The Mechanic

by Lexie Davis

  The pad of Taylor’s thumb brushed against my clit and I squeezed around him, a soft moan leaving my lips as my body shook in pleasure. He held me, licking a path from my navel to my breasts. He kissed each swell before lifting his head to look at me.

  “You okay?”

  I brushed the water from my face. “Great.”

  He chuckled and pulled my legs from his hips. I was a sticky mess from our combined juices and reached for his body wash. I didn’t say anything as I started washing my body. He’d come in me twice. I should have been alarmed about it. I didn’t know his history or really his sexual past. I trusted him or it wouldn’t have gotten this far.

  “That frown is going to give you wrinkles.” He kissed my cheek. “What’s wrong?”

  I blew out a breath. “We didn’t have the whole sexual history talk.”

  He brushed my cheek with his finger. “What do you want to know?”

  I gave him my back as I rinsed my body. “I’m on birth control. I haven’t slept with anyone in a while either.”

  He pressed his lips to the back of my neck. “There’s no question in that statement.”

  “Are you clean?” I asked, turning toward him.

  “I am.” His eyes met mine.

  I nodded and reached for the shampoo. “Good.”

  He smiled. “That’s it?”

  I poured some shampoo in my hand and glanced up at him. “Should there be more?”

  He held out his hand. “I don’t know. I thought you actually wanted to know my sexual history. Not if I had a disease.”

  I scrubbed my fingers along my scalp, letting the shampoo wash away the grime. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to ask. I’ve only had sex with one person. There was no sexual history and no diseases with him.”

  I loved the way his smile lit up the room. His white teeth contrasted with the darkness of the hair on his face. My stomach fluttered every time he smiled at me.

  “Sweetheart, you can ask me anything.” He leaned in to kiss me. “I have no desire to keep secrets from you.”

  I thought about what he’d said long after our shower ended. We dressed and settled in the living room. He watched some TV show I’d never seen and I did my best to read a book without falling asleep. Apparently, I failed since the next time I woke up, Taylor was carrying me to his bedroom. He didn’t say anything as he sat me on the bed and tucked me beneath the covers. He kissed my forehead before leaving, closing the bedroom door behind him.

  I lay there in the dark, soaking up how comfortable I was with him. I liked it. Instead of sleeping, I stood and went to the door. I opened it and went to search for him. When I found him, he was actually cleaning.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “Well.” He glanced down at the trashcan before him. “I was going to dump the trash and then probably do a load of laundry.”

  I shook my head. “Come to bed with me.”

  He laughed. “I will. I am. Just let me finish this and I’ll join you.”

  “Are you really that big of a neat freak that it can’t wait until morning?”

  “Yes.” He pulled the full trash bag from the can. “I don’t like my kitchen smelling like garbage. Plus, I need to do my clothes or I won’t have anything to wear to work.”

  He moved past me to the door and unlocked it. I watched as he took the trash out. Seconds later, he returned and locked the door behind him before moving to the laundry room. I liked his little quirks. I could only imagine what he thought about being in my messy house. I was definitely the type of person who wore every single pair of underwear I owned before I did laundry. And I only took the garbage out on garbage day.

  I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around him. “Did you hyperventilate in my messy house?”

  He grinned. “No.”

  He dumped the laundry detergent in the washer and closed the door. Once he had everything in order, the machine started and he turned in my arms to face me.

  “I’m all yours,” he told me.

  I smiled at him, believing it was true. He was mine and I liked the idea of that.

  Chapter Six

  Taylor

  “Did you fuck my sister?” Davy asked me the next day.

  I didn’t have time for his shenanigans. I needed to work on Eve’s car and I had a line well into the parking lot that needed their oil changed. I searched through the toolbox, looking for the right socket to undo the drain plug.

  “Davy, I don’t have time to mess with you right now. I’ve got ten cars lined up for oil changes and you’ve been messing with my tools again.”

  He always messed with my tools. Either he’d take them and never bring them back or he’d bring them back dirty and I had to wash them off. Now, I couldn’t find the right socket that I needed and it was pissing me off.

  “You did. Don’t tell Joe.”

  “Don’t tell Joe what?” Joe asked coming over to us.

  “Taylor slept with Eve.”

  Joe narrowed his eyes at me. I ignored him and went over to Davy’s station to find my freaking tool. Sure enough, it sat right in front. I groaned and grabbed it, moving over to the line that had accumulated.

  Thankfully, work prevented me from talking to either one of Eve’s brothers. When lunchtime came, I went to the break room and saw Eve standing there with the two men I avoided all morning.

  “Joe’s going to kick your ass,” Davy commented.

  “Yeah?” I glanced over at Joe. “With a fucking line of cars backed up nearly to the road, you’d probably want to think twice about that.”

  “He’s not going to do anything,” Eve commented. She studied me a moment. “Are you okay?”

  “Fine.” I washed my hands at the sink and ripped off one paper towel on the empty roll. Nobody could freaking replace the stuff they used. Groaning, I did my best to dry my hands before I tossed the towel.

