“My apologies, Dark Lord.” Lora inclines her head slightly again in mock deference to my Dark Lord while turning onto Wiley. “Thanks for the laugh. I was getting a little up tight there. Maybe a glass of wine since I won’t be going anywhere would be a good idea.”
“Sounds right to me. Put on a little music and we’ll hang out. There’s no need to get mental. I’m enjoying your company. If you have second thoughts I’ll crash on your couch and I promise to still consider hiring you. How’s that?”
“More than fair, but you won’t have to crash on the couch, John. I’m enjoying your company more than I can say. Tess is nuts for going back to Boston.”
“Probably pretty smart, Lora. You’d be smart to stay the hell away from me too.”
The more I thought about what Tess had endured since meeting up with me, the more right her going to Boston seemed. Lora might be attracted to me; but she didn’t get stunned and tied up one night, and then kidnapped by terrorists soon after. I’d say Tess gave me as much a chance as any sane human could. I didn’t want her dead because of me. For that matter, I don’t want Lora and Alice put in danger because of me. Lora seems a perfect fit for my business but I plan on being a hell of a lot more careful with inadvertent consequences. Lora parked her car in the driveway of a nice little white stucco house with an overgrown lawn and a few unhealthy looking plants. She turned off the car and took my hand.
“C’mon in with me. I’ll see if I can make you forget about Tess and today’s events.”
I leaned toward her for a friendly kiss before we went in. The soft surrendering feel of Lora’s lips, coupled with her slight breathy murmur of desire touched off something inside me… something right like rain on a warm summer’s night. I felt her arms encircle and clutch me with an answering passion of need that had us both fumbling like teenagers over the Toyota’s center console. Lora pushed away, breathless and gripping the front of my windbreaker.
“Come inside now,” Lora whispered, before breaking away to launch out of the driver’s side as she fumbled for her keys while stumbling toward the house.
I followed, wondering if that jolt in the car had been the Bud and Beams or something more – something I didn’t know if I recognized or had experience with. Tess moved me. I cared for her and we were attracted in an intense way, but nothing like what hit me just now in the Toyota. No sense picking it apart. Inside Lora’s house, it had the look of a house with an eight-year-old living there. Everything was a little jumbled – neat but jumbled.
“Have a seat anywhere, John,” Lora called out from a bedroom at the end of the hallway on my left. “I’ll be right out.”
I walked in the living-room and shed my windbreaker. Sitting down on the sofa, I looked around the dimly lit room with a fireplace, flat-screen TV, and the usual furnishings. Alice’s plaques and trophies from school decorated the mantelpiece. They give kids trophies for walking upright nowadays to enhance their self-esteem. Most of the kids know it’s all a put-on. They seem to know instinctively if everyone gets a prize there’s not much special about it. I heard Lora walking down the hallway so I stood up to meet her.
Lora grinned nervously at me because I know my mouth had dropped open momentarily. She wore only a black chemise made of what looked like silk. It clung to her in elegant closeness from a little above her nipples to the bottom of where panties would be if she had any on. She didn’t. Two thin black straps held it in place from her shoulders. The black high heels Lora posed with for me brought the top of her head up to about my chin. When I didn’t move she glided to me and slipped my pullover up and off me.
“Holy hell!” Lora ran her hands over my multi-colored ribcage which actually was looking a lot better than a day ago. “Are… are you okay?”
“I’m fine. That guy in the bar got his licks in too.”
Lora undid my belt and opened my jeans. “Did you get damaged anywhere else? Should I be gentle with… oh my.”
I shed my jeans and underwear slowly after kicking off my shoes. With the clothing kicked aside, Lora started forward but I held her at arm’s length before brushing the straps of her chemise off shoulder so it drifted down into a pile at her feet. I drew her to me until only her nipples brushed against my chest. She moaned breathlessly, allowing me to meet her lips in a caress with our bodies merging only in touches of light ecstasy. I felt her shiver. The same roaring need raced through me as in the car but still I held her away, savoring her panting kisses while she writhed unsuccessfully to get nearer.
“Please…” Lora whispered against my lips.
