by D. A. Young
“Damn. Why didn’t I think of that? Pick me up on your way in, okay?” he asked, causing Noelle to giggle at their silliness. “Do you take requests, Ms. Noelle?”
Jack shook his head in exasperation. “Y’all need Jesus in the fastest way.”
“You’re more than welcome to stop by,” Noelle said sweetly, ignoring Jack’s scowl. With business increasing, she didn’t get to cook as often as she’d like, so the more the merrier to her.
***
Whiskey Row was her kind of place, Noelle thought as she walked back to the barbershop. Her first impression when she accepted Jack’s invitation to come here was that it would be a mix of a couple of southern reality shows with no color at all, but so far it was nothing like that. There was a melting pot of cultures; she’d encountered Ethiopian, Ghanaian, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Indian, and Native and African Americans in her walk down Main Street. She also saw a lot of BMW’s, Benz’s, and Lexus’s mixed in among Toyota’s, Nissan’s, and Chevy’s in the various parking lots.
Noelle stopped in a men’s store called Homme and instinctively knew Jack would love anything she got him from there. It was all things manly and had everything from plaid shirts to jeans to three piece suits. There was tobacco chew display along with cologne, survival kits with lotions and candles, and ties and suspenders artfully displayed with hunting knives. There were Converses, mixed with lumberjack boots and dress shoes. The walls were white, covered with black and white pictures of nude women in tasteful poses.
Noelle couldn’t resist picking out a cardigan sweater and two ties for Jack. She also picked up a lotion that the sales associate said was a best seller. At a little toy boutique called The Rabbit Hole, she bought her nieces and nephews t-shirts and toys. As she was strolling back to the barbershop, Noelle heard someone call her name. Turning around, she saw Katerina in four-inch heels, strutting down the sidewalk towards her as if on a catwalk. Trailing behind her was the security guard, Mikhail, from the guard gate. Noelle waited patiently for him to catch up to her.
“Hi Kat, nice to see you again,” Noelle said warmly, leaning down to give the tiny woman a hug. She waved at the burly guard who inclined his head politely and surveyed the street.
“You too, babe. How’s married life going?” Kat asked giggling with delight as Noelle blushed furiously. “That good huh?”
“Mmmmm,” she murmured noncommittally. “Where are you off to?”
“Actually, I was on my way to have lunch with my best friend Autumn,” Kat pointed at the tattoo parlor. “She owns the Ink Stain. We’re going to Miguel’s Cantina. Care to join us?”
Noelle smiled regretfully. “I would love to, but Jack and I already have plans to go to Hooligans after he’s done with his cut. He’s going to help Guy and Holt with their interview process, and then we’re going for a hike.”
“Oh well, another time then,” Kat suggested hopefully with a sweet smile, and Noelle smiled in agreement. Katerina Romankov was a total sweetheart that made her think of Avery.
“Yes, definitely,” Noelle said.
They both turned towards the Ink Stain as the saloon-style doors opened and a slender woman, wearing a short-sleeve, fitted, white fitted t-shirt, frayed denim cutoffs, and black utility boots stepped out. Her curly hair was short, shaved close on the sides with longer curls on top, tumbling over one eye. It was dyed the color of a sunset and complimented her flawless, golden complexion perfectly. Behind large, square-framed clear glasses, her big, round, dark eyes shone with friendly curiosity; and her full, plump, pink lips gave her an innocent expression despite the delicate tattoos visible on her arms and sides of her neck.
“Oh, you’re right on time. Autumn, this is Noelle, my new sister-in-law; and Noelle, this is my bestie Autumn Brady,” Kat said. Both ladies shared friendly greetings, and Autumn shook her head giving a playful whistle.
“You so know hearts are breakin’ all over ‘The Row’ now that a Sullivan brother has been taken off the market! I bet it’s got Darby and Casey quakin’ in their boots knowing the women in this town must be comin’ up with new strategies to reel them in.” Autumn laughed delightedly, causing the other two ladies to join in. They chatted for a few minutes more with a promise to get together before going their separate ways.
