Jake Me

by Sabrina Stark

  One thing about Maddie, she had this way of making me feel almost mature. Almost, but not quite. "You forgot the word 'really'," I told her.

  "Listen, whatever-your-name-is," she said, "my apartment was trashed because of you. I don't know who did it, but I'm damn sure it's your fault."

  "Look," I told Maddie, "I don't know what happened at your place, but since you kicked me out – with no notice, by the way – I'm having a hard time seeing how any of this is my responsibility."

  "Screw you!" she hollered. "I want my money!"

  Next to me, Jake spoke again. "Luna, get in the car. Alright?"

  I gave him an irritated look. "No. I said can handle this."

  "No," he said in a scarily calm voice. "I'll handle this."

  "Hey!" Maddie hollered.

  In unison, Jake and I turned to look.

  With both hands, Maddie reached up to cup her breasts. She pushed them freakishly high and gave them an angry jiggle toward Jake. "Handle these, asshole!"

  I looked to Jake, who looked anything but eager.

  Suddenly, a wolf-whistle sounded somewhere behind us. I turned to look. At least a dozen construction workers were jostled shoulder-to-shoulder, with their faces pressed up against the chain-link fence. They were watching us with undisguised delight.

  "Hey Red!" One of them hollered out toward Maddie, "If he won't, I will!" A chorus of male laughter echoed out from the rest of the group.

  Maddie dropped her boobs and glared at the guy. "Dream on, pervert!"

  "Don't you know it!" he called back.

  With a little huff, Maddie turned back to me. "About our apartment," she hissed, "don't bother playing dumb, because I know you got my voicemail."

  Oh, I'd gotten it, alright. That message was still burned into my brain. As Maddie continued to foam at the mouth, I stopped listening while snippets of that godawful voicemail skittered across my brain.

  I don't know what shit you're into, but I sure as hell don’t appreciate you dragging me into it.

  Someone broke in. They trashed the place. They ripped up Monica's – or should I say your – room.

  Everything's destroyed, even the furniture, and I'm sure as hell not paying for it.

  And if that weren't bad enough, she'd ended the message by calling me a whore.

  Pot, meet kettle. Except I wasn't the one who gave out nooners on Tuesdays for the low, low price of ninety-nine bucks.

  "Are you listening to me?" she said.

  Beside me, Jake spoke. "Maddie, she's done listening to you."

  Chapter 9

  I turned to give Jake a look. There he was again, trying to fight my battles. On any other day, it might have been sweet. But today, given everything else that had happened, it was leaving only a sour taste in my mouth.

  Frustration made me blunt. "Jake, butt out. Seriously, okay?"

  He looked at me with a stony expression.

  Maddie laughed. "What's the matter? Trouble in paradise?"

  I whirled toward her. "Just shut up, okay?"

  "I'll shut up when you give me my money." She leaned closer. "Two-thousand. Like I said on the phone."

  "Two-thousand?" I had to laugh. "Dollars?" Our place had been a dump, with faded carpet, paper-thin walls and cheap second-hand furniture. Two-thousand pennies was more like it. Did she think I was stupid?

  Apparently, she did, because she held out her hand, palm up. "Now fork it over."

  I looked down at her hand. Even if I were that stupid, did she really think I had a couple thousand dollars tucked away in my wallet? How clueless was this girl, anyway?

  "Maddie," Jake said, "if you're looking for restitution, you take it up with me. Not her."

  I heard myself sigh. "Jake, I already said—"

  His voice was low. "I don't care what you said. And I'm not gonna 'butt out', so just deal with it, okay?"

  I glared up at him. "No."

  He glared down at me. He said nothing.

  Maddie elbowed her way between us and looked up at Jake. "Restitution, huh? Is that a fancy way of saying you're the one paying her bills now?" Maddie looked over her shoulder to give me a sneer. "So, I guess you are his whore."

  Behind Maddie, Jake froze. His face grew white, and his body went rigid.

  Before he could say – or do – anything, I gave him a pleading look. "Jake, seriously, stay out of this, alright?"

  "Yeah Jake," Maddie said, turning back to him. "Don't worry about her. Because you and me? We're gonna be talking later." She tossed back her hair. "Nobody blows me off and gets away with it."

