Shaken, Not Stirred

  Shaking my head, I turn away and walk up to Tenn's bike. I grab my helmet and with my back to him, I say, "I'm not talking about it. You'll just have to trust me when I say it was bad enough that I have to do this. That I think this is the only way I can get some type of vindication. Some type of peace."

  Then I turn to look at him and with imploring eyes, I say, "I'm asking for your support on this and to trust me that I won't cross a boundary that's disrespectful to you."

  Tenn's shoulders sag and he steps up to the bike, grabbing his helmet. He stares at it thoughtfully for a moment and then says with resignation, "The mere fact you would do something like this... that would cause me worry... that would tear my fucking guts up to even think of you making sexual promises to that fucker... well, I'm sorry, Casey... but that's already disrespectful to me."

  "What are you saying?" I ask as I can feel my lungs starting to deflate in anxiety.

  Tenn turns those beautiful blue eyes my way and says, "I'm not sure I can handle it. When I said you'd be breaking down everything you've been working to build up... I'm not just talking about you, Casey, and the way you've changed. I'm talking about what you've built up with me."

  He's giving me an ultimatum. He's telling me that if I go through with this, which to my way of thinking is just going to be dinner with me getting Jeff worked up with fake promises, he's going to break up with me. Clearly, he doesn't trust me. Clearly, he doesn't understand or support the importance of this to me.

  I stick my chin up and even though I know in my heart this is probably the wrong thing to do, I say, "So be it."

  Tenn's eyes go distant, and he gives a sad smile. "Get on the bike. Guess I need to get you home for your date."

  I go ahead and climb on, my feelings raging an absolute war inside me that causes my chest to ache and my stomach to roll with queasiness. I'm doing the right thing... I can feel it in my bones. The only way I can let my past go is by standing up for myself and making Jeff understand exactly how it feels to have someone reject you. While I know his ego won't be as fragile as mine was at the tender age of eighteen, I know it will hurt him just a bit. And at least I'll be able to expel all of my bitterness at him. That has to be psychologically beneficial, right?

  The ride to my house doesn't take long. Tenn doesn't turn the bike off and the loud rumble doesn't exactly make it conducive to a fruitful discussion. But I do try one more time as I take my helmet off and hand it to him. After he stows it in the saddlebag, he turns to look at me.

  "Tenn... please don't hold this against me," I ask beseechingly.

  He shakes his head and gives me a wry smile. "I won't," he says simply, and my heart lightens. "I'm going to hold it against me that I even thought to get involved with someone like you. Tired of the fucking games, Casey."

  Tenn doesn't spare me another glance, which means he doesn't see the tears that immediately start pricking my eyes. Instead, he puts the bike in gear and rumbles off down the road, and I watch until he fades off into the distance.

  My first real relationship already over.

  Chapter 16

  Tenn

  Christ... that woman is maddening.

  She's stupid, ignorant, willful, and bratty.

  Heartless.

  That's what she is... absolutely fucking heartless.

  She's a woman that's been hurt, a voice says inside of me. It changed her into something no one should ever have to be.

  Not my problem though. Not up to me to try to change her.

  "Fuck," I yell out to the wind as my bike motors down the highway. I figured I'd go to The Last Call and get fantastically drunk tonight. Maybe Hunter and Brody will be there, and I can rant to them about what a stupendous idiot their sister is.

  Or, you could go and stop this shit in progress, a voice inside me says. Drag her ass out of the restaurant. You've done it once before.

  Yeah, that is so not happening again. It's different this time because Casey knows I have feelings for her, and she's choosing to do this despite the havoc it could cause. She's ignoring my feelings in this matter.

  Just like you're ignoring her feelings, that little voice says.

  "Shut the fuck up," I yell out to the wind.

  Just shut the fuck up, I tell myself, so I can rationally think this thing through.

  Okay... Casey admitted she's falling hard for me. I fucking remembered every bit of our conversation from last night, so I wasn't as drunk as I thought. She's truly changed and she's changed because she wants to try to build something with me.

