by KL Donn
He laughed, his buddies laughed.
Casey laughed. Loud and long.
“What you gonna do, tough guy?” he slurred again.
Case wasn’t stupid, he wouldn’t swing first. That would just leave him with a whole slew of problems he didn’t need nor want when the police were inevitably called. Shaking the stiffness out of his bum leg from sitting for so long, he waited for the imbecile to swing.
He watched as the drunk raised his fists, almost punching himself in the face trying to taunt Casey. “C’mon, soldier boy, whatcha gonna do to me?” Reaching his hand out, Case assumed the idiot meant to push him, but all he did was throw himself off balance.
“Stop while you’re not ahead,” he told him.
“Casey,” he heard Evelyn whisper behind him.
“Let him be, miss,” Ace told her.
“I see how it is. Soldier boy lets the little bit– “
Casey’s fist shot out like a rocket, nailing the drunk in the mouth with a loud crack as a tooth fell to the floor. “I fucking warned you,” he growled, dancing on the balls of his feet now. Anticipation ran through him in the heat of a fight. To say it was anticlimactic when the other man fell to the ground, whether passed out or knocked out, was anyone’s guess.
“Evelyn! I warned you!” Hardy called as he made his way over to the commotion currently going on.
Once the small crowd dispersed, Case crossed his arms and set his face in stone, daring the other man to say one unkind word to her. “Warned her about what?” he snapped.
“What the fuck are you doing here? What’s this blood? Where’s your shirt? And for God’s sake, why is he on the floor?” Was it just him or did the man’s voice seem to go higher in pitch with each question asked?
When his questions still met silence, he screamed, “What the fuck is going on here?” If Casey didn’t know any better, he’d say the foot twitch was Hardy nearly about to stomp his foot like a petulant child.
“If I were you,” Ace started, “I’d shut the fuck up before soldier boy whoops your ass, too.”
Out of nowhere, the feisty friend that was guarding the door when Ev gave that private dance pipes up. “Hardy, you ass. This is your fault!”
He looked genuinely confused at her accusation. “How the hell is this my damn fault?”
“You shouldn’t have made her come out here without changing.” My head whipped to where Hardy stood looking guilty.
“You son of a bitch!” Case took a step forward when small hands clutched his.
He couldn’t look at her; he knew her beautiful eyes would be begging for him to leave the other man alone. He didn’t want to. He wanted to smash the douche into the ground like a fucking bug. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath to attempt to calm his nerves.
Nope, not working.
Turning to Ev, he thought maybe her pleading gaze would calm him.
Nope, she was tearing up, and that pissed him off even more.
He was struggling for control. His mind and heart were fighting an inner battle over not wanting to hurt her but wanting to cause as much damage as possible to her boss.
“Case?” He heard the warning in Ace’s tone. Again.
“I’m cool,” he finally answered. It was a lie, but for her, he would cool it.
“I told you, Evelyn, I didn’t want him in here.” Hardy’s whiney voice was getting on his nerves again.
“It’s not like I invited him,” she softly defended. “Besides, you should have let me change. We’ve been over this shit, Hardy. I don’t understand why you keep making me do this ridiculous shit.”
“You made her come out here like this?” There was no mistaking the menace in his tone.
“That isn’t your business, boy.”
“The fuck it ain’t!”
“Casey, please?” Why’s she gotta beg like that? He cursed inwardly. There wasn’t much he wouldn’t give the woman, but this shit was too much. He wasn’t about to back down when he knew how uncomfortable she was.
“She doesn’t come out like this no more.” He nailed Hardy with an unbreakable glare. “She doesn’t fucking like it.” He wanted to hammer his point home.
“I feel a sense of déjà vu,” the other stripper pointed out with a laugh.
“Pixie, hush,” Ev plead.
“It’s true,” she mumbled crossing her arms.
