Lucky Whore

As a new resident of Midland, I already love it. I couldn’t be happier at the moment. The weather was amazing. The sky was bright and sunny and the air was crisp and breathable. Such a huge difference from the south. Where I’m from, I’d be drenched in sweat just walking from the door to the car.

I dressed in jeans and a sweater because it was all I had in warm clothes. I need to go shopping, especially since winter was quickly approaching. It was chilly outside. My southern ass wasn’t made for this weather and it was about to get a rude awakening. I was looking forward to it. Once I had dressed, I went around the house and opened a few windows to allow fresh air. It smelled like Max and pizza. Speaking of Max…

“Hey boy! Wanna go outside?” He responded with a bark and his constant butt wiggling. I skipped his leash and allowed him to run around freely. The second the door opened, he bounced outside. I watched with a smile as Max ran amuck. I wanted to follow him, but I didn’t want to get lost, especially in the woods. I’d wait for Phoenix to come home. I sat on a swing that sat right outside the house. Max went about his business, sniffing and playing with the birds and insects.

Pulling my phone from my pocket, I quickly found Lucy’s name. I promised I’d call her once I arrived. She’ll probably yell at me for not calling last night, but I was a little… um, distracted. She answered on the first ring.

“It’s about fucking time!” Lucy shouted.

“What? I’m sorry I didn’t call last night. I was occupied.”

“Okay, you’ll explain that later. You have some trouble headed your way.”

“Lord. What now?”

“That skank wants to file charges.”

“For what? I didn’t touch her. You kept me from doing that.” The day I found out about Gage’s infidelity, his skank came to my office to tell me about it. Seeing red, Lucy held me back before I could hurt the bitch.

“Attempted simple assault, defamation, mental anguish, and possibly malfeasance.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake. She’s already fucking mental! Wait. malfeasance?”

“Yeah, you were still a cop then. From what I’m hearing, some Russian guy threatened her from your phone. Gage is looking in to it and I hear he’s trying to talk her out of filing charges. Care to explain why a Russian man is answering your phone?”

“Can they charge me with malfeasance even though I’m not a cop anymore?”

“You know it.”

“Fuck.” Changing the subject, I told her about my encounters with Niklaus and Oleg, but left out the dirty secret.

“You fucked him didn’t you?”

“How do you do that? I mean, seriously? How the fuck do you know that?”

“I don’t. You just outed yourself. So… he was good, wasn’t he? Was he hot? C’mon, give me deets, woman!”

“First of all… bitch. Second, it was fucking amazing and yes, he was hot as fuck! Best night of my life!”

“You lucky whore. I am so jealous!”

“Ha! It was a lot of fun, but it was just a one drunken night mistake. My rebound, I guess.” I told her about Welker and Shane. “I should’ve moved here a long time ago.”

“I’ll definitely visit you soon.”

“You’d better. Keep me updated about what the dumbass is trying to do.”

“I’ll call you later. Be careful up there. Love you, girl.”

“Love you too. Bye.” I hung up. I can’t believe that witch wants to file charges. If she does, that means I have to go back there for court. Fuck.

I thought of Niklaus. I know that no matter how hard I try, I won’t be able to forget him or his body. I felt a smile spread across my face of the images I couldn’t seem to erase from my head.

Then my mind wondered to last night’s events. Shane seemed fun. He kept me laughing while we ate. He mostly made fun of Welker who completely ignored him. It was like he was used to Shane’s shenanigans, expected it. Shane flirted with me the entire night. I knew he was egging his friend on. Why, I couldn’t figure out. Welker Stanton was strange. The way he was staring at me while holding me at gunpoint was unnerving yet entertaining.

“Why didn’t you say you were a cop?”

“Jesus Christ!” I grabbed my chest. “You scared the Hell out of me! How long have been listening to my conversation?”

I turned to look at him. Did he hear my phone conversation? I hope not. I had to shield my eyes from the bright sun because I forgot my sunglasses inside. I guess he saw my dilemma because he stood in front of me to block the sun. He ignored my little rant.

“Because I’m not.” Answering his question.

“You were one though?”

“Gee, what makes you think that?”

“Okay, smartass. I overheard you on the phone.”

I slid over on the swing, inviting him to sit next to me but he didn’t move.

“Sit. I don’t bite.” After a moment of whatever the hell he was doing, he finally sat. He was massive, especially next to me. He and Shane were nearly the same size.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“I was a cop. I quit. Now, I’m here. That’s all.” He didn’t need to know any more than that.

“I owe you an apology.”

“For what? Pointing a gun in my face or staring at me like I had a third head?” Another chuckle.

“There’s no excuse for my behavior. It was unprofessional.”

Seriously?

“Don’t worry about it.” He opened his mouth to disagree. “No, really. I won’t complain to your boss or anything. I’m trying to stay away from law enforcement.”

“It’s not all that bad.”

Scoffing, I looked away. Nope. Not going there.

“You have Shane to keep you entertained. I like him.” He groaned. It was my turn to chuckle. Shane must be like an annoying younger brother to him.

“Don’t let him hear you say that. He’s like a dog with his pink thing hanging out all the time.” This time, I burst out laughing. What a great analogy. “I had no idea you were coming. Phoenix didn’t say anything.”

“She didn’t know. It wasn’t planned.” He looked at me in confusion then shook his head as if he understood.

“You know, don’t you?”

“Know what?”

“Don’t bullshit me. You know why I’m here.” He looked away from me as if embarrassed that I caught him. “It’s okay. I won’t freak out or anything.”

“I walked in with her cursing at someone over the phone. I guess she felt like I needed an explanation.” I sighed, feeling like I needed to prove that I was no longer a jilted wife.

“He had a… I guess… a longtime affair with an old girlfriend.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m not. He knocked her up, serves him right.” Again, another chuckle. Does he find me amusing? He’s reacting the same way Oleg did. “Anyway, I won’t stay here long. I’m sure you have some rules about guests. I’ll be looking for a place within the next couple days. I have-“

“I’m not like most landlords. Stay as long as you need.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

We sat in comfortable silence for several moments while watching Max chase birds and rabbits. I didn’t like the fact that two strange men knew bits of my past. I’ve only been gone for three days. I left that behind for a reason. I was a little embarrassed, but I didn’t fault Phoenix for telling him. He would find out eventually.

“What are your plans for today?”

“Why?” I eyed him suspiciously.

“I’m just asking.”

“I have errands to run.”

“Need any help?”

“No, but you could point me in the direction of the mall.”

“I could take you.”

“Um… I don’t want to bother. I’m sure you’re busy with cop or landlord stuff.”

“It’s not a problem. It’ll give me something to do while I’m off. I must warn you, Shane will find us and tag along.”

“In that case, yeah. He’s fun.” I knew that would eat at him. I hid a smirk as his jaw tightened. Shane irked him and it was fun to watch.

“Let me take you to lunch.”

“I’m only agreeing because I’m freaking hungry, so let’s go.” It was kind of flattering. The way he looked at me wasn’t quite the way Niklaus looked at me. Hmm, Niklaus. His hands, his dominance, his- Stop Nessa! Jesus, I really need to stop thinking about him. How could it be a one-night stand if I’m constantly thinking about him?

Staring off into the distance of the winery, I admired the beauty of the whole thing. I planned on asking Welker to give me a tour, maybe allow me to taste some Stanton wine.

“Great! I’ll meet you in thirty minutes?” Welker asked.

“Fine, but I’m driving so I can learn my way around here.