Chapter Two.
I hefted the heavy bag of cement and carried it over to the mixer.
I’d worked here for three months now and detested this place.
Construction wasn’t my thing, that was for certain.
But the job kept the idiot parole officer off my back.
Check me out, being a contributing member of society.
What a joke. As if owning a bar made me a criminal.
I hated the condescending little asshole—Rutter—I’d been assigned to.
Rutter’s favourite phrase seemed to be ‘behave, or you’ll finish your term’.
I’d wait; in the same way I was biding my time for the judge.
The other fighters involved in the fighting ring had received community service, probation, or a suspended sentence.
Me? Six foot seven, built like a brick shit house, the judge had decided I was a criminal and sent me down.
He’d pay.
“Magic, you’re wanted,” the foreman, Guy, called, sounding pissed. Infuriated, I gritted my teeth. Surely that jerk hadn’t come to irritate me at work?
I turned around, and my eyes narrowed on Pee-wee Herman’s fuckin’ identical twin, aka Stewie Rutter.
The grey suit was short at his ankles and wrists.
Rutter wore a sparkling white shirt and a red tie.
His black hair was slicked back, and a kid could beat him in an arm-wrestling match; Rutter was that skinny.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded.
“I’m checking you’re doing your job.” Rutter had a high-pitched, feminine voice that made me consider violence.
“Are you fuckin’ kidding? You’re more likely to get me fired. Where’s your hard hat?” I snapped.
“What?” Rutter squealed, puffing his pigeon chest out. In disbelief, I shook my head and marched away. As expected, Rutter chased after me. Disgusted, I grabbed a hard hat and slammed it onto the idiot’s head.
“What are you doing?” Rutter yelled and tried to take it off.
“Remove that, and I’ll report you and have you banned from this site,” the foreman—Guy—warned, passing by.
Rutter’s grew wide. “Was that a threat? Did that man threaten me?” he demanded. I rolled my eyes.
“Nobody is above health and safety; you should be aware of that,” I commented mildly, even as I ground my teeth. Rutter would be lucky to survive another nine months with me. The land at the back of Magic’s Bar contained a few secrets. One more wouldn’t hurt.
“Don’t get cocky. Mr Carter, I have the power here, not you,” Rutter stated, brushing his suit down.
Amused, I leaned forward. “Do you?” I growled out, and Rutter paled, but the little prick held my stare.
“Yes, I do! Mr Carter, I can return you to jail with a snap of my fingers,” Rutter declared. Evilly, I grinned, and Rutter flinched.
“And you can disappear without a trace. Who has the real power?” I whispered softly. Rutter took two steps away. “What do you want? Clearly, I’m here and working,” I continued in a normal tone.
“No doubt you’re unaware, but it’s part of my role to check you’re actually productive,” Rutter sneered.
“Yeah, like I got sent down for being a slacker. Get a life!”
“You’re a violent criminal!” Rutter retorted.
“I was arrested for being a fighter in an illegal fighting ring. Let’s not pretend I was beating the crap out of decent people. Or a thug robbing the elderly.”
“Magic!” I turned and smiled as Jody parked up.
Jody waved and climbed out of the car, and I nearly swallowed my tongue.
Holy shit. Jody grinned, knowing full well what effect her outfit had.
Leather pants that looked plastered on, a tank top leaving her toned arms and shoulders bare, and a rolled-up, tied bandana wrapped around her neck.
The knee-high boots sealed the deal. Jesus Christ.
“Hey, gorgeous,” I called, and Jody sauntered over. All around the site, men and several women stopped to watch the show, and it was well worth it. Jody dripped with sexuality. But Rutter seemed immune.
“Hi, babe, I thought we could hang out before my next lesson,” Jody said, walking straight into my arms. She rose to tiptoes and kissed me with barely restrained desire.
“What is going on here?” Rutter demanded, eyeing Jody with distaste.
“Who are you?” Jody snapped as she plastered herself to my chest.
“I’m Mr Carter’s parole officer,” Rutter stated.
“Mr Carter?” Jody’s laughter rang out. “Oh, Magic! Anyway, are you ready?”
“What a good job I’m here!” Rutter exclaimed, whipping his phone out.
“Why?” I demanded, knowing where the asshole was going.
“Clearly you’re about to play hooky with this… creature,” Rutter snapped. Jody had her own cell out and was filming.
“Creature?” she snapped, insulted. I hooked her around the waist; I wouldn’t put it past Jody to bitch-slap Rutter.
“Please state what you’re insinuating,” I said.
“You’re ditching work to run off with… that,” Rutter replied.
“Guess I’m not allowed a lunch break. This is slave labour?” I drawled. Jody snickered and kept filming.
“Turn that off. You don’t have my permission to record me!” Rutter stated loudly.
