Moments In Time: A Collection of Short Fiction

by Alexander, Dominic K.

  The Hellions Ride Series

  One Ride: Haywood’s Hellions MC

  One Night Away

  by Nicole Jacquelyn

  After chasing her kids around the house all day, a stay-at-home mom goes out for a much-needed night on the town and encounters a sexy man.

  I sat at the vanity in my room, tapping one foot and watching quietly while my best friend teased the top of my freshly bleached hair. When she dropped the comb on the vanity and took a step back to view her progress, I shook my head at her with a small grin.

  “It needs to be bigger. It’s not tall enough,” I told her, dropping the concealer brush I’d been working with to put the comb back in her hand. “Use more hair spray and start at the front again—work your way back.”

  Kate looked at me in astonishment, the comb teetering on the edge of her fingers. “You’re joking, right? You look like freaking Medusa already!”

  Glancing back at the mirror, I could see her point. The bottom half of my shoulder-length hair lay flat against my neck, but the top half was sticking up at least two inches from my scalp as if I’d been electrocuted. I knew from experience that it wasn’t tall enough, though; it needed to be bigger.

  “Trust me,” I said as I peered into the mirror, tentatively pulling at a few strands. “When I smooth it, it’ll be half as tall as it is now. Plus it won’t be sticking up all wonky. Just start at the front again and add to it,” I told her with a nod, picking up my makeup brush again.

  I would usually rat my hair myself, but I was in a time crunch. I hadn’t known I was going out until I’d gotten the phone call that morning. The news had put me into a panic as I’d chased my boys around all day, trying to get the house cleaned up. Once I picked up my daughter from school that afternoon and got all three kids situated with a movie in the living room, I’d raced to bleach my dark roots and take a long shower. I’d needed to shave everywhere and since I hadn’t done it in a while, it took a hell of a lot of time. By the time Kate had arrived after work, my hair was dry and I was in my underwear and a huge T-shirt cleaning a green marker “beard” off my oldest son’s face.

  “Your favorite aunt is here!” Kate had called as she’d burst through the front door, causing the kids to squeal and my tension to rise. I was already so stressed out I was shaking, and the kids going crazy was making it exponentially worse.

  “Yikes, your mama isn’t even dressed!” she’d told Gavin as she’d swung him onto her hip. “Have you been going wild today?”

  He had giggled at the face she was making and had laid his head on her shoulder, all innocence. Ha. Little faker.

  “I swear to God, Kate,” I’d hissed quietly in exasperation, pushing Keller toward the couch. “It’s like they know the exact day that I can’t take any extra shit, and they insist on acting like wild animals!”

  She had laughed loudly and kissed Gavin on the cheek, setting him next to Keller on the couch. “Come on, lady, let’s get you ready.”

  After a quick search of the living room to make sure all offending markers were stored on top of the refrigerator, we had headed upstairs to my bedroom so I could finish getting ready. It had been months since I’d needed to get gussied up, and it felt good to get out of the yoga pants and flip-flops that seemed to be my daily uniform.

  “Thanks again for watching the kids tonight. I owe you one.” I sighed gratefully, swiping blush over the apples of my cheeks.

  “Eh, no biggie,” Kate said. “The last time you asked was months ago, and it’s not like I wouldn’t have been here hanging out anyway. Where are you going tonight?” She frowned as she concentrated on getting my hair to maximum volume.

  “Same place as last time. I’ll be home in the morning, but call if you need anything. I know you take this babysitting thing seriously, but you don’t have to take one for the team if one of my kids pukes again.”

  The last time she’d had the kids overnight, they’d picked up some sort of bug, and Keller had puked all over his bed. I hadn’t even known about it until I’d gotten home the next morning, and I’d felt like shit about it for weeks afterward.

  “Puhlease, girly. I’m their aunt. I can clean up a little vomit. And Kell was fine with me. Once he got it out, he went right back to normal.” She continued working on my hair as she spoke, pausing only to wave the comb in emphasis. “You need this. You’re their parent all the time. You need a little time to just be you.”

