Gun Shy

by Ashley Bostock

  Chapter Seven

  Marilyn woke up a little later than her usual time and went for a run. She called another cab to drop her off at her Jeep and brought it home. She was a little disappointed when she got to the brewery's parking lot and there were no cars in the lot. She knew Blake wouldn't be there that early, but a girl could hope! Her day at the store was pretty busy. It went by fast. She made a ton of frozen drinks, which was the norm anytime the first great weekend occurred. People had the itch for summer and with that, frozen or iced drinks.

  She scanned in a few books she accepted for inventory and then she planned on putting them on the shelves. She couldn't help but think about Blake again. Oh man, the way he kissed her last night, like he wanted to own her; she couldn't get over. His kiss was like he was reaching into the depths of her soul and plucking out any hesitations she may have had about him and lining them up for her to get a good look at them. She was afraid of what that could turn out to be. On the outside, he seemed great: confident, charming, a hard worker, funny, easy-going, and that was not to mention his amazingly hot body and good looks. But what was he like on the inside? Was he a player? How many times did he go after women the way he went after her? He was probably the type to be gone the minute he got what he wanted. Truthfully, Marilyn had to ask herself, did she care? Was she looking for anything more than a short-lived romance? Did she want a relationship? Long term? After Tyler, she wasn’t so sure. She knew she was getting way ahead of herself but the business owner in her couldn't help but think of long-term situations and analyze them.

  She wondered if he would figure out what Lusting after Literature really was. She figured if he was somewhat interested in her, he would figure it out. Hell, if not, there was her answer. She wondered if he realized how easy her 'clue' was for him. All he really had to do was look in the white pages under the L's and there it would be. Or drive down Main Street and read business signs! She giggled at the thought of him going to the library.

  It was getting close to closing time and Marilyn was finishing up some loose ends. She was running through some of the items on her to-do list before she actually closed. When it was quiet and there weren't many customers, she liked to dust and empty trash cans so she wasn't there much longer after closing. She couldn't wait to go home and take a nice hot bath.

  Blake was getting out of his car, looking at the sign, Lusting after Literature, in bright purple lighting. He smiled to himself. After he went to the library asking where to find Marilyn, the librarian kindly told him that she might work at the used bookstore in town. She told him where it was and wished him luck. He didn't even know there was a used bookstore in town, so he was surprised to find it right on Main Street. He hoped she was inside working; he didn't want to wait another day to see her. He'd never had this strong of an attraction toward a woman before. Sure, there were women he liked and slept with, but not women that he couldn't keep his hands and mind off of. For Christ’s sake, he was a tried-and-true soldier, he was trained to think straight, make no mistakes and lead by example and here he was leading with, what? He wasn’t sure. His dick? No, he felt like it was a little more than that with Marilyn. Besides that, he knew he wasn’t thinking straight because the normal Blake would not take the time to hunt a female down. He let them come to him.

  With the brewery, he never found time for women except for the occasional screw, which was fine for him. He didn't know what would happen with Marilyn, if anything, but that little angel had gotten under his skin in a matter of days and he couldn't ignore the feeling.

  He noticed the hours of the bookstore as he opened the door to walk in. Good, he thought, just in time before closing. She was the first thing he saw when he walked in. Well, her backside, at least. A mighty fine one if you asked him.

  She was wearing some type of black athletic skirt with a turquoise t-shirt. She was standing up on a small ladder, dusting some of the top shelves. He watched her for a moment and appreciated the view. This was the problem. Every time he saw her, it's like his body took over his mind and before he knew it he was standing below her grabbing her hips.

  "You really need to be careful up there. You should have someone holding on to you so you don't fall."

  He felt the surprised jump in her the moment he touched her but instead of climbing down she turned and smiled, "Well, it's a good thing you showed up when you did then, isn't it?"

  She killed him. She continued to dust while he held her, because he sure as hell wasn't letting go of her sweet little ass. "It is a good thing I'm here." His voice was low and warm, it was taking an extreme amount of will power not to lean in and bite her sweet delicious butt.

  Marilyn glanced down and giggled at him getting an eyeful of her rear. She thought about wiggling it at him but who was she kidding? She knew she didn't have the guts to do that. Yet.

  "Okay, I'm coming down."

  He didn't budge. He held her firm as she climbed down. Oh boy, she could feel his hard muscles as her body slid down his chest, her ass coming to rest at his cock. He wasn't erect but it was the thought of where she was touching him with her butt that made her nipples tighten. She felt like she was in slow motion as she slid over to the side, all the while pressed up against his crotch. She could feel her cheeks getting warm,

  "Excuse me," she whispered.

  What was he doing to her? She turned to look at him and saw that he had the same look in his eyes that he had last night, right after he had pulled away from kissing her. Now was not the place, she scolded herself.

  "I'm glad you found the place. This,” she gestured with her hand, “Is Lusting after Literature, my store." She smiled proudly, "I wasn't expecting to see you so soon though, I have to admit. Well, I didn't know if you'd really come look for me at all, but definitely not so soon." She was rambling! She hated when she got nervous. She bit down on her lower lip and watched him.

