Hyde and Seek

by Layla Frost

  “For now?” Eli asked.

  I lifted a shoulder. “Yeah, well, I like ink, so who knows?”

  “Speaking of work,” Jake growled, though no one mentioned it. Slamming his pen down, he turned to Eli, Xavier, and Kase. “You mind steppin’ back into the fuckin’ garage and getting’ some shit done?”

  This was met with a “Yeah”, “Fine”, and “Whatever”. But it worked and the guys said their goodbyes before heading back through the door.

  I turned my attention to Jake, who was watching me intently. “I’m really sorry about that. I didn’t mean to get in the way.”

  “Yeah, sure,” he muttered, shaking his head as he sat on a metal stool.

  “Pardon?”

  “Don’t sweat it.”

  I didn’t know what that meant, and was saved from more tense awkwardness when Z came out.

  If Eli didn’t look like he belonged in a garage, Z definitely did not. He looked like he’d be more at home in a board room. Or a GQ spread. Or on a yacht with a supermodel. The fact he wasn’t wearing a custom tailored suit somehow surprised me. Sure, working on cars was dirty work, but still, it just seemed like that would be his casual wear.

  Z was what I called ‘Rockabilly Dapper’. Around six feet tall, he was lean with compact muscles. I’d guess he was in his mid-thirties, but he didn’t look it. He had some ink, was wearing the heck out of a white tee and ass hugging black jeans, and was rockin’ a fantastic pompadour.

  I seriously didn’t know how he could be working in a garage and still have perfectly coiffed hair. I could spend an hour on my hair, and five minutes in the humidity would leave it in total disarray.

  I was pretty sure Z owned Hyde, but I’d never had the chance to ask. Our conversations at the few events we’d both attended had always been friendly but short. After a few minutes of small talk, Mommy Dearest would move me along to some boring Ivy League creeper.

  I liked Z. And not because he reminded me of a GQ model and called me Doll Face.

  Okay, not just that.

  “I got good news and bad news, Doll Face. The air is working. And I’m pretty sure I froze a ball testing it. But the new speakers didn’t work. I hooked your old ones back up.”

  I smiled at him. “That’s okay, the air was the most important part.”

  “I can get replacements, but not until tomorrow’s shipment. Can you come back in on Friday, around eleven?”

  I had a clear schedule. I knew it for a fact, not because it was only two days away. I could easily lose track of what day it was.

  Or what time.

  Or what I’d had for breakfast.

  No, I knew because my schedule was almost never clear. When it was, it was memorable thing.

  “Yeah, that’s no problem. Thanks, Z.”

  “It’s my job. Now let’s get you out of here.”

  I paid for the work on my air, though I got the distinct impression it was less than I owed. A lot less. I also got the distinct impression you didn’t argue with Z. Especially if it was about him doing something nice.

  “Alright, Doll Face, follow me,” Z said as he walked through the door to the garage.

  I started following before stopping to look at Jake. “Sorry about being in the way. It was nice to meet you.”

  Nothing.

  Okay, maybe not nothing. He looked at me. Like, looked at me, making my heart pound in my throat. I was sure he could hear it, it was so loud. I wasn’t entirely convinced he couldn’t see it.

  I turned quickly, and was almost to the door before I heard him.

  “Piper, stop,” he said in that firm, bossy voice.

  I stopped.

  I don’t get how those guys can ignore that tone.

  “Turn around.”

  I turned around.

  “Fuck,” he murmured.

  Why couldn’t that be an order?

  That thought required another clearing internal head shake, though they didn’t seem to be helping.

  “Said it already. Don’t sweat it. Come around Friday, bring some dessert or they’ll never shut up, yeah?”

  “Was already planning on it.” I loved to bake and used any chance to. And I had a feeling those boys wouldn’t turn away food of any kind, let alone sugary baked goods.

  “Of course you were. See ya Friday, babe.”

  “Yup,” I muttered as I took off through the door.

  *******

  “So, how is it?” Z asked as I slid out from the back of the van.

