Lori began to play the guitar and sing the words to the silly song, getting the kids to cheer and clap and laugh and scream at the appropriate times. Even the adults were joining in and having a good time. When the song ended, everyone cheered and the kids asked for more.
* * * *
Dante was surprised by Lori’s natural ability with the kids. She seemed to be enjoying herself just as much as they were. She was only twenty-one, but she acted older, more mature, and he wondered about her. He noticed immediately how his brothers Trevor and Charlie noticed her, too. Charlie hadn’t taken his eyes off of her and he looked downright pissed off. That was a sure sign that he was feeling something, but what? Charlie was tough and had a shell made of Teflon. There wasn’t anyone or anything that could break through that wall he built up. Dante released an uneasy sigh. Who am I to analyze? I’m just as happy being left alone in misery. So why can’t I stop staring at Lori? What is it about her that has my heart racing and my dick harder than I remember ever having?
Lori sang another five songs and on the final note Andrew saved her from further entertaining by announcing, “Who wants ice cream?”
The children went running toward a large, long wooden table set with everything a kid could want to make a sundae with. Dante wished he could go back in time and truly savor in his childhood. What he would give to feel that excitement over music, over ice cream, and swinging on a swing somewhere again?
* * * *
“You were great, Lori. That spider song was funny, I never heard it before,” Matt said.
“That’s because she made it up. She has a bunch of them,” Maggie added as she headed toward the table to help Ben and the other kids.
“You’re full of surprises, Lori. That was nice of you to do that,” Andrew added.
“Yeah it was really great. You have a nice voice, too,” Charlie said from behind her, and Lori turned, caught off guard by his closeness.
Matt and Andrew walked away leaving Charlie and Lori at an awkward moment.
“It was nothing really. I like kids. That’s all,” she said with her head down, catching herself feeling shy, almost blushing in front of Charlie. He caught onto her uneasiness and took the opportunity to apologize to her.
“Listen, I think we started off on the wrong foot and I’m sorry if I’ve been kind of rude. There’s no excuse for it.”
“Don’t worry about it. You don’t owe me an apology really.” She looked up at him directly into his eyes. They were a beautiful brown color, which matched his hair. He was tall, standing at about six feet two or so with broad shoulders, large biceps, and long, muscular legs. He had shaven today and he looked handsome. But she also liked the way he looked unshaven as well.
She locked gazes with his eyes. His facial expression grew darker. She felt it to her core immediately. She was so transfixed in his eyes and the anger, the pain and sadness she saw in them that she jumped as Michelle interrupted.
Michelle came over to introduce Lori to Carl Monroe. He owned a bar in town where different bands came to play on the weekends and during the week. In the summertime the place was packed. It was located right on a large lake with a boat dock and Tiki bar all set up for its patrons.
“I heard you were looking for a job and that you know how to bartend?” Carl asked Lori.
“Yes, I am and I do.” Carl looked her over as he released her hand after shaking it. He smiled.
“Well, why don’t you come down to my restaurant tomorrow around noontime. I’ll show you the place and see what you can do,” Carl told her, and Charlie looked really annoyed. He was giving Michelle a dirty look.
“That sounds great, Mr. Monroe. I’ll come by tomorrow.” Lori held out her hand to shake Carl’s.
He pulled it to his lips instead, kissing it and telling her to call him Carl. Then he walked away.
“Thanks so much, Michelle, you didn’t have to do that.”
“No, she didn’t.” Charlie sounded kind of sarcastic.
“Actually I didn’t. Mr. Monroe came up to me and asked a few questions about Lori. I mentioned her looking for a job and he asked me to introduce him to you.”
“Well thanks anyway, Michelle. I think I’ll check out the place. It sounds cool and I sure can use the money.”
Lori excused herself and headed toward her sister to tell her about the potential job.
* * * *
Charlie watched her walk away. It wasn’t his business where she worked so why was he so aggravated? Charlie and Michelle headed toward Matt and Andrew who were helping to clean up the tables. Charlie couldn’t help but think about Carl’s place.
