I backed my way out of the parking space and over to the abandoned building. I pulled the card out of my pocket and glanced down at it enough to catch her first name. Hayley. A pretty name for a pretty girl. I grinned as I slipped the card back into my pocket and leaned against the handlebars of my bike. I watched Hayley’s lights come on as she backed out of her parking space, then her eyes flickered to the side-view mirror.
Our eyes connected, and I felt a rush of electricity set fire in my veins.
I liked her. Despite how scared she seemed when I pulled us over, she snapped out of it and held her own. Her sense of humor wasn’t too bad, either. Standing on her own like that, though? Against someone she initially perceived as a threat? That was hot. That took strength. Gumption. An independence that rocked me to my core. I loved women like that. Thick, luscious women who stood on their own two feet. Most of the women I’d sunk my teeth into were clingy as fuck. Insecure about their bodies and looking for someone to validate them.
Hayley certainly didn’t need any of that pathetic shit.
I slipped my hand back into my pocket and peeked at the card again. San Diego Zoo. Her card was for some sort of a job at the damn zoo up the road. I chuckled and shook my head as I slipped the card back into my pocket. Holy hell, those were some lucky animals. I bet they drooled over her thick parts just as much as I was in that moment.
I sat there, watching her pull out into traffic before I cranked up my bike.
Hayley was sexy. I’d give her that. But she was reckless. And fuck only knew I didn’t need to be attaching myself to another reckless person. The only reason I fucked those other women was because they made me feel grounded. Rooted in the present. And with the way Hayley drove off like that without a second thought made me wonder what other kinds of shit she’d gotten herself into over the course of her life.
But holding the police over my head like that? It meant she read me well. On the spot. Like I did everyone else.
It was a weird feeling, but a refreshing one. Knowing I couldn't easily hide from a woman like that.
I rode back out into the road and turned around. Finally, maybe I could get back to my place. I cruised along, leaning back against the leather seat of my bike as my mind wandered. I imagined what it would feel like, pressing my face into that prominent cleavage of hers. What it might taste like to wrap those thighs around my face and feast on her drippings. My cock ached against my jeans as I rode across town, blazing through yellow lights and skirting around red ones. I was ready to get home. Ready to get behind closed doors.
Ready to wrap my hand around my dick and relieve some of this pressure.
The smell of the swamp welcomed me home. It wasn’t a massive odor. Faint enough to get used to, but strong enough to smack someone in the face the first time around. I smiled as I pulled into my apartment complex, all but abandoned. Even though there were seven buildings on the property, I was the only person that occupied an apartment in the building I was in. The smell drove most away, and the developers in the area had ditched trying to bring this part of San Diego into the twenty-first century. It was why I kept re-upping my lease, despite the confusion I got from the front office every time I did so.
I had luxury amenities, and I had privacy.
What more could a man like myself want?
I hauled my groceries upstairs and shoved my shoulder into my front door. I closed it and locked it, then dropped everything and slid my leather coat off my shoulders. I hung it up on the rack by the door. I kicked off my boots and curled my toes into the cherry mahogany hardwood floors. I shoved all the groceries into the refrigerator, figuring they couldn't get anymore beat up than they actually were. The smell of the swamp outside gave way to the fresh cotton smell I had going on in my apartment.
I had ways of getting around the smell that seeped in whenever I opened the door.
I had candles I lit from time to time and those scented things plugged into every outlet in my damn place. I kept a massive box of those damn things in my closet to change out whenever I needed to. I kept the windows closed and trimmed the edges with caulk. So, the only source of the smell outside was whenever I opened my front door.
Because I damn sure didn’t go out onto the balcony.
I made my way through the spacious living room and into my bedroom. It was down a small hallway and opened up into a wonderful expanse. I had a floor-to-ceiling window’d view of the swamp outside. All the trees and the greenery that came with the soggy bottom of the world just outside my apartment complex. It greeted me every morning and I always smiled at it. I smiled at the dirty, dingy bullshit that somehow seemed beautiful in the morning sunlight.
It reminded me that even someone as raunchy as myself could be handsome in the right light.
I stripped myself of my clothes and tossed them into the hamper. I walked into my bathroom and flicked on the light. It was my favorite fucking room in my place. Mostly because it held many of the luxury amenities I’d always sought out in a bathroom. A walk-in shower fit for four. A jetted bathtub that comfortably held even my massive form. Misters in the damn shower that essentially gave me a wet sauna and beautiful smooth rock flooring that didn’t soak up the damn water and make it smell musty.
I loved this damn bathroom.
I started my routine with Hayley on my mind. I turned on the hot water as hot as I could stand it and promptly turned on the misters. I stepped into the steam as it began to build and shut myself off from the rest of the world. I grabbed the deep conditioner my sister, Ella, was always pawning off on me. Said it would help with the integrity of my hair, whatever that shit meant. I sure as hell didn’t tell the guys about it. They’d ream me in my asshole for it until the end of days. But I had to admit, it made my hair feel and smell great.
I got many compliments from women as they clung to my hair while my tongue explored their pussy lips.
