by Ana E Ross
Adam was taken aback when she took a step forward and wrapped her arms about his waist and rested her cheek against his chest. He hesitated for a split second before his arms went about her. Her hair was dry and stiff like straw. A good shampoo and deep conditioning in his downstairs spa would rejuvenate the soft, silky curls he’d felt almost a week ago. But he knew she wouldn’t stick around for that lavish treatment. So for now, he took what she offered and held her as tightly as he dared in her delicate condition. Yet her fragility didn’t stop his body from responding to her like a man responds to a woman’s touch.
Tashi was beautifully housed, exquisite, and the image of her lovely naked hourglass body, the firmness of her high-perched breasts, the silky texture of her skin, the soft curves of her hips, the erotic feel of her buttocks pressed against his morning erection were stamped in his brain for all eternity. All the emotions and sexual tensions Adam had been suppressing while he’d been taking care of a sick Tashi were now demanding acknowledgement.
His body was on fire. He wanted to kiss her. God, how he’d love to taste her lips, but he knew it would be a terrible mistake to even attempt to satisfy his yearning. She might be feeling better, but she was still weak. Besides, the memory of her fighting him in the tub warned him that any kind of sexual advances toward her would be a mistake.
Tashi Holland was a woman he dared not pursue in a sexual way. He had to stand down and wait patiently for her to make the first move. He hoped she would learn to trust him enough to open up about her past so he could help and protect her. It was impossible to help and protect someone when you didn’t know what kind of help they needed and from what or whom you were providing protection.
Adam rubbed his hands along the curve of her back and basked in the blessing of having her in his arms on her own volition.
“We should go,” she said, pulling away and bringing his euphoria to an end, much too soon.
No, we shouldn’t. Three days ago, he’d vowed to set her loose the moment she was feeling better. So why was he having such a hard time of it, especially when she wanted to leave? Why was he finding it difficult to keep his own law: no damsels in distress?
“If you don’t mind, I’d appreciate it if we could stop at the grocery store on the way to my apartment,” she said, picking up her backpack and looping her arms through the strap.
“I don’t mind. Whatever you need.”
Two hours later, Adam parked his Aston Martin on the curb across from Tashi’s apartment building. He glanced out his tinted side window. A balding, potbellied man, wearing nothing but a pair of plaid boxers sat on the porch steps, smoking a cigarette. The man glanced briefly at his car as if he sensed he was being watched before moving on, completely uninterested and unimpressed.
A skinny young blond woman in a tank top and cutoff jean shorts was reclined on the old couch jammed against the wall. Her bare feet with soles black with dirt were slung over the wooden railing of the porch. She was texting away on her cell phone and paying no attention to the two toddlers who were splashing water on each other from a kiddie pool that was too close to the road. A brown lab, perhaps the one that had barked the night he’d come to rescue Tashi, was asleep on the floor behind a screen door situated about four feet away from Tashi’s.
Adam’s gaze shifted to the park across the street where four teenage shirtless boys were shooting hoops into a tattered basket. An old rusted fridge lay on its side against the side of the broken-down fence that once surrounded the park. A washing machine in similar shape was stacked on top of it. The appliances had been there so long that grass and shrubbery had grown up around them.
Adam’s jaw flinched at the scene that was synonymous with poor neighborhoods. It had taken all his willpower not to turn his car around and head for the hills the instant he entered the depressing zone. He didn’t think these people were beneath him in any way. He just felt sorry for them, and even sorrier that he was bringing someone he’d cared for, and was now definitely beginning to care about, to the neighborhood.
“I guess this where we say goodbye.”
Adam turned his head at the sound of Tashi’s voice. Goodbye? No. Seated beside him, she clutched her backpack as if it held everything dear she had in this world. “Tashi. I don’t feel right leaving you here.”
“It’s fine, Adam. I’ve been living here for a year and a half and nobody has ever bothered me.” Her faint smile held a touch of sadness, even though her tone rang with tenacity.