Yep, I was in trouble.
* * *
The next couple months of my life I remained joined at the hip to Lora. I fell so fast and hard it felt like days. Myriad events such as guarding Samira Karim, terrorist cell arrests, Jafar’s facing a visiting Badee Karim with a marriage proposal for his daughter’s hand, and Lora taking over every aspect of my newly minted business and crew were a blur to me. The woman ordered us all around with such organizational preciseness even Tommy went through her when a question arose concerning a client or job.
Lora handled Denny like a grade-school kid, synching our business interests where they intersected with the government as if she had done a stint at the Pentagon rather than a congressional internship. Her polite, firm professionalism mixed with near clairvoyant situational foresight had Denny trying to steal her away from me after only a couple months dealing with her.
Because the alphabet soup agencies drifted in and out of our area while tying up loose ends in the ongoing terrorist roundup from the Chardin affair, I was forced with my other agency employees Lucas and Casey to act as liaisons with attitude. When a rough takedown was on tap we were called in as consultants. Lora kept me in the game without becoming involved in details not in her pay-grade. Unlike Tess she showed no interest whatsoever in anything other than the parameters of contacting me and coordinating where I had to be.
True to her word, Lora had found a small firm of three lawyers who jumped at the chance of a steady retainer handling our legal dealings in bond cases. Tess impressed me with her skill. Lora stunned me with her talent. Instinctively steering us after the first month under Tommy’s tutelage, she rarely needed to consult with us on what to take in or what to charge. Best of all she had a passion for her work.
Jafar and I made sure Alice was anywhere and everywhere she needed to be when Lora couldn’t be on hand. We were registered through the school to pick her up. The rest of my crew loved Lora. She kept them apprised of every aspect involving a client by updating their PDA’s like they were CEO’s instead of leg-breakers… I mean bond enforcement officers and bodyguards. They looked to her for everything after a month. She was irreplaceable after two.
Lora dived right into our extracurricular activity: backstreet fighting gigs. After a couple months training and healing I agreed to a match with an undefeated up-and-comer Bonasera and Alexander paid me the agreed on big money up front to fight. Lora insisted on being there to shadow Tommy, watching his every movement making bets and handling people. She enjoyed the hell out of it. As far as worrying about me, she adopted Tommy’s attitude of ‘if you can’t do anything about what someone does, kick back and enjoy it – and be ready if they get their head handed to them’. She also talked us into having the entourage I’d have when fighting in the UFC on hand so for the first time I had a corner crew of Tommy, Devon, Jesse, and Jafar.
I’d seen this guy fight before. His handler had him duck Rankin while building up an impressive record. He had beaten a lot of guys I’d beaten. Devon and Jesse didn’t know him. At six foot, four inches tall, and around three hundred pounds, Baatar Okoye hailed from Nigeria. Like Rankin, he had a big mouth and punched like a jackhammer. After showboating for the crowd over his last twelve fights he had become a fan favorite. Fans called him ‘The Big O’. The big money was on him again in spite of what I’d done to Rankin, which was why Bonasera and Alexander had managed to land the fight at a hefty profi
t. I was to be the key to Okoye making it to the UFC against Rankin instead of me. Apparently deference had been paid to Alexi Fiialkov to allow this to go on because I’d heard rumors Alexi was having second thoughts about Rankin fighting me. All I knew was Okoye hated ground and pound. Me too, but guess what was on tap in my mind for the fight – that’s right folks, ground and pound.
I’d been working on my ground game against Devon and Jesse. My improvement impressed them enough they actually thought I could take Rankin. Tommy watched with interest but still had his doubts. We were all having so much fun with the new business, Tommy began hinting maybe it was time to give up on my fight career. I didn’t think so and Denny definitely wanted the fights to go on. He nearly had all the alterations ready on the boat he supposedly gave to his goon squad: Lucas, Casey, and me. We’d heard talk of another UFC in the United Arab Emirates next May which would work out really well for Denny to launch his secret pirate war with us and our boat as bait. The UAE was very close to suspected pirate haunts.
