Chapter 2
Saturday mornings are some of the best days for me. It’s the day that I get to go do the one thing that I love the most: working on cars! I wake up refreshed, but there is one exception to this Saturday: asshat is supposed to bring the car into the garage. I can’t believe how small the world is when people cross paths.
After I got home from work last week and let some steam off, I met Dex, Callie’s guy, only to come to find out the ass from the garage is named Maverick and he is Dex’s roommate. Clearing my thoughts, I walk into my bathroom to wash my face, apply my moisturizer, and pull my long auburn hair back into a ponytail. I take a good look in the mirror, then take a deep breath; I am ready to get my day started.
Once I am finished in the bathroom, I get dressed in a green tank top and some shorts, then pull my coveralls on. As I enter the kitchen to get my morning cup of joe, I see my sister Cayden sitting at the kitchen bar.
“Hey, Cayden. You’re up early,” I greet my sister.
“Hey, Cyd. How is your hyper ass this morning? I didn’t sleep well and I plan to have a nap later,” she replies, still groggy.
“My hyper ass is fabulous and I’m heading out to work. I don’t know what my schedule is gonna be like today, so I can’t really say what time I will be home.” My schedule always changes from day to day based on what I’m working on.
“Sounds good. Except you definitely know what your schedule is going to be like. You know Dex’s roommate is gonna be dropping off his car for you to fix. Plus I still think what he did at the garage was sexy and hot as hell,” Cayden responds.
I am not having this conversation. “Ugh, Cayden, it wasn’t sexy, it was just plain rude.”
“Fine. Since he is the one that will probably drop off the car, how are you planning to avoid him when he does today?” she asks while pointing a finger at me.
“Could you put more sarcasm in that question? My plan is that he is not on my schedule and I won’t have to interact with him. So there you have it, no interaction needed. Bye Cayd, catch you later,” I tell her as I am headed for the door.
“Oh, sure thing sassy pants. Keep telling yourself you have it all fixed. And my sarcasm is just fine, thank you. I learned it from the best, Cyd,” she says with laughter that she makes sure I hear as I am leaving.
I enjoy the sunshine beaming down on me during the drive over the next few blocks. It’s quiet out this morning, with not much traffic on the roads. As I pull into the parking lot at work, peace washes over me like it always does when I am here at Barry’s Garage. Once I am out of the Jeep, I walk up to the front desk and see Barry sitting there, going over the books.
Barry is of average height, with olive colored skin and blue eyes. He is more quiet than most, and loves what he does. This garage is his baby. I could never begin to thank him enough for taking a chance on me and giving me a job here.
“Morning, Barry,” I greet him as I always do.
“Morning, Cyd, nice to see you today,” he says with a smile.
“What do we have lined up today?” I always like to know what kind of work needs to be done.
“We have a full schedule today. We have oil changes and tire replacements, rotations, and alignments today. The schedule is more maintenance than tinkering. You will be busy most of the day. I added the Challenger to your schedule as well,” he states.
Oh, hell! “I thought Gary was taking care of the Challenger today.” I try to keep my voice even.
“Gary called off today. He has some kind of bug, so I told him to stay the hell away from here and we would take care of his appointments.”
Well, shit, this is definitely a turn of events for the day. “Do we have anyone else coming in today? Maybe Mike?” I ask in surprise.
“Nope, it is just you and me, kid,” he says with excitement.
“Someone is excited to get their hands dirty today,” I say with a light chuckle.
“Damn skippy I am; let’s get this party started, shall we?” Excitement shows in his eyes; he really does enjoy working on cars.
“Okay, let’s do this, gonna be a very full day,” I repeat with a smile on my face. Damn it, I had a plan and it just got fucked up. I know I will be the one to take on the Challenger, but hopefully I can still avoid him.
“Hell yes! Let’s roll!” Barry says, and we get moving.
The morning is going well until I hear the car and feel the hairs on my neck stand on edge. Damn; hopefully the asshat will just drop the car off and leave. Barry must hear the car too, because before I say anything, he is on his way to the front desk.
“I got this, Cyd,” he hollers over his shoulder.
“Thanks!” I say with relief.
“Yo, Firecracker! You in here?” What an ass!
“Nope, no firecracker here!” Please, just make him disappear. “What the hell are you doing back here anyway? You are not allowed to be in here.”
He looks at me with a smirk. “Nah, it’s all good. Barry told me I could come back here to see my friend.” Has he lost his ever-loving mind?
“I am not your friend, that much I can promise you.”
“Now don’t be like that, Cydney. You know we are going to be friends and chill.” Oh my, he just won’t quit.
