by Grace Risata
Without waiting for a reply, I grabbed for the chocolate cake intending to do some real damage, but Chrissie stopped me just in time.
“What has gotten into you two?” she demanded in horror. “This food cost a small fortune and I will not sit idly by while you waste it. Sit nice, eat your dinner, and quit acting like heathens!”
I threw up my hands in mock frustration and mumbled, “No respect!”
The rest of the meal was rather uneventful as we got down to the business of satisfying our hunger. I did notice the way Sam kept looking up and stealing glances at me while holding back a grin.
His behavior tonight was truly astounding. The man opened up about his past, refused to back down when I challenged his authority, and then smoothed things over while still retaining the upper hand.
My bodyguard was more appealing by the second. Mark my words, I’m going to fuck him or die trying.
Leandra Donahue is nothing if not persistent.
Chapter Nineteen
Sam
“Are you absolutely sure all that stuff isn’t going to bankrupt you?” my sister asked quietly, eager to be heard yet not wanting to wake up the sleeping beauty in her backseat. After pigging out on the best meal I’ve had in a week and then shopping until we nearly dropped, my boss closed her eyes for a quick cat nap and was soon snoring quite loudly.
“She really did win some money, Chrissie,” I soothed. “Trust me, if cash was in short supply then none of that stuff would have been purchased. Leandra knows how to handle finances better than anyone I’ve ever met in my life.”
“I thought you were calling her ‘Lee’ now instead of ‘Leandra?’ Can we keep doing that? I like it better. ‘Leandra’ sounds so formal. When I use ‘Lee,’ it’s like we’re friends or something,” she admitted enthusiastically.
“You like her, don’t you?” I asked, already knowing the answer. It didn’t take a genius to notice the puppy dog adoration my sister displayed for my fake wife. It was as plain as the freckles on her face.
“Yes. I like her. I mean…like…a lot. When you first rolled up and jumped out of the truck, I was so excited that my brother finally came home safe and sound. But then I saw her, you said she was your wife, and I nearly died inside, Sam. All kinds of thoughts started running through my head. Like ‘what kind of lady marries a man without meeting his family first?’ and ‘what if she tries to put a wedge between us and wants you to cut off all communication because the wife usually likes her family better than her husband’s and never lets him go home for the holidays?’ and stuff like that.”
“Are you still concerned?” I knew my sister had a lot to worry about and I didn’t want to add to her misery.
“At first I was. I mean…Lee is so pretty and she can come off as bossy and kind of scary. But then I got to know her better and she’s just…just amazing in so many ways. One of the first things she told me was to be myself and be honest with her. I have to admire that. Most people aren’t so genuine right away. They can be two-faced and have a hidden agenda. But I just feel like she is who she is, you know?”
“Yeah, I know.” That’s one of the things I liked about Leandra…you always knew where you stood. She wore her heart on her sleeve, no matter how well she tried to hide it. If you were in her good graces, it was roses and sunshine. If you pissed her off…then you better fucking duck and cover.
“Most of all, I like how she tries to give advice and teach me about life. It makes me understand what it would feel like to have a big sister. She doesn’t have to take the time to listen to me or help, but she does anyway. I tend to be pretty quiet and blend in to the background sometimes, but Lee doesn’t let that happen. She really sees me. I like that,” she confessed shyly. “Some of her conversations about intimate topics might be a bit uncomfortable, though. I’m glad you came back with the food when you did!”
I nodded in agreement. As far as I knew, my sister was very inexperienced when it came to members of the opposite sex. Being the protective older brother, I liked to pretend she’d never even been kissed. Life was just easier that way. Leandra was the complete opposite. I had little knowledge of her colorful history, and no desire to hear all the graphic details.
“I know. Leandra’s led a pretty crazy life, but that’s all the more reason to listen to what she’s telling you. If you need anyone to answer your ‘woman questions,’ the lady snoring in the backseat probably has some valuable wisdom.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she promised, turning to look out the window as we got closer to home. We rode in silence for a few miles until my sister started up with the interrogation again.
