“That’s it! I can’t take it anymore,” Kat snapped as she tossed her dishrag in the sink. “Just tell me already.”
“Tell you what?”
“What’s crawled up your ass? You’ve been in a funk for the past three days, and it’s starting to make me crazy.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Kat. I’m fine,” I lied.
I didn’t know why I tried to hide it from her. She knew me better than anyone, even better than I knew myself, but there was nothing she could do to help me—not with this. I was stuck, and there was nothing either of us could do about it.
She put her hands on her hips and stared at me with her eyebrow cocked high. “Oh, no, Miss Sour Puss! You’re not fine. You are far from fine. In fact, you’re acting like it’s doomsday or something. So, just tell me what the hell is wrong, and we’ll figure out what to do about it.”
“That’s just it. There’s nothing we can do about it, Kat.”
“Okay… so you’re admitting something’s wrong. That’s the first step. Now just tell me what the hell is going on.”
I sighed heavily as I slumped back on the sofa and stared at the ceiling. “It’s just that my life is over. I have nothing to live for. I might as well crawl into a hole and die. That’s all.”
“Dramatic much?” she teased. “Come on. Enough of the theatrics. Just tell me what’s wrong already.”
“Well, if you must know. It turns out I’ve gotta hook up with Slider or I’m out on the street. Or even better, I can start stripping for the club. Get up on that stage and shake what my momma gave me. That sounds pretty awesome, doesn’t it?” I laughed sarcastically. “So, yeah… my life is over.”
“Um, where is all this coming from? What makes you think you’ve got to hook up with Slider?”
“He told me the other night when he came into my office looking for a piece of ass. After I gave him a bloody nose, he laid it all out and told me things were about to change.”
As she sat down next to me, she waved me off and shook her head. “Pfft. He’s full of shit. You can’t listen to anything he says, but hey… good job with the ass kicking.”
“Thanks, but it’s not just him. I went to talk to Tank.”
Thinking back on our conversation made my stomach turn. There was a time when Tank was one of my father’s closest friends. He was always there when my father needed him, and we both trusted him. When I’d gone to talk to him about Slider, I thought he’d have my back and tell me that Slider had lost his damned mind. Unfortunately, that’s not the response I got.
His face was completely void of expression as he listened to me tell him about my conversation with Slider.
“He said being his old lady was my only option.”
“And?”
“And he’s full of shit, right?”
“No.” He crossed his arms and looked at me with anger. “As a matter of fact, he’s not.”
The wind rushed from my lungs. “What are you saying, Tank?”
“It’s just like he said. Either become his old lady, or your time with the club is over. I’m done taking care of another man’s problem.”
“So, my father…?”
“Your father is dead. It’s time to move on from that shit. I have. Hell, we all have. It’s time for you to do the same,” he growled. “Slider isn’t going to wait long, so you better make up your fucking mind, or we’ll make the decision for you.”
I left there feeling like all hope was gone, and since then, I hadn’t been able to think of anything else.
I looked at her and shrugged. “I thought he’d have my back, but he ended up saying the same thing Slider said. I lost my tie to the club when Daddy died.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. There would be no club if it wasn’t for your dad.”
“Tank doesn’t seem to feel that way. I guess none of them do.”
“So, what does all this mean?”
“I use Dad’s portion of the club’s money to pay for my classes and my rent. Without it, I’ll have to drop out of school, and…”
“You are not moving out!” she screeched.
“I don’t have a choice, Kat. If I want the club to keep helping me, then I’ve gotta get with Slider.”
Unlike me, Kat didn’t have the same concerns. Her father, Hawk, wasn’t only a member; he was an officer in the club. There was a time when I thought he was a good man, but over the years, he’d changed. Like the others, he’d become obsessed with money, booze, and women. Even though her father was a complete asshole, Kat had her in with the club. She didn’t have to worry about money or any of the brothers giving her a hard time. To do her part, she worked the bar at the club, and she was set. I didn’t have that luxury and was terrified I might have to go along with Slider’s ridiculous proposal, especially with my suspicions of him having something to do with my father’s death. “I’d rather use a sandpaper dildo than screw around with Slider’s dirty ass.”
“Well, he’s not that bad…”
“Oh, so you’d screw him?”
“Whoa, now. I didn’t say that… but it could be worse. You could have to tie up with Shit Stain!” she cackled.
