Rock the Beat

by Michelle A. Valentine

  “I thought you said he’s not the right kind of guy for me? What’s with the sudden change of heart?”

  Max throws his legs over the edge of the bed. “I’ve seen you two together. The way both of you look at the other…I don’t know…it’s weird, like you have some sort of connection. I think I was wrong about him. Besides, I don’t care much for Jackson threatening to beat my ass if I didn’t tell him everything I knew about Trip. That jerk is the biggest fucking bully. I can’t understand what you ever saw in him.”

  “I’m sorry he did that to you. He can be an asshole sometimes, I know.” I sit next to Max, my heart feeling heavy that I’ve been keeping things from him about Trip. “If I tell you something, promise not to yell at me?”

  He tilts his head. “When have I ever yelled at you?”

  I laugh. “Okay, maybe you don’t yell, but you certainly like to try and change my mind when you think I’m doing something bad.”

  “I only do that because I love you, Holl. And, yes, I firmly believe if you would take my advice more often where men are concerned you’d be happier.”

  I sigh. “I know, which is why I need your advice now.”

  Max twists his lips. “I’m all ears.”

  I clutch my hands together in my lap. “Trip and I aren’t actually dating.”

  His brow furrows. “What do you mean? You told me last week Jackson and Trip got into it because Jackson is jealous you’re dating Trip. I don’t understand.”

  I take a deep breath. “I know that’s what I said, but the truth is, we’ve sort of been pretending to be an item.”

  Max leans his head back and groans. “Oh no. Tell me you didn’t rope Trip into making Jackson jealous.”

  I grimace. “It was his idea.”

  “And you thought it was a good one? When did you make this little deal?”

  “The day after we met him at the bar.”

  “So after you kissed him?”

  I nod. “Yes.” Max laughs and I smack his leg. “Why is that so funny?”

  “You honestly think you two can pretend to like each other without real emotions getting involved?” I open my mouth to answer, but he cuts me off. “I saw you two at the bar, remember. That’s attraction, babe, and you can only fight that for so long. This is going to blow up in your face.”

  “So you think what Trip and I are doing is a mistake?”

  He shakes his head. “No. I think trying to win Jackson back is a mistake. Trip seems to be really into you. I’d rather you see where that leads.”

  “Where is this coming from? Aren’t you the one who warned me off of him a couple weeks ago?”

  “I was, but that was before I saw the two of you together.”

  “Even if I think I might have feelings for Trip, he’s leaving, so they won’t matter. I don’t want to develop feelings for a guy that’s not even going to stick around.”

  “You don’t know that. He might be willing to leave everything behind to move out here if things work out.”

  “That’s crazy talk, Max. I only know the very basics about him. I know he’s from Kentucky, has a twin brother, and his parents are still married. Other than that, I don’t know a thing about him. I don’t even know if he has a real job.”

  “Well, why don’t you ask him?”

  “You think it’s that simple?”

  “Yes. Yes, I do. Trip should be the one you’re going out on a date with tonight, not Jackson. You like him. Admit it and get to know him.”

  “I told you, this isn’t a date with Jackson. He has a way to help the track, so this is a business dinner.”

  Max rubs his chin. “Then why didn’t he tell you to bring your dad along?”

  I have no answer to that, really. That’s a great question. “I don’t know. Maybe he feels more comfortable just talking to me about it first?”

  He raises his eyebrow. “He’s known your dad just as long as he’s been coming to this track. Face it. Jackson is a spoiled toddler who doesn’t like to share his toys. If he really loved you, Holly, it wouldn’t take another man showing an interest in you to make him remember that. People want what they can’t have. It’d be smart of you to remember that.”

  What he says makes perfect sense, yet the curiosity to see how Jackson thinks we can save the track wins out. “You’re probably right, but I still need to go.”

  Max reaches over and holds my hand in his lap. “Just be careful, would you? I don’t want to get my ass kicked when I try and go beat those two jerks up over hurting you. Believe it or not, I’m delicate.”