Carl’s place was a local hangout during the summer months. It had an open view of the large lake and a small boat dock around it. Many boaters went tubing and sometimes during the summer there were water skiing events, too. Anyone who had a boat could just pull up to Carl’s for lunch, dinner, or just a drink then head back out to the lake. It was always crowded, filled with plenty of partying people, and was a great place to pick someone up. Charlie and his brothers would go there sometimes and Carl always lined up some cool and talented entertainment. Everything from reggae to rock and roll.
Carl would hire Lori. One look at the way the man eyed her body over and she already had the job. She smiled so sweetly toward Carl, too. Maybe he was right and maybe Lori was full of shit, just like most women and most people. With an ulcer beginning to start in his stomach, Charlie headed out of the party and back to his place to be alone. It was safer than dealing with emotions brought on by strangers.
Chapter 7
Sunday morning rolled around and it was Lori’s day off from jogging. Maggie and Ben were going to have lunch with Jasper in town at the local diner. They invited Lori but she had plans of her own. Their parents were invited for lunch to a friend’s house and they would all meet back home later for dinner.
Lori packed her lunch and a few bottles of water into a red insulated bag. She added the ice packs and finally a container of fresh, plump strawberries. She took along a towel and a blanket to lie on along with a book and some college reading materials.
The sun was beating down hard and Lori was glad she brought some extra suntan lotion. She was determined to work on her tan especially if her interview at Carl’s later today went well. Michelle told her the workers wore very short black skirts and tight-fitted T-shirts. Lori was used to those types of revealing outfits. She didn’t mind as long as no one touched her or asked her to remove her clothing. She remembered the first time some guy, an owner of a bar she worked off the books for, approached her after work. He was older, kind of attractive but a complete pervert. He started off flirting with her and then hinting about fooling around. When she declined, he offered to pay her. What a creep he turned out to be. From there on out he harassed her and then she, Maggie, and Ben needed to take off because Derrick was on their trail.
She swallowed hard. There wasn’t a day that passed by where she didn’t think about that night he attacked. She swallowed hard then shook her head. Don’t think about him. Focus on the future and on going to college.
She found the stream Andrew mentioned and she set up her little spot by the water. There was no one in sight. It was quiet and peaceful, exactly what she wanted.
She lay down on her back a while and could feel her stomach burning as she rolled over to change tanning positions.
Lori opened the college course book and began reading the information below each class she needed to achieve her teaching degree. She would finally be able to start college and pay for it herself if she got a good job. She had saved a lot already but still needed more. She also wanted to make her own money to decorate her loft in the barn house. Next week she would take a quick trip into town to one of the local boutiques or perhaps head into Houston.
Lori was engrossed in the descriptions of the courses as her stomach churned and she felt a pain in her wrist and arm. She was getting nervous about finally attending school and all the hard work
and time it would take to achieve her dream.
“You found the place all right, huh?” Trevor interrupted her thoughts, startling her as she quickly sat up. She stared at him, sitting atop a huge horse that blocked the sun and cast a shadow over her body. He wore his Stetson low and had on dark sunglasses. She couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable about him finding her here and nearly naked.
* * * *
Trevor was delighted that Charlie had been right about seeing Lori heading toward the water hole. He didn’t know why his brother hadn’t come down here, too. In fact, he seemed kind of pissed off at Lori. Well this was Trevor’s chance to get to know her better. Since the barbeque, he couldn’t seem to stop thinking about her.
Lori quickly grabbed her towel and covered the black bikini she was wearing. Damn did she have a great body.
“You scared me!” she scolded him as he got down off his horse.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. You were so into what you were reading. What’s this?” he asked as he picked up the folder Lori dropped, and looked at its contents.
“College courses, huh? That’s great. What are you taking?” he asked nicely, but Lori appeared ready to bolt. He cleared his throat as he took off his sunglasses.