As Noelle stepped into The Gentleman’s Club, a sense of nostalgia swept over her. Instinctively she knew this was the kind of place that her Uncle Harvey would have loved. It was old fashioned and designed in reclaimed wood with a black and white tiled floor. Divided into several sections, there was the main barber shop, a shaving area, a shoe shining station, and game tables that were occupied with customers playing poker, spades, and dominoes, etc.
She walked up to Jack who was conversing with the owner Antonio Ladeaux, a dark- skinned Adonis that greatly resembled Idris Elba. Noelle could tell they had a good relationship when they were introduced, and he slyly teased Jack about going over to the dark side. Jack just laughed, taking it in stride.
“Hey, pretty girl. Whatcha got there?” Jack asked reaching his hand out to her. She took it and curled hers around his much larger one, reveling in what his touch alone could do to her. As she took in the details of his haircut and facial trim, the shorter cut really emphasized his curls and the intensity of his hazel eyes. The whiskers around the lower half of his face were now cleaned up and framed his sensual lips and square jaw.
“Nothin’ just a lil sumptin’, sumptin’,” she teased, loving the way his eyes darkened as they traveled down her body clad in a pilot style light denim jumpsuit and nude heels. Noelle’s straightened hair lay in sleek layers down her back.
Jack smiled as his eyes traveled over his wife’s radiant beauty. He’d instantly been aware of her presence when she walked in, and the easy going atmosphere inside of the shop turned into a predatory one as the men took notice of her. He pulled her in close enough to slide his arm around her waist and whisper hotly into her ear. “Oh yeah? You gonna show me a lil’ sumptin’ sumptin’ when we get home?”
He laughed quietly, loving the way her cheeks flushed, and Antonio chuckled. “And on that note, my brother, I will bid you adieu. Mrs. Sullivan, it was a pleasure to meet you.”
“It’s Noelle, and likewise. You’re so bad,” she whispered to Jack as they walked away, hoping no one noticed how her nipples were pressing through her bra as arousal coursed through her body.
“Don’t act like you don’t know, darlin’,’” Jack returned with a roguish grin that turned into a laugh at her open-mouthed, wide-eyed look.
Chapter Twenty
Avery had been staring blankly at her computer screen for the last ten minutes, even though she had far more important things to do than waste her time in this manner. She still had to make sure her flower vendor had the product she requested for Tarik’s party, and that it would arrive on time; or maybe go down to the venue with her checklist and ensure things were progressing smoothly. She also needed to interview the backup deejay in case Sidra couldn’t spin that night. Instead, she was wondering what to wear tomorrow night for her first meeting with Pierce’s mother.
Ever since she’d finally snapped and gave him a piece of her mind, Pierce had been falling all over himself to get back into her good graces. Avery was getting flowers every other day, baskets of fruit, and poems. Poems for God’s sake! He was calling her three to four times a day, and tomorrow he was finally bringing her to meet his mama. His mama. In all the months of dating, Avery had inquired about meeting Pierce’s parents on numerous occasions since he’d already met hers, but he always said when the time was right. Apparently, her being on the verge of breaking up with him was the perfect time to meet his mama.
So everything was going great…. except for their sex life. It seemed that he still couldn’t cross that hurdle and bring himself to be physical with her. While Avery was not one to base her relationships on what happened between the sheets, she did have needs— needs that had her overworking her B.O.B. and ordering one with mo
re stamina and girth, which she found herself using on a more than regular basis.
The only problem with that was every time she closed her eyes and tried to imagine Pierce, a certain charming redheaded rascal always popped into her mind to assist in stimulating the best orgasms Avery had ever had as he whispered all the dirty, filthy things he wanted to do to her.
The phone rang, shaking her out of her reverie; and she answered it without checking, since it was probably Pierce with his third call of the day.
