The longer Nick wanders around the store, the more uneasy I get, and maybe he is going to rob us? Clearing my throat, I sit up straight and try to speak, but the moment he looks up at me I lose the ability to. “Yes? Do you want to say something to me?” he asked me in a frustrated tone.
“I was … ummm, just wondering if …” what was I wondering? Oh yes. “If you need help finding anything?” I say feeling relieved that I managed to say something coherent. Not something I have been able to do around him in the past. Last year, some boys at school purposely shoved me, causing me and my books to go flying across the floor. The only hand that was held out to help me up, Nick’s. He asked me if I was okay, I nodded, and then said, “Ankle you.” Ankle you? A combination of my ankle is twisted, but thank you. Apparently he doesn’t speak my language of gibberish, so he and his puzzled expression left me to glow in my embarrassment alone.
From that point on, I have been fascinated by him, curious to say something more than, Ankle You. I have seen other girls speak to him, but not to do a lot of talking with Nick. Talking with him is short lived. He prefers other one on one activities with girls, something else I have always been curious about. I have never met anyone to share that kind of activity with, I am not exactly the kind of girl guys dream about, and I am certainly not Nick’s type. However, I have had more than once daydreamed about his arm around me or his luscious lips on mine. Unfortunately, I don’t know enough to even daydream much further than first base. I am a sad spectacle. But when I go to college, yes, there is where I am going to have my time. I hear that everyone loses their virginity at college. Everyone! I just have to wait my turn.
“Excuse me? Do you have any of these bags in black or a darker color of some kind?” Nick asks holding up one of our new tool bags.
“I can check in the back?” I say stumbling off my stool to the back. Tossing items from one side to the next I quickly rummage through our inventory until I find one black tool bag. As soon as I turn, around Nick runs up on me and presses me against the wall. Hovering over me, he looks down on me with a serious look in his eyes. “My father has already taken the deposits. We don’t have much money left here. If you want the bag just take it and …”
“What? No, I am not trying to rob you. I need you to be quiet,” he says. He holds his finger to my lips and adjusts to get closer to me as he listens closely. I should be scared, nervous even, or at least curious as to why I have to be quiet, but instead, all I can think about is his body pressed tightly against mine. His arm wraps around my waist as his hands hold me firmly still. “Just be very quiet,” he says waiting for me to nod. Nick looks around the corner, his hot breath steaming up my neck, and causing my entire body to go weak. I can barely breathe, taking in the scent of him as the feeling of being guarded by him consumes me. My mind begins to wander to a place I have only read about and watched once at my cousin Mark’s house. That was creepy, I wish I hadn’t finished watching it, sort of. I wonder if Nick is wearing anything like that guy had on underneath? Or has anything like that? He must have something nice, considering … how … oh he smells so good. I feel a dopy smile form, and my mind goes deeper into trouble until my euphoric daydream is abruptly interrupted by a loud crash within the store. As soon as I open my mouth, Nick presses his finger back to my lips. “They are looking for me. Are you a good liar? You can’t tell them I am here.” Lying? Me? “Yeah I thought not, so just stay quiet instead please. They will leave once the cops go through.” I trust him for no reason, other than to enjoy this moment of having him pressed against me.
With his attention occupied with what is going on within the store, I rest my hands against his chest and slowly drag them over his body until he looks down at me, “You’re kind of close.”
“Just … be … quiet,” he whispers harshly. Once we hear the chimes from the front door, Nick releases me and investigates the store cautiously. “They are gone, you can come out now.”
Stepping back into the store I panic instantly at the site, “Oh no!” The store is completely wrecked. How did I not hear this being done? One look at Nick, and I realize why. “This is a … my father is going to kill me.”
“Don’t worry. We will get it back together.” Nick says picking up a display.
“Who was that? Why did they do this?” I demand to know.
“My brother actually. He is determined to kick my ass especially after …” He glances my way and stops short of telling me everything.
“After you what? I can’t imagine what it might be that would cause your own brother to be this angry with you.”
“You don’t know my brother. He doesn’t need much of an excuse to hate me, but in this case, I took something of his and put it in an awkward place.” Nick smiles, seeming to fight back a laugh.
“Well, I don’t care for your brother at all if this is any indication of what he is like.” I say, and Nick instantly smiles and kisses my cheek. Although, I really love you. My dopey smile reappears without my consent.
Nick does stay and help me clean up, even taking off his shirt to help reset some light fixtures. A tattoo across his ribs is something I have never seen before, a fiery tattoo that doesn’t seem to be completed. “What made you get that tattoo?” I ask him, while tracing its outline in the air.
“Another incident with my brother left this bruise along my ribs. My friend Luke said it looked like I was on fire, and I liked the idea so …” he says before stepping down off the ladder and looking down at me. “It’s not finished yet. I plan on it stretching from my shoulder all the way down …” He laughs when I gasp at his hand dropping below his waist. “Don’t worry I don’t plan on tattooing my dick. It’s fine just the way it is. Don’t you think?” he asks.
