It was after five when they pulled into the parking lot. Carson was getting out of his car.
His face virtually lit up when he saw Alicia. The look on Alicia's face rivaled his if not topped it since she already had the natural glow from being pregnant.
When they kissed, it was almost as if the world stopped. Ami's heart ached. She wanted that she thought. She wanted that more than she liked to admit to herself.
When they broke apart, after what to Ami seemed like forever, but was in reality probably less than thirty seconds, Carson turned to her. "So are you brave enough to join us for Ali's attempt at dinner tonight?"
Alicia gave him a dirty look and smacked him in the shoulder. He let her hit him, and then took her hand and kissed it. "I can cook. Sort of. She's having dinner with Nick."
"Oh," Carson said. The look on his face was like Alicia's had been earlier.
"It's not like that," Ami protested. "I'm talking to Angela and Nick offered to cook all of us dinner."
"Uh huh," Carson said.
"He tells you everything else. I can't believe he didn't tell you about this," Ami said, feeling exasperated.
Carson grinned. "Of course he told me. I'm giving you shit Ami. He called me as soon as he got off the phone with you. He cooks about as well as Ali does."
"I hope you like macaroni and cheese," Alicia said, with a dark look at Carson.
"He's making spaghetti. Even Nick can't screw that up."
"You'd be surprised," Alicia said.
Carson laughed. "It'll be okay. If not he'll just call out for pizza. Have a good night Ami. Thanks for running my woman around all day. I told her we need to get her a car, but she's being stubborn about it."
"I don't want to drive right now," Alicia said. "And I don't want to pick out a car just because my huge belly will fit behind the steering wheel."
Carson gave her a soft smile. "You're gorgeous babe."
"Yeah, right," Alicia said. She turned back to Ami. "Thank you for letting me drag you around all day. I will see you in the morning if I don't see you when you get back. Have a nice night. Tell Nick hi for us."
"Sure. Where exactly does Nick live?"
Carson laughed. "He told me that he was so busy trying to get off the phone with you that he didn't bother to give you his address. Even the sound of your voice gets to him. He's at 1210 9th St, apt 2. Bottom floor, on the left. Don't make the mistake of going to the one on the right. If that guy's wife ain't home he'll probably find a way to talk you into his place."
"Lovely. It's nice to hear that Nick's got such wonderful neighbors."
"Brad's okay most of the time. Except when he's drunk. Then his wife and kids can tell you exactly how not okay he is."
"Even better. How many kids does he have?"
"Four. They have the only three bedroom in the complex."
"I'll be sure to steer clear. Thanks Carson. See you guys later. Have a nice dinner."
Her friends waved. She took her groceries up the stairs. She turned her computer on and checked her e-mail. There was nothing but spam.
She took a shower and then got dressed. She was more excited about going to Nick's than she wanted to admit. Before she left the bathroom she sprayed herself with the body spray that she had hardly ever used.
It was only six-thirty. She figured that Nick's apartment was only five to ten minute away like everything else in town seemed to be. She didn't want to get there too early. She didn't want to seem too eager she thought.
She smoked a cigarette and checked her e-mail one last time before turning her computer off and heading towards the door. It was six forty-five. She'd probably be a few minutes early but she didn't care.
The drive to Nick's was short. It was still several minutes to seven when she got there.
She parked on the street since all the spaces in the lot were taken and headed up the walk.
There was a muscular guy with several tattoos in front of the apartment on the right, yelling at a pretty woman who looked less afraid than just tired, covering the ears of a small child while three older children stood by. The girl who looked the youngest next to the boy that the mother's ears were covering was crying loudly, but the one that bothered Ami the most was the boy who looked the oldest. He wasn't looking at his father who was cussing and yelling and sounded intoxicated or his mother who looked helpless, almost hopeless. He was looking off into the distance, his face blank. She could tell that he was used to it. It broke Ami's heart.
