by Arow Jones
"Hey baby, nice bike" a blonde drawls to the guy across from her. She swayed on her feet, probably had one too many Cosmopolitans. Stumbling backwards she lands up against my bike. Her hands catch her fall, causing her breasts to perk forward and the bike to wobble. I take another deep breathe and scowl. It’s Blanche. Her dad works with JT’s dad. We were on the equestrian team together in high school but we never got along. I think JT dated her.
“Whoa, careful there,” I hear the masculine voice say. There are butterflies in my stomach that confirm that the sexy voice most definitely belongs to JT. Blanche giggles, grabbing his arm. He grabs her hips trying to steady her. She’d probably like to fall into his lap, the bimbo. Her friends are watching with wide eyed stares. My scowl deepens.
No one touches my bike, no one. I don’t care how rich her family is I’m not going to let her accidentally knock over my bike. Her four inch clad, drunk, wobbly ass, better step back! Ugh! Reign it in Lil, slow and steady. I should shove her away but the butterflies in my stomach won’t settle down. A few more strides and I will be close enough to say something but so far they don’t see me. I doubt he’ll recognize me anyway.
His smile is astonishing. Confidence and sensuality roll off him like a heat wave. No matter, I will pull on my big girl panties and confidently walk to my bike. You can do this.
“Hey! Get your girlfriend off my bike.” I try to sound casual but I can’t help the snarl coming out of my mouth.
“Give her a break, she’s had a bit too much to drink,” he replies. His arm snaked around her waist. So, maybe they are still together. Why does that bother me so much? I roll my eyes at them.
“Whatever, I’m leaving so you might want to move her out of the way.” I feign indifference with an attitude. Go me!
He whistles. I glare at him but he stares back at me. “Some attitude for a girl on a crotch rocket.” Snickering and whispering permeates the atmosphere. Blanche leans her busty body into his side, whispering into his ear. JT barely moves as she tries to further situate herself into his hold, his eyes never leaving mine. He doesn’t remove his hands from her but he doesn’t react to her either.
“Excuse me?!” I fist my hands on my hips. My eyes are locked onto his seriously gorgeous green eyes. Green like smooth glittering emeralds. Oh boy, I want to melt but I don’t want to lose in a battle of wills. It seems like an eternity before he finally replies. With very little effort JT lifts the blonde away from him, setting her down near the sidewalk. Turning back to me, he cocks his head to the side, raking my body with his gaze. He takes a step towards me and my breath hitches. My lips part and heart races. It’s like that night of the bonfire all over again only this time I’m sober and not so naïve to JT’s charms.
God, he is so much more of a presence than I remembered. His leather chaps hug his legs and I wish I could see his backside, no doubt as fine as I remember it in high school. He’s wearing a black leather jacket over a dark grey button up dress shirt. He’s broader than I remember, probably from football. His dark hair is peeking out underneath the sides of a black bandana. His gaze feels like a heated caress as he towers over me. My feet won’t move. He’s so close to me now that I have to lean back with my hands on my bike.
His legs are on either side of mine and he leans over so that his hands are on either side of my hands trapping me against my bike. I have to look up to keep my eyes on his. He’s not even touching me but I feel his heat all over my body. I wonder if he can hear the thundering of my heart.
He leans forward so that his lips are barely touching my ear. I can feel his hot breath on my face and the whiskers of the beginnings of a five o’clock shadow lightly grazing my cheek.
“Steady Sugar.”
Six
It’s Friday night. Chase and I are meeting up at Jack’s. Ever since we started working together we’ve made it a point to hang out at least once a week. As I was pulling up I noticed a black crotch rocket with thin orange trim. The bike and the custom paint job are a little girly for my taste. I park next to it and chuckle.
My helmet barely leaves my head when Blanche and her friends walk up. Her Dad is one of the partners at the law firm so their family attends almost every function my parents hold, including the monthly Sunday brunches they host in Boulder. I know she’s always had a thing for me. I keep trying to deter her but she’s relentless. Truthfully, she isn’t my type. There isn’t much that’s real about her with her dyed blonde hair, boob job, and expensive manicure. She’s been helping out at the office she’s aiming for trophy wife status.
