The Missing Key

(Violet)

It was the day that wouldn’t end. And it started sometime in the middle of the night with the muffled sound of a woman calling out Mason’s name. I ended up putting on music and burying my head under my pillow. When I got up in the morning I got out of my apartment fast, taking my stuff to meet Victoria for a little business meeting at a coffeehouse.

She had some new designs she wanted me to see. All of them were great.

“So what have you been working on?” she asked me, blowing into her fancy coffee.

“The usual,” I said. “Launch is right on time.”

“This is exciting,” Victoria said. “I can just keep drawing.”

“And I can just keep coding.”

“How’d we end up together?”

“Random college shit,” I said. “We sort of didn’t like each other in the beginning, did we?”

“I had bags of clothes and you had computers,” Victoria said.

“And somehow it all worked out.”

“How’s the new place?” she asked. “Give me the dirt.”

“There is no dirt to give.”

“What happened with your neighbor? You were complaining about him.”

I forgot that I had brought up Mason to Victoria. Several times. And I saw the look in her eyes. I waited for her to bust on me for having a crush, but there was no chance at that happening. There was no crush. Mason was a horrible human. A disgusting man. I hated him and it was better left to be that way.

I figured if I ignored him long enough he would go away. Eventually he’d stop asking women to scream his name to bother me, right? Unless he was just that good in bed…

“You should go out with him,” Victoria said.

“Who? Why?”

“You don’t need to keep saving yourself,” she said. “I mean, I’m not saying you should just bang some random guy. But even dating? It’s like you’re preserving yourself for someone…” Victoria bit her lip for a second. “Someone that’s not coming back.”

“Can we talk about the app? Your drawings? Something besides this?”

“Of course,” she said. “Sorry.”

There weren’t a lot of people who really knew me. Or my circumstances. But Victoria was one of them. I trusted her with all my heart and she knew that by me asking to change the subject it meant I was telling her she was right.

“Okay, back on track,” I said. I grabbed for my laptop. “I was playing with some ideas on getting the app in front of people. And then what comes next after they figure out what kinds of clothes they want. I have…” I opened my laptop and hit the power button. The battery light flashed at me. Dead.

I reached into my bag and realized I forgot my charger.

“Shit,” I whispered.

“What?” Victoria asked.

“I forgot my charger. I’m having a real crappy day. I slept like hell. I literally poured orange juice into my coffee. And I didn’t realize until I took a sip of the coffee. I was in a rush and now I forgot my damn charger.”

“Why’d you sleep bad? Do you miss me? Can’t sleep alone?”

“Hardly,” I said. “The jerk off next to me…”

I snapped my mouth shut.

“The jerk off?” Victoria asked. “You’ve got a nickname for him?”

“He had a woman over. And they were…”

“Fucking?” Victoria asked with a smile.

“Yeah. And she was very loud.”

“A screamer, huh?”

“Yeah. His name. Over and over and over.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

Victoria leaned in. “Why are you blushing right now?”

I hadn’t realized that I was. I touched my cheeks. “I…”

“You like it,” she said. “You want that to be you.”

“No,” I said. “Stop. It was really annoying and distracting.”

“You know… it’s really good. Sex. Like really, really good.”

“I don’t need you to talk to me like we’re in high school.”

“But you’re acting that way,” Victoria said. “You’re seriously missing out.”

“Then I’ll just knock on his door and tell him to do me,” I said. “How’s that sound?”

“Sounds perfect to me. Then you’d have one hell of a story.”

“Okay, this conversation is over. If we’re done talking business…”

“You forgot your charger,” Victoria said. “I’m just killing time.”

“Why don’t you tell me what you did with my old bedroom. Are you okay living alone?”

“It’s different,” she said. “But it’s easier when I’m bringing someone home. I don’t have to worry…”

My phone vibrated on the table. The name Mason popped up and my attention went right to it.

I found something you’re missing

I figured it was some smart ass thing he was getting at. I typed back a few question marks. Victoria kept talking. I was focused on my phone.

Mason sent a picture of a key.

Found it in the hallway. Tested it. It’s your key

I grabbed for my keys. I looked at Victoria. “Sorry. I think I…” I looked at the key rings. One was slightly bent. I had a turtle keychain barely hanging on. There was supposed to be a key there, but it was gone. “Shit. I lost my apartment key.”

“Oh no,” Victoria said.

You there, babe?

I put my keys down and grabbed my phone.

Yeah, I’m missing my key. Where are you? I need that key

“Who are you texting?” Victoria asked.

“Sorry,” I said. “It’s my neighbor. He found the key.”

“He? Is it the jerk off?”

“Very funny,” I said. “But, yes, it’s him.”

My phone vibrated.

Come get the key. You’ll have to earn it back though. What panties are you wearing?

I shut my eyes and cursed Mason to hell and back. He was so disgusting and I really hated him. So freaking much.

I’m not answering that question, Mason. Tell me where you are.

I waited and he didn’t respond.

“I’m screwed,” I said.

“You could be if you play this out,” Victoria teased.

“No, you don’t get it. This guy is no good.”

“Those are sometimes the best ones. No strings.”

“He’s evil.”

“Evil is sexy.”

“Victoria… I hate him. And I mean, hate him. Everything he does. Says. Even this. He finds my key on the floor and instead of just being nice about it…”

“He did text you,” she said.

