Until Joe

by Smith, CP

  I was so surprised by his bold action, I licked my lips without thought. In doing so, I kinda touched his lips in return. Before I could gain my footing, he had me bent over his arm while he thoroughly explored my mouth. When he pulled his head back, his expression was lustful and severe. “Remember that when she tries to talk you out of exploring things with me.”

  “She won’t—”

  He touched his finger to my lips. “Just remember how it felt.”

  I nodded. I wouldn’t forget that kiss. Or the other three we’d shared. I’d come alive under his touch and wanted more. A heck of a lot more!

  Five

  Pink is my signature color

  “THOSE TWO ARE CLOSE.”

  Joe tore his eyes away from Bernice’s retreating backside and looked at Ray. The old man was leaning against the back of the bar, also watching Bernice head toward her sister.

  “How long have you known Bernice?”

  Ray glanced at Joe, then took a step forward and leaned on the scarred surface of the bar until he was comfortable. “Since she was old enough to drink. She and Eunice used to raise hell when they were younger. You’d never have known they were raised in a mansion surrounded by servants. Did you know that about Sunshine? That she comes from money?”

  Joe nodded. Devin had alluded to the fact that Bernice’s family was wealthy. “I was told her family had money.”

  Ray shook his head. “Not just money, son. Centuries-old money and tradition. The kind that makes people think they’re above the law. Can do whatever the heck they want.”

  “Are you saying her family is corrupt?”

  “Corrupt?” Ray rolled that around in his head then shrugged. “Maybe. Her father holds to the old ways on just about everything. He’s from the good ole boys club that conducts million-dollar transactions on a handshake. Bernice and Eunice were debutantes of the first family of Savannah and were expected to toe the line. Their course in life was predetermined before they were born, whether they wanted it or not. Their role in the Armstrong family was to find husbands who would strengthen the family name and produce grandsons. Love didn’t factor into any of it, as far as Preston Armstrong was concerned. Just the right connections. As you’ve probably experienced, Bernice doesn’t cotton to anyone tellin’ her what to do. Eunice either, for that matter. So, they both rebelled, threw up their figurative middle fingers at their father, since their older brother had produced an heir, and lived their life on their own terms. The elder Armstrong didn’t like it one bit, so he cut them off in retaliation. Supposedly wrote them out of his will.”

  Anger at a father treating his daughters so callously burned in Joe’s gut. “Not a lot of women would do that,” Joe replied calmly, even more impressed with Bernice than he had been. “Walk away from that sort of money.”

  “Bernice and Eunice aren’t normal women, as you’ve probably guessed. They take care of everyone around them. Including each other.” Ray jerked his head toward the hallway Bernice had disappeared down. “You won’t find two sisters closer. If either thinks the other is in over her head, they’ll take care of the problem head-on.”

  Joe glanced in the direction of the bathrooms and scowled. “So, you’re saying I need to convince Eunice as much as Bernice to take a chance on me?”

  Ray nodded. “If Eunice has a problem with you, son, you’ll have an uphill battle on your hands. My advice, get Bernice alone, take her someplace they can’t find you. Keep her away from her family until your relationship is solid.”

  He studied Ray for a moment. The old man didn’t know him from Adam, so why was he encouraging Joe to stake his claim? “You give this advice to every man she brings in here?”

  Ray threw his head back and laughed. “Sunshine bring a man in here?” He chuckled low, then leveled Joe with a look that spoke volumes. “Bernice is like my own daughter. I wouldn’t give advice to anyone I didn’t think was worthy of her. The fact she brought you here means you’re important to her. That’s all the recommendation I need. She can read people, knows when they’re using her because of her family connections. You’d never have made it through that door if she had any question about you. And after watching her bein’ alone for a lifetime, I’d like to see her settled with someone before I kick the bucket. So, I’ll ask you, are you up for the challenge? Can you handle the storm that’s comin’ your way when her father catches wind of you? Because she needs a strong man at her back.”

  Joe glanced in the direction Bernice had gone. “I intend to live what’s left of my life drunk on a woman’s love.”

