A Bookie's Odds

by Ursula Renee

  By the time she relaxed, he had rolled on a condom and shifted until she was on the bed and he was tucked between her thighs. He slowly slipped a finger into her. She stiffened, and her walls clenched on the digit. He pumped the finger in and out until she was relaxed enough for him to slip a second finger inside, into her moisture.

  Knowing she was as ready as she would get, Nicholas withdrew his hand. He took a deep breath and positioned himself at her entrance.

  Georgia tensed as his head pushed into her. He stopped, allowing her to get adjusted to him and willing his body not to react to the tightness surrounding him. It was the most difficult task he’d ever performed, as he had been ready since she first kissed him.

  The lines on Georgia’s brow slowly disappeared. When she no longer appeared to be in discomfort, he pulled back, then pushed forward. Each withdrawal and reentry moved him farther into her, until he felt the barrier that had yet to be broken.

  Nicholas stopped and stared at her. He needed to be sure it was something she wanted to do. Once he moved forward there would be no turning back.

  Georgia reached up and brushed a finger over his jaw. “Go ahead.”

  Closing his eyes, Nicholas pulled back and then plunged in. Georgia tensed beneath him. He felt no joy in the deflowering. He had caused her pain instead of happiness, and he felt like a jerk for the role he played.

  He remained still until he felt fingertips brush his cheek. He opened his eyes and stared at Georgia. Her tender look told him she didn’t blame him for anything.

  She nodded her head, and he began moving again. The length of time he had been trying to hold out and her tightness caused him to shudder after a minute, and he came without her.

  Once there was nothing left in him, Nicholas pulled out and climbed off the bed. He removed the condom, secured the end, and dropped it in the trash bin by the desk near the window.

  He returned to the bed and crawled back underneath the spread.

  “How do you feel?” he asked.

  Georgia lay back and shrugged her shoulders.

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t make it better for you.” He looked away. “Damn, you must hate me.”

  ****

  Georgia leaned up on one arm. She took his chin in her hand and turned his face to her. She shook her head; she could never hate him.

  He had given her what she needed…a distraction from the harsh reality of life. For that, she would always be grateful to him.

  Chapter 18

  Nicholas knew he overstepped his bounds. Just because she offered him her body for one night, it didn’t give him the right to take over her kitchen. However, after watching her beat an egg with bits of shell in the bowl, he had to nudge her aside with his hip, while he poured the concoction down the drain.

  As hard as her father worked to make the money for the groceries, one would think she would take better care when preparing a meal.

  “You can either stand there giving me the evil eye or you can enjoy your meal,” he said, pointing to the plate in front of the empty chair.

  With a huff, Georgia dropped into the chair across from him. Her glare said she would eat the food, but she’d be damned if she would compliment him. However, she could not suppress her moan of appreciation once a piece of omelet was in her mouth.

  Instead of fishing for more compliments, Nicholas announced, “I’ll wash the dishes while you take care of the bar.”

  She shook her head. “How am I ever going to repay you for everything?”

  Nicholas shoveled a slice of bacon into his mouth to keep from blurting out suggestions. Like an addict, he needed another fix—in his case, more time with her. The previous evening had not been enough and, something told him, neither would another twenty-four hours in bed with her.

  As Nicholas swallowed, a fist slammed against the front door. He dropped his fork onto his plate and pushed back from the table. He held out his hand, signaling Georgia to remain in her chair. First he would find out who had the audacity to make such a racket. Then he would teach the person some manners.

  “Georgia, open this damn door!” a voice on the other side shouted.

  She sucked her teeth. “It’s only William.”

  Before Nicholas could warn her back, she dashed out of the kitchen. He reached the living room as she flung open the door.

  “Why are you out there making that racket?”

  “Where the hell have you been?” The irate man pushed passed her into the apartment. He stopped short when he saw Nicholas. “What the hell is he doin’ here?”

  “I’m not appreciating the tone,” Georgia said, stepping between the two men. “Though I don’t have to explain myself, Nick is here because Celeste is in the hospital.”

  The other man wrinkled his brow.

  Georgia reminded him, “Celeste, my best friend, his sister.”

  “Then why the hell is he here and not at the hospital with her?”

  “Nick drove me home last night, after visiting hours were over.”

  Nicholas was unsure if she realized she had confirmed he stayed overnight. William glanced at the sofa, untouched for days.

  “You and him? How could you whore yourself out to a white man?”

  Georgia’s back stiffened. “Nick, could you please excuse us?” Her low tone indicated she was about to give her visitor a piece of her mind.

  “I’d prefer to stay.” He had an uneasy feeling about the other man and did not like the idea of her being in the apartment alone with him.

  Instead of agreeing with him as he’d hoped she would, Georgia spun around and crossed her arms over her chest. She might not realize it, but she had different postures for each of her moods. Her hands behind her back meant she was about to tease him, and hands on her hips meant she was exasperated with him. But arms crossed over her chest meant she was good and mad.

  “Nicholas, leave.”

