by Bijou Hunter
Tonight, I took the first step by working my way into her bed. Now, I just need to figure out how to stay in her life.
Four - Harmony
The morning after I take the drunken leap with my long-time crush, I wake up with a mild hangover, a screaming vagina, and a gorgeously passed out Dayton. The hunk of a man looks out of place in my bed as if a movie star stepped off the silver screen and into an episode of Hoarders. No doubt I should schedule time to de-clutter my room, but that’s a worry for another day.
Dayton’s blond hair partly covers his handsome face, but the rest of him is perfectly naked. I gently change positions so I can better admire his hard curves. I notice a hickey on his chest, just above his right nipple. I wonder if I gave it to him or was it from one of the many women who’ve called Dayton their lover.
Finally sliding out of bed, I’m relieved to see my wastebasket full of condoms. I don’t doubt Dayton gets regular check-ups to ensure his dick doesn’t decay from disease. On the other hand, the first time I had sex, I got pregnant. No way do I want my second experience to end with an STD.
I turn on the shower and let it run. While waiting for the hot water to kick in, I make a pot of coffee and check my phone for messages.
My baby, Keanu, sent me a photo of him before he went to bed at Grandma Sally’s. He smiles big for the camera, always getting a little too close. I grin at the sight of his sweet face.
Once the water gets hot, I take a quick shower, washing away the festivities from last night. I keep expecting Dayton to wake up from the noise, but he’s still sprawled out on my bed when I return to the room to find clothes.
Deciding to wake him, I try a few different tactics. A cup of coffee near his face does nothing. I say his name more than once and bounce on the bed, but the man remains dead to the world.
I check the clock and realize I need to walk over to my mom’s trailer to pick up Keanu soon. As sexy as Dayton looks in my bed, he needs to get up… NOW!
I take a wet cloth and rub it against his face. When that still doesn’t work, I sprinkled the cold water on his balls. Again, Dayton refuses to wake up.
Drenching the cloth in cold water, I drop it on his crotch. Yeah, that did it.
“What the fuck?” he yells, taking a swing at me.
I dodge his lame strike, much like I do with my rowdier clients. Dayton looks around the room before his dark-eyed gaze focuses on me.
“We fucked last night,” he says in case I missed this tidbit.
“Are you sure?”
Ignoring his frown, I grab the cloth and notice his dick harden.
“No,” I say, backing away. “You need to get dressed.”
“I’m tired as hell. What time is it?”
“Nearly nine. I need to get my boy, so you need to get going.”
Dayton throws his long legs over the side of the bed and forces his body to sit up. I avoid noticing his dick and how the damn thing keeps thickening and lengthening until I’m unsure how he’ll fit it in his pants.
“Here’s coffee. If you need a quick shower, have at it, but I need you to light a fire under your sexy ass. Okay?”
Dayton sips the coffee, watching me with sleepy eyes.
“You like my ass, huh?”
“That’s why I brought you back here last night.”
Dayton smiles. “You ran the show, did you?”
I kneel in front of him and exhale softly. “We both knew this would happen eventually, and I’m glad it did, but you can’t stay here.”
“Not ready to make it official?”
“What?”
“Us.”
“We’re not… Look, just get dressed and go before I’m forced to drag you out.”
“Think you could?”
“I move full-grown adults for work. I think I could handle you too.”
“Bullshit. I’m twice your weight.”
“Fine,” I say, standing up. “I’ll yank you by the hair and tug your stubborn ass out of my house. Why ruin a fun night by making me manhandle you?”
Dayton sips the coffee again before setting the cup on the side table. He takes his jeans I hand him.
“I don’t know where your underwear ended up.”
“Didn’t wear any. I guess I knew I’d be in a rush.”
“Charming. Now get out.”
Laughing, Dayton stands up and cups my jaw. “You are not a morning person, huh?”
“I need to get Keanu.”
