by H. Q. Frost
"I gotta go." I keep trying to push her back and she keeps pulling me inside.
The door closes and we're in the dim living room again and suddenly my adrenaline is gone and I'm just tired.
"Thank you," she whispers.
"I have to go." I shove her gun toward her.
"Sleep on the couch. You can't walk out of here tonight and I'd feel safe if you stayed."
Looking into her face, alcohol is wishing she wasn't Rupe's widow. She's beautiful and I think we're both mentally in a place that would make the sex amazing.
"I can't."
"I don't want nothing happening to you." Exhaling a breath through her lips she walks to the sink and takes a few minutes to collect her bearings.
"We can't do this," I state while I march into the kitchen.
"You're the one that lost it!" she snaps at me.
"You kissed me," I say through gritted teeth because I want to push her against the counter and fuck her from behind.
I recognize it's loneliness, deprivation, and intoxication giving me these thoughts, and those three are also making it hard to control my actions.
"I shouldn't have done that."
"It's done." I walk back into the living room, ready to leave but I have a feeling if I walk out that door, those are the last few steps I'll be taking in life. "I want to help you out, and the boys, but not like that."
"It was stupid," she says like I'm reprimanding her.
"It just can't happen."
"Take the couch." She walks into the kitchen again but turns back. "Thank you for coming."
There's nothing to say and I need to sleep this anger and buzz off so I sit on the couch, ignoring her. Before prison, my anger was never such a loose cannon. It was there, but it was collected. I've done bad things in my past on a whim, but it was never with a rage bursting from me like it does now.
~~*~~
"I want to talk to you." Rory looks me in the eyes before walking toward his office.
I wince thinking I'm getting canned because of the fight I caused last night at that bar.
I snuck out of Iesha's at six this morning and walked right to work; I'm not in the mood for a lecture so I cut him off, "About that fight, I'm sorry. That guy was disrespecting some girl—"
"I have a job for you. Delivering to headquarters and I don't know if you and CJ talk but it's not as simple as leaving the truck at the mechanic's. You can't fuck this shit up, Dom." The severity on his face almost makes me nervous.
I take a seat, casually leaning back. "I don't plan on it. Question though. Does your brother know?"
He smirks and wipes his face. "My brother's a good cop. He's not involved in my business and I'm not in his. Me and you, we're like family, Dom." He sits across from me and won't break eye contact. "You're pretty much Tony's boy. I love your mother like she were my own sister. We're just getting to know each other, but you're my nephew."
Giving him a solid nod, I hold back from laughing at him. He's trying to butter me up before this shit and my options to rat him out are limited unless I plan on going down too. I'm an ex-convict. The short period of my life where I tried to be on the straight and narrow didn't work in my favor. I can drop this delivery of what I'm assuming is drugs and act like it never happened. If I want to keep my job that I don't hate, I'll do this.
He turns his computer monitor a little and looks at it for a minute. "Truck seven just arrived. Take it to the address I'm going to text you and CJ will be behind you. Pull truck seven into the garage of the house and you leave it. Then you and CJ service the address like usual and leave in CJ's truck. Got it?"
I sit forward and shrug. Easy enough. The less I know, the better. "Got it."
"Don't open the hatch to truck seven."
"I'm not opening shit. Just doing my job, boss." I get to my feet and head for the door. "That it?"
He smirks and there seems to be some relief on his face. "Yeah. That's it." I pull open the door and he calls my name. "Maybe one day you'll take over this place. I don't have sons." He looks around as if we're standing in a gold-plated room and not a dank office that smells like cigarette smoke and pot.
"You got a long time before retirement, boss-man." I leave his office, over playing nice because though I don't mind doing this run, the fucker knew I wouldn't say no.
He's going to use my past to his advantage and I can't say I blame him. You want money, you make it, and we already established how dirty these roots are.
"You get the route?" CJ asks as I walk past him.
My phone beeps with Rory's directions. "Yep. Ready?"
