Chapter Three
Mia made quick work of picking up the rest of the laundry, making sure to grab every stray piece that had somehow landed under the chairs. She retrieved her keys and cross-body bag and, with a grunt, hefted the laundry bag on her hip before sliding the door open. Before she stepped out, she looked down at her bare toes.
“Fuck. Shoes,” Mia sighed, rolling her eyes as she set the bin down. She selected the most simple option before her: black thigh-high boots that rested comfortably over her jeans. Zipping them up, she gave a triumphant smile. “Okay, let's do this.”
No sounds came from Janet's loft as Mia passed her door. No noise was normal, considering the woman spent all her time eavesdropping on everyone else. And after their last interaction, she probably wouldn't see her again till tomorrow.
Being extra careful not to accrue any more bruises today, Mia cautiously made her way down the metal stairwell. Most of the time, the tenants would use the side entrance to leave the building. But since it was raining and Mia's little blue Bug was parked in the garage across the street, she opted to drag her laundry through the shop. Tony wouldn't like it, but they had a good relationship. She opened the side entrance to the cafe and lugged the hamper in. Tony looked up at the sound of the bell above the door and frowned.
“Seriously, girl?!” Tony asked, a hand on his hip. The young barista who had recently been hired turned to look at Mia with wide eyes.
“Sorry. I'm parked in the garage, and it's pouring.” She pouted so her lip puffed out.
Tony rolled his eyes at her, gesturing to the drizzle outside. “That's not pouring, love. And you are nowhere near sweet enough to melt.”
“Please?” Mia begged, her eyes glazing over with tears.
“Oh, girl, you're already halfway through. Get!” he laughed, turning away.
Smiling, Mia lumbered to the front door. The rain was really not that bad, thankfully. She looked back over her shoulder, and Tony held up a coffee cup. Shaking her head no, she turned to push the door with her butt. Rain began pelting her backside. “Thanks! Love you!”
“Whatever, crazy.” She heard him say as the door closed behind her. The drizzle tapped her head lightly as she hauled and shifted the laundry bag to a beat-up little Volkswagen, its once vibrant blue dull from age.
“Hey, girl,” Mia cooed. It may not have been much, but the thing served her well. It may be old, but the powder-blue color and metal roof rack were classic. The old girl always put a smile on Mia's face as memories flooded back. Choosing not to ride the trauma train, she unlocked the trunk and lifted the lid with one hand before shoving the overstuffed hamper in.
“Atta, girl,” Mia said, slamming the trunk and patting the old car gingerly. With a grin, she went to the driver's side door and slid the key into the lock, which, as always, got stuck. Without a second thought, she gave the door a tap, and the key slid home, turning easily. The metal door creaked loudly as it was opened, making Mia grimace as she settled behind the worn leather wheel. A quick flick of her wrist had the car stuttering to life, and her fingers brushed the cracking leather as she listened to the engine idle beneath her.
“Well, let's go be domestic.” She pulled the stick into reverse and maneuvered the old girl out of the parking garage.
Several minutes later, Mia was walking towards the laundromat, hamper in hand. The clerk paid her no mind as she got busy, loading two machines and settling on a plastic bench, phone in hand. The dating app was still open. She realized with a bit of shock that she never responded to Aurelio's messages. Her thoughts flashed with worry as she quickly typed a response, hoping he wouldn't be upset or think she didn't want to speak to him anymore.
Mia: Hey! I think a call would be great! Would later tonight work? Sorry I didn't respond sooner. My nosy neighbor dropped by. Talk to you then!
Her fingers nervously tapped on the screen as she stared at the messages. Anxiety built in her chest. Mia set the phone down next to her and turned her attention to the textbook she had brought. She would hear if he responded, so she might as well distract herself with studying. Her degree was almost complete. She had been working so hard for so long to earn her doctorate in Psychology. She was tired of all the books and jargon. Even at that moment, her sight seemed to swim, unable to focus on the page. Just as she was about to give up altogether, her phone dinged with the pleasant tone of a new Aurelio message. She smiled, happily setting the book down in exchange for the cell phone. She had the screen unlocked before even registering what she was doing. Her fingers twitched with excitement as her heart fluttered.
Aurelio: There you are! Here's a reward for finally answering me!