  I laugh and pat his hand. “You’re such a good friend.”

  He grins. “That’s what a best friend is for.”

  After I double check myself in the mirror, Max and I head downstairs. The heavenly aroma of sizzling steak fills the lower level of the house. Dad is fast asleep, curled up under a blanket in his recliner while Trip is busy in the kitchen, cooking. I study my father, he looks so much older than he did even five years ago. It makes me sad he doesn’t take better care of himself. He’s all I have left and I wish he would at least make an effort to get well for me.

  “You two are just in time. The food is nearly done. Hope you guys like your steaks medium, if not I can leave them on a little longer,” Trip says as he glances over his shoulder. “Can you grab me a plate for these, Holly?”

  My heels click against the wood floor as I walk to the cabinet. I hand him the plate. “This is so sweet of you.”

  Trip shrugs. “We’re celebrating.”

  I raise an eyebrow because my curiosity is killing me. “Oh? What might that be?”

  He slaps the steaks on the plate and smiles. “Mountain Time Speed Track has an investor.”

  “Really?!” I squeal and throw my around his neck. “That’s amazing news!”

  He laughs and sets the food down before turning and wrapping his arms around my waist. The expression on his face turns serious the moment he takes in my outfit. “You look amazing. Are you going out somewhere?”

  I nod. “Jackson has an idea to help save the track, so I’m meeting him for dinner to talk about it.”

  His lips pull into a tight line. “Call and cancel. You don’t need his help anymore.”

  “Trip…I can’t do that. Your investor friend signing on is great, but we need ways to drum up business. I have to hear what Jackson has to say. We need all the help we can get around here.” Trip opens his mouth, but quickly closes it when a horn honks twice outside. “That’s him. We’ll talk more tonight.”

  I lean up and kiss his cheek before running out the door and hoping in Jackson’s car.

  The familiar scent of leather and woodsy cologne assaults my nose as soon as I close the door, locking myself in with Jackson. I used to love this smell. Sitting in here now reminds me of a time when being with Jackson was very comforting, instead of the tension I feel being next to him now. I can’t help but wonder how many other women he has had in this very seat behind my back, and a mixture of sadness and anger wash over my heart.

  “Wow! That’s some dress, Holl. It’s tight in all the right places,” Jackson says, his eyes appraising my outfit.

  Typically that kind of compliment would have had me giggling like an idiot, but now it rubs me the wrong way, like all he’s interested in is my body. I remember those kinds of remarks being a lot sweeter. That is before I found out he was using them on every other girl around here.

  I tug the hem of the dress down to cover my thighs a little better. “Thanks, I think.”

  Jackson backs out of the parking lot and then turns in the direction of downtown Tucson before reaching over and taking my hand in his. “I’m so glad you decided to come out with me tonight. Things are going to be good this time, Holly. I promise.”

  I withdraw my hand from his. “I only agreed to come out with you for the track, Jackson. This is just business.”

  He readjusts in his seat, staring straight ahead. “Business it is, then.”

  Neither of
us says another word during the ride. Tension rolls around us, but I won’t be the one to break it. He asked me to come out with him. He knows we aren’t together, and it’s unfair of him to think I would just give in and be an easy lay.

  Once we’re seated at the small table in the restaurant, Jackson says, “This is awkward. Maybe this was a mistake. We can leave.”

  Panic washes through me as I realize he might not help unless I give in a little. “Let’s start over. I’d like us to be friends.”

  Jackson toys with the fork in front of him. “Friends, huh? You know, that night in your room, I was hoping we could part as friends, so I could move on without a guilty conscience, but when I hear you say it—it stings.”

  I sigh. “Jackson…you chose to end things.”

  “I know, and I’m here to say I made a mistake. I want you to take me back, Holly. You know we’re good together. Things could go back to how they were and I can help you set up a motocross competition to draw a crowd to the track.”

  I shake my head. “I don’t want things to go back to how they were.”