“What? I wouldn’t know!”
Leaning in close to me, Nick nearly touches my lips with his, “Do you want to?” he asks, sending my knees diving for the floor. Nick takes hold of my arm shaking his head at me and guides me to another area of the store, “We are nearly finished. Let’s concentrate on getting done so we can both get on with our lives.” I suddenly don’t want to ever finish. “Just one last thing, come here …” Taking my waist he lifts me up so I can adjust some items on the wall. His sudden touch startles me and I forget that I am wearing a skirt. Thankfully I think clearly enough to do what I needed to do. When he sits me down, I quickly realize that my underwear is showing and push my skirt back down. “Nice panties,” he smirks.
“You are not much of a gentleman, are you?” I snap at him, my words shocking him and myself.
“I am trying to help you, I could have left you here or left you alone with my brother’s henchmen, and I guarantee you, Kitten, they are certainly no gentlemen,” he says winking and turning away from me.
I grab his arm forcefully. “I think you actually still owe me.”
“How do you figure? I just helped you clean this disaster up.”
“You helped clean a mess up that you caused! They were looking for you. I could have screamed and turned you over to them. I doubt they would have cared much about me once they had you. Hell there is probably an award …”
“Award? What am I, America’s Most Wanted? I stole his car, Kitten. I didn’t kill his wife,” Nick says with a huff.
“Still, you still owe me.”
Shaking his head with a sigh, “Fine I owe you. What do you want?”
His question lingers around me with thoughts and ideas multiplying so fast they begin to blur, but for some reason a thought pushes its way to the front and out of my mouth before I can stop it. “I want … I want to know about sex.” I can’t believe I just said that.
“What? You want to have sex with me?”
“No! I only want to know about it.”
“How else do you learn about it? Wait, are you a virgin?”
“That doesn’t matter. All I want is to ask you questions and for you to answer honestly.”
“About sex?” He laughs as I nod. “Wow. Sure, okay Kitten,
whatever you want. Ask away.”
“No not here, not now. I have to get home before my father freaks out. Tomorrow, at my house. My father stays at his girlfriends after work on Fridays, so you can come over and we can work on my study then.”
“Your study? That’s a new one,” he says winking in my face.
“I am not trying to have sex with you!” I scream pushing him away from me.
“Okay, it’s for your … study. I suppose. Call me when you want me to come over.” Nick takes my phone and types in his number. “I have business take care of tomorrow night. Once I finish, I can come over after that sometime.” I agree, biting my bottom lip to keep from screaming for joy.
Chapter 7
~Franky~
It’s Friday night and as soon as my father leaves, I pick up my phone, and nervously dial Nick’s number, and breathe several times before I finally hit the call button. Hi Nick … Hey what’s up … ummm. So it’s me … Get your fine ass over here now …
“What’s so funny?” Nick asks.
“Ummm, nothing … I … I … ummm … Hey.” Oh no. What is wrong with you?
“Hey. Listen, I really thought you were kidding about this coming over shit so I made other plans. I am sure you can find someone else to help you out with your study,” he says snickering.
“But I wasn’t kidding, and what do you mean you made other plans? You owe me.” I insist.
“Yeah, okay, I will try to make it up to you some other time, but right now I have to go. I will talk to you later,” Nick says and hangs up the phone.
That fucking asshole! Oh, I hate him! I can’t believe he did this to me. Well, never again, I am never talking to him again. I steam for sometime before I start to feel guilty for hoping that he calls me back. No, I am not going to sit around here and hope that he changes his mind, and shows up after all. Making a quick call, I agree to meet my one available friend, Brandi, for pizza, and drown my disappointment in pepperoni and cheese.
“Sorry about Nick, but he isn’t really your type anyway. He is kind of scary even,” Brandi says sipping on her soda. I know she is trying to help, but her straightforward response doesn’t really help me feel any better. Brandi is level headed and smart, but more naïve than I, which is saying a lot. She was home schooled up until about two years ago, and has been scared shitless to talk to boys since I have met her. Brandi is not exactly the authority on men that I am looking for tonight, but she was my best answer at the last minute. Brandi continues on with some other mindless chit chat, while I nod in agreement whenever it feels right to do so. All I can think about is what if he changed his mind and showed up at my house. What if he had some family thing and that is why …
“So, Nicky, did you manage to get laid before we forced to leave?” Elijah says, following Nick into the pizza shop.
“I crawled into her bedroom later. She always leaves it open for me anyway,” Nick says laughing along with his friends.
“Lucky bastard,” Luke says with a shake of his head.
“I can’t believe he is here. That asshole is actually here!” I stare at Nick in disbelief until he looks over at me and nods with a smile. “Hey.”
“Hey,” he says walking out the door again.
Before I can think about it, I get up and run after him. “Nick!”
