Chapter Two
Two shots of tequila, and Larissa felt rough. She hadn’t been sick, nor had she slept in. Baking was a consolation, but it also wasn’t exactly helping right now, because the baked goods were making her a little queasy.
Her dad had stayed up and made her a hot cup of tea, which she had appreciated. They didn’t talk, and she certainly didn’t tell him she took part in a dare—a crazy, stupid dare, but one she couldn’t get out of her mind.
She did not want to think about that kiss with Big Dick.
It could have been anyone walking through that door.
She didn’t know what had come over her. She had looked to all the ladies, and it seemed they already knew she couldn’t do it.
So, she did, without a question asked. She just got right in and kissed him.
Of all of the people to enter the damn bar, it had to be Big Dick.
Although, that could have gone a lot worse.
Kissing any of the other men at the bar that night would have been a nightmare.
Kissing Smokey would have been so wrong.
Carlos, Ugly Beast, and Hunter, all of them were taken, and she was no cheater.
She believed in the sanctity of marriage.
It was a sacred vow that should be protected at all costs, not brushed over as if it meant nothing.
Marriage meant something to her. It always had and always would.
She finished serving the last of the morning rush customers, and so far, the bakery still had a lot to offer. With the shop empty, she quickly took a quick trip to the back to gather more baked goods to fill the stands so it was bursting to the seams.
As she was picking up the brownies, she heard the doorbell ring, alerting her to more customers, and she quickly rushed back to find George standing in the shop.
It was then she realized in her mind that she had been calling him Big Dick.
She took a deep breath. She liked that she always called him George.
“George,” she said. “Good morning.”
It was Saturday morning, and she glanced over at him, trying not to look at his lips.
That kiss had been a dare, and it didn’t matter.
George hated her and didn’t like her around the club, which is why she always stayed away.
Although her friends had invited her, she tried not to visit the club so they could enjoy their time without her around.
“Morning, beautiful,” he said.
This made her frown. George had never been nice to her, and more often than not, he treated her like a pain in the ass.
“What can I get you?” she asked, putting the items she had gathered into place, and the tray on the back counter behind her.
“How about you and me going out for coffee?”
Again, this was new.
“Uh, no, thank you. I’m working.”
“What are you doing after work?”
“I’ve got an appointment with Hailey at the beauty parlor,” she said, still frowning.
“Why?”
“Because I asked Hailey to help me with some things, and she promised she would.”
She wanted to learn how to put on makeup.
For Christmas her father had gotten her a beauty set.
It had surprised her but also delighted her.
He had listened to her constantly ramble on about the new beauty parlor and how much she loved it, and he had paid attention.
That meant a lot to her. The only snag, like most things in her life, was the fact she didn’t know how to put makeup on.
She felt like in most cases, mothers were there to help.
Her mother wasn’t around. Just as she hadn’t been there for Mother’s Day, or prom, or the day she had gotten her first menstrual cycle. Between herself and her dad, that had been an experience she didn’t want to repeat. Then came the sex talk.
At least her father had been honest. He hadn’t held anything back. He was the town pastor and took his role seriously, but at no point did he want his daughter to follow in his footsteps. He wanted her to make her own choices.
Which was what her mother had done. No one in town knew what had happened to her mother, but she did.
Her father had always been truthful. Her mother had been a wild child, a whirlwind, and Jonah had fallen hard.
He thought she had wanted a happy life, a marriage, a child, but it had lasted only a couple of years.
Then her mother had felt trapped. She didn’t want to be attached to the same man and she didn’t want a kid around her neck.
Without a backward glance, she had divorced her father and just left town, never to be seen or heard from again.
They didn’t know if she was alive or dead.
Over the years, her father had gotten over her.
Larissa knew that. The pictures of her had come down, to be replaced by the memories she and her father had made.
She often wondered if her father was worried that she, herself, would be wild and want to run off into the sunset.
Larissa was nothing like that. She wanted a happy life.
To fall in love with someone who loved her just as much.
A family. She had to stop saying what she wanted, because she was starting to think it wasn’t going to happen.
Larissa wanted to be the mother her own mother wasn’t.
“Maybe another time?” George asked.
“Why?” she asked.