  By the time she’d finished talking, she was done with my hair and grabbing her phone from where it lay on the bed. “Ta-da! All done. Now let me take a quick picture before you fix it. You look like a goddamn lunatic. I need to document this . . .”

  Kate left me to check on the kids and within seconds, my six-year-old daughter, Sage, flew up the stairs and into my room. She loved helping me get ready and watched avidly from my bed, chattering the whole time and running my blush brush over her entire face as I put the final touches on my hair.

  I’d put large curls in the bottom half, pulling back the sides in loose twists that met at the back of my head underneath the large bouffant Kate had helped me with. My eyes were smoky, with precise liquid eyeliner and massive amounts of mascara, and my lips were painted ruby red with shiny gloss. Once I’d changed my piercings from the clear spacers I wore on a daily basis, I had a noticeable Monroe piercing on my upper lip, a small silver septum ring, and tiny gauged earrings that showed a clear hole through the middle and were surrounded with diamonds. The whole effect left me looking like a rock ’n roll forties pinup, and I knew if any of the PTA moms could see me then, they’d probably swallow their tongues.

  “You look pretty, Mama!” Sage squealed from the bed, amazed as always in the difference in my appearance. “I like your lipstick. Can I have some?”

  “Thanks, baby doll,” I told her with a smile, reaching into my makeup case for some red lipstick. “Let’s see those lips.”

  I dabbed some lipstick on her tiny lips, showing her how to rub her lips together until it was all smoothed in. I hated seeing makeup on Sage; it reminded me of those little beauty queens on TV whose parents dressed them like hookers. Yuck. But I let her wear it anyway—she was the only one of the kids who knew where I was going that night, and I didn’t have the heart to tell her no about something so small. Pretty soon she was going to realize that she had carte blanche on the nights I left, and there would be absolutely no controlling her. I was such a pushover.

  “Now go on down to Aunt Katie and I’ll be there in a minute. I need to finish getting ready,” I told Sage, running my hand down her dark hair and swatting her lightly on the bottom as she skipped to the door.

  Once she was out of the room, I locked the door and went over to my dresser to find what I needed for the next phase of preparation. Sage definitely didn’t need to see me dressing up in expensive, sexy lingerie; it would probably scar her for life. I grabbed my white lace bra, thong, and garter set, and a pair of nude-colored thigh-high fishnet stockings out of a drawer and proceeded to change into them piece by piece. It wasn’t like I needed nylons, my legs were tan from the southern California sun, but I had to use them if I wanted to get the look I was hoping for. Once everything was on, I stepped into my red and white pumps that were lying outside my closet and walked over to my full-length mirror.

  The scars on my belly from three pregnancies were partially covered by the high-waist garter belt, and my legs looked a mile long in the fishnets and heels. With the hair and makeup, I looked like I could pose for the cover of . . . well, maybe not Playboy, but one of the less exacting porn magazines. I twisted from side to side, checking myself out until I knew that everything fit just the way I’d hoped. I looked damn good.

  I stepped out of my shoes and pulled the dress I was going to wear out of my closet, threading my legs through the neckline, and carefully pulling the stretchy fabric up my body until I could reach my arms into the sleeves. Once it was situated, I put the shoes back on and stepped up to the mirror again. It gave me a little
rush to see myself the way I used to be before makeup began to take a backseat to housework and kids. I used to pride myself on never leaving the house without looking my best, but once Keller was born and I had two babies at home, I was lucky if I didn’t forget to put on normal shoes before I walked out the door. I don’t know how many times I’d arrived at Sage’s school to find that I’d worn my slippers out of the house again.

  The dress I was wearing was a deep red and it fit my body like a glove, which made me thankful for the high waist on the garter belt. It wasn’t short, just a few inches above my knees, but the snug way it fit my body made it seem a lot skimpier than it actually was. The sweetheart neckline gave the girls some maximum cleavage display, and the back dipped all the way to just above my bra strap. It was perfect.

  My stomach felt like it was filled with a thousand little butterflies as I got ready to leave the house a few minutes later. Not only was I nervous, but I felt like the worst mother ever for leaving the kids at home. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Kate—she’d kept them overnight six times before. But every time I left them for the night, I wondered if I was doing the right thing.