  “Are you sayin’ that woman’s Bernice?”

  Joe’s attention shot to the old man. “Yeah.”

  “Are you up for the comin’ storm?”

  “Hurricane force winds won’t stop me.”

  “Then you need to get her out of town before her old man finds out you’re here, or there’ll be hell to pay.”

  _______________

  Eunice was staring out the exit door when I arrived in the hallway. She kept her back to me even though she knew I’d arrived. “How did you find us?”

  “I followed you, of course.”

  I sighed. I should have known she’d do something like that. She was overprotective.

  “Why?”

  “Do you know what he does for a livin’?” Eunice asked without pause, avoiding my question.

  I could feel my hackles rise instantly. Eunice had a little too much of our mother in her. A little too much snob in her sometimes.

  “I do.”

  She glanced over her shoulder at me with surprise. “And it doesn’t bother you?”

  I shrugged. “Do I want the man I’m in a relationship with surrounded by a bevy of beautiful women half my age? No. But I’m not goin’ to judge him. What little he’s told me sounds like he takes care of the women in his employ. He gives them a 401k plan, for goodness sake; that seems pretty generous to me.”

  Eunice digested that for a moment. “But he peddles flesh for a livin’.”

  I leaned against the wall and crossed my arms. “Better someone like Joe, who takes care of the women, than some sleazeball, don’t you think?”

  Eunice pushed off the door and came to lean against the wall next to me. “Devin seems to think he’s a straight shooter.” This was said with resignation.

  “From what I gathered, Calla had Devin check him out before he approached Joe. I can’t imagine Devin allowin’ someone to come into our lives who wasn’t on the up and up, can you?”

  She looked down at her hands and began to pick at a nail, a sure sign she was uneasy. “He hails from Tennessee.”

  I nodded. “That’s what he told me. Is that a problem?” I waited for her to answer. When her hands began to wring, I reached out and stopped them. “What’s this all about? Why are you here?”

  After a moment more of silence, she took a deep breath and sallied forth with her admission. “If this works out between you two, he’ll ask you to move. It’s always been you and me lookin’ out for each other. But if you’re in Tennessee . . .”

  The blood rushed from my head with dizzying speed. I’d never even considered that being in a relationship with Joe might mean moving. “Oh.”

  “That’s puttin’ it mildly,” she mumbled. “Not to mention, you know as well as I do that Daddy will find some way to tear you two apart once he finds out about Joe, and what he does for a livin’.”

  I wanted to slide down the wall and curl my arms around my knees. I hadn’t thought about how our father would react to Joe’s job either. I knew Daddy would cause trouble with any man who was interested in either of us, but Joe owning a strip club would send him into fits.

  For the most part, we lived our lives separate from our parents. But it was ingrained in us to respect our elders so, several times a year, we accepted invitations to our parents’ home for dinner out of that duty to them. Calla was the heir apparent to their whole fortune, so it gave us a little breathing room to back out when we weren’t i
n the mood to deal with Daddy’s autocratic ways, but I wasn’t under any illusions where my father was concerned. He had a whole team of security keeping an eye on his interests, and that included Calla, Eunice, and me. It wouldn’t surprise me if he knew about Joe by morning, if he didn’t already.

  My eyes began to sting. For the first time ever, I was on the cusp of having a man in my life who I could really connect with. A man who made me feel special. But now it seemed like there was a mountain standing in the way of my happiness. Even if we could ignore my father, could I leave Calla and Eunice behind if things worked out with Joe? I was certain the answer was no, but for the right man, a man like Joe, I would consider it. But the better question in the meantime was: how could I protect Joe from my father? He was ruthless when he wanted something, and Joe Rouger would not be my father’s idea of a match for me. Not by a long shot. I’d seen Preston Armstrong destroy men financially for daring to disagree with him. What would he do to a man he didn’t approve of courting his daughter? Nothing good, I feared.

  “This stinks,” I mumbled, finally giving in to my need to sink to the floor. Eunice followed like any good sister would and wrapped her arm around my shoulders.

