by Nikki Ash
“Everything ok?”
I let out a frustrated breath. “My shower almost froze me to death, Caleb spilled coffee on me and then felt me up, and then saw me turned on, and I might be wrong but I think my getting turned on turned him on.”
She bursts out laughing, grabs a gym shirt and throws it to me. “Well, I guess you got your wish.”
“Oh shut up! I need to go change and find Stephen to check out his hand.”
I turn to leave and can hear her continuing to laugh from her office. She is getting entirely too much pleasure out of this situation.
As I exit the locker room I immediately spot Stephen and check out his hand. I don’t think his fingers are broken but I will need to take an x-ray to make sure. We go back to my office and after running the x-rays my suspicions are confirmed. Not broken just significantly bruised. I put a splint on his fingers and tell him to take a couple of days off to let them heal.
As I am walking back out I see Caleb rushing out of the locker room. Kaden is watching him with a worried look. As Caleb exits the gym, Ashley enters. Ashley and I have become good friends over the past several months. We met through Liz a couple years ago. She is a single mom, an elementary school teacher, and just an all around good person. With Kayla and Liz both having new babies at home, and both happily taken, we have started hanging out together since her son is no longer a baby and neither of us are taken.
“Hey sexy momma,” I say waggling my eyebrows at her. She laughs and shakes her head walking over to me, Tristan following behind her. Kaden comes over to say hi as well, giving her a one armed hug and a kiss to her temple. It’s completely innocent but I see the look in Ashley’s eyes. It’s the look of a woman who wants more. Since Kaden is single and has become good friends with Ashley we all hang out quite often. I have asked Ashley on more than one occasion why her and Kaden aren’t dating but she always says the same thing; she doesn’t want to lose him as a friend. It’s rumored Kaden isn’t the settling down type and over the years I have been working here I have seen him with various women but since he started hanging out with Ashley I haven’t seen him around any other woman but her.
Caleb is single as well but is more of a loner. I haven’t seen him hanging around a single woman in the years I have been working with the gym. Whenever Kaden, Ashley, and I hang out we invite Caleb to join us but he always says no. I try not to take it too personal.
“What’s up with Caleb?” Ashley asks Kaden. “He almost plowed through me on his way out.”
Kaden leaves his arm dangling over Ashley’s shoulder and pulls her in closer to him not noticing, or ignoring the blush that creeps up Ashley’s face. We will definitely be talking later. “He’s worried about Marco. He told him he couldn’t make it to class today so he is following him to see where he is going.”
Poor Marco. It’s no secret the type of home he comes from. When he first started coming here he was so shy and quiet but several months later and he has grown on all of us, especially Caleb. If you didn’t know better you would think Marco was a mini-Caleb. He follows him around and copies everything he does. They are both so serious all the time. It really is adorable.
“Oh, well Tristan is here for the MMA boot camp. With school out for the holidays Cooper and Caleb are doing a mini-training camp for the kids. My parents are going to take him afterwards and keep him for the rest of winter break.”
“Let’s go see what’s going on with the camp,” Kaden says leading her to the backroom where the kids’ classes are all held.
“Hey Hayley!” Ashley calls back to me. “Dinner tonight?”
“Sure! I’ll bring dessert.”
“Sounds good!”
Chapter Two
Caleb
I find Marco as soon as I walk out the door, only he isn’t walking anywhere; He is standing in the parking lot talking to some shady looking mother fuckers. There are two of them and both are covered in ink. Now, I’m not by any means against tattoos; I have several of my own and because of that I know ninety percent of the time they have meaning behind them. Staring at these guys talking to Marco, I can tell immediately they are in a gang. They both have the same tattoo of what looks like a local gang symbol going up their neck and when I look closer I can see the tear drop tattoos on their cheeks, the universal code for how many people they have killed.
A third guy approaches from an expensive Mercedes looking out of place. He is dressed much nicer than the other two guys in a suit but peaking out from under the collar is the same tattoo as the other guys telling me he is some type of leader. He hands Marco a brown package, and before Marco can leave he grabs him by his shirt and pulls him closer whispering something to him. Marco nods nervously and then walks away.
