“Ah, come on. Forget about your sister and everything else. It’s not so bad out here.” He rolled down his window, allowing the cold air to blow in. He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes.
I shook my head, focusing back on the empty road.
“Fresh country air—you have to appreciate that. There’s only one thing better, and Josh has promised not to disappoint. Said he’s put word out to all the guys to make sure their girls bring plenty of friends.”
That relieved some of my sulking, as did the ‘Welcome to Harmony’ sign that finally greeted us.
“Take a right on Main Street, and the diner’s…well, you’ll see it.” He snickered.
“Right.”
It was seven o’clock on a Friday night, and the town was practically dead. There were only a couple pedestrians on the sidewalk, and had to be fewer than a dozen cars on the road. The two people on the sidewalk actually waved as I drove past, even though there was no way they could see us through the dark window tint. Harmony seemed unlike any town I’d visited, which was saying something considering how much I’d traveled on business. It wasn’t a place for tourists—more of a place you came from, not went to.
I found it eerily peculiar, yet strangely comforting.
“The high school’s on the other side of town,” Caleb said, interrupting my bewilderment. “Everyone’s probably at the game.”
“Game?”
“Football!” he shouted, pumping his fists in the air in an exaggerated show of mock excitement.
I glanced over to watch his sarcasm mold into something dark.
“It’s what most small towns live for. Harmony’s no different.”
“I take it that’s why you’re not a sports fan.”
“Up ahead. Park in the side lot,” he directed, his tone passive, avoiding the implied question.
I didn’t pry. I never did. He could count on that from me.
***
We stood in the center of what was ludicrously called The Diner, though it was housed in an old brick building and had nothing in common with how I pictured an actual diner. It was more along the lines of a midcentury brothel, but with no women and a rancid odor of wet mold. The blistering deep-red paint on the walls provided a backdrop for old black-and-white photos of the building’s glory days.
“Are you fucking kidding me? How is this place not condemned?” I asked Caleb, my voice hushed but not enough. I ignored the gasps and penetrating stares from the table next to us.
“He’s joking,” Caleb laughed, apologizing for me. He turned back, slugging me in the gut.
“Sorry.” I shrugged. I couldn’t help it—the place was an eyesore, and held not a single patron under sixty.
We headed toward the cash register, maneuvering among scattered tables of every shape, size, and color, their unmatched upholstered chairs frayed and soiled.
“This place has been around forever,” Caleb said, looking around with admiration.
Were we seeing the same things?
“Josh! Hey!” Caleb called to the guy who stepped out from the back.
I dropped my head to hide the snicker fighting to escape. The guy appeared our age, despite the letterman jacket and baggy jeans that gave him an awkward gait.
“Caleb! Finally, man. I still can’t believe it.” Josh dumped the empty tray in his hands onto a table and rushed over, pulling Caleb in for a one-armed hug.
I couldn’t picture the Caleb I’d gotten to know over the past couple years growing up there. He never talked about the town other than having shared a few scarce memories about him and his younger brother. Looking at him now with his so-called high-school buddy, he looked just as out of place as I did.
“Yeah, it’s been too long. This is Logan,” Caleb said, and they both pivoted to look at me. “He’s a friend.”
I extended my hand and Josh shook it with an overeager, loose grip. “So this is your place?” I shot my gaze once around the room again. Josh nodded with a smile.
“Nice,” I replied, pulling on the friendliest expression I could muster.
I wasn’t sure whether I should hate him for serving those poor people anything out of that kitchen or admire his persistence to keep the place going. Either way, he wasn’t the smartest guy businesswise—that much was clear. And the whole ‘Any friend of Caleb’s is a friend of mine’ had never applied to us. I reminded myself I was there to have a good time, but it didn’t set in.
His cheerfulness wavered as he gauged the sincerity of my compliment.
“How’s the profit in this place?” I asked, my curiosity piqued. If it was the only restaurant in town, it could be worth something.
Caleb’s hand slammed down on my shoulder. “Don’t mind Logan. He’s all work until you give him a reason to play. I explained you were setting everything up tonight. Tell me you called in some of the girls I remember from around here.”
He shook his head, throwing me a wary sidelong glance. “Nah, most of the girls from high school either left town, got married, or got fat, but…”
“Better be a damn good ‘but,’” Caleb panned.
“I think you’ll be pretty happy. We got some fresh young girls at the college to keep us entertained.”
The scowl I failed to hide deepened. Julia would be one of those girls soon, but luckily she wouldn’t be that senseless. “College girls, huh?” I threw out, unimpressed.
“Young and looking to have fun. They’re always out prowling for older men, and tonight they’ll be at the poker game.” He grabbed two menus from behind the counter. “But first, let’s get you fed—on the house.”
Caleb caught the hard, irritated look I shot him. I wasn’t eating a thing at that place.
“Thanks, but we’re good. Ate during the drive,” Caleb told him with a shrug, feigning disappointment. “Next time.”
Josh glanced at me skeptically, then put the menus away. “All right, well then why don’t you come to the back and say a quick hello to some of the guys in the kitchen, and then we can head out?”
