As she moved deeper into the station with Janie, guarded by the dark-haired cop who’d ushered them inside, she felt her phone vibrate in her jacket pocket. The only person she could think of was Colton, and how ardently she wished she had him to lean on when this was all through.
Sixteen
“Well lookie here.” Dave grinned at Colton from a high table in the sports bar. A baseball game blared on the TV in the corner. A waitress walked among the patrons, mostly men, taking orders.
Colton took a seat in the empty chair and set his phone on the sticky surface.
“Found your evening open, did you?” Dave asked. Noah and Ethan, another of their friends in BD, smirked before returning their attention to the game.
The waitress showed up immediately, showering Colton with smiles. She laid down a bar mat. “What can I get you?”
“Two two-dollar drafts.” Ethan raised his glass.
“In case you think hell has frozen over,” Noah said, glancing at Ethan, “he isn’t offering to pay. He’s as cheap as ever; he’s just turned a corner in sounding generous.”
Colton grinned. Ethan was one of the most generous people they knew…unless it was just the four of them getting drinks. Then Ethan liked to play a game of dodging the check. It was the most absurd thing.
“Yup.” Ethan winked at the bartender, followed by a slow smile. Teamed with his heavy-lidded bedroom eyes, the girls loved it. “I’d love another.”
“Sure. Of course.” She blushed furiously.
“Sierra Nevada, please.” Colton checked his phone, something that had become an obsessive habit.
Dave noticed.
“Still hasn’t called in the last few seconds, huh? What about the five seconds before that? Did she call then?” He raised his glass for the bartender. “Thanks, darlin’.”
Noah nodded when she asked him. When she was gone, he said, “Darlin’?”
Dave barked out laughter. “I had to hit a country bar the other night, and this one guy was picking up on this girl using darlin’. I tried it. Worked like a charm. The girl on my arm ate it up.”
“BD girl or normal girl?” Ethan asked. “There’s a difference. BD girls are expecting more. Hell, they’re paying for it; they should. Still, darlin’ might not work for a paying customer.”
“She was a paying customer, but a little bit country. I’ll try it on another client and report back.” Dave finished off his pint.
“Don’t bother. I’m not going to run around calling people darlin’.” Noah huffed.
“You will if it lets you coast.” Ethan slid his hand through the air. “I’m all about coasting.”
“Coasting screwed me with Madison,” Colton said without thinking. He dropped his hand away from his phone. “In case you care.”
“You’re really into that chick, huh?” The humor drained from Dave’s eyes. “Like, in in.”
“Not right now, he’s not.” Noah laughed. “He’s out out because he turned her down, then tried to go crawling back. Chew on it, bro.”
“The mighty Thunder is hoping lightning really does strike twice.” Ethan threw a big arm over the small overhang of his chair. For most people, that setup would’ve been awkward. Not for Ethan. He could make lounging work anywhere. Put him in a beach resort and he was the coolest dude in the place. He was the number one pick for beachside weddings and events.
“Stick with the wink. Poetry doesn’t suit you,” Dave said. Ethan smiled, unaffected.
“She’s cool, though,” Noah said as the waitress hurried over with their drinks. “Smart as hell.”
“You should all know that I had Dick take my name off.” Colton moved his phone so the lady could set down his beer. He clicked the home button. Nothing came up. “I said I was out, and I meant it. Totally done. Dick is emailing the ladies on the wait list to see if they want anyone else.”
“I got five requests in the last hour,” Dave said, not moving for his phone. “My price is going up. Supply and demand.”
“I’m in with that. I got seven in the last hour.” Ethan flashed that smile at the waitress. “What are you doing later tonight, by the by?”
“Um.” She bit her lip as she set Noah’s drink down.
“I’m not busy, if you want to hook up. Just let me know. You can give me a ride home.” Ethan settled his arms on the table and leaned toward her on both forearms, forcing her to put his beer between them, into his space. “I’m on your time, sweetheart.”