The three guys stay in the parking lot discussing something but I don’t wait around to see what they are doing. I go to jump in my car but think it might be more discreet to follow by foot. Without letting Marco know, I follow him, staying close enough to see him but far enough back he doesn’t catch on. He walks several blocks to his neighborhood looking around. I can tell by his body language he is scared. He is gripping the bag in both hands and when he looks around, it’s like he wants to make sure nobody is going to steal the package from him.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what is going on. I seriously hope my suspicions are wrong but when he stops walking at a house a couple streets over from his and pulls a cell phone out of his pocket I have a sinking feeling in my gut.
My suspicions are confirmed about two minutes later when a guy walks over to Marco, looks around, and then takes the package from him. He opens it up, takes something out, dabs it on his wrist, and then licks his wrist. FUCK! Marco just handed this guy cocaine.
The guy nods his head once and then hands Marco an envelope, which I am sure contains money. He says something to him I can’t hear and then walks away. Marco opens the envelope and then calls someone. He begins walking down the street and ends up in front of an old warehouse a street over from his house. A few minutes later, the two guys from earlier pull up, take the envelope from Marco and hand him some money. Marco pockets the money, takes another brown envelope from the guys, and then part ways. I follow Marco until he is at his house and wait until he is inside before leaving. The only reason I can think of why these guys aren’t dealing themselves is they are under surveillance so instead of handling the exchange themselves, they are using Marco as a middleman.
I head back to the gym in a daze. I always knew the possibility of something like this happening. The kid lives in a neighborhood surrounded by druggies and those who deal the drugs to them. His own mom is a fucking druggie! I just hoped him hanging out with me would keep him away from that shit as long as possible. I join Kaden and Cooper in the kids’ class. The boot camp is a blast. The kids have fun and learn a lot about self-defense, but the entire time I can’t take my mind off Marco. I don’t know how to handle this situation. I don’t even know who to talk to about any of this.
After all the kids’ parents pick them up I head to the mall to pick up a couple last minute Christmas gifts. I purchase a couple new Disney movies for Bella that Liz mentioned she wanted, some light-up musical toy for Nathan since he is five months old, and a shirt that reads, “My Uncle is better than yours” for Faith. Since Kayla and Bentley live in the same apartment as me I know Faith has way too many toys, and I know Kayla will get a kick out of the shirt.
I take them to the wrapping station in the middle of the mall and make a donation to the school’s local band for them to wrap them for me. As I am heading out my phone dings with a text from Kaden.
Kaden: Going to Ashley’s for dinner. Hayley will be there… Wanna go?
My thoughts go back to her this morning; her reaction to me touching her, her nipples getting hard, her face turning red, and then her cute as fuck embarrassed giggle over it all. Every time he asks me to join I always say no. I don’t want to give her any reason to think there’s a chance with us, but for some r
eason I find myself wanting to go, wanting to see her giggle some more, wanting to see if I can bring the same smile to her face Stephen did.
Me: Sure. What time? Need me to bring anything?
I get ready for his smart-ass remark but it doesn’t come.
Kaden: 5 pm… just bring you.
After taking a shower and getting dressed I walk to the kitchen to see if we have a bottle of wine I can bring with me. I don’t want to show up empty handed. I find red wine in the cabinet and then walk out to the living room. Kayla is sitting on the couch bouncing Faith on her legs and singing the ABC’s to her while Faith is making noises she thinks are mimicking her mom.
“Where are you going all dressed up?” She playfully asks still in her singing mom voice.
“I wouldn’t call a shirt and jeans dressed up… I’m going to Ashley’s for dinner.” I look down at my clothes. I am in a collared shirt, which I don’t usually wear but still… Do I usually dress so crappy she is considering this dressed up?
Kayla’s eyes widen out of shock. “Just you and Ashley?”