“Is she always so much fun? Is that why you married her?”
Even without Chrissie elaborating on her use of the word ‘fun,’ I knew what she was referring to. Once our hunger was satisfied, the discussion turned to a debate over the best location for a shopping spree. Leandra requested a list of fine retail establishments, to which my sister replied, “Wal-mart,” to every single query. Much to my surprise, the weary woman caved in and we ended up at the big box superstore. While I expected Leandra to piss and moan over the low quality merchandise, she seemed grateful for the opportunity to stock up on much needed supplies.
“She always goes a bit overboard when shopping,” I confessed. That was the honest truth. Leandra thought nothing of dropping thousands at high end fashion houses, ranging from shoes to purses to everything in between. This trip was a bit different than her usual outing. I’ve never seen such enthusiasm when throwing cases of bottled water, jars of peanut butter, or basic necessities such as underwear into the shopping cart.
“I could tell! When she told me to get my own cart, I just assumed it was because I had to pay for anything I wanted. I was fine with that. How was I supposed to know she needed two carts for all the junk on her shopping list?”
It was total madness. On at least three separate occasions I had to remind Leandra that we were only in town for a short period of time and not stockpiling for the zombie apocalypse. By some miracle, I got her down to four cases of water, two jars of peanut butter, a hundred dollars worth of food, and enough clothes to last for a week. The toiletries were horrendous, according to my picky boss, and not worth a nickel. She was forced to settle with ‘cheap shit shampoo,’ ‘sulfate-laden conditioner,’ and ‘cotton granny panties,’ which made it sound like suffering in the ninth level of Hell. I bit back my amusement at her ‘roughing it like a local’ and tried not to laugh and take pictures with her burner phone to use as blackmail later.
“Did you see some of the stuff she got?” Chrissie asked in awe. “A lot of it was high-end brands that I’ve never even heard of. One little bottle of shampoo was twenty-five dollars! I didn’t even know they sold shampoo at Wal-mart that cost that much money!”
“You would go nuts if you had any idea what she spent on perfume and face cream,” I confessed, feeling my dick twitch as the memory resurfaced of my last solo sexual encounter.
“Doesn’t it bother you? That she spends so much money, I mean.”
“No, not at all. Leandra works hard. Who am I to deny her anything?”
“That’s romantic,” she gushed. “I can tell you really like her.”
“You can, huh?” Maybe I’m a good actor after all.
“Of course. I see the way you look at her when you think she isn’t watching. It’s all sweet and loving and stuff. I hope some guy looks at me like that one day.”
What the fuck is she talking about? I look at her like any bodyguard keeping watch over the person signing their paycheck. Nothing more, nothing less. Although it was a bit alarming when Lee got quiet at dinner. I didn’t like it. She’s always boisterous and speaks her mind. I put her in her place when she tried giving Chrissie sex advice, but I sure as hell didn’t expect her to back down so easily. I still don’t understand what upset her so much. Maybe she’s just homesick.
We finally arrived back to the farm at ten o’clock, all three of u
s completely exhausted and ready to hit the bed. Well, I should revise that. Two of us were barely able to keep our eyes open while one snoring person was already fast asleep in the backseat.
I told Chrissie to head up to her room while I carried all our purchases and a sleeping Leandra up to bed. As I gently unbuckled her seat belt and lifted the beautiful woman into my arms, she instinctively snuggled her body closer to mine and sighed with contentment.
Forcing myself not to breathe too deeply, lest a scent of barbecue sauce, sweat, and the unmistakable aura of Leandra intoxicate me into lewd thoughts, we made our way to my room. Slowly lowering her onto the bed, her hands wrapped around my neck and she refused to let go.
“Thank you,” she whispered, her warm breath teasing my ear.
“It’s nothing. You’re light as a feather,” I replied. It’s not the first time I’ve carried her to bed. She’s either been drunk or exhausted from working too hard.
“No, not for that. Thank you for today.”
