Taking It Slow

by Jordan Marie

“That I do,” she mumbles, not sounding very pleased about it.

  “I told you, if that’s all it is, I got one for you, Faith. And I’ll make it so you never want to run from me.”

  “I didn’t say I ran,” she defends.

  “He showed up here and no one knew you were married. That seems to mean you ran,” Leroy says, proving—I guess—that not all his brains are made of shit.

  “I didn’t run. I just decided I didn’t want to be married. That’s why I need the lawyer to get the divorce.”

  “Well, a woman shouldn’t have to get married over her love of having a good—”

  “Please don’t say dicking anymore, Leroy,” Faith says, interrupting him, and I laugh. Not a lot, but enough that Faith looks up at me with her eyes shooting daggers.

  “How about I help you pay the lawyer and you can come stay with me? I’ll show you how a real man takes care of his woman.”

  Okay, that’s about all of this shit I’m going to take. Doesn’t matter how fucking cute Faith is—and damn if she isn’t. I’m actually enjoying most of this damn situation. I just need to punch Leroy so he stops talking and breathing. And I’m not real particular in which order that occurs—as long as it does.

  “That’s kind of you, Leroy, but I told you. It’s only Big Daddy’s that does it for me.”

  “You know that’s right,” I whisper to her again, but I might say it a little louder—just so the others can hear me. She turns to look at me fully, and there’s a warning in her eyes. But I find I can’t stop myself. “You couldn’t get enough of it,” I remind her, because the memories I’ve had of her prove that to be right. Fucking trouble is, I felt the same damn way about her pussy. “So, sorry, Leroy. You’ve lost out. It’s only my dick Faith craves.”

  I smirk and I’m man enough to admit I’m getting great pleasure delivering that fact out there for all these assholes.

  11

  Faith

  “One dick is just as good as the other,” Leroy says obstinately. Dear Lord, this keeps up there’s going to be measuring tapes and egos involved. Of all of the ways I imagined meeting Titan again, spending an hour talking about his dick to other men wasn’t it—at all. And for his part, Titan is enjoying this way too much. Which I’m finding annoying and I think it’s about time to put an end to that.

  “It’s true, Leroy. You know what they say. Once you go black, you never go back.”

  The crowd is silent for a bit with that and I feel kind of proud of myself. I chance a look at Titan and I see shock there but he’s so close to laughing. His eyes—deep pools of molten whiskey—are sparkling with it. Damn. Why does he have to be so sexy?

  “Well.” The sheriff clears his throat but doesn’t say anything else. I’m pretty sure I’ve left him speechless.

  “Darlin’, you know what they say about white men,” Leroy says. Man, he’s just a dog with a bone—so to speak. He’s refusing to give up. He should get an A for effort at the very least.

  “What’s that?” I ask, almost afraid to hear it.

  “Once you come back to white, you’ve never had a fit so tight.”

  Well, shit. Score one for Leroy because I think he’s stumped me.

  “Jesus,” Titan laughs.

  “I don’t think that’s a thing, Leroy,” I tell him as delicately as I can.

  “It is,” he replies, remaining stubborn.

  Like a dog with a bone.

  “If you’re so happy with his—uh… with everything,” the sheriff begins, “then why do you want a divorce?”

  “Good question,” Leroy adds.

  “Can’t wait to hear the answer to this one,” Titan agrees and the smugness in his tone makes me go further than I’d planned.

  “I need a divorce…” I grumble stubbornly, while I come up with my reply in my head.

  “On what grounds?” the sheriff asks.

  “Grounds?” I echo… Hmm…

  “Yeah. On what grounds do you need a divorce? If he’s threatening you I can step in,” the sheriff says—perhaps a bit too eagerly.

  “I’m not threatening her, you—”

  “Fraud!” I nearly shout before Titan can call the sheriff a name that will end him up behind bars.

  “Fraud?” There’s a chorus of voices saying this to me, but Titan’s is the one that sticks out the most. I should probably think twice about attempting the path that I’m about to walk down. I’ve never been the type to do that, however—which explains so much about my life.

