by Rebel Farris
“It’s like Mr. Peabody decided to explore his dark side,” I said to myself before my brain-to-mouth filter kicked in.
His fist clenched tight, and I noticed the tattoos on his right-hand fingers read pain. He looked like one of those guys that was perpetually pissed off at the world. I thought to lighten the mood with a joke.
“Seriously, did Sloane get ahold of you, too?”
His eyes widened, followed by a slow, reluctant smirk like he imagined something infinitely more amusing than my lame joke. He shook his head slowly and looked me up and down before turning to look out the passenger window without a word.
I sat motionless until he looked back at me.
“You going to put your boyfriend’s car in drive, bumpkin?” There was a laugh in his tone that immediately made my face go hot with anger.
“Boyfriend? I don’t have one of those—this car’s mine. I rebuilt her myself.” I tilted my chin up with pride as I met his eyes.
“There it is,” he said with a smirk. “That slow-drawl accent, proclaiming she works on broken-down cars in her spare time. I assume you know enough about cars to drive this stick shift and move, right?”
Wow! Asshole. I put the car into gear and pulled away from the curb. He’s definitely one of those dicks that lets his looks go to his head. Such a shame.
“I’m going to ask you one more question,” I said. “Then you need to answer and shut the fuck up, because I already don’t like you.”
“Ask away, bumpkin.”
I bit back a snotty retort, choosing to ignore his goading. “How do I get to this place? Sloane didn’t give me directions, because she said you’d know where it is.”
“It’s down by the river. Just get back on Guadalupe and take a left at Caesar Chavez. Make a right just before you get to thirty-five. You can’t miss it.” He pulled his thumb and forefinger across his mouth in a zipping motion, twisted at the corner of his mouth, and flicked his fingers with a cocky smirk.
I didn’t think I ever actually hated someone so quickly in all my life. I just narrowed my eyes and focused on the road.
The ride was mostly silent, until it wasn’t.
“This is a nice car.” He raised a brow pierced with two metal loops. “Where did you come by that accent, bumpkin?”
“Thanks. My name’s Laine, by the way—you can start calling me that anytime. And nowhere you’ve ever heard of if you’re sitting in Austin, Texas, making fun of my accent.”
“I don’t know, bumpkin.” One side of his mouth tilted up in a grin, revealing a dimple. “I think the name’s growing on me.”
I really do hate him.
“No wonder Sloane’s so nice—you sucked up all the asshole in the womb,” I grumbled.
He burst out laughing. “I think you’re the first of Sloane’s friends I like, bumpkin.”
“The feeling’s not mutual.”
We pulled into the parking lot of the Pit. I killed the engine and bolted from the car to get away from the asshole. Unfortunately, he was faster, because he cut me off at the back of the car, looking me over from head to toe.
“That’s what Sloane put you in.” He closed his eyes and shook his head slightly.
“What’s wrong with it?” I asked self-consciously, looking down at myself.
“She basically doused you in blood before sending you into a shark tank,” he said with a look on his face like I was stupid for even asking. “People like this don’t meet people like you often, and that—” He blew out a breath and motioned to my body. “You need to stick with me, or you’re going to get eaten alive.”
“What the fuck’s that supposed to mean? People like me? You really are too much. We’re in Texas. I’m from Texas. It’s really only weird to you. And you’re the last person on earth I want to stick with. So, fuck off, whatever your name is.” I dashed around him to get to the front door.
He grabbed my arm, stopping me. “My name is Law.”
“Is that some sorta joke?”
“No.” He looked confused for a moment. “It’s short for something.”
“Whatever. Get your hand off me, and don’t touch me again.”
“Bumpkin, please,” he said, releasing my arm.
“Oh, my God!” I yelled through clenched teeth, turning back to face him. “Do you want me to slap you?”
“Laine,” Sloane called. I turned to see her waving her arms in the air by the front door.
“Thank God,” I grunted to myself and left, not looking back at him.
I marched right up to Sloane, who had a blinding smile on her face. She looked over my shoulder as she spoke.
“Well, this is new.” She hooked her arm in the crook of my elbow and dragged me inside the noisy bar.
We weaved through the crowd until we got to a table near the stage. Max was there, nursing a drink, with a few other people I didn’t know.
“Everybody, this is Laine. And… she’s my new favorite person. Seriously, I might go gay for her. Sorry, Max,” she said, then looked at me. “You’re the first girl I brought around who didn’t start drooling over my brother at first sight. And the fact that when I saw you together, you looked like you were about to stomp his ass into the ground… I knew then. You’d have my heart forever.” She laughed loudly. “Anyway, this is Spaz, Monk, Tina, and Spence.” She pointed to each person she named off.
I waved awkwardly.
“The guys are in the band we’re here to see. Tina’s Monk’s girl. She’s also a badass piercer if you ever want something like that done.”
“Good to know,” I said with a grin.
Tina pushed her black hair over her shoulder and nodded in return with a friendly smile.
Sloane pulled up another stool to the high-top table and waved me toward it.
“I’m actually gonna grab a coke first,” I said, hitching a thumb over my shoulder toward the bar.
“I’ll come with you,” said a male voice behind me.