  She's also a smart woman and most of all, I've come to see that she has a heart the size of the ocean. She would never do anything to intentionally hurt me.

  I trust her. I really do trust her that she would never let this get physical. I expect her plan for revenge is to work him up good over dinner, maybe even spouting some of the dirty talk I've taught her over the last few weeks, and then let him down with the force of a plane plummeting out of the sky. I expect his ego will make a resounding splat when it hits.

  Is that really so bad? If she does that?

  Will it give her closure and remove any further barrier that might present itself to a potential relationship with me?

  Now that is some fucking food for thought.

  Letting my heart guide my bike, I go ahead and make a U-turn on the highway and head back into the town of Nags Head. I don't know what's going to happen inside that restaurant but best-case scenario, Casey walks out with her head held high and vindication in her eyes. Worst case, that fucker tries to do something to her or causes her pain in some way, and I really, really need to be there if that happens.

  I sit sideways with my ass perched on the seat of my bike, legs stretched out in front of me. Same position I was in the first time Casey and I were together when she walked out of The Last Call. Except now, I'm waiting outside of La Papillon where I fortuitously got a spot thirty feet from the front door. I know if Casey's plan goes down, when she walks out that door, she's going to need a ride.

  Glancing at my watch, I note it's 8:10 PM and figure that she'll work the fucker up good over the course of dinner. Because it's a fancy French restaurant, I'm thinking dinner will last a good two hours at least. I know I'm in for a long wait but in my heart of hearts, I know Casey is worth it.

  The door to the restaurant swings open, and I blink my eyes as Casey strides out. My eyes cut down to my watch. 8:11 PM.

  Well, damn.

  Casey looks left, then right, possibly considering the best place to get a taxi, when her eyes roll right over me. She pauses, and then her gaze snaps back my way.

  "Thought you might need a ride," I call out to her.

  She stares at me a moment and I can read nothing on that beautiful face. She looks gorgeous, wearing the same little black dress that she wore the other night when I pulled her out of this very restaurant and fucked her in the alley.

  Casey throws her shoulders back and starts my way. My eyes focus in on those long legs, her feet encased in stilettos that give me very dirty thoughts. The thought of that little dress riding up her thighs as she sits on the back of my bike starts to get me hard.

  "What are you doing here?" she asks tentatively, crossing her arms over her chest protectively.

  I stand up from the bike, and her face tilts to look at me. My fingers reach out and trace the edge of her collarbone a minute, and then I drag my gaze up to her eyes. "Figured you might need a shoulder to cry on, although I was really kind of hoping I'd have the opportunity to kick this dude's ass for you."

  She smiles as her eyes cut down quickly. Putting my finger under her chin, I nudge her gaze back up. "What happened in there?"

  She shrugs her shoulders, and then throws her hands out to the side. "I couldn't go through with it. I knew it would hurt you, and I couldn't do it. But why are you here? I thought you made it pretty clear that this was sort of a deal breaker for you."

  My hand drops from her face, and I shove my hands in my pockets. Wi
th a shrug, I casually say, "Yeah... well, I sort of worked it out in my head after I got done being pissed. I understand why you needed to do it and I also realized I trusted you not to do anything that would betray me."

  "Oh," she says softly, looking back down to the pavement and then back up again to me. "So where does that leave us?"

  "I think it leaves us exactly where we were the minute before you hatched this idiotic plan," I tell her simply. "Although... I am still completely willing to go in there and stomp the shit out of him for you."

  Her eyes crinkle up, and she nibbles on her lower lip. "That would be kind of awesome, but I don't want you to get in trouble."

  "I'd gladly take an assault charge for you," I tell her gallantly, although I'm sure my dad would blow a gasket if I got arrested. "So... what excuse did you give him why you were leaving early?"

  She looks up at me coyly and says, "I didn't. Told him I had to use the restroom and then I jetted."

  I throw my head back and laugh. "Oh, Goldie... you're brilliant. You're a hot mess, but you're brilliant."

  Just then, I see the door to the restaurant open over Casey's shoulder and the douche himself comes out. Just like Casey, he looks left and then right, utter confusion on his face.

