,” I call out to her back as she strolls away from me.
Her gorgeous, dark hair swings around her as she turns back to face me. Confusion etches her features, and I realize she doesn’t recognize me.
“Maverick,” I say, introducing myself.
“Oh my, you’re … um … dirty,” she says, covering her mouth in embarrassment of her unfiltered response.
“Baby, you have no idea,” I reply with a smile and a wink. “You look good, Kenzy. It’s been a long damn time.”
“Y-yeah.” Composing herself, she smiles finally. “I just moved back.”
“Good, I’ll see ya around, then.”
“Sure thing.” She turns back to her cart and heads off to finish her shopping, her ass swaying with each step.
I can’t help wanting to take my hand to that ass and make it a nice shade of pink. Kenzy has certainly grown into a beautiful woman from her awkward teenage years. She had an innocent yet definitely rough beauty in her youth, one that you had to see past the outer appearance to the heart of the girl. Now she is carrying herself in a refined but shy way. I don’t think she realizes how gorgeous she is.
A loud throat clearing and a cart running into my ass tell me I am still shamelessly staring. I turn around and get a raised eyebrow from a little, old lady.
I give her a wink and move out of her way, realizing I look forward to bumping into Kenzy again. Seeing her turns my whole day around. I’ll have to thank Pops for sending me to the store later even if he won’t understand why.
Continue reading in Maverick (Roughnecks 1) available now through all major e-book retailers!