Lori pulled the folder from his hand. “I’m interested in becoming a teacher. I was just reading about the courses I need to take, that’s all,” she told him as she started to tuck the folder back into her bag as if preparing to leave. Then she pulled the towel tighter around her. Trevor immediately picked up on her uneasiness.
“You don’t have to leave. I was just coming down here for a swim. I promise not to disturb you.” He tipped his hat toward her and began walking his horse over to a nearby tree.
Trevor found it interesting that Lori was sitting in his and his brothers’ favorite spot. Out of all the different places she could have picked, she had chosen theirs. Now he would have to sit somewhere else.
He glanced back toward her and she was still holding the towel against her body. That perfect body he had the opportunity to see, even from a distance. Her long blonde hair was French braided and hung down to the center of her back. Most women who had a figure like Lori’s would flaunt it, or try to tempt him with it. Not Lori, she was shy, refined, and the way those green eyes looked up at him full of fear and embarrassment as she blushed, instantly attracted him to her. It was so odd for him. Trevor was a hard man, just like his brothers Charlie and Dante. Life had thrown him, them, some heavy shit and it weighed its toll on each of them. He was shocked at how nervous he felt. Me, nervous around a woman no less? Being out of the service must be turning me into a pansy.
His stomach grew sour and he felt the annoyed expression take over. Now he was just plain old pissed off.
* * * *
Lori glanced toward Trevor who was presently removing his jeans. Her heart dropped at the sight. She nearly gasped for air then glanced back and saw a pair of navy blue swim trunks that were hidden beneath.
Trevor couldn’t help but tease her. “Sorry to disappoint you, no skinny-dipping today. I didn’t wear my sunscreen,” he said in his sexy thick Texas accent. Then he jumped into the water.
Lori was even more embarrassed and annoyed at him. The nerve of him. The man obviously knew he had a great body. Those damn muscles and tattoos covering his arm and shoulder were a sight. She was intrigued by them and by his perfect physique.
Stop drooling, you idiot. This man is experienced and playing you.
She was getting herself all riled up as she removed the towel, rolled back onto her stomach, and grabbed her bag to find the folder. Turning her back toward him should have given her the reprieve her heart and her libido needed to get a grip. But instead she hoped that her ass didn’t look too big as she tightened it then tried to refocus on the brochure in front of her.
It was getting hotter and she wanted to take a swim but not with Trevor in there. She stayed put as the sweat pooled at the center of her back and dripped down her forehead to her cheeks. When it started dripping onto the brochure, she grew impatient for some cold water.
Suddenly she sensed too late, Trevor behind her and she wasn’t quick enough as he shook his hair over her body and the cold-water drips made contact, instantly causing her to jump up.
“Hey! Why did you do that?” she reprimanded as she stood up.
“You looked hot,” he teased her again as he walked toward his horse to grab a towel.
Did he mean I looked hot, or that I looked hot as in sweaty, smelly and ready for a bath? Yikes!
Lori took the opportunity to cool off and take a swim as Trevor made himself comfortable by her blanket.
The water was cold and refreshing and she couldn’t help but want revenge on Trevor for sneaking up on her and dripping cold water. She reached down to the dirt and rock bottom as she attempted to grab something in the water. She avoided his stare as she tried to nonchalantly walk out of the water with her gift.
* * * *
Trevor watched Lori walk out of the stream. Her nearly tan skin glistening in the sunlight as she made her way toward him. He was shocked as the handful of worms landed on his stomach and he jumped up from the towel.
“What the hell!”
“Now we’re even!” Lori told him as she took her towel and wrapped it around herself. Trevor went back down toward the water to clean himself off.
He was laughing at her tough attitude and the simple fact that she picked up a handful of worms like nothing and stuck them on him. He never knew a woman who would do such a thing.
As he emerged from the water, he grabbed a small violet flower from the bush and carried it to Lori.
“Truce?” he asked as he held the flower out to her.
“I guess so.” She sighed as she took the flower and placed it behind her ear in between some strands of hair.
She was beautiful and the droplets of water that covered her lashes accentuated her jade-colored eyes.
