Chapter Six
Tizzy
Five more weeks later…
“Sal, I got a meatball, a salami, and a tuna; hold the onions,” I holler as I place the ticket on the ringer and spin it around to Sal, the line cook for the diner. I look through the window as soon as I call it out, because I know what he’s going to say.
“Hold the onions? What's the matter with kids these days? The flava’s ain’t the same without the onions.” His Italian accent is thicker when he complains about customers' orders.
“Ahh, they’re just youngsters! Give 'em time, and they’ll develop that good pallet.” I smile at him as he grunts and turns back to his work, but not before replying.
“Don’t know what you're talking about, darlin’. You couldn’t be older than thirty-two.”
I want to laugh at that even being remotely possible. I’d wager a bet it might kill ol’ Sal to know I have a daughter closer to that age than I am. Still, I just shake my head and get back to work. This is just another pit stop, so it's best to let people come up with their own assumptions. The crazier the story, the further from the truth, is what I always say.
I sneak a look around the diner as I make my rounds. I know that frustrating man is in this city. I don't know how long he’s been here, but I know he’s good enough to get to me within days. I've been here a little longer than normal, waiting on him to make his move, anticipating it, but so far…nothin’. The man’s trying to kill me. I guess it's the least I deserve, seeing as I’ve made him chase me all over Timbuctoo and then back down to BFE. I guess a little payback is due.
Still, I’m a lady, and I like to be the one making them wait. This being the one waiting business is for the bees. I just need a sign, a hint. I have a gut feeling telling me he ain't far behind me, but not the one telling me he’s close. This man's patience and stealth make me equally thrilled and frustrated. I’m about to get desperate and make a show of going out of town, but that makes me even angrier. I've never been desperate for a man. For food? Yes. Love? Yes. Security for me and Lyra? Heck yes. But never for a man.
Once I finish my rounds and help Ricky bus some of my tables, I look up and see it's my break time.
“Loretta, I'm taking my fifteen minutes,” I yell and get an “Okay, hun.” in return.
I grab my pay-as-you-go phone from my locker before heading to the back door. It leads to a small alley that backs up to the bakery next door. Some old milk cartons are stacked for some seating. Normally, I wouldn't be caught dead in an alley all by my lonesome, but it's a dead end and Sal put a gate at the mouth of the alley so no one without a key can get through. We are as safe as can be back here. Sighing and opening the old flip phone, I see two missed calls from Lyra. Hmm… that's weird. She usually waits for me to call her.
I’m about to call her back, but the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. There's a small growl, and I smile right before I’m grabbed and pushed up the side of the building. The next thing I know, that smile is getting kissed right off my face. If I didn't know it was him, if my body, my soul wasn’t sure of him, I would be ramming my knee so far into his pool balls. But this kiss feels oh so right. You remember them old 90s songs mama used to blast through the trailer? Windows down, curtains open, and the music playing. Those songs that just take you back and make you feel like home. Yeah, well, the angels are playing that tune right now, and I could stay in this moment til the cows come home. He breaks it all too soon, though.
“Scare ya, Bunny?” he whispers against my lips, placing another small kiss on the corner of my mouth.
“Took ya long enough, darlin’. I thought you might be getting lazy on me. Thought I was about to have ta’ go out and find me a new suiter. I’d say the one at the bar back in Omaha would work, but I think you took that option from me, huh, big guy?” The growl comes again at my words, and dang it all to hell if that doesn't make me hotter than a two-dollar pistol.
“Over my cold, dead, burnt, and evaporated body, darlin’. Even then, I don't know that I’d let hell get between me and the closest swingin’ dick. How’d you clock me? I made sure I was very careful.” As he speaks against the skin of my neck, interspersed with teasing kisses, he slides his hand up my side, grazing my breast, over my collar, and up the side of my throat. I want to moan, but I know I’ve got to give as good as he does.
“How are you supposed to keep me in your grasp for eternity, buddy? I plan to go to the big gold streets in the sky.” This time, it's a laugh that falls from his lips. One that has me dazed and all kinds of amazed.
“Heaven and earth couldn't keep me from you, bunny. We’ve played your cat-and-mouse game, and I've had a mighty good time. I can't let you go now that I got you, though.”
His words have me swooning so hard I don't even realize until it's too late, and I have my mouth plastered to his with my legs wrapped around his hips like some hussy. Does that make me stop? Hell no.
“Don't think I forgot you didn't answer my question.”