Case was glad to see she had someone in her corner, even if she was a smart ass. “Casey?” Looking down into her tearful gaze, he knew he was done fighting. It was going to eat at him, but he knew he was done.
For now.
“I’m finished for the night,” she stuttered. “Could we, ummm, get coffee?” Her cheeks flamed in what he thought might be embarrassment. Whether from asking him out or from the whole situation, he wasn’t sure.
Tilting her chin with his finger, he searched her gaze as he asked her, “How about dinner instead?” Her eyes lit up like the Eiffel tower at his reply.
“I’ll go get changed,” she whispered before grabbing Pixie’s hand and darting to the back of the club.
Turning back to Hardy with a stone-cold face, he and Ace towered over the man. He backed up at the intimidation just as his own two bouncers came to cover his back.
They didn’t scare Case off, though. He and Ace just shared a look that screamed of their amusement. “You’re not gonna make her do any more shit like this again, Hardy.”
“You can’t control that buster,” he blustered back.
Taking a step closer, he got as into the other man’s space as he could without standing on him. “She’s not a fucking toy or a damn hooker, and frankly, I thought this place was better than that. So yes, I can and will control that. Whether I’m here or not.”
Having had enough of this shit, they both turned and walked towards the front of the club to wait on Ev. “Guess I’ll be finding my own way to the hotel,” Ace joked.
“Damn girl, that boy’s got a hard-on for you!” Ev blushed at Pixie’s crude words, secretly hoping they were true.
“It’s nothing,” she told her friend modestly as she changed into her street clothes. She needed to get away from the depressing atmosphere of the club. She still couldn’t believe she’d asked Case on a date. Or a sort of date anyway. She’d never been so bold before.
Suddenly serious, Pixie clasped both of her hands. “You be careful with him, you hear? He looks like he could eat you up and spit you out in the same breath.” Ev nodded at her warning. “Not that I think he will. Men don’t claim ownership like that unless they’re in it for the long haul. Just remember to take care of you first, all right?”
“I promise.” All her fears summed up in one short sentence made their pseudo-date seem even more ominous.
Finished dressing, she bid the other girls a quick goodnight before going to meet Casey out front. The short walk was filled with doubt that she was dressed like a slob in her tank top covered by a baggy sweater, plain black leggings, high-top chucks, and hair up in a messy bun. She certainly wasn’t dressed to impress. Her nerves were in high gear, too, making her fingers fidget with the frayed edges of her sweater.
Getting her first glimpse of him standing by the exit with his friend, she was enamored with his raw beauty. She had never thought of a man as beautiful before, but he was. His messy I just crawled out bed hair down to his cocky, casual lean against the door with his arms folded in front of him and one foot pressed to the wall was driving her crazy. His strong jaw held a confident smirk, and his eyes—Lord have mercy, his eyes—she could get lost in their dark abyss any day. They told a story of deep struggles and hard emotions. She knew from one glance into them that when he loved, he would love hard.
Would he love me?
Approaching them, Casey turned his attention to her, and a huge grin lit up his entire face, eliciting a smile of her own. His enthusiasm was contagious, so she let go of the nerves threatening to take hold of her. She refused
to give into the fear wanting to drag her into the depths of hell.
“Ready?” he asked her, reaching for the bag she’d forgotten about. A quick glance at his friend and she nodded. “Don’t worry, he’s not coming,” he assured her.
“Nope, not much for being the third wheel.” His friend laughed.
“You wouldn’t…I mean, you can join us,” she bumbled her way through it, “if you wanted.”
“Relax, sugar, I was teasing. I’ve got other things to take care of tonight.” A salute of his fingers and he was gone.
“So…” she wasn’t sure what to say let alone do. Should she take the lead, or would he?
“What are you in the mood for?” he finally asked her.
“Ummm,” she could barely think with him standing so close, so she said what always popped into her mind when she thought of food. “Tacos?”
His bark of laughter startled her into raising her eyebrow in question. “I was thinking the same thing. Tacos it is.”
