Pierced: Pierced Trilogy Boxed Set

by Lashell Collins

  As I move down the short hallway I see Samantha standing frozen in front of the fridge, looking like a deer caught in headlights. “Baby, are you okay?” I ask. But as I enter the room, I find my mother standing near the front door looking every bit as frozen in place as Samantha. Her light brown eyes are as big and round as saucers and her auburn hair looks windblown around her pretty face. She’s holding a casserole dish in her hands and they have obviously surprised each other.

  “Mom,” I say with a hint of exasperation, and she finally turns her startled gaze on me.

  “Hi, honey,” she says a little too brightly. “I brought you some dinner.” She holds up her casserole dish, which she’s holding with a dish towel, telling me it’s probably fresh from the oven and still warm.

  “Here, I’ll take that.” I reach out and take it from her and sit it on the counter as she rambles on nervously.

  “It’s chicken cacciatore but, I can see that you have other dinner plans,” she says, motioning to Samantha, who’s still standing frozen. “You just put that in the fridge and you can have it anytime.” She sounds mortified.

  “Mom, why don’t you join us?” I say, trying to diffuse this awkward situation and put them both at ease.

  “No, no!” She looks alarmed at the suggestion. “Don’t be silly, I don’t want to intrude on your evening. I’ll just see you tomorrow. You kids have fun,” she calls over her shoulder as she beats a hasty retreat back out through the front door, and I stand looking after her and wondering what the hell just happened. I know that my mother is not used to seeing me with a girl. In fact, I don’t think she’s ever seen me with a girl because I’ve never brought any of my one-night stands home. Still, I don’t understand why it freaked her out so much.

  “I think she was a little mortified for some reason,” I say, turning back to Sam.

  “For some reason?” Samantha practically yells. “Josh, I’m barely dressed! I just met your mother wearing a t-shirt and no underwear. You think she’s mortified? How do you think I feel?”

  She is clearly just as freaked out as my mother was and I do understand where she’s coming from. I can’t imagine meeting her mother dressed like I am right now but, I can’t help but laugh at the situation.

  “You think this is funny?” she screams. She’s wants to be angry but, I can see that she’s trying desperately not to laugh too. And that only makes me laugh more. I am practically doubled over, in stitches, and Sam finally gives in, joining me. We laugh so hard my sides are aching by the time we calm down and sit to eat our sandwiches.

  And I am pleasantly surprised at her ability to make such a melt-in-your-mouth meal out of the scraps she found in my nearly empty fridge. She definitely has some culinary skills.

  “Wow. Baby, this was really, really good,” I say as I swallow the last mouthful of my second sandwich. “What are these called again?”

  She giggles at me. “I can’t believe you’ve never had a Monte Cristo before,” she says.

  “Well, they were delicious,” I tell her. “Thank you for dinner.”

  “Thank you for the car show,” she says softly. “And for Fairhaven, and for bringing me here. I’ve had a lovely day, Detective Pierce.”

  I smile at her. “It was very nice. But it’s not over yet,” I tell her. Glancing at my watch I see that it’s nearing eight o’clock. “We should get cleaned up so we can go. I need to drop you off at home and head straight to the bar.”

  We stand up and I help her clean the kitchen.

  “Why do you always help me clean up?” she asks, smiling at me, and I shrug at her.

  “I don’t know. Habit,” I answer her honestly. “I was never allowed to leave the kitchen after a meal without helping to clear the dishes. It was one of my chores when I was growing up.”

  “Really?” She sounds surprised, and I nod at her.

  I leave to get a quick shower then, and I dress in a fresh pair of blue jeans and a white sleeveless t-shirt. While Sam is getting dressed, I place the Joe Perry Signature Les Paul in its case and load it and my amp into the bed of the truck, and once Samantha is ready, we lock up and get underway.

  She’s quiet on the drive over to her place and I reach over and take her hand, bringing it to my lips and kissing her knuckles. I hold her hand the whole ride to her apartment and I wonder what she’s thinking. When we get to her place, I escort her up to her apartment and go inside to check it out. Just for my own peace of mind.

