The man turned red. Vida thought he might have swallowed the wad of tobacco in his mouth, instead he let go of another spew of juice and this time it landed on Colton’s boot.
Vida was watching it and still didn’t see it happen. One minute the man was standing there and the next his face was planted in Colton’s boot with Colton’s hand in his hair. He was using the man’s face to wipe the offensive stuff off his boot.
“What the fuck.” His friends rushed forward.
Colton used his other foot to kick the downed man away from him. The first man to reach him had a fist shoved in his nose and blood flew as he was knocked back into his other friend that was also coming at Colton, causing them both to lose their balance. Before they could right themselves, Colton beat the men mercilessly.
Vida stood there, open mouthed, as people from the farmers’ market tried to break the fight apart.
“You need to get the hell out of here,” the friendly mother told Vida and Colton. “Those boys have several friends in town. They won’t like it that one man beat up all three of them.”
“We’re going.” Colton waited until Vida was on the bike before he got on and started the motor.
Colton drove them back to the city, and as each mile brought them closer, Vida felt the return of all her worries that she had been able to briefly put from her mind.
As soon as they were back in the apartment, Vida took a quick shower before going back to her homework. The life that mother and daughter shared was the future she was working so hard toward. She had to keep her mind on that, not the reaction Colton aroused in her. He was nothing more than a one-way ticket to reliving her mother’s life.
Colton had watched Vida shut down her emotions when she walked away from the small girl and puppy. She had wanted that small dog so much it was almost tangible. Colton had begun to notice during the short time Vida had been around him that the more strongly she felt about something, the more she shut down her emotions.
He couldn’t understand it. Goldie had been a good mother, she had constantly talked about Vida when they had been at the same party or hung out with mutual friends. He was sure that she hadn’t secretly abused Vida, so he couldn’t understand why she was so closed within herself. The only thing he could think of was that with her mom dead and Sawyer gone, she was overwhelmed and closing down was her way of dealing with the situation she had found herself in.
He had to respect the way she handled herself. Vida was determined to make a successful life for herself, wanting her friend by her side when she accomplished her goals.
Colton remembered seeing Sawyer before he went to prison. She had come into his shop for a small tattoo on the inside of her wrist. She was tall and curvy. He could easily see why she had been kidnapped with her fresh-faced beauty. Others of a more corrupt nature would seek to destroy that beauty and innocence that was easily discernable, even if all she was wearing were cheap jeans and a t-shirt.
He didn’t know why, but for some reason, her tattoo came to mind. He had given hundreds and actually remembered only the ones he had created or he had done extremely well in spite of their difficulty. Sawyer’s had been simple and straightforward. She had only wanted a simple word on her wrist. Freedom.
Colton was beginning to think that the three young girls he remembered playing outside when they were little had been imprisoned much longer than he was.
Deciding to take a shower, he left Vida doing whatever it was she did on her computer. Washing his body then his hair, he thought about getting it cut, he always wore it long, but now it was brushing his shoulders, and he was becoming aggravated when he forgot to tie it back.
He leaned his head against the shower wall. His cock was driving him insane after feeling her lush body against his back all day. He had known it would be a mistake to spend the day with Vida, but hadn’t been able to resist the temptation to get to know her better.
Colton got out of the shower, drying himself off and wrapping a towel around his hips before going into his bedroom. Forcing himself not to check out what Vida was doing, he shut the bedroom door behind him.
Picking up the cell phone on the table beside his bed, he made a call that he hoped would keep him out of trouble.
Vida heard the knock on the door and was rising from the table to answer the door when Colton’s bedroom door opened and he came out dressed only in jeans. Sitting back down, Vida lowered her eyes back to the computer, already knowing it was a woman at the door; it just remained to be seen which woman he’d called.
Vida recognized the voice of the woman that he had given a tat to last week.
“What’s she doing here? I thought it was just going to be the two of us. I’m really not interested in a threesome.” Vida would have laughed if she weren’t so miserable.
“It’s just us. Vida is just my temporary roommate. Let’s go back to my bedroom.”
Vida couldn’t resist looking up for a second to see Colton take Lara’s hand and lead her down the hallway to his bedroom. She turned away before they could catch her staring. Vida continued working for another hour, having to turn up the volume on her headphones to drone out the female screams and moans coming from the bedroom.
From past experience, Vida shut down her computer and made her bed, determined to be asleep before the woman left. Inexplicably, she didn’t want to see her after she had been in Colton’s bed.
Leaving on her headphones this time, Vida didn’t put the pillow over her face. She lay quietly, listening to her music, pretending she was far away in a new home with Sawyer as her roommate.
For once, her plans of the future didn’t comfort her.
Chapter Eight
Vida had just finished scheduling an appointment when her cell phone rang.
“Hello?” she answered hesitantly, not familiar with the number on display.
“Vida?” a woman’s voice she recognized answered.
“Jazz?”
“Yes, Vida I need a big favor. Cody fell off his bike and broke his arm. We’re in the emergency room. Vida, I can’t leave him.” Vida felt bad for the young mother who worked as a body shot girl to keep a roof over her two young children’s head. They had a deadbeat dad who refused to pay hi
s child support, but Jazz wasn’t deterred her from going to school part-time during the day to get her kids a better life.
“What do you need?” Vida asked.
“I’m scheduled to work a party. It’s a divorce celebration.” Vida could hear the hiccup in her voice where she had been crying. “If I miss it, King will fire me. I had to miss so much work lately with the kids. He warned me if I cancelled again, he would let me go. I can’t lose this job.” Another hiccupping sob and Vida caved.
“What time is it?”
“In an hour. You don’t have to worry about a costume I have an extra one; it’s in my locker. Juliet is working it too, so you won’t have to do it alone.”
“I’ll cover you. Don’t worry, Jazz. Just take care of Cody.”
“Thanks, Vida.” The worried mother hung up the phone.
“Ready?” Colton asked as he came into the lobby with his keys in his hand.
“Yes. Can you give me a ride to Kings?”
“You’re not scheduled for tonight.” Colton stated angered that King was making her work an extra night.
“I’m not, but a friend’s child got hurt and I told her I would work the party for her,” Vida explained.
“Have you worked a party before?” Colton asked sharply.
“No, but if I don’t, King will fire Jazz, and she has two kids, Colton.”
Colton lips tightened as she grabbed her backpack. Closing and locking the doors, he let his silence speak as to what he thought about her working the party. The silence continued even after he dropped her off at the back door. Assuming he would go on to the apartment, she didn’t watch as he drove around the side of the building.
Hurriedly, with not much time left, Vida went to Jazz’s locker, taking a step back when she saw the outfit staring at her. It was a thong with a little black skirt that every time she moved would sway to show her ass. The top was a sheer black lace bikini top that tied closed between the breasts. Anyone barely tugging the string would expose her breasts.