by Amelia Shea
Melinda burst out laughing. It took some time for her to reel it in. She wiped her tears from laughing so hard. Sadie reached out and rubbed her hand on Melinda’s shoulder.
“You’ll get no judgment from me, Melinda,” she stated with complete sincerity.
Melinda nodded and pulled her in for hug. “Thanks, girl!”
Sadie pulled back and scrunched her brows. “Did you just thank me for giving Tyler head on Main Street?”
She howled out laughter as Sadie walked away.
It had been a long night. She was counting down the minutes until she could leave and head home. Sadie had a cheap bottle of wine and a tray of enchiladas she made earlier waiting. It was just her and a video this Saturday night. She wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Oh go on, sweetheart, it’s been a long day. A couple minutes isn’t going to make a difference,” Pearl said while passing by Sadie.
“Yeah head out, girl, we got this,” chimed Melinda.
Sadie looked around the diner. It was quiet, only a handful of customers.
“All right, thanks, ladies!”
She headed back to the break room and grabbed her bag. She counted her tips and separated Juan’s share on her way through the kitchen.
“Later, Willie.”
He grunted. “Later.”
Sadie pushed through the swinging doors and halted.
Walking through the entrance was Stone, T, Bogs, and the same girls from the other night. The girls were laughing at something Bogs said. Pearl walked up to the register and grabbed some menus.
“Follow me,” she said.
She watched as the redhead grabbed Bogs’ hand and trailed behind still giggling. T walked behind them next to the blonde. She was saying something Sadie couldn’t hear. She was using her hands and obnoxiously waved them around. Sadie was surprised she was able to move in her outfit. She had a tight black dress on and five-inch heels. She watched T. He looked bored.
When she didn’t see Stone follow, her eyes darted back to the door. He was still standing at the entrance, staring at her. His eyes were serious. His face was hard; she thought he might be clenching his jaw. His eyes skimmed her coat and bag. He looked pissed. He looked mad to see her. What did he expect? She worked there.
From the corner, Sadie saw Blondie shaking her ass as she neared Stone. She wrapped her arms around his waist and smiled up at him as he gazed down. Sadie was sure he was getting an eyeful of boobs that were about to explode out of her two-sizes-too-small dress.
“C’mon, sexy, everyone’s waiting,” she said in a ridiculously sultry voice.
She looked over to Sadie and gave her the once-over. Bitch! Blondie cocked her brow and turned her attention back to Stone.
“Feed me, lover, and I’ll make sure I give you dessert later.”
Sadie was pretty sure she just vomited in her mouth. Gross.
He gave Blondie a grin and wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they walked toward their table. He didn’t even glance back at Sadie while she watched them go. Before they got to the table, his arm lowered down her back until his hand landed on her ass. Jealousy escalated. She didn’t even know where the jealousy was coming from. Stone wasn’t hers, obviously. She continued to watch. Her eyes were glued to his hand on Blondie’s ass until he pulled it away when they took their seats. It was then that she realized the rest of the group was watching. The redhead was smirking. Girls were good at reading each other. She knew Sadie was jealous. T had his head down in the menu while Bogs was wide eyed and amused.
Humiliation washed over her, she must look ridiculous. She was standing there like a love-struck jealous idiot. Sadie almost didn’t even recognize the girl she’d become in the last week. She promised herself after Tyler that she would stay away from guys like him. Guys like Stone. She heard laughter coming from their table again and glanced back over. Blondie was wrapped around Stone’s arm giggling. She glared at Sadie over her shoulder as she snuggled closer.
She just wanted her life to go back to the way it was. Life before Stone and all this bullshit drama. She used to be able to blend in and fade everyone out. But with Stone, she couldn’t. Her face burned with dread. She felt a hand on her back; she turned to see Melinda at her side.
Melinda looked over to the group and back to Sadie and whispered, “Screw them, Sadie. You’re better than that whole table put together.” She sent a serious glare back to the group.