"Right behind you." He slaps me on the back and I do what I do best. Bury guilt.
After giving the man at an iron gate my license, I pull into the open garage that's on an incline and partially underground then cut the engine. The only light is from the open garage door so it takes me a few seconds to find my phone. The door is pulled open, and a gun is on me; my immediate reaction is hands up so I raise them.
"Get out slowly or lose a kneecap," the man tells me.
"Those are my best attributes," I mumble, slowly getting out.
"Just shut up until I get you checked out." When he grabs the collar of my shirt, I almost rock his jaw, but that'll get me shot, so I let him shove me against the box of the truck and pat me down. "You go any higher and we'll both have a happy ending," I mutter while he rubs my inner thighs.
"Didn't I tell you to shut up?" He pushes the gun to my back and I sigh, closing my mouth.
After a few more personal moments with the warden, he pulls out his cellphone and says all clear.
"Go mow the lawn."
I'm shoved toward the open garage and make my way out, glancing back as the door begins to lower. The warden's standing in the darkening box that isn't too much bigger than the Durante truck, staring at me through his sunglasses, still with that gun ready.
I smirk and look up the length of the mansion that's so much more than a house. It's the size of a freaking castle. Makes sense this is headquarters, but I wonder if someone lives inside. No longer interested in the architect, I scope the lawn as I head toward CJ's truck.
"You get the pat-down too?" I ask, observing the landscape that's going to take hours to service.
"Every damn time. Gun up the ass and I didn't even get a reach around."
"Terrible lovers." I grab the hedger and get to work.
It's instinct to be cognizant of my surroundings so I'm watching the house, just waiting for some shit to go down. My paranoia is slowing me down but I want to be somewhat prepared for an ambush if it's going to happen.
"Sestak, what the fuck?" CJ yells at me from across the drive. "I'm almost done and you're sitting there jerking off. Pick up the pace, man. Let's get the fuck out of here."
Getting my head in the game, I concentrate solely on getting the yard cleaned up. It's hard to do when it's a mindless job, but I want the fuck out of here too.
When we walk through the door to the shop, Rory looks up at us. "All set?"
"Done." CJ approaches his desk.
My eyes flash from CJ's waiting palm to Rory a few times until he puts an envelope into his hand.
He usually just hands me cash, but now I'm wondering why we're getting envelopes.
"Dom," Rory says lifting another envelope that I slowly collect. "You two take off for the day." Only looking at me, he says, "And stay out of trouble."
"Can you give me a ride? I'll throw you a few bucks," I ask CJ.
"Yeah. Where to?"
In route to Iesha's, I count my money.
"Hey, we paid the same?" I ask him.
"Uh, I don't know." He tosses his envelope into my lap and I count his seeing it's short fifty.
And now I understand why we got an envelope instead of just slipped a hundred dollar bill. There's a couple more hundreds in there.
"Just checking," I respond and set his envelope between us and wonder what Rory's motive is for paying me more.
&nb
sp; "Thanks, man."
I knock on the door and it's pulled open by Iesha's cute neighbor.
"Hi." She leans against the doorframe and smiles.
"Hey. Iesha and the boys home?"
"Iesha's at work, I'm staying with the boys."
"Oh." I glance back and see CJ is already gone and I rub my jaw.
"Dom!" Jamari pushes through the sitter's legs and latches onto me.
"Hey, buddy." Scooping him up, I look at her hoping she'll let me in just to see the kids. "I'm Iesha's friend."
"I know who you are." She steps to the side and lets me in.
Zander unintelligently garbles words and runs toward me like his brother did.
"My other buddy." I scoop him up too and walk both boys into the kitchen. "We got juice?" Pulling the refrigerator open my heart falls into my stomach seeing the scarce rations. "No juice, but milk." Having to set them down, I grab the milk and walk to the counter.
"You might want to check that expiration date," the cute sitter says from the doorway and I glance at her before the carton that tells me the milk expired six days prior.