  “Go!” Kate called from the couch while the kids grabbed a hold of my legs, leaning over each other for their hugs and kisses. “Seriously, it’s not a big deal. They’ll see you in the morning. It’s like sixteen hours. They’ll be fine.”

  “I know,” I told her as I kissed Gavin. The kid was still giving those sloppy openmouthed things, and I was glad I had tissues and lip gloss in my purse as he tasted the cherry-flavored gloss, then tried to suck more off my mouth. “I’m just not sure I’m doing the right—”

  “No,” she cut me off, shaking her head and getting off the couch to pry Gavin away. “We’ve talked about this a million times. They’ll see you in the morning.” She gave me a little shove toward the front door. “Tell your mom good-bye, guys. I brought stuff to make pizza. Who wants to help?”

  I took a deep breath as I turned and left the house, leaving the kids arguing about who was putting what on their pizzas. God, I was thankful for my best friend. I don’t know what I would have done if I’d been all by myself with three kids and no family anywhere close.

  I’d been living in San Diego for two years when Kate got out of college and moved down from our hometown outside Seattle. Sage was just a year old, and I’d been at my wit’s end having no family around. I didn’t know anyone well enough to babysit her, and I hadn’t made any close friends being a stay-at-home mom.

  I couldn’t really complain; we’d had everything we needed, but I’d been unbearably lonely living so far away from home. When Kate moved close, it was like my entire world had changed. I’d finally been able to go out once in a while, and I’d had someone to call when Sage was sick and I was freaking out. But most importantly, when I’d been tired after a day with a cranky toddler, feeling utterly alone and miserable, I’d had someone who would drive to my house with a tub of ice cream and a scary movie to keep me company.

  Changing gears from Mommy to just plain Rachel was always the hardest part of these nights. For one night only, about twice a year, I got to be a woman with no responsibilities. It was freeing, but it also left me feeling like I was missing something. Like I’d forgotten to turn off the stove, or I’d left a candle burning. There was always a little something niggling at the back of my mind the entire time I was gone, and more than once I’d look at the car seats in the backseat and—just for a second—panic that I’d forgotten the kids somewhere.

  It was ridiculous. I knew that Sage, Keller, and Gavin were safe, but a part of me still hated to leave them. I’d thought it would start to feel routine—leaving the kids overnight to head to a hotel bar downtown—but even though this was the seventh time I’d done it, I still felt a nervous energy running beneath my skin.

  When I pulled up to the hotel it was a few minutes before six o’clock, so I quickly hurried to the bathroom off the bar to make sure my makeup and hair were exactly the way I wanted them. I carefully added another layer of gloss on my lips, smiling at the thought of Gavin when I left him—red smeared across his cheeks and surrounding his little mouth. It wouldn’t be too long before kissing his mama would be the absolute last thing on his to-do list, and I was dreading the day when that happened. I shook my head, trying to dislodge the lump forming in my throat. They were fine, it was silly for me to feel so guilty for just one night!

  I stepped out of the bathroom, smoothing my dress over my hips as I glanced around the hotel bar. There were only a few other people scattered around the room, and none of them were paying me any attention. Six o’clock was pretty early for the bar crowd to start showing up, but I wasn’t worried.

  I sat down on one of the little stools provided and ordered a dirty Red Bull and Jägermeister. There was something about the black-licorice-and-energy-drink flavor that made me feel young and careless when I drank it. At home, I rarely drank any kind of alcohol except for the occasional beer, but on my one night away, I didn’t have to be worried about staying sober in case of an emergency. I could get as drunk as I wanted, and I planned on having a buzz within half an hour.

  Strung as tight as a violin string, I was fidgeting with the straw in my drink when I felt someone brush against my back before sliding into the seat next to me. I glanced at the clock above the bar, noting it was a little after six, and took a deep breath before turning to brush off the man who was sitting much too close to my side. When I finally turned and met his eyes, I smiled.

  I wouldn’t be brushing him off.