  He took a step toward her, "It's nice to be here. Anytime you need a spotter while you’re up on a ladder like that, let me know. It would be my pleasure to help you." He stared at her with eyes that were difficult to decipher what he was thinking.

  She laughed, "I bet! But since you’re here now, why don't you help me close up? You can walk through the place and make sure people know it’s time to wrap things up. I will change over the sign and lock the door. Can you do that?"

  "Blake Bryant, at your service," he grinned that lopsided grin of his and walked off.

  That man got under her skin! In a good way, she thought. Secretly, she was thrilled to see him again. Especially since she had resigned herself to thinking that wasn't ever going to happen. Now, after seeing him at the brewery and finding out he was Tyler's business partner, as well as Blake knowing where she worked, her chances of seeing more of him were pretty good. She locked the front door and switched the sign over to 'Closed' and went behind the desk to wait for any stragglers and close up the register.

  Blake came around the corner with a young girl following him. She was maybe sixteen and clearly smitten. He was being very polite but, in typical male fashion, he had no clue that this girl was crushing on him big time. She tried keeping her chuckle inside as the girl paid for her books.

  "Did you find what you were looking for?" The girl looked at Blake, "I did. Thank you so much."

  "Thanks for stopping in," Marilyn handed back her change. "I have to walk you out so I can lock the door behind you."

  The girl gave Blake, who was leaning up against the counter, a small wave. "Thanks for your help," and she walked out the door.

  Blake watched Marilyn re-lock the door and turn toward him. He kept his gaze on her, and she him, as she walked toward the counter and came behind it to close the register.

  "Is there anything else I can do for you?" he wondered.

  That was a loaded question, she thought. Instantly her mind was imagining their kiss and his words, I will take you right here and she thought of him, well taking her right here, right inside her second home. The thought made he
r cheeks hot. She bit her bottom lip and looked up at him. There was that look in his eyes again. Flirty eyes. That’s what they were – flirty eyes. The look that said, you will be mine and when I have you I'm going to make you orgasm before I even get inside you. Oh and P.S., once I do get inside of you, it will be the ride of your life. Whatever. She hadn’t thought about sex much lately and now it seemed like that was all she could think about.

  She tried finding her voice, "Why don't you tell me about yourself while I do this?"

  "There isn't much to tell. I own the brewery, well, partly own it. I've done that since it opened, which has been about four years now. I originally owned it with a good friend of mine. Before that, I was in the Army right out of college, then, I ran your local credit union-"

  Ha! Army, she just knew it. The way he held himself, his posture, all the defining muscles in his chest and arms, the way his hair was cut, she thought he might have been in the military. "How old are you?"

  "I'm thirty-eight. I know, too young to run a company, right? Well, my dad ran the credit union and after college and the military, I went to work for him. With him being the boss, I learned everything about it and got to know the board really well, so when he was done, I was the next logical choice to keep them from hiring out right away. It worked, I did well. I just wanted something that was my own. I wanted to move around and work, not sit behind a desk non-stop. So, long story short, I basically switched positions with my friend from the Army. We started the brewery together but his heart wasn't in it so I gave him a great recommendation to the board. And the rest as they say-"

  "Is history. So where is your dad now? And your mom?"

  "Where are they? Where aren't they? Both of my parents are retired and living well. RVing throughout the country. So, the last time I talked to my mom, they were leaving Arizona and heading up the coast of California."

  "That must be really nice. That would be a great way to see the United States. Do you miss them?"

  "Of course I do. Aside from my twin, they are the only family that lives close to me."

  Wait, Marilyn’s brain felt foggy, there were two of this man? Could the women of this world handle that? Could she? What if she couldn’t tell the difference between the two of them? What if the brother pretended he was Blake and tried getting her into bed? What if the two of them tried getting her into – No! No, she scolded herself, do not even go there.

  She giggled, “When your parents are here, you mean? What is your brother’s name?"

  Blake smiled at her, “Yes, you're right, when they are actually here. My brother’s name is Blaze. So tell me about yourself, Angel."

  "Like you, there isn't much to tell. I’m close to my parents and my brother, James. I went to college off and on, I waitressed like no other to buy my house and this place, and now this is my life. Most days, I'm here or home."

  He almost asked her how old she was but quickly decided that it didn't matter. He wanted her, no matter what. He continued to watch her count the money in the register and balance the books and watched how serious she became as she did her job. She really loved what she did here. It was evident in the way she tidied up the place, the way she made sure everything with the register/computer thing was exact and all the balancing was correct.

  "Let me put this away and I will be right back." She held up her money bag.

  Realizing that he was a mere stranger to her, and she was dealing with money, he walked away from her and went to the front door so his back was to her. He didn't want her to feel violated or unsure about asking him for privacy while she put the money away.

  Marilyn watched Blake walk away and felt a little pull in her heart. How sweet it was for him to give her privacy while she put the money in the safe. He easily could have stood there and watched what she did but instead took the forethought that what she was doing was private and that he was still unknown to her. She put the money in the safe next to her gun and locked it up.

  "I'm all done, thanks for the privacy."