Anyway, Baatar ran his mouth off before the fight while Jack Korlos checked us both out, saying I’d never fight again when he got done with me. The crowd and Tommy loved it. The crowd because it was fashionable to hate me, and Tommy because we were getting two to one odds in spite of my destroying Rankin. Lora followed Tommy around, getting introduced to the Oakland hierarchy attending our pickup fights. I didn’t take offense at my new agitator. He was either going to get his mouth shut or I’d be dead or unconscious.
When Jack gave us the go ahead, Big O came out blasting. He rocked my arms and shoulders pretty good before I launched one of my thigh kicks. If I catch you right with one of those roundhouse beauties the fight’s over. I nearly ended the Big O. His leg gave out. In a split second I smashed a forearm into his face when he went to a knee and followed him to the dirty mat in a full mount position. For the next five minutes, I introduced Big O to my elbows while varying my position from full mount to half guard and back again. We don’t have time limits. Big O’s stamina threatened to turn off the now very quiet crowd.
I let it seem like he nailed me in the side so I could let him escape. He lumbered to his feet wheezing like a freight train. He wasn’t talkin’ no more, saving his breath to throw punches. Tommy had screamed at me not to let him up but I wanted to hurt this punk. Did I claim none of those mean things the Big O said to me didn’t bother me – of course not. Tommy rightly feared me getting my bell rung but fighting wasn’t something I do, fighting’s what I am. The Big O landed a few good shots as I kept my head in the game plan I had worked out. When Big O grinned a little as he felt better about himself, I gave him another roundhouse shot right where I landed before.
He didn’t just go to a knee. Big O dropped like I’d used a lead pipe on his leg. I went with him. Before Jack stopped me I pounded Big O until I didn’t figure his own mama would know him for a few months. I heard Jack calling me off while tapping my shoulder. The red haze receded before he had to sap me. When I got off him, Big O was snorin’ and the crowd was booin’. Jack raised my arm.
The ending didn’t seem to make anyone happy but my corner crew. Tommy took Lora around with him in his casually elegant manner of collection. Bonasera and Alexander smartly stuck to business, avoiding the mistake of betting against me. With a corner crew, I cleaned up immediately, leaving Devon and Jesse to watch out for our collectors. Jafar knew the drill from Tommy, handing me first peroxide wet towels, then clean ones, and finally my clothes. We did it all that night. We made a bundle. We made enemies. We stepped solidly in line for a UFC slot with Rankin. The fight went up on YouTube and to the UFC. We were riding high. Then came Thanksgiving.
I’d never had an actual family so Thanksgiving when I was a kid consisted of my Pa getting wasted in front of the TV. When we had food it was usually canned goods and bread. As an adult Tommy asked me over many times for the holidays but I liked spending my holidays alone. This year with Lora, I’d already had a preview with Halloween. I escorted her and Alice around ‘Trick or Treating’. It was fun. I dressed up like Darth Vader and scared the hell out of the adults we passed without even doing my voice act. For Thanksgiving, however, Tess and her Mom flew out to spend the holidays with Lora and Alice. On top of that, Tess was married to a lawyer at the new firm she worked for. Needless to say, he came with her. Tess did not like me being in the equation at all. I picked them up at Oakland airport in the business’s new limo. That’s when I found out Lora hadn’t told Tess or her Mom we were together. Awkward now has new meaning for me.
Tess saw me get out of the limo and begin throwing their suitcases into the trunk from the curb pickup while Lora and Alice jumped out to hug the Boston visitors. The conversation did not go well.
Tess stepped around Lora and strutted up in my face with her new hubby looking on in confusion. “What the hell are you doing here, John? I’m married.”
“Congratulations, Tess. I-”
Lora rushed over to intervene, knowing I was just as confused as Tess’s husband. “John and I are together now. My new job I mentioned over the phone is at his business.”
I continued packing the limo while Tess and her Mom gave me looks usually reserved for serial killers. I quickly finished my curb service and held out a hand to the husband. He was a well dressed, handsome looking attorney around six feet tall with stylish blonde hair. I liked his smiling bemused look.
