Keeping Score

by Violet Paige

  Maybe I had dodged a bullet. Womanizer didn’t come close to the list of sins on this guys list.

  I flipped through article after article about the women. The alcohol. The parties. I sighed. Kane Hawkins was a train wreck. A sexy, smoldering train that could destroy me.

  I jumped when I heard another knock on the door.

  “Julie? You in there?”

  The door creaked open. Lacey popped her head inside. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you, girl. You are seriously in the weeds.”

  “The weeds?”

  Everything about waiting tables was new to me. I’d had one night of training, and that clearly wasn’t enough to handle what happened tonight.

  She stared at me with her hands on her hips. “It means your tables are backed up.” She smacked her gum.

  “Oh, sorry.” I moved toward the door.

  “I saw Kane walk out about a minute ago. You wouldn’t have been back here with him, would you?”

  I felt the flush down my neck. I was so transparent. “What?” I tried to sound incredulous. I didn’t know if I pulled it off.

  “Listen, here’s a piece of unsolicited advice, honey. He’s the fuck-and-run type. No strings attached. You know what I’m saying?”

  I nodded quietly. “Yes.”

  I followed her down the hallway. “I’m serious. He’s slept with every girl in this place,” she smacked over her shoulder “And he’s hot as shit, but if you expect a phone call or a steak dinner, you’ve got the wrong guy. Understand?”

  I was too embarrassed or mortified to respond. I was usually the one doling out advice. I was the one who warned my friends about assholes they shouldn’t date. But Lacey didn’t know that about me. All she knew was I was girl willing to hook up with a football player on her first night on the job.

  “Tables aren’t going to serve themselves.” She pointed to my section. I stared at the people in the bar. How long had I been in the storage room? Every table was packed. But the only one I had eyes on was occupied by a tall broad football player who had a sexy brunette on his lap.

  Five

  Kane

  Kennedy greeted me with a devilish smile. “Kane, baby. Wanna get out of here?”

  My hesitation surprised even me. Pops was gone and Joe was sitting at the bar. Some of the other Sharks had joined him. I’d been in the back room with Julie for a while. Why in the hell had I left?

  “Maybe later, babe.”

  Her face filled with disappointment. I knew it was probably ridiculous. What was the difference between one woman and another? I knew what she had to offer. Yeah she fucked like a wildcat, but I’d done that. Something happened in that storeroom just now. Something I hadn’t had time to process.

  The way she sounded. The way her innocent eyes lit with fire when I touched her. She was already addictive and I’d only known the girl an hour. The crazy thing was I wanted to sit at a table in the corner by myself and talk to Julie the rest of the night.

  Kennedy pouted. “Babe, I just got into town. Don't be like that. Have I failed you yet?”

  She gave me one of her seductive smiles, adjusting her breasts. One thing was for sure—she had great breasts. Perfect breasts.

  I wanted Julie all to myself with no distractions. Kennedy liked to be the center of attention.

  That’s how it had always been with her. I’d known Kennedy since college. She was one of the exceptions to my rule. But she was also the only woman who seemed ok with fucking, without attachment. She was a rare find, but there was never more between us. There never would be.

  But I wasn’t up for her tonight. I had a taste of something new. I had a new thirst. Only a sip of a new honey and I wanted complete satisfaction. Julie’s eyes. Her innocence. Her body. It all stirred something in my chest, and my cock if I was being honest.

  And maybe it was more than that. But I wasn’t going to talk to Kennedy about that shit. She might be my fuck buddy, but she was still a woman. A woman with long claws who liked to sink them into me when she got the chance.

  “What is wrong with you? You’re acting weird. You’re never like this after a game,” she huffed.

  I didn’t need her psychoanalysis of my emotional state. I knew exactly what I needed. I looked around for Julie. I hadn’t seen her since I walked out of the storeroom but I had Kennedy to thank for that.