“Hello?” she said morosely and was surprised to hear a deeper voice than Pierce’s on the other end. It was a voice with a southern drawl that made her stomach dance with butterflies.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Avery. It’s Darby Sullivan. I didn’t catch you at a bad time did I?” he asked smoothly. Goosebumps appeared on her arms. His accent had her feeling some kind of way for sure. Plus, he wasn’t hard on the eyes either.
“Uh..no..uh..hi,” she stammered weakly and then slapped her forehead. His laugh was low and seductive, almost as if he knew she dreamed about him. “You weren’t interrupting me, Darby. How have you been?”
“Oh, I can’t complain. I was calling to make sure that you were still coming down to Tennessee at the end of the week; getting all the flights coordinated so that only one trip is needed to pick everyone up in Knoxville. You gonna be able to make it?” Avery closed her eyes as she listened to his drawl. It sounded exactly the same in her dreams. Especially the one where he said things like, “Spread your legs wider. I’m gonna make you feel real good, Ms. Avery.”
“Ms. Avery, are you still with me?” Darby asked sounding concerned and startling her once again out of her reverie.
“Yes, I’m still here!” she squeaked. “I was just looking through my schedule to make sure I get everything done before Thursday. Looks like I’ll be okay. How about I email you the flight details after I talk to Sidra? What’s your email address?”
“It’s [email protected],” he drawled, making her laugh. Of course he was a Johnny Cash fan.
“I love that song! It’s so real; love songs just aren’t what they used to be,” she said with a sigh of regret.
“A girl after my own heart. Music nowadays just talks about what someone’s gonna do to someone else when they get them alone. No heart, just the physical,” Darby said with such disgust it made Avery laugh again. “Especially R & B. Old school stuff had you ready to wife somebody, but this new crap gives you specific plans on how to cheat and not get caught.”
“Exactly! Some people like music because of the beat, but I listen to the words. If the beat’s great on top of good lyrics, then it’s a plus to me,” she replied.
“Amen to that. Listen, when you ladies get down here you, should come check out my bar that I co-own with a buddy of mine,” Darby suggested. “After you get settled in, of course. It gets a little wild at times, but there’s always a good time to be had at Hooligans.”
“Hooligans?” Avery repeated dubiously. Although she was down to try it out, the name made her question the type of establishment he owed.
“Yep, when I was growing up, Sister Mary McCloud used to scold me and call me a little hooligan; saying that if I didn’t apply myself, I would never amount to anything,” Darby replied; and Avery could picture his cocky smile clear as day. “She’s long since retired and wouldn’t ya know, she’s my best customer? Shows up faithfully to participate in the wet t-shirt contest first Saturday of each month to a full house.”
Avery burst into full-fledged laughter, and he joined in with his booming laughter. Talking to Darby was really nice; and despite her kinky dreams, she couldn’t believe how at ease she felt with him.
Before she could respond, a woman’s voice could be heard screeching in the background, “Darby, bring your fine as hell, sorry ass out here! You sexy son of a bitch! How dare you try to sneak back into town and not call me?!”
What the hell was she thinking?? Avery sat up coming out of her Darby daze. She had someone, and apparently he did too; a very pissed off someone from the sounds of it. “Well it sounds like you need to go. I’ll email you that information as soon as I discuss it with Sidra. Bye, Darby,” Avery said hurriedly and hung up before he could respond. Groaning, she put her head on her desk. She was a fool. A complete and utter fool.
***
Darby stared at the phone in his hand and resisted the urge to throw it at his best friend Ginger’s head as she stood in the doorway of his office at Hooligans, glaring daggers at him. All week long he’d been gathering up the courage to call Avery. Just the sound of her musical voice had big, bad ass Darby Sullivan’s palms sweating. If any of his friends, or worse, his brothers knew, they would never let him live the shit down. The conversation was going great until the hot-headed she-devil standing before him burst in.