Oh, he means the one about knowing he was following me. There's no real way to answer that question. Well, not one I'm giving him just yet. Got to hold some cards close to the girls. Plus, how do I explain that my body just knows? My soul just feels him. It sounds crazy, and I’d much rather go back to the bumpin’ and grindin’.
I moan as his mouth trails down my neck. When I expect him to stop, though, he doesn't. He goes lower. His lips brush along my collarbone, sending shivers down my spine. I arch my back, pressing closer as his hands roam lower, caressing my sides. His touch leaves a trail of heat on my skin. I run my fingers through his hair, tugging gently as his mouth continues its tantalizing journey downward.
He pauses to look up at me, his eyes dark with desire. I nod, giving silent permission, lettin’ my brain take a hike as I give into the moment. With agonizing slowness, he begins to unbutton my blouse, his fingers deftly working each button. As more skin is revealed, he places open-mouthed kisses along my sternum, his tongue peaking out to flick and tease at the freckles dotting my skin there. I gasp at the sensation.
Finally, he pushes the fabric aside. His hands cup my breasts as his thumbs brush over my hardened nipples through the lace and slight padding of my bra. I moan softly at his touch. He lowers his head, taking one sensitive peak into his mouth through the fabric, and my back arches off the wall as pleasure courses through me.
With a growl, he tugs the cups of my bra down, letting the girl spring free, and I can’t help the giggle of satisfaction that I let slip when his eyes darken with desire before he dives back in. His tongue swirls and flicks as I writhe against him. One hand kneads my other breast as the other slides lower, gripping my hip. My skin feels electrified, every nerve ending alight. I clutch at his shoulders, feeling the corded muscles under my fingers. His fingers work against the hem of the skirt of my uniform, teasing the fabric up my thighs and opening up more of me for him to enjoy. I whimper in anticipation as the subtle breeze hits my skin the more he reveals.
His mouth releases my breast as he looks up at me, eyes smoldering. "This okay?" he asks, voice husky with desire.
I nod frantically. "Please," I breathe.
He smirks and slides his hand inside my panties. I gasp as his fingers find my slick folds, already wet with arousal. He strokes me gently at first, building the tension. I rock my hips, seeking more friction. Taking the hint, he increases the pressure and speed of his fingers. Waves of pleasure wash over me as he works me expertly. His thumb finds my sensitive bundle of nerves, and I cry out, digging my nails into his back.
"That's it, bunny," he murmurs. "Let me hear you."
He slides one long finger inside me, then another, curling them just right. The dual sensation of his fingers pumping in and out while his thumb circles my clit has me climbing higher and higher. My breath comes in short gasps as the tension builds. I'm trembling, teetering on the edge of ecstasy.
"Come for me, Firecracker," he growls, voice rough with desire.
His words push me over the precipice. My back arches as the pleasure crashes around me, swamping my senses, and it drags me under. I cry out his name as my inner walls clench around his fingers. He works me through the aftershocks until I collapse back against the wall, panting.
He withdraws his hand and brings his glistening fingers to his mouth, licking them clean with a wicked grin. The sight sends another jolt of arousal through me. “Sweet like a fresh ripe plum,” he sighs, the words rumbling from his chest and sending shocks straight to my poor lady bits.
Before I can catch my breath, he's lifting me up again, repositioning me against him more firmly, and locking an arm under my rear. I wrap my legs tightly around his waist as he carries me deeper into the alley, away from prying eyes. He presses me up against the rough brick wall again, his hardness evident against my core.
"I need you, Bunny," he groans, fumbling with his belt buckle.
I help him, our hands tangling as we work to free him from his jeans. Finally, he springs free, hot and hard against my thigh. I lift my hips, eager to feel him inside me.
He lines himself up and pushes forward slowly, stretching and filling me inch by delicious inch. We both moan as he bottoms out, my inner walls clenching around him. He stills for a moment, letting me adjust to his size.
"You feel so good, bunny," he breathes against my neck. "So tight and wet for me."
I roll my hips in response, silently begging him to move. He takes the hint and thrusts, setting a steady rhythm. The rough brick scrapes against my back as he drives into me, but the slight pain only heightens my pleasure. His hands grip my thighs, holding me up as he pounds into me. I cling to his shoulders, nails digging in as I meet him thrust for thrust. The sounds of our tussle echo in the alley—skin slapping against skin, breathless moans, and grunts of pleasure.