She nodded and gave her best effort at a smile. “Yeah, screw them,” she said in a low voice with less conviction than Melinda. “Thanks.”
Melinda nodded and pushed her toward the door. “Get going, girl. Be safe!”
She walked to the door and tried not to look over to see Stone. But she failed. Sadie gave them one more glance as she opened the door. Only one set of eyes were on her and she was surprised at whose they were. T was looking right at her. He wasn’t laughing or smirking. He almost looked sympathetic, if that look was even possible on his hard face. He said something to Stone who was seated across from him. His head gestured her way and Stone turned.
* * * *
“She gone yet?” Stone asked T, who was sitting across from him.
T looked over Stone’s shoulder. His expression was hard. He looked back to Stone and gestured to Sadie while staring at him. “No but she’s ready to bolt. You want her to stay away, bro, I think you just succeeded.” T turned his focus back to his menu.
Krista was cuddled up to him and he allowed it. He knew it was childish but he was pissed at Sadie. Coming in to find her leaving should have been a relief but it wasn’t. He wanted to see her. He never intended for Krista to pull that shit but he had been mad that Sadie was leaving so he went with it. Dick move again.
Stone glanced over his shoulder and expected to see Sadie angry. He could see her jealousy before when Krista came on to him. Of course him being a prick, he fed into it to piss her off. He was such a bastard, he knew it. He stared at Sadie standing at the door. He was waiting for her to flip him off and storm out the door but she didn’t. She just stood there. Stone watched as she let out a sigh and gave him a small smile. He straightened in his chair as he became fully aware that all traces of jealousy were gone and her brown eyes were now left with only hurt. Fuck! He liked her jealousy but what he was seeing now, the look in her eyes, that was breaking him. He took in a breath and turned in his seat to face her. She tilted her head to the side, gave him a small shrug, pushed through the doors, and made her way out to the parking lot.
He turned back to the table and shook off Krista’s embrace. He met T’s eyes. His eyebrows shot up in question. Stone had fucked up again, all because he couldn’t get involved with her. And he couldn’t. His job wouldn’t allow an outsider to get too close. He had to keep her away from him, even if that meant being a jerk to her. His mind knew he had to stay away but his heart wanted to protect her and stand by her. After reading her file, he wanted to punch something or someone. And now he’d done the same thing everyone else in her life had done. He hung his head low.
“Are you okay?” Krista asked in a sugary tone that had Stone raising his head and glaring in her direction. She moved away from him and looked away. He looked over at T. T cocked up his brows again in question. “What are ya gonna to do?”
Stone jumped up from his seat and stormed to the door without a word to the group. Everything in his head told him to “sit the hell back down and let her go, she’s not yours.” But his heart gave a big “Fuck you!” to his mind. All those smiles he had seen her give to others, he wanted them. Her laugh that he’d heard when she was joking with customers, he wanted that. The easiness she had when talking with the other waitresses, he wanted that. He wanted it all. He was done trying to stay away. He wanted her, needed to be with her. Fuck what was right!
He pushed through the door and made his way around the diner to the side. He saw her fumble in her purse and pull out her keys. She hadn’t noticed him as he walked over to her car. She dropped the keys
and bent down to grab them. Stone stopped next to the passenger side door looking over to where she had disappeared. She popped back up and was just about to unlock the door when she saw Stone standing across from her, only her car separating them. His sudden appearance caught her off guard and she jumped back. She stared at him with wide eyes. She looked like a deer caught in headlights, startled and so damn cute. Her hair whipped into her face from the breeze and her small hand tucked it behind her ear. There was an innocence about Sadie that drew him in. The first time he walked into the diner, her body, all tits and ass was what caught his attention. It’s what caught every guy’s attention. But it was her face and those doe eyes that brought him back day after day. When he finally got to see her smile, he knew she had ruined him for any other girl. Thick full lips, smiling and sweet eyes, laughing, he was done. Now, he was left to wonder when he’d become such a fucking pussy.