  “I guess I’ll see you in about an hour?” I say as I hold her in my arms before I leave.

  “I guess so,” she says softly. “I’m excited to hear your band.”

  I laugh slightly at her but, for some reason her words make me a little anxious. Fuck. If we suck tonight I know it will be all my fault because this woman’s got me nervous. Great. I kiss her forehead gently. “I’ve got to go. I’ll see soon, baby.”

  “Okay.”

  I head out then and wait until I hear her lock the door. As I walk away, I feel the unmistakable flutter of butterflies.

  Chapter Six

  Samantha

  I lock the door and race to my bedroom. Meg will be here soon and I have to be ready. Fortunately I’ve already showered at Josh’s place and now I just have to change my clothes and maybe put a few curls in my hair. Yes, I think I will. I plug in my curling iron and head straight for my closet.

  I want to look good for Josh so, I have to find just the right thing to wear. On the other hand, it is just a bar, not a club, so I don’t want to be too overdone either. Josh looks incredibly hot in that tight sleeveless t-shirt he’s wearing, showing off his amazingly muscled arms to perfection. He is so freaking sexy it should be illegal.

  Maybe I’ll wear my black jean leggings and my black Manolo Blahnik ankle boots with the fringe. The heels are a bit high but I love those boots. They’re so cute. I pull them out of their box and set them aside. Megan is a real clotheshorse but, shoes are my weakness. I can’t explain it. I just go nuts for them.

  Back in my closet, I flip through my shirts looking for just the right thing to wear with my leggings and boots. I decide on a white, fitted top that hangs off of one shoulder. The sexy shirt could actually be worn as a short dress if I had the nerve but, it will look great with my leggings!

  I dress quickly, putting on a black lace strapless bra and matching thong panties, then my carefully chosen outfit. I freshen up my mascara and lip gloss and then put a few curls in my unruly brown mane and run my fingers through it. The effect is a sort of windswept, rocker look that I think fits a night of watching my boyfriend’s band play perfectly.

  My boyfriend. Hmm. Oh, how I wish that were really true! But Josh is not really my boyfriend. Not yet, anyway. But hopefully once my case is closed and there are no longer any job conflicts for him … then maybe he really will be my boyfriend.

  He certainly felt like a boyfriend, all day long. Especially this morning when he kept asking what was bothering me. My heart nearly burst open when he kissed my tears away. It was the sweetest, most romantic gesture, and I wanted to tell him what I’m feeling but, I was so afraid. How am I supposed to say I’ve fallen totally, hopelessly in love with you but, I’m scared that you don’t love me back? How do you put that into words? And what happens after you do? If I tell him that … how will he react? Would it spook him? Would he run? There are too many questions. So I said nothing, and he thankfully let the matter drop. Even though I know it was killing him not to know what was going on with me. He is so sweet sometimes.

  And how sweet was it of him to take me to that car show today? And it was fascinating. I have never been to an event like that before, I had no idea there were so many people who are that into cars! And Josh seems to be so knowledgeable about all of the different cars we saw. He was so adorable, pointing things out and explaining them to me. And who knew that his Charger was such a big deal? Apparently, that is one popular car and his make and model seems rare. Or maybe it’s just because it’s all numbers matching o
r whatever, I don’t know, but most of the men at the show appeared to absolutely drool over it. And I can’t get over that guy wanting to buy it. I wonder what their conversation was about before we left. Josh said it was no big deal, and he was smiling the whole time but, the man looked positively terrified when he walked away. Interesting.

  Everything about Josh is interesting. My subconscious is right, of course. Everything about Josh is interesting, and fascinating, and all consuming. I feel like I can’t get enough of him, I want to know all there is to know about him. But he certainly doesn’t make it easy. And why on earth did he say that once I learn about his dad, I’ll walk away from him and never look back? What the heck was that about? He spoke with such nostalgia and love when he was talking about the car but, the slightest suggestion that his car might remind him of his dad just a little bit and he freaks out on me! What is the story there? I must be missing something really big because I just don’t get it. He seems so bitter whenever the subject of his dad comes up. But, at the same time, he sounded so sad when he was talking about our dads being nothing alike.