She giggled, her face as red as her shoes. “Here’s your…drink.” She shrugged, trying, and failing, to hide her delight.
“Thank you.” He watched her walk away, giving her his complete focus for a moment, then returned to lounging. “She is going to be grateful for my cock.”
Noah snorted into his beer and pulled back, choking with laughter. He beat on his chest with his fist. A smile crept up Ethan’s face.
Colton laughed, too, shaking his head. This was why he’d done the gigs for so long. The easy, fun, blasé feel of it, plus the joy of giving women the true orgasms they so rarely seemed to get in other hookups.
Madison’s words drifted into his mind. Calling him a god. Praising him.
“Yeah, I’m on the hook,” he admitted before taking a gulp of his beer. “That girl has got my head spinning.”
“She the reason why you’re getting out?” Ethan asked, throwing his arm over the chair again.
“No, but she’ll be the reason I stay out.” Colton glanced at his phone.
Dave caught his gaze. “Not if she doesn’t call, she won’t.”
“Why are you watching me so closely?” Colton demanded. “You into me, or what?”
“Whoa, bro, calm down.” Dave spread out his arms with a smile. “I’m just checking on my dude. You’re all broken down and mopey, in between bein’ all star-struck and pussy-whipped. I’m just enjoying the show.”
“You saw me with her one time. How am I pussy-whipped?”
“Hey, hey. Let’s dial it back a notch.” Dave kept his arms spread. “Not saying it’s a bad thing, just saying it is a thing, and you are doing that thing in between doing the mopey thing. Pay attention, son.”
“Lay off the crack, bro,” Noah said to Dave.
“Denied. I like me some crack. Anal can be a fun time.”
Noah rolled his eyes, while Ethan turned down his lips, nodding.
“She’s into it,” Colton said. “We’re off to a rocky start, but she’s into it. We just aren’t connecting yet.”
“You sound like Mr. Romance over there.” Dave hooked a thumb Noah’s way.
“Maybe she’s playing games,” Noah said.
Colton considered that as a cheer rose around them. He watched the players on the TV scramble for the baseball skidding across the outfield. “Nah. That’s not her style. She’s pretty upfront.”
“Didn’t give her a good enough pounding?” Ethan asked seriously.
Dave looked closer at Ethan. “How do you get repeat customers?”
“I know where the magic button is, that’s how.” Ethan picked up his beer. “And there are a lot of ways to push it.”
“True statement,” Noah muttered.
“She called me a god. She got more than she was looking for.” Colton glanced at his phone, then forced himself to look away. But really, he’d given her the green light, and no matter how many ways he thought of the time they’d spent together, he couldn’t find a reason why she wouldn’t be into it. She’d given him renewed confidence that afternoon.
So what the hell was going on?
“I’m stumped,” Dave said. “But I can’t pretend to understand how women think, just how they react. So…”
“So you are zero help,” Colton said.
“Yes, exactly. Zero. None at all. Good luck, man. I’m glad I’m not in your shoes.”
Colton’s phone rang, lit up, and vibrated all at the same time.
“Overkill much?” Noah asked.
Colton snatched his phone up
off the table. It was a text message from Dick instructing him to check his email, and to actually read it this time. Colton tapped into it and found a forwarded message from Dick. His heart swelled in relief as he scrolled through it. He felt the smile work up his face.
“She’s in,” he said, reading the email.
“Then why are you frowning?” Dave asked.
Colton leaned hard against the table. “Her friend got worked over by her boyfriend. They’re in the hospital.”
“Oh shit.” The humor drained from Dave’s face.
Ethan’s arm came back to the table. “Do you know the friend?”
“Barely.” Colton shook his head, not sure what to do. “They went to the police station to file charges, then the police insisted that the friend go to the hospital.”
“Did they get the guy?” Noah asked, his face screwed up in concern.
“They have a warrant out.”
