by M Dauphin
“What?” he grumbles, obviously still half asleep.
“Bryce lost it all, Deig. We gotta go. Get dressed,” I growl, taking a long drag of my cigarette. I’ve been trying to lay off these, but right now I think I could smoke an entire pack in minutes.
“Lost what? Who?” He rubs his face and groans. “Shit man, I need to start going to bed earlier.”
“Marcus! The fucking drugs are gone! Get fucking dressed, we’re leaving in five!” I bellow, eyes wide and praying there’s no one else around that heard me.
He pauses and his eyes open, then reality starts to set in.
“Holy shit,” he whispers. “Holy fuck, dude.” He goes into Marcus-panic-mode and I stand just outside his wide open front door watching.
We need to figure this shit out.
***
“What the fuck do you mean he ‘just took it’?” Deig yells, pacing the tiny dorm room.
“I was sleeping, man. I was sleeping and that creeper just fucking opened the door, slammed the gun in my temple and demanded I tell him where the drugs were. I’m not getting fucking shot over this shit so I fucking told him! He grabbed the bag from over there,” he nods towards the window sill, “and ran. I was out the door in seconds but he was already gone.”
“Jesus Christ,” Deig grumbles.
“And you’re sure it was him?” I watch him carefully for any sign that he’s lying. I’ll kill the kid if he’s trying to get one over on us. That bag was worth thousands.
“I’m fucking sure!” he whines, obviously scared shitless.
He’s not lying.
“So we get him in class. He doesn’t know who he’s fucking with.” I stand and nod at Deig.
“I don’t know his class schedule,” Bryce whines.
“You know his name?” I cock an eyebrow at him. He’s lucky I’m not kicking his ass over this.
“Yea. Carl Somer. He’s a freshman.”
Motherfucking teenagers.
“So get on your laptop and lets figure this shit out,” I huff, running my hand through my hair.
Deig takes the reins, hacking quickly into the school’s system and finding out this kid’s dorm number and schedule. He’s three floors up from where we are right now and doesn’t have class for an hour.
Perfect.
We take the steps two at a time and bang on Carl’s door the minute we get to it. I hear a crash from inside the room and roll my eyes at the amount of time it takes for the door to open.
“What?” A girl grumbles, half dressed in clothes full of holes and stains. The stench coming from inside the room is rotten and I almost gag. How the fuck has the RA not noticed this?
“Where’s Carl?” I growl.
“Not here,” she groans, rubbing her face. “He hasn’t been home since he dropped this shit here yesterday.” She points to a pile of junk, nothing too spectacular, but underneath it is my fucking backpack.
“Excuse me,” I growl, storming into the room and grabbing the pack by the strap. I unzip it and want to fucking murder someone.
“Where’s the coke!?” I bellow. Deig’s eyes widen and search the hallway for anyone that could have just heard, but I don’t fucking care. “He take it?”
The girl grunts, shaking her head.
“I—” she stammers. “I don’t know! I was passed out when he did it, don’t remember nothing!” She’s scratching her arms and shaking.
“Fuck!” I bellow. “You tell him he owes me about three thousand fucking bucks,” I hiss.
“That shit ain’t—” she starts, but I cut her off.
“Shut the fuck up! It’s my fucking shit and he stole from me! I should have his fucking head!”
I storm past her and leave the room, blazing down the stairs and out to my truck.
“Hey, man!” Deig yells from behind me, dragging Bryce behind him.
“Not here, Deig,” I growl, opening the truck door. I eye Bryce and storm over to him after tossing the backpack in the cab. “You better fucking pray nothing happens to that kid,” I growl, taking his shirt collar in my fist. “His blood will be on you, you fucking idiot. Not me.” I spit at him, my skin boiling from rage, and toss him aside, getting in the truck and slamming the door. I grab a cigarette and take a long drag, holding it in a breath before exhaling and attempting to calm down. It doesn’t help fully, but it does the trick to get me moving.