I sighed.

Mason replied.

I’m at my shop. Come visit. I’ll let you through the backdoor … only if I can go through your backdoor

A second later an address popped up.

I half considered asking Victoria to come with me. But I decided against it. She would just stand there and make flirty remarks to embarrass me and entice Mason. Better yet, she’d probably end up in his apartment tonight, screaming his name.

Now I hated her.

I stood up and told myself to get control of the petty jealousy feelings.

I didn’t want Mason. I didn’t need Mason. I didn’t like Mason.

I was going to get my apartment key and that was that.

If only it were that easy…

* * *

I was actually surprised when I saw that his shop was something legit. I expected it to be some rundown shithole that he used as an excuse to sit around all day and drink and scroll through his phone to find his next target to fuck.

But this place was amazing.

A massive parking lot with a line of motorcycles that were really cool looking. There was another line of motorcycles that weren’t as cool though. They were old and some of them really beat up. There was a huge sign that read RN Custom Rides. The building had a sense of coolness to it. And I was definitely the only woman there. There was a garage bay wide open with the sound of heavy metal music blasting. That was joined by the sounds of tools grinding and whirring. Someone was welding, and large yellow and white sparks flew into the air, seemingly to match the music that was jamming in the background.

I pulled open the door to the office and it wasn’t any normal office at all.

It was big with black leather couches. The walls were lined with framed pictures of motorcycles, parts, and old looking diagrams. It had the mixed smell of dude, leather, and grease. And something really clean.

Another door opened and there was Mason, filling the doorway with his wide shoulders and massive frame. He lifted his hand and showed me my key on a new key ring.

“Thank you,” I said. “If I got home and that wasn’t…”

“You don’t get it that easily,” he said.

“What?”

“Come on, let me give you a tour.”

“Mason…”

“Violet,” he said.

“I have to go.”

“No you don’t. This key is more important than anything else.”

“So just give it to me and I’ll go.”

Mason grinned. Those dimples. “Give it to you. Keep begging, babe.”

I groaned. “You’re such an asshole, Mason.”

“Come on,” he said. “Check out the shop with me.”

What choice did I have?

I followed him.

Truthfully, it was all pretty cool. Mason sort of surprised me by how organized he was with his business. Every person knew what they were doing. They all stopped to say hey to Mason and Mason made sure to shake hands and-or hug everyone. He was the commander, that was for sure.

There was stuff everywhere, though. Parts, motorcycles, designs. It was overwhelming to me, but a well-oiled machine, designed by a man that was sexy and a man that I didn’t like at all. Seeing his business, though, at least gave me a sliver of respect for him.

“So back here,” he said and opened a door to another office, “is all mine. We have a design room, a lunch room, and the back room. Most of it out back is our personal junkyard, but nothing like the people we deal with, though. Taking old shit and making it look amazing again.”

He held the door and I slipped into his office. It was like being in an outlaw executive’s office, if that made sense. The aura of power and control, yet it still had his personality of total bad ass.

He shut the door and then tossed my apartment key to the desk. “There you go. You’re lucky I found it.”

“Yeah. I’m having one of those days. Everything that can go wrong, will.”

“We all have them. Enjoy the free keychain, too, babe.”

I looked at the neon green keychain. “See, I don’t get it.”

“Get what?”

“The name of your business. RN?”

“Stands for real nice,” Mason said. “Every time I fucked up, someone would say real nice to me.”

I saw something flash in Mason’s eyes. Something I’d never seen before.

“I get it,” I said. I held up the key chain. “Real nice.”

“See, it’s catchy.”

“So what kind of bad things did you used to do?”

“Used to do?” he asked. “I still do bad things. Want to see?”

“Does everything come back to sex with you?”

“Have sex with me and then we’ll find out.”

“Meaning?”

“It’s win-win, babe. I fuck you and chances are I’ll never want to talk to you or see you again. I get laid and you get rid of me. Just like that.”

“Is this how you talk to your customers?”

“You’re not a customer. Unless you want a custom ride, we’re just two people in my office. I can clear this desk in two seconds and make you come even quicker.” He made fists and put them to the desk. He leaned forward. His arms were flexing, beautiful veins throbbing. So sexy. So bad. “Do we have a deal?”

My body was on fire. My insides were melting, rushing down, everything pointing between my legs. I was so uncomfortable my toes started to curl. The room suddenly had no air at all.

“Thanks for the key,” I said. I swallowed hard, trying to get my mouth wet.

Other places were wet.

Stop… stop thinking that stuff… he’s staring at me… he knows I’m thinking…

“You owe quite a bit, Violet,” Mason said. “I keep saving your ass. And all I want is a piece of it.”

“Never going to happen,” I said. “So just stop.”

“You know, that’s the same thing about fifty people told me when I wanted to start my own business. And I kept at it. I fucking did what I want, when I wanted. And now look at my little empire. So, babe, guess what? You’re the princess trapped in the castle and I’m coming for you. The only thing… you’re not sure if I’m the knight in armor or the fucking monster…”

I had to go. Run.

I tore open the office door and showed myself out.

My face was burning as hot as my insides.

There was no way I could let him talk to me like that and get away with it. And there was definitely no way he would ever get a chance to touch me.

Distance.

That’s what I needed.

I went home and started to look for a new apartment…