  I felt the familiar squeeze on my thigh, inching toward my cock. It was still hard and throbbing.

  “Well hello, baby,” she sighed.

  I pushed her off my leg. “Knock it off, Kennedy.”

  “You’re playing hard to get tonight? I can role play if you want.” Her fingers walked over my bicep as if they were a pair of legs.

  “I assure you I’m not.”

  “You’re as hard as a rock. Let’s get out of here and fuck.”

  I’d had enough. Before I could snap at her I saw the flash of blond hair from the corner of my eye. I turned and heard Julie’s voice in an unnatural octave.

  There was a big burly biker towering over her. I didn’t like what I saw.

  “Look I told you, Steve. I'm not interested.”

  “Aww … come on babe,” he said grabbing her ass.

  She cried out, swatting at his hulking hand. His fingers latched onto her waist.

  “No. Get off me.”

  “Hard to get? Is that your game?”

  “I said no.” She glared at him. “Stop it!”

  I lost it. It sent me over the edge. Her pleas. His relentless stupidity. I jumped from the table, knocking the stool over in the process.

  Within a second I was face to face with the bastard.

  “Steve is it? Why don't you leave her the fuck alone?” My eyes raged with anger.

  “Why don't you mind your own damn business? This is between me and the blonde.”

  “It’s fine, Hawk, I’ve got it,” Julie eked out as Steve reached around and grabbed her ass again.

  Fury filled me. I’d be damned if I was going to stand here and let him continue to touch her after she has already told him to stop. I lost all composure. I seized him and turned him to face me. I reared back to punch him. Before I could throw the first punch, Joe gripped my arm, holding me back just as the biker’s fist sailed toward my face. The impact pushed Joe and me backward.

  I saw red. I was numb. I felt the cold sweat break out across my skin. It was like the nightmare all over again.

  There was only way this would end.

  Everything around me faded as the fuel of injustice powered through me. All I could focus on was Steve and his filthy hands all over Julie. Her telling him over and over to stop. I hit him once that I know of and then probably again, but I couldn’t remember.

  “Dude. Stop. The cops have been called,” Joe pleaded.

  At that moment the blackness swallowed me whole.

  Six

  Julie

  My stomach rumbled for the tenth time in the last five minutes. This time loud enough to be heard across the room. I had forgotten breakfast as I rushed out the door this morning. And I hadn’t thought about bringing lunch. Again.

  I needed to start taking better care of myself, but there were only so many hours in a day and it seemed that out of the twenty-four most people were able to function with, I had thirty-five hours of work to complete. These didn’t include showering or eating.

  I rubbed the back of my neck and tried to reach up on my toes to get a stretch down the back of my legs. I should be used to being on my feet all day, but once I added night shifts at the bar, my body revolted. It was too much. All of it.

  There was another reason I couldn’t eat. It could be summed up in two words: Kane Hawkins.

  I sighed louder than I meant to, but I glanced out the windows that lined the wall on the left of the classroom. All the children were on the playground, and I had a break from recess duty. I had a minute to let my stomach roll with the memory of what happened last night. It wavered between nausea, excitement, and dread. Not a
fun roller coaster.

  I turned from the window. That job was supposed to be easy money. Guaranteed to add enough cash in my pocket to pay my bills so I didn’t have to leave the education center. I sat on the corner of my desk reliving everything. I took a job doing something humiliating so I could keep one that meant more to me than anything else. It was some kind of twisted poetic irony.

  Nothing else that happened once I tied on that waitress apron made any sense. It was like I had become a different woman last night. A woman I barely recognized. I wished I could have blamed it on alcohol or a miserable breakup, but it wasn’t either of those. I almost had sex in the back of the bar. I had let a man I’d never met touch me. Kiss me. Lick me. Suck me like a piece of candy.

  And I liked it. No, I loved it.

