For Your Sake (7 page)

              Eva looked back out the window, freezing as her mind repeated her friend’s words. 
Holy shit!

             
Air Force-man’s
friend
caught her stare.  It was him.  Again.

Chapter Four

              It was her.  Again.

              Through the window, those vibrant blue eyes stared back at Ben before a waitress intervened.  So did Aero.  “Lou can take me quick – should be fifteen.  You coming in?”

              No, Ben didn’t need to suffer Aero’s fastidiousness over his hair.  Plus, fate just gave him a little gift. “Nah, I’ll hang out here.”

              Both men watched as the café door opened as the blue eyed brunette, along with stiff-ass looking suit, walked out.  Aero grinned, then slapped Ben on the back.  “Yeah, you do that.  Enjoy the view.”

              His V.P. gone, Ben watched the brunette give the suit a hug and a kiss goodbye before heading across the parking lot.  But not before she spared him a cautionary look-back.  Oh, yeah, he was watching her, and saw a lot more in that snug, blue dress.  Damn, she had some sick curves – something a man could sink his hands into.  He watched her cross over and into the card store, noticing a maroon jeep parked in front of it.  Her jeep.  She must’ve worked there.

              Having time to kill, he strode across the parking lot and up to the jeep, seeing the broken headlight from the impact last night.  Looking right, left and behind he entered the store, a jingly little bell signaling his entrance.  Great - so much for being stealth.  He stilled at the sight of all the stuff surrounding him, cards, candy, jewelry, quilted handbags, wrapping paper, knick-knacks, collectibles and doo-dads.  The minimalist in him instantly felt suffocated as he was afraid to move or knock something over, not to mention his bull-in-a-china-shop size.  Carefully, he made his way over to the counter where a glassy-eyed young woman sat behind the register.  She almost fell off the stool when she saw him.  “Um….”

              He looked around.  “The brunette in a blue dress I just saw come in here.”

              “Oh.  Eva?”

              Eva.  That was her name.  One less thing to check off Wes’s list.  “Where is she?”

              The girl looked hung-over and like one of those ignorant party chicks who sneak their way into the club for Saturday night bashes and a forbidden taste of outlaw cock.  She also looked too stunned to deny him.  “Stock room,” she pointed towards straight ahead.  “Back there.”

              Ben headed where she pointed to an open door.  Inside he found her, standing on top of a cardboard box while reaching to get something off the top of a metal storage shelf.  She was vulnerable with both arms stretched above her, blocking her vision, and the position offered him a clean silhouette of her body.  The material of her dress clung to a lean middle, nicely rounded tits and an ass which popped out just right.  The dress had split open where it wrapped, exposing a leg up to mid thigh. 

              He wasn’t one to deny getting his fill and she certainly had a lot to see.  She still had no idea he was standing there, watching her, his eyes tracing every curve of her body.  The more she struggled, the more her dress separated, now up to her hip covered by a strip of white silk.  Shit, he could stand here and stare all day, but he was on business, not to mention he was getting uncomfortably hard.  Shutting down his private peep show, he did what he came for.  But first, he reached up, his own six-six height allowing him to grab what she was struggling to get without so much as raising to his toes.  Seeing a large arm come out of nowhere, she gasped and lost her balance.  With his left hand raised above him, his right arm quickly snatched her around the waist before she fell and broke an ankle, especially in those damn, sexy shoes. 

              He caught her against him, her feet dangling off the floor.  His arm locked tight around her waist, his fingers sinking into the space where her dress had split, touching soft skin and silky material.  Her back was flat against his chest while her ass pressed much lower, no doubt feeling how hard he was.  He dropped her like a hot match and she backed away, immediately straightening her dress.  He instantly found his first smile of the day.

              Her, not so much.  Those sparkly eyes were on fire.  “What are you doing back here?”  She looked towards the door then up – way up – at him.  She looked like a frightened animal last night.  Now she looked pissed. “Are you following me?”

              He didn’t answer, instead handed her what she was trying to get off the shelf.  “You’re welcome.”  A little sarcasm never hurt.

              She took it from him, but not his bait.  “You didn’t answer my question.”

              And he wasn’t ready to.  An insistent bitch never went over well, but seeing as he was responsible for the damage to her car and sneaking up on her, he shrugged it off.  “You dress like that to work in a stock room.”

              “I always dress like this.”

              “To work here?”

              “I own here.”

              Okay, a little more info he’s sure Wes found, but wouldn’t need.  Ben found himself in this plaza many times since patching in seven years ago.  Mostly the café or Ticker Liquor for middle-man meetings with Joey.  This place had been a travel agency before going out of business less than a year ago and, though the Skulls pretty much kept their finger on the pulse of what goes on in this small town,  never paid any mind when a card shop took over the space shortly after.  Plus he never had need to come in here as there was no one in his life to buy cards for or give gifts to.  And with good reason, as the congested store area and stock room made him twitch.  “You got a lot of shit back here, darlin’.”

              “It’s not shit, its merchandise,” she politely, yet defensively, replied.

              Over the last several weeks he endured a bloody shootout, burying two brothers and plugging his lying, junkie sister.  Now in less than five minutes, this unknown woman made him smile – twice.  She was fully facing him, sexy as hell with those damn, fucking curves and a pair of eyes which matched her dress.  “Testy.”

              She crossed her arms.  “You insulted my livelihood.  So,” tightening her arms around her.  “What do you want?”

              He played enough.  Aero was probably finishing up getting his precious hair clipped.  “Last night.  Just want to make sure we’re square.”

              She got an uncomfortable look about her, then dropped her eyes to the floor.  “I told you, I won’t say anything.”