He wanted a closer look. He wanted to kiss her and touch her perfect skin he was sure would be soft and feminine. Instead he rolled onto his back and the two of them stayed silent for a long time.
“So how do you like living around here?” he asked her.
“It’s quiet and everyone seems nice.”
“Have you gotten to go out at all, for fun I mean?” he asked, surprised by his nervousness. He was acting like a high school teenager instead of a thirty-year-old man.
“No. I really don’t have time for that. I’m trying to find work, prepare for these college courses and help my family.”
“That’s a full plate ya got there, darling.” He rolled to his side to look at her. The towel that was wrapped around her now lay open. He had a full, close-up view of her body and the urge to touch her, explore her curves was making his fingers inch across the blanket.
* * * *
Lori sat up and looked at her watch.
Trevor sat up, too, shocked at her abrupt movement next to him.
“Where are you going, kid?”
“Back home, I have to go on an interview.”
“At Carl’s?”
“Actually, yes. How did you know?”
“Charlie told me. Are you sure you want to work there?”
“What’s it to you?”
“Just watch yourself, sweetheart. I’m just warning you.”
“Warning me?” She stood up and so did he.
“It can get rowdy there. Guys come in, drinking too much and doing stupid shit. I just want you to know that it may not be safe for a young woman like you.”
He could have sworn her jade green eyes turned red at his comment.
“Thanks for the warning, but I’ll be fine,” she told him with an attitude as she pulled her bag onto her shoulder.
“Some bad characters hang out there. You may not be used to that. Plus, you’re on display like some piece of meat in those uniforms,” he added, sounding as if he disapproved.
“It’s really none of your business
.”
“Your problem.” He wondered how the hell their nice, quiet, get-to-know-one-another time turned into an argument. Is this what having her as a girlfriend or lover would be like? Fuck! His dick instantly hardened as he watched her sashay her ass across the fields.
* * * *
Lori ignored him then turned toward the field, walking off in a huff. She thought he was a conceited, bossy jerk as she cursed him part of the way home. The nerve of him calling me kid and treating me like some naive child. Charlie called me kid, too. What the hell? I’m not a kid. I’m a Goddamn woman and I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time. Men!
Once she got past her tirade about Trevor’s, Dante’s, and Charlie’s personalities thus far toward her, she then thought about Trevor’s body. The rest of the way she thought about his great body, muscular physique, and bad-boy attitude. He thought he was hot stuff and for some strange reason she liked it. She liked the way his muscles rippled and covered every part of him. His arms were so big, his chest so wide, she knew he would give an incredible hug. He was so much larger than her he could crush her, but what a way to get crushed. She pushed the thought aside as she ran into the house to shower and change in preparation for her interview.
* * * *
Lori wore a short beige skirt with a light beige cotton embroidered shirt that fell off her shoulders. She wanted to look nice for the job interview. She wore her hair down and only a little lip-gloss as usual. As she walked from the parking lot toward the front entrance she could hear what sounded like island music from the band that was playing. A large crowd formed a long line by the front door, waiting to have their IDs checked before being allowed to enter. She immediately noticed the security bouncers and they noticed her.
The sun was still hot and dry and everyone waiting dressed accordingly, wearing light shorts, tank tops, or casual tank dresses. There was a mixed crowd, which usually meant a place was doing well. In Lori’s eyes it meant that the owner, Carl, probably provided entertainment and services suitable and likable for all people from all walks of life. Lori noted the yuppie types that gathered at tables nearer to the docks so they could probably keep an eye on their boats. She noticed what she assumed to be the regulars who sat around the bar itself. She knew who they were immediately by the way they set up shop. Two men sat at the bar, a seat apart, with a drink in front of them and a pack of cigarettes along with their money. That was a sure sign to let the bartender know they were staying put for a while. Serve them well and you got tipped well. The regulars were sometimes the ones who kept the bar going.
The American Soldier Collection 4: Their Blue-Collar Girl (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 6
