Jagger lay in the hot tub, his head thrown back as he sighed. This was heavenly."You comfortable?" Bianca asked, a smile on her face."This is the best I've felt in days."A thought occurred to her. "Why didn't you use this when you first came home?"He shrugged. "I was feeling sorry for myself. Pissed off that it had happened and embarrassed really. You don't like to admit to other members of the club that you've laid your bike down.""Stupid macho pride?" she finished for him."Pretty much."He held his arms out to her. "Why don't you come over here and sit next to me?""Don't think you're going to get fresh with me, Jagger Stone. You're hurt."She had no idea how much he wished he could do the things he wanted to do with her. Say the feelings that bubbled up in his throat every time he saw her. He just knew that he would scare her away, and that was the last thing he wanted to do."I'm not going to. I just want to feel you next to me."When he said things like
A week later, the snow had melted, and everyone was getting back into the normal swing of things. "I so need another job," Bianca sighed as she got her mail and trudged up the rickety stairs to her apartment. It had been a long night with not nearly as much money as she had hoped to get. She was still running short thanks to the snow, and that even included the money that Jagger still hadn't taken from her. Even though the snow was gone, it was still very cold, and she shivered as her hands fumbled with the lock on the door. Finally turning it, she all but stumbled into her apartment. It was cozy since she had left the heat up high, but now she had to think about the gas bill that was coming."It's a never-ending cycle," she mumbled, throwing her stuff on her couch and taking her mail with her to the kitchen.Rifling through it, she saw bills and groaned. Doubt plagued her. Wouldn't it be easier just to quit school and get a real job that allowed her to do most of what she wa
"Why is it hopping on the night I wanted to go home early? I'm gonna make such a good impression tomorrow. This is the Lord's Day, and all of these people are sinning with their drinking and sex," Bianca whined.She and her fellow waitress Jasmine had been busting butt for nearly four hours as they tried to keep up with the constant stream of patrons wanting food and drink in the club. "I don't know, girl, but my clothes are wet I'm sweating so much," Jasmine whined as well, pulling her shirt away from her body."Heads up," Dominic, their head bouncer, said as he stuck his head through the open kitchen door. "That guy that's been giving you both a hard time just sat his fat ass in Bianca's section."Bianca rolled her eyes and sighed. Jagger was here tonight, and she knew that this wouldn't be good. "Motherfucker! Could he not pick another night to come in?"They had taken to calling him Money Bags. He flashed a lot of cash, and it was obvious he enjoyed the finer things in l
Bianca's stomach rolled as she walked up the front walkway to the middle school she would be teaching at for the day. She hadn't ever been this nervous in her life, but she wanted so much to make a good impression and do a good job. Her hands shook as she opened the door and made her way to the front office.The office was hopping, lots of talking and students coming in and out. It surprised her to see some of them at the school this early. A young woman sat at the front desk, a telephone to her ear, already looking stressed to the max."Hi, I'm not sure where I'm supposed to go. My name is Bianca Hawks, and I'm substituting today," she explained to the woman she assumed was the secretary."Oh hi! Sorry, it's a little bit crazy in here today. We also had a few bus drivers need subs, and now they're all running behind. Some of them didn't even pick up their kids, so that's why we have these kids in here – parents had to drop them off, and now they're making complaints." She took a
Later that night, Bianca logged into her email account to see if she had been added to any more sub jobs or to see if her professors had sent out any new assignments. There was one email from Stacey in her inbox.Intrigued, she opened it.Bianca, It was nice to meet you today. I realize this was your first time in a school in this capacity, so I thought it might help you to know a few things. Please don't take this as me talking down to you, I liked you upon meeting you today, so take this in the spirit that it's meant to be – helpful. Never, ever cuss when you're at school – unless you are friends (and I mean friends) with the person that you're talking to. I know that your boyfriend was probably an asshole, and if we had been out at a bar, like say, Wet Wanda's, that would be fine, but some of these teachers will chew you up and spit you out. Same with the note from your boyfriend. Don't let him cuss in those again. Smaller things have lost teachers jobs. I like you and I thin
"You wanna go home with me?" Jagger asked as he came out of the back room, putting his cut back on.She was still glancing periodically at Money Bags, but gave Jagger her full attention when he came to stand in front of her. Casually, he took one arm and placed it on the bar, before placing his other arm on the other side, effectively boxing her in."I would love to, but I have stuff I need to do tomorrow," she sighed, putting her hands in his belt loops and pulling him towards her.He leaned down, nuzzling her neck with his mouth. "That sucks," he groaned. "I was really hoping to spend some time with you tonight"Agreement was on the tip of her tongue. "How about you come home with me?"His eyes flashed in genuine surprise. "You sure?" "If you are. I mean, if you can't because you need to be at the clubhouse, I understand.""No, that's not it at all. I'm actually off duty right now. You just want me to follow you over on my bike?""Yeah, that way if you need to leave
"I could get used to this. With you here, I'm not cold."Jagger laughed. The two of them were lying on her couch, watching reruns of The Big Bang Theory. He had laid down first and opened his arms for her. With only a little bit of hesitation, she had fallen into those arms and pulled a blanket over them. For over an hour, she had snuggled so tightly against him that he didn't know where he ended and she began. If asked, he might even say that this would be a defining moment of his life."That's all I am to you? A heater?" He put his hand over his heart. "You wound me."Moving her head to the side so that she could look at him, the grin that came over her face was contagious. "Speaking of wounding you, when did you take that picture to put on my phone?"He cracked up in earnest now, laughing so hard she could feel his abdominal muscles contract. "I was wondering when you would see that. You didn't have a picture of me on there so Layne took one of me for you.""Why were you T
Bianca awoke to sunlight streaming in from the blinds they had forgotten to close the night before and a heavy arm resting across her stomach, holding her closely. Entwining her fingers with Jagger's, she gave his hand a light squeeze. Not enough to wake him up, just enough to let him know she was there. He answered by tightening his arm around her and burying his head deeper into her hair. She could feel the scrape of an unshaven face on her neck. It was intimate and the epitome of all things that happened in relationships. A small smile worked its way across her face and she sighed happily.She had slept through the night for the first time since the gunfire outside the apartment, feeling safe with him there. It wasn't that she felt like someone was going to break in and maim her at all times, but there was an uneasiness about being a female living alone. With him, she could let her guard down. Gone was the fatigue that normally dragged her down and the low-lying hum of wariness th