  I didn’t have time to get a real lunch, so I decided to get junk food from the vending machine until the workload slowed down. I shoved my hand in my pocket and pulled out two quarters. I put them in the machine and pressed the button for the chips I wanted and waited while the stupid thing shoved them forward. Only it stopped halfway and left them dangling.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.” I hit the glass with my hand and heard Davy snicker behind me.

  “Are you not leaving for lunch?” Eve asked me.

  “I don’t have fucking time to leave. I’m never going to get those cars done if I take an hour to eat.” I slammed my hand against the glass again. “Come on.”

  Davy snickered louder and I turned.

  “Do you think something is fucking funny?”

  Joe’s eyes widened. “Damn.”

  Davy stopped laughing and glanced over at Eve. “Isn’t sex supposed to make you happier? What the hell did you do to him?”

  “Don’t talk to her that way.” I walked toward him. “Don’t ever mention Eve and sex in the same sentence again, do you understand?”

  “Taylor.” Eve walked toward me. “Come on.”

  “No. He’s been running his mouth all fucking morning about me and you. Then he degrades you in front of me. He needs to shut his fucking mouth before I knock his damn teeth out.”

  Eve pressed her hand against my stomach. “It’s okay. Just go.”

  With my jaw clenched, I met her gaze. “Fine.”

  I turned and left the room. I was pissed off and decided to work. Nothing had gone right all morning and I couldn’t wait to go home and forget about the day.

  Nearly an hour later, Eve came over to my work station and squatted down beside me. “I got you something to eat. Take a break after you finish this car.”

  I nodded. It didn’t take me too long to drain the oil and replace the filter. I put new oil back in and started it up. It ran silky smooth, so I signed off on it and sent the paperwork to Doug for payment.

  Afterward, I went to the office where Eve sat at the computer. She had a bag of fast food on the
desk. “Go wash your hands.”

  I washed my hands the best I could and returned to the office, taking a seat in the chair near her desk. I didn’t say anything as she dished out what she’d bought.

  “Is my brother the problem or is it something else?” she asked me.

  I took a bite of the hamburger. “Your brother.”

  “He likes to run his mouth. You know that.”

  I snorted. “Yeah.”

  She watched me eat a few bites. “Will you tell me what’s really bothering you?”

  “He took my tools. I don’t know how many I’ve pulled off his cart this morning. He stands around bullshitting while I’ve got an entire line of cars backed up waiting to be serviced. He gets away with doing nothing all day and still gets a check while I’m not even getting paid and have more work than I can manage on my own. I haven’t had a break all day to even go to the bathroom.”

  Eve licked her lips. “Okay. I’ll take care of it.”

  I snorted, taking another bite of food.

  “What’s that about? You don’t think I’ll take care of it?”

  “I’m not fighting with you.” I lifted the sweet tea on her desk and drank. “He gets away with murder though, and nobody says a thing.”

  “And I’m going to take care of it.” She stood and moved around her desk so that she stood next to me. I watched her open the door and yell for her brother. When Davy finally came over, he squeezed himself into the room, glancing between the two of us.

  “How many vehicles have you serviced today?” Eve asked him.

  “Five maybe.” He glanced over at Taylor. “Why?”

  “How many have you serviced?” she asked me.

  “I don’t know.” I honestly didn’t. “A lot.”

  “Taylor is not being paid right now.” She told her brother. “Yet he’s working harder than you at the moment.”

  Davy folded his arms over his chest. “I work hard.”

  “You do?” Eve stood and went to the door. She left the office and came back with a folder of papers. “Let’s do some math.”

  She separated the papers into piles. Davy had three tickets he’d completed in four hours. Joe and I had more. She held up the three tickets.

  “Three, Davy. We’re trying to get this business back on track and you’re wasting company time.” She shook her head. “I’m docking your pay. I’m going to go through all the tickets this week with your name on them and if your numbers don’t come anywhere near Joe’s, Ted’s, Rodney’s, or Taylor’s, then you’re not going to be paid for the full day’s work. You’ll get paid for half a day.”

  “You can’t do that.”

  “Since I’m the one paying your salary, yes, I can.”

  Davy folded his arms over his chest. “This is bullshit. Dad won’t go for it.”

  “You know what? He shouldn’t. You don’t get paid to stand around all day bullshitting everyone when you’re supposed to be working. Taylor’s not even getting paid and he’s done triple the work you’ve done in the same time. Why is that, Davy? Why would Taylor work for free and you, the son of the owner, get paid for nothing?

  He shook his head. “Is he working for free? Pussy isn’t payment for the job he does?”

  I shook my head. “I’m going to end up hitting him before the day is over.”

  “Take your best shot, tough guy.”

  Eve stood. “Out. Get back to work. I mean it.” She shoved Davy out of the office and closed the door. “And you.”

  “What about me?”

  “Control yourself.” She propped her hand on her hip. “I’m not a babysitter and I don’t want to be. He’s going to say stuff that will piss you off. You know this. Just let it go.”

  I drank the last of her sweet tea. “Fine.”

  She walked over to me and leaned in to kiss my lips. Some of the stress left my body with that simple move. I wanted to pull her to me and fuck her on the desk, but that would never happen on company time.