“Why, what?”
“You’re confusing me, George. You don’t like me, remember? No one wants me around.” She laughed.
“Yeah, well, maybe I’ve changed my mind.”
This made her smile, and then she realized what it was.
“You don’t have to feel sorry for me. I’m glad I’ve come to see what kind of guy Andrew is.
I was going to date him, and now I don’t have to.
” She pointed toward the display. “I highly recommend the cookies and the brownies. They’re so good. ” They were her favorite.
George took one of each, and it looked like he wanted to say more, but then the shop got busy again, which was just the way she liked it. Busy stopped her from thinking. Busy kept her working and made life a lot easier.
By the end of the day, she was exhausted.
She was tempted to call Hailey and cancel, however, the other woman had said she was more than willing to wait for her.
Closing up the bakery, Larissa looked around.
She just couldn’t help herself. She didn’t know exactly what was going on at the Hell’s Bastards MC, but ever since the shooting, she was way more cautious.
Thankfully, no one had gotten killed. She had noticed more of an MC presence.
She was used to Kinky hanging around close to Hailey’s Beauty Parlor.
She didn’t look toward him and made her way to the shop, expecting to see Harlow and some of the other women, but it was empty.
There was just Hailey, who was on her cell phone as Larissa entered.
The moment she did, Hailey got to her feet.
“Hi,” Hailey said.
“You really didn’t have to stay behind for me. I would have totally been happy taking a rain check.”
“Don’t worry about it. You asked for my help, and tomorrow is Sunday, so I don’t open the shop tomorrow. We’ve got all night.”
“All night?” Larissa asked.
“Yep, and I am going to start teaching you some mad skills.” She linked her fingers together, stretched them out, and they both laughed.
“Now, sit in my master chair.” Hailey patted the chair behind her, and Larissa put her bag and jacket down.
It was starting to get warm again. Spring had seemed almost fleeting as summer was firmly taking its grasp.
Stepping toward Hailey’s chair, she slid inside and watched as Hailey washed her own hands.
“I’m going to start with cleansing your face. Before applying any makeup, think of it as an artist pad, and you need a clean canvas to work on.”
Hailey got to work cleansing her face, then toning it, before adding a nice layer of moisturizer as well as sunscreen.
“At night, the sunscreen is not absolutely necessary, but through the day, I highly recommend it.”
Larissa nodded her head.
Next, they got to work on primer. Hailey opted for a hydrating primer, allowing it to sink in.
She watched as Hailey got to work on eye shadow, teaching her about the base colors, and deepening them.
“Remember, this is just what I was taught in beauty school, but there are no rules you have to follow. These are guidelines for us, for flawless, but trust me, I have started with darker colors and gone lighter. The point of makeup is to have fun.”
“Fun?”
“Yeah, fun, it is supposed to be a fun process. Don’t let it get too serious, you know?”
Larissa understood.
Once the eyes were done, Hailey went into a foundation, and according to her, she would eventually need two shades. One for summer when she got a tan, and the other for winter. There was so much to learn, but Larissa liked the attention.
“So, how are you dealing?” Hailey asked.
They had both been shot, not together, but they’d been the ones stuck at the hospital. They had been side by side when it came to rooms. Larissa would go and see Hailey, and Hailey would come and visit her. It was during their hospital stay that they developed their friendship.
“I’m doing ... okay.”
“Okay? Is that why you were willing to kiss a random stranger?” Hailey asked.
“George is not a random stranger. I’ve known him a long time.”
“That kiss seemed intense.”
“It was just a kiss done on a dare. Nothing else.”
“Nothing else?”
“No.”
“You’re sure about that?” Hailey asked.
“George doesn’t like me, and to be honest, I’m not sure if I am a big fan of his either.”
“Wow, I thought you liked everyone.”
“Yeah, well, I guess things change you over the years. You stop ... being what you once were,” Larissa said.
“You’re right. Life sucks at times, doesn’t it? I mean, you think you found the one and then you’re woken up to the fact you’ve been used.” Hailey laughed. “It sucks.”
Larissa knew she was talking about Kinky.
“You know he’s outside, watching, don’t you?”
“I know,” Hailey said.
“Does it bother you?”