The photo that popped up had Mia forgetting all about her studies. Aurelio was shirtless and crouched next to his car, a hose in one hand. His smile was wide as he held the phone in his free hand, angling it slightly down, showing the hard lines of his stomach. The orange jumper was wet, clinging to his skin as he washed the vehicle. The soap suds that clung to his skin were white, like fluffy little clouds, as if he had just landed from heaven in a rainstorm.
A sigh escaped Mia's lips as she imagined reaching through the phone to trace his muscles. Thoughts of Aurelio ran through her mind, and the room became very hot. She fanned her reddening face with one hand, glancing around guiltily. The few others in the laundromat paid her no mind; they were focused on their own busy work while the machines whirred in the background. Mia swallowed, clicking the picture closed so she could respond. Her teeth bit softly on her lower lip as she typed, eyebrows raised as she imagined him waiting for her reply.
Mia: Cooling off?
Aurelio: You could say that. Gotta clean up the rides before sending them off.
Mia: Makes sense. How is work? You said your job was hard today?
Aurelio: I don't want to think about it now if that's okay.
Mia's face fell a little, feeling a mixture of concern and curiosity. Was he trying to hide something? Unsure how to respond, she left it for the moment. They had only just met. If he wasn't ready to share, who was she to push him? She needed to be patient.
Mia: Of course. Sorry to pry.
Aurelio: You're not! Not at all, Mia. It was just a rough day. I need a little time to process. I want to share it with you, but it'll have to be later.
She could understand that. There were days when she wanted nothing but to forget about all of it and slip into the tub with a drink and music. Deciding to be open with him in the hopes of gaining a little more of his trust, she told him so.
Mia: I get it. Some days, all I want is to soak in my tub and think about nothing.
Aurelio: Tub, huh? Sounds nice.
Mia: What do you do to unwind and leave the stress behind?
Aurelio: Drive. Fast. Leave it in the dust behind me. But a soak with you sounds nice, too.
She laughed, and a woman across the room gave her a look. Mia placed a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound. The lady rolled her eyes, which made Mia smile wider. Something about Aurelio made her giddy, like a schoolgirl crush. The washers beeped, jolting her out of a daydream. Another text came in right as she opened the doors. Her cheeks flushed even brighter.
Aurelio: I am pretty dirty. Would you help me wash?
She could feel the precipice; the leap to more was right before her. A tingle in her thighs told her to jump.
Mia: Oh, yes, Aurelio. Of course. I'll soap you up and rub you down. Rinse all the grease and dirt from your skin.
Aurelio: Mm... I like the sound of that.
Mia: No dirty boys in my bed.
Aurelio: Well, I would think it depends on the kind of dirty.
Mia: Maybe, what did you have in mind??
Aurelio: Dirty boys with dirty thoughts who let their hands do the talking by exploring your curves.
Mia's heart rate spiked, and her body tensed as moisture pooled at the apex of her legs. The lack of underwear was becoming a problem after all. She squeezed her thighs together, her fingers frozen on the screen as more messages popped up.
Aurelio: Fingers ready to play... Tongue ready to please. Or is that too dirty?
She breathed out slowly, her mind creating the images he planted. She could see his hands on her and feel the way he would grip and play with her skin. The sensitive parts he would discover, lick, and tease. Mia's eyes closed as she mentally played the scene. Her body was craving the things he promised.
Mia: Oh, you are a dirty boy. I'm at the laundromat with no clean underwear. And you…
She couldn't finish the thought. He was what? Making her horny? Hell, yeah. Making her poor heart beat faster and faster? Also, hell, yes. But was it too much? Was it too fast? She wanted him, but she didn't know him at all.
Aurelio: Oh, you're killing me. Please, please tell me you have panties on. I can't handle it if you don't and I'm not there.
She drew in another deep breath. This man would kill her if he kept this up. She pushed her glasses up as the sweat on her brow made them slip down. She was not ready to answer him. She leaned into one of the washers to retrieve her clothes, the underwear in question included, before making quick work of emptying the second machine. She clicked two dryers to life, inserted her card, and looked back at her phone. The time read eleven-thirty. A smile formed on her lips as she imagined how upset he would be that she was commando.
Mia: Don't worry, I'll have them on when we chat later!
Aurelio: Do they have to be?