I slipped the conditioner into my hair and stood in the misters. I counted down the seconds to myself, one by one. Counting always centered me. Always made me feel in tune with the world ticking by. And I needed to keep myself centered, because a storm was coming. One that would knock me and my entire crew off my feet if I couldn't keep my head on my shoulders tight enough.
My focus was important more than ever now.
I turned off the misters and turned on the waterfall shower head. The damn thing rained down onto me, spanning the length of the shower. So much water wasted, and yet it was fabulous. Made me feel like I was in a damn rainforest or something. Maybe I’d retire there someday. Not the actual rainforest, but in the wilderness somewhere. A cabin. Maybe in the backwoods of Alaska. Enjoying the snow and hunting for my meat and keeping my knife skills alive by skinning them down and using every last bit of their fur, meat, and bone to my liking.
I grinned. That sounded like the perfect life. Quiet. With views to die for and more meat to stuff my face with than I could ever imagine.
“Maybe one day,” I murmured.
I shampooed the deep conditioner out of my hair and washed my body. I relished the feel of the hot water battering my skin. I washed myself down with soap until not even the blood of my phantom enemies bothered me. Then, I turned off the water and grabbed a towel.
Just in time to hear my fucking phone ringing in my bedroom.
“This better be important,” I grumbled.
Wrapping my towel around my waist, I went in search of my phone. The smell of fresh cotton wafted underneath my nostrils as I dug around in my pants’ pockets for it. I pulled it out and saw Notch was calling, and a switch immediately flipped in my mind.
Time for business.
“Yep?” I asked.
“Hey, Stone. Just calling to let you know everything’s on track for delivery,” Notch said.
“Good. What’s the plan?”
“They’re coming in just before sunrise and taking the Plan D route.”
“You said before sunrise?”
“Yeah, boss.”
The hairs on the back of my neck prickled. The guys and I had a code when it came to talking about shipments. And depending on the time of the day referenced, that communicated to me how much trouble someone had gone to in order to get the delivery scheduled. “Noon” meant “on time,” “evening” meant “later,” “morning” meant “two hours earlier,” but “before sunrise?”
That meant Notch had to completely reconfigure the route. Because we didn’t have a fucking Plan D pathway.
“You did good. Let me know once everything had landed. I’ll handle things with homeboy and his boss from now on. You route all calls to me. Got it?” I asked.
“The meeting went that well?” Notch asked.
“About as well as we could have hoped.”
“Shit,” he hissed.
“Talk to you soon.”
“Yeah, boss.”
“And Notch?”
“Hmm?”
“Try to treat your girl tonight with at least a little decency? I’m tired of your escapades wandering up on our doorstep and slapping you in the face on club territory,” I said.
“You’re just now getting around to saying that? It happened over a week ago,” he said.
“I’ve been a little busy, asswipe.”
“They don’t call me ‘Notch’ for nothing,” he said, chuckling.
“Doesn’t mean you gotta piss ‘em off. We at least respect women and children. Got it? Plus, if you keep pissin’ em off, they’ll talk. And there won’t be anymore notches for you on that bedpost. Which is probably whittled down to sticks by now.”
“Almost. Not quite.”
I rolled my eyes. “Respect, Notch. Don’t make me tell you again.”
“Yeah, yeah. I got it, boss. We’ll talk soon.”
“Yep.”
I hung up the phone and tossed it onto my bed. My king-sized, four-poster bed. I loved that damn thing. It was single-handedly the most expensive piece of furniture in my place. And it was worth every penny I put into it. As I sat on the edge of it, I put my head in my hands. I didn’t like the way Harry brought goons with guns to our meeting. That was a first. It had always been me and him. Always. Eating, shooting the shit, and talking business.
I wanted to keep an eye on shit personally. Not anyone else.
After all, this was my fault the crew had gotten themselves into this shit in the first place.
I looked over at the clock. Four in the afternoon. Fucking hell, I had at least twenty-four hours before I’d hear from Notch. I knew I’d get an encrypted email at some point in time telling me exactly what the fuck was going on with this route. But until then, I needed to bide my time. I needed a distraction. Something to keep my mind occupied so I didn’t drive myself mad with anticipation.
Then, my eyes gravitated over to my bedroom door. They pierced through the living room and fell upon my leather jacket. And that damn card Hayley had given me stuck out.
“I know exactly the distraction I need,” I said, grinning.
And I had a feeling she was expecting me to call, anyway.
Ten
Hayley
“Hayley Woolf?”
I turned around at the sound of my name and smiled at the woman headed my way. I sighed with relief as she approached me with a smile on her face. I recognized her from my interview. She was the head of the zoo and a descendent of the family that set up the zoo. And I’d made it to my first day of work only by the skin of my teeth. That accident with the biker and how he enjoyed toying around with people almost made me late for my first damn day at work. Sure, it wasn’t the smartest decision to move into a new place on the same day as my first day of work. But I was working in the afternoons for my training. So, what was the rush?
I wasn’t in any hurry to keep myself company in an empty apartment or anything.
“Sarah Lockley. It’s so nice to see you again,” I said.
I shook her hand with fervor before I drew in a deep breath.
