(One Month Later)LainaI buried my toes in the wet sand seconds before the wave rolled up the beach to engulf my ankles. The water was warm and crystal clear. I lifted my gaze to stare across the turquoise waters and out at the horizon. There wasn’t a thing in sight as far as the eye could see. Nothing but water and blue sky and sunshine. This was paradise. I wiggled my toes in the sand, feeling the grains nibble at my skin as they settled deeper. I smiled as I sank a little farther with each wave. Mason came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. His chin pushed into my shoulder, and he kissed my cheek. “What are you thinking about?” I stared out at the horizon again. “How good life is.” He chuckled. I felt the rumble in his chest as he pressed up against my back. “Life is good. You’re right. And this view,” he said with a sigh, “this view is unlike anything I ever thought I’d be lucky enough to see.
Laina I moaned out of arousal and frustration. Then I decided to take matters into my own hands, and I rolled up to my knees. Mason tried to stop me, but I pushed him back firmly. He fell onto the sand and laughed as I swung a leg over him and straddled his hips. “Do you have a condom?” I asked. He reached in his swimsuit pocket and pulled one out. I plucked it out of his fingers and shook my head. “How are you always prepared?” “Well, I always want to fuck you. So I have to be.” With the heat of a blush on my cheeks, I began undoing his drawstring. It took seconds. I pulled his trunks open and freed his cock to stroke him gently. He watched me and gripped my thighs firmly as I rolled the condom on.He pulled me up, and I lifted off him only to sit back down onto his dick. I was so fucking wet, he slid inside me easily. I moaned as I took all of him and put my hands flat on his chest to brace myself when my knees sank into th
Book TwoBenjiThe numbers weren’t adding up.I slumped back in my old office chair, which creaked beneath me and bent a little too far backward, and pinched the bridge of my nose.No matter how I tried to crunch them, shift them, or re-allocate them, there just wasn’t enough in my account to cover the operating costs of the shelter for the next quarter. Things were going to be very tight from July through September, and I was going to have a crew of very unhappy teenagers on my hands.The summer months were the ones the kids looked forward to the most. All of a sudden all the activities weren’t reduced to only being indoors. They had free reign of the yard out back where, admittedly, there was still a lot of work to be done, but where they were free to split into small groups or sit in solitude in the shade with one of the books from the library I’d built last year. The shelter had some connections to local libraries and used book stores that often donated some of their duplicates to
BenjiLou’s Late Night Cafe sat on the corner of the block three streets down from my shelter. Its red roof sparkled with droplets of rain in the spring sunshine that would disappear behind the high rise buildings all around in the next half hour or so. I let myself into the cafe and raked my fingers through my hair to slick it back. The rain had made it damp, so it sat in place as I squeezed between the tables crammed together to the booth at the back where I spotted my sister Laina.Across from her was her boyfriend Mason. He was also my best friend. Seeing them together, playing footsie under the table in a setting like this used to really grind my gears back when they first started running together. But as the time passed I saw how good Mason was for my baby sister. She needed someone like him. Someone to push her a bit.She was good for him, too. Mason was a bit of a hell raiser, what with his entire street racing history and what not. Somehow she calmed the storm that seemed to
CharlieI gripped the door frame to the red room and swung myself through the opening. My girls were all sitting in front of their individual vanities painting their faces. They were covered in sequins and feathers and whatever else their routines required.“Ladies,” I called, “half an hour to show time.”“Thanks, Charlie,” Monica said, as she shimmied between me and the door frame. Her long bare legs made short work of the red room floor—we preferred red instead of green like in theater—as she strode toward her vanity and took a seat. The fishnet stockings she had on were dotted with glittering crystals at every cross section. I’d been eyeing them for weeks considering buying myself a pair, but the good ones cost upward of a couple hundred dollars. The money she earned during her routines made purchases like that no big deal to her.Monica was my highest grossing dancer. She’d been stripping here at Ascension since I first started as a dancer. She and I had grown together in this pla
CharlieI had to stop talking to wait for the cheering and applauding to end. I understood the excitement of my team and I was as glad as any of them to never have to see that misogynistic ass hat again.Once they all were quiet, I continued. “I have a few housekeeping things to note as well. I’ve seen to fixing the fridge in the break room. The filtered water is now back up and running. Thank you Travis for using your handy HVAC skills to make that happen. Also, we now have a new selection of some premium liquors and an extra page of drinks in our specials menu, thanks to Janie for her creativity. If you’re looking for something strong and simple, try her Goose Ringer. It’s delicious but not for the faint of heart.”I paused to try and remember if there was anything else I needed to say. When I came up empty I flashed them my best smile. “I think that’s all for tonight, you guys. Once again thank you for showing up as your beautiful selves. I hope you all have the best night and make