Despite my dismal mood, I couldn’t help but laugh. Shit Stain was our pet name for one of the older members who’d had an accident of sorts one night when he was wasted. He gave new meaning to “sharted”. Since that night, using his pet name had been our running joke. “Well, I guess that’s something.”
“There has to be something we can do.”
“I could join a nunnery,” I grumbled.
“Umm, no. We are two fairly intelligent, devastatingly beautiful individuals. Surely, we can come up with something,” she teased. She drummed her fingertips together for several seconds while she thought. “Hmm… you keep the books at Nudie’s, right?”
“Yeah?” I looked at her with confusion.
“Ok, then. People embezzle money all the time, right? Why couldn’t you do that? It’s not like they’d ever know. They’re too stupid to keep track.”
“I mean, I guess I could… but to get the kind of money I would need, it would take time… time I don’t have.”
“How about this? Just pretend to go along with their plan. Act like you’re okay with being Slider’s ol’ lady and slowly start taking what you need.”
“There’s no way I can pretend to go along with this, Kat. He’ll expect us to do stuff.”
“Tell him you’re on your period.”
“I can’t be on my period for six months, smart one.”
A mischievous grin spread across her face as she taunted, “Then tell him you have a headache… or a venereal disease like herpes or something.”
“Herpes? Seriously?”
“Okay, then how about a good case of genital warts? He won’t touch that shit with a ten-foot pole.” She laughed hysterically. “That should buy you some time.”
“You aren’t helping, Kat!”
“I’ve got it!” Her face lit up. “We could find a way to get him arrested. Get him locked up so he can’t get to you.”
I had no idea how we could make her idea work, but for the first time in days, I was actually feeling hopeful. “How would we do that?”
“We’d just have to get a little creative.” She cocked her head to the side as she thought for a moment. “It doesn’t need to be anything major. Just something that will put him away for at least a few months… maybe a year.”
“Like a drug charge?”
“Yep. A drug charge would be perfect, and it wouldn’t be hard to do. We could plant some on him, and then put an anonymous call into the cops tipping them where it is.”
“Okay. That could work. We don’t want them to be able to trace the call back to us, so we’ll need to use a pay phone or one of those cheap burner phones.”
“I like how you’re thinking, chick. We’ll use cash, just to be on the safe side.”
“Look at you being all on top of things.”
“All that CSI paying off, only we’re doing it in reverse,” she chuckled.
Trying not to get my hopes up too high, I asked, “You really think this could work?”
She shrugged and gave me a goofy look. “Hell if I know, but I’d say it’s worth a shot. We just need to work out a plan and stick to it.”
“So, where do we start?”
“That’s the hard part. You have to convince everyone you’re actually good with being with Slider. You’re going to have to lay it on thick for a little while. Really make them buy into it, especially him.”
She was right. That was going to be the hard part. I couldn’t stand being in the same room with the asshole, and they all knew it. I had no idea how I was going to pull it off. “I’m going to need medication. Lots and lots of medication.”
“I’ve got you covered,” she snickered as she reached for her purse. “I have some Valium you can use.”
“Kat, I was kidding.”
“I’m not. You’re going to have to touch him without cringing, and maybe even put out. You’re going to need some help with that.”
“Or better yet… He could use some. You know what happens when you mix that stuff with alcohol. I’ll drop a couple into his drink, and then maybe he’ll pass out before he ever has the chance to touch me.”
She smiled with excitement as she said, “Now, you’re thinking. And the next morning when he wakes up, you can brag on him and pretend it was all amazing and shit. He’ll never know the difference.”
“You are so bad,” I giggled.
“Girl, you have no idea.” She stood up and started for the kitchen. She took the bottle of pills from the cabinet and handed them to me. “I’m just getting started. We’ll teach Slider a lesson he’ll never forget, and the best thing is he’ll never see it coming.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too. Now, let’s go grab some coffee before work. I’m gonna need a double shot if I’m going to make it through the day.”
“Long night?”
She walked over to the full-length mirror and fiddled with her hair as she explained, “Very long night. Be glad you missed it. The guys were celebrating some big deal they’d made, and they were even more obnoxious than usual.”
“What deal? Did they finally buy that other strip club they’ve been talking about?” I asked as I grabbed my purse and keys.