With my fists tight on the steering wheel, Deig and I drive back to the apartment in silence. I can’t fucking believe I let this happen. This is all because I got too busy with the real, legal business that I’m trying to run and thought I could trust someone else to do my bidding.
That wasn’t the case, and now I’m left with a kid that’s probably going to OD in the next day or two on my shit.
Fucking great.
“We need to stop this,” Deig says from the passenger seat as I pull into the parking lot of our complex.
I growl and nod. He’s fucking right. We’ve been at it so many years now we’re lucky we haven’t been caught yet. This is the first hiccup and it’s a massive one. That kid is no joke. When his face popped up on the computer screen, I knew him immediately. The creeper from one of my last college stops. I knew he was up to something the way he creeped in the back corner last time. How he knew Bryce had the drugs on him last night I have no clue, but I plan on finding out. Maybe Deig’s right. Maybe I do need to back off this side business. I’ve been lucky thus far. I don’t want to push it. Plus, I know the minute Nora finds out, I’m gone. If I end it now then I have a good chance of her not ever finding out and that’s ideal.
“I think you’re fucking right, man. As soon as we get rid of this shit and find that kid before he does something stupid.”
“Right. Soon,” he says, sighing. “Listen, I’ll take this back with me and go through it and contact some locals that haven’t bought lately from us. We need it gone fast. You need to go in and review the email I sent you about the bakery. They’re going to be expecting images from you soon so you need to get to work on it.”
Shit! I completely forgot about the fucking bakery.
“Yea, man. That sounds great.”
I walk into my apartment and head straight for the bathroom. I need a shower, and then I need to see Nora. I’ll work on everything else tonight. They’ll have their drafts by tomorrow.
My bedroom smells like her. Her scent, not quite floral, but a hint of something crisp, clings to my sheets. It’s been only a few hours and I already crave her again.
By the time I make it to the boutique it’s close to closing time, which is perfect. I brought my laptop so I can sit in the office and work on her shit, along with the shit for the bakery, until she gets off, then we can grab dinner before heading back to my place.
The back door is open so I let myself in. There’s a good amount of shoppers out in the shop so I try to be inconspicuous and sneak into the office, but the minute I get to it I notice the door’s closed.
And then I hear it.
“He’s not your type!” I hear Nick’s voice bellow and my hackles rise.
No one fucking talks to my girl that way.
“Nick, you’re not my type!” Nora yells.
Atta girl.
“Bullshit, I know what you’re doing, Nora. You just want the bad boy. You’ll see. He’s actually a bad guy, Nora,” he emphasizes as if he really knows. I’m not a fucking bad guy, and I could pummel him for telling her otherwise.
“Nick, it’s over. No more friends with benefits. I really hoped you wouldn’t react like this. I was really hoping to keep your friendship.”
Whatever.
“Well I really was hoping you’d pick me over him,” Nick says.
About this time Ava comes around the corner and stops in her tracks when she sees me.
“They still at it?” she asks, raising an eyebrow to the office.
“How long’s this been going on?”
“Forty minutes or so. He’s not taking it so well,
” she says, leaning on the wall and crossing her arms. “I’m happy it’s happening though. I’m happy you took my advice.”
“It was good advice.” I shrug and look back at the door as the handle starts to wiggle. My heartbeat spikes and I want nothing more than to take a solid swing at this Nick guy.
When the door swings open I see his face, reddened with anger, glaring at me.
“Just fucking perfect,” he says, mumbling something about him finding out then he turns back to Nora. “I really hope I’m wrong about him. But I know I’m not.”
He pushes past me, storms out of the shop through the front door, getting in his tiny sports car and peeling away faster than he needs.
I look in the office and grin, my eyes finding not what I was expecting. I’m looking at a frazzled Nora who won’t move. Her eyes are red and wet and my grin falls immediately.
“You okay, babe?” Ava says from behind me. I have no fucking clue what to do right now so I let Ava go into the office while I stand here like a fucking moron. Do I go in and comfort her? Do I go after the fucker that made her cry and beat him until he can’t piss on his own for weeks? Because I really want to do the latter, but honestly I’m happy he’s out of the picture.