“I should be thanking you for helping with the tree,” I insisted, feeling like a jackass for not showing my gratitude earlier.
“It was my pleasure. I enjoyed every single second of it. Meeting new people such as my buddy Betty Jo, eating bologna and barbecue, bonding with your sister, doing manual labor…it was all worth it just to learn more about you, Sam.”
“You’re overtired. Go to sleep,” I ordered, not wanting things to progress any further because I didn’t know if I could stop myself from touching her the way I wanted to.
I pried her hands off my neck and excused myself to finish unloading the stuff she bought. I had almost made it out the door, when she shared one final thought.
“Chrissie isn’t the only one who noticed how you look at me when you think I’m not watching. That’s the thing, Sam. I’m always watching you.”
Fuck.
Keeping my hands off her for the rest of the time we’re here is going to be a lot harder than I thought.
Chapter Twenty
Leandra
I rolled over and stretched my aching limbs, fully appreciating the workout they received yesterday during my temporary job as a lumberjack. Rapidly blinking my eyes as the harsh sun shone in the window and sent beams of hot light upon me, I suddenly realized several things at once.
First of all, no warm man shared my bed, thus leaving me cold and grumpy. Second, my stomach rumbled in protest at a lack of morning nourishment. Thirdly, and most important, I stank with an unholy odor somewhat resembling a pig that’s been rolling in its own filth for days.
Not that I’d know what a pig smelled like because I’m a city girl, but still.
Holy shit. Look at me! Only living ‘rural life’ for a few days and I’m already using farm animal references. If Ian and Shorty could see me now, they’d have a total fit teasing the living shit out of me.
Shrugging my shoulders, I scooped up some sexy new Wal-mart clothes along with much needed hygiene products and headed to the bathroom. No one made a peep to alert me of their presence, so I assumed I had this part of the house all to myself.
Now comes the fun part. How can I most effectively use my few minutes of shower time before the water gets cold? After a bit of strategizing, I decided to rinse my body, turn off the water, lather up with soap and shampoo, and then wash it all off.
This was good in theory, but the refreshing stream turned ice cold while I still had conditioner deeply embedded in my scalp. I decided to shave my legs while I waited for the water heater to kick in and do its job. Oh, how I missed my luxurious bathroom at home.
Once all the suds were gone, my hair was combed and thrown into a sophisticated high ponytail, and make-up expertly applied, it was time to start my day. Fortunately the bathroom had a full length mirror hung behind the door and I could examine my outfit for any flaws.
None at all. I was fucking perfect.
From the black tennis shoes to the daisy duke jean shorts to the tightly clinging royal blue tank top, everything was flawless. Sticking up a fist in victory, I sent out a ‘thank you’ to the universe. You can take Leandra Donahue out of the big fancy city, throw her in desolate farm country, and remove her luxuries, but she still reigns supreme over all she surveys.
“You can take my extravagant living, but you’ll never take my ability to be amazing!”
Or is it, ‘you can take my life, but you’ll never take my freedom?’ Eh, same difference.
Clomping down the stairs with the notion of devouring a good breakfast of eggs, toast, and coffee, I was met with a most alarming sight.
Sam’s mother sat regally at the kitchen table as though it was her throne and she waited for a disloyal subject to appear for punishment.
I think I can safely assume that I am the target of her ire. Lovely.
“Good morning, Leandra,” she stated snidely before I had the chance to speak. “Please, take a seat. It’s time we had a little chat.”
Hmm. I know what this is. She’s not about to welcome me with open arms and offer up the keys to the kingdom. I’ve had that exact same expression on my face before I had a ‘sit down’ with someone. They usually ended up swimming with the fishes. This ought to be interesting.
I grabbed an apple from a bowl on the table, wiped it on my shirt, and took a large bite before sitting down. Taking on an air of disinterest, I fully intended to convey that I was not frightened in the least. Bring it on, Katherine. Let’s see what you’re made of, honey.
“As you may or may not be aware,” she began in an even tone as though she had practiced this speech a million times in order to make sure everything went her way, “we haven’t had a minute alone to discuss any of the events that have unfolded in the last few days.”