  “Well, if any of you decide to start smuggling penguins, let me know. I can help with transport.” It was cold. I was glad my bra had a bit of padding to it because there was a definite tightness in my nipples.

  Which of course has nothing to do with the badass, hot guy parade. Grand Master of that parade being Jake.

  See? Good at lying to yourself.

  “Seriously, though, it’s perfect. No more melty cakes. Thank you,” I said to Z.

  “It’s my job, Doll Face. I’ll see you back here Friday. It might take a while with the speakers, so be prepared.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” I hopped up into the seat and spoke through the rolled down window. “See you then.”

  As I carefully pulled out, I turned my music up. Singing loudly, and badly, I thought about how I couldn’t wait for my new speakers.

  Yup, it’s the speakers I’m looking forward to.

  *******

  “Piper!”

  I hadn’t even turned off the van when my door was opened by a grinning Kase.

  “Hey, how’s it going?” Looking around, I saw all of the guys were in the garage. I wished, not for the first time, that I was about six inches taller, thereby having the ability to get out gracefully. Instead, I stepped down awkwardly.

  I slid open the side door of the van, bending and climbing slightly in to get the goodies.

  “Hell, babe, hop out,” I heard close behind me.

  Standing up, I moved out of the way. “I was just getting the stuff I brought.”

  Jake reached in and grabbed the containers. He was muttering something, but I missed it over the noise of a bunch of grown men.

  Not just grown, but badass, tough guy, hot men, acting like eight year olds over a treat.

  “Shit, you were for real?” Xavier asked.

  “About bringing dessert? Of course. Who would lie about something so serious?” I asked in mock horror.

  I moved to take the cake boxes from Jake, but he just jerked his head and walked away. I took this to mean that I was supposed to follow. Which I did, partially because my brain was mush and partially because I had no clue where to go otherwise.

  Mostly, though, it was because he had a really nice ass.

  We went down a long hallway, giving me plenty of time to enjoy the view. The guys followed me, or, more likely, the cupcakes.

  Jake set the boxes down on a table in their break room. “Babe, there are six men that work here. How much did you bring?”

  I liked to bake. Really liked it. Which meant I occasionally went overboard.

  Just sometimes.

  Rarely, really.

  It almost never happened.

  It totally happened all the friggin’ time.

  “Uhh, only twenty-four cupcakes.” Which wasn’t that much. Not really. “And twenty-four cookies.” Big cookies. Delicious, chewy, gooey long after they’d cooled, cookies. “I like to bake,” I stated, as if it needed to be said.

  “Yeah, I kinda figured that one out.”

  “Hell, Doll Face. Seriously. You made this?” Z asked, cupcake in hand, frosting on his lips.

  “Yeah.”

  “It’s good.”

  The fact he ate a whole thing in two bites had tipped me off.

  To be fair, it was a strawberry cupcake with whipped cream cheese frosting. They were my specialty for a reason.

  “Yo, Pipe,” Kase said from across the table.

  “Yeah?”

  Kase held up a cookie and winked. “It’
s fuckin’ delicious.”

  “Thanks, Kase.”

  “Gotta ask, you cook?”

  “Like savory food?”

  “Shit, I dunno. Like cook. You know meals. Dinner and shit.”

  “Yeah, Kase. Not as good as I can bake, but I can cook.”

  “Run away with me?”

  “Christ.” Jake shook his head. “Keep it in your pants, Kase. The rest of you, finish what you got and get your asses back to work. Now.” After barking out those orders, Jake’s voice softened as he looked down at me and said, “Piper, this shit is amazing.”

  Helloooooo, jello knees.

  “Thanks. I’m gonna head out to the waiting room.” As long as my knees could carry me, that is.

  “No.” His tone was back to bossy. Surprise, surprise.

  Oh, I like bossy voice.

  Shh, quiet, girly bits!

  “What?” I asked.

  “You eat?”

  “What?”

  Where’s my brain? I know what eating means. Why am I such a dingus?

  “You know, food. Not sugar in cake form. Have you had lunch?”

  “No, I was just planning on walking somewhere.”