The night has barely begun. She’s slurring, probably too many cosmos or whatever girly drinks she’s into these days. I lean back on my bike as she tries to get my attention. No use trying to avoid her, she’s already seen me. With a little too much enthusiasm she loses her balance, landing on the other bike. Damn, I’m glad that’s not my bike.
“Hey baby, nice bike.” She purrs and acts like she hasn’t seen it before. I gave her a ride home a few times. The second time was after a fundraising party we both attended that my parents hosted.
“Whoa, careful there.” She giggles. Her friends are eyeing me like a piece of candy. I can only imagine what she’s told her friends. In high school she told everyone that we’d hooked up. There is no way I went there with her and I’m sure as hell not going there now.
Out of the corner of my eye I see a pair of slim legs walk up. She looks a little older but I’d recognize her anywhere. Lily James. My pants get snug at the crotch. I need to adjust myself but moving might cause Blanche to fall ass over tea kettle.
During the summers, growing up, Chase and I used to hang out at the lake where our family’s land joined. We knew the little girl from next door would come hide in the bushes, watching us. We’d go skinny dipping, whooping and hollering, hoping to scare her off. The woman standing in front of me now is no longer the little girl from next door. The last time I saw her was at the funeral. I’m sure she didn’t see me. I don’t think she really saw anyone. She was dressed in a black summer dress. Dark sunglasses hid her red rimmed eyes. I knew our time was coming soon. I was biding my time, waiting for the right moment.
This woman is dressed in tight denim and leather, confident and sexy as hell. Her dark hair is straight and longer than I remember. She tells me to get my girl off her bike. Her bike? The crotch in my pants is getting tighter and I need to adjust myself. Instead, I set Blanche aside and step closer to her. I can hear Blanche pouting and her friends whispering but all I can see is Lily. She’s even more gorgeous than I remember. Her eyes are mesmerizing. As I gaze into her eyes I picture her on her bike in nothing but her leather boots.
I step closer. She has that same deer in the headlights look I remember. She doesn’t step back. She leans back. Her breasts perk up like they did that night. I hold back a groan, lightly place both of my hands on either side of her and lean over. Her eyes dilate. She smells like sweet vanilla. I lean in and notice the Lucky Five horseshoe star emblem tattooed on the back of her neck, right where I kissed her that night so long ago. I want to taste her there again but I hold back. She leans her head to the side barely giving me access to her gorgeous neck and I whisper “steady sugar,” like I did that night. She’s trying to hold herself still but she’s panting like a cat in heat. I know she wants me and I want her too.
Just when I think she’s going to purr she places her hands on my chest and shoves me so that I have to take a few steps back. She straightens herself and crosses her arms. I grin and purposely look at her chest. She huffs crossing her arms over her chest, trying to cover her gorgeous cleavage. I smirk at her. She realizes she only enhanced my view. She puts her arms down by her side balls her fists giving me a scowl.
“JT, what you do with your bike is your business but keep your girlfriend off mine!”
I give her a lopsided grin. Her eyebrows draw together and she bites her bottom lip. She takes a deep breath and walks around to the other side of her bike. I can’t move.
I just stand there, mesmerized, watching her moving with cat like grace. She shakes her head back so her hair is barely brushing her fine ass. Then she coils it up and puts on her helmet. Before I know it I’m doing the same getting ready to follow her out. She revs up her bike and takes off down the road.
I’m pretty sure she’s going home to the ranch. I’ve been trying to get a hold of her since the funeral, but so far she hasn’t returned my assistant’s calls.
“Mr. Tanner, your father would like a word with you in his office.”
“When?” Jean, my assistant, usually doesn’t interrupt my morning ritual of coffee and emails. It must be important. When Dad summons me it usually means right now.