  "Hey!" I said. "Are you threatening him?"

  "Butt out, sister," she said over her shoulder. "He's a big boy. He can handle himself just fine."

  On this, Maddie was right. From what I'd seen, Jake could handle just about anything. I'd watched nearly all of his fights on the internet. Some of the footage was nearly barbaric, with blood-spattered fighting that almost hurt just to watch. No matter how insane things got, Jake never backed down.

  But those were guys. A screaming hoochie was another matter.

  If this kept up, we'd be drawing an even bigger crowd, or worse, the attention of the police. I looked toward my brothers' truck and felt my eyebrows furrow. In it, I saw only one silhouette – Steve in the driver's seat.

  Where the hell was Anthony?

  I shook off the distraction and edged around Maddie to stand once more by Jake's side. Facing Maddie, I lifted my purse. "I'll make you a deal," I told her. "Leave now, and I'll give you all the cash I have on me."

  Next to me, Jake spoke. "Luna, don't."

  I turned to give him an annoyed look. "I got this. Alright?"

  What Maddie didn't know was that I had like three dollars to my name – in quarters no less, not even dollar bills. It would totally be worth it to make my point. Cheaper than a latte and twice as delicious, right?

  Maddie looked down at the purse. "You think I'm stupid? You've probably got like five bucks in there." She gave me a smirk. "Sorry, no deal."

  I gave her an odd look. She had just told me to pay up. Why would she say that if she knew how broke I was? But of course, I knew the answer to that. The money was supposed to come out of Jake's wallet, not mine. But first, he was supposed to pay me, not her directly -- so I'd be the "whore," just like she said.

  With an effort, I tried to look unconcerned. "Fine." I pulled the purse closer to my body. "It's your loss."

  Her gaze narrowed. "You think I won't take it. Don't you?"

  I shrugged.

  "Luna," Jake said, glancing down at the purse, "you don't owe her anything."

  I held up a hand. "This is between me and Maddie, alright?"

  Jake's jaw clenched. "You're not giving her your money."

  I let out a sigh. This was so ridiculous. I had no money. That was the whole point. If Jake kept interrupting, he'd totally ruin it.

  In front of me, Maddie was giving Jake a speculative look. I could practically see the dollar signs form in her eyes. Her assumption was obvious. He was rich. We'd had sex. Thus, I just might have plenty of cash after all.

  Jeez, did everyone think Jake paid me for 'services rendered'?

  "On second thought," Maddie said, "it's a deal." She made a grab for my purse.

  I yanked it away from her bony clutches. "Not so fast," I said. "If anyone's pawing through my stuff, it's me."

  "Why?" she demanded. "So you can pull a fast one?"

  "No," I said. "So you don't swipe my hairbrush. Again."

  "Whatever," she said. "Count up, or shut up."

  Smiling to myself, I opened the purse and reached for my wallet.

  Beside me, I heard Jake suck in a breath. I snuck a quick glance at him. He was eyeing the wallet with a pained expression. I glanced down at it, wondering if he knew something that I didn't.

  Stalling, I glanced around and felt my eyes grow wide. "Oh my God," I said.

  Maddie glared at me. "What?"

  I pointed. "Your car."


  She made a sound of annoyance. "What about it?"

  "It's gone."

  "Nice try," she said.

  "I'm serious," I told her.

  Rolling her eyes, Maddie let out an exaggerated sigh and turned to look. That's when she saw exactly what I saw. I hadn't been kidding. Her car was definitely gone.

  And, if I wasn't mistaken, I knew exactly who had taken it.

  Chapter 10

  Through the ongoing traffic, Maddie stared at the spot where her car used to be. She contorted her face and hollered out, "What. The. Hell!"

  For once, I agreed with Maddie. With growing trepidation, I looked toward my brothers' pickup. The driver's side door opened, and Steve got out. He began strolling toward us.

  Maddie had never met my brothers. Come to think of it, she probably didn't even realize I had brothers. When we'd been roommates, it's not like we spent a lot of time talking about me.

  I glanced at Jake. He was scanning the street, as if searching for the same person I was searching for.

  I leaned toward him and lowered my voice. "You should go."

  "Not gonna happen," he said.

