She reached out and smacked him in the arm, as they paused in the little strip mall, looking at the food options. "You know what I meant Tony. I want you to give me a ride home or to that ridiculously expensive way too big for two people house that Lindsey and Langston call home."
He raised an eyebrow. "You want to take me home to meet the parents?"
"Ugh, no. I mean yes. Well sort of. You wouldn't have to stay if you didn't want to. I would love to see the look on my mother's face when she saw you."
"I happen to know that I have starred in many a middle aged woman's wet dream.”
She glared at him. "Be serious Tony. Lindsey doesn't think twice about sex unless she knows that the guy’s got at the very least six digits in his bank account. And a guy who makes less than half a mil a year makes her feel like she's slumming. I have no idea what my father saw in her. Can we talk about this inside before we freeze to death and before they close down for the night? Do you want Chinese, or greasy diner food? Or there's that sandwich place a couple blocks over. They're really good."
"Anything's fine with me." He stuck his hands in his jacket pockets.
She sighed. "We'll go to the diner."
She took his arm, and they walked to the diner. When she opened the door, the smells of grease and coffee mingled to create an aroma that somehow ended up being pleasant. The place was dead. But Tory was glad for the relative quiet as a waitress with big hair seated them at a booth in the back corner, leaving them with menus and promising to return in a minute with their drinks.
Not looking at the menu, knowing that she wanted a burger and fries, Tory looked across the table at Tony. "What do you think about taking me home Tony, really? I'll make my mom pay for gas."
"Well, hell Tor. Let me see if that guy's still got the car and we'll go from there."
The waitress brought their drinks and asked if they were ready to order. After they had placed their orders Tory sat looking at Tony. It seemed like she'd upset him, asking him to take her home. Maybe it was too early to bring up something like that she thought.
Tory sighed quietly. Tony looked up. He'd been playing with his butter knife, the easy comfortable mood they'd shared at his house virtually gone. He took a sip of his coffee. "What?"
"I don't know Tony." She stopped as the waitress brought their food and the mustard that Tony had requested for his burger. "I guess we need to talk."
"That we do," he said almost gravely. Then he gave her a smirk. "We'll have plenty of time to talk after I take a trip to my absolute favorite place in the world."
Confused she said "Huh?" Then it dawned on her that he was talking about sex.
"How I've missed that nice, tight warm place."
Rolling her eyes at him, she dipped a fry into ketchup and put it in her mouth. Tony reached across the table and brushed a crumb from the corner of her mouth. The moment suddenly became too intimate. She saw in his eyes that he was ready to leave. When the waitress came by a minute or two later to ask how they were doing, they asked for to go boxes and the check. They paid the bill and left the waitress a tip and then left the restaurant.
"I really wish your car was running." They walked hand in hand down the darkened streets.
Balancing the Styrofoam boxes Tony almost growled "So do I."
His intentions were clear in his eyes. Tory thought that she could always see the change in his eyes when he was getting hot.
"We can go for cigarettes afterwards. Or I probably have a pack somewhere in that mess in the house."
She squeezed his hand. "That's fine."
But she was feeling anything but fine. Her body was practically humming being so close to Tony after weeks apart. The anticipation was making her feel high again, but she was worried about afterwards. What if they had sex and then the talking; the confessing , of what she'd done or more like who she'd done while they were apart was what finally drove them apart forever she thought?
She didn't think she could take it. She might do something stupid to get kicked out of school so she could get the hell out of town and away from all the memories. Not that that would be an easy feat, with loopy Marcune thinking that the fate of the school rested on the shoulders of Tory and the few other girls at the school that were making the grade she thought.
And Tony, who knew what would happen to Tony? He might go out and find the guy that had robbed him and do something that would land him in jail or prison. She had to choose her words very carefully she thought.
Oh, she was going to have a heart attack before they made it back to his house she thought.
They were less than two blocks from home when Tony stopped and said "Shit."
"What?"
He'd scared the crap out of her when he'd spoken. The night was silent and she'd been lost in her thoughts. "We have to go back to the convenience store. I don't have any condoms."
“I've been taking those birth control pills, just in case. It's probably been long enough that we should be safe right?"
A strange look passed briefly over his face but all he said was "It's up to you Tor. Sometimes they can take a month or more to be really effective. Do you want to chance it?"
She thought she would do it with him without a condom in his front yard if he asked her to. She licked her lips. "Yeah."
He grinned, and pulled her with him down the street. He dropped his keys twice before he got them in the door though she'd taken the food containers from him. She breathed a sigh of relief when they finally made it into the house.
He put the food in a nearly empty fridge. She was already in the bedroom, starting to get undressed when he came in. He looked at the messy room, a look of disgust in his eyes. "Do you want me to see if I can find a clean set of sheets?"
"Don't worry about it. We can put them on later. I wouldn't mind if you turned the heater on a little though.”
"No problem." He hurried out of the room to the thermostat.
The fan had already clicked on by the time he'd returned. She was standing beside the bed; nude, waiting for him.
"You are so beautiful." He took her into his arms.
"I love you Tony," she said after he'd pulled back, tossing his clothes onto a pile on the floor.