  And for what? To get pawed at by a drunken biker? And then to have Hawk defend my honor and end up being hauled off to jail? None of it made sense. Why did I give in to those impulses? Why did I let how exquisite it felt when he was kissing me matter more than my sanity?

  I groaned.

  I felt guilty. Guilty about everything. The almost sex. Missing part of my shift. The fight. Hawk’s arrest. Dragging my ass to work exhausted this morning. There wasn’t a corner I could turn where I didn’t feel guilt.

  It was as if something had possessed me last night. Something sexy. Something forbidden. And it was almost Hawk. I had almost let him take total control over me. The crazy thing was I wanted him to do it. I wanted him to rock my world. Steal the worry from my brain. For just a little while make me forget I was a waitress. I was a teacher. For the moments I was in his arms I could be a wild sex kitty. A powerful woman who lured the sexiest man in the city to my body.

  “Miss Bristow?”

  I jumped at the sound of the small voice behind me.

  “Hey, Hunter.”

  I thought I was alone. I had let my thoughts drift to places I never should have let them go at the center. Teaching here was my true calling. These kids needed me. And they needed me to get my shit together.

  I could relate to them. I thought maybe more than some of the other teachers. There was a part of me that was like them. I had lost my mom at a young age. I knew what it was like to feel that kind of pain. To feel like I had been abandoned. I knew it too well. If these kids were lucky they had one parent. But looking at Hunter, I knew he wasn’t one of those.

  “Is it ok if I stay inside?” he asked.

  “Don’t you want to play with everyone else?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “No. I just want to read.”

  He scuffed his feet along the linoleum floor. It wasn’t the worst request he could make.

  “All right,” I caved. Hunter was one of those kids who was quiet. He’d rather bury his head in a book than play kick ball or tag.

  He settled into his desk and pulled up a mystery ghost story from his backpack. I pulled out my chair and finally braved my phone. I pulled a news page and started skimming for a headline.

  I had been nervous all day. I wondered if there would be news about Hawk. I wondered if I would be called in. Would he need me to testify? Would he have a fair judge? Should I try to call his attorney and offer to make a statement?

  I looked up when I heard the shuffle of more feet enter the classroom. Recess was over. I sighed when the bell rang overhead. Another day gone. Another lesson taught. The students rushed in, grabbing their back packs and lunch boxes before lining up by the door. I hurried them down the hall to the carpool line and then to the bus line, dropping them off along the way.

  I returned to the classroom and smiled at Hunter.

  “So what club do you have today?” I asked, patting him gently on the shoulder.

  He shrugged just slightly from my touch. Over time I have gotten used to his aversion of being close to other people. But there were moments when I could reach out. Show him warmth.

  There were a variety of programs set up at the education center for underprivileged kids and their families after school. There was everything ranging from ballet and gymnastics to soccer and swimming.

  “I don’t know.” He looked at the floor. “Football I guess?”

  I felt a small wave of relief. Today would be a good day. I wouldn’t have to prod and convince him. Normally he chose not to participate in any of the clubs, but for some reason football had sparked his interest.

  I hoped it pulled him out of his shell.

  Something had to work.

  “Well, come on then.”

  We scurried through the maze of halls past my third grade classroom door and out the exit door to the playground, where just a few minutes ago I had spotted Hunter watching the other kids play.

  I couldn’t say what the exact date was that I decided Hunter was going to be my project. Or when I decided that I would do everything I could to watch over him and protect him. It just sort of happened. Like when the leaves changed in fall. It happened in front of my eyes day after day until I was the one responsible to pick him up in the morning from the foster home where he stayed. I enrolled him in the center’s community club program and was responsible for returning him home at the end of the day.

  Some days I kept him a little late and we’d get dinner. Or if we had an early release day I’d take him to a movie.

  One look at those big green eyes and a face that was constantly covered in smudges. Shaggy blond hair that fell into his eyes and my heart fell for this kid.

  “Have fun, Hunter. I’ll be inside grading the writing assignments, ok?”

