by Lauren Wood
“Who?”
“Katherine I think her name was. She wasn’t too friendly in that sort of way.”
“Alone?”
“No, she had a couple of lug heads with her.”
It made me smile and I asked him for something for the pain. “I will get it to you in a few. The nurse will come around. Please don’t scare her anymore.”
“Something for these cuffs?”
He looked down and then shrugged. “I am sure I can come up with something to do the trick. You do need a little rest. You were just shot and the cops can’t talk to you without my clearance. Rest easy Caspien, nothing is going to happen to you. The way out will be there when you are ready.”
The only reason he was worried was because payment was due when I was out of here. If not, there would be problems ahead for the good doctor. Dr. Weaver would either be happy that I showed up on his watch, or he would curse the day that he met me. It could go either way. That was his choice in the end.
Sitting back after Judy left, she was a little less skittish, but I didn’t think she was going to be getting any closer, any longer than she absolutely had to. I knew that it didn’t matter how they acted. I was going to be out of here soon enough. Everything was going to be fine and then I would have time to do what was needed. I needed to find Fran. We had a lot to talk about and that woman had some explaining to do.
Chapter 6
Lucas
“You know the food here is not that good.”
“You better not let Stacy hear you say that Fran, she might get upset.”
“The owner’s name is Bob, so I don’t think Stacy will care.”
She had a smart answer for everything and if I was honest with myself, it was one of my favorite things about her. I liked that she had a little fire in her and everyday her face was a little more beautiful as the bruising went away. Her body hadn’t changed and was still admired just as much.
“I rather like the food and the ambience in here.”
Fran looked around and I studied the smile on her lips. Her chocolate brown eyes were twinkling when she looked back at me. “The ambience huh? I don’t know what kind of man you are, but this place sucks. And so does the food, so why are you in here all the time?”
“I just like this place. Man’s got to eat, right?”
“Never seen you in here before a week ago, so I call bullshit.”
“I didn’t know you were here or I would have been coming here long time ago. I come here to see you Fran. I bet about half the guys in here are choking this down because you bring it to them.”
She smiled and the dimples appeared in her cheeks that I hadn’t noticed before. The small freckles on her nose moved a little with the motion. Everything she did, she did all the way and the smile was one of them. The smile was contagious and I felt myself grinning like an idiot in response. What the hell was this woman doing to me?
“You going to go out with me or are you going to make me keep coming in here every day? I can always just pull you into the bathroom Fran.”
“Well you do tip well and I am kind of liking the whole bathroom scenario…”
I wanted to growl at her. I was frustrated that she was still telling me no. She said it in a teasing way, but in the end the answer was still not the one I wanted. It had almost been a week and still I was no closer to a date with her then before.
I wanted in her panties and I wasn’t the type of man that was going to take no for an answer. I sure the hell didn’t want to anyways. I wanted to have her all to myself and the sooner, the better. I don’t know what it was, maybe the denial of what I wanted, but Fran was quickly becoming all I could think about. It was not at all what I had expected to happen, but it was happening and there was no denying the way she made me feel. There was also the constant state of arousal that I was in and the knowledge that she was the only one that was going to satisfy this particular itch.
“So how much would it take for you to go out with me, Fran? I will pay for it if that is what I have to do.”
It was an innocent joke, but it was one that was not taken well at all. Her smile collapsed and she just shook her head. “I am not some hooker Lucas. Is that what you think of me? That I will just open my legs to anyone for the right price? You are way off and highly offensive for thinking that.”
I could tell I was and I don’t know what I was thinking. She wasn’t a gold digger and the mistake was going to cost me. I didn’t know how to recuperate from that and instead of trying, I waited for her to walk away and stood up. There was a little inlet where the bathrooms were and it gave me an idea. She had said that she liked the idea of me pulling her into the bathroom. I was going to test that theory and when she came back through with her hands empty, I did just that.
Her body was soft against me as I pulled her against me. She didn’t resist me and went into the guy’s bathroom. I pushed her up against the tiled wall and leaned in for a kiss.
Fran moved the last couple of inches to press her own pouty pink lips against mine. It was a sweet kiss, but I wasn’t there for sweet. I pushed my tongue in between her lips and delved it into her honeyed mouth. She tasted like candy and one hand was pinning her, while the other took liberties with a hard nipple that was poking me in the chest. For a woman that wasn’t interested, she was sure set to go off at any minute.
I heard the muffled moan that filled my mouth. The sound drove me crazy and I pressed my hardness into her stomach. Damn I was ready for this little bitch, had been since I met her.
I pulled back to look into her eyes. They were glassy when she finally opened them and her lips moved forward to search mine out. I nibbled on her bottom lip as my hand moved further down to her trembling stomach. The taut skin jerked when I touched her lightly. I moved lower still, wanting to feel how hot she was for me.
The door behind her pushed her into me a little and by the second time I was yelling at whoever it was to wait a damn minute. Someone was trying to get into the bathroom. We had been caught.
