by Claire Adams
"That's winter in Colorado, ma'am. Well, don't let me bother you. I'll get this done and come back for payment later." I winked at her and figured with a little bit of flirting, my night would be filled up quite nicely.
"What forms of payment do you take?" She bit at her lip in a way that would have made me blush as a younger man. Women were a dime a dozen, and it seemed vacation left them horny and far more willing to sleep with some random local than the might otherwise be inclined to do. It was good for me, so I wasn't complaining.
"Well, the invoice is payable by cash, check, or card." I licked at my lips and let my eyes run down her curvy frame. "If you’re wanting to help a poor guy like myself warm up, then a cup of coffee and dinner at Killingers in town would be perfect."
She beamed, and I couldn't help but smile. Her thick red hair was silky looking, and her blue eyes accented her heart-shaped face beautifully. Even as cute as she was, she wasn't at all my type, but truth be told, I wasn't sure there was a woman who was. I'd never run into anyone that I'd fallen over myself for. I could appreciate the beauty found in each woman I encountered, but in the twelve years of slutting around in Aspen, I'd never made the first move. I hadn't had to.
"I'd love that." She clapped her hands together and moved back into the house. Her tank top and sweats didn't seem to be thick enough to withstand the cold air blowing in from around me.
"Good. I'll see you shortly." I started to go, but stopped and pressed my hand to the door. "How old are you, Katie?"
"Twenty-three. You?"
"Same." I winked and turned, walking back out into the yard and shoving my hands in my pockets. I could pull off anything down to twenty-one, but sleeping with a girl under twenty was out. There was a hard lesson learned a few years back that most girls seemed less needy as they aged. I was far happier sleeping with women in their late twenties and thirties, but it was rare to find one that wasn't already taken.
She's out there... I just need to find her.
* * * *
I wrapped up the job and stopped by to let Katie know that I was going to run back by the warehouse and clean up, then I'd come pick her up. She wouldn't have any of it.
"I'll just go with you." She grabbed her purse and worked to button her white jacket. The fur hanging from the top of it let me know quickly that she was rich…or her family was. Strike one.
"If you insist." I took the check she offered and scanned the place, looking for other family members. "Your folks out?"
"I'm here with friends this weekend. They're skiing this afternoon, but I wasn't at all interested." She slipped her arm into mine and smiled up at me. "You ready, handsome? I have some memories to make."
I smirked and held the door open for her. "Well, if you put it that way, then of course, I'm ready. What better way to live forever than in the memories of a beautiful woman?"
"Awe." She glanced back as we walked to the truck. “That was crazy sweet. Why aren't you taken?"
"Haven't found the right woman yet." I opened the door for her and helped her get in.
She tugged me toward her and leaned in, brushing her lips against mine and giving me a sexy smile. "Maybe you just did."
"Maybe so." I pulled her down for a longer kiss, enjoying the smell of her perfume in combination with the taste of peppermint on her tongue.
She was a little breathless when she moved back and pushed at me. "Let's go, or I'll cancel our dinner plans and just eat you."
"Yeah, because that makes me want to leave your side of the truck." I shut her door and walked around the truck, worried that this girl might be a little too much. She wanted to make memories and be someone's someone.
Strike two. One more, and I'd be ditching her, though she was a good kisser. I bet she'd had plenty of practice. Redheads always were the wilder ones in the bedroom. I hadn't had one in a while, either. Maybe letting her slide by on some of the silly shit I was keeping up with in my head would make for a better evening.
I let out a breath I'd been holding and got into the truck.
"So, tell me about this place you're taking me to for dinner."
"Killingers? It's home-cooking. So you have beef, chicken, or fish, and a few southern-style dishes like they would serve in Texas or someplace like that, I guess." I shrugged and pulled the truck into her cleared driveway before backing out and heading back to the shop.
"You're incredibly handsome, Finn." She reached out and brushed her fingers down my arm. "You work out?"
"I do, but this job keeps me in shape, too." I reached up and turned on the heater before taking her hand and entwining my fingers with hers. It was going to be damn hard to keep my concentration on the road if she moved from petting my arm to my leg, which seemed to be where her line of sight was resting.
"I'm really surprised you're not with someone. Don't you live here?"
"I do." I focused on the road, figuring that she would start talking about herself or her friends sooner or later. Women seemed to need to fill the silence around them, like giving anyone time to think was a bad thing.
"I'm just surprised. My friend Krissy...she has this guy friend who's wicked hot like you, and he..."
I tuned her out, nodding where it seemed appropriate and throwing in a “really” from time to time. By the time we pulled into my dad's warehouse, I was getting a slight headache.
"Stay here, pretty girl. I'll keep the truck running. I'm just going to clock out and grab a different shirt."
"Sure, but change in here. I wanna see you." She bit her lip and smiled as I released her hand.
"Naughty. I like you already." I got out of the truck and slammed the door before jogging up to the open bay door. I rolled my eyes at the silly situations I got myself involved in and moved to clock out.
"It go okay today?" My dad's voice was gruff behind me.