“You can keep trying, but it’s not going to happen. I am not like the others that you cross paths with; go find one of your base hoppers. Now leave!” I turn around so I can get my jobs done for the day. The one problem is that it is way too quiet. He has nothing to say; this can’t be right. I decide to take the chance and look back to see if he has left. Nope, not a chance. There he is, just standing there with this cocky grin on his face. Fuck, what is he thinking about now?
“Base hoppers? That’s a new one. Maybe I will go find one, you know, to take care of my manual transmission,” he says, laughing.
“Be sure she doesn’t want an automatic; wouldn’t want her to be disappointed, would you?” I always need the last word. “Although, automatics can usually shift into the final gear. You know, to finish the job of that hard-hitting, roaring moment,” I say with a giant smile on my face. Priceless! Oh my, my, my, he has nothing to say. From the moment I met Maverick, he has never been speechless.
“My stick can shift into the final gear just fine. If there is one thing I know it’s that the body of a woman is meant to be pleasured. Trust me when I say that when the time comes, I know exactly what parts to caress and handle, little girl,” he says with a growl. Whew, I reckon I hit a nerve with that one! His chest is moving at a rapid pace. Goodness, what the hell is wrong with him?
“Cydney, be sure to take great care of Skye for me. After all, she is my baby!” he says once he takes a deep breath. Maverick turns his back to me and leaves in a stomping fashion.
Uh-oh, bruised ego much? Too bad so sad, it is the way of the world. So sensitive about the manhood.
Thank you for the peace and quiet and no mouth of Maverick.
I have finished all the other jobs for the day and now it is time to take care of Skye. I walk out and just look at all the gorgeous beauty in front of me. When I reach Skye, I run my fingertips from the headlights to the trunk. I know she has been waiting on me and I am here now. Not gonna let her wait any longer; let’s see what this beauty has in store for me.
Sitting in the lush leather seats and gripping the steering wheel, I put her into gear and start the engine. This beauty purrs just like I knew she would. There is something that sparks a fire within me when I feel the power of the muscle. The adrenaline rush that fills me is powerful and I know I shouldn’t, but damn it I want to so bad. That’s right; I am taking this baby out for a spin. Hell, I mean I have to test the car to see what is going on with it, right?
Skye is running just fine until I hear the telltale sound and feel the jolt that I didn’t want to feel: the misfire. I find a place to turn around. Alright, back to the garage to figure out what is going on.
After test driving and running the diagnostics test on Skye, I have found that there’s a need for new spark plugs. Seriously, does Maverick not know a thing about cars? Now my job is complete once I’ve graced Skye with a set of new tires. Now all the car needs is the owner to come back and take care of her the way she deserves.
Walking out to the reception area to turn the keys in for the Challenger, I spot Maverick. I try to ignore the fact that he is there, unless he is just a stalker and has nothing better to do.
“Hey, Barry, the Challenger is fixed. It just needed some new spark plugs, so it is ready to go now. Plus, there are brand spanking new tires and they certainly shine.” I speak loud enough that he can hear me.
“Good work today, Cyd. I will be sure to get the rest taken care of from here. Why don’t you clean up and go ahead and leave for the day?” He nods in the direction of the garage bay.
“Great, thanks, Barry. See ya’ later!” I make sure to give Maverick the stink eye as I leave. Now it’s time for the cleanup of the garage.
On my way out to the Jeep, I see Maverick leaning against his car in the parking lot.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
“Waiting for you, actually.”
Wait, why? “Why in the hell are you waiting on me?” I ask, confused.
“I wanted to thank you for taking such great care of my car.”
“Well, you’re welcome. Skye should purr the way you want her to now. Plus, it is my job to take care of the cars that are left in my more-than-capable hands,” I respond.
“I can make you purr too, Cydney. Just say the word.” With a wink and a smirk, he starts to get in his car. He just had to be cocky at the end.
“Maverick, you wouldn’t be able to handle all this. Besides, you are too much of a playboy ass to be on my radar. Didn’t you get one of your base hoppers to satisfy you today anyway?”
That stops him in his tracks. Leaning on the car door, he decides to tell me about his day. “Yeah, I found a base hopper. You needn’t worry about that, though. As far as being able to handle you, Firecracker, you have no idea. My ass is all man and I do love to play. That is gonna be what you figure out, and you will soon.”
What the actual fuck is he talking about? There is no way in hell that I will ever be a part of his game or in his bed. “Only in your dreams, Maverick! Oh, and one more thing—you can take that firecracker bullshit and shove it where the sun don’t shine. You ass!” I stomp off to the Jeep.
“Dreams do come true when you pursue them!” I hear being shouted in the distance.