  The use of his full name and the absence of the word “please” had him stepping around her. He continued to the door.

  “Close the door behind you,” she ordered once he was in the hall.

  He hesitated. Instead of repeating herself, she marched over and pushed the door closed in his face. Realizing he would not hear a thing unless she started to yell, Nicholas continued down the stairs. He reasoned it was best he was not around when the other man left. He might give in to the temptation to relocate the man’s teeth to another state.

  ****

  “The minute your father’s out of the picture, you turn into a whore.”

  Georgia walked back into the living room. She felt bad for kicking Nicholas out of the apartment, but she did not want him to get into a fight with William. His presence would only fuel the other man’s anger, and she was not in the mood to clean up the destruction caused by two men trying to prove who was more macho.

  Besides, what did he expect after they spent the night together? People did not usually look favorably at women who slept with men out of wedlock.

  Though she was willing to accept that others might not think highly of her, she did not have to accept them talking down to her.

  “I don’t appreciate your tone.”

  “And I don’t appreciate you runnin’ all over town with him. You need to remember who you are.”

  “Is your problem that I’m with another man, or that I’m with a white man?”

  William sucked his teeth.

  She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot. “Well, what is it?”

  “It don’t matter. You need to stay away from him.”

  “It does matter.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I need to know how tolerant you are.” She pointed to the picture on the wall. “Remember, my mother was Filipino.”

  “That’s different.”

  “How so?”

  “’Cause I said so.”

  “That’s not good enough. How about another question? How do you feel about Celeste?”

  William snorted. “I don’
t have to answer to you.”

  “That was answer enough for me.” Georgia walked to the door and opened it. “You need to leave.”

  William chuckled. He walked toward her and shoved the door out of her grip.

  “I’ll go when I’m damn well good and ready.”

  “Screw you.”

  Georgia did not register the hand swinging toward her until it was too late to move. The side of her face stung, and she momentarily saw bright lights.

  “It’s about time you remember your place. I’m not going to take any more of your lip. Now go clean yourself up.”

  She waited until her vision cleared before she stepped around him. She slowly made her way down the hall. As she stepped into her bedroom, he called out, “Screw me? You up here screwin’ everyone else, the least you could do is screw me.”

  ****

  “Are you some kind of idiot, or what?”

  “It’s nice seeing you too, Pops,” Nicholas greeted, though he did not glance up from the bar he was wiping. “We ain’t open for business, but I’m sure Georgia wouldn’t mind if you had a drink.” He waved at the mostly empty shelf behind him. “Pick your poison.”

  “You’re lucky I’m not picking you off the floor.”

  “Sounds like you’re a bit displeased with me.” Nicholas glanced up. “You care to share why?”

  “I stopped by your place earlier, and you weren’t there.”

  “Yeah, kind of hard for me to be in two places at once.”

  “I asked you to drop Georgia off last night. Tell me you didn’t stay.”

  “Can’t tell you a lie.”

  “Then tell me you slept in separate rooms.”

  Nicholas made no sound.

  His father slammed his fist on the bar. “You slept with her,” he shouted.

  “And what’s wrong with Georgia?”

  “She’s not like those bimbos you keep company with. Georgia’s a good girl. She shouldn’t be mixed up with a thug like you.”

  Nicholas threw the washrag across the room. “You don’t think I know that?” He leaned against the wall and gripped his head.

  “Then why?”

  “Because I couldn’t walk away from her. Trust me, I’ve tried, but the more I argue the reasons why I shouldn’t be with her, the more I want her.”

  His father stared at him a second, before he seemed to deflate. His shoulders drooped as he sank onto a stool, rested his elbows on the bar, and dropped his head in his hands.

  “They have a way of doing that.”

  “What?” Nicholas dropped his hands to his side.

  His father lifted his head. “Your mother had the same effect on me.” He wiped his hand over his face.

  Figuring the conversation would not be an easy one for the older man, Nicholas grabbed a bottle of scotch. He retrieved two glasses from under the bar and poured each of them a drink.

  His father stared at his glass but made no attempt to take it.

  “I first saw your mother at a cousin’s wedding. She was the maid of honor, and I can honestly say, to this day, I don’t know what the bride wore. From the moment your mother came down the aisle, I could not take my eyes off her. I spent the day staring at her and the next two weeks thinking about her. When the bride and groom returned from their honeymoon, I questioned my cousin’s wife until she offered to have a dinner party and invite us over.

  “When I was finally introduced to your mother, I knew she was not the type of woman I could bed a few times and then walk away from. I had to have her forever.” His father looked up and shook a finger at him. “However, even though I realized that, I did not lay a hand on her until we were married.”

  “Okay, so maybe last night was not the smartest thing I’ve ever done,” Nicholas said. “However, I’m not sorry I did it.”

  “Then what are your intentions?”

  Nicholas shook his head. “I’m not sure.”

  “Then let me give you a piece of advice.” His father did not wait to see if his advice was wanted or not. “I didn’t do entirely right by your mother.”

  “Whaddaya mean? Did you cheat on her?”