He turns around wide eyed, “What?”
“Do you have nothing to say to me?” I snap.
“I said Hi.” He shrugs.
Stomping my foot, I cringe with anger, “Go to hell, asshole!”
“Okay.” He laughs continuing on with his friends. With Brandi in tow, I follow after him. After a couple of blocks, Nick turns around in frustration, and approaches me, “What are you doing?”
“I am going to follow you until you apologize for breaking our agreement,” I said.
“Franky, go home! I will talk to you tomorrow. I am sorry I couldn’t make it, but I have business to take care of right now.”
“No, I want to go this way too.” Nick shakes head, but continues walking, only faster, to try and lose me I assume. Now even angrier and even more determined, I concentrate on keeping up and following his every move, despite Brandi’s constant complaining for me to stop. Nick takes some sharp turns before leading down to an area I am not familiar with. I look down the dark street before finally noticing Brandi has stopped following me. No point in going back alone, might as well stick with someone I know.
I continue following them to a bar where Nick checks behind himself one more time and growls with impatience before shaking his finger in my face. “Go home, Franky. This is no place for you. You’re only going to get yourself hurt.” Nick pushes me back in the opposite direction while he goes forward with his friends into the bar.
I am not a little girl, I can handle a bar if he can. Following him in, I take in the heavy smoke and the unruly crowd with less excitement than I had before I walked in. I am pushed away from the door before I know it and standing near some prostitute bargaining with some man for her time. My interruption is not welcomed by either of them. This bar is nothing like I thought it would be. Searching through the heavy smoke I try to follow Nick, but the crowd surrounds me quickly and he moves too deep in the back for me to stay focused on him. Nick and his friends have completely disappeared within this place, and now I am alone. What was I thinking? Why didn’t I just go home? Working my way through the crowd, I slide across the wall searching for some kind of exit until I find a fire door. Anxious, I quickly make my way out and into an alleyway, a dark alleyway.
“Who are you?” someone says, grabbing my arm.
“No one, I was only trying to go home,” I say, trying to pull away from the repulsive man.
“It’s too early to go home, girly. Do you need a pick me up? I can certainly help you out with that.” He hands me something and rubs his hand down my side squeezing me to his side hard. “Go ahead, take it. I promise you will feel a hell of a lot better.”
“I don’t want it. I am supposed to meet someone. I need to go!” I cry out, hoping to draw a crowd from somewhere.
“But I don’t want you to go, I want you to stay here and be my friend for the night.” He smiles wide, as tears well up in my eyes. “I bet I can find a few friends for you tonight. What do you say? Want a make a little cash tonight?” His toxic breath releases into my mouth as I ready myself to scream. “I can’t speak for the others, but I’ll be gentle.”
“NO! Get away from me!” I scream.
Suddenly my arm is jerked away from him, “Go find someone else, Pearls. This one is not for you, she’s mine,” Nick pushes me behind his back and meets the man face to face.
“I saw her first, Nick.” The man takes out a knife shining his bright smile once again. Nick reaches back and pulls out his own knife. Breathless and wide eyed, I grip Nick’s shirt wanting to do something, anything to keep him from fighting this man.
In an instant, Nick slams the guy backwards and holds his knife to the man’s throat. “I said go. If you can’t do that peacefully, then I will make sure you lose your …”
“No, I am good, sorry, Nick. Please, I only thought she would like a pick me up,” Pearls drops his rusted knife and holds up his hands. “You know I have friends right around the corner Nick …”
Elijah and Luke come out of another door, drawing their guns on the man and silencing him. “Oh yeah, I got friends too. Get the fuck out of here before I lose my temper any more than I already have.” Once the man leaves, Nick turns his anger back towards me. “I thought I said go home.” I have no words, and all I can do is cry.
“Oh fuck, she’s crying. I hate when girls cry,” Luke says.
“Shut up, dumbass,” Elijah says shoving Luke. “Nick take her home, we will run the money back to Harvey and pay you later.”
Nick nods, wrapping his arm around my waist, and forces me down the street. “What is wrong with you? I speak to you once, and now suddenly you are following me around? Don’t you have better things
to do?” I have nothing to say to him. I can only cry harder. “Please stop crying. I can’t be mad if you’re crying.”
“I don’t want you to be mad at me. I am mad at you,” I whimper while he laughs. “Don’t laugh at me! You promised me, and then you brushed me off like I didn’t matter. I have every right to be mad at you,” I yell, halting my pace. “I am so sick of people like you looking down on me and treating me like I don’t matter or that I don’t have feelings. So what? I am not the sexy hot chick you like. Who cares if you are not willing to go out of your way to crawl through my bedroom window. I am beautiful too. You know, you are just too stupid and full of yourself to realize it. You will see, one day you will get tired of the airheaded fools you are falling all over yourself for and want someone who you can actually have a conversation with, and guess what?”
“What?” He smiles sarcastically.