Where did you live before that? “There’s always a first for everything.”
“Just because these people are poor doesn’t mean they’re bad, Adam. Most of them work hard to provide for their families—sometimes two and three jobs just to survive.”
He noted that she hadn’t included herself in the equation of nice poor people. She was living among them, but the way she carried herself, her very appearance and the fact that she owned a very expensive camera and laptop, and had nice furniture in her run-down apartment, said a lot about her upbringing, her past. She was used to nice things, perhaps not as luxurious as he was, but nice.
He would guess that the uncle who’d raised her lived in a middleclass neighborhood—nothing like this place. So what was she doing here, two years after he died from pancreatic cancer? Did the treatment for his illness deplete all his financial resources, leaving him bankrupt, and Tashi without any means of support? And again, the question about the whereabouts of her parents surfaced.
Adam sighed inwardly as the mystery of Tashi Holland thickened. “That’s true, Tashi, and I wasn’t suggesting that—”
“Sometimes the privileged are the worst people out there. They act nice at first to get you to trust them then they prey on the poor and the naïve to satisfy their own selfish needs.”
Adam wondered at the vehemence in her tone. What privileged jackass had hurt this girl? What had “they” done to make her so afraid, so paranoid, so distrustful, so hostile? “Tashi—”
“Thanks for the ride, and for everything else.” Her hand went to the door handle.
“Wait.” Adam unbuckled his seat belt and exited the car. Was the fact that he was privileged the reason she was becoming wary of him? It was one thing to call him in the middle of the night when she thought she was dying. That was a matter of survival. But now that she was feeling better and could think clearly in the light of day, she was seeing him differently. He was no longer her savior. He had become a threat, a reminder of something bad in her past.
And here he was, thinking that Tashi Holland wanted to protect him, when what she really wanted was to get the hell away from him as fast as possible. He almost laughed at himself for thinking that she needed him. She didn’t need him. She probably despised him, merely because he was privileged.
Adam opened her door and took her backpack. A zap of electricity coursed through him as he held her hand to help her out of the car. He swallowed the dizzying effect her touch had on him. He watched her eyes widen and darken as she inhaled quickly before pulling away, dropping her gaze to his chest where his heart was making an awful ruckus inside his ribcage. Yep. She’d felt that too. She was becoming aware of him as a man, a man she perceived as a dangerous attraction, and perhaps even a threat to her life.
Forcing the nauseating thought aside, he handed her her backpack and opened the back door of the car to retrieve her two bags of groceries—peanut butter, raspberry preserves, bread, some cans of soup and tuna fish, a small assortment of fruits and vegetables that didn’t need to be refrigerated and some Gatorade he’d suggested she purchase.
“I’ll see you inside,” he said, closing the door and straightening up to his full six feet, three and a half inches.
She tried to pry the bags from his hand. “I can manage from here.”
“Tashi, I’m seeing you inside.”
“There’s no need, Adam. You’ve done enough already.” The line of her mouth tightened a fraction.
“I’m either seeing you safely inside
your apartment or I’ll put you back into my car and take you back home with me. It’s your choice, Tashi.” He made no attempt to suppress his steadfastness. Did she think she was the only one who could be headstrong?
Her green eyes flashed defiance before she turned and took an agitated step off the curb, and into the street.
He grabbed her arm and pulled her back up on the sidewalk as a black Mazda sped around the corner and zapped past them with its stereo blasting at top level. A few yards down, tires screeched as it swerved and braked, barely missing a child riding his bike across the street.
“Stupid punk!” the man on the steps shouted. “He’s gonna kill somebody one day.”
The dog was barking up a storm from behind the safety of the screen door. As dogs were wont to do, a couple more from nearby houses joined the canine chorus, until the texting young woman who was now on her feet yelled, “Shut up, Bacon!”