  “Fraud. Titan lied to me,” I tell the sheriff and Leroy, and doing my best to ignore Titan completely.

  “Lying is not really fraud, Faith,” the sheriff says, rubbing the back of his neck.

  “It is when they’re lying to you about who they are.”

  “Darlin’, maybe you aren’t understanding about lying. You can lie, but it doesn’t mean fraud really. Just means you got hold of a snake in disguise.”

  “It’s fraud when he’s pretending to be a man.”

  “What in the fuck are you saying now?” Titan growls.

  For their part, the sheriff and Leroy are looking at Titan in disbelief. That’s understandable. You can look at Titan and see he’s all man. This is going to be a hard sell. But seeing the look of incredulity on Titan’s face spurs me on.

  “It’s okay, Big Daddy. Leroy and Sheriff Adams are my friends. I feel comfortable telling them your secret.”

  “His secret…” the sheriff repeats, still staring at Titan like he can’t believe it.

  “Titan’s really a woman,” I deadpan and I’m pretty sure you can hear crickets around me.

  “I’m going to wear your ass out,” Titan groans and I ignore the full body shudder that gives me too.

  “He’s a chick?” Leroy says and he steps closer to Titan, looking at him closely.

  “For fuck’s sake. I am not,” Titan growls.

  The sheriff is smiling. I’m losing him. I pat Titan on the arm, but quickly take my hand back. Mostly because Titan looks and sounds like a giant grizzly bear right now and I’m afraid to leave my hand around him. In fact, I take a few steps away from him.

  Better to be safe than sorry.

  12

  Titan

  “Faith, you’re on dangerous ground here,” I warn her and that’s the only warning I give her.

  I don’t give two wasted fucks what these assholes think, but trying to strip me of my manhood—that’s another thing. Maybe she needs a refresher course on just how real my dick is.

  “He’s a chick?” Leroy says again and the fucker gets too close and actually puts his hand on my chest. I push him away, deciding that I have indeed had enough of this bullshit.

  “Back the fuck off, man,” I growl.

  “Touchy thing, aren’t you?” Leroy laughs.

  “Maybe he’s PMSing,” the sheriff jokes.

  That’s it.

  “You liked it when I fed you my cock where people could watch us. Maybe I need to remind you just how much of a man I am,” I tell her, going for the belt to my slacks. I see her swallow and her eyes dilate. She takes another step back from me, and that’s probably the wisest thing she’s done in her life.

  “I actually want to see his… her… dick,” Leroy says and the sheriff nods in agreement.

  This makes me stop unzipping my pants. The last thing I want is Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum staring at my cock and trying to touch the damn thing. Just the thought of it makes him want to crawl up into my balls and hide.

  “They made it out of his boobs,” Faith says serenely, her face looking like she’s discussing the Pope. Fuck, she’s as crazy as her aunt who kept dancing with me at Aden’s funeral… Wedding… Whatever.

  “Out of his boobs?” Leroy clearly can’t believe it. Maybe he has a few brain cells left.

  “Holy shit,” the sheriff adds.

  “Oh yeah. He had huge boobs. What was it you said they were, Big Daddy? Triple Ds? He showed me a picture of them when he was confessing his secret to m
e. He easily rivaled Dolly Parton,” Faith says and at this point, I’m just watching her mouth move to see what comes out of it next. Aden warned me to watch out for the Lucas clan—clearly I had no idea. It makes me wonder how in the hell White seems so freaking normal.

  “Dolly has some great tits, that’s for sure,” Leroy responds and I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t start foaming at the mouth. “You could bury your dick in those for days,” he jokes.

  “Yeah. That’s enough,” I growl. I bend down and wrap my arm around Faith’s legs and throw her over my shoulder.

  “Titan! Put me down!” she cries.

  “See you later, boys,” I mutter, praying I never do. “Time for me to take my wife home and show her just what a real man she did marry.”

  “You can’t do this!”

  “Sheriff! Help me!”

