Page 11 of The Devil's Reward
“No such thing as a stupid question, honey,” Rose assures me. “And I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t happen occasionally, but normally it comes from me and my man, not those two.” She winks at me, and I just stare at her. “Honey, trust me, there is nothing better than your man slapping your ass a few times in the middle of things,” she tells me conspiratorially, thankfully lowering her voice enough not to be overheard.
Oh my God, I don’t know what to say. I mean, Bobby and I were never into that kind of thing. Our sex life was as vanilla as it came. I flush and give an awkward shrug. “I, ah, I’m single, so I wouldn’t know,” I reply.
She waves that away. “You don’t need a relationship to have a good time, honey. Trust me, it’s worth it.”
“I, ah, I’ll take your word for it.” I mean, what else can I say? Sure, just let me get right on that? If my sister, or hell, my parents, were here, they would already have started a long drawn out conversation about it. When it comes to confidence, they have it in spades. Not to mention, no subject is off limits.
“Mom, don’t be scaring away our customers,” a man says, making me turn my head to see a handsome man walking out of the garage area, a resigned smile on his face. He’s six-two, and those bright blue eyes are striking. The name on his stained coveralls calls him Torque. I immediately feel nervous and silently curse myself. God, why can’t I be normal? Why do I suddenly get so shy around people?
Wait, this is Rose’s son? Wow, there are some good genes in this family.
Rose snorts. “You make it sound like I’m the one who just threatened bodily harm to my girlfriend’s behind,” she drawls, giving him a pointed glare.
Torque scowls. “I wouldn’t have to if she would just take it easy,” he gripes. “You probably told her to do that shit to get back at me for something.”
“Now why would I do that?” Rose demands, feigning shock.
My head snaps back and forth as I follow their volley, wide eyed and captivated. It’s like my own personal show.
“Lord only knows with you,” Torque groans. He looks at me. “Sorry, it’s been a busy day. Your car is done and they’ll be bringing it around in a couple of minutes. Everything passed, no problems. Your brake pads are getting a bit worn, but you still have life left in them. We cleaned them up and they should give you a few more months of use before they need to be replaced.”
“That’s great,” I say in relief. “Can I settle up now?”
“Sure thing, honey,” Rose says with a beaming smile. Vaguely, I hear the roar of a motorcycle, the vibrations moving through the air and through me as I pay my bill. I glance over at Macy quickly to see that she’s still engrossed in the TV. Rose chats with me as I finish paying and she gets my signature on a few things.
She’s excellent at keeping me engaged without being too pushy or nosey. It’s like she knows just how far to go, and what lines not to cross. I appreciate it, especially since she and I don’t know each other, and I’m always careful of what I share about myself. After everything with Bobby, I learned the hard way that people knowing too much can use it as a weapon.
No, this isn’t the place to think about that, I scold myself.
“Alright, honey, you’re all set,” Rose says cheerfully.
“Thanks so much.” I put my wallet away and turn, then stop when I see Macy by the vending machine, a man standing beside her. My guard flies up immediately, and I take a step forward. I never even heard him come in, but I force myself not to panic. From the cunning look on Macy’s face, she’s after something, and the man is wearing a cut that looks very similar to the mural on the wall. Except, instead of a wrench, it has a sword in the middle.
Maybe he works here?
I put him at six feet, with short, dark brown, almost black hair. His shoulders are wide, and his arms are encased in a dark t-shirt, showing off thick biceps that are covered in tattoos. His back tapers down to slim hips, and thick, powerful thighs covered in dark denim. Not to mention his ass is nicely curved and firm. I might not be looking for a man, but I can appreciate a fine male form. Though I wish he wasn’t so close to my daughter.
I head for them, and stop when I hear Macy say, “The machine took my money, Mister, and wouldn’t give me my chips. I’m not tall enough to hit the button to get my money back. Can you help me?” She even bats her lashes at him coyly. Where the hell did she learn that?
I narrow my eyes. I never gave Macy any money, so either she figured out how to pick-pocket or she’s taking this man for a ride. Also, the button she’s speaking of is below the coin slot, and she can definitely reach both. Before I can open my mouth to scold her, the man chuckles and drawls, “It did, huh? You know, I’ve had a hard time with this machine myself. How about I try it?” Then he steps forward, pushing a few coins from his pocket into the machine and punching in the number for some plain chips. He takes the chips out of the slot and hands them her way. “I don’t think it’s going to give your money back, gorgeous. So how about you have these?”
“Macy,” I say sharply, moving closer and giving her a hard look. She takes the chips from the man quickly and thrusts them behind her back.
“Hi, Mommy,” she says brightly, beaming at me. “This is my new friend, ah…” She stops and whispers loudly, “What’s your name?”
Now that I’m looking at him straight on, I can see that he’s even more good looking from the front. He’s got dark eyes, a slightly crooked smile, and a scar on his jaw. None of which detract from his attractiveness, especially when his eyes are bright with amusement and his lips are pulled back in a grin. “Shadow,” he supplies in a mock whisper.
“This is my friend, Shadow,” Macy repeats. “He’s nice. You should be nice to him, Mommy. Maybe he’ll think you’re pretty and take you out on a date like Grandma wants.”
My face flushes with embarrassment when he glances my way, but I refuse to meet his eyes. That’s a guaranteed way to make me stammer and stutter. Instead, I focus on my daughter. “And what do you have behind your back, Macy?” I ask.
She blinks, and I can see the gears turning in her mind, deciding whether to lie, and finding a way to spin this to her benefit. “Oh, uh, my new friend got me some,” she answers cheerfully, pulling them from behind her back and giving me a big smile. “He’s a really good friend.”
“Uh huh.” I narrow my eyes at her. “How about we try this again, Macy Mae. I heard you conning him into buying those for you. What have I told you about asking strangers for things, and lying to get them?”
Macy gives me an irritated look. “Grandpa says that I’m learning important life lessons. To keep the boys on their toes.”
That sounds like something my father would say, but not something Macy can really understand at this age. “Well, Grandpa didn’t mean conning strangers out of their money, Macy,” I sigh. I look at the man, Shadow. “I’m so sorry. Let me reimburse you for the chips.” I reach for my purse, but he shakes his head.