Bacon growled and shut up, and soon all was quiet in the neighborhood again—well except for the clamorous humming of the window air conditioning units.
Adam felt as if a year of his life had been shaved off in those few frightful moments. He couldn’t tell if time had stood still or if it had sped up since the car, now long gone, had come careening around the corner.
As the thought that Tashi could have been killed registered in his brain, Adam glanced down at her flushed cheeks and wide frightened eyes. “See, you do need me.”
“Thanks for saving my life. Again.” Her hand was pressed against her heaving chest and her breath was coming out in gasps.
“Is this normal around here?”
“Why, isn’t it normal in your neighborhood? No rich young punks live in your neck of the woods, Mr. Andreas?” She stared blankly back at him.
Her flippant attitude reminded Adam that he was the outsider here, and when she tried to tug away from his hold, he also remembered that she didn’t trust him, even though he’d just saved her life for the second time in less than a week. Or was she deliberately trying to make him not like her? Well, she might as well…
“Hey man, sweet ride.”
Adam looked up as the boys who’d been shooting hoops walked toward them. The speeding car, the barking dogs, and the yelling neighbors must have drawn their attention to him. Downwind of them, he almost choked on his next breath. They smelled like young men who’d been sweating profusely on a hot and humid summer evening.
“Is it hot?” one of them asked as he walked around the Aston Martin inspecting it closely, but respectfully not touching it.
“No, it’s very cold,” Adam replied, tightening his hold on Tashi’s arm.
“Did you win it in a game or something?” another asked.
“Wanna play us for it?”
“Perhaps another time,” Adam said with a smile as he addressed the dark-haired one who was dribbling the basketball on the sidewalk. The boy reminded him of himself when he was that age. Always ready for a competition. He and Massimo had challenged each other over a host of things when they were younger, even girls. He was about to lead Tashi across the street when he stopped. “What’s your name?” he asked the boy who’d dared him.
“Joshua Cain McCall,” he said, tucking the basketball under his arm. “Some of my friends call me Josh, and some call me Cain. My mom goes to church.”
“She lives there,” one of his friends piped in, drawing chuckles from the rest.
“Hey, don’t talk about my momma.” Josh playfully shoved his friend.
Adam watched them, enjoying the camaraderie between them. It reminded him so much of the Granite Falls Bachelors Club that he, Bryce, Erik, and Massimo had formed in high school. He felt a little blue that he was the only remaining member of that club. “Do you know where Granite Falls Country Club is, Josh?” Adam asked as a thought materialized in his mind.
“Yeah. It’s off Country Club Road on the other side of town near the highway.”
Adam nodded. “They have a great court and if you’re still up to the challenge, my friends and I will be happy to play you and your friends. Four on four.”
“Yeah, we’re up to it,” his friends said in unison.
Josh’s jaw dropped. “Seriously?”
“Seriously. You have nothing to lose and this baby to win.” He jutted his chin at his car.
“Okay, dude. You’re on.” Josh dug into the pocket of his shorts. “Here’s my C.I.”
Deciding not to release his hold on Tashi who’d been subtly trying to pry loose during his exchange with the boys, Adam set the bags of groceries on the hood of his car and took the card Josh held out to him. He glanced at the company name: McCall & Co. Computer Services. “You’re a computer geek?”
“Yeah. I started MCCCS as a little side business. I fix computers, build websites, and offer Internet advice, et cetera, to help out my mom. I’m the oldest of five. My dad split when my sister was a baby.” He shrugged. “But we doin’ fine. We still here. When they saw how lucrative the business is—” He waved at his friends. “My boys came on board. We work out of my mom’s basement for now and we’re all trying to get into MIT next year when we graduate. But you know how it is. Fierce competition and lack of tuition funds.”
Adam had no idea how it was to want something and not be able to have it. Well, until now, he thought shifting his gaze to Tashi. Her trust was something he had to earn.