“Right now, sir.” Ah. I push away from my chair and head over to his office. I don’t bother knocking. I just smile at Leanne, his assistant and walk in, she knows the drill.
“Well, come right in son.” He already has a tumbler of scotch out. This can’t be good. He hands are on a large folder on his desk. He’s looking at me like he is going to say something. His fingers are drumming the folder. I take a deep breath, I’m not used to seeing him this nervous before. He clears his throat.
“Son, we need to talk.” That’s usually how it begins. I had brought up the possibility of opening a satellite office back home. I don’t want to keep commuting to Boulder and the ranch is doing really well now. Maybe he doesn’t like the idea. “This here is the James file. As you know, Lily is back in town for good. There are some things you need to discuss with her.” He pauses and drowns the rest of his drink. “In the meantime, you are here for the reading of the will.”
I’m not sure what is going on but I sit there, listening to him reading Gramps’s Will. The Will. Why am I the one sitting here? Shouldn’t it be Lily?
“This is a delicate situation and has been in the works for a long time.” He sighs and shakes his head. “I hoped it would never have to come down to this but Lily is alone now and you know what that means.”
The road through town has one stoplight and a handful of street lamps line the main stretch. Eventually the road takes a turn down the rural side of town. I follow her all the way to the driveway and up to the main house. We pull up between the large oak in the middle of her circular driveway. She gets off her bike and yanks her helmet off.
“What the hell are you doing?” She’s mad that I’ve followed her. Chase was waiting for me back at the bar. By now he’s probably into his third or fourth drink with a chick on his lap. I get off my bike and slowly take off my helmet laying it on my bike. I want to reach over and kiss that attitude and let her rub up against me.
“I’m making sure you make it back okay. Hasn’t anyone ever told you that bikes are dangerous?” She huffs and runs a hand through her hair. I’m nervous as hell. This girl may come off confident but I don’t want to scare her away. “I need to talk to you about Gramp’s Will.” Her shoulders relax and she looks at me resigned.
“Thanks but you could have just called.” She starts towards the door. Her voice and her body seem like she’s trying to keep it together but when she goes to put the house key in the lock I can see her hand shaking. I grab her hand and take the keys.
“Let me do that for you.” I unlock her door and open it for her. She stops and turns around. She doesn’t look at my face.
“Um, thanks, do you want to come in and talk for a minute?”
“Sure.” I walk in and head to the kitchen. Before she can say anything I’ve already filled the coffee maker with water and loaded it with a filter and coffee grounds.
“So, you know your way around Gramps kitchen.” It comes out as a statement rather than question.
“Yeah, I came over here for poker night at the barn once a week. Over the last few months I also came over every weekend. Gramps needed some help around the house. He wanted me to go over his Will and estate documents.” The look on her face is blank. It’s like she can hear me but she’s turned me out.
“Hey? Lily, look at me.” I place a finger under her chin and lift her head so her gaze locks onto mine.
“Thank you. I appreciate all you’ve done.” She’s responding like it’s rehearsed. I wrap my arms around her. She stiffens at first and tries to push back but I hold on tighter and she finally relaxes. I get the feeling she’s pretty overwhelmed. I let go of her and set her down onto a chair in the nook of the kitchen. The coffee is done so I pour us both a cup and set one in front of her.
“Cream or sugar?” I ask her.
“No, black, thank you.”
“My kind of girl. No fuss no muss.” She scowls then grins. Her smile is beautiful. My heart skips a beat. “Listen, I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you at the funeral. I just wanted to give you some space.”
“You were there?” She asks.
“Yeah.” We start talking about who was there. I tell her about some good times while she was away in school and how I tried to spend time with Gramps and Kip even though my parents tried to convince me to stay away. She tells me about some of her favorite memories of Gramps. I don’t know how long we sat there but it was long enough that even with the coffee she started to yawn. Her eyes are sleepy. I can tell she’s fighting the exhaustion. She loses the battle, laying her head on the table.
“Thanks JT, I needed the company.”