“Dammit, G! You’ve got the worst timing. What the hell was so important that it couldn’t wait? I know Sara told you I didn’t want to be disturbed,” he sighed with irritation as he scowled at his best friend since his junior year of high school, who remained unperturbed by his bad mood as she scowled right back at him.
Although you’d never know it, to look at her, Ginger Wyatt had grown up P.K., a preacher’s kid with a clean, shiny face, glasses, and brown hair which was now died platinum blonde. Her pale skin was heavily tattooed across her shoulders and back which she displayed with the corset’s she constantly wore. She was the poster girl for ‘good girl gone bad’, with her full breasts on display and her curvy behind encased in either leather or skintight jeans.
Although she drove the men in town crazy with her looks, personally they did nothing for Darby. They were just friends and had been since he beat the shit out of Lance Davis for stealing her asthma inhaler in high school.
He’d gone to the track meet to watch Casey run the 400 relay. After cheering his brother on, they’d stayed to watch a couple of more races when he noticed a commotion behind the bleachers. It was the frail voice that caught his attention and made him get up to investigate with Casey right behind him. It was weak and sounded almost like a kitten mewling.
“Give it back. Please…I really need it. My chest hurts,” the frail voice pleaded, followed by a pitiful sob. It was followed by the sneering tone that was used by most of the rich kids in town. As Darby came around the corner, he saw rich boy Lance Davis standing there in his pristine varsity jacket, holding an inhaler over his head, gloating down on the frail, red-faced girl clutching her chest.
“Why don’t you come get it? Look at you! Poor baby, are you going to pass out? You were the weak link on the team today, causing my little sister to place second. My family is second to no one in this town! You hear me, girl? Nobody!” He bent down and shook the inhaler in her face, laughing as she feebly tried to grab it. “Not so fast, little girl. Tomorrow you’re going to Coach Henderson and quitting the team. You understand me?”
The poor thing couldn’t even answer because she was wheezing so hard. Filled with rage, Darby charged and punched Lance in the throat causing him to drop the inhaler and gasp for air, grasping at his throat. Next, he punched him as hard as he could in the stomach and the older boy doubled over in pain, now wheezing himself. Then for good measure, Darby kicked him in the balls, and Lance fell to the ground in agony, trying to find a way to get air in, as his pain-filled face turned blue.
Enraged, Darby stood over him as Casey helped the weak girl use her inhaler. He met Darby’s raged-filled eyes and shook his head in disgust at Lance. He knew Lance wasn’t just getting it because of what he did. He knew the rich bastard was getting it for being cruel like their father.
“What’s the matter, mother fucker? Having trouble breathing? I can’t hear you! Get your bitch ass up and take it like a man!” Darby said menacingly as Lance continued to writhe in agony. He leaned down and covered Lance’s nose and mouth, making it harder for the other boy to breathe. “Breathe, bitch! C’mon breathe!”
“Please no more, Darby,” the girl begge
d softly. Darby met her pleading gaze and could see that she was starting to look better already. She struggled to stand and managed with Casey’s help. Her light blue eyes were huge behind her coke bottle glasses, and she barely came to his brother’s shoulder. He didn’t know who she was, but she seemed to know him.
Darby nodded at Casey to indicate that they should leave him with Lance. He made sure they were out of hearing before leaning down to get in Lance’s pain-filled face. The other boy immediately cowered with his hands over his head. “If you or your homies even look at her, I will come for you, you piece of shit. I will come for you every day in some way until you can’t take it anymore and have to leave town. Look at me!”
Fearfully Lance met his gaze, and although Darby hated saying it, he had to get his point across. “You know who I am right, bitch? I’m a Sullivan, and it’s no secret in this town what we’re capable off.”
It was later that evening as he and Casey were eating dinner with Alexei that the intercom buzzed. Alexei answered and was notified that there was a Pastor Wyatt there to speak to him. Casey and Darby exchanged glances that Alexei’s shrewd gaze caught as he wiped his mouth, tossed his napkin down and pushed his chair back.