“The kid can wait a little,” he says, running his fingers down my jaw to my throat and likely heading south.
“No, he can’t. He’s three, and he’s waiting for his mom to pick him up so we can spend our day together.”
Dayton keeps his mouth shut while shoving his feet into the boots I locate in the living room. Once he’s dressed, his gaze locks on me and I know my struggles are far from over.
“When are we hooking up again?” he asks, coming toward me.
I back out of the room and head for the door. “Whenever we see each other at the Red Barn again, I guess.”
“You only go a couple of times a month. That ain't going to work. Let me take you out for dinner.”
Shaking my head, I reach for the door handle, but his hand quickly covers mine.
“A drink then,” he says in the kind of voice people don’t refuse.
I stare into his sexy eyes and smile at how I’ve finally enjoyed Dayton Rutgers’s talents. “Fine. We’ll have a drink in a few weeks.”
“Tonight.”
“I don’t drink on Sundays.”
“Then Monday.”
“I work Mondays.”
“Tuesday.”
Seeing where this is headed, I sigh. “We can go out on Friday.”
Dayton considers my offer and then nods. “Where’s my kiss goodbye?” I pucker up for a quickie, but he shakes his head. “I made you come a lot last night. I want a good kiss full of your sweet tequila.”
“Always with the tequila crap,” I grumble and grab his shirt to tug him down to me.
Even sporting morning breath, Dayton tastes addictive. In a different world, I’d ask him to hang around. We could go out to breakfast with Keanu, and I’d see how they got along.
Except I know how Dayton will behave around my kid. He’s never once used Keanu’s name. I have no doubt he’d say something rude or scary. Then I’d get angry, and Dayton would be absolutely shocked to learn he did anything wrong.
So as much as I crave this handsome man, I can’t forget who and what he is. Dayton Rutgers is a bad man, and he puts himself first with everyone every time. No drunken night of passion can change who he is at his core.
Five - Dayton
Harmony kicks me out of her trailer, and I walk square into Camden and Bonn along with their women. My brother gives me his usual grief, but I’m not in the mood. I’m hungover, and my erect dick rages at being shoved into my tight jeans instead of Harmony’s snatch.
Driving to my condo building where Camden and Bonn also live, I’m relieved to know they aren’t around to bother me. I want to sleep for ten hours and wake up only once the sun is low in the sky.
I’m not a daytime person. The shades in my two-bedroom condo are always down, and I rarely get up before five in the evening. That’s been my life for a long fucking time, but I know changes are coming.
Stripping out of my clothes, I crawl into bed and yank a sheet over my sweaty body. Harmony’s trailer was a sauna. My condo’s air conditioning quickly cools my hot flesh. I close my eyes and think about the way Harmony laughed when drunk and how serious she was this morning. Only a special kind of woman could be that beautiful no matter her mood.
I dream of crashing my Harley and ending up in the hospital where Harmony is my doctor. She’s cold and won’t give me pain meds. I call her a bitch, and she turns off my life support.
Waking up, I consider my dream a win. After all, Harmony made a really fucking sexy doctor.
The clock reads three, and I can�
�t figure out why I’d wake up so early. Resting my head back on the pillow, I finally notice the knocking at the door.
Twenty minutes later, the person is back at it. There are only a few people annoying enough to annoy me this much.
Stumbling into a pair of boxers, I make my way to the door and open it to find Camden on the other side.
“Finally got into Harmony’s pants, huh?” he says, pushing past me. “I was beginning to think you were only faking your interest in her. Why else would it take so damn long to make the sale?”
He finishes babbling before I shut the door. Half asleep, I shuffle into the kitchen and look for a beer. Coffee would be better, but I rarely have anything to eat or drink at my place. In fact, there isn’t even a single beer in my fridge.
Lowering my mouth under the faucet, I drink water and then splash some on my face to wake up.
“I came by earlier, but you wouldn’t answer. Went to hang with Daisy who sent me back. She wants details.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say leaning against the countertop. “Do you have coffee at your place?”
