I tapped my fingers on the bar and shrugged. “Why not?”
She studied me for a minute and then smiled. “Okay, fair enough.”
“Thanks, Shell,” I said, as she pushed the drink towards me. “Just start a tab.”
She nodded towards my security. “And them?”
I smirked. “I don’t pay them to drink.”
She laughed. “Okay. I’ll be back in a minute. I’m going to check on another customer’s appetizer.”
My stomach growled. “Would you order me up some Buffalo Wings, too?”
“Extra spicy?”
I grinned. “Hell yes.”
She walked to the television above the bar, and turned it on. The Dodgers were playing at home.
“Thanks.”
“No problem. I’ll go put that order in for your wings.”
“Appreciate it.”
I finished my drink, and had a couple more while I devoured the wings. After about an hour I was feeling no pain.
“Hey, Ransom,” said Shelly, taking my empty plate away. “Looks like those girls settling in at the bar are checking you out.”
“Good for them.”
She raised her eyebrows.
“Sorry,” I answered, staring up at the television. “I’m just not in the mood to socialize. I’ve got a lot of shit on my mind.”
“Too bad… I think one of them is a famous porn star.”
I glanced towards the platinum blonde sitting down at the other end of the bar with another woman whose tits were so big they needed their own zip code.
Fuck, I thought, recognizing the petite blonde, Amber Drake. I’d made the mistake of banging her more than once, until she’d volunteered to cook me dinner one night. As far as I was concerned, that usually led to spending the entire night together and brunch with the parents. I hadn’t spoken to her since I’d turned down the invitation.
“From the look on your face, you’re not interested?”
I swirled the ice around in my drink. “Good observation.”
“After a couple more of those, I’ll repeat the question and see if your answer is still the same,” she answered before moving towards the women.
I turned my head away from Amber’s line of vision, hoping she wouldn’t recognize me. She was a nice girl, even for a porn star, but I wasn’t interested in plunging my dick into a community pool when there were much more private ones available. Another image of Tiffany’s blue eyes and dimpled smile hit me, and I sighed in frustration.
Why had I kissed her? And even better question, why did I want to do it again?
I had to admit, something about that girl-next-door persona of hers was a definite turn on. I hadn’t had this many hard-ons in one day since the morning I’d found my dad’s old girlie magazines, back when I was fifteen.
“The women over there want to buy you another drink,” said Shelly, interrupting my thoughts.
I glanced back at Amber and her friend. From the challenging look on her face, she definitely recognized me.
“Shit,” I mumbled, turning away.
“Well? What should I tell them?” she asked as I tipped my head back, and tossed back my drink.
I set the glass back onto the bar. “Just tell them that I’m leaving soon. In fact,” I said, standing up. “I’d better use the can first.” I handed her a hundred dollar bill. “Keep the change.”
“Thanks.”
I stopped by Bowzer and Jimmy’s table on the way to the bathroom. “I’m going to the John, and then we’ll leave. Why don’t you guys meet me out by the car?”
“No, that’s okay,” replied Bowzer, his eyes glued on Amber, and her friend. “We’ll just wait until you’re finished.”
“Your choice,” I replied, walking towards the bathrooms in the back of the bar. I stepped through the door, grateful to be alone, and relieved myself in the urinal. As I was zipping up my fly, I heard someone else enter the bathroom. As I turned to wash my hands, I groaned.
“Hey stranger,” said Amber, leaning against the doorway, wearing a miniscule black dress that barely covered the top of her thighs and silver platform shoes that showed off her tan legs.
I cleared my throat. “Amber. What in the hell are you doing in here?”
With a wicked smile, she began moving towards me. “Just saying hello to an old friend.”
I turned on the faucet, and began washing my hands. “Couldn’t you wait until I left the bathroom for that?”
She stopped next to me, and our eyes met in the mirror. “Okay, you got me. I guess I just wanted some privacy.”