I could just stand here, but then I feel useless and like a bystander.
“I’m okay,” she sniffles. “I’ll be fine. He just… I didn’t expect that.”
“But it was totally worth it,” I speak up, winking at her. It earns me a slight chuckle, but a look from Ava to drop it. Apparently I don’t know enough about the girl break-up code.
“Hey, you mind if I get out of here? Are we still busy out there?” She looks at me before her gaze returns to the floor.
“We close in ten minutes, Hun. I’m good, you go home and get cleaned up.”
Nora smiles and hugs her best friend and I nod and smile as Ava leaves us in the office.
“How ya doin?” I ask.
“Good,” she sighs. “Hungry.”
“Let’s go get you fed, princess.” I hold out my hand and she grins at me before allowing herself to give in. My hand wraps around hers and I feel ten times better immediately.
Today was shit. Waking up next to her was the best part of this day, but everything else that’s happened is threatening to take it all away, and I’m not okay with that.
“Are you ever going to sleep here again?” Ava asks from the couch as I walk in with my overnight bag in tow.
“Yes.” I smile at her. “As a matter of fact, didn’t we just have a girls’ night last night, with horrible movies and couch sleeping?” I raise an eyebrow at her and cross my arms.
“I don’t remember that,” she quips, feigning innocence. “I barely remember who you are anymore.”
“Whatever.” I laugh. “Hey have you picked up your dress for my dad’s wedding yet?”
She sighs and stands, wrapping the blanket around her. It’s August, but for some reason she’s in winter mode already. It’s little quirks like this that make me love this girl.
“I’m getting it this week,” she says, shuffling to the kitchen to get more coffee.
“Good. The wedding is less than a week away, Ava. I can’t believe it!” Ever since things with Max started, my life’s been a whirlwind. I feel like as soon as I can catch my breath and relax, something else comes up that needs my attention. Don’t get me wrong, I love all the time with Max, but the boutique is really growing in popularity and we’ve recently extended our hours for back to school shopping so I don’t get to see him all that often. He’s been working day in and day out to help get this local bakery going with all their media needs, and other than the few hours a week during the day I see him at work when he’s working on our shit, I only see him at night right before bed.
I love spending time with him. I’m growing connected to him in more ways than I ever wanted to, but I love it. I love our current situation. He’s not sitting at home, wallowing in boredom while I work and I’m not worried I’m going to lose him because he’s not with me twenty-four-seven. I trust him, and I’m comfortable with him. I don’t feel stifled like I thought I’d feel if I ever allowed Nick and I to go exclusive.
Speaking of Nick, I’m fairly certain I just saw his car pull into the parking lot.
“Hey, babe, did Nick say he was coming over?” Ava says, leaning close to the window to get a better look.
“Fucking great,” I mutter. “No, he didn’t.”
“Well, he’s here,” she says, turning to look at me, eyebrows high. “Wonder what this is about?”
“I have no clue. Whatever you do, don’t leave me alone with him.” He was so mad when I broke it off with him that I wouldn’t put much past him. I know he’d never hurt me, but I also know how passionate he is about me not being with Max.
The knock comes on the door a moment later and I snap at Ava and point to the couch when she starts to creep her way back to the bedroom. She huffs and plops down, curling the blanket tighter around her and glaring at the door.
“Thank you,” I whisper, before walking to the door.
“Nick,” I say, smiling sweetly with the door halfway open.
“Hey,” he says quietly, looking past me into the apartment. “You alone?”
“Ava’s here. She lives here.” I nod behind me and raise an eyebrow at him. “What’s up?”
“He’s not here, though?”
“Max?” I furrow my brows and narrow my eyes at him. “No. He’s not. What do you need, Nick, I have to get to work.”
“Listen, I know this sounds like I’m being jealous and spiteful, but I’m not. I promise. I just… I’ve heard things, Nora. I don’t know if they’re true, but I don’t think Max is all he’s telling you.”
A low growl comes from me and I grind my teeth to stop myself from saying something I’d regret.