"Shit." I rub my jaw again. "Okay." I look down at the boys that are also waiting for milk and hate having to break their hearts over something as stupid as a drink. "I'll tell ya what." I squat. "I'm going to walk to the store and I'll be back with milk and juice. Maybe some ice cream." While they go wild for the ice cream I grin and look at the sitter.
"I have a car. You can use it if you're coming right back."
"You don't mind?" I walk around the boys and over to the sexy sitter that's flirting with my libido.
"As long as I get ice cream too." She holds up keys and I smirk taking them then look back at the boys still going wild for ice cream.
"Any special request?"
"Surprise me," she says as I walk to the door.
With the eight hundred dollars I was going to give Iesha, I use one fifty for much needed groceries. I almost wish I took inventory of house necessities, but all I can hope is she'll use the money for that. I'm not going to keep giving her money, I can't, but I'm hoping what I can help her with right now will get her on her feet. Someone had to pay for Rupe's funeral and according to Rupe, they didn't have family except his brother. Somehow I don't think that guy paid for his funeral.
I load the groceries into the sexy sitter's trunk… I really need to get her name. The girl let me use her car and I don't even know her name. I'd like to get to know a little more than that.
"Dom."
Either I'm hearing voices or there's a ghost behind me.
Slowly turning around, I lay my eyes on the apparition and suddenly feel like I've died. I almost reach out to touch her to make sure she's real. She's not a ghost and she never died, but I thought for sure I was dead to her, but here she is, saying my name in a Shop Saver parking lot.
"Nyla."
"God." She chuckles and looks down. "You're out." Her eyes meet mine again and this has to be what it feels like when you die.
This is the last person I thought I'd see in the state of Washington. I thought for sure she'd be long gone.
"A little while ago. What's—"
"Ny!" A horn blows as a car pulls up.
"Oh god." She jumps at the sound and laughs with her hand to her chest.
There's a woman glaring at me through the rolled down window and I look back at Nyla who's staring at me like she's surprised I'm alive.
"Can I get your number?" she blurts and the request makes me fumble a minute.
"Yeah, cool. Uh, hold on." I close the trunk and retrieve my phone, not yet having my number memorized.
When I look at her again she's staring at the sitter's car. It appears my desperation for a female is diluting my brain because now I'm face to face with the epitome of sexy, I realize that baby sitter doesn't compare.
"La," I get her attention and her eyes quickly pull from the car to me as she hands me her phone.
"Let's go!" the girl in the waiting car yells as she pulls up to move out of the way for traffic.
"I'll text you or something." Nyla quickly grabs her phone back and as I hand it over my eyes land on the enormous rock on her finger.
"Sure," tumbles out of my mouth but when I look into her face to say something more she's already darting to the car to get out of the starting rain.
As the car drives off, I slowly turn around, already wallowing in the self-pity her relationship status caused, and then my eyes land on what she was staring at on the not-that-sexy-sitter's car. I apparently have a family. A vinyl stick figure family in the back of the windshield of the car I'm driving gave Nyla the wrong information. Fucking perfect!
"You want to go out some time, Dom?" Brie asks and my eyes shoot from her to Iesha, then back again.
Brie is the sexy sitter and, like me, she's been at Iesha's every day this week. My excuse is the boys keep asking me to come back over 'tomorrow' and I'm a sucker. I'm not sure why she's here though.
"Oh." Brie looks between me and Iesha. "I'm sorry. Are you two..?"
"Finish your thought." Iesha belittles her with an eye roll. "We ain't nothin'."
"We're friends," I state glaring at the bitter woman that seems to be pissed by Brie asking me out.
"This got weird." Brie takes her plate to the sink and I direct my eyes to the kids while they devour mac and cheese.
I haven't lead either woman to believe I'd be interested in them. In my head, it's pretty obvious I'm here for the boys, but right now the hair on their backs is standing on end and it looks like their claws are out.