I turned around and glared up at Law. What a ridiculous name.
“I’d rather you not. In fact, if you could find a way to stay the fuck away from me for the rest of the night, then find another ride home… I sure would appreciate it.” I drew the last part out in my thickest accent.
His eyes were unreadable, but the tick in his jaw muscle let me know he didn’t like it.
Good. I shoved past him. I don’t care how hot you are, a dick is still a dick. And I’ve a feeling that it’s been a long time since someone called him out on it.
Weaving my way through the crowded venue, I was almost to the bar when a hand reached out and went straight up my skirt, grabbing my ass. I turned around and slapped the person, hard across the cheek. Shock froze me since I expected it to be Asshole Law, but it was just some random dude.
He didn’t look too happy as he raised his hand as if to hit me back. A hand reached out between us and caught his wrist, while another one laid a punch to his cheekbone, that had him sprawling out across the floor.
I turned to find a very pissed-off-looking Law, rubbing the knuckles of his right hand. Pain. He grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me after him. I struggled to get free as he dragged me behind him, pulling me into a room. He slammed the door and locked it behind us. We were in a small, poorly lit bathroom that smelled of bleach. The walls and ceiling were covered with amateur graffiti.
“I fucking told you that would happen,” he said, gripping the back of his neck and pacing the small room.
I moved in front of him, cutting off his path. “Since when’ve I become your responsibility?”
He leaned down, looking me in the eye. “He was going to hit you.”
His eyes were this gorgeous calico mix of green, blue, and gold flecks. It was distracting, but not enough to cool my anger.
“And this’s your problem, how?” I leaned in, too, our noses only an inch apart. I narrowed my eyes. “I didn’t ask you to play protector.”
“Would you rather I let him hit you?” he sneered.
“No, but you didn’t have to hit him. You could get us kicked out, or worse, you could get arrested for assault.”
“Fuck,” he said as he turned around and punched the bathroom stall.
Someone’s got anger management issues. I walked to the sink to splash water on my face. My face felt hot, and all that makeup felt like a mask. Black mascara ran down my cheeks as I looked into the mirror and caught sight of Law. He was staring at me, his eyes running from my face back to my recently groped appendage.
“I’m going to touch you. If you don’t want me to touch you, then tell me no, now,” he said. His pupils were dilated to the point his eyes looked black.
As much as I didn’t like him, the way he was looking at me was definitely turning me on. There was so much desire and heat in those eyes. I don’t think anyone had ever looked at me like that. I didn’t know what to do. I stayed silent.
He ran his hand up the back of my thigh, gripping my ass cheek and squeezing.
“Fuck, you’re gorgeous. Ever since you opened that smart-ass mouth of yours, I can’t help thinking about how I’d punish you for it. If you were mine.” His tongue darted out, licking his full lower lip.
My stomach flipped. No one had ever talked to me like that, of that I was sure. Part of me was shocked, but I could feel the wetness pooling between my thighs. Everything about him seemed so wrong, but I couldn’t deny myself the urge to find out why it felt right.
“Do it. Punish me,” I found myself saying, though I’d no idea where the words came from. He just made it sound so fucking hot.
He tipped his head back and groaned. “Hold on to the sink.”
He grasped my hips, pulling my lower body back until I was completely bent over. He flipped my skirt up over my waist and paused. His eyes roamed over me. The anticipation was putting me on edge. His hand pulled back and smacked my ass. It made my nerve endings sing. Chills rushed through my body as he smoothed his hand over the warmed skin. I let out a soft moan and bowed my back.
“Again,” I commanded. It felt so good, and I wanted more.
He huffed air and breathed out, “Goddamn.”
His other hand came down on the other cheek. My body jolted, startled, and I gasped. I could feel myself growing wet. I didn’t know this was something I was into, but it was definitely working for me.
“I still fucking hate you,” I said.
Law spun me around, pushing my back against the wall of the bathroom stall.
His mouth came down on mine in a brutal, punishing kiss. It was all lips and teeth and tongue, biting and caressing. He pissed me off and made me want him, which made me want to hurt him.
I pulled frantically at his shirt until it came free from his pants, ran my hands up his back, and dug my nails into his skin as I dragged them downward.
He groaned and pulled my tank top down under my breasts, popping each one out of my bra and running his thumb over my sensitive nipples. I moaned, high-pitched and breathy, at the sensation.
“Jesus, you’re so fucking hot,” he said into my mouth. “You’re going to be the death of me.”
I wrapped my leg around his waist, pulling him against me. He reached under me and grasped the lace thong I was wearing and ripped it right off. I lost my mind with want. I felt like I was burning from the inside out.
He pushed two fingers into me, and I ground against his hand. It wasn’t enough. I needed more.
“I want you to fuck me. But do it hard. Make me feel it.”
“One of these days, I’m going to fuck that dirty little mouth of yours. Grab on to the top of that wall behind you.” He undid his pants and pulled out his cock. It was so hard, and as he stroked it I caught a flash of silver. I trembled as a thrill rushed through me. He pulled a condom out of his back pocket and rolled it on, then hoisted my lower half up, rubbed himself against me until he was lined up, and slammed his hips into mine, impaling me.