Remembering how she enjoyed fucking in public places, I stepped away from her and turned on the hand dryer. I wasn’t about to go down any of those paths again. Not with her. “Oh?”
She pulled her hair over her shoulder. “Guess I’ve missed you, you know?”
I shrugged. “You have my number.”
“Funny, I must have your old number because the last time I called, a stranger answered and said he’d never heard of you.”
“Yeah, my number changes frequently. Stalkers and all,” I replied, holding back a smirk. The last time she’d called, I’d had a buddy answer the phone for me. It was the only thing that had stopped her continuous texts and phone calls.
Her eyes trailed over me appraisingly and she licked her pink lips. “Damn, Ransom, you look as sexy as ever. I love the new haircut, by the way. Can I touch your head?”
“I’d prefer not,” I answered, although I began questioning my self-control when her eyes lowered to my zipper.
“Oh, you’re no fun,” she pouted, leaning forward. She touched my chest with her hot-pink and black manicured fingernail. “I remember when you used to be loads of fun. Or should I say…” her finger trailed all the way down to my crotch. “When the load in here used to be in control of the fun.”
I grabbed her hand firmly. “Stop, Amber.”
She licked her upper lip seductively. “You want me,” she whispered, now touching the front of my jeans with her other hand. She ran her finger over the hard outline of my dick. “This guy doesn’t lie.”
I grabbed both of her hands, and looked down into her eyes. “Amber… it’s over.”
Her face fell. “What is your problem? From what I hear you’ve got a whore in your room practically every night and what…I’m not good enough?”
“It has nothing to do with that,” I said, stepping away from her. “Look, I’ve got to go.”
She grabbed my forearm. “Wait! Ransom, you know… I thought we had something special. I thought you did, too.”
I sighed. “We had fun, but it’s over. You’ve got to let it go.”
She dug her nails into my skin. “You think because you’re this hotshot celebrity now that you can just treat women like trash? Throw them away whenever you’re finished with them?”
I pulled my arm away. “Jesus, Amber, you’re over-reacting. We had sex a few times, okay? We didn’t even really date.”
“Yeah, I know. I wasn’t even good enough to have dinner with.”
“I’m not going to argue with you. I’ve got to go,” I said, backing away. “Look, I’m sorry you thought there was more to what we had, but honestly, I never promised you anything. Hell, you were the one who jumped my bones without even asking the rules.”
“The rules?!” she snapped. “So, it was just a game for you?”
I groaned. “No, it wasn’t. I didn’t mean it that way.”
“You know what? You’re a real fucking prick, Ransom,” she answered, kicking one of the stall doors angrily. “You don’t fucking deserve me, anyway.”
“You’re probably right,” I said, opening the door. Without another glance, I left the bathroom, relieved that I’d ended it with her when I did. If she was this obsessed after a few tumbles in the sack, I could only imagine what would have happened if I’d have actually accepted a home-cooked meal from her. Hell, it wasn’t as if she’d been some naïve, young woman who’d been taken advantag
e of. There was nothing pure or wholesome about Amber. From what I’d remembered, she’d pursued me hard and fucked me even harder, which I thought had worked well for both of us. I was obviously wrong.
“Hey Ransom! What’s up, brother?” hollered Vance in his gravelly voice. He was sitting at the bar with his twin, Kurt, who I noticed was now ogling Amber’s friend’s tits, along with everyone else at the bar. Both guys were dressed in the usual biker attire of ripped jeans, leather vests, and bandanas covering their long, red hair.
I walked back over to the bar, and shook both of their hands. “I didn’t think you guys were going to show. I sent you a message about two hours ago.”
“Fuck, I tried calling you back but...your phone must be dead or something,” replied Vance, scratching his red goatee. He stared at my head and smirked. “Aw…man, why in the hell did you go and do that for?”
I ran a hand through the top. “Like it?”
Kurt snorted. “You look like a fucking executive at IBM or Lockheed Martin. What, you in the market for sophisticated putang now that you’re back on Icon again?”
