“That’s not going to happen. No one would allow it, especially Law.” The look he gives is knowing and my body heats up, imagining that it wasn’t just Law’s belt pressing into me against the wall.
“He doesn’t like me.” I don’t know if I’m fishing or if I truly believe that. I pissed him off a lot right now.
“Okay,” he says, drawing out that one word. “Well, we’re here.”
“Thank you for the ride, Mr. Steele.”
“It’s Jackson. Take it easy.”
“I will. See you around.” This is a small town, so I’ll probably run into everyone again. Hopefully, not that prick with wayward hands. Although, I’m not sure what kind of jail time one gets for groping a woman’s ass in public. I doubt he’ll get more than some drunk-in-public charges. At least I stuck it to his ass and taught him a lesson about touching women without being welcomed.
I exit Jackson’s vehicle and quickly move to the apartment building entrance, unlocking the main door before waving him off. He doesn’t pull away until my door closes behind me.
The main lobby is nice just like most of the buildings in Steeleville, so I linger and check the mail, but it’s just some past due bills for my aunt, so I tuck them back in the mailbox before running up the flight of stairs to the second-floor apartment. She’s not going to want me to bring them up if she has company with her.
The sound of my aunt’s music playing reminds me that I’m home way too early, so I sit in the hallway. This morning she was busy with her latest lover and demanded I stay away or keep his friend company, who would be on his way soon. I quickly saw myself out, and that’s why I ended up at the bookstore.
My butt’s numb from sitting on the hard surface, and my stomach rumbles, so I check my phone to see I’ve been squatting on the steps for over an hour. “Ugh. Shit.” Why did I agree to come back here? Oh yeah, the incentive of seeing Law easily.
“I need some food,” I grumble, standing and stretching out my legs before tucking my phone into my bag. Still, I go inside because they can’t be fucking all this time. Sliding my key into the lock, I head inside and find them drinking at the kitchen table with a group of people.
“Oh, you’re back early,” she says with a wicked smile on her face, taking me by surprise. She’s clearly stoned which I hadn’t expected. From the few days I’d been here, she’d never been this messed up.
“Yeah. Just came to get some things and I’ll be out of your hair in a minute.”
“No, come take a seat.” My aunt grabs me by the arm and not so gently tugs me to sit by her side. I plop down on the edge of the chair next to her, not so nicely and I’m sure I’ll have a bruise on the side of my ass. “Don’t be rude. Say hi to some of my friends.” She turns to her buddies who have seen some better days. “This is my niece, Vanessa. Isn’t she just gorgeous?”
I haven’t seen so many characters in Steeleville like this since I returned. These people remind me of the shitty side of Dallas where people party too damn hard on the regular and can’t hold down a job. People like my parents; people I want to stay far away from.
One of the men in the corner’s eyeing me with that lecherous fucking look that makes me think trouble’s just minutes away. He swipes his tongue over his lips and I want to vomit.
“Hello,” I answer. “Excuse me. I need to use the restroom.” I have my phone in my bag, so I head to the bathroom, but when I get to the door, it’s locked and I can hear heavy panting.
What the hell? Going into my bedroom, I make a quick call to Mackenzie and see if I can come over there. I can’t stay here because it’s just not safe.
“Hey, girl. I know this is asking a lot, but can I come stay with you for a few days?” We’ve only been working on our relationship via phone calls, texts, and video chats, but we’ve come a long way since I was a bitch to her all those years ago. She learned what made me a cunt, and I’ve learned to be a better person.
“Sure. That’s not a big deal,” she answers without skipping a beat.
“Don’t you have to ask Wrench?” I’m sure her husband might have some concerns.
She scoffs and then giggles. “No. Don’t worry about him. Do you need me to come get you?”
“No, I’ll meet you there. I don’t want anyone showing up at this place,” I grumble out that last part, thinking about the crowd waiting for me just feet away. The apartment is a nice two bedroom, but it suddenly feels as small as a matchbox. My grandparents had a nice small home when my grandfather was working for Mr. Steele’s Demolition company as a project manager.