"Yeah. Got a date out of the deal and got done early. I'd say it was a good day." I clocked out and pulled the checks and receipts from my back pocket. "Here's this stuff."
He gave me a look as he took it from me. "Why can't you use the damn bank bag I gave you? You're a mess, boy. You gotta grow up."
"Really? I like the thought of never growing up. Like Peter Pan and shit."
My dad rolled his eyes and turned, walking back into his office without another word.
"Right," I mumbled. "Love you, too, Dad. Great talk? Yeah, great talk."
I jogged down the long hall and walked into the men's locker room, stripping my sweaty clothes from my body and jumping in the shower for a quick scrub. I dressed as fast as possible, almost losing my footing and slamming into the lockers with my ass hanging out of my jeans. That would have been enough to have the other guys tease me for the rest of the year and all of the following one.
Checking myself in the mirror, I nodded. "Good enough."
My jeans, t-shirt, and leather bomber would work for the date I had planned, and if things went off without a hitch, I'd be out of them before too much longer. Katie seemed like a girl who wanted to eat fast and then move onto the main course: me.
* * * *
"Dinner was good, hm?" I took Katie's hand as we left the restaurant, ready to get the rest of the night started and leave. The girl had bitched through the entire meal, unsatisfied with everything they brought out, and making the poor girl waiting on us miserable.
"It was okay." She shrugged and snuggled in closer to me. "You want to go back to my place or yours?"
"Yours, if that's okay." I smiled down at her.
"Yeah. I'd love to show you off, anyway." She giggled, and I kept my comments to myself. It was girls like her that left me wanting to write women off completely. I wasn't a piece of meat to swing around like some fucked up accomplishment, though my dad would tell me that I set myself up perfectly to be just that.
What man turns away sex? One with more class than me.
"Are we sharing me tonight?" I opened her door, and she jerked back as if I'd slapped her.
It was almost comic
al. Almost.
"No." She moved to get in the truck and stopped. "Are you hoping that's going to happen? Because it's not. If I'm not enough woman for you, then just drop me off, and we can end the date now."
Her mood turned from friendly and energetic into cold and unyielding.
"I'm a one woman, man, baby. Besides, I was just teasing you, silly girl." I popped her ass and helped her into the truck.
"Oh. I'm sorry." She fussed with her hair and turned her attention to the small mirror hanging above her head. "Silly me."
I closed the door and walked languidly in the snow back to my side of the truck. Some part of me wanted to keep walking, find a park bench, and just rest, but it was the same part of me that hoped for love. Seemed like no one in our town really fell in love. Plenty of people came to visit with loved ones, but finding love in a transient town? Not likely.
I got in the truck and turned the music up, only to have her change the station. I started to tell her not to touch my shit, but decided it wasn't worth the fight. It was five minutes back to her place, and the song wasn't too bad.
When we pulled up, she got out of the car without waiting on me. Her energy seemed to have spiked again, and she was practically bouncing on her toes.
I got out and followed her to the door as she said, "I want you so bad."
"Oh yeah?" I glanced down at her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she fumbled with her keys and opened the door.
"Fuck, yes. You're like every girl's wet dream." She turned and pulled me into the house before kissing me hard.
The sound of giggles caused me to untangle myself from her. "Let me grab a glass of water, and I'll meet you in your room. Which one?"
"Third one on the left." She turned her attention to the two girls in the kitchen, who were sharing a bottle of wine. "Look what I found shoveling snow in the yard. Can I keep him?"
They laughed, and I smiled as if their taunting didn't bother me. I stopped by the sink and picked up a glass from the rack as I glanced at the other two.
"Ladies."
"Sexy snow shoveler." The blonde one smiled and popped my butt before running down the hall toward her friend.
"Hey, I don't know you, but you look too much like my older brother not to say something."
I filled the glass with water and turned to the third girl. "What's that?"
"Katie has herpes, so make sure you have a condom. She doesn't tell guys, and that shit gets on my nerves. There's no cure for the disease." She shrugged and turned from me. "Don't tell her I told you. Just consider it a warning. Most guys don't care."
I sat the glass down and pursed my lips. Herpes? Fuck.
"Yeah, I'm out. Tell her my grandmother called while I was standing here. Thanks for the head's up." I jogged to the door as the girl called after me.
I didn't stop until I made it to the truck, which of course wouldn't start. I hit my hands on the steering wheel and closed my eyes for a moment, trying to think through what to do. Calling my dad seemed the easiest and most efficient way to get out of the shit storm that was headed my way if Katie came out of the front door. I hated lying, yet it was part of the deal. A true whore knew how to lie and do it well.
The house was only a half a mile from where I lived, but it was insanely cold. The sound of a door slamming caused me to duck. I peeked over the edge of the window to see Katie and one of her friends walking toward me. They were yelling at each other.
I tugged the keys from the car and moved along the floorboard to the other side. I opened the door and slipped out, barely shutting the door and being thankful for the lack of light thanks to the moon hiding somewhere.
I jogged down into the woods beside me and didn't stop until my legs gave out just before reaching my house. Pressing my back to a large pine tree, I looked up at the starless sky, wondering what the fuck I was doing.