  Next to us, Maddie was still ranting. And I couldn't exactly blame her. It totally sucked to have your car stolen. And this, I knew from recent experience.

  Maddie thrust a hand in my direction. "Gimme your phone."

  "Why?" I asked.

  "So I can call the police, dumb-ass."

  "Sorry," I said. "It's out of order."

  "Sorry my ass," she said, turning to Jake. "Gimme yours then."

  Jake gave her a deadpan look. He said nothing.

  From the sidewalk a few feet away, Steve called out toward Maddie. "Hey, Miss! Was that your car?"

  Miss? I gave Maddie a good, long look. In that getup, she wasn't so much a miss as a madam – or maybe someone who worked for one.

  Maddie whirled to face him. "Yeah," she said. "A yellow one? Did you see something?"

  "Yeah, a big-ass tow-truck," Steve said. "You didn't see it? It hauled your car away like five minutes ago."

  Maddie looked toward the now-empty spot across the street. Her gaze stopped at the no-parking sign. "Son of a bitch," she said. "Not again."

  "You need a lift?" Steve asked.

  Maddie looked around. "In what?"

  He pointed to the pickup. "That."

  Maddie eyed the truck. She squinted at the Moon Construction logo, with the words Sewer Contractor emblazoned in neon-green letters. "Get real," she said, flicking her head toward Jake. "I'm going with him."

  Jake gave her a cold look. He said nothing.

  I made a scoffing sound.

  "What?" Maddie said. "I need a ride."

  "Yeah, I just bet," I told her.

  She glared at me. "Well, I'm sure as shit not gonna ride around in some sewer truck."

  "Right," I said. "Because you have such high standards."

  "Damn straight," she said.

  I glanced at Steve. For someone who'd just been insulted, he looked pretty darn chipper. He was up to something. I just knew it.

  "And besides," Maddie said, glancing again at Jake. "He knows the way."

  "You've got your ride," Jake said, flicking his head toward Steve. "So take it. Or walk. Not my problem."

  Maddie looked longingly at Jake's car, all sleek lines and shiny paint. She glanced briefly at Steve's pickup, with its muddy tires and crap piled in the back. She gave Jake a pleading look. "Oh come on!"

  It was almost funny. Maddie lived in a dump. She worked in a dump. She drove a dump. Then again, the vehicle itself wasn't really the issue, was it? I knew how Maddie operated. She wanted a ride, alright. The hot, naked kind.

  I slid my gaze toward Jake. As I watched, he leaned his backside against his car. He was tall, with dark hair and even darker eyes. He was still wearing those jeans and plain white T-shirt, except on Jake, there was nothing plain about it. Whether he realized it or not, the white cotton served only as a blank canvas to showcase the glorious lines of that amazing body underneath.

  His shirt wasn't even tight. It was just that it didn't hide anything – not his finely cut shoulders, not his bulging biceps, and not those perfect pecs of sculpted muscle. My gaze drifted lower, and I felt myself swallow. And it certainly didn't hide those washboard abs, all ridges and valleys of hard perfection.

  Jake crossed his arms and gave Maddie a bored look. Damn it. The guy looked like something straight out of a movie poster. In his side-view mirror, I tried to catch my reflection. The angle was off, giving me nothing but a glimpse of cars still buzzing by.

  Maybe that was a good thing, because I sure as hell didn't look like a movie poster – unless it was a comedy starring a quirky cat lady who'd fallen on hard times.

  "Luna!" Maddie barked out.

  I jumped. "What?"

  She pointed to Jake and gritted out, "Tell him to give me a ride."

  "Yeah, right," I said.

  "Oh fine, whatever." With a long-suffering sigh, Maddie turned to Steve. "I guess I'll go with you."

  "Good," he said. "But it'll cost ya."

  She did a double-take. "What?"

  "Yeah," he said. "Lunch."

  She made a face. "I'm not having lunch with you."

  "Jeez, get over yourself," Steve said. "I'm not asking you on a date." He grinned. "I'm hungry. We'll hit a drive-thru. Your treat."

  "Son of a bitch," Maddie muttered. She turned to me and held out her hand, palm up. "Gimme the money."

  I drew back. "What?"

  "Yeah, open the purse, and gimme me the money. Just like you said."