  They either don’t answer or her screaming drowns them out. I don’t really care which one it is. I walk to my car, open the door and all but throw her inside.

  “I’m not going anywhere with you,” she huffs.

  “You get out of this car you’re in trouble. Because when I catch you, Faith—and I will—you’ll be sorry. Now I’ve stood there for fucking-ever and let you convince two ass-fuck clowns that I’m not a man. I got to tell you, wife, I was mad before, but I’m at my limit now. So sit there like a good little girl or you won’t like how I retaliate.”

  With that, I slam the door. I walk around to the driver’s side and get the car started, pulling out as quickly as possible. The quicker I leave Buck-Stop in my rearview mirror, the better.

  We get about a mile down the road when my car starts sputtering before coming to a complete stop.

  “Uh… what’s wrong?” she says, looking over at me cautiously.

  “We’re out of fucking gas,” I growl, suddenly remembering why I was at that damn gas station in the first place.

  “Whoopsie?” Faith says with a tentative grin and I really, really want to throttle her in that moment.

  13

  Faith

  I’m trying not to giggle as Joe pours gas into Titan’s Caddy from a jug. We’re standing beside the road. I called Joe’s using Titan’s cellphone and here we are.

  “That’s two hundred dollars,” Joe growls once his plastic jug empties.

  “Two hundred fucking dollars? Are you kidding me? That wasn’t even five gallons of gas.”

  “Most of the bill was for a tow. Actually that will be five hundred dollars.”

  “What the fuck?”

  “You made me close my shop. You took my best worker away. You’re lucky that’s all I’m charging you,” Joe says and I snort a little. I can’t stop myself.

  “Jesus. You take Visa?”

  “Not out on the road I don’t. Cash or check only.”

  “I don’t have five hundred cash.”

  “Then we have a problem,” Joe says, crossing his arms at his chest.

  “We’re about to,” Titan says, his jawline going almost square. I read that as danger… lots of danger. I figure that means it’s time for me to wade in again.

  “Hey, Joe. Did you bring my stuff?”

  “Yeah,” he says, walking around to his old truck. He puts the gas can in the back and hands me the backpack I’ve been using to pack my clothes and crap in every day. I grab it and pull out my clothes first, ‘cause damn do I want those. Then I rifle through the rest of it to find where I hid today’s tips.

  “Thanks, Joe,” I tell him, right as I find my cash.

  “I’m laying this out for you, Faith. You want to leave this guy, you can hop into my truck and I’ll make sure the sheriff fixes it so he doesn’t bother you again.”

  “He can try,” Titan says and I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t start cracking his knuckles. Actually there’s so much testosterone floating between these two a woman could get sick on it.

  “I—”

  “Faith,” Titan says warningly. That’s it, just my name, but it does get the message across. It doesn’t matter. I was just staying in Buck-Stop to get some money together. If Titan wants to have a conjugal visit before I split again, I’m not against it.

  Just the thought of that makes my female parts want to weep in happiness.

  “I’m okay, Joe. Titan and I have a few things to work out,” I tell him. Then I hand him the cash that was in my backpack—well, some of it. “Here, this is for Titan’s bill. I’ll get my money back from him, won’t I, Big Daddy?”

  He grunts in answer. Doesn’t matter. I’ll take his card if he wants to try and play that game. My Aunt Ida Sue always said there was more than one way to skin a cat, and I have to agree. I never understood why you would want to skin a cat, but whatever.

  “Take care of yourself, Faith. You always got a job here if you want it,” he says and that’s sweet. I don’t exactly want to be shaking my ass in a bikini in the cool Colorado air, but still it’s sweet. I lean up on my tiptoes and deposit a kiss on Joe’s weathered jaw. Before I’m firmly back on the balls of my feet, Titan is there with his arm around me. Joe takes him in and seems to be appraising him.

  “See you later,” Titan says, making his meaning clear. He wants Joe gone. His arm is so tight around my stomach it’s a wonder I can breathe.

  “You really a chick?” Joe asks and I can’t stop the giggle.

  “Fuck, no,” Titan growls—which makes me giggle more.

