21. Chapter 21
twenty-one
C assie’s phone buzzed with a text as she reached home.
She pulled into the drive, and pulled her phone from her purse. The text was from an unknown number. But somehow she knew who it was from. She quickly added him to her contacts, smiling angrily at his name. Suited him to a tee–a fitness tee.
HeavHo: ‘U n Me need TTL.’
Cassie:‘No, we don’t,’
HeavHo:‘Ya we do. Ur dad is on me. Nd to dat, at lest 2-3 mon.’
Cassie: ‘R U def?? Wer not datng!!!
Not to appease her father, anyway. Gah. This last winter, she would have given anything for Heavy to ask her out on a date, or even just sweep her off her feet and into the nearest bed. Now, he was willing… well, she wasn’t. Not anymore.
When he did not answer her text, she set her phone aside, and tapped the garage door opener. She was fine, she was just fine. She’d hooked up with a hot guy, and now she was gonna get on with her life, and forget his tight ass.
Inside the house, Cassie was relieved to find it quiet.
She’d already done the walk of shame in about the worst way at the club, she didn’t need to do it at home.
Also, she needed a shower, like immediately. She felt sticky and she couldn’t wait to get the remains of her eye-makeup off. In her bedroom, she quickly collected clean undies, a purple fitness tee with a darling open upper back, and her black yoga pants with the wide, low waistband.
The hot shower felt wonderful. She soaped off, with a shiver of mingled pleasure and discomfort at the sensitivity of her sex. No wonder, after sexy playtime with Heavy.
Those hands of his… and his mouth. She shivered with remembered pleasure. Gawd, she’d cum so hard… and twice. She couldn’t remember doing that before with a guy.
And they hadn’t even gotten to the main act. She could only imagine what he could do to a girl with his cock. Probably wreck her for any other man for life.
She just wished it had been any other guy besides him. We-ell, no–being honest, no she didn’t. She’d wanted him forever, and the reality had been so, so much hotter than any of her vibrator-fueled fantasies about him.
She tipped back her head under the spray of hot water.
He might not be the kind of guy to hang her heart on, but he certainly was good for fantastic orgasms.
She wanted more.
And thanks to the perfect shit storm that had hit the fan this morning, it looked like she and Heavy were slated to ‘date’, at least a few times. She sighed as she turned the water off and reached for her towel. Talk about irony… she was finally getting her wish to be his girlfriend, but it was gonna be in appearance only.
She wiped the fog from the bathroom mirror, and gave herself a wry look. It was true what they said, ‘be careful what you wish for’.
Well, might as well enjoy the ride. He was surely not hard to look at, and even though he teased her unmercifully, he was fun to talk with. And she might even find out how good he was with that giant thing in his pants.
As long as she remembered not to fall for him again.
As she smoothed lotion on her skin, and donned her robe, she pondered what to do for the morning. Her laundry was caught up, and she sure as hell didn’t have to go to work.
Ugh, she should spend time on her laptop, going through the help wanted ads, again.
But first, what she needed was a good, hard workout. She gathered up her dirty clothing, and opened the bathroom door, frowning to herself.
But that meant facing Heavy again. And Jason, and who knew if he’d already know what she and Heavy had gotten into last night. She knew bikers talked… would Heavy talk about her? She didn’t think so, but…
Then she gave a huff of disgust. Okay, was she a Flyer babe, or not? She was, so she was going to the goddamn gym. And she could face down anyone she had to do get that, including her hookup of the night before and his employee to whom he may or may not have blabbed, because she was gonna get her a workout.
But first, she donned her most flattering workout ensemble of black tights with the cute cutouts at the ankle, black sports bra, pale green fitted tank and matching jacket. Then she applied eye-makeup and lip gloss, and blow-dried her hair.
If she had to face the gossip chain, she was gonna do it looking good.
But when she pulled into the Big Iron Fitness parking area, neither Heavy’s Harley nor his pickup truck sat in his parking spot. And as she looked into the gym through the plate glass front windows, she saw Jason leaning on the check-in desk, chatting with a redhead in purple workout gear.