  “I’ll admit to being selfish. The thought of you livin’ more than five minutes from me gives me heart palpitations, but I would endure it if it made you happy. But Daddy . . . even though we walked away from the stranglehold he had on us, we both know he sees us as personal property. He never lets go of somethin’ he thinks belongs to him, and you know he’ll crush anyone and anything that stands in his way. I’m not sure it’s fair for Joe to have to deal with it.”

  “Why don’t you let me decide what I can or can’t handle?”

  Both Eunice and I whipped our heads around at the sound of Joe’s voice. He looked pissed. His eyes were glittering with anger in the low light of the hallway.

  “Joe, you don’t know our father,” Eunice began. “Daddy never loses. Never. If he wants you gone, then you’ll be gone. I don’t want Bernice to get her hopes up. It wouldn’t be fair to start somethin’ when we all know it can’t go anywhere.”

  I saw his anger rise with her assessment and bit my lip. It was almost suffocating in the small space. “You got a crystal ball that says this is doomed?”

  “Of course not,” Eunice sighed. “But we have more experience dealin’ with Daddy, so we know how this is gonna turn out. No matter how strong you think you are, our father will dig until he finds a way to get what he wants. He’ll never back down.”

  Before I could give my two cents worth, Joe stalked forward and put out his hand to me. It was large, strong looking. He had calluses on the tips as if he played guitar. “Take my hand, baby.”

  My hand automatically began to rise at the command.

  “Sister?” Eunice mumbled next to me, grabbing my hand to stop me.

  I glanced at her then back at his hand. If I took it, I’d be opening Pandora’s box. While I stared at his outstretched hand, I began to wonder what it would feel like running the length of my body. Or how secure it would feel on a long walk on the beach. I wanted to know the answers to those questions more than anything, but my father, as always, stood in the way of my happiness.

  Looking back at Eunice, I watched as she raised a brow, questioning my hesitance to send Joe packing. I turned back to Joe and saw the determination in his face. I remembered that when I first laid eyes on him, I’d thought he looked like a man who would stand up to my father and win. Like the kind of man who would fight for me.

  I looked up into his dark eyes, and for a brief second, I thought I saw pleading in their depths. By all appearances, he wanted this as much as I did. And he would fight for it.

  When was the last time I fought for what I truly wanted?

  So, with little thought to the consequence of my action, I took a chance on happiness, no matter how fleeting it might be, and reached out and grasped his hand, determined I wouldn’t let my father win this time. He was just a man, not a god. He needed to be put in his place for once.

  “Preston shouldn’t get his way all the time,” I mumbled to my sister, squaring my shoulders for her rebuff.

  Eunice seemed surprised by my answer. She looked between Joe and me and studied us for a moment. When her face softened, I knew she was on my side, just like she’d always been. “Go then, go before he finds out Joe is in town,” she urged.

  Joe didn’t waste time; he nodded once to Eunice, then hauled me off the floor and kept right on going out the front door of Ray’s. He didn’t stop until we were standing next to his bike. He was silent while he placed a helmet on my head, but I could see his jaw working its muscles. He was still peeved about something, so I kept my mouth shut. “Pick your battles,” Momma always said. Since I had no clue what was going on in his head, I figured I’d give him this one.

  Moments later, he was astride his bike and reaching out his hand to me. I took it without hesitation. Eunice and I had burned the rope at both ends when we were younger, determined to live our lives without the constant interference from our father. Then our brother died along with his wife and son in a car accident, and the world as we knew it came crashing to a halt. Eunice and I settled down for the sake of Calla, whose custody we were given in our brother’s trust, but with Calla came our father. He kept a stranglehold on our lives, and there wasn’t jack we could do about it, but the moment I put my hand in Joe’s, something miraculous happened. My father didn’t exist. I didn’t feel the constant weight of his disapproval because Joe was such a commanding presence, he blocked my father out. That’s how I knew I’d made the right decision. That Joe was worth fighting for. He felt like a wall that stood between me and the rest of the world. For the first time in my life, I felt truly safe.