  Jake turned to Kase. “I’m takin’ Piper to grab a bite. Do your shit, we’ll be back.” It wasn’t an invitation.

  Even if it was, I doubt I’d have said no.

  I turned to the rest of the guys and waved as Jake grabbed my other hand. “Uh, I’m glad you all like the dessert,” I said over my shoulder as he pulled me out the door. It took me a second to wrap my brain around the fact that Jake was still holding my hand as we stepped outside the shop.

  My hand? His hand?

  Yum.

  I looked up at Jake as we walked. “You don’t have to do this. I’m sure you’re busy.”

  Shh. Don’t ruin it. Lunch. Hand holding! Shut up!

  “I’m not letting you sit in there all afternoon.”

  “Seriously, it’s cool. Z warned me it’d be a while. I came prepared.”

  “No, you didn’t.”

  Uhh, what?

  Which, lack of filter meant I said, “Uhh, what?”

  My question went unanswered. Though Jake stayed silent, he did it still holding my hand. It was strangely hot. His hand was much larger than mine. I normally hated my petite size, but suddenly I was seeing some major benefits.

  We came to a stop in front of a small deli. “You like sandwiches?”

  I raised my brows up at him. “Who doesn’t like sandwiches?”

  “Fair enough.”

  Jake opened the door and the scent of fresh baked bread hit me.

  “I love that smell.”

  “What one?”

  I grinned up at him. “Fresh bread. Regular bread smells good. But the warm, carby smell of fresh bread? Unbeatable. Did you know they sell bread scented candles? It isn’t like the real thing, of course.”

  Jake chuckled. “Of course. Figure out what you want, babe.”

  When we ordered at the counter, Jake paid and I tried to protest. He gave me a look and I stopped protesting. When it was ready, he grabbed our order and guided us to a table tucked in a corner.

  As we got settled I asked again, “Why couldn’t I sit in the waiting room?”

  “You said you were prepared.” He shook his head. “You weren’t.”

  “How do you figure that?”

  “Your clothes.”

  I looked down. “I’m not following.”

  “Too much skin.”

  What the hell? What century did I unwittingly time travel to?

  “Maybe if I was a nun.” My thick strapped, black ribbed tank and black cuffed shorts hardly seemed indecent. It was Massachusetts in July, which meant it was hot. I could look outside and see a handful of women, and even a couple men, wearing much less.

  “Trust me. There were other customers in the waitin’ room. Shorts, emphasis on the short, and a tank top. Definitely too much skin.”

  “Thanks for the heads-up, fashion police,” I muttered.

  “Eat.”

  I didn’t know what to say. So, I didn’t say anything.

  I glared.

  “Eat,” Jake ordered again, immune to my dirty look.

  I picked up my turkey sandwich and we ate in silence.

  *******

  After lunch, I wasn’t surprised when Jake brought me to the break room. We hadn’t said more than a few words to each other on the walk back, though he’d held my hand again.

  So, awkward, silent lunch followed by hand holding?

  Meh, I’ve had worse days.

  “I gotta see how much fuckin’ around they’re doin’. Hang out in here ‘til the van is done. One of the men will come get you.”

  Since I couldn’t wait to investigate the break room, I nodded.

  Jake started to walk away before pausing and turning back. “Piper?”

  “Yeah?” Breathy. Again.

  God, I was an idiot.

  I’d decided Jake was kind of an ass, though a hot one. Coincidentally, he was a hot ass with a hot ass. But he was still an ass.

  I was trying to avoid people who made me feel small. Well, small-er.

  “Just… Help yourself to anything, yeah?”

  “Okay. Thanks again, Jake.”

  “Yeah.” With a chin lift he was gone, leaving me to explore.

  Their break room was a full blown, restaurant grade kitchen. It had a six burner gas stove and a shit ton of counter space. The countertops were a gorgeous black granite and the appliances a gleaming, stainless steel.

  It was what I’d want my dream kitchen to look like. Modern, but comfy.

  Tiptoeing like I was breaking the law, I opened the huge walk-in cooler to find a bunch of car parts. “So that’s how they make such cool cars.” I looked around quickly. “Thank God no one was around to hear that,” I whispered to myself.

