Kissing the Bad Boy

by Winter Travers

  *

  Harrison

  “What the hell are you doing out here? Your mom is about to bring out the fifty pies she made.”

  “Fifty pies?” I laughed. I took a drag off my cigarette. “I think you might be exaggerating a bit, Maud.”

  She shrugged her shoulders and leaned against the railing I was leaning on. “There are at least ten pies, Harrison. Let’s not even go into all of the cookies my mom brought.”

  “You know we never go home hungry after Thanksgiving.”

  “Or Christmas, or Easter. Hell, we don’t go hungry anytime we come home.”

  Come home. I hated coming home as much as I loved it. “One of the reasons I don’t come home often. If I did I would need to be rolled onto stage every night.”

  Maud laughed and held her hand out. “Got a light?”

  I forked over my lighter. “I thought you were quitting.”

  She stuck her cigarette in the corner of her mouth. “Did we not just talk about being home?” She lit the end and inhaled deeply. “I’m surprised I’ve only smoked half a pack,” she exhaled on a puff of smoke.

  “How long until Niko, Darius, and Malik come outside?” My parents owned a large ranch on the outskirts of town and every holiday we all gathered here to act like we loved each other and our parents didn’t hate the fact that we were in a grunge band.

  “I saw them sneaking out the front door. I’m sure they went for a ride on the four wheelers.”

  “Smart,” I mumbled. We were across the large yard and on the other side of the small pond leaning against the tractor shed. If either of our mom’s caught us out here smoking our asses were going to grass. It didn’t matter that Maud was twenty four and I was twenty seven, our mom’s still treated us like we were teenagers.

  “Did I tell you mom signed God when she saw my arm tattoo?”

  I looked over at her. “No shit?” I laughed.

  She nodded her head. “Yup. I might have told her I was done getting tattoos the last time I was home so you could only imagine the shock of seeing a snake wrapped around my arm.”

  “Why in the hell would you tell her you weren’t going to get anymore tattoos?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “I was trying to get her off my back. It was self-preservation for her to just stop talking at me about never being able to find a husband.”

  “Cause of all of the tattoos,” we said in unison.

  Maud heard she was never going to find a nice boy if she kept drawing all over herself, and I heard the same thing except I was never going to find a nice Christian girl. I just was never going to tell my mom I wasn’t going to get anymore tattoos. Maud did.

  “You excited to go on tour for a bit?” she asked me.

  I shrugged. “As long as I’m up there singing you know I’m happy.”

  She nodded her head. “Amen to that, brother. You got any new songs swirling around in your head?”

  I took one last drag off my cigarette then tossed it onto the ground. I ground it out with the heel of my boot and stared off into the darkness. “Got a lot of fucking songs in my head. Just don’t know if any of them are worth a damn.”

  Maud scoffed. “You are such an idiot. You just wrote the most badass song I have ever heard before and now you are sitting her like you don’t even know how to write a song.”

  “I know how to write, it’s just that I don’t know if any of them are worthy of playing on the radio.”

  She turned to me and poked a finger in my shoulder. “Have you heard some of the shit they are playing on the radio these days? It’s only a matter of time from when we release the record that we hear ourselves. You write good shit, Harrison. You fucking know it.”

  I did know I had written some good songs, but each time after I wrote a good one I wondered how in the hell I was going to be able to top it. :‘Maniac Heart’ is pretty damn good, Maud. I think we need to just ride the train of that song for however long we can.”

  She shook her head. “You and I both know this ain’t the eighties where putting out one to two singles a year is cutting it. We need to start dropping all of our music soon.”

  She was right, but that would mean I was going to have to start pounding out lyrics quick. “When did Bryan say the deadline was to get the music squared away?”

  “End of January.”

  That gave me two solid months to get my act together. “You can help me when we’re on the road.”

  She grimaced. “I can help you, but I know how you get. Once you get on an idea for a song you don’t listen to anyone.”

  “Then maybe you can help me get on an idea, cause right now I don’t have shit.”

  She finished her cigarette and tossed it on the ground. “I know you’re stressing about this, Harrison, but you shouldn’t be. You’re Harrison fucking Peck and you write and sing killer songs.”

  “Only because I have the Wild Preacher’s Club behind me.”

  She shrugged. “Could be.”

  We made our way back to the house, and she laughed lightly. “Did I tell you that mom went on another tirade about the name of the band?”

  “No, when?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “As soon as I walked through the damn door. She went on and on about the fact that we use preacher.”

  “We’ve had the name for over five years. You think by now she would be used to it.”

  Maud laughed. “I think it’s because we’re starting to get a following, and the local folks are putting two and two together that we’re all kids of local preachers.”

  That would do it. “So what did you promise her this time to get her to stop yelling?”

  Maud held up two fingers. “Michael Bolton concert tickets.”

  I threw my head back and laughed. “Only you would appease your mother by getting her tickets to a concert that is the complete opposite of what we sing.”

  “But it worked,” she laughed.

  We made it to the front door and she turned to look at me. “You staying the night here or going back into town?”

  I pointed to the house. “I’m here for the night. I figure if I stay here mom and dad might be fine with me skipping out on Christmas.”

