by G. Bailey
"I will be, I have a meal with my dad planned tonight," I say to him and look toward Izzy when I see her shaking her head.
"Don't make things bad between you and your dad for my brothers. Elliot would lose his shit if your dad hurts you. I won’t let you go if there’s a chance you will get hurt. You’re like a sister to me, Allie." Izzy tells me, taking my hand into hers.
"He won't hurt me, I am his daughter and he has never done anything other than protect me," I say, knowing for certain my dad loves me. Izzy frowns at me but doesn't say anything and just squeezes my hand.
"What have I missed?" Blake asks us, and Izzy walks over to him.
"I will explain in a bit, but I'm spending the day with my bestie, watching movies and helping her get ready. So I need a rain check on our plans," she says, putting her arms around Blake's waist. He leans down and kisses her deeply, making me look away.
"Guys, P.G. rated only in my bedroom. It's bad enough I have to hear it through the walls, I don’t need images to go along with the sounds," I say with my hands over my eyes.
"God, Allie." Izzy laughs, and I move my hands so I can see her going very red. Blake laughs before whispering something to her and walking out.
Izzy shuts the door and jumps onto my bed as I get comfy on the other side. My new bedroom isn’t that different from my old one; my bedding is a pale pink with a sequined, silver rug over the bottom of it. I have a large double bed and two large, white wardrobes. There’s a chest of drawers opposite the end of the bed, which my TV is resting on. I have a small bookcase near the door, filled with my smutty books. I don’t know why, but I like to own the real copies of the books I read. It may or may not have something to do with the half-naked sexy men on the covers. Who knows?
"Still love him like crazy, then?" I ask, glancing at my friend’s loved up face.
"Yeah, I can't help myself around him. So, you and Elliot?" She grins at me.
"Yeah, I like him. It's real strange to admit that." I laugh.
"Hell, I never thought I'd hear you say that. So are you up for watching Thor?" she asks with a grin.
“Which one is that?” I ask, and she pulls out her phone from her hoodie. A few minutes later, she shows me Thor, or the actor who plays him.
“Yes, you have good taste in films.”
“Nah, I just like muscular, blond men.” She winks. I giggle because Thor does look like an older version of Blake, just with slightly darker hair. They both look Viking-like though; Maisy told me that one.
We both spend the rest of the day doing just what Izzy suggested, and, honestly, it's brilliant.
60
Elliot
“Give it back you, pighead!” Allie shouts at me as I take another one of her pens off her table when I thought she wasn’t looking. I have a bag full of them at home, but it never gets old seeing her so angry.
“Nooppee,” I say with a laugh. Allie gets up, her pigtails shaking as she moves and stands in front of my desk.
“I’m going to hurt you, just so you know,” she says, deadly serious, and I smirk. I lean back in my chair, knowing the whole class is staring at us by now. This class is boring anyway, what’s an eight-year-old to do?
“You’re tiny.” I laugh.
Allie picks up her pencil case and throws it at me. It hits me in the head, and the pens fall all over the floor.
“Detention, both of you!” our teacher comes back into the room and shouts at us. I’m guessing she saw the throwing, but I don’t know why I’m in trouble.
“But, Miss, I didn’t–”
“I don’t care, Elliot, both of you wait outside and sort your problems out.” She waves a hand at the door, and I stomp out, with Allie following me.
We both stand next to the door, not talking for a while before I say something. “You’re pretty cool, Allie. Not like the rest of the girls,” I tell her, and she looks at me. I never noticed how pretty she is or how shiny her hair is.
“You’re pretty cool too, Elliot,” she replies with a grin.
“How many lengths did you do?” Seb asks me as I lift my head out of the pool at home and shake the old memory of when I first started crushing on Allie from my mind. Before everything went really wrong. Seb is standing, holding a happy-looking Jake. Both of them are wearing matching blue swimming shorts with white anchors on them. I really hope Seb doesn’t keep up with this obsession with matching Jake in his clothes when Jake is older. I would feel really fucking sorry for him. I wipe the water from my face before I answer him.