  His brow pulls in. “Don’t you want to get back together?”

  This is the moment I’ve been wanting—for Jackson to come crawling back, admitting he was wrong—so why don’t I feel excited? I take a deep breath and Trip’s face pops into my head, which puzzles me. Why would I be thinking of him at a time like this?

  As if Jackson is poking around in my brain, he asks, “Is it because of Trip?”

  My eyes widen at his forwardness. “No. Well, I mean, a little, yes, but the main reason I don’t want to take you back has to do with you.”

  “Me?” he asks with a surprised face. “I admitted I made a mistake by fooling around on you, and I’m sorry. Can’t we just move past that?”

  I shake my head. “You don’t get it, do you? It’s not just the fact that you cheated—that’s just one of the reasons. You lied to me. I bet it went on a lot longer than you lead me to believe. You probably just got tired of hiding it all the time.” He opens his mouth to argue, but I don’t give him the opportunity, and the reasons I don’t want him back flow freely from my mouth. “You never supported the idea of me going away to college, even though I had my heart set on it. And I don’t like how you treat Max.”

  His eyes narrow. “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t like you harassing my friend. Max told me you threatened him if he didn’t tell you why Trip was here.”

  “I only did that because I was worried about the guy’s intentions. I don’t like to see you get hurt.”

  I laugh sarcastically. “That’s rich. You can hurt me but no one else can.”

  Jackson’s jaw muscle flexes under his skin. “You know what, Holly, I’m done.”

  “You’re done? What does that even mean?”

  “It means that I lost my mind believing that I wanted you back. Tell Trip he won and he can have your bitchy ass.” He rises from the table.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I’m leaving. Find your own way home.” Jackson throws a twenty on the table. “That should cover your meal.”

  My mouth drops open as I watch him turn and leave the restaurant. I can’t believe that asshole just left me stranded here. Max was right. I’m beginning to question my own judgment on what I ever saw in that guy.

  The petite, blonde waitress approaches the table. “Would you like to order your drinks now, or are we waiting on someone else?”

  I dig in my purse and hand her my fake ID. “It’s just me, and I would like to start with something from the bar.”

  TRIP

  The way Holly tore out of here made my heart sink. I know her goal is getting Jackson back, and I’m a dumbass for beginning to care about a girl who loves someone else, but I wish she would reconsider that asshole. The idea that he could be kissing those sweet lips of hers right now makes my blood boil. I’ve tasted those lips, and all I’ve done over the past week is thought about doing it again.

  I stab the steak in front of me with my fork and vigorously begin cutting it, while picturing Jackson’s smug face.

  “Whoa. What did that thing ever do to you?” Max asks.

  I shrug. “Nothing. I was just thinking.”

  “About Holly and Jackson,” Max prods before taking a bite.

  My eyes flick to his, but I don’t answer. I don’t need him knowing my business.

  Max takes a drink of water and then sets his glass down. “I never did like the guy.”

  “Why?” I ask and then take another bite before glancing over at Bill, who is still asleep in the recliner. “I thought you all were friends or something.”

  “Or something…” Max says. “Jackson Cruze is a narrow-minded homophobe who talks with his fists.”

  “You two have gotten into it before?”

  Max nods. “Oh, yeah, many times.”

  I raise an eyebrow. “And Holly stayed with him. I thought girl-code was if the boyfriend and the best friend didn’t get along, the guy didn’t last long.”

  Max shrugs. “I never told her.”

  “Why not?”

  “I might be gay, Trip, but I still have pride like any other man. I don’t want everyone to know I get my ass beat every time I turn around, especially not my female best friend who treats me more like a man than most people around here do.”

  “I thought no one knows your…sexual orientation.”

  “I’ve never officially come out if that’s what you mean, but people have speculated for a long time now.”

  I take a deep breath. “You still should’ve told Holly what a dick Jackson has been to you.”

