Chapter 19 Nothing Like Your Sister
Nothing Like Your Sister
Savannah
I woke up to the comforting warmth of Punc’s arm draped around my waist. His room at the clubhouse had no windows, which was great for sleeping, but the pitch blackness didn’t give me any clue as to what time it was.
Even after another glass of sangria last night, I’d been smart enough to put my phone on the nightstand next to me. Gently, so I wouldn’t disturb Punc, I reached for my phone. It lit up and I saw the time was nine-fifteen.
I sat up. “Oh no!”
Punc jolted upright. “What’s the problem?”
“I’m late for work. I never called Rita to tell her—”
Punc pulled me slightly on top of him as he laid back down. “I did, babe. Sent her a text yesterday. Told her you wouldn’t be in because of shit with your dad.”
My mouth fell open and I forced myself not to overreact.
Punc rolled to his side, and I shifted off of him. He turned on a bedside lamp. I squinted and blinked a few times.
He rolled back to me. “It was high-handed of me, and I’d apologize, but I wouldn’t mean it because I’d do it again.”
“What?”
“I told you, Smythe. I’m eliminating as many of your problems as I can, and I didn’t want you struggling with what to tell her or feeling awkward about it. Especially since we didn’t know exactly when Frank was going to show at your house.”
“That may be true, but it wasn’t Dad who—”
“He’s the reason your mom took out the loan, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then, it’s his shit. Bottom line, Rita knows you won’t be in today and made other arrangements. In fact, she texted back that she was glad you had me to lean on now.”
I leaned up and rested my head on my upturned hand. “Okay, but what happened with Frank? Did you all—”
“No. We didn’t kill him. Turk found the family of a woman who was indebted to Frank…
and hooked on drugs he sold. They really don’t like what’s happened to their sister because of him, and after we dished out some punishment to him, we took him to their place.
That’s really all you need to know, and obviously, you don’t have to pay that bastard any more money. ”
I twisted my lips to the side. “I kinda wish I could have smacked Frank around, too, you know.”
Punc rolled toward me, and I fell to my back. “I bet you do, but we made sure he felt your wrath, too, baby.”
As much as I enjoyed the easiness I felt with him right then, I had to say what was on my mind. “I appreciate you taking care of that for me, Punc. I do.”
“But?” he asked.
“I didn’t say there was a but.”
He arched a brow. “Sure sounds like one’s coming.”
“If I run across any other problems, I am capable of handling them and will be sure to tell you if I need your help.”
He leaned down and kissed the apple of my cheek. “In the future, you aren’t gonna have problems like this.”
I nodded. “Yes, but it’s clear that you have a certain need to take care of your woman.”
“Nothing wrong with that, Savannah.”
“You’re right, there isn’t. But, I’m a woman who’s used to taking care of herself.”
He traced his finger down my neck, across my chest, and circled my nipple.
“I don’t have a problem with you taking care of yourself, unless it’s in the bedroom.
” He glanced up at me with a pensive look.
“Well, unless I get to watch. But if something becomes a persistent problem, or I think it’s gnawing at you, I’m gonna step in, babe. ”
As much as I liked him toying with my breast, I grabbed his hand and pulled it away. “That’s fair, I’m asking you to talk to me before you do… since I’m unlikely to have any more problems even half this serious.”
Punc shifted his hand in mine and brought my hand to his lips. “That’s doable, unless it’s your dad. At that point, I reserve the right to take care of it - even if it only involves your sister.”
I took a deep breath. “Okay. I can live with that.”
He let go of my hand and smirked. “Good. We both got the day off, so I’m gonna feast on you before we head to Platinum’s and then back to your place.”
“What are we going to Platinum’s for?”
“Figured you were a girl who would give Turk and Yak their notice in person.”
I frowned. “Oh. Yeah, it isn’t cool to quit without warning.”
“What’s with that look, babe?”
I shrugged a shoulder. “It wasn’t much fun dancing for strangers, but I really like Desiree, Lucy, and even Heaven when she wasn’t in a mood.”
He went back to teasing my nipple with his finger. “There’s nothing stopping you from visiting Platinum’s. Depending on who’s working, you might even get to go back to the dressing rooms, but I’m not sharing you with those horny assholes.”
I shoved a lock of his hair off his forehead, but it fell right back. “Believe me, I don’t want to share me with them either.”
He lowered his head and drew hard on my nipple. My back arched and I sighed.
He pulled back with a grin. “Am I driving you crazy?”
I felt my eyebrow arch. “No. You can definitely do better than that.”
He slithered down my body, dragging his tongue along my belly. “Sounds like a challenge, baby.”