“No. This was something else. I have no idea what it was, but it was big. I haven’t seen them like this in a long time.”
“Hmmm… wonder what that was about?”
“I have no idea, but I’m sure it wasn’t good. Seems like the worse it is, the more excited they get about it.” She started walking towards the door as she called out, “Let’s roll, home-slice. I’m jonesin’ for some caffeine.”
“Right behind ya.”
I followed her down to the car. Once we were settled in and buckled up, I headed towards the coffeeshop. It had become part of our routine to stop for a large coffee and a bite to eat before heading into work. They had the best coffee in town, and they were just around the corner. I’d already decided on my order before we even pulled into the parking lot. As usual, it was quiet. Their rush came earlier in the day. By the time we made it in the afternoon, there were just a few regulars that came for the free wi-fi. I spotted Josh, a guy from my Lit class, sitting out on the patio with his face buried in his laptop. He looked busy, so I decided not to disturb him and went to follow Kat inside. Just as she opened the door, he called out to me.
“Hey, Zoe!” He smiled as he motioned me over to him.
I walked over to his table. “Hi. How’s it going?”
His strawberry blond hair was hidden beneath a navy baseball cap, drawing my focus to his beautiful blue-green eyes as he spoke. “It would be better if I could finish this stupid paper. Have you had any luck with yours?”
I had finished mine days ago, but I didn’t want to make him feel bad. So, I skirted around the truth. “It’s going okay.”
“Maybe you could give me a few pointers some time…” he started, but stopped when he noticed Kat rushing towards us.
Her eyes looked like they were about to pop out of her head as she reached for my arm, pulling me over to her. “You’re not going to believe this.”
“What?”
“You’ve got to see it for yourself.”
“Is everything okay?” Josh asked with concern.
“Everything’s fine,” Kat answered coldly. She gave my arm a tug, leading me towards the front door of the coffeeshop.
Just before we stepped inside, I turned back to Josh and said, “I’ll see you in class tomorrow. Good luck with the paper!”
“Would you come on already?” Kat huffed as she pulled me over to her.
“What’s going on?”
“Don’t freak out, but he’s here.”
I quickly turned around and glanced around the room. “Who’s here?”
I’d barely said the words when I spotted him over in the corner. He wore a black t-shirt that hugged tightly against his chest with a pair of jeans and black boots. His dark brown hair was brushed back revealing his even darker eyes. Every muscle of my body froze as I stood there staring at him. I hadn’t laid eyes on him since the night I’d given him that sponge bath, and my mind was suddenly bombarded with memories of his chiseled chest—along with his other assets. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake the thought. He turned to look in my direction and saw the surprise registered on my face before I had a chance to hide it. A sexy smile played on his lips as he stood up from his seat and started walking towards me. I could feel the electricity in the air as he approached me, making every nerve in my body tingle with a sensation I’d never felt before.
“Zoe.”
I emitted a tiny gasp when I heard my name come from his lips. His voice was deep and seductive, making it difficult to reply. Finally, I managed to stammer, “You look different. I mean… you look good.” I felt like a complete idiot as his eyes dropped to his oh-so-tight fitted t-shirt and rugged jeans. “I mean you look better now that you’re out of the hospital.”
He shrugged before he looked back at me and chuckled. “Yeah. I’m feeling much better.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” That was the understatement of the year. It was phenomenal to see him again. He was even more handsome than I’d remembered. His dark eyes pierced straight through me as he stood there. He was so close, just a few inches from me, but my mind was still finding it hard to believe that he was there. “It’s good to see you.”
A sexy smirk crossed his face as his eyes slowly roamed down over my body. “It’s good to see you too, Zoe.”
I was racking my brain with what to say next when Kat peeped over my shoulder. She lifted her cup of coffee and smiled. “I’m headed to work. I’ll cover for you until you get there.”
With a concerned look, Seth asked, “Do you need to go?”
“No. She’s fine. No rush at all.” Kat snickered as she turned and started for the door. “Catch you later, home-slice!”
I nervously bit my bottom lip as I watched my best friend walk out of the coffeeshop, leaving me high and dry. I glanced back at him and tried to swallow my nerves. “Umm…. So that was my best friend Kat… or make that my ex-best friend.”
“Is being here with me really that bad?” He smiled one of those smiles that made my heart melt right there on the spot. I was in trouble—huge, ginormous trouble.