I nodded my head and took another bite. Where the hell was Sam? Or Chrissie? Or even the angry dad in the wheelchair? Did Katherine plan to have no witnesses lest she have to murder me and bury my body in the backyard?
“You’ve had more than enough opportunity to approach me and show an interest in becoming part of this family. I was a bit concerned that you might actually want to thrust yourself into the thick of things and brown nose enough to pretend you belonged here. I half expected you to beg me to teach you Sam’s favorite recipes or show you how he likes his laundry cleaned. Some half-hearted show of acting like a good wife would normally occur in a situation such as this.”
She held up a hand and waved it around like that would prove her point. I’m not quite sure what she wanted me to say.
“Your son is a grown man and I am not his maid, Katherine,” I explained slowly and articulately. “He’s fully capable of doing his own laundry.”
Judging by the way her face turned red, that’s not the response she was looking for. Excellent. The woman is clearly not here to counsel me on the ways of the spin cycle or extra fabric softener. Let’s get to the heart of the matter.
“That’s exactly what I expected coming from you,” she replied, narrowing her eyes in disdain. “I have no clue what the hell my son sees in you, or why he insisted on bringing you home when there’s obviously no future for your relationship. Samuel is a decent man. He’s supposed to be marrying a good woman, taking over the farm, and raising a family. Not tying himself to some brazen hussy who paints her face like a street walker and wears immoral clothing with the goal of attracting too much attention to herself. We taught our son better than that. Better than you. I’m not sure what type of pull you have over him, but I can promise you that I’ll do my best to break the spell. This marriage will not last. My Samuel deserves a good, Christian woman and not a piece of trash.”
Wow. I think spittle might have flown from her lips as she delivered that passionate speech.
“I’m not sure where all this is coming from,” I stated politely in attempt to calm her down. Under normal circumstances I would have told her to go fuck herself, but I didn’t have that much experience in ‘meeting the parents’ with prior boyfriends. Carlos’ mom was in jail, and Shorty
’s mother was best friends with mine so I already knew her and she loved me.
“I want the best for my son, Leandra. You are clearly not it. Ever since you sauntered into my house and acted like you were better than everyone, I could see the bad influence you’ve projected onto Sam. He never talked back to his parents, never raised a voice in anger, and certainly never treated us the way that he did yesterday morning. His life is here in Kansas, not the big city where temptation lurks around every corner. You have two options. Either walk away of your own free will, or refuse to leave and I will make things very, very difficult. Don’t underestimate the power of a righteous woman, Leandra. You won’t win.”
I raised an eyebrow and forced myself to keep cool. Don’t underestimate the power of an Irish Mob Boss, Katherine. There’s nothing I love more than a challenge. You throw down the gauntlet and I will pick it up with a glimmer in my eyes the likes of which you’ve never seen before.
Opening my mouth with the intention of telling her to suck a giant dick, I was immediately thrown off my game by a quiet voice that spoke up in my defense.
“Mom, why are you speaking to her like that? She doesn’t deserve to be treated that way. Leandra is a good person. I don’t understand what’s going on here.”
Fuck. If it had been anyone else, I would have told them to walk away and mind their own business. But I couldn’t do that. Not with her.
“It’s okay, Chrissie,” I soothed, desperate to keep her out of the middle. “Katherine and I were just discussing a few things. No need to worry.”
“There is a need to worry! I heard the whole conversation and I don’t like it. Unless there’s some big secret I don’t know about…why would my mom try to break up your marriage, Leandra?”
“She wants Sam to be with a nice girl, Chrissie. Not someone like me.”
I got up and walked away from the table, out of the kitchen, and out of the house. Maybe Katherine could see through my act of attempting to fit in here. Maybe she knew I had a darkened soul tainted by all the acts of violence, selfishness, and greed that I’d perpetrated over the course of doing business in my line of work. Maybe she just wanted Sam to live under her thumb and be a dutiful son for the rest of his life.