I didn’t want the moment to end, but she seemed to realize what we were doing and pulled back. Wiping her lips, she pushed against my chest and walked out with a red face and fire in her eyes.
Fran was like no woman that I had met before and everything that worked with other women, was no different now. All I needed was to touch her just a little and she was like putty in my hands, malleable. She saw things differently and wasn’t impressed, but there was no denying how easy it was to change her mind with a little kiss and a tweak to her nipple. The only thing frustrating to no end was the fact that I didn’t have more time to see if she was wet. I could almost guarantee that she was, I could feel the heat coming off of her when I had kissed her.
Part of me wanted to throttle the guy that interrupted us and I had every intention when I left the bathroom a few moments later. He must have known because he apologized quickly and it was enough to get me on my way. I didn’t want to cause a scene where she worked. I didn’t want to go back on all of the work I had put in with her.
***
“Back again? I am starting to think that you are a glutton for punishment Lucas.”
I smiled at Fran and I could tell that she was trying her best not to be affected by me. But it was impossible, I knew that. She remembered the kiss from yesterday. How could she not be affected by it? It was all I could think about. Every other woman was and Fran was no different. I would have already had her underneath me as many times as I wanted. if she had been some other chick, then maybe I wouldn’t have wanted her this bad.
I didn’t get the need that I felt inside of me, but there was certainly no denying what I wanted to do to this woman. I wanted Fran badly and I was determined to have her, one way or another. It was only a matter of time before it all went the way it was supposed to all along. I was sure of it and if that meant eating at Stacy’s every day, I was going to do it until I got into those hot little panties of hers.
“As long as you are the one doin
g the punishing Fran, I don’t think I can get enough. Was thinking we should make a trip back to the bathroom. Maybe try out the woman’s bathroom. It looked like it had a lock on it.”
She giggled and told me that she wasn’t into that kind of thing. “If you are looking for something like that, I am sure one of those places on Bourbon would help you. The French Quarter is full of freaks and sluts.”
I shook my head. There was no winning with her, but I liked the challenging nature and the fact that she was going to make me work for it.
“Are you really going to keep telling me no?”
Fran got serious and finally said that she wasn’t ready to date again. “I just got out of a relationship and you know how that turned out. I am not trying to get wrapped up in whatever this is with you Lucas. You are a hell of a distraction and a good kisser…”
“I saw him on the TV this morning. I don’t think you should worry about him.”
She stopped and the smile that was on the edge of her lips was gone. They were no longer upturned and there was no sparkle in her eyes. Something was definitely wrong.
“What do you mean?”
“He escaped from the hospital that was treating him for the gunshot wounds. You didn’t see anything about it? It has been all over the news. They are looking everywhere for him. One of the cops he shot is going to be paralyzed. They don’t take things like that very well. Not when it is one of their own. So, he is not going to be on the loose for long. He isn’t going to be worried about you. If he is smart, he will get the hell out of here and across the border.”
Her face was crumbling in front of me and I had a feeling that I had said something wrong. I had been keeping up with it because it was about her and of who he was, but I wasn’t happy about it. I wasn’t happy that Fran was in the middle of it. Her reaction though, was not one that I expected. She looked absolutely terrified and it dawned on me then my mistake of even bringing it up. It was an instant mood killer and the bathroom scenario was looking impossible.
“I have to go talk to Ralph.”
Fran turned to leave and I stopped her. “What is going on?”
“If Cass is out, I need to get out of here. He is probably already here. Did it say when he got out of the hospital?”
“When he broke out?”
She nodded her head. “Yeah, when he broke out.”
“I don’t know exactly, but sometime last night. They were about to transfer him to the jail and he overpowered a guard and got out. They think that someone at the hospital helped him because his cuffs were off. I don’t see why you are worried about this though.”
“Caspien has people everywhere. I am sure he just paid off one of the doctors or nurses. More than one I bet. He has a way of doing that and I was hoping that he would be in there longer. I thought I had more time before he was loose again.”
Fran wasn’t making much sense. Caspien was just a small fish at best. I hadn’t ever really heard of him out of many circles and she was acting like he was something much more. Women had a tendency to over dramatize things, but Fran didn’t see the type. Her words made me question my own knowledge about him. Could she be right and I was so wrong about the man that lived next door to me for so long? It was possible because I tried to stick to myself, but I didn’t want to think about that. I didn’t want to think about what would happen if she was right. What if the danger she was in was real too? The girl looked practically able to jump out of her skin right then and there.
What had her so shaken and downright scared all of a sudden?
“More time for what Fran. You aren’t making any sense.”
The white apron hugged her slight curves and I watched her put her hand on her waist. Her head was constantly moving, her eyes scanning the cars in the parking lot. “I hate that I am here. There is nothing but windows in this place and after dark you can see in and not out. I feel like I am in a fish bowl.”