  From a few feet away, Jake spoke. "Five hundred bucks," he told her. "From me. Now. Take it or leave it."

  I whirled to face him. "Jake, seriously, you don't have to–"

  "This is between me and Maddie." He gave me a stiff smile. "So butt out."

  I squinted over at him. "Did you just tell me to butt out?"

  "You don't like it?" he said. "Yeah, I know the feeling."

  Maddie spoke up. "Deal."

  Still leaning against his car, Jake gave her a hard look. "It's only a 'deal' if you stop bothering Luna."

  I gave him pleading look. "You don't have to do this."

  Ignoring me, Jake pushed away from his car. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He peeled off five hundreds and held them out in Maddie's direction. She snatched them from his fingers without so much as a thanks.

  I made a sound of frustration. "Jake?"

  "It's done," he said.

  Maddie turned to Steve. "Let's get this shit over with." Without waiting for a response, she began stomping toward the pickup.

  With a chuckle, Steve turned to follow.

  "Wait!" I said, lunging for Steve's arm.

  He turned to face me. "What?"

  "Where's Anthony?" I hissed.

  "A couple miles up the road." Steve pointed. "That way."

  I glanced at the spot where Maddie's car used to be. "He didn't." I bit my lip. "Did he?"

  "Later," Steve said. "You want a cheeseburger or something?"

  "No," I said in a hushed tone. "What I want, is to know what's going on."

  Halfway to the pickup, Maddie stopped. She turned toward us and hollered out, "Hey! Lunch-Boy, what's the holdup?"

  "Zip it, hoochie!' he called back. To me, he said, "I'll be back in a few."

  "Wait!" I said again. "You can't leave me here."

  "Why not?"

  "Because," I said, "I'm staying with you, remember? You're supposed to be taking me there."

  "Yeah," he said. "And we're here. Trip's over."

  Confused, I looked around. My gaze stopped across the street. "You're staying at the hotel?" The place looked nice, too nice, in fact. How on Earth could they afford it?

  Steve laughed. "I wish." He flicked his head toward the construction area. "We're staying there."

  I turned to look. All I saw was a chaotic mess of machinery and men, including the same guys wh
o'd been watching us earlier. A few of them had opened up their lunch buckets and were watching us while they ate.

  Great. Now, they were getting lunch and a show.

  I turned to back to Steve. "Very funny."

  "I'm not joking." Steve pointed deep into the construction area. "See?"

  I took another look. Through the construction and commotion, I spotted something that filled me with dread. "Oh my God," I said. "You're staying in the job-trailer?"

  Chapter 11

  Five minutes later, I was standing on the sidewalk with a suitcase on either side of me. Steve and Maddie were long gone, but I wasn't completely alone. A certain someone had flat-out refused to leave my side.

  I looked up at Jake. "It's fine. Really." I glanced toward the construction area. "I'll just lug my stuff into the trailer, and, uh…" Then what? Hell if I knew.

  I turned to look over at the job trailer. In the distance, it looked even smaller than I remembered.

  Growing up, I'd seen enough construction sites to know that our trailer wasn't exactly like the others. Most job-trailers looked like rectangular metal offices on wheels. In contrast, ours was a vintage, bubble-shaped camper that might have slept four sometime in the 1950s.

  It still slept four. Sort of.

  Jake glanced toward the construction area. "You're not staying there."

  Silently, I ran through my other options. I could call my sister, but she was two hours away in our hometown. Even worse, she was engaged to Jake's brother. I knew for a fact that he stayed at her place all the time. The last thing I needed was to shack up with one of Jake's siblings.

  Hell, I didn't even want to shack up with my own siblings – at least, not in a tiny tin can.

  But what were my other choices? My parents? No way. My mom would say, "I told you so." My dad? Hardly. He owned the small sewer contracting company. Thus, he was the proud owner of the aforementioned job-trailer – or as I called it, the canned ham on wheels. The trailer was older than my dad and twice as messy. But for whatever reason, he loved that crazy thing.

  Next to me, Jake spoke. "You heard me, right?"

  I surveyed the construction site. "Actually, I'm pretty sure we're not allowed to stay there. I mean, those trailers, they're supposed to be mobile offices, not mobile homes." I tried to sound convincing. "I'm sure my brothers were joking."