"I'm gonna take off." I wash my plate and the few dishes that are in the sink before anyone says anything.
"I want ice cream," Jamari says before he finishes what's on his plate.
I glance at my phone, like I've done eight hundred other times this week. Except this time, I'm looking for the time and not a missed text or call from Nyla. That's never come.
"Me too." I smile at him while the boys start to get rowdy. "Finish up. Can't have ice cream until it's gone." I point to their plates then glance at Iesha who's still finishing her food.
Brie's leaning against the counter with a beer, staring at me like she's thirsty for more. Some how I feel like I'm playing both these women, but I haven't done anything more than show up to see the boys. Situations like this only cause trouble but I don't want to stop getting to know the kids.
Like I've done every day this week, I get the kids ready for bed and while Iesha puts them to sleep, I wait in the living room.
"You want a ride?" Brie asks and I almost quip if she means home or on her because there's nothing subtle about the girl.
"I'm good with taking the bus. Thanks." I wait by the couch for Iesha and can feel Brie glaring at me still.
"So you never answered my question at dinner. You want to go out some time?"
"I don't really think that'd be a good idea. I'm not really dating right now in my life." The lame excuse flows and she cocks her eyebrow.
"No-one said anything about dating. I'm DTF anytime, Dom."
"Jesus," I mumble and rub my eyes.
I'm being offered sex and only sex and I'm having a hard time accepting.
"Unless you and Iesha…"
"There's nothing like that between us. She's a friend and the widow to one of my best friends. It's not like that."
"Seemed kinda like that at dinner."
"It's not," I assure.
"Prove it."
"What?" I scowl at her.
"Prove it."
"Prove what?" I snicker as she walks toward me.
"That you and Iesha ain't fuckin'."
Her hand is resting on my stomach and I'm standing very still, weighing some options. When her hand slides south and my dick swells to greet her, I push against her palm and bend for her mouth. The sound of Iesha closing the boys' bedroom door makes me pull away and look into Brie's devilish face.
"Night, Dom," she whispers with a wink and walks out the fr
ont door.
"Brie leave?" Iesha asks turning on the TV.
"Yeah. I'm gonna take off. You all set for the night?"
"Watch out for her," she warns me, looking me dead in the eyes.
"For what, Iesha? Because there's nothing going on there. What's it matter if there were? We already established you and I can't do this… thing."
"I'm not warning you 'cause I want you," she snaps. "I'm warning you 'cause I know her. She ain't the type of girl you need to be hangin' around or you're just gonna get in trouble."
"Maybe it's time you think about leaving the hood." I walk to the door and look back at her expression of agreement but worry. "I'll help you. You know I will."
"I'm buying a car," she blurts out before I leave. "So you won't have to keep walking. I can get you and bring you home."
"Don't worry about me. Lock this wooden plank when I leave." I roll my eyes and step outside.
"I'm working with what I have, Dom," she calls out to me as I head down the street.
"And I'm offering you help to get more," I yell back as I keep walking.
~~*~~
"I need you to get a car," Rory tells me for the third time this week.
"I heard you," I mutter.
"What the fuck are you waiting on?"
I bite my lip and chuckle with a shake of my head. "A raise," I tell him, walking out of his office before things get out of hand.
"Sestak, you looking for a roommate?" CJ's question comes out of left field.
"Uh, no. I'm livin' in my mom's basement, man."
"I'm looking for a roommate, you interested? My roommate just bailed on me Monday and fuck, I need someone fast."
"What do you mean bailed on you?" I ask before I get my hopes up then his roommate comes back.
"Lockup," he mumbles and I nod in understanding.
"How much?"
"Eight hundred a month and that includes all utilities."
"House or an apartment?" If I continue to do one to two runs a week for Rory, I can have my rent and utilities paid in a week and a half.
"House. I'll text you the address. Drive by today, I kinda need an answer by like noon. I gotta find someone," he says walking away as Rory rushes us out for the day.