Placing his empty hand on the small of her back, he guided her to his truck—a blue Ford F-150 that seemed unnaturally high. She had to wonder how the hell she was going to climb into that monster.
“Is it me, or is that thing high?” He looked from her to the truck and back to her again. “Like abnormally high.”
“For someone of your size?” There was laughter in his voice. “It could be. For someone like me, not so much.”
“Ass,” she mumbled as he continued to laugh.
Laughter followed him after he helped her in and made his way to the driver’s side. The short drive to Papi’s Tacos was filled with tension. She struggled to make any type of conversation or think past what the night would bring.
Once they pulled into the small parking lot, Case shut the truck off. Going to her side, he helped her out so she didn’t make a fool of herself and fall flat on her face.
“Welcome to Papi’s Tacos!” the hostess greeted them enthusiastically. “Just the two of you?” Her eyes travelled up and down Case in appreciation.
“Yes,” he answered pointedly, grabbing Ev’s hand which made her smile up at him. Leaning into her, he placed a gentle kiss on the side of her head.
Could he be more perfect? She was in awe of the affection he openly showed her. She’d never experienced that before.
Seated, they perused their menu’s quietly, each lost in their own thoughts. She kept peeking at him over her menu not paying attention to the items listed to order. Needing a distraction, she took in the look of the small restaurant itself. It was cute.
Bar tables, three to each side, lined the walls with a sombrero lamp dropping from the ceiling to hover over the middle of each table. In the center of the room was the four-sided bar. It had a low-key, homey atmosphere that she loved.
They sat for a few minutes waiting for their waiter. Neither saying a thing nor looking at one another. It was like they were complete strangers. Uh, Ev, you are, her inner voice helpfully pointed out. Just as she was about to say something, the waiter appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
“Hi, there! I’m Derek, and I’ll be your server tonight,” he told them as he placed sombrero shaped coasters on the table. “Can I start you off with some drinks?” he looked between the two of them.
“Bud Light draft,” Casey told him, his eyes now firmly on her.
“Got it, and for you, miss?” When Derek’s gaze lingered a little too long on her chest, she could have sworn she heard Casey grumble something under his breath.
“Strawberry Margarita, please,” she told him shyly, not able to look at the waiter any longer.
As soon as he left to get their drinks, Case demanded to know, “Do they do that often?”
“What?” She wanted to know exactly what he was referring to.
“Stare at your tits?” His crude word had her face flaming hot.
Shrugging her shoulder, she told him honestly, “I don’t go out enough to notice.”
He watched her with such concentration. After that, she thought he might have dozed off. It wasn’t until Derek dropped their drinks off that he finally spoke. “You’re nothing like I thought you would be.”
“Umm, thanks, I guess.” She didn’t know how to respond to that. “What did you think I would be like?” She had to know even if it killed her.
“Honestly?” She nodded a yes. “Like most strippers. Always looking for more than there is. Most girls would have eaten up his attention, pushed their chest out more. Had him drooling in your lap. Even at the club, you avoid people unless you’re forced to, and then it’s only minimal.”
“I guess I’m not most girls.” She looked up through her lashes at him warily. Did he want someone flashy? A girl who tried to get everyone’s attention? Because she wasn’t that girl and he needed to know that.
“Don’t I fucking know it.” He smiled. However, she couldn’t tell if that was what he wanted or not, and that bugged her.
“Is that what you want?”
“What do you think?” he immediately shot back, the smile gone from his face, and a new intensity settled into his eyes.
Taking a sip of her fruity drink, she resolved herself to find out just what the hell they were doing. “I think you’re an anomaly to me,” she said. Casey looked away for a second before nodding encouragingly. “Your eyes are like deep pools of chocolate, and they show your every emotion. Sometimes they’re laughing, sometimes they look at me with liquid heat and have me melting into a puddle of goo, but mostly, Casey, they’re haunted. I can see the demons swimming inside of you and for the life of me, I can’t figure out why.” She revealed far more in her observations than she intended but decided he might as well go for broke.