“Ethan talk to you?” Stone asked, resting his forearms on the roof of her car.
“Yes.” She quivered.
“So you understand now?” he prompted.
She nodded.
“Okay, good.” He looked off into the parking lot. He made no attempt to leave. He was unsure how to approach her. He was done pushing her away and scaring her. But this was new territory for him.
“So why are you leaving early? Your shift ends at five.” He turned back to Sadie. She shifted her head slightly and her eyes squinted. She seemed confused. Of course, she was, she had no idea that he knew her schedule. Stone chuckled to himself. She probably thought their encounters were coincidence but there was nothing coincidental about it, he knew her shifts. He would adjust his schedule just to make sure he went into the diner when she was working, just to see her. She had no clue how agitated he’d get on her days off, not being able to see her.
Her voice cracked when she began to speak. “Bernie needed me to come in early. I started at seven so I get to leave at two.” They stared at each other in silence. He knew from the look in her eyes she was ready to leave. She wanted to be away from him before he hurt her again.
“Well, I should let you get back to your date and I need to get to mine.” She unlocked her door and gripped the handle.
She had a date? What the fuck? Stone’s body went rigid. A possessive urge ran through his body, something he’d never felt for anyone but her. He had spent the last three weeks fighting everything inside him to stay away from her. Yet, every day she crept into his mind and he couldn’t stay away. That face, those eyes, and that warm sweet smile. He had told himself over and over that it would never work, their lives were too different. He couldn’t bring her into his world, she’d never understand. She didn’t belong with him. Stone grinded his teeth together and balled up his fists. None of that mattered anymore because he was done fighting himself. Sadie was his. There was no fucking way another guy was getting Sadie. She was his. Stone saw red and stalked over to her.
He had her back pinned to her car, his body hovering over her within seconds.
“Who the hell makes a date at two in the morning?”
She braced her hands on his chest to push at him but he didn’t budge. She pushed harder but he still didn’t move. She finally hit his chest and grunted.
“God, you are such an asshole. The only date I have is with food, a glass of wine, and a movie. You, on the other hand, do have a date. So why don’t you go feed Blondie so you don’t miss out on dessert!” She mocked.
“Blondie? You mean Krista?” he asked in an amused tone. Her eyes grew even angrier and Stone had to hold back a smirk. His Sadie got feisty when she was jealous. He liked it.
She ignored his question and pushed at him again. He still wouldn’t budge.
“Please, I have to go.” Lowering her eyes to the pavement, she sighed. Her feistiness was gone and her tone was sad. He didn’t want that.
He leaned in closer, brought his mouth to her ear and whispered, “I like the sound of your date better than mine. Why don’t you invite me?” His lips grazed her ear and his breath spread over her neck. His body pressed into hers. He was hard just from being so close to her. Her hands slid down to his waist as his chest crushed into hers. Her fingers curled into his shirt under his jacket. The cold air whipped around them but his body heated like it was on fire. She pulled him into her, no longer trying to push him away. His heart pumped fast. He wanted her. She did something to him and he needed her, needed to be inside her. They were both breathing hard. The way she affected him was like nothing he’d ever felt before. He rubbed his erection against her and she bit her bottom lip as she moaned. He leaned in closer; she felt so good against him.
“Sweet girl, you feel how hard I am for you?” Stone groaned in her ear as he continued grinding against her.
“Why are you doing this? Why are you teasing me?”
His hands gripped her face and brought it closer to his. “I’m not teasing you. Ask me,” he whispered back, their lips inches apart. Ask me, he silently begged
She shook her head, she didn’t trust him. He would change that, he thought. He leaned in closer to her lips and he stroked the seam of her mouth with his tongue. She moaned and swayed into him. She wanted this kiss. He pulled back still holding her face. Her eyes were hazy, her face soft and eager. He was breaking her down, she wanted this as much as him, she just had to say the words. His heart beat faster, needing those words.