  Now it was Maud’s turn to laugh her ass off. “You’re fucking delusional, Harrison, if you think your mom and dad are going to let you skip Christmas.”

  I knew she was right, but I could at least dream about it for a bit. “Well, right now we just need to get through Thanksgiving, and then I can worry about Christmas.”

  She pushed open the front door. “Get ready to have you face stuffed with pie while everyone tries to save up from being a devil worshipping band.”

  I motioned for her to go first and hung back for a second.

  Only a few more hours before I could escape to my old bedroom, and then bright and early tomorrow morning I was back to doing what I was born to do.

  From preacher’s son one day to lead singer of a grunge band the next.

  Oh the tangled life I lead.

  *

  Chapter Four

  Ruby

  Mookie?

  “Finally!” I raised my arms over my head and spun around in my chair. After working on the website from hell last week to now working on another site that was a jumbled mess, I was finally caught up on all of my work.

  Mookie raised his head from the floor and looked up at me.

  “We did it, big guy.”

  He looked the least bit interested in me getting my work done since it didn’t involve food so he laid his head back down and went back to sleep.

  “Hmph,” I huffed.

  I glanced at the clock and saw it was half past eleven. I rolled my shoulders and moved my neck around to try to work the constant crick I always had, out. “Bath time?” I asked Mookie.

  He slowly raised to his feet and gave a huge puppy stretch.

  “You enjoy baths just as much as I do,” I laughed. It had become our nightly ritual after I finished my work to eat dinner then
lounge in the tub until the water turned cool and the bubbles dissipated. Mookie and I were firmly in our new routine, and we were both pretty darn happy with it.

  I grabbed the container of pizza from the fridge, a few puppy snacks for Mookie, and we both padded down the hallway to the bathroom.

  I turned on the water, plugged the tub, and dropped a bath bomb in while Mookie turned a few circles and laid down on the rug. “You’re a good boy, Mookie.”

  Who would have thought that I would become so enamored with a pit bull named Mookie? Jonas was gonna be pissed when he came home and saw I had turned his dog against him. Mookie was my good boy now.

  After I sat on the tub eating a slice of pizza and tossing some treats to Mookie, I dropped all of my clothes onto the floor, and sunk into the swirling, steaming tub of light blue water.

  “Heaven, Mookie. We’re in heaven, boy.”

  The past two weeks at Jonas’s had been the best and most productive days ever. After Jonas did come back I was going to have to get my act together and be a real adult who had their own place to live. Being a gypsy and couch surfing wasn’t going to work for me anymore. I was going to need a place that was actually mine. Jonas’s place would do for now, but only until he came home. “Maybe Jonas will stay in Japan and I can just stay here with you, Mookie,” I waxed on to Mookie. Though if I did stay here I was going to have to get some actual human interaction going on.

  Talking only to a dog for the past two weeks couldn’t be healthy. “Though we do talk to all the delivery guys and the clerk at the supermarket,” I tried to reassure myself.

  Mookie lifted his head off the bath rug and looked at the door.

  “What’s up?”

  He woofed once, then walked out of the bathroom.

  “Uh, Mookie?” I called uneasily. Two weeks of taking baths and having the dog lay next to me the whole time, and suddenly he lifted his head like he heard something then walked out of the bathroom.

  “Mookie?” I called again. I stayed still trying to hear anything but heard nothing.

  Maybe he was just thirsty. I had given him three treats instead of the usual two I gave him. Maybe he was a bit parched now. “That’s it,” I whispered.

  The front door was always locked and I hadn’t heard anyone try to break in. “You’re fine,” I whispered. I did reach for my phone that I had set on the toilet and put it next to the tub. I couldn’t be too safe.

  Mookie barked three times and I heard his nails tapping on the entryway by the front door.

  A low voice greeted Mookie, and I froze instantly.

  Someone was in the apartment.

  A man was in the apartment.

  A man was in the apartment and I was naked as the day I was born in the tub. “Mookie!” I called loudly. I didn’t know what the hell that was going to help, but having the dog be the only thing I had connected with the past two weeks I felt he could protect me. He was a pit bull after all. Weren’t they known for protecting the people they loved?

  “Jonas?” The stranger called.

  I was half offended with this guy thinking I sounded like Jonas and half relieved that apparently whoever the guy was he knew my brother. Not that that was really going to help since my brother was in Japan and I was naked soaking in the tub.

  I shot up from the tub, water cascading down my body, and jumped onto the bath mat before I even dripped off. I didn’t know what the hell I was going to do, but I knew whatever it was I didn’t want to do it naked.

  “Jonas?” The voice called again but this time I could tell that he was headed in the direction of the bathroom.

  “Fuck,” I hissed. I grabbed my panties, frantically trying to get them over my legs that were still damp, and realized I was fighting a losing battle. “Gah,” I squawked. I stepped off the mat trying to get a better grip on my panties and I felt my feet slid out from under me.

  This was why you always dried off before stepping onto tile. If you didn’t you would wind up on your ass with your panties around you ankles.

  I couldn’t stop the slipping of my feet and knew I was about to meet whoever the stranger was closing in on the bathroom naked on the bathroom floor.