He shifts the angle of his hips, hitting that spot deep inside that makes me see stars. I cry out, trembling as the coil of tension winds tighter in my core. He increases his pace, slamming into me with abandon. The brick wall cuts into the skin of my shoulders, but I barely notice as the pleasure threatens to drag me under again. His lips find my neck, sucking and nipping as he drives into me relentlessly.
"That's it, bunny," he growls against my skin. "Take all of me."
I'm lost in sensation—the fullness of him inside me, the heat of his breath on my neck, the delicious friction as he slides in and out. My legs tremble around his waist as I climb higher and higher. I'm so close, teetering on the edge of bliss.
He snakes a hand between us, fingers finding my sensitive bud. I cry out as he strokes me in time with his thrusts; the dual stimulation is overwhelming. My inner walls clench around him as my orgasm builds.
"Come for me, bunny," he commands, voice rough with desire. "Let me feel you."
His words push me over the edge. I shatter, crying out his name as my world shatters. My body convulses around him as he continues to thrust, drawing out the intensity of my climax. He follows me over the edge moments later, burying himself deep inside as he finds his release. He groans against my neck, his hips jerking erratically as he empties himself into me. I feel the warmth of him spreading inside, mingling with my own wetness.
We stay locked together for several long moments, both panting heavily as we come down from our shared high. His forehead rests against mine, our breaths mingling in the small space between us. I can feel his heart pounding against my chest, matching the rapid beat of my own.
Slowly, he begins to soften inside me. He gently lowers my legs, keeping one arm around my waist to steady me as my wobbly knees threaten to give out. My body feels boneless, utterly sated, something I don’t think I have ever experienced.
He presses tender kisses along my jaw, my cheeks, my eyelids. The gentleness is a stark contrast to our frenzied coupling moments ago. I sigh contentedly, nuzzling into the crook of his neck.
"You okay, Bunny?" he murmurs, voice husky.
I nod, not quite trusting my voice yet. He chuckles softly, the rumble vibrating through my chest where we are still pressed together. After a moment, his words register in my mind, and my brain seems to kick back into gear.
The minute the lust cloud dissipates, my brain kicks into overdrive.
What just happened? What did I just do? I let this man fill me up and give me my first-ever orgasm from a man (Yes, I understand how embarrassing that is at my age, but there we have it). I did all of this in an alleyway behind a greasy diner. As soon as that realization hits me, I start pushing at his chest.
“I u-uh, I need to get back to work. Fifteen minutes are up,” I say, not lifting my eyes to look at him. Suddenly, I’m not the same confident woman I’ve always had to be. My shield and my face are dropped, and I don't know what that means. Without that protection, I don't know how to act. I’m not really sure who I really am, and that is an unsettling thought. I need to make like a tree and leave.
Devon lets me go without a fight, and I know he can probably sense my oncoming panic. I start to open my mouth but have absolutely nothing to say for once. I have a moment of weakness when my eyes finally lift to his, and I find him smiling softly down at me. The gray at his temples and running through his beard and the few soft lines around his eyes show exactly how well this man has aged, like the finest of wines. I don't know if I can say the same thing; life has been hard on me, and I don't know what I have to offer him. I turn to head inside, but as I reach for the door, he finally speaks, and his words have hope, filling my body with sunshine.
“I’ll be here when you get off. I’ll always be here, my Tizzy girl.”
I smile as the door shuts behind me. I’m about to adjust my apron when my cell phone bounces around in my pocket. Remembering I never called Lyra back, I make a quick pit stop to the powder room, getting a bit of a jump scare as I take in my messy hair and makeup.
“Oh, this won’t do,” I say to the mirror before hitting call, placing the phone to my ear, and starting to fix this hot mess I've made of myself.
“Mom! Oh, thank goodness. What took you so long?” Lyra says frantically as she answers the phone.
“What's going on?” I ask all pretenses up.
“It’s Cara and Connor mama. They’re in trouble. I know you and Ghost have some weird foreplay game going on, but I didn't know what to do. Grease was with me when I got the call. He knows, which means Swift knows. I tried to give you as much of a warning as I could. Mama, I need you to get there. I don't know what's happening, but Cara called, and it wasn't good. I haven’t heard her that scared since we got them out.”
“Shh.. baby Shh… it's going to be alright. I’ll get to them. I'm leaving now. I love you, my sweet baby girl. You stay safe.”
I end the call, turn out the powder room door, and rush toward my locker. I know I should let Devon know. I know I could probably ask for his help, but what if he says no? With all the confusing emotions running through my mind, maybe one more little road trip will help settle things. Maybe with the windows down, some of that wind will blow in some clarity.