  "Looks like your date is looking for you," I tell her, and then give a nod in the direction of the restaurant. "Want me to handle this?"

  She huffs out a gust of frustration but shakes her head. "Nope. I got it."

  Turning away from me, she starts toward the restaurant at the same time his eyes land on her. I can see the confusion melt off the guy's face and sizzling lust replace it as he eyes her up and down. My fists clench and it takes every bit of willpower I have not to leap forward to strangle the fucker.

  "Casey... what are you doing out here? Our drinks just arrived," he says as he takes a few steps to meet her. He loops an arm around her shoulder with the intent of steering her back inside, and I start to take a step forward. Casey shrugs his hand off though, so I halt myself and wait.

  "Jeff... I'm going home," she says matter-of-factly. "The truth is... I never intended to do anything with you tonight, so I figured I'd save you a buck and just go ahead and leave."

  The guy is so self-absorbed that he doesn't even notice me standing there ten feet away. He doesn't notice me and the menace that is pouring off my body in waves, otherwise, he wouldn't attempt to touch her again. His arm comes back to her shoulder and he says, "Come on, baby. Thought we were going to have fun tonight?"

  Before I can make a move, Casey steps away from him. She takes a deep breath and says, "Look... I only agreed to come out with you tonight with the intention of getting you worked up until your balls were blue and then leaving your ass."

  The guy is kind of thick because he says, "Work me up, huh? Now that sounds fun and I'm sure we can avoid the blue balls thing, right?"

  Casey narrows her eyes at him and places her hands on her hips. "Are you dense or do you just think so much of yourself that you can't see when someone is plainly not only not interested in you, but is actually completely disgusted by you?"

  He blinks at her... large eyes as round and blank as a fucking owl's. "I don't understand."

  "Because the only person you really care about is yourself, Jeff," Casey says, and then she steps up to him and snarls, "You're a pathetic loser."

  He takes a hint... takes a cautious step back. "Oh-kay," he drawls out. "Apparently, you got hit with a little case of the crazies today, so I'm just going to head back into the restaurant--"

  "I'm not crazy," she says quietly. "I merely wanted to confront you for what you did to me all those years ago."

  "What I did to you?" he asks in confusion. "What the hell did I do to you?"

  "I heard you that night," Casey says softly. "At the beach party that I couldn't go to. I snuck out of my parents' house and went there... and I heard what you told your friends."

  The guy just stares at Casey with a blank face, completely not remembering anything about that night. It makes my gut tighten in sorrow for Casey, that whatever he did to her, it apparently didn't mean anything to him because he'd forgotten it.

  "I gave you my virginity after you gave me false comfort over my brother going to prison and told me you loved me. Then you turned around and told your friends I wasn't good enough for you. I didn't have the "credentials" to be a part of your circle. You said I wasn't the type you marry, but I was the type of woman you'd fuck behind your wife's back. But hey... at least you told them I was a fantastic fuck."

  That motherfucking douche bag scummy fucking asshole.

  My head feels like it's going to explode so great is the rage that rockets through my system now that I know exactly what went down. I don't even think twice but start walking toward the guy with a film of red haze over my eyes for what he did to Casey. For what he said about her.

  For fucking hurting my woman.

  I'm going to kill him, and he has no clue it's coming because he's staring at Casey.

  Ten strides from him, the sheepish look on his face morphs and his eyes glint with malice at Casey.

  Eight strides from him, and he shrugs his shoulders and says, "What can I say, Casey, you were a fantastic fuck."

  Four strides from him, and he says, "But yeah... you are the type you fuck behind your wife's back."

  Two strides from him, and I see Casey raise her hand to smack his face and then her hand is striking at nothing but air because I have the fucker by the neck and I'm walking him backward toward the restaurant. Both of his hands come up and try to claw at my one that has him gripped tightly. His eyes bug out of his head and his face goes beet red as he tries to suck in air.