I yelped involuntarily. He was so big it stretched me, but felt so good. The piercing I only caught a glimpse of was putting pressure in just the right places.
Holy fuck. I’m having sex with someone else.
He pulled back and slammed into me again. My mind went blank. We became masses of mindless need as we moved against each other, with each other. I let go of the wall with one hand and grabbed his hair and pulled, hard.
He moaned, bit his lip, and sped up. The friction felt so good, I was almost there. Then with one hand he massaged my clit, while one of the fingers of his other hand pressed into my ass. His hot mouth enveloped my nipple.
I screamed as I fucking saw stars. I exploded into the most powerful orgasm I’d ever experienced. Every nerve in my body short-circuited as all my muscles convulsed and contracted uncontrollably, over and over. He sped up, ramming into me so hard the flimsy stall behind me was protesting the beating, thumping against its joints and groaning.
His whole body trembled violently as he met his release and slowed. His body sagged and his forehead fell into the crook of my neck. Sounds of dueling labored breath filled the room as we both came down and recovered. As we started to catch our breath, his lips and tongue ran up the side of my neck to my ear.
“You’re mine. Whether you want me or not, you’re mine. I’m never letting you go,” he whispered and then nipped my ear lobe. I shivered in response. “Jesus Christ, bumpkin.”
I started to respond, but there was a loud repetitive thump at the door.
“Yo, Law, wrap it up, man. We’re all set up. We need to go on. Now.”
“Shit,” he said as he slowly pulled out. He steadied me on the floor and frantically put himself back together.
I stood there watching, in shock. “You’re in the band?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Oh.”
He came back with some wet paper towels and cleaned me up, righting my shirt and smoothing down my skirt while I stood motionless, still grasping the top of the stall.
“You all right?” he asked, stroking my jaw with his thumb and pulling my face toward him, before his lips gently caressed mine. His tongue slipped into my mouth, twisting with mine until I was breathless again. My hands fell to his shoulders, feeling numb.
When he released me, I nodded in reply.
“I’ve gotta go, but I’m not getting another ride home tonight.” His lips tipped up in a half smile, exposing a dimple. “You’re giving me a ride.”
I nodded again and wiped a smudge of the dark lipstick from his face. He turned and left the room. As the door opened, I heard another male voice speaking to Law.
“Whoa, man, that was hot. I almost got off just listening to you two. She’s a hot piece—” He was cut off by a loud thud.
“You fucking speak of, or even look in her direction, you’ll be waking in a fucking hospital.” His voice was deadly quiet as he spoke.
“Got it. Fuck, Law. I didn’t realize you were serious about her. Hey, didn’t you just meet the chick?”
Their voices drifted away as the bathroom door thunked closed and they moved down the hall. It finally hit me that I was just standing in an empty bathroom.
I felt like my whole world had been turned upside down. Sex had never been like that for me before. It was messy and rough, but I felt it all the way down in parts of my soul. The fact that it was that asshole who gave it to me, left me reeling. I didn’t know what to think.
I moved on shaky legs to the mirror and looked at myself. My hair was wild and disheveled; mascara streaked down my face. I set about making myself presentable again. I had to go out there and see this band play.
Almost a week later, we were sitting in their garage listening to the band practice. I didn’t know what to expect of punk music. It wasn’t something I was familiar with until that night at the Pit. It had an energy, a vitality like no other genre. Mix in a little rebellion and I was hooked. I loved it.
The guys had bee
n practicing for several hours. Their band wasn’t bad, but it lacked something to provide cohesion to their sound. I listened intently as I tried to pick out the problem. My fingers twitched as I thought of notes that should be there but weren’t. This is what I loved to do. I wanted to live and breathe music for the rest of my life. I was addicted.
“Hey, guys, let’s take a break,” Law said as they finished a song.
After laying down their instruments, the guys meandered from their makeshift stage. Law grabbed my hand and pulled me from my seat, sitting in my place, then pulling me down on his lap.
Seeing his concert and the way girls threw themselves at him, I was sure he’d move on to the next girl. He didn’t seem interested in them, but he was rather hands-on with me. I wasn’t sure what we were. I didn’t feel a need for conversations or titles. I wasn’t really interested in a boyfriend after the train wreck that had been my love life to date.
I leaned into his sweaty chest. He grasped my chin and turned my head to press his lips to mine but quickly deepened it. There was a gagging noise from across the room. I smiled, even with my lips still firmly attached to Law’s. I did enjoy torturing Sloane.
“You guys are gross,” Sloane complained.
“Yet, you keep choosing to come here and hang out,” Law spoke into my mouth with a smile.
“Maybe you should let Laine breathe. Then she could play for you.”
Law’s head pulled back, and he looked at me, his brows drawing together. “You play?”
I nodded.
“She’s brilliant. Dude, I thought when I walked in and saw I was saddled with a guitar-playing music major this year that I was going to be relentlessly tortured with horrible playing and god-awful music. You should hear her, though. She’s amazing. I love listening to her play while I study.”
My breath caught in my throat. I hadn’t realized that she could actually hear it since I used headphones with my amp.