“I know Sugar.” And just like that she drifts off. I gather her in my arms and carry her to her room. One arm is around the back of my neck and her face is laying on my chest. She feels so good in my arms. I gently pull back the covers with one arm and lay her down. I pull off her boots and lay a blanket over her. I don’t want to leave her but I don’t want to spook her.
Her dark hair is fanned out on the pillow. Her mouth is soft and relaxed. I want to know if her mouth is as sweet as her neck. I want to lay down next to her and wake up with her in my arms. Not yet. When we finally have the talk I’m not sure she’ll ever want to speak to me again.
I reset the coffee maker so it will turn on automatically in the morning. I leave her a note and head home.
Seven
I wake up and stretch my arms above my head. I feel so rested. Then, I remember last night. JT was here, in my kitchen. Oh my god! The smell of freshly brewed coffee perks me up. “What the--?” I quickly lift up the blanket off of me and realize I am still in the same clothes from last night. I don’t remember putting myself to bed. JT must have carried me. I run to the bathroom to brush my teeth.
I head over to the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee wondering if JT is still here. Instead, I find a note. I’m a little disappointed but the note makes me smile. It says, “Call me, Sugar” with his number underneath.
I’m not sure what to say. Is it too early to call? Maybe I’ll just wait a bit. No, we’re not friends. I’m not sure what we are. Acquaintances? He can wait.
An hour later, a shower, and two more cups of coffee I’m just finishing reviewing some documents for Kip when my phone beeps.
JT: Good morning, Sugar
Lily: Good morning
JT: What are you up to today?
Lily: Paperwork, riding
JT: When?
Lily: In an hour, why?
JT: I’m coming over
I don’t respond. I don’t know what to think about his text. Maybe he’s just going to bring over the estate paperwork but just in case I take a little extra time to get ready to meet him. Just as I am heading for the barn office I hear my phone rings. It’s Skye.
“Hey girl, what’s happening?” She’s awfully cheery this morning.
“Hey.” I say to her, not quite as enthusiastically as her greeting.
“Just calling to see how you are holding up. A little birdie told me a hot biker dude followed you home last night.” I can just picture her eyebrows wagging. I roll my eyes. “I may not be able to see you but I know you’re rolling your eyes at me.”
“How do you do that?”
“It’s a gift. So, tell me what happened! I want all the dirty details!�
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“Nothing happened. I ran into JT at Jack’s, he followed me home, we had some coffee and talked.” I downplay the whole event but Skye knows me better than that. She knows how very few men have been in my life and what little experience I have with men. Not to mention, this is JT we’re talking about.
“What!? Eeek! That is so great! Are you going to see him again? What were you wearing? I want a total play by play!” My smile is huge and I know she can hear it in my voice.
“It’s nothing really. We’re just going to meet up here. He probably just wants to go over some estate paperwork from Tanner & Tanner.”
“OMG!”
“Breath Skye, it’s just a meeting.”
“Uh huh, suuuurrre.” We talk for another ten minutes, promising to talk later in the week. My phone beeps again.
Kenny: When u want me there?
Lily: Mon?
Kenny: Sounds good, ttyl
I don’t know what I’d do without Kenny, the machinery magician and horse trainer extraordinaire. When Kenny, Skye and I talked about our summer plans they decided they wanted to spend it with me. I’m not used to being home alone. Usually, Gramps is here, Kip, or ranch hands. The last few years have slowed down quite a bit. Being back has brought new business and I need all the help I can get. Skye has a few gigs but will be around. Kenny plans to stay on with me. I really want it to be permanent but they still have another year left in college.
I go through some of the finances and make a few phone calls. The paperwork isn’t as organized as it used to be and there seems to be some information missing. I look around the office wondering where else Gramps would put paper files. One of the first things I vow to myself is to modernize our little operation. We did everything on paper. No matter how cluttered or unkempt the office seemed to me Gramps always seemed to find what he needed. Something feels off but I chalk it up to the messy organization and old age of Gramps.
