CharlieMy apron was tangled up in a knot behind my back and no matter how I tried to pick it apart I only made it tighter. If I kept going like this it was going to cut me in half.I left my office and marched out down the hall to the front part of Ascension. It was eight thirty on a Saturday night and we were decently busy. I spotted Janie behind the bar mixing some drinks and walked over to her. After she handed the customers their glasses of whiskey she turned to me with her hands on her hips.I turned around and put my back to her, then hooked a thumb over my shoulder to point at the knot in the middle of my back. “Help.”Janie giggled. “How on earth did you manage that?”“I have no idea but it’s so tight I’m going to lose circulation in my legs.”Janie stooped over and began picking at the thick knot. It took a good three minutes before she started to make any progress. “I can’t figure out how this happened.”“It’s not the first time.”“Or the hundredth.”That was true. I had an
CharlieMy boots crunched on the loose stones underfoot as a couple of men catcalled me. I ignored them and kept on walking with my chin high.At the end of the line at the registration table I was forced to cut through the crowd. Men slid aside as I elbowed my way through, muttering apologies as I went. Some of them tried to get my attention and asked me to keep them company while they waited. Like the catcallers they were only ignored.I finally escaped the mass of drivers and arrived at the front of the line where Harley was chatting with a guy she seemed to know well enough. The conversation was light and friendly as I stepped around to her side of the table.Harley looked up at me. Her blue eyes, normally bright and almost aquamarine in the day, were like sapphires at night. Her tanned skin was covered in swirling dark tattoos and her lips were dark red.“Charlie!” Harley got to her feet and threw her arms around my shoulders. She gave me a tight squeeze before stepping back and
Benji“You tried, man,” I muttered, as I leaned over to Rick.He shifted his weight from his left to right feet. I could feel him bristling beneath his cool and collected expression. He didn’t say anything. He just stood there stiffly with his eyes on Mason and Harley.I felt for the guy. Harley was the only woman who flustered him. Although it was entertaining for me to watch him flounder I couldn’t help but wish things would change between them. She’d only ever had eyes for Mason. Now that he was off the market, courtesy of my sister, she was going to have to move on. Maybe if Rick was lucky she’d move in his direction.Unlikely.Rick was probably deemed to forever be Mason’s little brother in her eyes.Charlie, the chick in all black and a killer leather jacket, sat back down in her seat and resumed the position she’d been in when we first showed up. She kicked her heels up onto the table to show off the ankle boots that matched her jacket. She leaned back in the chair and draped o
BenjiCharlie gave me the impression that she didn’t smile often. Not around strangers at least. Her hardened exterior was probably in place for a reason and it reminded me of some of the kids in my shelter.Kids like Luke.The other night with him had been a shit show. Poor kid.His mother had showed up out of the blue after being out of his life for months. Now, for some kids this would be a good thing. Their parent coming back to them was something they dreamed about. But for Luke it was a nightmare because whenever his mother came a calling it was because she wanted something.And this time she wanted money. Straight up cash. As much as he could give her.Luke had no money. That was why he was staying at my shelter. Sure, he probably had twenty bucks or something, but that was money he’d made from pan handling or playing his harmonica on a street corner with some of the other kids who had musical instruments. It was enough for him to keep himself fed and he didn’t have to worry ab
CharlieThe last of the drivers finally registered, so Harley and I had some peace and quiet. I still had my arm draped over the back of the chair and I rolled my head to the side to look over at my friend as she scanned the list of drivers one last time to tally up who was missing.“So,” I said.Harley lifted her eyes to look up at me as she scribbled something on the page before her. “So?”“Who were those people?”“Mason and his crew?”I nodded.Harley gave me a sheepish smile as she slumped back in her seat. “You remember me telling you about the races last year? About the guy who came in late and took over the whole thing?”“The guy who got those two assholes banned?”“Yeah. Mason Thomas. That was him and his brother Rick. The other tall blond guy. And their friend Benji. They’re good guys. As good as it gets, actually.”“Not your usual type,” I chuckled.Harley nodded knowingly. “I know. I like the bad boys. But there’s something about Mason that’s always gotten under my skin, yo
CharlieWe heard the cars coming back before we saw them. The roar of their engines echoed off the overpasses and bounced around down to the streets below. Everyone rushed to the sidelines and waited for the first car to come around the corner at the end of the street.When it came the crowd exploded with cheering.I nearly jumped out of my skin.Harley threw her hands up in the air and cheered right along with them. She tried to get me to join in but I kept my lips firmly sealed and watched as the lead car, a baby blue coupe, came peeling toward the line. He had the lead by at least three car lengths and from where I was standing there was no way someone else would overtake him before he crossed the line.I was right.The car flew over the finish line. The cheering somehow grew louder. The other cars reached the line and slowed down once they passed. After all the cars had crossed the line the crowd spilled out onto the street to greet the drivers.Harley and I stayed where we were.
BenjiI watched Charlie walk across the gravel lot to her BMW motorcycle. It was as moody and dark as she was, and when she swung her leg over the seat and lifted her ass off the leather to get comfortable, my cock twitched in my pants.Rick jammed his elbow into my ribs.I flinched and massaged the now tender spot. “What the hell was that for?”“You’re staring.”“So are you, apparently.”Rick leaned up against the side of his Jeep and looked out across the lot as Charlie put her helmet on. We watched, transfixed by every move she made as she started the bike, revved the engine, and then peeled out of the parking lot in a cloud of gravel and dirt.We were not the only men in awe of her departure.“She’s got style. I’ll give her that much. And an ass that doesn’t quit.”I arched an eyebrow at Rick. “Is she stealing that special place in your heart away from Harley?”“Hell no.”Good, I thought.It was a selfish thought. A basic one. A primal one.The attraction I’d felt toward Charlie h
BenjiRick’s laughter increased to the point where he was almost cackling.I shot him a dark look. “Kevin. I’m out of the racing scene. I have been for a year. I’m not interested in being dragged back in.”“Come on, man. You’re the only guy I can ask—and the only guy who has a shot of winning if I put you in my car. Of course Mason would win if I asked him, but we all know he’s too infatuated with your sister to get back behind the wheel.”“Watch it,” I said.Rick continued snorting with laughter beside me.“Sorry,” Kevin amended. “But you know it’s true.”“Pointing it out is no way to get me to do you any favors.”“Fair enough,” Kevin swallowed. His eyes danced back and forth between me and Rick who was struggling to get his laughter under control. “Will you at least think about it? As a favor to me? I need your help and you’re the only one I can ask. I’ve worked so hard for this and you know how badly I want it. And I’m so fucking close I can taste it!”I sighed. “Even if I did win,