  After surreptitiously taking a few pictures, I settled into a lush couch and brought out my iPad. I’d just started reading when Kase came in and headed straight for the box of baked goods.

  “Pipe. Seriously. Did you put crack in these cookies?” Since I’d seen him earlier, he’d pulled his dreads back and lost his t-shirt.

  Oh, how unfortunate. I should help him find it and all his other shirts.

  And burn them.

  It’ll be my service to all womankind.

  His white tank top and low hung jeans were smudged with grease.

  Oh, I see… Golden hued, ripped, flirty, crystal blue-eyed… Wait, where was I going with this again? Oh yeah. So Kase can wear a tank but I can’t?

  I smiled at him. “Nope, even worse. Loads of sugar.”

  “They’re awesome. You have crazy kitchen skills.”

  “Speaking of crazy kitchens, what’s the deal with this one?”

  “It used to be a restaurant-slash-party house before it was Hyde’s. Too much work and too expensive to change this room, with the gas line from the stove and all. Plus, kind of hard to disguise a walk-in. So, it was left as is, and made into the break room.”

  “Gotcha.”

  “I gotta head back. Thanks for the sweetness, Piper,” Kase said with a finger wave.

  I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of a badass doing a finger wave.

  As he walked out, I settled in to read. After about five minutes, I heard a distant and gentle, “Babe.”

  I blinked. Or rather opened my eyes, and saw Jake looking down at me. I glanced behind him to the clock on the wall and saw the five minutes was more like an hour and a half.

  “Damn,” I said through a yawn as I sat up and stretched.

  Jake leaned back on the table, crossing his arms over his chest. “You good?”

  “Yeah. Sorry. Dozed off reading.”

  “Nah, it’s good. I would’ve let you sleep, but I didn’t know if you had to be anywhere. Your van is done.”

  “Cool. Thanks.”

  “Yeah,” he muttered as he stood. After giving me a chin lift, he
left without another word.

  I went to the front and paid Z, once again suspecting it was much less than it should have been.

  “Ready to rock, Doll Face?” he asked, flipping me my keys.

  I followed him back into the garage.

  “Test her out. Put something hard on.”

  I put my current favorite CD on and squealed as the bass pumped. Turning the volume down, I hopped out. “Z, this rocks. Thank you so much.”

  “Quit with the thanks bullshit.”

  “Alright. Sorry.” I grinned.

  “Doll Face,” he warned. “Anything else you need?”

  “Can you fix a dent?”

  His eyes swept the van. “No dent.”

  “No, it’s on my car.”

  “Got a car?”

  “Yeah, this is just for work since my car doesn’t have the space to hold cakes.”

  Before Z could answer, Kase came through the door. “Z, Jake needs help in the office. He can’t find the papers for the Viper.”

  Z lifted his chin. “Be back.”

  As he left, Kase peeked in at the new speakers. “Damn, that sounds sweet. Fuckin’ rockin’ a minivan and shit. You like Harington?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. I’m totally hooked on this album.”

  “You know they’re playing tonight over at Rye, right?”

  “Seriously?”

  “We’re all heading over tonight, you should come with.”

  “Sorry, I can’t. Crazy busy night with cakes.” While I had a ton of homework and some cakes to prep, that wasn’t what was stopping me.

  “Piper, come on. Live a little. Let your hair down.” Kase smiled.

  I have no doubt he uses that charming smile to get his way with chicks.

  Or have his way with them.

  “If it’s at Rye, I really can’t go.”

  “Why? Did ya get tossed from there?”

  “I’m not twenty-one yet.” I headed towards my van. “I can’t get in there.”

  “For real? Not twenty-one?”

  “Yeah, not for another couple months. Thanks for the invite though.”

  “Twenty? Damn, you got your shit together. Good for you. Seriously. But you’re still coming with us.”

  “I can’t. It’s cool, but—”

  Kase pulled his cell from his pocket, touched the screen a few times, and held his finger up to me.