“Of course. Married life means a fridge full of food and an always perking pot of coffee. Want to come over?”
“Not if it means I’ll get interrogated about something that’s none of your fucking business.”
“Bad night, huh?” he says, grinning. “Harmony did seem pretty disappointed this morning.”
Staring at my annoying brother, I unleash my angriest glare. He stares unimpressed back at me, and I admit he’s a handsome motherfucker. Thick blond hair, rich brown eyes, a strong jaw – the guy is a real fucking looker.
“I’m not telling you a fucking thing,” I finally say.
“At least give me a hint about the future. Like will we have double dates with the Slater sisters or will we endure awkward family functions where Harmony dodges you?”
“Not a fucking thing.”
Camden grins, but I can tell he’s disappointed. When he hooked up with his woman, the world needed to know his every emotion. Their love needed to be shouted from the rooftops. He’s such a drama queen that way.
Even unsure how Harmony sees our future, I know how everything between us will end. How we get there is the fun part.
Not that I’ll tell Camden any of this. He’ll gossip to not only Daisy but our mom and probably our dad and no doubt to a dozen guys in the club. Shit, he’ll probably drop by the beauty shop to ensure my news spreads far and wide.
Six - Harmony
As the youngest of three girls, most of my clothes were hand-me-downs. I was never the first at anything, and Mom was almost too relaxed by the time I came along.
It wasn’t all bad growing up as the family’s baby. I was never alone, and my big sisters always watched out for me. Best of all, I knew my place in the world.
As the oldest, exotic Ruby is our leader. The middle child, silly Daisy, was our goofball. Being the youngest, I got to be the free-spirit who learned from her sisters’ mistakes and knew I’d always have support when I messed up.
When people saw the three of us walking together, they understood our team dynamics if something went down. Ruby would punch you. Daisy would cry if you didn’t stay down. I would run home and rat you out to Mom and her friends who would show up with weapons to kick your ass. We had a system.
Now my sisters are gone, having left Lush Gardens to live with their men in a fancy condo building on the other side of Hickory Creek Township. I don’t blame them for wanting more, but it’s depressing to come home to see their empty trailers. Or in Daisy’s case, a trailer inhabited by a new cat lady.
On Saturdays, we still get together for karaoke night. Ruby leaves her eight-year-old daughter, Chevelle, at home with Bonn while Daisy ditches her three cats with Camden. After they moved out, I kept the karaoke machine as an unspoken promise that our girls’ nights would never end.
Tonight, with Keanu at Sally’s trailer for the evening, I make peach mojitos while Daisy sings Total Eclipse of the Heart while swinging her dark-haired ponytail to the music. Ruby sits on the couch with a bowl of popcorn, occasionally tossing a handful whenever Daisy hits a high note.
“Camden says I sing like an angel,” Daisy announces once the song’s over.
Ruby laughs. “A man will say anything to get sex.”
“He doesn’t need to lie for me to put out. I haven’t gotten bored of it yet.”
Wrapping her long, brown hair in a bun on her head, Ruby rolls her eyes. “Once you pump out a few kids, you’ll put a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on your vagina, and sex will be reserved for anniversaries and birthdays.”
“Camden is too sexy for that to happen.”
Ruby can’t resist teasing Daisy once she has her on the ropes. “He might get ugly when he ages.”
“Nope,” Daisy says immediately, refusing to lose the argument. “His parents are both keeping it tight. Cam will be fine.”
After handing them their drinks, I take a deep breath and say the words.
“I am ready to speak of the night I spent with Dayton.”
My sisters stop bugging each other and stare at me. They don’t ask questions. Don’t even seem to breathe. I don’t blame them for fearing I might clam up. This isn’t the first time I’ve made this announcement since the morning they caught Dayton leaving my trailer.
“I drank three ginger fizzes and decided to see if he was as good in reality as in my fantasies.”