“Sounds like a plan,” Caleb replied and began following him to the back. “You coming?”
“No, I’ll be out here. Take your time.”
He nodded and disappeared through the kitchen door. I used the opportunity to get a better look at the town.
Standing at the massive front window, surrounded by dinner specials, I gazed out at the place I was born—the place I had no memory of. There was a fleeting moment in which I wondered if my parents ever ate at that place before it turned into a waste receptacle. I’d make a point to ask my dad about it the next time we got together.
The buildings down Main Street appeared about a century old and were mostly rundown, but they all still looked to be housing operational businesses. It made sense, considering the nearest town was a bit of a drive. Residents had no real choice but to support local commerce.
Lost in my musings about the type of profit one could realistically expect with so few consumers, my attention was soon caught by a petite blonde racing across the street toward the diner.
A tiny, frail-looking older woman trailed behind at a slower pace, clutching her purse and yelling something I couldn’t make out through the glass.
It wasn’t until the blonde was in front of me, the window our only divider, that I noticed what she was chasing. Her foot smashed down on a thin piece of fabric, preventing the next gust of wind from carrying it away.
I stared, captivated, when she bent down to retrieve it. Her coat slid up and her jeans dipped down, revealing the fine lace of a white thong. My mouth opened, my tongue skimming my lips at the fairness of her skin.
After she stood and adjusted her coat, she handed the gauzy fabric to the older woman, whose concerned brow relaxed with her grateful smile as she placed it over her head and knotted it at her chin.
They stood there talking a moment. The blonde’s long wavy hair was rich and full, sweeping about her delicate frame. I couldn’t see her face, but even through the bulky tre
nch coat, I could appreciate her firm ass and shapely thighs. She worked out—she had to. No one had a body like that naturally.
My cock jerked to life. I tilted my head to the side in hopes of getting a peek at her face, but she turned suddenly, her hair shielding any chance I had as she headed straight for the door. I stepped back, suddenly realizing she was coming in to eat. The thought of fucking anyone who could stomach the smell in the place, let alone the actual food, left me unsettled.
The bell rang as the door opened and the old woman entered, alone.
What? I moved back to the window and found the blonde standing just outside, pulling out her phone to make a call. Was she waiting for someone? When she brushed her hair to the side, I finally got the glimpse I was craving.
Her radiant pink cheeks highlighted her delicately carved features and full, bright lips. Her eyes were soft and gentle, and when she spoke into the phone they glistened, a smile curving those luscious lips and jolting my cock to a full salute.
I readjusted myself, not caring who saw. She couldn’t have been older than early to mid-twenties, and had an air of sweetness to her. She was sexy yet demure…beautiful, but in a subtle, relaxed way. She fit into the town well.
She was an angel hidden in the middle of nowhere—a sweetheart I needed to press against me, drive myself into, and suckle until she was writhing in pleasure and begging for more. I’d give her my entire night, leaving satisfied with the knowledge that I’d had the finest piece of ass that shit town had to offer.
She moved away and then right past the window, completely oblivious to me. My head turned, fully enthralled, filled with lust as her perfect figure walked away.
I had to stop her. I needed to have her, taste her, fuck her, and then send her back out to enchant the next guy. I was making for the door when Josh appeared and let out a chuckle.
“Ah shit, dude, don’t bother.” He slapped his hand on my back, and I trained my eye toward it. He let it fall away, muttering an apology.
“Why?” I asked, baffled. What did he know about her?
Then it hit me: It was a small town—she’d probably already been passed around a few times. It was hard to believe, judging by the innocence she held in a single expression, but I couldn’t comprehend how any man could see her and not pounce.
“You don’t want her. Trust me.” He shoved a piece of gum into his mouth, then held the package out to me.
I shook my head once. “Who is she?” The urge to push him aside and chase her down, certain I could seduce her into taking me back to her place, was stronger than I’d felt in a while.
“A man-hater.” He snickered. “Seriously, she’s not looking for your type.”
My brows pinched together. “A lesbian?” I could work with that. I’d had a few in my bed before.
He snorted. “No!” But then he thought it over a moment. “Actually, who knows? After the way Mark treated her, it’s hard to say. A shame, really—she’s a nice-enough girl—but from what I’ve heard, a bust in bed. So, like I said, don’t bother.” He moved away. “Caleb’s in the lot, ready to go. He sent me to get you.”
I’d already started toward the door when he called, “We can go out the back. It connects to the parking lot.”
At first hesitant in my steps away from the door the blonde was not too far outside, I soon blew off the idea. I slid my hand over my jaw, getting myself back on track. I was looking for a sure thing, and if she wasn’t it, I’d find another girl in that town who was.
Chapter 6
Games
The house we pulled up to was only a few blocks out of town, but hidden by forest. Josh led us through the yard, past a large pond, and toward a steel structure in the back.
Under the overhang of the building sat a mix of quads and dirt bikes. I eyed the smaller bike in the back. Oliver would have a blast on that. He was still too young to put on my bike.
“Feel free to take one up the mountain tonight,” Josh offered, opening the door. “The girls love it.”