Okay, then. Fabulous, she didn’t have to face Heavy yet. So why did she feel so disappointed? Rolling her eyes at herself, she grabbed her workout bag, locked up her car, and headed into the gym. As she stopped at the check-in desk, she had to bite her tongue to keep from demanding to know where Heavy was.
Jason’s redhead gave him a last smile and sashayed off toward the locker rooms.
“Hey, Cassie,” Jason said, his gaze all over her. “Lookin’ good.”
Cassie held up her key fob to the digital reader. “Heavy left you in charge, hmm?”
The prospect didn’t puff his chest out, but he came close. “Of course. I’m his right hand man, y’know.”
“Really. Well, good to be you.” She tucked her keys in the side pocket of her bag, and headed to the locker room, rolling her eyes once her back was turned.
She snagged one of the three treadmills, and settled into a steady jog, watching out the windows as other gym clients arrived. Della and Shelle came in as she was nearing the end of her thirty-minute jog. Della wore a faded Harley tee over black leggings, while Shelle wore a Hawaii logo tee and silver leggings. They smiled when they saw her, and Cassie waved.
When they came out of the locker room, they came to mount the remaining treadmills, Della next to her and Shelle beyond her.
“Hey, girl,” Della said as she punched buttons on the treadmill. “We were afraid we weren’t gonna see you anymore, since you got that full-time job.”
Cassie rolled her eyes. “Not a problem anymore” she said breathlessly. “Pretty sure I’m getting let go.”
“Wanna talk about it later?” Shelle asked, her eyes full of sympathy.
Cassie nodded. “Thanks. Not now… too fresh.” Her treadmill beeped with the ‘time reached’ signal and slowed. She slowed her steps to match, panting.
Della nodded. “Got it. Hey, we’re going to lunch at the Hangar after this. You wanna come? My treat.”
“Oh, no, you don’t have to–” Cassie began, but Della clasped her hands under her chin and gave her a pleading look.
“Pretty please? You’d do the same, biker babe. You know you would.”
Cassie gave in. “You’re right. I’d love to, thanks.” She hadn’t seen as much of them since she’d been working at E Boutique. It seemed her hours never meshed with theirs, as Della was now working part-time again at Rock Solid Security with Rav, while Manda watched Boo, and Shelle was doing full-time course-work.
“Great. We know the good goss.”
Shelle winced at this, and Cassie laughed. “Okay, talk later.”
Shelle began to jog while Della walked at a brisk pace.
She worked out hard, stretched, showered again, and dressed in her street clothes. Today she’d paired dark-wash jeans with her favorite fawn booties with the stacked heels and platform soles. Over them she wore a navy-and-white striped tee with a keyhole neckline and cap sleeves, her short, faded denim jacket, and her favorite earrings, long silver hoops with tiny, brightly colored beads strung in the oval . She pushed a chunky silver bangle onto her wrist, re-applied her makeup, and finger-combed her hair.
Then she smiled determinedly at herself in the mirror. There–even grouchy, old Ellen would approve of her appearance. She looked stylish and pretty. And who cared if Heavy wasn’t around to see her?
She sighed as she grabbed her bag and exited the locker room. She wished she knew if her hookup with him had been a fluke, or maybe—just maybe—the start of something great.
Then she shook her head at herself. Right, and the Flyers were gonna paint the clubhouse pink with lavender trim.
She was a grown-ass woman, and she could hook-up with a hot guy and then move on, without getting her emotions tangled up in a knot all over again.
She was over him, and he was never gonna be into her. They’d ‘date’ for a while to get her dad off Heavy’s case, and then just be friends… or friendly acquaintances, anyway.
And she was fine with that. She totally was.
This resolve lasted precisely as long as it took her to walk across the gym, and meet Heavy as he walked out of his office.
They both stopped, Cassie because her brain had temporarily shorted out at the sight of him, big and broad and totally hot in his black gym tee and pants, his short hair mussed on top as if he’d just run his fingers through it.
His lower lip was swollen on one side, and a bruise shadowed his cheekbone, causing her belly to twist. But it didn’t seem to bother him, which he showed by smiling slowly at her. No, not the dimple—aargh, so unfair.