“No! Kaden will be there and so will Hayley, I guess. Mind if I take this wine?” I try to sound as chill as possible not wanting her to question my motives.
“Sure.”
“Wanna go?”
Her smile widens and she shakes her head no slowly. “Nope, you enjoy your double date, my friend.”
“It’s not a double date. Kaden and Ashley are only friends.”
“Yeah until they both get their heads out of their ass and admit they want more.”
I laugh at that. “Kaden settle down? Highly unlikely.”
“You never know. Cooper and Bentley both settled down…”
“Yeah but the difference is Bentley has always wanted to settle down and Cooper was pining over Liz for years. Plus they have a kid together. I don’t think Kaden will ever settle down.”
“And what about you? Will you ever settle down?”
I don’t like how serious this conversation is getting so I say something to deflect. “Not a chance in hell. The only woman I trust is taken, and plus… Bentley would try to beat my ass.” I give her a wink and Faith a kiss on her forehead, and walk out the door before she can say anything else. She laughs loudly as I close the door behind me.
As I walk down the stairs to my car I start to feel uneasy. Is that what this is? Was I tricked into a fucking double date? The thought pisses me off. Once again I am being forced into something I didn’t ask for. Did Hayley put Kaden up to this?
I pull out my phone and text Kaden.
Me: Hey… is this a double date?
Kaden: No… just dinner with friends.
Me: Ok, fine. I’m on my way.
Kaden:
Me: You’re a dick
While I want to cancel and not take the chance Kaden might be lying to me, I decide to go. Kaden has never lied to me before and I don’t think he would start now. If he says it’s just friends hanging out, I believe him.
I arrive to Ashley’s house about twenty minutes later. I see both Kaden and Hayley’s vehicles in the driveway. I barely make it up the sidewalk when the door swings open. Kaden is standing there with his arms crossed over his chest and a knowing smirk on his face.
“After your texts, I thought for sure you were gonna bail.”
“Shut up, man.” I push the wine into his chest for him to grab and follow him into the house. The aroma of Italian food hits my senses and my stomach growls loudly as I walk to the living room to sit down. I can’t even remember the last time I had a home cooked meal. Hayley hears it from the couch where she is watching television and laughs, not quite like the laughter I saw Stephen bring out of her but it’s close.
“Hungry?” she asks keeping her eyes on the show she is watching.
“Yeah, it’s been a crazy day. I forgot to eat.”
“I saw you run out earlier. Everything ok?” She turns her attention from the show to me. The way she looks at me reminds me of Kayla. Like she genuinely wants to know what’s wrong. No hidden agenda. It makes me want to be honest with her. I sit down next to her on the couch since Kaden is sitting on the loveseat with Ashley.
“Yes…No… Shit, I don’t know.”
She gives me a confused look that encourages me to keep talking.
“You know Marco, right?” She nods her head yes, smiling. I have seen her talk to him. She is clearly fond of him and he of her.
“Well, I followed him home today because he said he couldn’t make it to class. I think he’s selling drugs for some guys.”
“Holy shit!” Kaden yells overhearing our conversation.
“Are you sure?” Ashley asks.
“Yeah, I think so. The guy looked to be trying out the product and then gave him an envelope of money. I have no idea how to handle this.”
“Damn,” Hayley weighs in frowning. “Marco is such a good kid, too. What are you going to do?”
“I have no clue. His mom is in a bad place. I’m afraid if I tell the authorities it will mess up things for her.”
“You have to do what’s best for Marco. I see kids all the time in bad situations, and as much as I don’t want to report it, I have to,” Ashley says sadly. It makes sense she would feel this way. She teaches at a school close to where Marco lives. It’s a poverty stricken area, so I can’t even imagine the shit she sees and hears from the kids.
“I just need to think about how to approach it.” I need to handle the situation with care. Marco trusts me and I don’t want to do something to lose that trust.
“Just don’t think too long,” she says before getting up to go to the kitchen.