"I love you too, baby."
There were no more words as he led her to the bed. Laying in his arms afterward, pleasantly exhausted from sex that could only be described as truly awesome she said softly "So I guess we need to talk now huh?"
"Yeah, guess so. Let me see if I can find a pack of smokes and some sheets for the bed. I'll be right back okay?"
She nodded, watching him walk out of the room. Looking at Tony, she wondered how she could have ever thought Jude was sexy. He was good looking she thought, but there were men that could do things to a woman that no man had any right to. This man could probably make a nun forget her vows she thought.
She was half asleep when Tony came back and had no idea how much time had passed. He’d come up with a pack of cigarettes and a clean pair of sheets and a tiger striped comforter.
She raised an eyebrow, pointing at the comforter.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. It was my roommate’s. He thought it turned the girls on."
She shook her head, and got up off of the bed and helped him put on the sheets. Then she climbed back into bed with him, leaning against the headboard.
"Where should we start?"
"Tony, I um. . ."
"Tor before you start, I have a couple confessions of my own. First of all, I lied to you when I said I hadn't gotten laid while we weren't together. But she never meant a damn thing to me and the sex wasn't that great. We only did it three times. But I thought I should tell you about it, since she is someone you know."
Whoa she thought. It couldn't be Molli could it? It couldn't possibly be.
"Um okay."
"I think she's one of your teachers so. . ."
"One of my teachers Tony?"
"Sheretha Belmont. She is one of your teachers right?"
Tory's mouth dropped open. "You're kidding. I thought she was gay. And her name is Sheretha?"
"She may be bi but she's sure as hell not gay. She came over when I was messed up to buy some weed and one thing led to another. I haven't been in my right mind lately Tor."
"Wow." Tory sat back.
Tony sleeping with Belmont? She'd never look at that woman in the same light again she thought.
"It's your turn Tor. I know about you and Jude, though I think the story that prick gave me was a load of crap."
"Um, about Jude. I don't know what he told you, but I didn't go to him. He came to me and gave me this line of bull about breaking up with Molli after graduation and practically begged me to have sex with him. I was curious. So I did it, and believe me, he doesn't hold a candle to you in any way shape or form Tony."
Tony gave her a cocky grin, but it soon faded. "Here's what we're gonna do, Tor. We are both going to be honest about what we want from this relationship from now on. No more screwing around, no more hard drugs, not even coke. And you know how much I love my coke. We're gonna get through this shit together okay?"
"Okay."
"I'll call my uncle in the morning; see if that guy's still got the car. If he does I'll drive you home and play nice with your mom and stepdad. If you'll come back here with me for new years at Carl's place."
“Sure, that sounds great Tony."
She couldn't stop smiling all of a sudden. She knew it was going to be hell for Tony to go through the withdrawals from the drugs, especially since he couldn't get around having them in the house. But they'd get through it. She'd lived with Lindsey for 17 years. He'd gone through his dad dying and his mom losing her mind. This should be a piece of cake she thought.
“Will you let me sleep now Tor? It's been like a damn week since I got a decent night's sleep."
"Of course."
"We'll sort through this hell hole in the morning. I need to get my damn phone bill paid, and make sure my cash is still safe. I'm too tired to do it now."
"Do you want me to check on your money?"
"Nah darlin'. The door is locked now and I’m pretty sure that prick got what he wanted. And if it's gone what the hell can we do about it tonight?"
"We'll think of a good way to get back at him that won't land you behind bars."
"Sure.” His eyes were already drifting closed. She snuggled next to him, at peace for the time being.
Chapter 11
They woke around ten the next morning.
Tony sat up, stretched and reached for a cigarette. "I'm gonna go check on my money. Then I'll call my uncle and see if he can get in touch with that guy about the car."
Tory nodded, yawning as she reached for a cigarette of her own. It was fifteen minutes or so later when he returned, carrying a beat up old lock box.
"I figured he probably knew exactly what he wanted and wanted to get in and out of here. How he figured out where I kept my product I don't know." He shook his head. "Unless I was sloppy or opened my mouth. Dude was here a couple days ago, day before yesterday I think. To buy a rock for his girlfriend. He has the most beautiful wife at home, too. I don't get it. But he didn't get my cash. 'Course who would figure that you'd find cash in the garage?"
"You keep your money in the garage?"
"Like I said, who'd think to look for it there, and nobody could get into my dad's old lock box."
He got a funny look in his eyes when he talked about his dad she thought
"So that was your dad's huh?"
"Yeah, there's not much of him left. A few old pictures, his class ring. My mom shredded most of his clothes. When the house got foreclosed on my uncle took what he could, but there wasn't much left by that point."
"That really sucks." She squeezed his hand.
"Tell me about it. I gotta stop in and see her for a few minutes on the way out of town, wish her a merry Christmas like a good son. Not that she recognizes me anymore, she's so drugged up. But the worst part is when she thinks I'm my dad. It fucks her up worse thinking that he's come back to her. Then I have to let her down and walk away from her. Luckily that's only happened twice. The first time, they told me not to come back since it upset her so much. But her doctor called a couple weeks later and told me that it's important to her recovery for me to visit." He sighed. "She's never going to recover. She's going to die in that damn place, trying to figure out why my dad left her. That's the only time I think about God and heaven, is thinking about my mom dying, finally getting her peace because she's reunited with my dad."