  Just as he’d done earlier when I’d slid on behind him, Joe turned in his seat, then reached a hand up to curl around my neck. He didn’t kiss me at first. Instead, he stared into my eyes, taking my measure. “You with me on this?”

  I nodded in the affirmative. I was definitely with him. “I’m with you.”

  “Then let’s get the hell out of here.”

  I thought he meant to leave Ray’s when he made that statement, but when we crossed the bridge leading out of Tybee, I tapped his shoulder. “Where are we goin’?” I shouted into his ear.

  His answer? Silence. And a firm squeeze of my leg to let me know he heard me but wasn’t going to answer. Guess I’d find out once we got there.

  _______________

  Joe didn’t give a shit about Preston Armstrong. No matter how rich and powerful he may be. But there was one thing he was certain of: Bernice, Eunice, and even Ray believed their father could put a stop to Joe’s pursuit of Bernice, and that’s all that mattered. Ray was right. He needed to get her alone and reassure her he was in this for the long haul, which was why he’d pointed his bike toward North Carolina and the Outer Banks the moment they left Ray’s. They needed time to strengthen their relationship before this man she saw as unstoppable came crashing into their lives.

  Bernice had asked him where they were heading, but he’d kept it to himself. He figured she’d argue about leaving town, but when they crossed the bridge out of Savannah and into South Carolina, she’d just tightened her hold on his waist and laid her head on his shoulder, watching the lights of Savannah melt away.

  Before Devin showed up and told him Bernice was single, he’d spent time researching beach communities for vacation spots, so he had a destination in mind the minute he knew he needed to get her out of town. With just the clothes on their back, they needed somewhere low-key. A place to relax without bright lights. The Outer Banks was perfect. Sun, beer, and passionate nights didn’t require luggage.

  At midnight, Joe pulled up beside the Tides Hotel on Folly Beach, a barrier island just outside of Charleston, South Carolina. In his younger days, he might have pressed on and driven through the night until he reached his destination, but he’d rather hunker down for the night with Bernice
in his arms than spit bugs out of his mouth the whole night long.

  He put out his hand to Bernice to help her off his bike. She was gazing up at the hotel, grinning from ear to ear. “I haven’t been to Folly Beach in years.” With that statement, she took his hand and dismounted his Harley. By the time he’d stored their gear in his luggage rack, Bernice was walking toward the back of the hotel.

  The moon was high in the night sky, illuminating the ocean and the surrounding sand, highlighting Bernice in its glow. He followed her like she was the Pied Piper, drawn to her by an invisible thread. When she picked up her pace and grabbed a towel from a lounge chair by the pool, Joe grinned and matched her gait. Once she hit the beach, she looked over her shoulder to make sure he was following her. That smile hit him in the gut and curled around like a snake until he couldn’t breathe. Her eyes danced with light when she stopped and pulled her Harley tee from her body in one bold jerk. She still had her swimsuit on from earlier. Joe tried to draw air into his lungs as he watched her kick off her shoes and peel her jeans down her legs. His breath burst from his lungs when her long legs were finally free from the confines of her clothes, glistening like silk in the moon’s caress.

  “I feel like I’m twenty again,” she shouted, then turned on her heel and ran for the water. He couldn’t take his eyes off her ass as she dove into the chilly Atlantic.

  Devin was right; something about the Armstrong women made you feel clean in a way you never had in your life. If he had to put his finger on the how of it, he’d say it was the light that seemed to seep from their pores. The innocent purity that cloaked them. From the few stories he’d heard, none of their lives had been easy, but they still maintained a joy for life that was infectious and cleansing.

  Joe left a trail of clothes when he followed her into the surf, bare as the day he was born and not giving a fuck if anyone saw him. The cold water dropped his temperature instantly, but it began to heat again when Bernice surfaced in front of him. Saltwater slid down her chest and disappeared between her breasts. He followed the trail a drop took, then the next one until he was hard as granite. His lungs froze where he stood when she approached slowly, seduction written into every line on her face.