“Hell, Ransom could get any putang he wanted, haircut or not,” said Vance, lowering his voice. “Wouldn’t surprise me if he’s already had every piece of ass in this place.”
“Since there are only about five broads here,” replied Kurt. “You’re probably right. But I tell you what,” he lowered his voice and looked over at Amber’s friend lecherously. “If Ransom can get me in good with that chick there, hell, I’ll shave my head, too. Fuck, I’ll shave both of them.”
“Isn’t that the girl you were dating a few months back?” asked Vance as Amber sat back down, her eyes stabbing me viciously from across the bar.
“Yeah,” I answered, turning away.
“She looks pissed. Shelly just poured her a shot of tequila, too.” He chuckled. “You know what that means?”
My cue to leave. A pissed off woman and tequila were not a good mix.
“I’ll catch you guys later,” I said, nodding towards my security guys, who immediately stood up.
“We just got here,” replied Vance, surprised. “Come on. Have one drink with us.”
I glanced back over towards Amber who was staring at me as Shelly poured her another shot. “Sorry, next time. I’ve got something important I need to do.”
“You mean with Sonia?” asked Vance. “She called me looking for you.”
“No, and if she calls again, do me a favor and don’t tell her you saw me.”
“You can tell her yourself when you get home. She was pissed off, and headed towards your place last time I talked to her. About an hour ago.”
I sighed. “Great.”
“Ransom, what’s up with all of the pissed off women?” smirked Kurt. “You need help putting a smile on their faces, I’d be happy to volunteer.”
“If it were only that easy,” I replied.
Vance chuckled. “Ransom’s always on some woman’s shit-list. Hell,” he pulled out his wallet. “I wouldn’t doubt if there was a bounty on your head with all of the girls you’ve kicked out of your bed.”
I scowled. “Fuck that. I’m not that bad.”
“Are you kidding me? What about last summer when three chicks were fighting over you on the bus? Two of them ended up in the E.R. One had a broken nose and the other had a concussion,” replied Vance.
“They were all crazy,” I replied, remembering that nightmare. I’d passed out with two chicks in my bed until another girl I’d had the previous night somehow made it back onto the tour bus. She’d launched herself at the naked girls, and I’d barely made it out of bed unscathed, myself.
“So, what happened with the third one? She get the prize?” asked Kurt, grinning wickedly.
“What she got was kicked off the bus,” I said.
Vance burst out laughing. “Yeah, but that was after she got down on her knees…”
“Bullshit,” I interrupted, although my mind had been pretty muddled that night.
“You were so fucked up you don’t even remember,” replied Vance. “I walked in on her blowing you, man. Not more than fifteen minutes later.”
“Fuck, she owed me for those expensive sheets she ruined by giving one of the girl’s a bloody nose,” I protested as the memory came back. She’d gotten down on her knees and begged to make it up to me. What could I do?
Vance took a sip of drink. “Anyway, the point is, Kurtis, when you’re a celebrity women are always throwing themselves at you. Obviously, you’re going to piss some of them off when they find out it’s just sex and nothing more.”
“How come you don’t have women problems like that?” asked Kurt, staring at his brother. “Hell, you’re the drummer.”
“Have you looked at your mug in the mirror, lately?” he chuckled. “Neither of us is that pretty. Not like Rans, here.”
“That and Billie Jean,” I replied.
Billie Jean was his fiancée. She was also spunky, intelligent, and beautiful. Ever since Vance had met her, he’d turned down many free pieces of ass.
“Damn right,” said Vance. “I’ve had enough tail in my life to know that once you find someone with more than just a nice pair of tits, and a great ass, that you hold on to her. No way am I going to fuck up something special like that just to wax my dick when we’re on the road.”
“Maybe that’s what you need, Ransom,” said Kurt. “A woman to keep you out of trouble.”
“Right. Women are the trouble,” I replied.