"That's so sad.”
"Yeah. I talked to my uncle. The dude's still got the car. He told me that no one wants to buy it because the old lady croaked in it getting back from the grocery store."
"You're kidding."
"No. She had a heart attack behind the wheel. She opened her door to get out and never made it."
"And doesn't that give you the creeps?"
"Nah. I really doubt the ghost of old Mrs. Evans is haunting her car. And it's cheap. The guy's lowered the price twice since no one wants the thing. Right now cheap definitely suits me. I've been smoking and shooting up all my profit the last few weeks. It's a good thing I still have all that money saved. Shit, I've been saving twice as much since I met you. I figured I was going to have to knock your socks off to steal you away from Jude. Then you showed up on my door step teary eyed and all it took was some cheap booze and dirt weed to get you into my bed."
"Hey.”
"I'm glad that asshole was stupid enough to let you go. Let's get this place cleaned up. We gotta meet the dude at Carl's place at two thirty. You can meet Carl's girlfriend. Turns out she really grew up since the last time he saw her. He came over here to borrow the last of my condoms last night she was so hot to get down his pants."
"Wow."
"Yeah. Where should we start?"
"I don't know. Your whole house is a disaster area."
"I know. You wanna start in the living room? I gotta clean the shit out of my car. My uncle's got some guy coming over to pick it up around noon. Gonna give me a couple hundred bucks for the parts."
"That's not too bad. How much did you pay for that thing?"
"I didn't pay shit for the car. Well, I lost some profit. This dude came over a couple years back for a couple hundred bucks worth of coke. He's digging in his pants for his wallet and he can't find it. So I was like give me my shit back. But he's all messed up, and needs his high. So he said ‘I'll leave you my car keys and the title to my car for collateral. I'll make a call, be right back with the cash’. I look outside. The car was a piecer even then and I'm thinking who carries around the title to their car? I'm like hell no, and he's starting to panic. The coke's in his hand and he's thinking of doing something stupid, I can see it. So I said what the hell. I was without a car at the time, borrowing the jeep when I had to do my drug runs. I said give me the keys, and the title. You write me a bill of sale and we'll tear it up when you get back. The dude never showed up, so the car was mine."
"Crazy."
"Yep. Well we better get to this shit, or it'll be next week before we're done. Cleaning supplies are under the kitchen sink. I think there's still some laundry detergent if you want to start a load. Please don't throw away my porn. I'll deal with the shit in the bedroom."
"Okay.”
He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss. "Thank you for being here with me Tor."
"Don't thank me until you've been put through the ringer by Lindsey and Langston."
He laughed. "I've dealt with plenty of parents in my day."
"You've never met anyone quite like my mother. And Langston-I'm not sure he has a personality."
"Who needs a personality when you've got millions in the bank right?"
“Yeah.”.
"If you don't want to mess your clothes up you can wear one of my old t-shirts."
"You're going to go outside like that?"
"I'm too lazy to go dig out a shirt for myself. Are you
afraid that some gorgeous woman is going to come walking by and steal me away from you?"
"No one's going to steal you away from me."
She pulled him to her for a steamy kiss.
He patted her on the ass, and then he slipped his feet into a beat up pair of bedroom slippers that were sitting by the front door and went outside. She looked around the room for a minute, wondering where to begin cleaning and then just got started. He came in half an hour later with his arms full of the stuff that had come out of his car.
He threw it all onto the kitchen table and held up a bra. "This look familiar?"
She looked up from the pile of laundry she was sorting. "It does. But how did that get in your car?"
"We put that back seat to good use a couple of times."
"It was just once wasn't it? And I know I left with all my clothes that time."
"Don't tell me you don't remember the FIRST time we did it in the backseat." There was a look of fake pain on his face.
"I guess I don’t."
Then it dawned on her. He'd been driving her back to school. They hadn't had sex that day, just sat around watching movies with Carl because she hadn't really been in the mood to screw. They'd gotten stoned right before they left, so not smart in so many ways she thought. But driving back, they were both pretty high. Tony had said something perverted. She'd laughed at first but then they'd both ended up really horny. They'd pulled over and had sex in the backseat.
She couldn't believe she'd forgotten. They'd been sitting up in the backseat getting dressed. Tony had his pants on, but she was still in her panties, struggling to get her bra hooked when a light had shined on the car. She'd given up with the bra and tossed it on the floor, putting her t-shirt on. It was a damn good thing that it had only been Tony's uncle she thought.
He thought it was a kick. Tony busted out too, but Tory had been mortified. He hadn't caught Tony screwing a girl in his car since high school. They had a big laugh about it while Tory was scrambling to get her clothes on. She supposed she could have used that excuse for not going to his uncle's for thanksgiving since he'd probably seen her half naked but it hadn't dawned on her at the time.
"I remember now. Does your uncle?"
Misty Reigenborn Romance Boxed Set Page 109