Nick came out of his apartment then. He was barefoot and his dark hair was wet. He looked gorgeous. She wondered why he'd showered again when he told her he'd just gotten out of the shower that morning when she'd called. But her question left her mind when he came towards her.
He looked angry. His face softened when he looked at her though. "Go inside please. The door's open. I need to take care of this before the cops get called again."
She hurried toward his apartment, but she hadn't shut the door behind her before she heard the man say "Fuck you Nick. Ain't none of your business."
She felt guilty standing at the window, but she didn't want Nick to get hurt. His front window was open and the guy wasn't being shy, so she heard every word.
"Brad," Nick said. His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it. "Let Sueanne take your kids and go inside."
"I told you before man, and I'm gonna say it again. This is my family and it's none of your damned business."
Sueanne gave Nick a look that broke Ami's heart even more. She was ashamed, it was obvious.
Nick motioned for her to take the kids inside. Brad flinched. For a minute she was afraid that he was going to hit Nick, but finally he sighed and let his wife go. "Bitch," he muttered.
"You shouldn't be talking that way around your kids man.”
"They deserve to know what kind of a cunt their mama is." He spit on the ground and then looked up at Nick. Nick was taller than him and slimmer, but she had a feeling Nick could take him in a fair fight even if Brad weren't drunk off his ass. Though Brad didn't look like a man who fought fair often. "You got a smoke?"
Nick pulled a pack out of his jeans and handed it and a lighter to Brad. Brad took a cigarette and lit it, handing the pack and the lighter back. "I thought you quit."
"Bitch wanted me to but it's hard. I lost my fucking job again can you believe it? My prick of a boss said I was sleeping on the clock. It ain't true. Jimmy Parks, he’s asleep three hours a day in his truck. But you get away with whatever the hell you want when you’re the boss's nephew."
"I hear you," Nick said. He glanced back at the house.
Ami wondered if he could see her in the window. Brad looked like he had calmed down, but she wondered what would happen when he went inside with his family.
"She says she's gonna leave me. Take the kids and go back to her bitch of a mother. The only bigger bitch I ever met than that worthless woman I married is my mother-in-law. She says my kids don't need the kind of Daddy I been."
She could see from the look on Nick's face that he agreed, but all he said was "That's too bad."
"I ain't lettin' her go. That bitch will take my kids from me over my dead body."
"Brad, maybe it would be better if you let her go. How are you going to cover the rent with you not working?"
"I got it covered. She don't have no faith in me. She never did. Women these days think they know it all." He spit on the ground again, barely missing Nick's feet. "Who's that hot piece of ass just went into your place? You fucked her yet?"
"She's just a friend Brad."
Brad laughed. "Right. Ain't no man with any balls gonna be just friends with a girl that looks like that. You can tell me. What's it like to have her squirming underneath you?"
She couldn't quite see the look in Nick's eyes from where she was. She had a better view of Brad since he was facing more towards her. The look in his eyes was one she didn't appreciate.
The edge went into Nick's voice again when he said "Lay off. Am
i is a good friend of mine." His next words almost made her laugh. "Besides Brad, you wouldn't have half a chance with her even if you weren't married."
Brad surprised her by laughing. "You're probably right about that. A bitch that looks like that ain't gonna wanna take care of some other whore's kids."
"You have to lay off Sueanne. She's a good woman. You know she is. She works; she takes good care of your kids. You can't blame her for freaking out a little at you being without work for the second time in six months."
Brad sighed. "You ain't never been married have you? It's not just having to tap the same piece of ass for the rest of your life, though believe me that's enough. It wears you down. It's one thing when a bitch gripes at you for a couple months; it's different when it's the same day in day out for years. You drink too much, you need to quit smoking. You need to get a better job; you need to help me more with the kids. Bitch, bitch, bitch. It's all she ever does. If I didn't love my kids I would have kicked her to the curb years ago."
"No marriage is perfect."
"Course not. Then the divorce rate wouldn't be so damned high. But when you put together nag, nag, nag with acting like she's put out when I want to get laid, it's too much for a man to take."