“You have no idea how overjoyed I was that you ended up taking the position. I have to admit in your interview I wasn’t sure if you wanted the task.”
“No, no, no. Please don’t mistake my silent shock for uninterest. When I applied for the position, I already knew what came with the job. Studying the animals within the zoo habitats. Making sure they stayed mentally and physically fit. Scheduling their meals. I just didn’t know I’d be interacting with them personally.”
“Is that something you’re up for?” she asked.
I smiled brightly. “It’s the only part of my job here I’d never change.”
“Well, then let’s get you settled into your office, Miss Woolf.”
I paused. “Wait, I have an office?”
Sarah laughed with me as she escorted me onto the premises. A golf cart pulled up and we got in, then took some back roads away from all the exhibits. I craned my neck to see the animals as best as I could. Then, the trees planted on the property blocked my view as we headed back toward the more technical side of zoo life.
“So, you are one of four zoologists employed on the premises. We do one for each section of the zoo. It’s a lot of work, but the animals you will be overseeing in the African exhibit are more active during the day. Which means you might find it to be a better use of your time to utilize your office in the mornings so—”
“—I can get exposure with the animals,” I said, finishing her statement.
“Exactly. And since you stated your two favorite animals were giraffes and elephants, we figured the African exhibit would suit you perfectly.”
I practically squirmed around in my chair as the golf cart came to a stop. Sarah quickly showed me to my office, which already had my name on a plaque on the door. She threw it open and I took a look at the plain space. There were some empty bookshelves and a dusty desk. A new computer sitting there along with a monitor. A couple of sitting chairs sat in front of the desk and a worn faux-leather work chair slid up to the desk itself.
“It’s not much, but zoologists usually don’t make it a habit of staying in their offices,” Sarah said.
I slowly walked into the space. I loved it. I loved the windows that lined the back of the office. They gazed out over the bird exhibit and could hear them calling out to one another. Singing in their beautiful languages and calling out for mates. I smiled as I stood there, basking in the sunlight on my face.
Nothing could get any better than this.
“For your first two weeks, you’ll be working the zoo from one until nine. The first three hours of your shift will be getting to know the animals and getting a flow for the foot traffic we have around here. Then, the last hours of your shift will be shut down to the public so you can familiarize yourself with everything else. After two weeks, you’ll go to a regular schedule. Eight to four, like the other three zoologists,” Sarah said.
“Thank you so much for this opportunity,” I said, turning around.
“Thank you for taking the job. You were very much qualified for it. Welcome to the team, Hayley. I’ll let you get a feel for your desk and things like that. Then, I’ll be back in about an hour and I can take you to my favorite eating spot on the entire grounds.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“Um, just one question,” she said.
“Mhm?” I asked.
“What happened to your head?” she asked, pointing.
“Oh, this. I uh, tripping over moving boxes. I swear, I can’t get them unpacked fast enough.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice. It took me two weeks to unpack when I moved into the place I’m in now. Broke both of my pinky toes twice against boxes before I got them all put away.”
“Holy sh—yikes,” I said, correcting myself.
Sarah laughed. “Just don’t let the guests at the zoo hear it.”
“Duly noted.”
Sarah closed the door and I puffed my cheeks out. My eyes fell back to my desk as my mind roamed over my day. After my encounter with the man on the
bike, I had to rush home and get ready. I had to clean myself up as quickly as I could so that I looked presentable for my first day of work.
“Talk about a whirlwind day,” I murmured to myself.
I reached into my large purse, thankful that I had packed up a few things to put in my office. I pulled out a small package of wipes and began dusting the place down. I wiped off the desk and the bookshelves, readying them for the textbooks I’d kept throughout college. The books I had purchased on my own to learn more about the animals I loved so much. I pulled out a picture of myself and my father, setting it on my desk. I wiped down the computer and pulled out a few more trinkets to decorate my workspace.
Specifically, a giraffe and an elephant.
I loved them. They were big and strong. Burly, and they didn’t take shit from anyone. They were animals that dwarfed me but held a great deal of respect for the other animals around them. They were never fighters unless they had to be, and they held an intensity in their eyes that made me feel kindred to them.
Kind of like the man on the bike.
I sighed as I sat down in the worn leather chair. It hissed with air as the cushions deflated underneath me, but I didn’t care. I pulled out my cell phone, wondering if I had any missed calls.
Disappointment rushed through me when I didn’t see anything.
I booted up my computer and tried to familiarize myself with the system the zoo used. I wrote down my schedule for the next two weeks on a pad with a pen I found stuffed in the desk. I folded it up and stuffed it into my bra, so that when I got home and undressed, I could tack it up somewhere. Not that I’d ever forget it. Not with how anxious I was to learn the ropes and really dig into working with these animals.
But every little reminder helped for when I got distracted.
The more I focused on work, the more his face bombarded my mind. Those rugged features. Those piercing green eyes. That disheveled brown hair on top of his head. The man was a tank. Thick with muscle and brimming with height. I hadn’t been able to take my eyes off him in that parking lot, and I was having a hard time focusing on my new damn job because of him.
Stone: The Lost Boys MC #2 Page 6