  Eyes so dark brown they were almost black stared straight into mine with an intensity that made my breath catch in my throat. He had thick, dark brows, a prominent jaw and cheekbones, and his nose was just this side of being too big for his face. You’d think the various strong features would make his face seem unattractive, they all seemed to come together into the most gorgeous man I’d ever laid eyes on. His hair was short on the sides, but longer on top and brushed toward the center in a faux hawk that should have seemed ridiculous on someone his age, but somehow it worked for him.

  I couldn’t look away. When I seemed dumbstruck, his mouth edged up on one side and he reached behind me to rest his hand on the back of my barstool as he leaned toward me.

  “What’s a beautiful girl like you doing sitting alone in an empty bar?” he asked quietly.

  The spell was broken, and I laughed in a short chirp of surprise. “Really? That’s your pickup line?” I asked, raising one eyebrow in question. I leaned forward to take a sip of my drink, my gaze never leaving his face.

  God, he wasn’t just attractive, he also smelled really good. He wasn’t wearing some expensive cologne, more like Lever 2000, but whatever it was had me slowly and deeply inhaling through my nose.

  “Yeah, pretty bad, huh?” He smiled at me before raising his hand to catch the bartender’s attention and then ordered a beer.

  “Well, it could have been worse,” I said teasingly, the nervous flutters in my belly calming a little as I watched him take a sip of his beer. The motions were so familiar to me—the slow tip of the bottle raised with just the end of his fingers, the way his tongue just barely ran across his bottom lip before he swallowed. It was like he was putting on an erotic show just for me, but he had no idea he was doing it.

  I wasn’t sure how he wanted the night to play out, so I just sat back against his hand and waited for him to speak again. He seemed to be content, his serious eyes searching out each of the features on my face, so I sat quietly, letting him do it. I knew what the end game would be. I could wait.

  “I wanna ask if you come here a lot, but I won’t,” he said, laughing quietly and running his fingers across my bare back. “Fuck, you’re gorgeous.”

  It was the second time he’d said something about my looks. I knew I looked hot tonight, but it still made me blush that he kept repeating it. Why the hell was I blushing? The longer I fought my blush, the worse it got, until I felt like a complete idiot. />
  I quickly jumped in to change the subject. “That’s a nice tan line you’ve got going there,” I told him, lightly touching the faint line on his temple where his sunglasses must have rested.

  “Yeah,” he replied offhandedly. “I was working out of the country for a bit. Pretty sunny where I was at.”

  “Sunnier than California? What do you do?” I asked him from under my lashes, trying not to shudder as his fingers traced the line of my spine.

  “Nothing exciting.” He brushed off my question with a small shake of his head. “I’d rather hear about you.”

  “If your job isn’t exciting and you get to travel the world, then mine would put you to sleep,” I told him with a smile. “I’m a stay-at-home mom with three kids. The most exciting thing I do is take out the garbage when it’s dark outside.”

  “Three kids, huh? Boys or girls?” he asked me, watching my mouth intently as he waited for my answer. I licked my lips in response to his look, and watched his nostrils flare before he glanced back up to meet my eyes.

  “I’ve got two little boys and a girl. The boys are monsters,” I told him with a grin. “The girl only slightly less so.”

  “Ha! Spoken like a true mama! Don’t they say that moms dote on their sons, and fathers on their daughters?” He shook his head at me in reproof, smiling the entire time.

  “Yeah, I guess that’s pretty true. My daughter is definitely a daddy’s girl,” I told him ruefully, watching his eyes flicker as I spoke.

  “Yeah?” he asked me quietly, but with startling intensity.

  I bit the inside of my cheek at the turn of our conversation, and moved my gaze to his jaw, where I could see the muscle clenching over and over.

  “Yeah,” I whispered back, not willing to shatter the cocoon that seemed to envelop us as we spoke. I wanted to stay there in our quiet little world, but I knew we shouldn’t. Our conversation had grown too serious for the night that I had planned. I wanted to be Rachel, not someone’s mom. I wanted to be carefree and fun, so decided to change the subject, but before I could, he ran his hand up to lightly grip the back of my neck.