“Ask me, baby,” he whispered in a soft voice kissing her lips slowly.
She opened her mouth but déjà vu struck again when a deep voice interrupted them.
“Stone, we got to go, man.” He looked over to see T and Bogs standing at the corner. Their faces both looked solemn. They must have gotten the call. Shit! He pulled back slightly from Sadie but didn’t release her.
“Give me five,” he called out to the guys, but T was shaking his head even before he finished. He didn’t want to just leave her.
“No, man, we got to go now. Right now.” T was calm, unnervingly calm.
He pushed back and walked over to them. He didn’t say a word to her or even spare her a glance. He would figure out exactly what was going on and then talk to Sadie. They walked further into the parking lot and huddled together.
“What’s up?” Stone asked.
“Your dick?” Bogs replied.
“Are you seriously doing this right now, asshole?” Stone glared at Bogs.
Bogs shrugged and T rolled his eyes. “We got the call from Trent. He wants to meet up in an hour.” They all stood in silence. This was why they were in Cedar Bluff, this was the job. Still, Stone wished for better timing. He was going to have to delay his time with Sadie. Fuck! He turned back to her but she was already in her car. She hadn’t left yet. He watched her, trying to figure out what to say when he saw her eyes dart to the side. Krista and Jill were heading his way. He looked back to find her no longer looking at him and her car moving.
She pulled out from behind the diner into the lot and passed them. She didn’t look over. When she got to the end of the lot she glanced in the rearview mirror. He watched as she pulled out onto the road. He would deal with the job and then deal with her.
Chapter 7
Sadie had managed to dodge Stone a few times since that night in the parking lot. The first time she asked Melinda to cover her table which she gladly did. The second time she faked sick and told Bernie she was feeling nauseous and waited in the breakroom for over an hour until they left. She knew she was being a coward.
He had come in last night with his buddies and the two girls again. She saw them walk in but this time Krista was hanging on T. The redhead was staying close to Bogs, and Stone was the last one to walk in. He stopped at the door and she watched him scan the entire diner before walking over to his table. She was in the kitchen peeking out the service window. He wouldn’t be able to see her unless he walked behind the counter. She leaned forward to see their table. He sat at the end with Bogs next to him and T across. He continued to glance around. He stoppe
d when Krista, who was sitting next to T, reached out and grabbed his hand. He yanked it away and said something to her that had her recoiling in her seat. She couldn’t hear him but from the look on his face it wasn’t nice.
She turned away and walked toward the swinging doors but Pearl stopped her.
“Go,” she said.
“What?” Sadie replied. “I can’t leave you alone.”
“Yes, you can. Tracey will be in soon, I can handle it.” She shooed her back.
She turned to argue with her. “Bernie will freak if he finds out.” He would be livid to find out Pearl was here by herself. For obvious reasons, she was his favorite.
“Let me handle Bern. I owe you, remember?” She paused and Sadie stared back. Yeah, she remembered.
“Now go and leave through the back,” she said as she walked through the door to the floor. She headed to the back and did what she was told. She had another successful escape from Stone. But she knew eventually he’d catch up with her.
* * * *
Sadie loved food but hated food shopping. She tried to stay on a budget and cut coupons to save money. She learned early on how to budget. While they always had food in the house, there wasn’t much. Her mom didn’t buy name brands. She didn’t either. They never had treats unless she craved them. Even then, her mom ate most of them. By the time she was ten, she was in charge of picking up the groceries. That was not an easy task. She was given fifty dollars every two weeks for food. Somehow, she made it work.
She grabbed her cart as she walked into Henry’s Market. She stopped for apples and bananas—cheap and healthy. She also picked up lettuce and cucumbers. She’d learned to make salad a meal. As she passed by the meat counter, her stomach growled. The man behind the counter smiled. He must have heard it. She smiled back and quickly maneuvered her cart down the next aisle and abruptly stopped.
