Then he was standing there with the buckets of water, making no move to carry them for me. Fine. I reminded myself he was no gentleman. I uncrossed my arms before reaching out to take the buckets. For a second, I felt the towel give, then hold. A sigh escaped me as I once again held the heavy water. Who knew it would be like holding a barbell a heavy weightlifter would use?
The struggle was real, but I did my damnedest not to show it.
As I rounded the corner, I again felt the towel giving way. I raised one arm without regard to the heaviness of the bucket to save myself from my stupidity and giving the asshat one second of a show. Water sloshed across the front of me, leaving me wet and mortified, but I managed to save the towel from falling.
“Let me help.” His honeyed voice was like a caress as he came into view. But he wasn’t there to unburden me from the leaded buckets. His hand moved up to the towel as he began to retuck it, his fingers sliding against my wet skin.
I couldn’t tell if the heat in my cheeks was from embarrassment or the mortifying rage that bubbled beneath my skin. I’d had a choice between telling him to keep his hands to himself or letting him see me naked.
“Thanks,” I spat with all the vehemence I could manage given the curses I wanted to hurl at him.
“You’re welcome,” he said, one side of his mouth curled into a knowing smile.
As I walked away, dripping with water, pleading with whatever was holy that I wouldn’t slip, the arrogant bastard couldn’t stop himself from saying one more thing.
“I imagine you paid a lot of money for that body and would want it seen.”
I might have tasted blood as I bit my tongue, killing him with silence. He didn’t deserve anything I had to say.SixGrantI’d nearly swallowed my tongue when Jolene walked into the room practically naked except for a towel until I caught myself. Never again. I’d played this game before and I wouldn’t again. Beautiful women like herself were used to getting what they wanted, dragging a man around by some invisible leash.
Sophia had done that. I’d treated her with kindness and respect while she led me on with promises of what her daddy and his associates could do for me. That hadn’t mattered at first. She was gorgeous. Her financial status hadn’t mattered to me until she used it like a collar to treat me like a pet.
When I finally realized what she was doing and stopped being Mr. Nice Guy, her tune changed. Next thing I knew, I had an interview and soon after a job. Dad thought it was cheating, but I’d earned it. My pilot skills were undisputed. I needed an in, and I used the advantage offered to me after I’d cut her loose. Good riddance and never again.
So when Jolene sauntered in flaunting herself like I should beg, I’d snapped and said something I shouldn’t have. The flicker of hurt I caught from her profile before she slammed the bathroom door made me feel like a grade A ass.
Before I could try to apologize, my two-way radio beeped.
“Are you there, boy?” the crackling voice said.
I moved further in the room so I wouldn’t be overheard. But then music floated out of the bathroom and I guessed she played it from her phone.
“I’m here,” I answered.
“How is she?”
A pissed off hellcat, I imagined but said, “She’s alive. I cooked her dinner and she’s taking a bath.”
I didn’t mention that I’d made her carry the water herself. I sighed and closed my eyes, knowing that I probably fucked this up. She was likely going to give a not so nice review of her trip to the man that was paying her way.
It made me cringe thinking about how some man old enough to be her father deserved a body like that beneath him every night.
“Good. You treat her right. I need the business.”
“I know,” I said, knowing it was far too late to make things right.
“Storm’s not going to let up for another day or two. You be good up there.”
“Yes, sir.”
Stay safe, I thought as the connection ended. I hadn’t been able to ask the old man if he was okay. If he’d lost power. I shuddered at the thought. He might treat me like the nine-year-old boy I’d been, but he was all I had.
I swallowed down my resentment of Sophia. Jolene reminded me of her in ways I didn’t want to think about. She wasn’t Sophia, and I needed to remember that. I sighed and went to the fridge, setting the radio on the counter. I took the plate of food she hadn’t eaten and set it on the wood-burning stovetop to warm, leaving foil covering it.