It was a bad place to be if a person was feeling the way that she did, but I tried to ignore it. I didn’t want to believe that she was right about such a thing. I just didn’t want to believe that she was in trouble. My thoughts and view of her were changes rather drastically. She walked away, telling me that she would be back with my coffee. The woman was no longer worried about me and though I didn’t like it, I liked even less the reason why. Now I wished that it was just because Fran had blown me off again.
“Where are you going?”
Fran looked around and then told another waitress to get my coffee. “I’ve got to go Lucas. Thanks for telling me about that. I should have been watching or found out. I was trying to forget, but I should have known that this was going to happen.”
“He was in custody, how would you have known?”
“Cause I know Cass. I don’t see him, but he will have a different car by now. I wouldn’t be seen with you Lucas.”
Now she was worried about me? This went from off to surreal. The way she was acting, she was acting like she had the mob after her. Didn’t she know who I was? Was it really that scary when compared to me? That thought made me think that maybe I had misread the situation. I was going to have to find out what was going on and who Caspien was. I didn’t even know his last name, but at least I had an address.
“Wait Fran.” I tried to stop her with a gentle hand on her arm. But the look on her face when our eyes met had me quickly pulling my hand away as if it was burned. It was obvious that she didn’t want me touching her and I didn’t know why. The mood changed so quickly and I was grasping at straws. I just didn’t understand it and it was really fucking with my plans for her and me.
“I am serious Lucas. I don’t want anything to happen to you. You are a nice guy and you don’t deserve to get wrapped up in my drama.”
I kind of scoffed at her. A nice guy? That was not something that was usually said in the same breath as my name. Maybe Fran had it all wrong and I would have to convince her that I wasn’t so nice at all. I would have thought my reputation would have preceded me.
“I am not a nice guy Fran. If you are really afraid of this guy, you should come with me. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“I’m not afraid, not really. I just know how Caspien is. He used to tell me what he would do to me if I left him and the man is a lot of things, but he is also a man of his word. That much I know for sure. He will do what he says and I am just not going to be around for it. You should stay away from me Lucas. It is for your own good, really.”
Fran turned to walk out the diner’s door and then stopped. “And yeah, you are a nice guy. The tattoos and the crude pick-up lines don’t really change that. Your hands and lips on me told me all that I needed to know. I just wish we had more time.”
Her smile was haunting and I stood in the same place as she got in her car and left. That woman was more of a mystery than ever. Whatever the man had said to her, she was convinced, but I wasn’t. I was going to make a couple of calls and see what I could find out about this guy. He couldn’t be as bad as she was making him out to be. I would have known about him if that were the case.
The more I thought about it, the more I had to question what it was that I really knew for sure. It was because I was so close to him and I started to remember some things that didn’t make sense. The man had money, even though he didn’t live in a mansion. I remembered some of the many cars that I would see in his driveway. None of them were local and many had out of state licenses. Maybe I was wrong about it all. I had to find out. I had to know.
I wanted to go to Fran and convince her that I would keep her safe, but she didn’t think I was able. She thought that I was one of those nice guys. The thought made me laugh. She was way off as well. It couldn’t be as bad as it seemed and Caspien wasn’t anything to worry about. I would have known if he was. I was sure of it.
“David, I need you to do something for me.”
I was leaving the diner and walking towards my bike when I saw something out of the corner of my eye. It was some
one that I thought looked familiar, but when I looked into the alleyway where I thought I had seen him, there was no one there. I must be thinking about it too much because of what Fran had said.
“What’s up Lucas? You get a hold of too much tail and you are trying to get away?”
“No, I am not worried about chicks at the moment. You seem a little preoccupied. Maybe you are the one that needs a little on the side action before you go home. All you have talked about since you have been here is women.”
“Hell no. None of these bitches around here would do me any good. They can’t do it like she can, so it would just be a waste of time to try.”
It was the first time he had said anything about his wife like that and I remembered the kiss from Fran. Was that the same? Was that why I was going to put David on the trail for me because I already knew that no one else was going to cut it after I kissed her?
It was the first time that I think I finally got it.
I also needed to get back on track. I had called for a reason and it wasn’t to talk about broads with David.
“I need you to find out some information about that neighbor from the other night.”
“The one that shot at the cops?”
“Yeah, that’s the one.”
“Why, what’s up boss?”
“I heard a rumor that I want to know is true or not.”
“What rumor?”
David was acting like this was an inquisition. I would have told him all of that, offered it up in fact, but it was about Fran and I didn’t want anyone knowing that I was doing it because of her. I had a reputation to withhold and after all of the shit that I have given the guys over the years when they fell for a girl, there was no way that I was going to be that fool. I was the fool because Fran didn’t even want me, not yet anyways. I still had some convincing to do and this was just a way to get back to it. I couldn’t convince her to my bed if she was so worried about some other guy. It just wasn’t conducive to that working out all that well.