  I snagged my towel I had sitting on the counter and managed drape it over my body before Mookie nosed open the door wide. Behind him the most beautiful man I had ever seen stood there looking confused as hell. “You’re not Jonas.”

  I rolled my eyes and frantically tried to spread the towel over me. “Yeah, I’m not,” I agreed.

  He looked over his shoulder toward Jonas’s bedroom. “Is he in bed or something?”

  “Uh, I don’t think so. He’s probably at work.” I still hadn’t quite figured out the time difference from here to Japan.

  “Say what? The dude is an attorney. What the hell is he doing working at midnight?”

  I finally felt covered enough and focused back on the handsome man who was standing in the bathroom. “It’s not midnight in Japan.”

  “You say that as if it should help me figure everything out, but all it did was confuse me even more.”

  Well, hell. Whoever this guy was, he had no idea Jonas wasn’t even in the country. “Jonas is in a Japan.”

  “So then why are you in his tub?” he questioned me.

  I scoffed. “Uh, I’m pretty sure I’m the one who should be asking questions right now, not you. How did you get in here?”

  He raised his hand and a single key dangled from his fingers. “Key, Vixen.”

  “What did you just call me?” I demanded.

  “Vixen.”

  “And why would you call someone that when you don’t even know their name and you’ve just barged in on them when all they were trying to do was take a peaceful bath?” Mookie whined and moved to sit at me feet. “Oh, now you come to me,” I grumbled. I reached to pat him on the head and he heaved a sigh of relief. I couldn’t even be mad at the dog for leading this guy to the bathroom.

  “I’m just calling it like I see it.”

  “Where did you get those keys?” I demanded. As far as I knew I was the only one who had keys to the apartment.

  “Jonas,” he said simply.

  “And why would my brother give you keys to his apartment?” I demanded.

  “Brother,” he said with a slight shake of his head. “That makes sense now.”

  “I’m glad things are making sense for you, but I can tell you right now I am about two seconds away from calling the police.”

  “Police?” He shook his head. “I can assure you that you do not need to call the police. Jonas knows I have these keys and knows I come to crash on the couch when I need a place to stay.”

  “And I’m just supposed to believe that?” None of this was making sense. “Why do you need a place to crash? You’re a grown-ass man.”

  A sexy as sin smile spread across his lips. “You really are a vixen. A sassy one, but a vixen still.”

  I grabbed my phone and scrolled till I found Jonas’s name. “I’m calling my brother right now. You better leave right now if you don’t want me to do that.”

  He folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the doorframe. “I’ll wait.”

  I connected the call to Jonas. It rang five times before I heard his voice on the line. “Ruby?”

  “Jonas,” I called. “Is there something you need to tell me?”

  “Uh,” he muttered. “I’m in the middle of work, Ruby. I don’t have time for a guessing game.”

  “I was taking a bath, Jonas, and then the next thing I know there is a man standing in the bathroom.”

  “A man?” he asked.

  “Yes, Jonas. A freaking man.”

  “Harrison. The man’s name is Harrison,” the stranger mumbled.

  I glared at him over my shoulder. “He says his name is Harrison, but I don’t know if I believe him or not.”

  Harrison chuckled and shook his head. “Vixen,” he muttered.

  “Harrison is there?” Jonas’s tone turned to excited and
I knew it wasn’t a mistake that Harrison was here. “I figured he would be home for the holidays.”

  “Well, unless my apartment is home, then he’s not home.”

  “My apartment,” Jonas clarified. “And Harrison crashes on the couch when he needs a place to stay when he is in between gigs?”

  “Gigs?” I squawked.

  “Give the phone to him, Ruby.”

  “What? I am not going to give him my phone. I have no idea who this guy is and I’m standing in the bathroom naked.”

  “Ew. I don’t need to hear about you being naked with Jonas.”

  I closed my eyes and counted to ten. “I am not naked with Harrison. He barged into the bathroom while I was taking a bath,” I said through clenched teeth.

  “I had a key, and the bathroom door was open. There was no barging,” Harrison said quietly behind me.

  “Fix this, Jonas. You told me I would have your apartment to myself for six months. Last I checked it hasn’t even been three weeks since you left.” I was settled in nicely in my little world in Jonas’s apartment, and I did not want it to be disturbed.

  “Give the phone to Harrison and let me find out what is going on.”

  I growled but turned back to face Harrison. I thrust my arm out that was holding the phone. “He wants to talk to you,” I snapped.

  Harrison took three steps into the bathroom and grabbed the phone from my hand. “I’ll take it in the living room so you can get some clothes on, Vixen.”

  My blood boiled at his words and he should have been damn thankful that I didn’t have anything within arm’s reach to chuck at his head.

  He greeted my brother happily as he walked down the hallway and stomped to the door to slam it shut. “Gah!” I shouted. So much for my peaceful bath and then falling into bed.

  Mookie’s wet nose nudged my hand, and I looked down to see he had moved to stand next to me and was looking up at me with the saddest puppy dog eyes ever. “You couldn’t have warned me?” I grumbled.

  He whimpered and nudged my hand again as though to say he had barked before Harrison walked into the bathroom.