  "You're welcome. Now what? Are you ready to go home? Or can we do something?” He looked disappointed. “Of course, you are probably ready to go home, right? Let me write your number down and I will go."

  "No, it's okay. Stay for a little while. I would just go home and be by myself anyway so the company is nice. Let's go sit in the other room, there's a couch in there. Would you like something to drink? I can make you something."

  "Water would be great."

  He waited for her while she went behind the counter and grabbed two bottles of water. "Thanks.” He twisted the cap off and looked at her, “So, tell me, Marilyn, how you and Tyler came about?"

  He wasn't exactly sure he wanted to hear the story but he did want to know if she was completely over him. Because he wasn't completely sure about Tyler being over her. In fact, he would bet money that he wasn’t.

  As they sat on the sofa, she told him everything from the beginning. Except for how he took care of his needs before her own in bed, of course. She decided that talking about sex wasn't a safe topic where he was concerned.

  "And that's that. I ended it; I would never go back to him. What about you? Any women in your life right now or the recent past?"

  "Not really. I don't have time to date much since I seem to always be at work. I'm hoping that will change with Tyler on board now. Before we became partners, I had been dealing with all of the financial aspects as well as the distribution area so it should let up now that I have a business partner."

  That is how it went for the rest of the night. He asking questions about her and her about him. They talked about nothing, but somehow, everything. She was surprised at how easy it was to open up to him and talk about herself. They put each other's phone numbers into one another's cell phones so they could meet again. Well after ten, Blake insisted on heading home so she could get some beauty sleep. He waited with her to shut all the lights off and walked with her out to her Jeep.

  There, he kissed her so sweetly and softly it made her heart skip beats. This kiss was so much different from the one at the brewery. This kiss spoke of promise. Of what he would give to her when the time was right. It wasn't an I-need-you-now kiss but a kiss of patience, of genuine interest and one that was unhurried. Before he stopped, his cell phone rang. Blake wasn't going to answer it.

  "You better answer. What if someone needs you?" She said, their foreheads pressed together. Blake growled and dug his phone out of his pocket.

  He did not recognize the number, "This is Blake."

  Marilyn couldn't hear the other side of the conversation but instinctively knew that this call wasn't good. The angry look on his face as he asked questions: Who? And where? What time? She got the feeling that he was speaking to someone of authority. Maybe the police. She hoped not because nothing good came from a police call at ten forty five at night. After what seemed like hours, he hung up.

  "Fuck! Son of a bitch! Someone hijacked our distribution truck and stole everything inside." He rubbed a hand over his eyes. He really felt like hitting something. "They tied the driver up and took the truck and apparently, the truck was found a few miles away. Of course, empty."

  Chapter Eight

  "Oh my goodness. Where?” her mind was reeling. Didn’t this sort of thing only happen in movies? “The driver wasn't hurt? Who would do such a thing?"

  “I’m so pissed! No, thank God he wasn’t hurt. A passerby found him hogtied along the side of the road. The officer said we were lucky they found him this soon. It’s usually a quiet road until morning time so he hoped they could get some useful information from the driver and see where it leads. An officer is going to meet me at my condo sometime early tomorrow morning – a sheriff. I cannot believe that this could happen. I thought this stuff only happened in like, mafia movies?”

  Marilyn had to suppress a grin because that was exactly what she had thought also.

  “Do a lot of people know about the deliveries on Sunday?”

  He let out a sigh, �
�Damn, yeah, really quite a few. There are all of us back at the shop, all of the people that place their orders with us and that’s not counting the people at their store that know when to expect a delivery. There are quite a few. The thing is though, someone would have had to follow the driver from here. Because we hire out drivers, we don’t always have the same routes. Sometimes they are the same, but I wouldn’t think enough to count on it. I guess I will know more tomorrow, hopefully. If there wasn’t anyone around to see anything, except the driver, I’m not sure how the police are going to figure anything out.”

  He suddenly looked exhausted. After that news, Marilyn was certain she would look the same way. As he stared out into the darkness, only the streetlights illuminating his face, she had the urge to touch him and comfort him but she didn’t feel confident enough to do that with having only known him for such a short period of time.

  His breathing was slowly getting back to normal, his grip on his phone loosened and he looked down and shoved it into his pocket. His eyes glistened as he looked over to Marilyn, a sexy grin spread along his face. “Thanks for listening to me rant. It’s probably not what you wanted to hear on our first unofficial date. I’m sorry.”

  He thought of tonight as a date? Unofficial even? She’d take it! That comment made her insides tingle.

  “It’s fine, don’t apologize. It’s not your fault this happened. In fact, you’re acting pretty calm and rational. If something happened to my store I’d be crying my eyes out, kicking and screaming.”

  He brushed a strand of hair out of her face, “and hopefully I would be there to calm you down,” he whispered. He bent his head and kissed her again. This kiss was full on, hard, and almost a little rough as if his anger and frustrations over the stolen beer was coming out of his lips. He kissed her passionately and Marilyn grabbed his belt buckle loops and kissed him back with her soul. Their tongues mingled, licking each other’s juices. Marilyn sucked his tongue and delighted with the little moan he gave her.