It didn’t sound like a bad idea.
When we stepped inside, I felt like a kid playing in a massive fort. The concrete floor was covered with an enormous black rug, with mismatched couches and a beat-up old recliner lining one corner of the room.
Past that, in the back corner, were a couple old refrigerators, a keg tap, and a sink that mirrored the one in Katherine’s laundry room. A group of girls in short dresses and tall boots were talking around the pool table in the other corner. This wasn’t a swanky club from the city, but it’d do.
Caleb took to the place right away, strolling over to a group of guys calling out his name. They were all yelling out that it had been too long since they’d seen him. I made my way to the makeshift kitchen with Josh. He opened the vintage fridge and handed me a beer.
“Joshy!” A girl dressed in an oversized flannel men’s shirt and nothing else ran at him.
I looked back at the other girls, wondering why. There was heat pumping in the building, but it wasn’t that warm. He lifted her up, kissed her once, then swatted her ass when she ran off again.
“Welcome to the local bar.” He held up his fingers, making quotation marks. “It isn’t much, but it works for us.”
“One hell of a poker table you got there,” I said, walking toward the center of the room. It wasn’t the standard frat-house table; it would’ve set him back a few months’ pay from that diner.
Caleb walked over with the group of guys, introducing me before we took a seat at the table. I sat across from Caleb; it was our routine. We never sat close during a game. If something was up, we knew each other’s tells, so we always sat where we could see them.
After the guys took a few shots at Caleb for his elusiveness on why he’d skipped town a couple years earlier, the cards were dealt.
“Aren’t you going to introduce me?” a girl asked, walking up behind Josh and putting her hands on his shoulders, sliding them down over his chest. They appeared more intimate than friends, but his unaffected reaction told me he’d had his fill of her.
She had a pretty-enough face—one of the prettier ones there—but she was no angel. I shook the thought away as soon as it hit.
“Mackenzie, this is Caleb and Logan. Guys, this is Mackenzie,” he threw out casually.
Her eyes grew wide. “Oh my God! You’re Luke’s older brother, right?” she squealed, directing a broad grin at Caleb.
“That’s me. How do you know Luke?” Caleb asked, lowering his cards.
“We went to school together.” She ran her thumb over her bottom lip, flirting with him. “I remember you. You were a senior, and one of the hottest guys in town.”
She wasn’t shy, nor was she his usual type. The girl was all bones. I rearranged my cards in my hand. When I glanced back up a moment later, Caleb was patting his leg for her to sit.
“You gonna be my beer wench tonight?” he asked, moving her hair to the side.
“I’ll be whatever you want tonight,” she purred.
And he was set. Good for him, but one look around the room left me coming up blank. The girls there were just that—girls—barely legal, not for me. The rest had been around the block a few too many times. I liked my girls with a touch of class—not so rough around the edges. Still, after a few more drinks, one of them would do.
Within the hour, the smack-talking college kids sitting around us were out of money and on the couches, welcoming more girls as they straggled in. Their seats were quickly replaced by more local guys Caleb went to school with.
“So what’s going on with the paper?” asked the guy who grabbed the seat beside me. “It’s all my dad’s bitched about the past week.” He’d been eyeing the table for a while from across the room. I only noticed because of the overly tight polo shirt he was sporting. It had to belong to a chick.
Josh stared down at the cards he was shuffling, not paying attention, and another guy sitting beside him piped up. “My grandma’s looking for a buyer. Problem is, none of them a
re good enough.”
“Good enough?” Polo Boy screeched. “To run the fucking Tribune? Hell, you should buy it, Josh. Sell that rotting diner and move up.”
“Fuck you, Mark!” Josh snapped.
Mark? No way the blonde had ever dated this putz!
But was this really the same Mark that Josh had been referring to? The town was small enough to have me questioning it. I tipped my head to get a better look at the guy. He played the jock look for the girls, but there was no denying he was nothing more than a cocky little boy.
“Sorry, man. I’m just saying—” Mark started.
“Well, don’t,” Josh cut him off.
The tension was thick in the air, and I was unsure why it was such a sore subject. Crass or not, the diner was a shithole.
“You’ve been running that diner for what—two, three years?—with no success,” Caleb said gently. “It needs a lot of TLC, and your dad wouldn’t want that burden on you.”
“I’m not selling it. It was his life.” Josh narrowed his eyes at Mark, then began dealing a new hand, making it clear the subject was closed.
Mark seemed happy enough with changing the topic.
“Gotta admit, Caleb, I didn’t expect to see you back,” he said, staring down at his cards. “I just ran into your brother a few weeks ago.”
“And how’s he doing?” Caleb asked after a drawn-out pause.
Mark’s head shot up. “Maybe you should call him sometime and find out yourself.”
Caleb didn’t reply, still focused on the game. The hand went quickly—one by one they folded until just a few players were left. These guys didn’t have the backing for a real game.
“Where you been, anyway?” Mark asked, staring over at Caleb.
“Away.”
“No shit, but anywhere in particular?”
“I’ll raise you,” Josh said when Caleb added to the pot.