  He had wandered to the outside of the circle. I was worried he might not make it inside the group and would spend the afternoon on the perimeter. I couldn’t hover. I couldn’t intervene every time. I knew that.

  “Excuse me, Julie?” I heard some call my name and I turned on my heels.

  Raising my hand to my forehead, I blocked the sun from my eyes and squinted trying to get a better view of the person with that deep booming voice. But I knew who it came from before he came into focus.

  Seven

  Kane

  “You are Julie Bristow? This has to be a fucking joke.”

  I stared at the woman I had defended last night. But instead of tight cutoff shorts and a barmaid apron, she was wearing heels, a pencil skirt, and a cardigan.

  “Oh God.” Her mouth dropped open.

  I chuckled. This was fucking sweet.

  “What are you doing here, Hawk?” she hissed, tugging me away from the group of children near her.

  “Reporting for community service. You are my sentence.” I felt a primal urge kick in. Something from last night was unearthed when I laid eyes on this angel-turned-devil again.

  “I don’t get it. What are you talking about?” she asked.

  “I had an emergency hearing this morning. The judge today assigned me to the community center. Something about helping a bunch of fucking kids.”

  I saw the fury in her eyes. “Don’t you dare say that here.” She moved me farther from the group. “You aren’t going to march in here and start dropping f-bombs around my kids.”

  “Then why don’t you sign off on this damn piece of paper and I’ll be out of here?”

  I lifted my arm and extended the court order I had received only a few hours ago. The paper was crumpled and folded four times. I had almost shredded it in front of the judge, but my attorney stopped me. Savannah was right behind me too. She would have never forgiven me if I did that in the courtroom.

  “I don’t need to read it.” She folded her arms across her chest. It was hard to believe the woman I had taken in the back room was living in the same skin as the uptight teacher in front of me. She hadn’t been kidding last night when she said she never did things like hook up in the backs of bars. The woman standing in front of me didn’t look like she even had sex with the lights on.

  But before we could continue we were discovered.

  “Guys! Guys! It’s Kane Hawkins.”

  “No way!”

 
“I don’t believe it. Guys, come over here!”

  We were instantly surrounded up to our waists by at least fifteen boys. Damn it.

  Julie’s eyes land on mine.

  “Could I maybe have an autograph or something?” One of the smaller ones weaseled his way to the front of the pack.

  “Not right now kid. Get lost. I’m in the middle of something.”

  Julie gasped. “Hunter, it’s ok. Mr. Hawkins and I were just working on something.” She lowered herself to meet his eye level. “I didn’t know you knew who he was.” She sounded surprised.

  The shaggy-haired boy nodded. “I do. I watch all his games.”

  “Oh.” She bit her lip. “Ok. Let me talk to him about some things. You and the other boys go back to club.” She shooed them away and set her gaze on me.

  “Follow me, now,” she demanded.

  “Hell,” I muttered.

  I didn’t take orders from women. And not women I had come close to fucking the way I wanted. I wasn’t done with Julie. Seeing her again was screwing with my head, not to mention my cock.

  I thought the cutoffs were hot, but nothing compared to how her ass poured into that tight skirt.

  I followed her across the field and inside. It smelled like school. The smell of chalk, copier ink and the stale odor of sweaty kids clung to the walls. It didn’t bring back the best memories. Her heels clacked along the hallway. She’s pissed.

  We entered a classroom and she slammed the door behind me.

  “How dare you?” she growled at me. Her voice was low and dangerous. “Do you know how many words that little boy speaks in one day?”

  I shook my head. “No.”

  She took a step closer to me. She wasn’t intimidated by the fact I was well over a foot taller than her.

  “I’ll tell you. He speaks less than ten words and most of them are the word no. No I don’t want anything to eat.” She jabbed my finger into my rock solid chest. “No I don’t want anything to drink.” Again. “No I don’t need anything.” And again.