"Did you ever think about counseling?"
Brad snorted. "Yeah right. Then she'd turn my kids against me even more. I'd better get inside, make sure she's cookin’ dinner."
"You have a good night. If you need anything just call me."
"I'd like to take a crack at what you got in your apartment right now. She might surprise us both. Some chicks get all hot when a guy's married."
The anger slipped a little. Nick's voice wasn't so tightly controlled anymore. "I don't think that would be a good idea."
"Hey bro. I get it. You're not fucking her, but you want to. It's cool."
They both turned when a sultry voice said "Nick. Introduce me to your handsome friend."
Ami wasn't able to get a good look at the woman. All she could see was tight jeans on a too skinny frame and dark curls that cascaded down to a barely there waist.
"Angela, this is my neighbor Brad."
"Pleasure to meet you Brad." Brad stuck out his hand. Ami could see the look on his face. He was impressed. "You can call me Angel."
"Nice to meet you too, Angel." Brad winked. "Real nice. I'll see you all later," he said, with a pointed look at Angela.
Ami saw Angela roll her eyes after Brad had disappeared into his apartment. She thought that the woman was very pretty. But she looked hard, older than her years. "Might not be so bad if he got rid of that beer belly. How ya been Nicky?"
"Good. You still with Tony?"
"Hell no. I got rid of that sucker damned near a year ago."
"Let's go inside. Dinner is waiting and so is Ami."
"Ah, the infamous Ami. You really got a hard on for this one don't you Nicky? She pretty?"
"She's very pretty."
Angela sighed. "How come you never got all hot and bothered over me darlin'?"
"Because you always had a man Angel and two or three waiting in the wings already."
They were right outside the door. Ami moved back from the window and sat down on the loveseat. She started to change her mind, thinking that she didn't want to sit by Nick, but the door opened then. She sat back.
Angela was laughing. She said something to Nick that Ami couldn't hear.
The woman kicked off her shoes and curled up in the armchair across from her. She seemed quite comfortable in Nick's apartment. Ami wondered what exactly had gone on between them.
Nick said "Angela, this is Ami. Ami, this is my friend Angela."
"You can call me Angel honey. Everyone else does."
"It's nice to meet you Angel."
"You, too." Angela was sizing her up. She could feel it.
Nick headed towards the kitchen. "I hope you two are hungry."
"Starving," Angela said.
Ami wasn't sure how much the skinny woman could eat. She started to get up and help Nick. "I can help you."
Nick brushed her off. "I'll get it." He gave them both a smile. "If you don't like it just tell me. I've got the pizza place on speed dial."
Angela laughed, and pulled a pack of cigarettes out of her purse. She lit one, her eyes still on Ami. The woman was starting to make her uncomfortable.
Nick was soon back, balancing two plates of spaghetti with garlic bread covered in cheese on the side.
He returned with his own plate and sat next to Ami, forgoing the other comfortable looking easy chair.
The food was fine and she told him so. She wasn't much for spaghetti since she'd eaten way too much of it in the past few years but it was filling.
When the plates were empty, Angela the only one having had seconds, Nick put the dishes in the sink and came back to the loveseat. His arm was across the back. When Ami moved, it brushed lightly against her hair. She didn't mind, but Nick quickly dropped his hand, reaching for a cigarette.
Angela looked amused. "Hey, if ya'll are together you don't need to be shy in front of me."
Her eyes were on Ami when she added "I gave up on catchin' one as good as Nicky a while ago."
Ami shook her head. "We're not together."
"Uh huh," Angela said. "So you wanted to hear about me and Gabe, huh?"
Ami wasn't sure she did anymore. The woman's face looked even harder. "If it's too personal, that's okay."