“They’ll question him first, probably.” Noah paused for a moment, clearly thinking. “Hopefully she scratched him or fought back or something. If he shows signs of being in a struggle, they’ll probably arrest him on suspicion of assault.”
“How do you know all that?” Ethan asked.
“He doesn’t,” Dave said, still looking at Colton. “He watches enough crime shows to think he knows procedure.”
“More than you do,” Noah said.
“That sounds bad, Colton. You should show up to that.” Ethan gestured to the door. “You should go.”
“It’s not like it’s a party.” Dave turned his incredulous gaze on Ethan. “You can’t show up to something like that. You need to be invited.”
“You most certainly can show up to something like that.” Ethan continued to wave Colton toward the door. “You get flowers for the friend, because your chick will want you to take care of her friend. Then you offer comfort when comfort is desired. Picking the right moment is key, though, or she’ll be pissed. If that happens, patience, grasshopper. Your moment will come around again.”
“I hope I’m never in this situation.” Noah stared down at the table. “I would do something wrong.”
“You will be at some point.” Ethan sipped his beer. “The art to keeping a good woman happy is knowing three things: when to console, when to lend an ear without offering a solution to the problem, and when to hand off wine and chocolate while backing away slowly.”
“That last one will fix most things,” Dave said, and started laughing.
“What do I do?” Colton asked, clutching his phone. “I hardly know this girl and she didn’t invite me. She said she’d have to take care of her friend for the next few days and figure out how to help her. After that, she’d love to meet up.”
“That. There.” Ethan pointed at the phone. “‘Figure out how to help her.’ That is an invitation.”
Dave started nodding. “That’s a plea for help.”
“Or else we’re way off, and she is not going to be happy to see him.” Noah grimaced and looked down at his hands. The other guys tilted their heads.
“What does your gut tell you?” Ethan asked.
“I’m gone.” Colton hopped up from the chair.
“Wait, should he bring a friend?” Dave turned to Ethan with raised eyebrows. “You know, so it’s not so pushy?”
“Too much,” Noah said. Ethan nodded as Noah continued, “It would seem like you’re not taking the situation seriously. No, go yourself. Then, when you get back to her house or whatever, maybe call a friend to, like, help cook or clean or something. You would be revered, man.”
“Who wants that call?” Colton asked, stepping toward the door.
All the guys pointed at one another.
“What are you willing to pay?” Ethan asked, his arm back to its lounging position now that the crisis of decision making was over.
“I will not turn your illegal-as-shit company into the cops, how’s that?” Colton started to leave.
“Low blow, dude,” Ethan called.
“We could take him down—”
Colton didn’t hear the end of Noah’s sentence. He was already out the door.
Seventeen
“These pain meds are something special.” Janie lay on the hospital bed with her eyes closed. “I need to get out of here, though. The longer I stay, the more it’ll cost.”
“Don’t worry about that.” Madison sat in the visitor’s chair of the small room, looking at her friend’s bruised and puffy face. The doctor had said there’d be no lasting damage— nothing was broken, including her nose. Janie would get pain meds and salve and be sent on her way.
“You’re going to live with me, right?” Madison asked, because Janie being sent on her way was a recipe for trouble. She’d been with that asshole off and on for nearly three years. That was a long time to twist someone’s mind, as he’d clearly done.
“Yes, if that’s okay?” Janie sounded so vulnerable. It wasn’t like her.
Madison’s heart broke for the millionth time since picking her friend up. “Obviously. I have two rooms, one me, and no bartender. I need you.”
A smile curved Janie’s lips.
“But, like, stay living with me,” Madison said hesitantly. “That ass Atticus will probably do time, but it’s between one and twenty-five years. Before the hearing, he can post bail. If he does post bail, he’ll be back, especially if he doesn’t get a heavy sentence. Guys like him are crazy. They don’t know how to take no for an answer.”
“He’s really handsome. He’ll find someone else, easy enough.”
“He already could have, but he kept with you.”
