Bass-Ackwards: A Wrong-Way Romance
Page 22
Nothing saved her from drool. Or wet noses. Not at seven in the morning when Daisy wanted to go out. Like Christina was the only tall monkey in that house who knew how to open doors.
The phone rang, and it was too early.
“Thank you for calling Haul Ash Truck and Trailer, this is Christina, how may I help you?”
She held the receiver away from her ear. The coffee was clearly working for this person. Who was not happy. And promising to come down there in person.
She’d no sooner finished that call with a shake of her head, than her own phone was vibrating from the countertop next to the keyboard. Text from Denise.
God, here we go …
She thumbed her phone open and braced.
We went 2 grocery store. He didn’t try 2 buy even 1 thing that wasn’t food! :) :) :)
Her shoulders fell, and Christina blew out a breath. Not just ‘not bad’ news, but pretty decent news. She and Denise were trying so hard with Pops. Some days it was good. Other days? She made a face. Some days were good, though, and that was what mattered.
It was just past ten when a white dually rolled onto the lot. Probably the ‘fun’ individual she’d been waiting for.
A man in a blue ball cap bearing some kind of company logo stepped out and headed toward the office. Pushed open the front door and the February chill whorled in behind him.
“Hi there,” she said, neutral.
“You the gal I talked to on the phone earlier?” He hitched his belt on both sides as he approached the counter.
Yup. Fun.
“That’d be me.”
“I’m gonna need to talk to your manager.”
Her hand was reaching for the phone when the door to the back half bumped open.
“I’m the owner,” said Bill. “What’s going on?”
Sometimes Christina swore he just stood around back there, waiting to pounce on these people. Sometimes that was okay with her.
The customer switched his attention to Bill. “This here employee of yours put an unauthorized charge on my credit card.”
Bill cut an eye to Christina. “This the truck that came back dirty?”
“It’s the sixteen-footer, yeah.”
“Sir, that’s not an ‘unauthorized charge’,” Bill said. “Rental contract says you bring it back clean. That truck came back lookin’ like someone had a whole cattle drive right through the cab.”
The man’s mouth twisted, skeptical. “You had to run a vacuum. How’s’at cost twenty-five dollars?”
Christina picked at her thumbnail. These debates were always pleasant.
“I have to put it out of service,” said Bill, “and pay my guys while they clean it all out. Doesn’t matter the ‘why’ or ‘how’—it comes back dirty, we charge your card.”
“It was raining!” Blue Ball Cap flung a hand in the air. “Whaddya want me to do? Hose it out?”
“Sure,” said Bill. “Yeah. Whatever you need to do. I know that’s not how we gave that truck to you, though.”
The guy eyed her fiancé up and down. “This is bullshit,” he said. “I’m gonna dispute the charge with my credit card.”
Bill snorted. “Yeah? Good luck with that. Credit card companies love people who go against service agreements.”
“Ridiculous,” the man muttered, along with an assortment of profanity as he shouldered his way back outside. Slammed his truck door and drove off.
Christina shook her head. Tried to hold down a guilty grin. “You’re such an asshole, Bill.” She slid over and rubbed a palm across his lower back. “But you’re mine.”
He turned. Arms were around her waist. His chin on her shoulder from behind. “You keep calling me that,” he said near her ear, “I’m gonna make you start wearing skirts again.”
“What?” She twisted her neck to look at him. “ ‘Asshole’, or ‘mine’?”
Brown eyes glittered with trouble for later that night. “Hmm. I don’t know yet.” He nipped at her earlobe.
“You’re not gonna make me do shit, Bill Marshall.”
His grip tightened around her ribs. Voice dropped to that place that made her feel all sorts of ways. “The fuck I ain’t, Christina Lee.”
“Hey!” Travis barked, popping in through the back half door. “Other people are tryna work, here.”
Bill let her go, but her skin still prickled.
They had taken a wrong turn back there somewhere, but it had brought them to the right place. And that was all that mattered.
Thanks for reading Bass-Ackwards!
Like what you read?
Why not leave a review? Even a short one is always a great help to independent authors, who rely on readers like you to get the word out about their books.
Ready for more?
Sign up for my email (http://eepurl.com/beYqU1) to be notified about upcoming releases, including:
Flames of Olympos Book 2: The Mortal Coil (Medousa & Perseus)
Books 4 and 5 in The Skull & Crossbone Romances
I only send emails for new releases (both stories for purchase and free reads), no spam. You can unsubscribe at any time and your address will not be shared.
About Eris
Eris writes dark, escape-from-reality romance full of criminals and outcasts. Her stories are the stomping grounds for bada** heroines, untameable alphas, a spectrum of sexuality, and a serious disregard for convention. Expect the decadent and filthy, the crude and sublime, sometimes all at once. Pick a safeword and grab a towel before reading. She is a complete nerd and possible crazy cat lady. She will annoy you with puns.
Find Eris Online
Website: http://erisadderly.com/
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Eris-Adderly/e/B00PV5I0PG
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/eris_adderly
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ErisAdderly
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/golden_apple_grenade
Twitter: https://twitter.com/erisadderly
Also by Eris Adderly
The Skull and Crossbone Romances:
The Devil’s Luck – Lust and discovery, betrayal and secrets in the age of sail. Oh yes, and pirates. Dirty, dirty pirates. A young widow from Bristol is ready to sail for the Colonies, but fate seems to have other ideas A full-length erotic bodice-ripper novel to satisfy your thirst for adventure and pleasure on the high seas.
The Maid and the Cook – A light-hearted, bawdy pirate romance novella following Brigit, the widow’s maid from The Devil’s Luck, and her adventures down in the galley when she catches the unexpected eye of the ship’s cook.
The Decline and Fall of Rowland Graves – A tragic, Gothic romance novella, with a dark, Halloween twist. The origin story of the villainous surgeon who menaced Hannah aboard The Devil’s Luck.
After Exile Series
Book One: An Emperor for the Eclipse – A man they call ‘exile’ and a woman they call ‘witch’ meet their fate on the steps of the imperial palace. Neither will ever be the same. A dark, romantic fantasy.
Flames of Olympos Series
Book One: The Eighth House: Hades & Persephone – The Lord of the Dead must take a wife. Persephone is more than he expects. An erotic, bdsm mythological romance.
Blushing Books Publications
Gallows Pole – A notorious highway thief makes a dangerous bargain with a hangman in eighteenth century England. A dark, historical erotic romance novella.
The Last Dominant – He’s the last of his kind. She’s an officer, his enemy, and a rare genetic match. His government wants them to breed. She’d rather murder him in his sleep. An enemies-to-lovers Sci-fi Romance.
Stand-Alone Stories
As Flame to Smoke – A dark, supernatural erotic romance novella
his book with friends