“Ninety-two so far. I needed a cool down from the weights and running.”
“That’s good. I’ve never liked swimming in here until Jake.” Seb looks around the pool.
“Pass him here while you sort out his floatie seat,” I say, holding up my arms. Seb walks over and hands me Jake. He squeals in happiness as I put him in the heated water. Seb gets his floating seat contraption out the cupboard with a load of floating toys.
My workout is definitely over.
Seb gets into the water, and he helps me put Jake in the seat by guiding his legs in.
“How is everything?” Seb asks as I pull Jake around in his seat.
“Good,” I reply.
“I heard from a little, blond birdy that you spent the night at Allie’s,” Seb says, and I laugh.
“That was last night. I swear you and Blake are like two school girls,” I mutter.
“So, you finally got the girl. I’m happy for you, man, but can you sleep with her? I really need me some cake,” he says.
“What the fuck?” I ask.
“Language! If Jake's first words are swear words, I won’t get laid for a month.”
“And ‘laid’ is better?” I ask.
Seb flicks water at me, making Jake giggle. A floating toy boat comes near Jake, and he reaches to get it before putting it straight into his mouth.
“I made a bet; you sleep with her, and I get cakes,” he says, and I narrow my eyes at him. The little fucker.
“What does Allie get?” I ask. Knowing Allie, she would have gotten something pretty good out of this little bet.
“My car,” he mumbles out, and I laugh. That would be like me betting my Harley Davidson, which would never happen.
“You’re mad, brother,” I tell him, and he nods.
“I really want cake,” he replies, making me smirk at him. I stay and play with Jake a little more before getting out and cleaning up.
I open the garage and find my beauty. She is black and shiny but could do with another polish.
I do love her, my bike.
I spend a few hours tinkering with my bike and thinking about Allie. I need her to see who I am. I have a great idea for a date, but it’s risky. I haven’t taken a girl there before, and once I take her, I won’t be able to see the place without Allie.
It doesn’t matter, I know she will love it.
61
Allie
“I’m so freaking nervous, what if they don’t like what I have planned?” I ask Maisy and Izzy as we wait for our new class of kids to get here. I’ve spent most the weekend planning for today because my dad cancelled on me, so I have to wait until Tuesday night to speak to him.
“They will love you, Alliecat. Your Saturday class thinks you’re amazing, this will be no different,” Maisy tells me, and I nod at her.
I stretch in my yoga shorts and vest top. Izzy and Maisy are wearing similar things. The first couple of people come in with their children. I wave and go to introduce myself as the foster children come in with their caregiver. We chat for a bit before she leaves.
“Everyone, come on over.” I wave a hand over to where I’m standing with Izzy and Maisy. The kids all bundle together in a group in front of me.
“So, let’s start with introducing ourselves. I’m Allie, this is Izzy, and this Maisy,” I say and there’s mumbled hellos around the room.
“Right, everyone move into your own space.” I wait until they are sorted before I carry on spe
aking.
“I thought we could start by having some fun. Dancing is meant to be fun and get you moving. My favourite dance to warm me up is called the ‘walk it out’ dance. Has anyone heard of it, or can you do it?” I ask them and a girl, who’s about ten, puts up her hand.
“What’s your name?” I ask.
“It's Kelly,” she says.
“Would you come up next to me, Kelly, and we can do it together?” I ask her, and she nods, moving to my side.
“Right, the idea is that you kind of step forward like you’re lunging and then take your legs inward and outward,” I say and slowly show them what I mean.
“Outward and twist,” I repeat, showing them.
“The next step is to get your arms to move. The dance is meant to give attitude, so why don’t we give some as we move?”
“Everyone give it a try for me?” I ask and nod to Kelly who does the dance with me. I watch her, and I’m surprised how good she is. I look around the room, seeing that a lot of them are getting the hang of it.
“Maisy, would you put some music on?” I ask her, and she nods.