  “Didn’t figure. Take care of her,” Joe warns and dang it. I could get misty. I didn’t think Joe liked me much. He’s been nicer the last week, but still, he didn’t talk much.

  Titan doesn’t bother replying. He’s too busy pushing me back into his car.

  “Bye, Joe!” I yell out the window, waving. Joe nods his head ever so slightly, but that’s it. Then he hops in his truck and heads out.

  I sit there watching his truck disappear and I got to admit, I’m a little sad about it. I was just getting comfortable in Buck-Stop. Whenever I take to the road again, I decide right then that I’m not stopping until I find another small town. It’s much more peaceful than the bright lights of Vegas.

  “Where do you live in this piece of shit town?” Titan asks and I frown.

  “You don’t like Buck-Stop?”

  “Not a damn thing about it,” he confirms and that makes me sad.

  “Why?”

  “Besides the obvious? There’s nothing here.” He shrugs. It’s then I really look at Titan. He’s wearing dress slacks, dark gray and perfectly creased. He’s got a soft, deep purple button-up shirt on and the first few buttons are undone, letting you see his beautiful dark chest. He has on a gold chain. I’ve never liked that before, but on Titan it looks really good. He’s got on his wedding ring—which surprises me, but then I’m wearing mine too. He’s also got on one other heavy gold ring. It has a football on the side of it. He’s driving a Cadillac and he practically oozes money. Every man I’ve ever met like Titan has been bad news. Even if Titan is not, the differences between us are glaring. He oozes money. I struggle to buy dinner most days. He oozes city life and here I am perfectly happy in Buck-Stop and kind of wishing I didn’t have to leave it.

  “We could never be truly married,” I tell him and I can’t help it if my words sound kind of sad. I am sad.

  “We are married, wife. Now where are you staying?”

  “Truck stop down the road, why?”

  “You’re staying at a truck stop?” he growls.

  “There’s rooms for rent behind it for the night. It’s not as bad as you’re making it out to be,” I grumble self-consciously. The truth is it’s probably worse, but I’m not about to admit that.

  “Give me directions.”

  I frown, but decide to go ahead. If I don’t he’s stubborn enough to drive around until I do. I’ve got to start figuring out how I’m going to get away from Titan. I can’t stay with him. We’re just too wrong for one another and I know how that works out. I’ve been there, done that and most definitely bought the T-shirt. />
  That’s never going to happen again.

  I touch my face gently as the past wars with my future. I need to leave Titan far behind me.

  The farther the better.

  14

  Titan

  “You’re right, Faith. This place is not as bad as I was thinking,” I mutter, rubbing the side of my face as I take it all in. The door to her tiny room is practically pressed wood. It’s been wet and not treated, so pieces of it have fallen off. I’m surprised it’s even hanging on the hinges. An eighty-year-old grandmother could kick down this damn door. The inside is worse. There’s paneled walls that look like something from an old seventies movie. There’s a television on a table that is probably that old too. It’s got dials on it, no remote control for that damn thing—not that it matters if the rabbit-ear antenna on the back is anything to judge by. The whole damn place smells stale and like the carpets have been flooded. The carpet is shit-brown, and when I say that it wouldn’t surprise me if it was colored with actual shit. The bed… Fuck… it’s a damn water bed. There’s a mirror on the damn ceiling. The door to the bathroom is missing and you can see the dingy yellow toilet and a shower… I think it’s supposed to match, but it looks more brown.

  “Thank you,” she says and she grins as she says it.

  “It’s worse.”

  “It’s—”

  “It’s a shit hole,” I tell her plainly.

  “It’s not that bad,” she argues.

  “Yeah, babe. It is.”

  “Whatever. You will have to sleep on the floor, I’m not giving up the bed.”

  “I’m not staying here.”

  “Oh. Even better. Later then,” she says way too cheerfully.

  “I’m not leaving you here, Faith.”

  “I’m not leaving here, period, Titan.”

  “You are.”

  “I’m not.”

  “You’re getting your ass in my car and we’re going back to Vegas.”