“Was he?” Daisy whispers, eyes wide.
A shrug is my only answer. My sisters wait to see if I’ll give more details. When I don’t, Ruby stands up and takes the microphone to sing her song.
My silence comes from not knowing how to explain how I feel about Dayton. He’s been my ideal fling for years. Back when I was in high school, I’d see him riding his Harley and get a whole lot of sexy ideas about him and me hooking up.
Then I grew up and wondered how I’d feel about being a one-night stand. Dayton paid attention to me at parties and whenever he saw me around town. Once he got laid and the chase was over, he’d lose interest, and I wasn’t ready to be dismissed.
So I waited.
There were so many times I considered taking the plunge with him. Before I got pregnant with Keanu, I was flirting with Dayton and asked Dayton if he wanted to take me somewhere. He said yes, of course. I asked if he could promise not to treat me differently after we spent the night together. Rather than giving any assurances or even lying, Dayton froze up.
I still remember the look on his face that night at Tad Cline’s party. It was somewhere between terror and lust. Rather than answer, Dayton said he forgot he needed to do something and bailed.
After that night – and having a baby – I never flirted with any intention of putting out. Dayton kept chasing as if the party freak out never happened. We built a solid routine for years.
Now I’ve broken it and taken the plunge. No promises required. Not now that I’m a mom rather than an eighteen-year-old girl swooning over the sexy bad boy.
“I think I hoped Dayton was complicated,” I say more to myself than to my sisters.
Ruby stops singing and turns off the music. I stare at the mojito in my hand and think about my expectations. Why would I waste time with a man like Dayton?
“I know he’s not. There are no hidden layers underneath his womanizing asshole exterior. I know that, but I think a part of me naïvely hoped he was more than that.”
“Did he do something?” Daisy asks in a hushed tone.
“It’s not what he did or didn’t do. It’s that he’s Dayton Rutgers, and he’s spent years flirting with me like I’m special, but I’m not. He’s fucked everything in town. He wasn’t spending his nights thinking about me. He’s not that guy, so dating him won’t lead to what I think deep inside I want.”
“You never know. I mean, who would have thought I’d end up with Camden?”
“Camden’s the more down-to-earth twin.”
“Is he, though?” Ruby asks. “I mean, he was a pig until one day he wasn’t. Who’s to say Dayton couldn’t be the same way?”
“Are you saying that because you want me to end up with Dayton and move into the condo building and live down the hall from you?”
My sisters nod in unison. “It would be ideal,” Ruby says.
Daisy smiles wider. “Then we’ll get Mom, Betty, Charlie, and Billy to move to the condo building and the entire gang would be back together.”
“Can you imagine Dayton with Keanu?” I ask, fighting a bad mood. “Can you imagine him with any kid?”
“He’s sweet with Chevelle,” Ruby says. “In fact, since we moved to the condo, he wears pants in the hallway instead of walking around in his boxers. The man is capable of change.”
Sipping my drink, I sigh. “I fantasized about him for too long. Dayton can never compete with the man I’ve built him up to be in my head.”
“Did Dayton ask to see you again?”
“He wanted to get a drink last night, but I bailed.”
“A drink couldn’t hurt,” Ruby says, walking over to wrap an arm around my shoulders. “Just see how he is now that you’ve put out. Isn’t it better to try than to always wonder what if?”
“Yeah, that’s what you’d tell us to do,” Daisy adds, joining us on the couch. “Now you need to be fearless.”
“You’ve survived disappointment before.”
“I have,” I mumble while giving her a smile. “I’m very resilient.”
Ruby shares my smile. “You told me if I didn’t give Bonn a chance that I’d never be able to move on even if he and I didn’t work out. Take your advice and get Dayton out of your system.”
Even nodding at their pep talk, I’m afraid. My fantasies of Dayton are so addictive that I’m afraid to learn the truth and give them up.
Seven - Dayton