"You need to know what you're up against girly. Oh, where to start." She lit a cigarette and blew a smoke ring at the ceiling before speaking again. "Before I ended up at Gabe’s Place, I had to make money and quick so I applied everywhere. Nick had told me that he’d put me to work at the alley, but Bobby thought I was too hard for his squeaky clean image. Most places were the same as the alley. When you look like a stripper or a whore, everyone thinks you are one. I was about to drag the gutters and go apply at the lounge. But my old man at the time, Ray, say I should try Gabe's. So I did. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven when I walked in the place. There's this God behind the bar. The bartender told me he was the owner. I talk to him and he's smooth as hell. Took one look at my tits and then went right back to my face. Now that's sayin’ something about a man when you're as skinny as me and got tits like mine.”
She leaned over and put her cigarette out. "I'm thinking that I met a real gentleman. He hires me on the spot and takes me back to his office. I fill out the application, nothing but a single page, unlike some places that want your whole life story. He wants me to start two days later, says he'll even spot me an advance if I need it. I was tweakin’ then so I always needed it, but I didn't want to start off on the wrong foot. He said he'd start me out at $8.50 and with tips; that was cool for me. I thanked him and started to get up to go. He's right beside me then, and his hand is on my ass and he's in my ear telling me that if I blow him he'll pay me $10 an hour. I liked my Ray. He was one of the best men I ever had-but he wasn't the best at keeping a job. I had to keep a roof over my head and I needed my smoke. Besides this guy is one of the finest mother fuckers I've ever seen. So I gave Gabe a blowjob in his office on the day he hired me. He made sure he turned over the pictures of his kids, but kept his wife's out, said she liked to watch. It was kinda weird but I didn't give a shit. I probably woulda done it for nothing."
She turned back to Ami then. "You fuck him yet?"
Her face was on fire and she was very conscious of Nick sitting next to her. He stiffened. It wasn't that he didn't already know, but her voice was barely above a whisper when she said "Yes."
Angela nodded. "Yeah, I figured as much when Nicky called me up out of nowhere. You have to understand the kind of man that Gabe is. When he wants a woman, he doesn't care about anything else. The first time, he'll make you feel like you're the only woman in the world. Then he sweet talks you, buys you shit, says he'll give you the whole damned world so he can get what he wants from you. I figured he'd be itching to get another girl since Rick won't let him get h
is hands on Candy."
Ami's cell phone chimed a text message from her purse. She almost ignored it. But they were both looking at her so she pulled it out. It was Gabe. It said ‘I know you said to back off but I can't help myself. I miss you Ami. I need you so much. I hope you're having a good night. I won't be in tomorrow but I will dream of you tonight, the way your body felt when it was wrapped around mine. I get hard just thinking about it. Until I can have you in my arms again, Gabe.’
She thought that Nick must have seen the look on her face before she tried to hide it because he said "What is it?"
"It's just. . ." She wanted to tell him that it was Alicia but she couldn't do it. "It's Gabe."
"Let me see it.”
"No.” The last thing she wanted was for Nick to read a text from Gabe that was practically x-rated.
She tried to delete it, but before she knew it his hand was over hers.
"I don't care if it's dirty."
She didn't want him to take his hand away but she was aware that Angela was watching them, a slight smile on her face. Finally she sighed and handed the phone to him.
He read it, a scowl darkening his face. "Prick," he muttered. She started to protest when he handed it to Angela but just sat back on the couch.
Angela chuckled, handing the phone back to Ami. "You'd better answer him. He doesn't care if you've got a man at home, but if you don't answer him, he'll keep bugging you until you do. He'll start calling you all hours of the night, show up at your house, and show up at your new job if you've got the guts to get one. You don't tell that man no."
"Let me answer him," Nick said.
"Oh Nicky," Angela said. "Let her do it."
Her hands were shaking as she typed out the message. She told him that she was fine and that she'd see him at work, hoping that that would be enough for him.
Nick covered her hand with his again briefly. She squeezed his hand and let him pull away again though what she really wanted was to feel his arms around her. She really hadn't wanted to hear what Angela had to tell her.
Misty Reigenborn Romance Boxed Set Page 83