  “You’ve got to do something about those damn tight skirts.” I cupped the side of her face. “I want to rip it off you right now.”

  She smiled. “I’ll rethink my wardrobe for the garage.”

  “You do that.” I kissed her again. She went back to the computer and left me sitting in the chair opposite her. “I’m staying late to work on your car. You should be able to drive it home after I install the new button.”

  “Good.” She sorted through the papers on her desk. “How much do I owe you?”

  “I’m not keeping tabs.” I rubbed a hand over my face.

  “Well, I’m sure I can think of some way to repay you.” She glanced up. “Maybe a massage?”

  I smiled. “You’re a distraction.”

  “Probably.” She chuckled. “But you are too. Get out of my office.”

  “I’m going.” I stood and picked up my lunch mess. She watched me for a moment, shaking her head. “Don’t say anything.”

  “I wasn’t.” She blew out a breath and clipped some papers together. “I like that you’re not a slob.”

  I leaned over her desk and kissed her. “I’ll see you later.”

  When I left the room, I saw Davy talking to Doug. I could only imagine what kind of shit he was stirring up. Instead of saying anything, I went back to work. I had cars to fix and very little time to waste.

  ****

  After the last oil change drove off, I grabbed Eve’s keys and backed her car into my workspace with the tow truck. Davy didn’t talk to me most of the day and I was fine with that. We were best friends, but he’d hit all kinds of nerves today and I was tired of it.

  I pulled the dash out and started to disconnect the wires for the button. The system’s sensors said that it was a simple fix, but sometimes they lied. I didn’t even notice Eve had walked up until she stood over me.

  “I need to run by work for a moment. They’ve got the IRS on their case about a client and I need to figure out what is going on. Can you take me or do I need to borrow Dad’s truck?”

  I glanced at the mess I’d made with her dashboard. If I left, it would push me back. I leaned over and fished my keys out of my pocket and tossed them to her.

  “You’re giving me your truck.”

  “Yeah.” I studied the wires. “As long as you come back to pick me up.”

  She smiled. “You don’t want to spend the night at the garage?”

  “I’ve slept in worse places, but no. I don’t.”

  She fingered my keys for a moment. “I won’t be long. I’ll call you when I leave.”

  “I’ll be right here for a while. This is more complicated than I thought.” I fished out the wires I needed to unhook the button and disconnected them. Getting the stupid thing out of the dash was the next issue.

  “Stop for a second.”

  I stopped what I was doing and looked up at her. “What?”

  She leaned in and kissed me, cupping my cheek with one hand. I smiled before kissing her back.

  “I’ll be back in a few.”

  She left me and I got back to work. It didn’t take me long to disconnect the old button. I opened the package for the new button and undid the wires.

  “Taylor, can I speak with you for a moment?” Doug caught my attention and I stood from the car.

  “Sure. What’s going on?”

  “Davy told me that you two had some trouble today.”

  I propped my hands on my hips. “You could say that.”

  Doug frowned. “Taylor, you’re a hard worker and you’ve helped us out a lot since you’ve been here.”

  I blinked a few times, wondering where this was going.

  “I’m going to have to let you go.” Doug lifted his hat and scratched his head before placing it back. “I hate to do this, but I know you’ll find a better job somewhere else. You’re skilled and any shop would be lucky to have you.”

  Today simply wasn’t my day.

  “Can I ask why you’re firing me?”

  “I can’t ha
ve fighting at the shop. Davy is my son and we’re all struggling with my wife gone.”

  I glanced over at Davy. “Yeah.”

  I shifted my attention to the car. “I’ll fix Eve’s car and get out of here.”

  “I’ve got it,” Davy commented, coming toward us.

  I shook my head. “Fine.”

  So much for friendship. I didn’t want to think about being rejected by the family I’d adopted. I supposed all good things did come to an end. I walked away from Eve’s car and went toward the metal door. Eve pulled into the lot in my truck just as I walked outside. I waited while she parked. She grabbed her bag and opened the door.

  “Did you fix it?”

  “Davy’s got it.” I didn’t say any more as she got out of the truck. “Should be done in a few minutes.”

  “Why is Davy working on my car?” She frowned.

  “Your father fired me.”

  “What?”

  “I’m leaving.” I got in the truck and turned the key. “I’ll see you around, Eve.”

  I left her staring after me as I backed out of the lot. I couldn’t wait to get the hell away from everyone and everything. The day had been horrible and it’d be nice for it to be over too.

  Chapter Seven

  Eve

  I walked in the shop and scoped out the area for my father. “What the hell is going on?”

  He glanced up at me while Davy sat in the driver’s seat of my car working on the dash.

  “You fired Taylor?” I stared at him, knowing my brother had something to do with it.

  “Calm down.” My father held his hands out. “Taylor was starting trouble and I don’t want that around the shop.”

  “What was Taylor doing to start trouble?”

  My father scratched his stomach, avoiding my gaze. “Davy told me that you spent the night at his house.”

  I glanced over at my brother. “He did, did he? How do you know that, Davy? How do you know what I was doing last night and with whom I was doing it with?”

  My temper flared as my brother avoided my question. Joe walked across the garage toward us.

  “What’s going on?”