CHAPTER TEN
DANE
I make the coffee strong, not that I need a pick-me-up after last night. I loved Haley coming against my face like that, the way her pussy tugged against my finger, and I wanted more—holy fuck did I want more. Of course, the baby decided to wake up and cock-block me at that precise moment I was pulling my dick out.
Cock-blocked by a one-year-old. That’s a new one.
I’m smiling to myself as I sit at the kitchen island. It doesn’t feel like the kind of vapid happiness that’s going to disappear as soon as it arrives either, as most of my affairs work out, but a deeper, more meaningful sense of satisfaction.
Maybe she’s the one? I consider, dismissing the idea.
I look around. Living in this museum, though, this town stuck in the ’60s? I’m not ready to commit to that, to a life of settling down and tending to the rose garden.
I finish my coffee, grab some tools from the shed and get down onto the laundry floor. I’ve noticed the dryer’s been acting up, so I’ve decided to put on my Mr. Fix-It hat. It’s the fucking least I can do.
The toolbox lies open beside me. I select a screwdriver and start levering off the side panel. I’ve always been good with machines, worked on my own planes when I could, given the shit job most so-called mechanics do these days.
Machines don’t lie. They don’t have emotions. They either work or they don’t. I like that, the simplicity of it. If there’s a problem, you fix it. I know it’s male thinking, but it’s just how I’m wired.
Soon my hands are moving without thought, unscrewing and pulling, shifting and turning inside the guts of the dryer.
I realize it’s two weeks until Christmas. There’s no way the ice storm can last that long, right?
I’ve made it something of a Dane Carr tradition to be in Vegas over Christmas. I’m not one for clichés, for the cold and snow and usual Christmassy crap, and this Merit, Michigan is the biggest cliché I’ve seen to date.
In Vegas no one even cares it’s Christmas—too busy dropping quarters and filling slots to care. I party ’til I can’t stand, and then I party some more. Hell, I can’t even remember the face of the last girl I slept with in Vegas.
And how’s that working out for you, big boy?
The plumbing rattles in the roof above. Haley must be taking a shower.
I place the screwdriver down and stand, wiping my hands on my jeans. Shower sex is exactly what I need right now.
I’m about to head upstairs when there’s a knock on the door.
I’m torn, consider ignoring it, but it comes again.
“Fuck,” I mutter, making my way over and pulling it open.
The guy standing at the door looks like he’s in his mid-thirties. He’s wearing one of those Elmer Fudd hunting hat things you only find in this frigid, frozen part of America.
He seems surprised. “Oh, hey,” he says, rubbing his hands together. “Is Haley still living here?”
He’s standing well away from the door. Probably thinks I’m going to step outside and flatten him. I probably wouldn’t have to use my hands at all. A simple puff and he’d fall.
“She is,” I answer, sliding my hands into my pockets.
The guy scratches his head. “Right. Can I see her? It’s Jeremy Lewis.”
There’s no way Haley would be seeing a guy like this, though maybe this shit-for-brains is what passes for relationship material around here. “She’s in the shower.”
Another “Oh.”
“Maybe I can help.”
I take a step past the doorway and I swear the guy almost trips in his haste to back away. “Well,” he says, staring down at his feet before looking up, “some of us in town are putting together supplies. I thought maybe Haley could contribute, come down to the garage where we’re doing it? She normally helps out with these kind of things.”
“Does she?”
“Oh, yes,” he nods enthusiastically, “you can always count on Haley to help out.”
I’m surprised, but I’m not sure why. She’s selfless. So what?
Still, I can’t stop a spot of irritation that’s crawling under my skin, an itch I can’t quite seem to scratch. She helps everyone out, so why do some people around here seem to think so little of her? Because she had a baby out of wedlock? Is that it? If so, this fucking town needs to get with the new millennium. That toxic bullshit can’t be allowed to thrive in modern America.
What Haley needs is a fucking break. “Look, she’s got a lot on her plate, but, you know, I’ll pass it along.” I tell Elmer. I step back inside and go to close the door. A hand comes against it.
So you have some balls after all, Elmer.
He acts bemused for a second, unsure of himself. “We could really use the help.”
I sharpen my tone. “As I said, I’ll pass it on.”
“I’m sorry, but you are?”
I smile. “Her knight in inky armor.” I close the door, don’t exactly slam it but make a not-so-subtle point of showing this jerk-wad who’s boss.
I make my way up the stairs just as Haley is stepping out of the shower. I get a quick glimpse of her breasts, nipples glossy pink, before they’re wrapped up with a towel.
Haley looks up and sees me, smiling.
I take her by the hips, kiss her long and deep. I make no attempt to hide my burgeoning erection.
“Andy will be awake soon,” she says.
“I can be quick,” I whisper.
She pulls back, holding the top of the towel. “Did I hear someone at the door?”
Now fucking Elmer’s cock-blocking me. They should rename this town Clamjam.
I lean against the wall, steam continuing to drift around the room. “It was just some guy wanting you to go into town, pack supplies or some shit.”
I see the panic form on her face. “Oh, damn.” She’s looking around for her clothes. “I’ll get dressed right away.”
I take her by the shoulders. “You sure?”
She seems confused. “About what?”
“I’m getting a vibe people don’t really appreciate you around here.”
“You must be mistaken.” She’s so naïve it’s almost adorable.
“I’m not going to repeat what I heard, but I don’t think you owe these people anything, Haley. Quite the opposite, in fact.”
She laughs, light to cover up her insecurity. “If someone’s in need, I help out. It’s just how I was raised. I don’t know any other way to live, Dane. I help people. It’s what I do. I’m ‘Haley the Helpful,’” she trills.
It’s time for a shot of undiluted truth. “You’re being used, after everything you do around here. Look,” I breathe out, letting go of her shoulders and taking her face in my hands, “I get it, and it’s none of my business, but you’ve got to start looking out for number one.”
“Number one?”
I point into her chest. “You, silly. You’ve got to start looking out for you.”
She presses up against me. “You make it sound so easy.”
“Because it is. You’re what? Twenty-one?”
“Twenty-two,” she replies.
“And you’d never had an orgasm until now. For that offense alone these town boys should be hung, drawn, and quartered.” I take her hand and push it down the front of my pants. “Take hold of it. Grab my cock.”
Her fingers close around it. “O-kay.”
“How does it feel?” I ask.
She raises an eyebrow, looking down between us, her fingers exploring my cock. “It’s… big, and hard, really hard.”
I lift her chin up with a finger to look deep into her eyes. “Do you know why? It’s because you’re the hottest thing in town, Haley. You think I get as hard as this for any girl?”
“I don’t know. Do you?”
I shake my head. “Hell no, and if the idiots around here can’t see that...”
“That’s all well and good, Dane, but I told you, irrespective of how I’m treated, I’m going to help.”
Do I detect a hint of defiance, of assertiveness? It’s a serious fucking turn on. “Okay. It’s your call.”
“If you’re coming, I need to get a babysitter for Andy.”
“Coming?”
“You’re coming, right, to help?”
“Do you want me to?” I ask.
“I do.”
Again with the assertiveness. I like this, being told what to do for once. “Alright. I’m in.” If only to watch your back. “So, where do we find this babysitter?”
Haley motions to the right. “Next door. I hope you’ve got your charm ready.”