  And suddenly, I think I feel sorry for him. Sorry that he obviously didn’t grow up with two loving parents who cared about him. I mean, my mother and I have a difficult relationship but, at least I do know that she loves me. Both of my parents were attentive and doting my entire life but, it sounds as though Josh never really had that. Not with his father anyway. He told me that he and his mother were always very close. And she seemed lovely when I met her this afternoon.

  Well … perhaps ‘met’ is too strong a word. We didn’t actually meet, it was more like we shocked the hell out of each other. But she was beautiful: long auburn hair and big light brown eyes. I’m not sure how old she is but, I’d bet she had Josh at a fairly young age, she couldn’t be much older than fifty. She looks much younger than that even, but … I know that Josh is thirty one so, she can’t be as young as she looks.

  Still, I can’t believe her first impression of me is me standing half naked in her son’s kitchen. I am still mortified just thinking about it. I swear, if people could die of embarrassment, I would be a corpse right now. Josh sure got a laugh out of it though.

  My doorbell rings and I quickly put my curling iron away, grab my black Gucci clutch purse, and sprint out to the living room. I peek out and see Megan and Scott and open the door with a huge smile on my face.

  “Hi guys,” I say brightly. “Come on in.” I give Meg a big hug as she enters. “I just need to switch purses and I’m ready.”

  “Well, you better hurry,” Meg says. “You said the band goes on at ten, and we don’t want to get caught in traffic.”

  “I know, I know,” I say as I take my things out of one purse and place them into the other.

  “You look great, by the way,” she says, smiling at me.

  “Thanks!” Yes! My outfit rocks.

  “So Sam,” Scott speaks up, “this cop you’re dating, what does Lucas think of him?”

  “Uh … Lucas actually doesn’t know yet,” I answer hesitantly.

  “They’ve never met?” he asks and he sounds surprised. Probably because he’s aware of how close Lucas and I are.

  “Oh, they’ve met,” I respond slowly. “When I was in the hospital. But Lucas doesn’t know that we’ve been seeing each other.”

  “Are you afraid of his reaction?” Megan asks with a puzzled frown, clearly wondering why I’ve neglected to say anything to Lucas so far.

  “No,” I answer immediately, shaking my head. “Of course not. Lucas would never try to run my life the way Mom does. He just wants me to be happy.” My voice sounds way more confident then I feel at that statement. Not that I think my brother would ever attempt to control me the way Mom has over the years but, I’m not certain how he will feel about my relationship with Josh. But I don’t want to think about that right now. “Well, let’s get going,” I say, effectively ending the conversation.

  We head out then and, luckily, the traffic into downtown is relatively light. We make it to The Slammer in great time. The way Josh talked about it, I expected a dive – a little hole in the wall bar with a few tables but, when we enter the place I can see that’s not the case at all. It’s much bigger than I pictured and much nicer too, although the décor is somewhat rustic with lots of thick plank Douglas fir everywhere. There are actually two bars, a long one to the right side of the large space and a smaller one on the left side, with at least twenty five or thirty tables between the two. There is also a small dance floor off to the side near the small bar on the left, and the stage is set up straight ahead.

  The walls are practically lined with all manner of police paraphernalia – from handcuffs and badges and bullets to framed uniform shirts, old billy clubs and SWAT jackets. There are lots of really cool photographs of cops and police cruisers and K-9 dogs, and I notice a large framed collection of what looks like police patches from all over the country hanging on the wall near the bar at the right. To either side of the front doors, there are red cushioned benches lining the wall, and I notice that the lighting is muted in this area, and it isn’t difficult to understand why. There are a few couples seated on those benches taking advantage of the dim lighting to cuddle or make out.