  “No, I was never unfaithful to your mother. And if you ever suggest it again, I’ll deck you.”

  Nicholas nodded.

  “I knew your mother was not thrilled with my career choice, but, nonetheless, I stayed with it. It was the one thing I did that made her unhappy. If I had to do it over again, I’d quit the business and do something legitimate. You already know Georgia doesn’t approve of your lifestyle. Are you willing to give up your business to make her happy? If not, you need to back off.”

  It was one of the things Nicholas had considered as he held Georgia during the night. He enjoyed the excitement of a good hustle, yet it was not the lifestyle she should be involved with. She needed a good man who was willing to go out and make an honest living.

  He raised his glass. Before it reached his lips, a pop echoed from overhead.

  Nicholas slammed the glass on the bar and dashed to the back. His father followed him upstairs. With no thought about what was on the other side, he flung open the door and ran into the apartment. He stopped short in the foyer. A chill rushed through him.

  Georgia stood at the entrance to the hall. She ignored the blood dripping from her nose. Her arms were stretched out in front of her. Both hands clutched a gun. William cowered on the floor behind the sofa.

  As much as Nicholas wanted to go after the other man, Georgia was his first priority. He moved to her side slowly so as not to spook her.

  “Georgia, honey, put the gun down.”

  She shook her head. “He was man enough to hit me; he should be man enough to face me.”

  “You can’t shoot him.”

  “I’m no one’s punching bag.”

  “I know you’re not, darling.”

  “No one’s going to hurt me like Celeste.”

  “I’m not going to let anyone hurt you.” Nicholas placed a hand over hers. “Most of all, I’m not going to let you hurt yourself.”

  She glanced at him.

  “I can’t let you get blood on your hands. Please, give me the gun.”

  Georgia lowered her arms. Nicholas took the gun from her as his father stepped forward and grabbed William by his collar.

  “I’ll take care of him,” his father announced.

  Nicholas held out the gun. “Take this with you.”

  His father took the weapon, then dragged the other man to the front door of the apartment, where he shoved William through the neighbors who had gathered to watch the drama.

  “Where’d you get the gun?” Nicholas asked once the door closed.

  “Joey gave it to me.”

  Nicholas shook his head as he pulled her to him. Georgia was changing, and he could not allow that to happen. He hadn’t protected Celeste, or Gracie’s. He would be damned if he did not save Georgia from herself.

  “You won’t need that as long as I’m around,” he whispered, hoping he had not been too late for her.

  Chapter 19

  “I’d like to know where you find your men, so I can avoid that place.”

  Neither Celeste nor Georgia smiled at the nurse’s tasteless joke. After a few seconds of cold silence, the other woman realized the friends did not find humor in the bruises they sported. She quickly gathered the soiled bandages she had changed and exited the room.

  “How are you feeling?” Georgia kissed her friend’s forehead.

  “Forget me.” Celeste brushed the tender bruise under Georgia’s right eye with an index finger. “What the hell happened to you?”

  “William and I had a disagreement.”

  “William? Who’s that?”

  Georgia remembered Celeste had never met the man her father had such high hopes for. She quickly got her friend caught up with her life.

  “You told your father?”

  Georgia flinched as she recalled her father’s reaction. She had stopped to go over the liquor order and giv
e him an update on the furniture repairs. Since his injuries had not included a temporary loss of vision, he immediately noticed the bruise on her face.

  Her father had been livid. He ranted for ten minutes, threatening to walk out in his pajamas to search for William. He finally calmed down when Mr. Santiano arrived and assured her father that once William’s hand healed, the man would think twice before raising it to another woman.

  “I’m sorry you had to go through that,” Celeste sympathized.

  “You and me both.” With a sigh, Georgia dropped into the chair. “I should be grateful he showed his true colors before we got serious.”

  “Were you thinking about marrying him?”

  Georgia shook her head. The previous night she had made up her mind to tell William they could only be friends. He was nothing like Nicholas, and she could not settle for someone who had not made her feel as special as her friend did.

  “At least you don’t have to learn that happily-ever-after is a bunch of bull. All these happy couples in the movies…humph. I wish they would stop filling women’s heads with dreams and show the reality of marriage.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  Celeste slumped back. “The moment Gianni said, ‘I do,’ he changed. All he cared about was his wants and needs. Screw whatever I wanted.”

  Georgia cringed at her friend’s language. The light had been extinguished from her eyes. She looked like her soul had been sucked from her, leaving a jaded shell.

  “Not all men are like…”

  Celeste’s glare chilled Georgia. Her friend did not want to hear a line that not all men were jerks. And she did not want to be assured that there was someone decent out there for her.

  Gianni had not only taken Celeste’s innocence but had conned the woman into a relationship by making her believe there was no one else out there who’d accept her. She no longer wore her rose-colored glasses, and for that change in her Georgia wished Nicholas could go another round with his brother-in-law.

  “We walked out of the courthouse, and he couldn’t wait till we got to the hotel to start our wedding night.”