“Right, follow my lead when I count,” I tell them and wait for the music to start.
“Okay, five, six, walk it out,” I say, and we do the dance move together. I see a few of them doing their own kind of attitude with the dance, and it makes me smile. Maisy and Izzy are attempting to do the dance, and it’s hard not chuckle at them. We spend the next hour going over different dance styles, and they all learn pretty quickly.
“We have fifteen minutes left, so why don’t we have a little fun?” I switch on the song, ‘Apple Bottom Jeans,’ and stand at the front of the class.
“Everyone knows this song, so if you can do the moves. Come and dance them,” I say.
Kelly comes to stand next to me, and I’m a little surprised when Maisy takes my left. We do the song, and nearly all the class is copying me. I hear clapping as I drop all the way down to the floor in the song. I switch the music off and I hear, “My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard, and they’re like…”
My gaze shoots to the owner of the phone ringing, and I watch as he turns his phone off and looks at me.
“Nice ringtone, dude,” a boy shouts across the room, and everyone starts laughing.
“Thanks, my girlfriend likes it,” Elliot replies, not an ounce of embarrassment on his face.
I only just notice Sebastian is standing next to him when he says, “He likes to dance in his room to it; I don’t think I can ever get the images of his arse shaking out of my mind.”
Elliot whacks Sebastian on the back of the head as we all laugh. The twins look more like twins now that Elliot has cut his hair, they have the same nose and high cheek-bones. They just dress so differently, Seb always looks like he came straight out of a magazine, and Elliot is always in black and some kind of leather. I like the bad boy look Elliot gives, the type of boy your mother should warn you away from. The kids’ mums come, and I stay to talk to a few who want to know how their kids did. When all of them have left, Elliot comes over to me.
“Hey, angel,” he says, and he pulls me into a gentle kiss.
“I’m so close to winning, I can almost taste the sexual tension,” Sebastian says, and then I hear, “ouch,” come from him as I pull away from Elliot.
“Maisy, why does everyone hit me? First, it’s Elliot, and now Izzy. I’m feeling unloved,” he says, and everyone chuckles.
“It’s because you don’t know when not to speak, Sebastian,” Izzy says, and I hold in a chuckle.
“I do so,” Seb replies with his hands on his hips.
“You do not. Like when you asked if that woman was pregnant at the shops the other day,” Izzy says.
“To be fair, that’s a question no one should ask unless it’s really clear,” Maisy says.
“It’s like when you asked Blake if his mum was seeing anyone. You’re lucky you’re about to get married, or he would have punched you.”
“That was just a general question!” Sebastian says, getting frustrated.
“Anyway, what are your plans for the night?” Elliot asks, with a wide-eyed look in my direction at our friends, as he strokes my arms. It’s like he can’t help but touch me all the time, and I feel the same way. Elliot looks good in his leather jacket, a black shirt under his jacket, and tight jeans, and his short hair is slightly growing out already like it doesn’t want to stay short.
“Not much.” I grin at him.
“Let me take you somewhere; you’ll need to wear a dress,” he says in a hushed tone, only meant for me to hear.
But Seb says, “Yeah, back to his room. I doubt you’ll need a dress, though.”
“I’m going to kill him,” Elliot mutters as he walks over to Seb. Seb just laughs with his hands up.
“Total joke, chill out, dude,” he says and then moves Maisy right in front of him. His face has a big smirk on it as Elliot stops.
“Using a girl as a shield, low blow, brother.”
“Whatever, I like these clothes. I don’t want them ripped,” he says, and everyone laughs.
“I'll pick you up at seven,” Elliot says to me and gives me a little teasing kiss before he walks out. I watch his ass in the tight jeans the entire way; I’m a lucky girl, I think.
“Get home, I'll see you in a bit,” Izzy says and gives me a side hug. I wave goodbye to Seb and Maisy before I walk out.
“Wear something sexy. I want my cakes,” Seb shouts as I’m just walking out, and I can’t help but laugh.