BenjiRick’s house looked best at twilight. The warm glow from the lights inside gave it a welcoming feel and the garage door, which was wide open like a gaping mouth, seemed a bit less daunting at this hour when the sky was a pale blue and dusted with the first couple of stars that were bright enough to twinkle in the dim light.During the day the single story home was a bit rough around the edges. The peeling blue paint around the window casings and garage were obvious, as were all the oil stains on the old cracked driveway. One’s eye naturally pulled to the dead shrubs lining the driveway, and then to the grass, which reached halfway to my knees.Rick didn’t care about aesthetics. Especially not over the last year. He had his hands full with mechanical jobs like the one he was working on right now.He was bent over the hood of a ninety-one New Yorker—a hideous car even when in the best of conditions. The one his torso was lost under the hood of tonight was powder blue with a chrome
BenjiRick’s jaw flexed. “I’ll think about it.”“Well don’t think too long. The race is tomorrow. I’ve got to run. Thanks for the beer, man.”“Don’t mention it. See you around.”“See you tomorrow,” I said, knowing Rick wasn’t going to turn down the invite or the chance to be in the same vicinity as Harley Cross.I crossed the driveway once more and returned to my truck parked at the curb. I’d purchased the big black beast the same week the shelter opened. I needed something to haul big loads and pick up furniture. I was constantly bringing in new things and having a car was no longer practical. I missed the speed and handling to be sure, but I didn’t miss it more than I wanted my kids to have a safe place to stay.The stereo blasted rock music as I pulled away from the curb and headed home. It was nearing full dark now and all the street lights had flickered on. The dotted lines on the road disappeared on either side of the truck as I cut through traffic. The racer in me still had a h
Harley“I can’t believe it, man,” Rick said.“I couldn’t for a while either,” Mason said. “But this is something we’ve wanted for some time now. Now it’s happening. You picked a good time to go away. I was going to ask for your help building the crib and setting up the nursery.”Rick chuckled. “Well, you have Benji for that.”The men looked at Benji. His shoulders slumped. “Yay.”Everyone laughed.“Are you going to find out the gender, or let it be a surprise in the end?” I asked Laina.She lit up like a light bulb and instinctively put her hand on her belly, even though she wasn’t showing yet. “I think we’re going to wait.”I smiled. “Beautiful.”Within the next half hour, everyone migrated to the dining-room table, which Laina had set beautifully with a white tablecloth, gold chargers, and white plates. The candles were in gold holders, and even the cutlery was gold. She had an eye for detail.While we devoured the spaghetti and meatballs, we talked about life and babies and all the
HarleyTwo Months Later“Careful,” I said as Rick took a sharp righthand turn and drove the Jeep into Mason and Laina’s driveway. The appetizer I’d thrown together slid across the backseat and bumped into the door panel. I scowled at him. “I slaved over those for fifteen minutes. Don’t ruin them before we walk in the door. I want to knock everyone’s socks off with how much of a homemaker I’ve become.”Rick killed the ignition and arched an eyebrow at me. “A homemaker? Really?”I lifted my chin. “What?”He snorted and got out of the Jeep. “Nothing. I just doubt anyone is going to think ‘homemaker’ just because you’re showing up with a plate of—what do you call these?” He opened the back door and picked up the plate covered in three layers of saran wrap.Wrapping the plate had been more difficult than whipping up the food.“They’re caprese salad skewers,” I said.I’d spent the fifteen minutes before we left sliding cherry tomatoes, bocconcini cheese, and basil leaves onto toothpicks. I
RickThe corner of her mouth twitched, giving away the beginning of a smile. “A trip, huh?”I nodded. “We can narrow it down to some destinations and start mapping it out. There’s no better time than now, right? We can get out of the city, figure out what we want, and make up for lost time. Just you and me and beaches and sand and—”“Lots of sex?”I chuckled. “That’s not what I was going to say, but I assumed it was part of the package.”Harley nodded. “That sounds like a plan to me.”“Good,” I said. “Now stay still.”She opened her mouth to ask me why but promptly shut it when I ran my hands over her shoulders and then to her breasts, which I gently massaged, loving how they felt all lathered in slippery soap.“You’re such a guy,” she said playfully.I snickered. “I know.”She let me lather her entire body in the shower. Then we switched places, and she did the same for me. Having her run her hands all over me was heavenly, and it helped me forget about the tight pain in my bruised r