“I’ll take that kind of trouble, any day,” said Kurt looking back over at Amber’s friend.
“You can have it,” I said as Amber stood up, swaying slightly. She said something to her friend, who looked at me and snorted.
“I’ll catch you later,” I said as she began staggering towards us.
“Better call security,” laughed Vance. “She’s baring her fangs, and her claws are out.”
“Yeah, you run away again!” she called as Bowzer and Jimmy escorted me outside. “Fucking asshole!”
Chapter Twelve
Tiffany
It was after seven-thirty by the time I made it back to my one-bedroom apartment in Stanton, only twenty minutes away from the shop. At the last minute, I’d stopped at a video store, and picked up a movie, Safe Haven, which I’d been meaning to see for several months.
I set the movie on the coffee table, and grabbed the growing stack of bills from my counter. With a sigh, I fell into my new mauve chaise, thankful that I’d splurged for it last month. Everything else I owned was second-hand, including the eighties-style ugly, brown leather sofa sitting across from me. My next few checks would definitely go towards more new furnishings. If I was going to spend a lot of time alone in my apartment, at least I could enjoy the view.
As I finished opening the mail, my stomach began to growl, reminding me that I’d forgotten to eat lunch. Felicia’s cookies had all but disappeared by the time the teens had left the salon, so I needed something quick. I stood up and went into the kitchen to heat up a frozen pasta meal in the freezer, and as I reached for a package of pasta, my cell phone rang. I set the box on the counter, and grabbed the phone from my purse. The number displayed wasn’t anyone I recognized.
“Hello?”
“Taffy?”
Oh hell.
Ransom.
“Yes.” I pulled my hair to the side and walked back over to the counter. “So, I thought we agreed to stop communicating?”
“I don’t specifically remember agreeing to anything like that.”
“Ransom…”
“Look, I just forgot to pay you,” he answered, quickly. “That’s really why I’m calling.”
I picked up the fettuccini. “Don’t worry about it,” I said, opening up the cardboard box.
“Hey, I don’t feel right about leaving it like this. What’s your address? I’ll swing by and drop it off.”
“No,” I protested. “Obviously that’s not a good idea.”
“Still
worried, huh? Look, nobody recognizes me with this new haircut. In fact, I’ve been hanging around at Bastion’s and went pretty much unnoticed the last couple of hours.”
“Bastion’s? What is that, a club or something?”
“Bar.”
“Hey,” I said, turning on the microwave. “If you really feel that strongly about paying me, just send a check directly to the shop.”
“Checks can be tracked. You’re the one who said we shouldn’t have any kind of connection away from the show.”
“True, and you should feel the same way.”
“Like I said, I really don’t give a shit about Icon.”
If you really hate the show so much, why don’t you just quit?”
“It’s not that easy. Just… let me come over for a little while. I promise to be a complete gentleman.”
I thought about that kiss in the shop and it made my belly tingle. In fact, the thought of being alone with him in my apartment was already giving me some wicked fantasies. I should have shut him down right there.
But not me.
Not the girl who would have once done anything to be alone with Ransom. Obviously, I was still that girl. “Okay.”
He paused. “Okay?”
“Uh, yeah,” I replied, reminding myself that I needed the money anyway, especially during the competition when I wouldn’t be working. Hell, maybe I was being a little paranoid about him coming over. It wasn’t as if someone had my apartment bugged or monitored. I gave him my address.
“Great, I’ll be there within the next hour. Are you hungry? I could pick up a pizza along the way.”
I stared at the microwave. I had to admit, pizza sounded a lot better than a rubbery frozen meal. “Sure, that sounds good.”
“Awesome. What do you like on your pizza?”
“Everything but-”
“Anchovies,” he finished.
“Yeah, how did you know?”
“Oh, come one… all of those sleepovers you and Remy had together?”
I laughed. “That’s right, and you used to eat all of the leftover pizza for breakfast, before we woke up. I remember how furious it made Remy.”
Tangled Mess Page 8