She drew in a sharp breath, earning another strange look from the sour woman near her, but Mia was lost in her mind. The thought of hearing his voice while she was naked... It had been so long since she had thoughts like this. She began to type back “ no” when another message came through.
Aurelio: Shit, I gotta go. Problems with the job again. Talk soon.
Disappointed, she looked at the message again and sighed. She stretched her legs, shifting them to calm the excitement. Her phone slid into her pocket as she picked up the large textbook and tried to focus. As she read and reread the same page repeatedly, she heard sirens coming down the street.
Curiosity and boredom got the best of her as she looked out the window. A yellow Mustang came speeding down the road, followed by a black Lambo and two BMWs, one red and one blue. She drew in a sharp breath as they sped down the road, tailed by three cops. Heart racing, Mia went to another window to see the cars skidding around the corner and down the road. All four cars had dark, black tints, making seeing inside impossible. But still, something about the whole thing shook her. She couldn't pinpoint what it was besides the obvious yellow Mustang, which had popped up three times in one day.
Mia swallowed hard as the fading police lights pulled her out of her thoughts. She shook her racing head. It was obviously a coincidence, just like Aurelio's car being the same as the picture on her wall. But how many coincidences were too many? Two had seemed ironic, but three seemed serendipitous.
Moving back to the bench, her mind was far too preoccupied for her to focus, grunt of frustration, she slammed the book on the bench and crossed her arms. Her mind wouldn't quiet. The moment that car flew past played in slow motion in her mind. She tried to commit it to memory, but it was already slipping away. Mia slid her phone open before she consciously made any real decision to do so. The time seemed to be moving at a snail's pace. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, unsure what to search for.
Peeking out the windows, Mia hoped to see the cars pass around again but saw two more police officers drive by instead. Even more curious, she searched for any police activity in the area. Scanners and live feed websites popped up, but only one picture caught her eye. A stolen yellow Mustang. She clicked the article, skimming the text until she got to the car and its theft. A new detective, who wished to remain anonymous in the article, claimed the gang of car thieves he had been tracking had taken the car in retaliation for foiling a few operations in the last several months.
Reaching the end of the article, Mia clicked a link leading to another on the same subject. Twelve articles later, she was deep in the rabbit hole. Article after article wrote about the gang: its secrecy and the police's inability to catch them. It seemed like they had been moving around the area for a while, never staying in one area too long, seemingly always one step ahead of the authorities. Until the unnamed detective. One article claimed he wanted to be able to move around without being identified by the criminals, but it seemed like his luck had run dry since his promotion to the lead detective on the case. Other articles held more info about the gang working to steal and sell high-end cars like the ones that had raced by. Still curious, she searched for the gang and any associated members. The leader was unknown, but an investigative reporter had managed to infiltrate it a little and discovered the gang's hierarchy.
The Boss, an unknown individual with only that title, called the shots. Under him were only three other major players; all their identities had been kept quiet. The reporter had not been able to infiltrate deeper into the organization before being discovered. He was beaten and left bloody and broken in front of the police station. There was only a single screenshot of CCTV footage showing a yellow blur as evidence. The man was fine, but he suffered a couple of broken ribs and black eyes. He turned in what he had, and that was it; no arrests were made, and no more information was forthcoming from the police.
There was a whole separate world out there, one she had barely scratched the surface of. Mia wasn't sure what any of it really meant. The world of car thieves and high-speed chases was something she had never thought about before. It seemed like something straight out of a movie or video game. But she felt a tug inside her heart and mind that pushed her to look further, to dig deeper. She was determined to satisfy the need brewing inside despite having no idea where this would lead. A small part of her mind knew that once she opened the door, there was no shutting it again. Mia could not help but think of the man she had only just met and chatted with. Something about his words made her feel like this was his world. And she had a feeling that if it was, she was willing to peek inside.
Mia found herself down a rabbit hole so deep even the white rabbit would not be able to get out. She was lost in the twentieth or so article when the dryers finally beeped. It was already almost two, and the laundromat was basically cleared out except for the attendant reading the paper. She jumped up, shocked at how much time slipped by her, and shoved the clothes back into her bin. As she headed to her car, she spotted a ticket on the dash; her meter had run out an hour ago.