“I need to go,” she said, her emerald eyes flashing the annoyance she felt at being forced to stay and listen to a conversation that didn’t concern or interest her one bit.
Josh’s gaze followed his to Tashi. “Wow, she’s hot. She your girl?” he asked.
“No. I’m not his girl.”
Adam stifled a laugh as Josh and his friends jumped back, their eyes wide as if a snake had hissed at them. He slipped the card into his shirt pocket. “I’ll call you with the time of our tournament, Josh.”
“Okay. I’m looking forward to it.”
The boys filed back toward the park, debating who would hold the keys to the Aston when they swept the court with the old dude and his friends. One suggested selling it for tuition money for all of them. The others agreed that was a good idea, and that once they finished college and their computer business was thriving, they could each buy an Aston Martin of their own.
Impressed with their confidence in winning, and their long-term goal planning, Adam picked up the bags of groceries and glanced both ways before escorting Tashi across the street.
“Would you really give them your car, just like that?” she asked gazing up at him.
“Of course, if they win.”
“Right.”
Adam smiled at her “I’ll believe it when I see it” roll of her eyes. She probably thought he had an ulterior motive for accepting the young men’s challenge, that he was cooking up some devious plot to get them. Well, he would just have to change her mind about him.
“Would you like to play me for it or another of your choice?” he asked. “I notice you don’t have a car. Is it because you can’t afford one? Do you have a job? Do you even have a driver’s license?” The answer to at least one of those questions would give him an idea of where she was from, where she’d lived before moving to this godforsaken neighborhood. He was going to have a talk with the town planning board. This was just unacceptable.
“You’re asking questions, Adam.”
“How else am I supposed to get to know you?”
“You don’t need to get to know me.”
Too late, I’ve already seen you naked.
“Hi, Kyle. Hi, Britt,” she called to the toddlers as she passed the kiddie pool.
“Tashi, Tashi,” the little boy said, giving her a huge grin. The little girl just smiled.
They were really cute kids. Adam killed the desire to pull the kiddie pool away from the road and farther into the yard that would have been a lawn if someone had taken the time to plant and maintain the grass. He could understand how a well-kept lawn would be the furthest thing from the
se residents’ minds, especially when they worked two and three jobs to make ends meet.
“Hi, Billy,” Tashi said, as they ascended the steps.
Billy grunted, took the last drag on his cigarette, and crushed it out on the step. He paid no attention to Adam, got up, and walked down the stairs toward the kids as if he was deliberately trying to avoid small talk. He needn’t have bothered, Adam thought as he watched Billy gather the kids and walk them to the back of the house. He’d had no plans to engage him.
“Hey, Tashi,” the young woman said as they walked across the porch toward Tashi’s apartment. “Where you been, girl?” She leaned against the railing, ready for an earful.
“Hey, Mindy,” was Tashi’s only response as she stopped in front of her door.
So, it wasn’t just him, Adam thought. She was closed-mouthed with everyone.
While Tashi dug into her backpack for her keys, Mindy smiled at him, her brown eyes running slowly up and down the length of him while she smacked away on a piece of gum.
She wasn’t bad looking, Adam thought. A good scrub and some decent clothes would significantly enhance her appearance and chances. He’d seen the improvement in several Granite Falls residents whom he’d help transition to the better side of town by way of scholarships, apprenticeships, and good-paying jobs.
His, Erik, and Massimo’s fathers had taught them that it was their civic duty to help those less fortunate than themselves, especially the citizens of their immediate communities. A town was only as affluent as its people. It was up to the wealthy to keep the scales tipped in their favor. Adam felt a sense of duty as he glanced across the street at Joshua Cain McCall and his friends. The balance would be tipped a little bit more in his favor.
“This your new boyfriend, Tashi?” Mindy asked, her eyes never wavering from Adam. “He’s hot.”
“No,” Tashi replied, as she began to slide her keys into the locks, one at a time. “He’s just a friend.”