  I push him back up onto the sidewalk, where he nearly stumbles but I pull him up, then I'm slamming him up against the exterior wall of La Papillon, knocking off one of the lighted wall sconces to the left of the door. His head makes a nice thudding sound when it smacks the brick and his eyes start to roll in the back of his head.

  The door to the restaurant flies open, and the little maitre'd comes out to see what the noise is all about. He takes one look at me, I growl at him, and he goes scurrying back into the restaurant.

  Swiveling my head back slowly to look at this scumbag, I loosen my grip a tad, let him suck a gulp of air, and then tighten my hold again. His eyes bug once more.

  I'm amazed at how calm my voice is since I'm practically buzzing with the need to do serious violence. "Now, that's my girl there that you just insulted. And do I look like the type of guy that's going to let something like that pass?"

  He shakes his head frantically at me.

  "That's right," I say calmly... and yeah, with maybe a slight taunt. "So I'm going to give you one of two choices. You can either apologize to Casey or I can stomp your ribs in with my boots, and just so you know... the toes are reinforced with steel."

  I loosen my grip, he wheezes in air, and then I tighten up again. Eyes bug out once more.

  "Now, since you currently can't talk, I suggest you hold up a hand and indicate which option you want... one or two."

  His hand immediately flies up, and he's holding up one finger while his eyes silently plead. I wait a moment and consider, then I loosen my grip slightly but still keep it tight enough that I can easily pull him away from the wall. He stumbles immediately but I haul him back up by the neck, turn him, and march him back over to Casey, who is now actually reclining back on the seat of my motorcycle, watching me with amused eyes.

  "That was really hot," she says, her eyes sparkling at me mischievously.

  "Thanks, Goldie," I return jovially, and then give old Jeff a little shake. "Now, I think this guy has something to say to you. Right, Jeff?"

  His head frantically nods up and down. I give him a little push toward Casey as I release him. Stumbling, he drops to one knee right at her feet. He starts to rise up, but I squat down and clamp my hand on the back of his neck to hold him in place. "Uh-uh," I admonish him. "I actually think I like you k
neeling down before my girl."

  Casey snorts and when I look, her eyes are admonishing. "Now, you're just being mean, baby."

  "I'm sorry," Jeff blurts out, and I can feel his entire body shaking under my grasp. "I'm so fucking sorry, Casey. What I said... it was awful. Rude. You totally didn't deserve that."

  She stares at him a moment, and then asks, "Do you really mean that, Jeff, or are you just afraid Tenn here is going to put you in the hospital?"

  "I really mean it," he practically screams, and the smell of ammonia greets my nose. I tilt to the side and look at the dude's crotch, which now has a wet stain starting to spread.

  "Uh-oh," I say with a chuckle. "Jeff here just pissed his pants."

  Casey dips her head and covers her mouth with the back of her hand to hide her smile. She looks at me and shakes her head, telling me it's done.

  I release my grip on the fucker's neck and stand up, walking around him to my bike and my girl. "You cool, baby?" I ask her as my fingertips stroke her cheek.

  "Yeah," she whispers with gratitude in her eyes. "I'm actually really cool."

  Chapter 17

  Casey

  "Wake up, Tenn," I say as I shake his shoulder. He's in the classic position I've found him in almost every morning. While we go to sleep wrapped up in each other's arms, I always wake up on one side of the bed, practically clinging to the edge, while he sprawls out on the other seventy-percent of the mattress. Face down, arms wrapped around a pillow his head is resting on, gorgeous naked ass for me to look at.

  I shake him again. "Come on, dude. Places to go, people to see."

  Tenn groans and opens one bleary eye to look at me. "What time is it?"

  "Eight," I tell him and give him a tiny shove. "Zoey will be here soon."

  "She won't be here for another two hours," he says and then turns away, giving me his back. "Plus... she's not coming here. We're meeting them over at the Sand Shark. Remember?"

  Yeah... we decided to meet them at the Sand Shark because it was right at the intersection where the highway ran north and south up the islands and connects to the mainland. Apparently, Zoey's mom and her boyfriend were going to make their way south and spend a few days down there, so we agreed to meet them at a convenient place.