“Hey,” he said, his voice deep and intimate.
“Hey,” she croaked, her face heating. She locked her trembling knees and clutched her bag for all she was worth, unable to tear her gaze from his, which was warm and intimate.
“You worked out already, huh?” He looked her over, taking his time about it, and then back into her eyes. “You look good. I like those jeans… although I liked that little skirt you had on last night even better.”
She remembered his warm, powerful hands sliding up under that skirt and squeezing her ass. Then she remembered the rest of what he’d done with his mouth on her, and her body clenched with sheer need, her pussy quaking and her nipples tightening.
“Thanks,” she croaked, her throat dry.
His pupils flared, and he moved closer, looming over her.
Every cell in her body yearned for him, so much that she swayed toward him, her head tipping back and her eyes drooping. Ooh, this close, she could smell him, so nice … all fresh but still warm and musky with his special scent. She wanted to take one more step and just bury her nose in the curve of his throat, and inhale him while he did things to her with those hands.
The gym doors whooshed open behind her to emit three teenage boys, all three of them talking at once. “Hi, Heavy,” one called, his voice cracking with excitement.
Heavy nodded to them, and straightened, as casually as if he and Cassie were mere acquaintances.
“Hey, guys. You’re right on time. Stow your gear, and warm up on the bikes or treadmills for ten minutes, okay?”
“Got it.” They rushed past Cassie and him, leaving her blinking as if she’d awakened from a sensual dream.
Heavy gave her a cocky wink, and one of his dimples. “Sorry, group training. Gotta get set up for it.”
“Sure. Um, see you around,” she said, as casually as she could manage, not looking at Heavy again as she walked toward the doors. Because her face was fiery as a stove top—had she nearly made out with him right in the damn foyer of his gym?
“Yeah, you will,” he said after her, his voice teasing. “‘Cause we got a date. Later, pixie.”
Gah.
The Hangar Brewpub & Grill sat on the north side of the main road through Airway Heights, surrounded by parking lot.
The one-story brewpub was pure modern retro, sided in corrugated white steel, with a deep blue metal roof. A neon sign towered in the parking lot, a silver, old-fashioned prop plane with the words 'The Hangar' arcing over the top in big red letters, and 'Brewpub & Grill' below in smaller red letters.
A low post-and-rail in front of the building, to one side of the handicapped spaces, had a sign that read ‘Motorcycle Parking Only’.
The interior was every bit as casual and comfortable as the outside promised, with lots of wood, a double row of red-upholstered booths in the front, high-top tables throughout the middle. The big, L-shaped room was divided by a waist-high railing, denoting restaurant from bar area, with high-tops on both sides and a long bar up against the mirrored back wall. Three pool tables filled a corner of the bar.
On the walls hung black and white photos of planes and motorcycles, photos of Devil’s Flyers past and present.
Although the Hangar was indeed a biker hangout, it was at its heart a friendly place to have a meal or just a few drinks and relax. The kind of place that got louder later in the evening as the beer flowed, where you could laugh out loud and holler at a sports team on one of the big screen TVs mounted up high, or sing along with the music, and no one would care.
It smelled good too, of savory food with a hint of freshly poured beer.
Two servers worked the floor, one a lean redhead with colorful ink on one arm, the other a plump blonde with a big smile. Both wore snug, white tees with the Hangar logo on the front.
The bar itself was a long stretch of gleaming wood with a long row of taps and a soda fountain and a mirror on the wall. Pete Vanko himself was bartending today. Cassie waved, and he gave her a nod, then went back to pulling beers.
She looked around and chose a high-top table for three in the bar area.
Della and Shelle came in shortly, and the three of them settled in for lunch.
“So…” Della asked, her eyes bright with interest. “You and Heavy, finally, huh?”
Cassie blinked. “How did you…? Oh, right.” The Flyer gossip chain was clearly in full swing. “Yes, we’re kind of… dating.”
“Kind of,” Della repeated mirthfully. “Ri-ight. Got news for you, girlfriend. You don’t 'kind of’ date a Flyer. You grab him, hold on tight and reap the sexy whirlwind.”