“It does sound very much like a jealousy-filled message, Nick,” is all I can manage.
“I know. I hate it because that’s not what it is. I just don’t want to see you hurt. At all. And I think he’s going to hurt you.”
“I appreciate how much you care, Nick, but he’s not going to hurt me. Thank you for your visit.” I slam the door in his face, pissed that he’s not letting this drop as easily as I thought he would. Spinning on my heel, I’m met with Ava, leaning against the wall waiting for me.
“You think he’s right?” She cocks an eyebrow at me.
“Jesus no!” I bark, a laugh erupting. “He’s a fucking tool that just wants me back. That’s it. Max isn’t hiding anything from me. He wouldn’t have time.” I walk past her to grab a coffee-to-go and head to the store. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”
She waves me off and heads back to her room to start getting ready. It’s date night tonight so Ava’s coming in a little later so she can stay late and close the store while Max and I head to dinner and a movie.
Opening the store on a Thursday, probably one of our slowest days of the week, is always a bummer. Some days we have people waiting, but it’s almost cut and dry, Thursdays are dead days. The first two hours see absolutely zero customers, so I have a chance to get some book-keeping finished that I’ve been putting off all week. After a quick check of our website to make sure Max and Marcus are keeping up on their side of the deal, I hear the front door ding.
Finally.
“Nora!” Ava sings and I slump back in my chair.
“In the office,” I yell.
I hear her heels click on her way through the store and she stops in the doorway and grins at me.
“How do I look?”
“Like you raided my closet,” I grunt, suppressing a grin.
“I figured your clothes have gotten you this far with Max. Maybe they can help me with Marcus,” she shrugs, walking the rest of the way into the office and sitting on the couch.
“You guys still not together? How much longer does that man need?”
“God knows. We’ve done everything under the sun but fuck, and if I had it my
way that’d have been checked off, too. The man is so… hesitant! Fuck!” She stands up and grunts. “He drives me nuts. I want him… I’ve never wanted a man like this before, and he’s all ‘eeehhh, let’s go slooooow’ like some mommas boy. But, kicker, he doesn’t have a mom!”
I start to laugh at her and lean back in my chair.
“I mean there’s nothing wrong with going slow, Ave.”
“Right. Coming from the girl who fucked a man who turned out to be the man she hired to work for her, then let him meet her family before agreeing to be in a relationship with him… but still wants to ‘take it slow’,” she says, rolling her eyes. “Ya’ll are ass backwards with this relationship. I bet you’re already in love with him aren’t you?”
I grin at her but stay silent.
“See. Told ya,” she huffs. “I just need Marcus to get on the same page as me! We could be epic together, but this week he’s been so distant.”
“Max has been too. I bet it’s just the job getting stressful. I heard they picked up a few more clients in the last couple weeks so that’s probably all it is.”
“Yea,” she huffs. “I’m going to get us coffees. We need coffee.”
“Iced, please. I’m burning up.”
“Pansy,” she mumbles, leaving me to the office.
The minute the front door opens I hear it. The rumble of Max’s truck. I feel like Pavlov’s dog with the sound of that truck. Lately, every time I hear it I turn into a puddle of mush. I’ve given up wearing panties around him already. He’s proven daily that he’s going to fuck me where he wants to, and for the most part I’m completely okay with it.
When he tried the other day to do it in a public bathroom I put my foot down. I’m sorry, but I find nothing sexy about a bathroom with pubes stuck to the walls.
I walk to the back door and swing it open just in time to see him parking the truck. Grinning, I lean against the doorframe and watch as he steps down from the truck. Cigarette in hand, he tosses it to the ground almost immediately and flashes a smile at me as he moves towards me. That smile melts me every damn time.
“Hey, beautiful,” he whispers, pulling me to him and laying his lips on mine. I hum and wrap my arms around him, not wanting to break the kiss when the front door dings. Backing away, he winks at me and runs his thumb gently along my lips. “Customers,” he whispers, before disappearing inside the building and into the office.