  And the joint is hopping. Josh said that it was usually packed on nights when the band was playing and he wasn’t kidding. The place is crowded! And if I had to guess, I’d say that the ladies easily outnumber the men by at least two to one.

  “Wow,” Megan says as we stand, looking around the place. “Is it ladies night, tonight?”

  “I have no idea,” I answer her, surveying the room.

  “Well if it’s not, then they’re all here for the band. That can only mean one of two things,” she says looking me in the eye. “Either the entire band is hot or … we’re not the only ones who find your detective yummy.”

  Her words make me a little uncomfortable but, as I look around at all the women in the place I begin to wonder. All of the time Josh and I have spent together has been isolated … just the two of us either at my place or today at his. We’ve never really been out around other people so, I have no idea how other women respond to him. Although I did notice a few stares when we were wandering around Fairhaven this afternoon but, I just assumed it was because we were being so obnoxious, laughing and joking loudly as we enjoyed each other’s company. It never dawned on me that it might be because Josh is so incredibly handsome.

  “Hey, there’s an empty table near the back,” Scott says and we make our way over to it. As we do, I spot Josh standing at the bar on the right, up near the stage. He is laughing and talking to a couple of other men who I assume are members of his band but, of course, I have no way of knowing. I feel my heart somersault into my stomach and I desperately want to rush over to him and let him know that I’m here but, I know that I can’t. I have to be cool about this. I’m just enjoying a night out with my cousin and her fiancé at a random bar, not clandestinely meeting with my secret, potential boyfriend. But I think I need a drink.

  “I’m going to go to the bar,” I announce as Megan and Scott sit down. “What can I bring you two?”

  “Oh, I’ll go get the drinks, Sam,” Scott says, ever the gentleman. He’s smiling kindly at me, and I take in his boyish good looks. Curly blonde hair, blue eyes. He and Meg look great together. I bet they’ll have gorgeous babies someday.

  “No! I’ll get them,” I say, a little too forcefully. Meg immediately comes to my rescue. She’s obviously spotted Josh too.

  “Sam will get the drinks, hon,” she smiles at him and touches his hand. “You stay here with me.” She winks at me and says, “I’ll have a white wine spritzer.”

  “Sam Adams for me,” Scott says.

  “Got it,” I say and turn to head for the bar. I can see that Josh is still engrossed in his conversation and I’m a little dismayed to see a very attractive, curvaceous redhead now standing with the small group of men. But my spirits brighten when I see the man standing nex
t to Josh wrap his arm around her and pull her close. She is clearly with him and not interested in my yummy detective.

  Josh is leaning against the bar with his right arm and I spot an open space directly behind him. I squeeze into the small opening without his knowledge and get the bartender’s attention. When he comes over to me he smiles and looks me over appreciatively.

  “What can I get for you, darling?” he asks, and I can hear a slight southern drawl in his flirty voice. His frank appraisal makes me blush slightly and I can’t help but smile back at him. Maybe all the girls are here for the cute bartender.

  “I need two white wine spritzers and a Samuel Adams,” I say loudly. Purposefully speaking loud enough to get Josh’s attention. And I know that he’s heard me when I see his head snap up and he glances to his right. He doesn’t look at me, but he takes a step back, intentionally pushing his backside up against me. To anyone watching, it probably looked as if it were an accident.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” he says turning around. Our eyes meet and lock for several seconds and I see a small smile play at the corners of his perfect lips. “Miss Colby,” he says with mock surprise at seeing me.

  “Why, Detective Pierce,” I say, playing along. Although I don’t really think anyone is paying us any attention.

  “What are you doing on this side of town?” he says, as though this is a rough neighborhood. He’s having fun with this “chance meeting.” I give him a coy smile.

  “I heard a rumor that there’s a really good live band playing here tonight,” I say with a straight face. “So I dragged my cousin out to have a listen.”

  He smiles and I can tell he really wants to laugh at me. “I had no idea you were such a music connoisseur,” he smirks.