  He shakes his head. “I wanted her to open her eyes to what an asshole he is on her own. Holly is hard-headed, and if I’d tried to tell her things about Jackson that she wasn’t ready to hear, she wouldn’t have believed them. She’s the kind of girl that has to see things with her own eyes. Like that old saying goes, love is blind.”

  “So I’ve heard.” I swallow down the last bite of my food and lean back in the chair, thinking about all the crazy shit Black Falcon has been through with Noel and Riff and all their women bullshit. Those two guys never listen to my advice in the matters of the heart. It’s like they’re too caught up in their own drama to see reason.

  Max’s cell vibrates against the table, and I can clearly see Holly’s name across the caller ID. I pick up the phone without asking his permission and answer, swatting his hand away. “How’s your date?”

  “Trip? Why are you answering Max’s phone?” The confusion in her voice rings clear.

  “We’re here enjoying these delicious steaks you ran out on. Where are you?” She sniffs into the phone and I realize she’s crying. I stiffen in my chair. “What’s wrong? Did Jackson hurt you?”

  My hand tightens around the phone at the exact moment Max pushes away from the table and heads out the door. I watch through the window as he gets into his car and tears out of the driveway. I probably should ask where he’s going, but whatever it is, it’s his business.

  “No. He didn’t hurt me, but he left me here at Paulo’s. Can you ask Max to come and get me?”

  My heart pounds in my chest. The thought of Holly being alone and stranded hits me hard. Bad things can happen to women left alone in a vulnerable state. The next time I see Jackson, he’s a dead man. “I’ll come and get you. Stay put inside the restaurant,” I order.

  “Okay,” she agrees before she disconnects the phone.

  I lay Max’s phone on the table and search my own out of my pocket. I look up the restaurant’s address in my phone and then plug it into my phone’s GPS. Two minutes later I’m on the road, following the digital voice’s directions.

  I pull up to Paulo’s and cut the engine. The little Mexican joint is hoping with a party inside. A DJ in the corner both spins the top pop hit of the week, and bodies pack the small dance floor.

  Jackson brought her here to discuss track business? He obviously doesn’t really give a shit abo
ut Mountain Time. What a fucking douchebag.

  I weave in and out of the bodies until I spot Holly alone at a corner table for two, sipping on a drink. There’s a deep frown on her face while she watches everyone around her. She sticks out sitting there all alone in a room full of people having a good time and I get the sudden urge to lift her sprits.

  The second I reach her table the song Smooth by Santana plays over the speakers and I think back to the first time I saw her and what a good time she was having that night in the bar. I’ll do anything to see that smile again.

  I extend my hand and her blue eyes trail up my arm and cheat until they meet mine. “Dance with me.”

  Holly sets her drink down and places her hand in mine, allowing me to pull her up and lead her to the floor. The sexy guitar chorus screams as I pull her against me without permission. Both of her arms wrap around my neck and my hands slide down her back before resting on her slim hips. We rock in time to the beat, our eyes glued to one another’s, neither of us speaking a word while our bodies do all the talking.

  Her mouth drops open when I allow my hands to wander down and grab a hold of her ass. I fully expect her to pull away and give me the evil eye, but she doesn’t. Instead, she shocks me by licking her lips in anticipation.

  Holy mother of God.

  Those lips. They’re all I’ve been dreaming about, but didn’t want to push her into fooling around with me again unless she wants to.

  She presses up on her tiptoes and whispers in my ear, “Does your invitation from the first time we danced about taking me home still stand? I’m tired of thinking about Jackson. Make me forget about him like I know you want to.”

  Holly licks my earlobe once before sucking on it. My eyes roll back in my head. She has no clue how much that fucking turns me on. I only have so much self-control

  I pull back and stare into her eyes. If I had to guess, she’s had a few drinks, but not enough to completely impair her judgment—just enough to loosen her up. I want her, but I want her to want me for the right reasons, not because she’s lonely and needs somebody.

  Sensing my hesitation, she grabs each side of my face, pulling me down to kiss my lips. “If you want me to say please, I will. I know how you like women that beg.”