Sinful Biker

by Terri Lane

  She could feel sleep pulling at her, and she knew that she would be too tired to dream. It was just as well, she thought as she tumbled into the darkness. Her poor brain needed a break and she never remembered her dreams anyway.

  ***

  Kayla woke up the next morning, just a few minutes after seven. She laughed at her stupid internal clock, cursing it for waking her up early on her half day off.

  “I guess it’s better than five am,” she said, rolling out of bed and getting dressed.

  She padded to the tiny kitchen, pouring herself a bowl of cereal and sitting in the only chair she owned. She looked around the apartment, thinking that she needed to look into get a love seat or something to make the place look a little more lived-in. That way, if she had a friend over, they would have somewhere to sit.

  She laughed at herself.

  “If you had friends, that would be great.”

  She was still chuckling when there was a loud knock on the door, and an envelope slipped under the gap between the door and her linoleum entryway.

  Great, she thought, another notice that one of the main water heaters is down and will be for a while.

  Letting out a loud breath in exasperation, she got up and went to the door. There was no name on the envelope, just her apartment number, as usual. She opened the letter, stomach sinking when she read the first line. She sat down hard, reading it over and over again, trying to figure out what she was going to do.

  She set the letter down on the table, her appetite gone and her good mood vanishing. She looked at the calendar, doing the math in her head and groaning. It was the tenth and the new rent was effective in twenty days. She wasn’t even sure a change in rent was legal on such short notice, or if they could even do that in the middle of her year-long lease. But it wasn’t like anyone that lived in the building had the resources to challenge the price hike in court. No, they would all pay, and the property manager knew that. Even those that grumbled about it would pay, because most people in the building were getting by paycheck to paycheck and there was no way that they could scrape together a deposit and first month’s rent for a new place in twenty short days.

  Two hundred dollars more a month probably didn’t sound like much to most people, but that was two hundred dollars less that was going in her savings. But, she needed to put more in her savings, and the winter months were looming. Soon, her heating bill would be almost double, no matter how low she set the thermostat. She could keep it in the sixties and bundle up, but she would still have to pay to heat her frozen apartment to sixty. Her other option was to ask for a raise, but she needed at least a dollar an hour more to make up the difference.

  Kayla put her head her crossed arms on the table. Nick hadn’t even been able to give her a twenty-five cent raise the last two times she was due for one. There was no way that he was going to bump her up a dollar.

  That left only two options; pick up more hours or get a second job.

  Hot tears threatened, but she bit them back. She wasn’t going to cry. She was lucky. At least she had a savings account to fall back on. Many people didn’t even have that. If she couldn’t make up the entire difference without cutting into her savings, she wouldn’t end up on the street. She would be fine.

  She pulled out her phone and opened the text messages.

  Can I come into work a little early? She typed, sending the message to Nick and hoping he had extra work for her.

  Yes, he typed back almost immediately. Noon.

  No explanation and no niceties, but Kayla was beyond caring. She was desperate, and if Nick wanted her there at noon, that would go a long way toward making up the difference in rent.

  She looked at the clock, shocked that it was only nine. It felt like a lifetime since she woke up. Maybe she would take a bath and hope that the hot water would help work the kinks out of her aching legs and back.

  She laughed.

  Never mind, she thought. No hot water.

  She shrugged. Maybe she would boil a few pans of water and do it the old-fashioned way. And maybe she would find a money tree growing in her closet.

  Shaking her head and wondering at how her life had ended up in such a rough state long before she had become an adult, she decided to cut her losses and read a book. If she couldn’t lose herself in a bubbly, hot bath, at least she could jump into someone else’s life and find a way out of hers for just a moment. Not that her life was so awful; it could totally be worse. But Kayla had worked hard to become something other than a kid failed by the foster care system, and no matter how hard she tried, she always seemed to fall just short of succeeding.

  Soon, she promised herself. She would start school and this time next decade, she would look back at this part of her life with fondness. If not fondness, something that wasn’t pity. She had a good life and she had plans. She would catch her dreams soon enough, and part of the fun of chasing dreams was the journey.

  She perused the well-worn books that filled up the only real furniture she had in her house, a short bookcase stuffed with books that she had picked up every chance she got. Her collection had been the only thing that she had splurged on, and twenty books bought at secondhand shops over the last three years was hardly splurging.

  She stopped, pulling out her favorite one. It was a story about a woman who loved a man that no one thought was good for her. She smiled. If only life worked that way.

  ***

  Kayla walked into the diner after a leisurely walk in the afternoon sun. She normally worked six to four every day, and the sun was rarely as warm as it was right before noon. The walk had left her feeling hopeful and revived. It was a new day, and Kayla was going to get through this like she did everything else. She would have to tighten up her budget, and if she had to, she would start eating cereal twice a day instead of just once. Kayla knew that she could do this, and in the end, her sacrifices would be worth it.

  She looked around the diner, and a thought suddenly occurred to her. Since James didn’t know that she was working that day, maybe he wouldn’t come in.

  She smiled. It wasn’t that he was repugnant; quite the opposite. But he was relentless and Kayla simple wasn’t interested. At least there was one thing to look forward to over the next ten hours.