Dinner is served and the food is delicious. We eat while making light conversation. We discuss what we are all doing for the holidays. Ashley is going to her parents’ house for Christmas. Tristan’s grandparents picked him up after MMA class today to spend some time with him, and since Kaden’s parents are in Hawaii for the holidays he’s joining Ashley instead of flying back to Colorado to visit them. Hayley says her family lives here in Las Vegas, so she is joining them and her sister for Christmas. When Hayley asks what I am doing, I tell her I will just be home hanging out with Kayla and Bentley. She doesn’t need to know most of my family is dead and the one person who is alive I haven’t talked to in over seven years.
I do notice that hanging out with Hayley today seems different than before. She hasn’t once tried to come on to me; she hasn’t tried to touch me, or even flirt. Thinking about it, since the day at Bentley’s house in Breckenridge when I refused to share a room with her, she hasn’t tried anything. Not that she was so forward before. Just a touch here, a flirtatious smile or comment there, but now… nothing, and for some reason it makes me want her. It makes me want to make her want me. I am one fucked up son-of-a-bitch.
After we eat dessert I say goodbye and wish everyone a Merry Christmas in case I don’t see them beforehand. Hayley decides to leave at the same time so I walk her out.
“Have a good Christmas Caleb.” She gives me a bright smile. Fuck! That smile has my dick twitching. It makes me want to cover her lips with mine, to feel her smile against me. It makes me want to take her right here on the hood of her car. I don’t know what the hell has gotten into me today.
“You too, Hayley,” I say before she shuts her door, turns on the ignition, and drives away.
Hayley
To say I was shocked Caleb was actually joining us for dinner was an understatement. I had already made the decision to stop pursuing him weeks ago at the ski resort but that doesn’t mean his presence doesn’t affect me. When he showed up in a navy blue collared shirt that made his blue eyes pop, hair still damp and wild from the shower, and in jeans that fit his ass perfectly, I couldn’t decide if I wanted to first run my fingers through his messy hair, grab his ass, or run my hands down the wash board abs I know are hidden under his shirt.
A while back Kayla decided to surprise Bentley with a trip to a res
ort overnight and thought she could play matchmaker by having Caleb and me babysit together. I showed up to their apartment at the same time Caleb was walking out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel. I honestly thought I was going to orgasm right there on the spot.
His body was not only covered in sexy as hell tattoos but he was also sporting a nipple ring. A fucking nipple ring! It took everything in me not to run straight to him to lick the nipple ring, and while licking it, I could have just run my hands down his rock hard abs. I wasn’t aware of the restraint I was capable of until that moment.
Of course he nearly freaked out and hurried to his room. He could cover himself all he wanted, that visual was engrained into my brain –and vagina– and not going anywhere anytime soon. Needless to say, Caleb’s sexy-as-sin body has become my focal point of most of my self-inducing orgasms these days.
So when he walked in to Ashley’s house, I thought it would be best to watch the television and not him. If I stared at him too long I couldn’t be held responsible for the things that would come out of my mouth. I thought I was in the clear but then he sat next to me and I could smell his cologne –not too strong, just a light fresh clean scent– and it took everything in me not to lean over and give him a good sniff.
After he told us about Marco, I could see how much he really cared about him. The worry in his face was heartbreaking. Dinner and dessert thankfully went smooth, and I was really proud of myself for remaining cool around Caleb. I think he was more comfortable around me today as well and that confirmed what I already knew; he isn’t into me. But it also gave me hope we could be friends. Caleb is a good guy, and I would rather have him as a friend than not at all.
After getting home I text my sister to let her know I will be over to mom and dad’s house Christmas morning first thing. The guy she is dating is joining her, so she begged me to be there when they arrive. It will be dad’s first time meeting one of our boyfriends, which is making her nervous. Hannah is a lot like me. While she is three years younger, she is my best friend. She focused on school and college and then law school. I seriously missed the hell out of her while she was away at law school and was so excited to learn she would be moving back to accept an amazing job offer here in Las Vegas as a defense attorney for a prestigious law firm. Once she was settled into her job she decided to start dating, and after quite a few duds she met Gavin.