62
Allie
“If you’re planning on killing me in this alley, just know your sister would find out,” I joke as Elliot leads me down a dark alley in the next town over from ours. We haven’t said much on the hour drive, and I’m a little confused where he is taking me. Elliot glances back at me with a smirk.
“Sometimes the best things in life can be found in the most unusual places,” he says, stopping at a bright-orange door lit up by two outside lights. Elliot knocks three times and the door is opened by an older, Middle Eastern-looking man and the sound of Latin music fills my ears. He grins at us, and Elliot walks in, with me close behind him.
My mouth drops open as I see the bar we are in. One side is a large bar, and the rest of the room is full of couples and people dancing to a sexy, Latin song. The dances they are doing look seconds away from them having sex. I’m glad I’m wearing my tight, red dress, which I know Elliot likes, the kiss he gave me when he saw it was proof enough.
Elliot pulls us over to the bar, where he takes off his leather jacket and puts it on a seat. There’s a band in the corner. Someone is playing large drums of different sizes, two people are playing guitars, and they are singing, but the main attraction is the large piano that is being played away.
“Come and show me how sexy you can be, angel.” He holds out a hand, a clear challenge in his gaze.
I take his hand, and as he moves us into the middle of the couples, the song changes. A slower, more sensual song is playing, and I move closer as he moves his large hands to my hips. I move my hips slowly at the start–to the beat of the music–as I slide my hands up his chest, and to my surprise, he moves in time with me.
Who knew Elliot King could dance?
I didn’t, but as he leads the dance, pulling my body against his and letting me grind against him, it’s proven that he can dance. My hands are around his neck, my hips rub against his as we both lose ourselves to the music. Elliot takes my hand and spins me out, then pulls me back so that my back is to his front as we move. His hands slide down my sides, his thumbs graze against my breasts as they find their way to my hips, and I slowly move down his body after I turn around. When I get as low as I can, I turn and rise slowly up his body, moving my hips slowly as he watches. My breath catches as his dark-green eyes lock onto me and his hand winds into the hair on the back of my head as he pulls me forward into a scorching kiss.
I don’t know long we dance and kiss, but event
ually, he takes my hand and leads me to the bar.
“How did you learn to dance like that?” I ask him after he orders us some drinks. I don’t ask what he got me; I don’t care because my mouth feels dry from dancing with Elliot. Another part is beyond wet, but I’m trying to ignore that.
“My father brought me once to do some business. He left me here and some girl invited me to dance. It was weird at first, but I kept coming back.” He shrugs.
“Why was your father like that?” I ask him.
“I don’t know, Allie. He used us in any way he could to make money. It wasn’t just about money, but it was like he enjoyed seeing us suffer,” Elliot says, his voice devoid of any emotion. He could be telling me about the colour of the paint on the wall instead of his sensitive past.
“He sounds like a real piece of work,” I say, and he nods.
“Elliot, my man, how are you doing?” a Jamaican-sounding man says from behind the bar as he comes over. The man looks in his early thirties, with long dreadlocks falling to his waist. He is wearing a green shirt with little palm trees on it. Mixtures of bracelets are on his arms, and he is very attractive.
“Glen, I’m doing well. How’s the boyfriend?” he asks.
“We just moved in together, I’m going to ask him to be the old ball and chain soon,” he says.
“That’s great, man.” Elliot smiles widely. He clearly likes this man. The man we ordered drinks from earlier brings us our drinks, and Elliot gives me mine. He has a beer and mine is some kind of pink cocktail. It tastes amazing.
“Who’s the pretty lady with you? I’ve never seen you bring someone here before.” He nods his head at me, and Elliot puts his hand on my leg.
“This is Allie,” Elliot says, and I hold a hand over the bar to Glen for a handshake. Glen takes my hand and tilts it over for a kiss.
“What is a hot thing like you doing with this broody fucker?” Glen says with a nod in Elliot’s direction.
I laugh and answer. “He’s good with his hands.” I wink at him as he laughs.