RickAll the aches and pains that had plagued me on Saturday night were still with me when I woke up on Monday morning. I was lying on my back, and Harley was tucked into my side. Her cheek was on my chest, and her left leg was draped over me. Her breathing was deep and slow and soft, and I didn’t open my eyes.I just lay there and listened to her. And felt her closeness.Yesterday had been dedicated to recovering and covering our tracks from Saturday’s race. I hired a tow-truck driver to come get the Saleen and bring it back to my place, where I got it in the garage so that if the cops came looking for it, the car wasn’t sitting out somewhere. It needed a lot of work, and the downside of street racing was obviously that it didn’t have insurance. I couldn’t claim a hit and run when the car was beat to shit on both sides and the rear end.Fucking Torq.But it was just a car, and I liked working on vehicles. The Saleen would be my project for the next year or so while I figured out what
HarleyHe watched me like a hawk as I started going down to my knees, pulling his boxers down as I went.His cock sprang free, teasing and taunting me as I got comfortable below him. I gazed up at him and took his shaft in one hand, working him over softly and warming him up. His gaze was dark and heavy as I ran my tongue from the base of his shaft to the tip and then swirled it around his meaty head.I drew him into my mouth, suctioning my lips around his thickness. I worked him slowly at first, taking my time, easing him into it. I knew he was hurting, and I wanted to be gentle with him.If he’d let me.He had a way of taking over halfway through and showing me who was boss. Not that I’d be mad if that happened.I swirled my tongue around his length before taking him deep in my throat and holding him there as my mouth filled with saliva. Then I bobbed my head, sucking him off hard and fast and fitting as much of him in my throat as I could take.He let me suck his cock for a long ti
HarleyIt was a wonder that the Saleen had even started back on the track, and it was even more mind blowing that it made it back to my house without losing several more pieces along the way.I parked at the back of my building in the private parking lot. I didn’t want to leave it on the curb in case any police drove by. It would be easy for them to link the Saleen to the scene down by the docks, and then we’d be done for.After parking the car, Rick had to climb out of the passenger window again. Every move he made was gentle and controlled. I knew he was hurting and hated that there was nothing I could do to take the pain away.Once he was out of the car, I climbed across the console and slipped out too. He offered me his hand, and I took it but didn’t lean on him for support. I was pretty sure he wasn’t in much of a position to be offering it in the first place.We walked soundlessly across the parking lot, our footsteps drowned out by the sound of rain pinging off the metal garbag
Rick“Fuck me fucking sideways,” I said.I couldn’t afford to waste any time. Either I was getting his ass out of the car, or I was bailing.“You owe me, motherfucker,” I said as I leaned in through the driver’s window and reached up to unclip his seatbelt.Torq crumpled to the ceiling of the car, landing across my arm beneath him. Shattered glass from the windshield bit into my bicep and forearm, but I gritted my teeth against the burn and worked to drag Torq’s ass out of the car. He was a heavy motherfucker.He started groaning.I stumbled to my feet and hauled him backward. “Work with me you fat bastard. I’m getting you out of here. Your asshole buddies bailed on you.”He mumbled something incoherent.“Yeah, I know. They’re your friends, not mine. I guess that’s what you get for being a piece of shit.”I collapsed when I had him clear of the car. I struggled to catch my breath, and my side screamed with pain. I tucked my arms under his armpits, stumbled back to my feet, and kept dr
RickI landed heavily on the wet pavement after managing to climb out through the passenger window of the Saleen. My right leg was tender and bruised from Torq driving into me, and my chest ached from the seatbelt and being jostled around roughly as I’d lost control of the car.But I was alive, nothing was broken, and there was no blood. So, overall, things were pretty good.Aside from the approaching police.I used the car to push myself to my feet, slicking my wet hair off my forehead as I rose. Then I stood and waited for the dizziness to pass. I didn’t think I’d hit my head at any point, but it sure felt like I had. Maybe it was just severe vertigo from whiplash.It didn’t matter. I could figure that out later. I had to focus on getting the hell out of there and making sure Harley was safe, too.She had a lot to lose if this race got busted, and so did I. She was everything. If I lost her, I would lose my damn mind. After all this time, we were finally together, and there was noth
HarleyBenji and Mason took off for the registration table. I swung my attention toward Rick’s car. The whole passenger side was busted up. The damage looked pretty bad, and I had no idea what sort of injuries he might have acquired. I leaned forward to look down the road.The last drivers were only twenty or so seconds away. Maybe less.“I think his door is jammed,” Laina said, nodding at Rick’s car.I narrowed my eyes. She was right. He couldn’t get out. His car was too crumpled and too fucked up for him to get the door open. I wondered if it would still run.If we had to leave it behind, it was a sure-fire way for the cops to trace the car back to Rick. Then all our dreams of starting a new life together would be over. He’d be in jail for a long time.Charlie shook my arm. “What do we do, Harley? Tell us what to do!”I swallowed and took a deep breath. “Okay. Okay. We need to clear the area. Rick can handle himself. Help me get people the hell out of here. Send them off in differen