Janie let her hands flop down. “He’s going to be so pissed,” she said in a small voice. “I can’t go back, because he’ll drink, and the next time it’ll be worse. I know that. The logic in me says to steer clear.”
“Hasn’t it always?”
“No. It has said probably a terrible idea, but then he’d be all handsome and lovely for a while and I’d forget. When he was good, he could be really good.”
“Let’s hire you one of those Big Dick guys for a few days to break the spell.”
“I need a break from guys.”
“These aren’t guys, they are employees. Good sex, they say all the right things, they take you where you want, and they are super hot. Think of them as sex robots that you can turn off or send home whenever you want. This is a winning idea. I’ll sponsor your trip into male prostitution.”
The nurse froze in the doorway, her eyes wide.
“No! That didn’t mean what it sounded like I meant.” Madison held up her hands.
The nurse started forward again, the movements of a person obviously trying to ignore the insanity going on around her.
“Let’s sleep on it. Get it?” Janie grinned at the nurse. She pointed at her face. “This doesn’t hurt. So the pain meds are working.”
A knock at the door brought Madison’s eyes up. She figured it would be the doctor with the discharge papers. What she saw instead sent joy sizzling through her body.
Colton stood in the doorway with a blank expression. He held a cute little teddy bear and a huge flower arrangement, and his gaze was rooted to Janie.
“That was quick work, Madison,” Janie said. “But I’m afraid I’m not ready for my tour into the male prostitution ring just yet.”
The nurse tensed, her movements more careful now, and not because she was worried about hurting Janie while fixing the bandages. She’d obviously been warned not to make erratic movements around crazy people.
“What are you doing here?” Madison asked with a rush of relief. She couldn’t think of anyone else she’d rather see.
“Hey, baby,” he said in a casual way that made Madison’s heart flutter. Sorrow and anger glimmered in the depths of his beautiful blue eyes. “I thought you girls might need some help. Or company. I brought an entrance fee.”
He eased around the nurse so he could set the flowers and bear on the bedside table for Janie. Madison’s hea
rt leaped into her throat, and she felt the sting of tears.
The nurse glanced up at him as he pushed past her, then started and straightened, getting an eyeful of his large chest before staring up into his handsome face. “Excuse me,” she said breathily, clearly awestruck.
“Don’t think it’s such a bad idea now, do you?” Janie asked with a lopsided grin, half of her fat lip not complying.
“I see your humor is still intact.” Colton laid his hand on the top of Janie’s head, his focus intent. “I’m so sorry this happened to you. You don’t deserve to be treated like this. Not by anyone.”
Janie’s face closed down. Her split lip trembled and her eyes squeezed shut as she broke down in sobs.
“Excuse us,” Colton said to the nurse, laying a hand on her shoulder to get her to move. He took her place and sat on the bed before leaning over and scooping Janie into his arms. “Shhh, shhh, shhh,” he said in a rhythmic way as he rocked her, almost like cooing a baby to sleep. “I know it hurts. It’s okay to feel that way. Pain makes us stronger. It makes us realize that we are in the fight of our lives. When you win that fight, Janie—and you will—you’re going to appreciate yourself and your life even more.”
Janie’s shaky, scraped hands clutched his back. Holding on for dear life.
Tears dripped down Madison’s face, because hearing that from a man, especially a big, intimidating man like Colton, was exactly what Janie needed. He knew just what to say and do, and there was nothing on the planet that could’ve endeared him to her more at this moment.
He rocked Janie for a while longer, rubbing her back, and then finally leaned back.
She gave him a watery smile. “Thanks. Do you have a brother?”
Colton smiled back and squeezed her shoulder before getting up. “Only a married sister, I’m afraid.”
“Oh sure, kill a girl’s dreams.” Janie dabbed her face and took a shaky breath. “Ordinarily, I would be extremely angry that Madison had invited a stranger to hang with us at a time like this, but…forgiven. Clearly.”
Thunder (Big D Escort Service Book 1) Page 15