Mia cursed, looking around for the meter maid. Sometimes, she could convince them to let it go, but they were nowhere in sight. “Shit,” she muttered, grabbing the ticket. She put the laundry bin in the trunk and threw her bag onto the passenger seat before climbing behind the wheel, prepared to message Aurelio about the ticket. Why would she text him? They just met. That would be weird, right? Complaining about a ticket to a virtual stranger was weird.
The screen lit up as a notification for a new follower on her social media popped up. SpeedValen69 was now following her and liked her last post. She frowned as she opened the app. The account had liked a simple shot of her open computer with just the top of her head showing. She had been sitting in the Café, and Tony snapped the picture and posted it without telling her until it was done.
SpeedValen69: I wish I could see the beautiful face behind the screen.
Clicking the name, she was taken to the profile. There was nothing. The account was new, and she was the only one it was following. Clicking the profile picture, she took a sharp breath. It was a yellow Mustang, but not just any Mustang. It was a cropped photo of the one Aurelio had sent her.
“Ah, stupid,” Mia whispered. “Valen. Speed Valen….” She felt her smile grow as she laughed. Clever. She took a screenshot of the comment, tapped over to their messages, and sent the photo.
Mia: Wishing to see my face? I might be able to accommodate….
Tapping the camera app, she snapped a selfie. It felt weird to look at a photo of herself. She had avoided pictures of her face for so long it was odd to see it. She didn't even know how Aurelio had found her social media; all she ever posted was landscape photos or pictures of her work from school. Tony had tried to get her to take pictures with him, but she had a firm photo rule: none of her face. He never pried. Maybe it was because he knew she was running, or maybe it was because he was also running. But unlike Tony, Mia was never forth coming with her story. Even now, thinking about the truth and her past made her chest tighten.
Her heart quickened as she closed her eyes, pushing away thoughts of the past and trying to propel them into the future. A future that may include a man who wanted to see who he was talking to. A man who had sent her a photo without her having to ask for it. Clicking send, Mia turned the screen off and tossed the device aside. It was time to focus on her errands.
She still had to go to the grocery store and work on her dissertation. Plus, there was the prospect of a phone date with Aurelio hanging in the air. Although neither had fully committed or set a time, she was anxious at the thought of hearing his voice.
Twisting the key in the ignition, the car started slowly as the engine struggled. Maybe if things with Aurelio worked out, he could give her a hand by fixing up the old girl. It had been ages since she had gotten under the hood herself. Mia frowned; she was already making plans to use her relationship with Aurelio. Her frown deepened when she realized she had referred to it as a “relationship.” It was too early to classify it as anything more than an exploration. She was happy to call tonight's phone call a date, but anything more left her feeling too vulnerable. Nevertheless, she was open to exploring.
Oh, and Mia knew exactly what she wanted to explore. The image of him, hose in hand with suds covering his abs, made her mind race. Indulging her desires, she grabbed her phone again to look at the photo; his smile warmed her insides.
The water trailed across his tattooed skin. Only portions of the inked art were visible in the side shot. Zooming in, she couldn't make out what the image was, but he had quite a bit of ink. Her finger grazed the screen, once more wishing she could touch him. Licking her lips, she closed her eyes and pictured him reaching out to pull her close. His rough hands would trace along her neck as he pulled her in for a kiss.
Mia's eyes shot open as she tried to cool her heated face with the A/C blasting. She leaned in close to the fans and breathed in deeply. For the second time, the simple thought of a very hunky, handsome man kissing her had her practically salivating.
“Girl, calm the fuck down!” She waited for a beat; eyes trained on the phone in her lap. She waited for it to beep, blink, or move to let her know Aurelio responded. Seconds grew to minutes, and her skin cooled off. By the time she was fully calm, cool, and collected, she still had not received anything. Not wanting to think too far into it, she pushed the phone away again. He said he was busy. He told her later they could talk.
Eyes wide, she carefully pulled out onto the street and made her way to the store. The parking lot was mostly empty; Sundays were quiet in her small neighborhood. She made quick work of her compact list. Before paying, she checked her bank balance. The adage of “broke college kid” had found its way to her. There was enough for the groceries, but she would be broke till Thursday when her paycheck came in. Her tips would barely suffice to buy gas and coffee for the week.