  Kayla went to the back, letting Nick know that she was there and grabbing a clean apron from the wall.

  “I think I’m going to have to let Sara go,” Nick said quietly so the customers at the counter couldn’t hear. “Are you interested in picking up shifts until I find someone to replace her?”

  Kayla was elated. Sara had called in sick more than she had worked, and Kayla had been listening to Nick grumble about her for awhile. If Sara didn’t want to work, Kayla was happy to take her place.

  “Of course I can. Maybe not all of them, but I’ll take everything I can handle.”

  “You’re a good worker,” Nick said. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

  “Thanks, Nick.”

  “I know you deserve a raise, but I really can’t right now. And I’m going to have to split your hours to avoid getting dinged for overtime, but I’ll figure something out.”

  She nodded, not quite knowing what to say. It wasn’t that big of a deal for him to miss paying her one night of overtime, but if Kayla was going to work six days a week and rack up more than full time hours, she deserved to be compensated for what she worked overtime.

  She looked at him, trying to find the words to say that what he was asking her wasn’t fair. He held her gaze for a moment, his face passive, but the line clearly drawn. He wasn’t paying overtime, and she knew Nick. If she argued, he would tell her that she could take it or leave it. And right now, she couldn’t afford not to take the extra hours.

  Letting out a deep breath and clenching her jaw imperceptibly, she fought the urge to argue. She gave a weak smile and left, hitting the floor and taking over for the waitress that was leaving at one. Kayla helped her wind up her tables, making sure the tips ended up
in the other waitress’s pocket, since she had done most of the work with each customer. As customers started trickling in, Kayla picked those up. The other waitress only worked on the tables of her own that were left. By one, only one table remained and the other waitress, desperate to leave, told Kayla to keep the tip.

  “I’m exhausted,” she said. “You can have the tip. It looks like they’re going to be here awhile.”

  “Thanks,” Kayla said to the girl, who was new and probably wouldn’t last long enough to get friendly with.

  The girl left as if her heels were on fire, and Kayla had to laugh. Waiting tables was daunting for newbies, and this girl was Nick’s latest attempt to fill the spots that Kayla couldn’t.

  A man motioned to her, sliding his cup to the edge of the table even though it was only half empty. Kayla knew that look, and rushed over to the table, hoping that the man wasn’t too angry.

  “Is something wrong with your drink?” she asked, giving him an apologetic smile and looking into his green eyes directly.

  “I ordered root beer. This appears to be some sort of ‘doctor’ style drink.”

  Kayla took his drink and apologized.

  “I know it wasn’t your fault,” the man said. “The girl who just left gave it to me right before you came and I’ve been trying to get her attention for awhile.”

  “I’m so sorry,” she repeated, a little flustered that he had been sitting in the corner with the wrong drink for so long. “She’s new and she’s young. I’ll fix it right away, and don’t worry, the drink is on the house.”

  “No need to do that,” the man said, running his fingers through his jet-black hair. “It’s a soda. Nothing dramatic about having the wrong soda.”

  “What about your food? Did you get the right food?”

  “I didn’t order any food. I’m just taking a break from riding my bike and wanted to sit down and enjoy a cold drink.”

  He motioned to the window, which was close to where he sat. An expensive looking sport bike was at the curb, sleek lines reminding her of the motorcycles on spy movies. She realized then that the man was sitting where he was so he could watch his motorbike. She didn’t blame him. The diner was in a rougher part of the city, and Kayla would do the same thing in his position.

  Except I don’t even own a bicycle, she thought.

  “I’ll fix this drink and I’ll be right back. Would you like apple or cherry?”

  “Apple or cherry what?” he asked, clearly perplexed.

  “Pie. Pick one or I’ll bring you a slice of each. On the house, of course.”

  “Apple,” he said, smiling at her warmly.

  “Huh. I’d pegged you for a cherry guy.”

  His smile grew wider.

  “People often do that to me,” he said in a low voice. “It’s rare that someone gets me.”

  “Really?” she asked.

  He shrugged.

  “I like surprising people, what can I say?”

  She laughed, openly. She was amazed at how at ease she felt, even though he was obviously flirting with her. Maybe it was because he was closer to her age. Or maybe it was because his gaze was respectful and not ogling like James’s. Whatever it was, Kayla was glad that this man had showed up, even if he was only around until he hopped on his motorcycle again and took off.

  This was shaping up to be a pretty good day.

  ***

  It was nearly three when the last of the lunch patrons left and the sweet spot between lunch and dinner settled in. The man on the motorcycle lingered for a long while, obviously road weary from a long ride. She tried to draw more information out of him with small talk, curious to know where he had come from and where he was going that had brought him through their town. But even though the man was more than polite, he didn’t answer many questions.

  Kayla decided to fill in the blanks while she was cleaning up the lunch rush tables, remembering a tattoo she had seen on his arm that suggested that he was a bit of a rebel. She rolled her eyes at the thought. A tattoo didn’t mean ‘rebel’ anymore. Still, he’d acted the part, and even though he hadn’t said or done anything specific to make Kayla believe that he was the quintessential bad boy, she’d been around enough people to know that he was a man who did his own thing without apology.