“Hey, boss. Rutter here says I can’t have lunch. Asshole expects me to work from half-seven in the morning till half-five without eating,” I called across to Guy.
“Company policy states any shift over nine hours gets an hour’s break. Are you breaking my company’s rules?” Guy shouted and straightened.
“Mr Carter’s leaving with this woman,” Rutter replied with resentment.
“It’s Magic’s break. Magic can bang her in the parking lot for all I care. It’s his time to do what he wants with,” Guy retorted.
“Oh, I don’t put on public displays, not during the day,” Jody interjected and licked her lips. I chuckled. Jody was offended and wasn’t bothered if Rutter knew it. “My boss, the mayor, doesn’t approve.”
“You work for the mayor?” Rutter sneered, and Jody grinned.
“Yes, indeed, I do, Mr Rotter.”
“It’s Rutter.”
“Yeah. Rotter, just as I said.” Jody glanced up at me. “Can we go now? I’m hungry, and I have a class soon. I’ve gotta get in a blowjob too, unless those are against your parole conditions?”
With that, I swung Jody up into my arms. Rutter would probably start searching for ways to screw with me, but I’d keep a tally and fuck him right back.
“I’m gonna fill your mouth, woman,” I promised, my voice full of suggestion.
We left Rutter spluttering in the yard as I carried Jody towards my Hog. Thank God I could still ride, and that wasn’t a parole violation!
Jody – November 2007
“Hey. What are you up to this weekend?” Aster questioned.
“Not much. Magic and I were planning a quiet one.”
“Shit, Magic can’t go to bars, can he? How long until Magic’s off probation?”
“Eight months.” I sighed. “Time seems to be passing so slowly.”
“It did when Magic was inside. Do you think you’re still adjusting?” Aster asked.
“Could be. We were separated for two years. The odd thing is, it doesn’t feel like we’ve been apart. Maybe we’re soulmates,” I replied in a light tone.
“Jody, you love Magic and know it,” Aster retorted.
“I do.”
“The age gap has never bothered you, and Magic adores you. There’s love in Magic’s eyes when he looks at you. It makes me envious,” Aster admitted.
“Sorry, but not,” I quipped, and Aster laughed.
Honestly, Magic rocked my world in and out of bed.
I’d met him at eighteen and hadn’t looked back.
Magic was everything a woman could desire and brought out the best in me.
The two years he’d been inside had been hell, and I’d barely coped.
As much as I loved him when he was hot and sweaty from a fight, I far preferred Magic free and by my side.
He was easily recognised as a man’s man. Magic took no shit, backed up what he said and had a crazy side which was highly appealing. Even hotter, he rode a Harley.
A smile crossed my lips, and Aster rolled her eyes. She knew I was waxing lyrical about Magic in my head. We walked silently to class, and I thanked God for the day I met Magic. I didn’t care what anyone claimed about him; Magic was amazing, and I was a damn lucky woman.
Magic
“I was told you wanted overtime,” Guy announced, approaching as we packed up.
“Yeah, you got any?”
“No, but I have a few jobs if you’re interested,” Guy offered casually.
Immediately, I was warned. These ‘jobs’ weren’t legal.
“It pays well.”
“I can’t cross state lines. That’s a violation of my parole.”
“Not a problem. Sioux Falls is in the state. You’re just carrying a package,” Guy stated.
“One that might get me ten to fifteen?”
Guy shrugged.
“I don’t do drugs or carry them,” I said. “Thanks for the offer.”
“What about dirty money? That’s okay?” Guy pushed.
What the hell was Guy involved in? Drugs, dirty cash, what was next?
Pussy? But I needed the cash. The takings from the bar were down, and without me being able to run it, I was bleeding money.
Construction paid shit, and I wasn’t about to let Jody pay everything.
Even working four days a week, Jody was earning more than I was.
“Pay?”
Guy named a figure that made my eyes widen.
“Just for delivering money?”
“Yeah,” Guy nodded.
“I get to check the pack before I deliver it. If I find drugs, I walk.”
“Fine, use the Harley and back roads. Bikes can escape a cop quicker than a car. The cash has to be delivered.”
“It will be counted in front of me and re-counted again when I arrive. That way there’re no mistakes,” I argued.
“No problem,” Guy replied and offered a hand.
I reached out and gripped it. If Guy screwed me over, he’d lose more than me; that was a promise.
Jody
“I’m confused. Why Sioux Falls and out of hours?”
“Guy asked me to drop something off at the company’s HQ there.”
“On a weekly basis?” Jody demanded.
Yeah. Okay. My excuse was weak, and I hated lying. But the less Jody knew, the better. If the cops pulled her in, at least Jody could tell the truth.
“Babe, we need the money.”
“Magic, I can inform my boss I can’t do college and work those extra two days.”