There was so little I loved about my life, and yet I was the only one able to change it.
"That's it. No more whoring around until after Christmas. Twenty-five days. No sex unless I find the girl I want in my life and not just my bed."
I pressed my hands to my face and let out a long breath. I'd been with four to five different girls a week. Not sleeping with someone for twenty-five days was a little harsh, but something had to give. I couldn't keep living the way I was. I needed a change. Something to shake up my world and set me on the right course.
I needed a good woman. The right woman.
"Easier to find the abominable snowman out here," I grumbled and jogged across the street toward the house.
Chapter Five
Chloe
There were several things I'd learned while staying in Aspen over the last week. Firstly, my father seemed to be a complete man whore that had a new date every night of the week. I was surprised more by his nonchalant attitude about it when I finally brought it up on a morning at the breakfast table.
"So, you're dating."
He glanced up from the paper and sat his coffee down. "I am. Why?"
"I don't know. Just seems weird." I shrugged.
"Am I supposed to be alone forever?" His eyebrow lifted sharply. He was a handsome man, his salt and pepper hair leaving him looking distinguished and important. He was built like a basketball player, strong and tall with taunt muscles and a healthy complexion.
"No, Dad. I've just seen you with five women over this last week. I'm just a little surprised."
"I'm not willing to commit to anyone until I find the right woman. It's simple, really." He picked his paper back up.
"Right, but are you just taking them to dinner?"
"None of your business." He ignored me and turned a little, making sure I knew that the conversation was officially over.
I picked up my plate and walked to the sink, unable to help myself from making one final remark.
"I'm just saying that if some guy was trying me on for size with a one night stand, you'd be pissed." I walked back to my brother's room, hoping to find him awake, but willing to raise the dead if not.
The second thing I learned was that my little brother was capable of growing tall and muscular on nothing more than Cheez-Its and gummy worms. He hated me for it, but I'd been cooking over the last week and had forced him to eat a square meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Other than hanging out and playing video games, the week had been spent drawing new designs and Skyping with Jessie. After ignoring Seth for a few days, he got the hint and stopped trying to communicate with me. Part of me missed having someone who wanted to spend time with me and seemed genuinely interested in my day, but it was all a ruse. Seth wanted a blonde robot that moaned when he said moan and sat quietly most of the rest of the time.
We'd been in more fights about his caveman mannerisms than I had time to analyze.
I knocked on Parker's door and smiled at the deep grunt I got.
"I'll assume that's a 'come on in,'" I said as I walked in and pressed my fingers to my nose. "It smells like sweaty balls in here."
He chuckled and snorted before throwing a pillow at me. "Then get the fuck out! It's like ten in the morning. The sun's not even out."
"That's because we're in the middle of a winter vortex. This sucky-ass place you and Dad stay at every Christmas has to go. Let's start a new tradition. We could go to the Bahamas or Miami. Somewhere warm." I plopped down in a chair next to Parker's bed and tugged a remote from underneath me.
"Christmas isn't supposed to be warm. What's the matter with you?" He sat up, his brown hair a wild mess. "You grow up, and all the fun gets sucked right out of you. Tell me what age it happens at, so I can be on the lookout. I refuse to give up on being a kid."
"I'm still a kid, too." I threw a dirty sock at him, smacking him in the face with it.
He chucked it back and flopped back down. "Not even close. You fixed broccoli and Brussel sprouts this week. Definitely adult food."
I laughed, unable to help myself. "I need to get out of here today. It's Saturd
ay. What's there to do?"
"Lots, but it would require you to get out into the snow." He rolled over, and I got up, pushing at his back until I shoved him from the bed. He hit the floor with a loud thud before jumping up and running after me.
I hauled ass into the kitchen and ran around my father, shoving him in between us as Parker attacked the other side of him.
"Hey! You guys are too old for this. Cut it out."
I turned my dad with a tight hold on his pockets, forcing him to become a shield to fend off my brother. "Not happening, Dad. He's after me, and you're my only hope."
"Luke...I am your father." My brother gave his best Darth Vader voice, which only opened me up to the worst morning breath in the universe.
"Go brush your teeth, Parker. That's disgusting." My father jerked from us and walked to the sink, turning once to give us a disgusted stare.
"That breath could melt wax, dude." I pushed at his head, and he walked back down the hall grumbling.
"What are your plans today, Chloe?" my father asked with his back to me.
"I'm going into town to look around. I wanted to check out your clothing line and see what other shops in the area are up to. I thought maybe I could make a few suggestions seeing that you paid big bucks for this degree I now have."
"You will have. You don't have it yet. Grades haven't come in for this final semester. I checked." He turned toward me and crossed his arms over his chest. "And I don't need anyone analyzing my products. The line is selling well. Spend your time figuring out which products you plan to sell. Before you get a penny, all of them will have to go through me. I'm not investing in anything I don't think will sell."
"You're investing in me, remember?"
"I'm still reviewing the designs. Conversation over."
"No, it's not. That wasn't part of the deal. Staying here for twenty-five days was all that you required of me. You're not reviewing my designs because you're a winter wear guy. These designs are for warm-weather climates and beach vacations."