  In a world of followers, he was a leader.

  She smiled then, certain that she had pegged the stranger right this time. The man was still bad ass, and she couldn’t help but admire his sexy walk as he left the diner, pulling on his protective leather jacket and fishing the gloves out of his pocket.

  Kayla’s hand found the bill tucked under his pie plate while she was distracted, watching him pull the tight gloves on and stretching his fingers until they were on just right. Surprised that he had even left a dollar after getting a drink and a free pie, she grabbed it, hardly glancing at the bill as she shoved it in her pocket.

  She froze, pulling the bill out and looking at it in shock.

  It was one hundred dollars. Not one or even ten, but a crisp hundred-dollar bill.

  Kayla looked up and saw the man holding his sleek, black helmet in his hands.

  Before she could change her mind, she hurried out the door, calling out to him as he was about to put the full-face helmet over his head.

  “Excuse me,” she called out, heart pounding, wishing her conscious hadn’t gotten the better of her.

  He turned and looked at her, crooked smile revealing a slight dimple in his cheek.

  Could this man be any hotter? Kayla thought.

  “You accidently left me the wrong bill,” she said, holding the hundred out to him after she took a few steps forward.

  He threw his leg over the bike, helmet under one arm as he got himself situated and looked up at her.

  “It wasn’t an accident,” he said matter-of-fact. “I don’t make mistakes.”

  Kayla did roll her eyes then.

  “You got a soda. I don’t know what you’re trying to pull, but I can’t accept this.”

  He shrugged.

  “That sounds like a personal problem to me.”

  She went to take a step forward, but he started the bike with a roar which quickly faded to a rumble that she felt in the depths of her soul.

  “Have a nice day,” he said. “And thanks for the pie.”

  Before she could answer, he pulled the helmet over his head and took off, rushing past where she stood on the sidewalk without a second look. He merged into the light traffic and sped off with Kayla still standing there, dumbfounded.

  “He can’t be serious,” she said, pocketing the bill and going back into the empty restaurant.

  She walked in and smiled weakly at Nick, trying to figure out what had just happened.

  “What was that about?” Nick asked from behind the register as he counted out the money, putting it in the heavy, bank envelope to drop into the safe. As he did at every shift, he left twenty in change and dollar bills in the register.

  When she didn’t answer, he stopped counting, looking at her with his head tilted slightly in question.

  “Did he forget something?” he prompted.

  “I thought he did,” she said, but I was mistaken.”

  Nick nodded, not even asking her to elaborate as he went back to counting the take for lunch.

  Nick was the only one in the kitchen, and since she bussed her own tables and he didn’t pay her what she was worth, he never expected her to pay out tips to the kitchen like other places did. Still, she was hesitant to tell him what had happened, and about the huge tip.

  What if he thought she had crossed a line flirting with the handsome man?

  “I’m going to make myself a sandwich,” she finally said.

  “That sounds good. There won’t be anyone her for another forty-five minutes. Go ahead and take a break until then. Stay close, I’ll text you if someone shows up.”

  She looked at Nick, startled.

  “That sounds nice, actually. I think I’ll go to the park and ea
t my lunch.”

  “You deserve it.” He paused for a long while, and then looked at Kayla, his old eyes almost sad. “Look, I’m sorry about this, but I had to let two girls go this week. That means that I had to pay them all their wages instead of them getting paid next Friday for this week.”

  “That has to be rough,” she said, her stomach sinking a little.

  His tone made her nervous.

  “I wasn’t prepared. I know I usually pay you on Friday, but I’m going to have to wait until Monday to cut your check. I know that will put a little strain on you, but if I write a check tomorrow, it simply won’t clear.”

  “That’s alright,” Kayla said, relieved that she had already paid her bills for the month. “It’s only three days. I can wait three days.”

  “Thank you,” he said, looking relieved. “You make more than the other girls do, and you work more. Your check was the one I was worried about the most. Tina is still new so she doesn’t make much at all.”

  “Tina?” Kayla said.

  Nick laughed.

  “The girl you worked with today?”

  Kayla blushed, feeling like a complete ass for not even taking the time to learn the girl’s name.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Nick said. “I have a feeling you won’t be seeing her after this weekend either.”

  ***

  Kayla came in for her regular shift the next day, glad that she only had two more days before Sunday, which was a guaranteed day off since the diner was closed. Unfortunately, Friday and Saturday were their busiest days, and after working with Tina the day before, Kayla wasn’t so sure that the girl would be much help during the lunch rush. As much as she needed the money, the large tip and the overtime from Thursday had already gotten her most of the way to the rent difference she needed to make, so she hoped that Nick wouldn’t ask her to stay past three to help Tina handle dinner. She was exhausted, and Saturday was her longest day of the week.

  James was at his normal table by the time Kayla returned from making coffee in the back. She filled his cup, leaving two creams on the plate. His hand shot out and grabbed her wrist to stop her.

  “You look tired,” he said gently. “You need a man to take care of you so you don’t have to work so much.”