“You see all that, huh?”
Meeting his stare head-on, she recognized anger beginning to swirl like ropes of ribbon in his dark orbs.
“Yes,” she answered softly.
“Well, you’re wrong,” he snapped.
Taken aback, she wasn’t sure what to do with his anger. “Okay,” was all she could think to say. They fell into a strained silence again after that.
Derek re-appeared, startling her into a near squeal. “Shit! You need a damn bell,” she laughed.
“Sorry about that. Sadly, you’re not the first to bring that to my attention. Maybe it’s time I invest in one.” Pulling his keys from his pocket, he jingled them for her and asked, “That better?”
“Much,” she smiled. Casey glared at them both.
“Are you ready to order, or do you need another minute?” he asked looking between the two of them, not oblivious to Casey’s death glare.
“Tamales with chicken and salsa, please.” Her stomach chose that moment to let its hunger be known, loudly.
“Worked up an appetite?” he half asked, half laughed.
Uncomfortable, she took a chance look at Case and replied to the server. “Uh yeah, I guess so. Dancing does that,” hoping Case would intervene like he seemed to have been prone to do.
Nothing from him as Derek asked, “Dancing, huh? What kind?”
She hated answering that question and began to squirm in her seat.
Case was pissed she could read him so easily. He wasn’t an open book, and the way she so accurately felt his pain was overpowering in its intensity. He felt like an ass for snapping at her afterwards, but he couldn’t tell how she felt about his hidden secrets. Not knowing how she would react when he told her about his leg had him nervous. Would she be disgusted? Would she need time to decide how she felt? Or would she be a one in a million woman and accept it as being a part of who he was?
He watched as she flirted and then squirmed under their waiter’s questioning. Tired of seeing the shame in her eyes at not wanting to disclose what kind of dancer she was, he told the man, “A fucking ballerina.” Not completely lying because she had the technique. She was perfection, and as he watched her float across the stage earlier that night, he knew she had to have some
sort of love for it. His tone, however, was filled with attitude and impatience. “One of the best there is.”
He deliberately ignored the man after that, maintaining eye contact with Ev. “I’ll have the same as her,” he finally told the waiter as he was about to walk away. “He lost his tip,” Casey commented to Ev as she looked down.
Her brows furrowed in confusion as she asked, “What for?”
Looking her up and down, he licked his lips meaningfully. Intensely turned on by her as her cheeks bloomed in embarrassment. “Flirting.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.” For a while, they seemed to be lost in thought as they held each other’s gazes. He’d never been so nervous with a woman before; it was driving him insane. He thought back to his conversation with Deedee the day before and knew he had to try harder to really get to know her. Find out what made her tick. So he figured, why not start with the basics. “Did you grow up in Baltimore?”
“Huh?” She seemed surprised by his question. “Oh, umm, yes. Mostly in Belair. Moved around a lot, though.” She hesitated when answering him like she didn’t want to admit it. He knew the neighborhood she was referring to. It was one of the worst in the city. Picturing her as a sweet, little girl there didn’t mesh well with him.
“What about you?” she countered.
“Born and raised in Federal Hill.” He wouldn’t say he was proud of where he grew up. His parents were strict Christians. They did their best to put the fear of God into him and his siblings. They didn’t take disobedience well; it was met with a thick leather strap that more often than not left welts the size of golf balls on their asses.
“That must have been nice.” Her tone sounded wistful as if she couldn’t imagine living in such luxury.
“I suppose.” His parents weren’t the most loving and sure as shit hadn’t accepted what he’d chosen to do with his life, but at least, he went to bed without fear of rodents, insects, or gang bangers waking him from a night of rest.
“Do you have any family? Besides your sister and nephew?” Thinking of his own had him curious about hers. What her home life was like.