Shelle shook her head, smiling at Cassie. “Della, don’t scare the poor girl. You’ll take it at your own pace, Cassie.”
Della chortled. “That’s what I thought, when I started up with mister sexy-pants Ravenal. Next thing I knew, I was knocked up and moving hundreds of miles away from home. Not that I miss home that much—Sturgis is cool as shit, but we have better lakes here.”
Cassie choked on her Hangar ale. “Whoa,” she managed. “No, no, no. No one’s getting knocked up here. I’m on the pill.” She would not follow in her parents’ footsteps, not in this lifetime.
“That’s good,” Shelle said, nodding encouragingly.
“Yeah, you should be fine,” Della said. “Although, now that we have Boo, I wouldn’t trade him for any amount of freedom.”
“He is pretty cute,” Cassie agreed.
Someday, she wanted kids too… maybe? But not for years, and especially not until she was in a relationship that was gonna last.
This thing with Heavy… no. Believing it would last that long would only get her heart broken again. And once was more than enough.
Heck, she didn’t even know if they’d get to the full-on sexy-times. She surely hoped so, ‘cause she really, really wanted to reap the sexy whirlwind with him.
Preferably several times.
On her appointed morning, Cassie dressed in her soberest E Boutique wear, and presented herself there. She arrived at 8:48 and winced, knowing Ellen never opened the front doors before 9 sharp.
But Ellen appeared from around the front window display, waiting for her, it appeared. She beckoned Cassie with one hand, and moved to unlock the front doors.
“Morning,” Cassie chirped, smiling as she stepped in.
“In my office,” Ellen said, relocking the doors.
Right. That didn’t sound very promising. Cassie stepped aside and then followed the older woman back through the boutique, noting absently that there was a rack of new coordinates in tones of gold and denim blues. Nice colors, although she was fairly certain she wouldn’t be caught dead in the garments themselves—at least for another forty years or so.
Ellen walked around to sit behind her desk, and Cassie took the same chair in which she’d sat to get … fired?
The older woman gave her a straight look. “Cassie, you have some wonderful qualities that are going to take you far—you’re a hard worker, you’re very… innovative, and you’re charming and out-going. People like you. You’re clearly interested in them, and it shows.”
“Um… thank you,” Cassie said cautiously, feeling as if the other shoe was about to fall. She was not wrong.
“However,” Ellen went on, “I unfortunately don’t feel that you are quite cut out for E Boutique.”
Cassie braced herself for the hurt and pain of being rejected again. But then she blinked, because strangely, she felt… relief?
Lifting a hand to her mouth, she closed her eyes. Emotion quivered through her.
“Oh, dear,” Ellen said. “Please don’t--Cassie, you must understand, this is far from your last option. There are many other career paths out there for you. You simply have to explore them.”
Cassie opened her eyes, and dropped her hand, revealing her rueful smile. “It’s okay, Ellen. I’m not gonna cry. I just realized that… it really is okay.”
She shook her head, gazing wonderingly at her boss–no, her former boss, who was looking at her as if she’d spoken in tongues. And that was fine too. Cassie did not need to impress the woman anymore. In fact, she never had.
“I never really wanted a career in fashion retail,” she said, as much to herself as to Ellen. “I wanted to want it. I wanted to be successful at something my family–no, my mother would admire and respect. At something I thought was admirable—because… because I’m so bad at it? But you and RaeAnn are good at it, that doesn’t mean I have to be. I can be good at other kinds of retail. Like—like turning Mamba Mama’s around, or-or something like that.”
She rose, and smiled at Ellen. “Thank you for giving me a chance. Even if it was only to please your daughter. I know how much you love her. And she’s totally worth it, isn’t she?”
“Er, yes,” Ellen said faintly. “She is.”
“So, I guess we’ll be seeing each other on the holidays and such,” Cassie said. “Thanks again, and ‘bye.”
“Good-bye.”
Her last view of Ellen was of the woman gazing after her, still with that puzzled look on her face.
Yeah, the two of them would likely never get each other. And that was okay.
She was okay.
But, hell. She still needed another job