“It is.”
His hands went to my thighs and spread my legs. He positioned himself between my legs and nipped my inner thigh. “Guess I better drive my woman crazy, then.”
I wandered to the end of my car while Punc put the kickstand down on his bike in the driveway. “I’m surprised you aren’t parking in here.”
He shook his head. “I don’t want your sister to have a hard time backing out if she goes somewhere later.”
I nodded and led Punc in through the door to the kitchen. He hit the button to lower the garage door as I walked inside.
Catalina stood at the sink rinsing a plate. “Have you been crying?” She asked then glanced pointedly at Punc. “Why has she been crying?”
I hung my purse on my kitchen table chair. “I’m fine. We just came from Platinum’s where I put in my notice.”
Cat dried her hands on a towel. “And you’re sad about that?”
“I liked the ladies I danced with, Cat. And… They were sweet about me leaving. Two of them are calling Rita to have me clean their houses.”
“That sounds like good news,” Catalina said.
“Yes, but I just didn’t expect it, and I hate goodbyes.”
My sister came closer and hugged me. I wrapped my arms around her and gave her a good squeeze before I pulled back. “Thanks, Cat.”
“No problem.” She slid her eyes to Punc and back to me. “Did everything else go as planned?”
I wobbled my head. “As far as I know. We don’t have to worry about the debt any longer. Dad… might be a different story.”
She raised her brows. “Yeah, I figured that out last night. Dad was blowing up my phone. I told him to stop calling until I called him. He called five minutes later, and I blocked him.”
I kept quiet.
Cat shot me a small smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll consider unblocking him sooner rather than later.”
Punc shut the refrigerator door and opened a can of soda. “He pulls any shit with you, I’m stepping in, Cat. And I won’t go easy.”
Cat turned to him. “Are you living with us now?”
Punc’s gaze shifted to me for a beat before returning to Cat. “Probably. We haven’t discussed that, but I love her. She’s the one for me, that’s been clear for a long while.”
“If it makes you uncomfortable,” I started.
Cat whirled around to me. “Are you kidding me? As long as you two aren’t loud when you get busy, it’ll be great having someone else around here. You take on the weight of the world and never ask for help. He isn’t going to let you get away with that, and I am here for it.”
I slowly shook my head. “That went easier than I expected. Did you eat lunch yet?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I just finished. Last night, Muriel asked me about my plans for the future, and I’m meeting her downtown at the hospital this afternoon.
There’s some networking thing happening, and she’s going to introduce me to some people who can help me get more volunteer hours with organizations that are medically focused, which will look great on my college applications. ”
“What are you going to wear?” I asked.
She grinned. “My turquoise sandals and that outfit you paired them with. Time for me to cash in.”
I laughed. “Fine. I’ll go grab that outfit for you.”
Punc
Half-an-hour after Catalina left to meet Muriel, Punc’s cell rang, and he saw Brian’s name on the display.
“Hey, Brian,” he greeted.
“Hey, you busy?”
“Not exactly. More problems with Darla?”
Brian huffed out a humorless chuckle. “There is no Darla. Not after last night. Found her going through my shit, and I tossed her out. It was… bad.”
“Bad?”
Brian sighed. “More like it got ugly, but she’s gone. You wanna grab a beer?”
“I can do that if you don’t mind me bringing Savannah along.”
“Why would I mind that? She’s hot as fuck in that viral video—”
“Brian,” Punc ground out.
Brian chuckled. “Sorry, man. Knew that would get you, I gotta find humor where I can.”
“You want to hit Rounders, say in an hour?”
“See you there.”
Savannah came back to the couch from the kitchen. “You’re headed to Rounders in an hour?”
He grinned. “We’re headed to Rounders in an hour. Hell, we could leave now, then you’d get a forty-five-minute ride on my bike before we have to be there.”
With Savannah’s arms around his abs and her chest pressed to his back, Punc guided his Harley off State Route 23 and exited onto Argyle Forest Boulevard.
If her joyful laughter was any indicator, Savannah loved being on the back of his bike and riding fast. He always loved riding.
It made him feel in tune with who he really was deep down.
Having Savannah behind him made that sensation hit deeper.
He pulled into the lot for Rounder’s and parked next to Brian’s pick-up truck.
Savannah climbed off the bike, and he swung off after her.
He slung his arm around her shoulders. “Seems Brian’s already here, that’s his truck.”
“Are we late?” Savannah asked, falling in step beside him.
“No. He mentioned ending things with his girlfriend last night, so my guess, he’s already a beer ahead of us.”
“That stinks for him. You should have left me home and come by yourself.”