              He nodded, glad for pressing the point once more for good measure.

              She looked back up.  “I don’t understand the secrecy.  It was just a minor accident.  No one got hurt.”

              During Ben’s tenure here, when the Mountain Skulls asked you something, you didn’t question it.  Now he wasn’t sure if she was feisty or stupid.  “Darlin’, what did you see last night?”

              “Since you told me to forget what I saw, then….nothing.”

              Okay, she wasn’t stupid.  He leaned in. “Just one time.”

              She backed away slightly when he closed in, though she kept eye contact.  “I came around the bend.  Once the road straightened, I saw you ride right across the road into the….”

              He put a thumb over her lips. “Shhh, stop right there.  It wasn’t what you think.  And let’s leave it like that.”

              She took hold of his wrist, removing his hand away from her mouth.  “Fine.  Is that it?”

              He had to give her credit. Even though she looked unnerved, she held her own. Glancing down, he saw she still held onto his wrist.  Slender fingers squared off with nails tinted with sand-colored polish which also matched her toes. A silver bracelet with a dangling charm hung from her wrist.  He continued to stare at her hands, a stark contrast to his own large, scarred ones.  Realizing how long she was holding onto him, she pulled away as another smile threatened. “Saw your car.”

              A heavy sigh escaped lips he still felt on his thumb.  “I know.  Have to call the insurance company later.”

              “Don’t.  They’ll just raise your rates.  Bring it to our body shop.  I’ll take care of it.”

              She shook her head.  “No, you don’t have to……..”

              “I said I’ll take care of it.  Dammit, woman, for once today, listen.”

              That made her eyes narrow.  Damn she really looked ticked and was probably thinking of some smart comeback.  “How long will it take?” She asked instead.

              “Looks like just the light.  It’s American, so we might have it in stock.  The scratches are minor and can get buffed out.  Half day should do it.”

              “Okay,” she replied, thinking a bit.  “Can’t tomorrow – Saturday’s my busiest day.  I can drop it off Monday and arrange a ride back.”

              “Don’t have to.  We’ll have the flat bed pick up around nine.” Ben pulled his sunglasses out.  “I’ll make sure you’re on the schedule.”  He slid them on then ran a knuckle down her cheek.  “
Eva
.”

              She flinched a bit.  “How’d you……..?”

              “Your hung-over cashier.”

              “She isn’t hung –over.  Just didn’t get enough sleep.”

              Ben snorted.  “And you believe her?”

              “What she does after hours is her business, as long as she shows up to work.”

              “And put her in charge of the register?  You’re very trusting.”

              That professional civility she was clinging to just about snapped.  “First you insult my store, then you question my judgment?”

              Holy shit, he was enjoying this, but knew Aero was probably feeling his newly-cut hair for strays while wondering where the fuck he was.  “Anything else you want to sling at me while I’m in a semi-decent mood?”

              She thought.  And she thought.  And then her mouth hitched up this time.  Oh, how enticing it looked.  “Yeah.  Since you have my name, how about giving me yours?”

              Maybe it was better him having the goods on her and not the other way around.  She recognized his face – that was more than enough for him.  But for some unknown reason, the last half hour put him in the first good mood in quite some time and was feeling generous beyond getting her car fixed.  “Ben.”

~~~***~~~

              For what seemed like a good fifteen minutes, Eva remained still while replaying what just occurred over in her head.  This biker, this….
Ben
whom she encountered on a dark mountainside road the night before just waltzed into her store and played some sort of knight in shining chrome.

              Again, she straightened her dress then took a deep breath, still smelling the trail of leather and exhaust he left in his wake.  Her hand paused over her waist where his own had grabbed onto her.  Every inch as big as the rest of him, it probably could span from her hips to ribs.  But when he pulled her against him, it was like being slammed up against a brick wall.  What the hell do these guys do, drink steroid and testosterone elixirs?  Dirty-blonde hair, amber-colored eyes, large build, tan complexion, he looked more suited for a sword and a shield than a motorcycle. 

              Deep in what transpired, Eva didn’t hear Cyndi pop in and startle her.  “Oh my God, Eva, what was
that
about?”

              A twenty-two year girl who got shit-faced regularly with other twenty-two year olds was not someone to confide in.  Sheesh, was Ben really causing her to rethink her employee’s loyalties now?  “Nothing.  Just need to schedule the repair to my headlight.”

              “Didn’t know bikers made house calls.”

              “They don’t.  Listen, call Marie and see if she can cover Monday.”

              “Sure. “

              She’d rather take the day off and let her assistant manager run the store than arrange a ride to and from.  She planned on stopping at Dell’s to get wallpaper remover to begin taking down that horrid dining room mural so she’d make use of the day off.  Heading back out into the storefront, several customers were nosing around in cards and candles when Cyndi hung up.  “Marie said Monday’s cool.  Um, can I go run next door for coffee…..?”

The door jingled and
she
walked in.  Madam psychic.  Teased, Lucille Ball-red hair with a multi-color scarf wrapped around it, wearing flowing pants and top covered by a fringed shawl.  Large, round sunglasses took up her entire face to where all that was visible was her nose and lips colored the same red as her hair. 

Eva made eye contact with her. “Good afternoon.”

Being cheerful offset the woman’s creep-factor as Eva watched her make her way to the jewelry display.  The woman had blinders for anything else in the store as she always went straight for the counter covered in plexi-glass.  And, as always, Eva treated Madam Weird no different from any other customer, always offering to show her anything she wanted to particularly see.  She went behind the counter and took the spiral ring of keys from underneath.  “Anything particular you’re looking for?”