“Hi, I’m John Harding.”
“Ah…” Hubby looked at Tess and his Mother-in-Law for guidance but they were still shooting killer eye darts at me. He shook my hand finally. “I…I’m Cal Underwood.”
“Pleased to meet you. Help your ladies into the car and I’ll take you all to Lora’s house.”
I winked at the giggling Alice and ran around to get in the driver’s seat. There were some heated words exchanged I couldn’t quite make out but they all did get in so I had figured we’d at least be arriving at Lora’s house as a group. Alice insisted on sitting up next to me in spite of Grandma trying to persuade her otherwise. Lora attempted conversation as I drove out of the airport, but it didn’t go over well, so it was very quiet back there.
“Are you in trouble, John?” Alice had whispered over at me. “I thought Aunt Tess liked you.”
“I think your Mom may have saved me as a surprise and it was a little too much of a surprise for your Aunt Tess and Grandma,” I had whispered back. The separator had been pulled closed between the driver’s compartment and the back passenger area, but I didn’t want to take any chances of getting Alice in trouble. She rightly sensed something wrong with the adults.
“Will you still be coming over for Thanksgiving?”
That was only two days away and I didn’t think at the time it was possible. I wasn’t mad at Lora because I knew my future in-laws were all going back to Boston. Like I mentioned before, she kind of owned me in that I was hooked for the first time. I loved her and Alice. It didn’t seem like a big deal if the relatives were a little standoffish.
“I’m not sure, Al. It may not be such a good idea if your Mom can’t convince them what a great guy I am.”
Alice giggled. “I want you to come. You promised. I’ll make them understand.”
“My advice would be to let your Mom handle it. Maybe it won’t be so bad.” Then we reached Lora’s house. Boy, was I wrong.
I unloaded all the bags while Lora urged her guests inside. I let Alice take a small bag to help and Cal grabbed a couple on the way in. Minutes later, we were all standing in Lora’s living room listening to Alice fill her Grandma in on how her second grade year at school was doing. Grandma, who was an older, slightly heavier version of her daughters, alternated between smiles at Alice’s school update and frowns up at me. Tess could not wait any longer to launch at her sister.
“Are you insane? You know what Harding is. How could-”
“He’s a government employee, Marine Corps reservist, and a business owner,” Lora cut her off. “I needed a job and he pays me very we
ll. I love the work, and I’ll be getting my law degree soon. I’m already paying Mom back again.”
Tess’s face went from angry to apoplectic. “He’s a leg-breaker and a killer. I was kidnapped and taken hostage twice because of him!”
“Yet here you are, Sis, big mouth and all. It’s done. I’m with John. Alice loves him. I love him. Get over it.” Lora turned to her Mom because she had straightened from her talk with Alice and had a stunned look on her face topped off with mouth hanging open in disbelief. “Mom, I’m working doing what I’ve always wanted to do. I’ll be paying my debt off to you in no time. I didn’t get a chance to introduce you before. This is John Harding, my employer, and fiancé. John, this is my Mom, Marion Connagher.”
Lora held up her hand with the diamond engagement ring I’d given her. Oh… did I mention I had fallen hard and fast.
I stuck my hand out once again. “Pleased to meet you, Ms. Connagher.”
She shook my hand after only a moment’s hesitation. Some color came back to her face. The color never faded from Tess’s face. Tess looked about ready to explode. Cal kept silent, standing next to Tess with a neutral attentive look on his face. I could tell he was less than happy with the first few minutes of his visit. And yes, I did notice I’d been called a leg-breaker and a killer. Since I’d absorbed many more colorful epithets it didn’t really bother me. Tess could have catalogued the number of times I saved her life but no use beatin’ a dead horse. Grandma did admire the diamond ring.
I decided to break the ice. “Cal, would you like a drink?”
“Sure. Bourbon straight up if you have it.”
Tess didn’t like that at all. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Cal patted her shoulder. “Believe me. It really is.” He held his hand out to me. “Congratulations, John.”
Hard Case: Boxed Set Books 1,2 & 3 (John Harding Books) Page 24
