Dirty Kisses (15 page)

“She ruins everything!” my father calls out, each word its own dagger aimed at my heart. “She’ll ruin you next! Mark my words. You and those inked up arms of yours are done!”

Jet joins me on the elevator, and as soon as the doors entomb us inside, I wrap my arms around him. The tears in my eyes are far more effective in relaying my appreciation than words can ever be. Our mouths come together in a hot, thirsty kiss that wraps up the sentiment in my heart and stitches my soul over his for all of time and eternity.

What Jet and I have is love.

Jet is my family.

I couldn’t have asked for anything more.

A
s soon as
we get back to Hollow Brook, I assure Jet I’m fine and insist he go over to Think Ink. I’m headed down to Jepson myself, but no need to put him on alert.

Tiffany Ikeman sent me a private text, personally inviting me to the Legal Eagle club event this Friday night where there will be “an esteemed member of the legal community to discuss cyberbullying—Dorma Morano herself.” Sounds right up my alley.

Stilettos is quiet as an ironic church mouse in the middle of the afternoon. The entire establishment is free of windows, thus adding to an ever-present murkiness that drapes this place with the oppressiveness of a back alley hovel.

Caila spots me from the stage and gives a quick wink my way. She’s in the middle of one of her dance tutorials, the exact kind of educational encounter that lured me to the dark dancer side, hook, line, and stiletto.

“And take five!” She hops off the stage and pulls me straight into her dressing room. Caila has the largest and only single dressing room at the club. It’s the envy of every girl here, and most likely would be the envy of every five-year-old what with all the pink feathered boas, the sparkly throw pillows, and wall hangings depicting unicorns and rainbows.

“Tell me how things are going.” She retrieves a cold water bottle from the mini fridge and firmly places it in my hand without asking. I need it, though. I’ve drained all my tears on the way over from Jet’s house. It feels as if the golden cord that once bound my parents and me together has finally been severed—with a hatchet by my own mother and father.

“Things are better. I have Jet now.” I nod into this admission as if Jet were truly a panacea for all my worries. He is, but that won’t change the fact I’ve received one too many “final” warnings from the collection agency that’s attempting to snatch back my car. “But what I don’t have is a j-o-b. Got any other hair-brained ideas?”

“Oh, honey.” Her lids lower as if she’s trying to seduce me. “Nothing I conceive ever comes close to hair-brained. I make love to geniuses and give birth to millionaires on a regular basis. If you’re not in either of those leagues, you’re doing it wrong.”

My eyes spring wide, and I fight the urge to both tackle and strangle her with my bare hands.

“For the record, I am doing everything right.” My rage percolates beneath the surface, making my hands, my legs, and my voice tremble all at once. “I danced at this club without bearing it all in an effort to maintain my good girl status at Whitney Briggs, and now I’m the biggest slut to ever roam planet Earth. I chaperoned an old decrepit man, who could no more remember what he had for breakfast than he could breathe his allotted intake of oxygen, and now I’m forever marred as his mistress—his wife and kids all threatening to sue. I worked as a freaking sushi girl, lying there to make an easy buck while forty-year-old men double dared one another to touch my boobs, and, yet, here I am—not a dime to show for it,
any
of it.”

Her eyes bug out. Her perfectly glossed lips remain unmoved as she listens with great intent. “Yes, well”—she gives a nervous glance to the door—“you’ll be the first person I think of if something new comes up.”

“Something new? I’m more interested in something old. Give me what you’ve got. I’ll dance. I’ll dance today. I’ll dance in the
nude
! Upside down, right side up. I’ve lost all the hair from my eyebrows down in the event you’ve forgotten. And God knows, after the way I scalded myself bald, it will never grow back.”

Caila shakes her head nervously as if she’s too afraid to utter another word. If she thinks she’s afraid now, she’ll evaporate once she sees what I’m capable of.

“Daisy Pembrooke?” The sweetest Southern accent to ever exist bleats from the doorway, and everything in me deflates because I know exactly who that is. It’s Cassidy-Conversation-Killer-Clayton. For whatever reason, Caila clams up tight whenever her big sis enters the vicinity, but I’m not too interested in her cute little sibling foible. “Hey, girl!” Her entire face lights up at the sight of me. “My sweet little sis and I were just about to have lunch. Looks like we’ll be having some company.” Cassidy charges at me with open arms, and I stand and accept all of the love my good friend has to offer. “I’m so sorry, hon,” she whispers. “I can’t even imagine what you must be feeling right about now. I wish both you and Scarlett were already living out your legal dreams. I’d pay the both of you to double team that old rat coot.”

I pull back, the knot in my stomach already building before it accurately knows why.

“Hold that thought.” I glance back to Caila. I have a feeling that if I let Caila off the monetary hook for a single moment I’ll have to hoof it back to Briggs and just about everywhere else. “Caila, I’m begging you. Give me a job. I’ll be a sushi girl every day of the week.” I swallow my pride, quite literally. “Please.”

She shakes her head just enough. “I’m afraid I can’t help.” Her voice softens as she takes a step toward me. “Daisy, this club isn’t the place for you. I wish you the best of luck. I’m sure you’ll find something soon. You’re smart and beautiful, a real one-two punch. Go grab the world by the horns. You deserve everything it has to offer.”

“What the hell kind of pep talk is that?” I snap.

“Whoa.” Cassidy pulls me back as if I were itching to deck her sister, and I sort of am. “Caila’s right in everything she said.” Cass glares at her lookalike a moment. “All words I wish she would have uttered
months
ago. Daisy, you never belonged here. There are rules in these kinds of places, and they have nothing to do with you.”

I shake myself free from Cassidy’s grip. “Caila? Are you really going to do this to me? My life hangs in the balance. I’m going to lose everything if I don’t cough up a heck of a lot more money than I’ll ever get working at the student bookstore, or even waiting tables at the Black Bear. I’m not asking for a handout. I’m asking for a few hours of work if you can spare them.” A thought comes to me. “Which reminds me, there was a rather creative endeavor you talked me into for which I was never paid.”

Her eyes expand like silver dollars. “Honey, are you kidding me? Every creative endeavor I’ve offered, you’ve tossed to hell like a Greek salad. Neither of those parties will roll a fat nickel my way ever again.”

“What creative endeavors?” Cassidy looks spooked by the sound of it, and she should be.

“Oh, she’s full of them.” I dig my fists into my hips and lean in hard. “Who knows how many more ‘creative endeavors’ Caila has lurking around the corner of this queen-sized bed she’s squeezed in this room? God knows that makeup bag of hers is like a damn rabbit hole.”

“Wait a country fried minute.” Cassidy has that incredulous look on her face as if she’s just done the Caila Jace math. “Did my sister land you in that mess with the senator? And just what in the heck is a sushi girl, and do I really want to know?”

“Yes and no.” I look right at Caila as I out her. But I’m not interested in hanging around while the sister drama plays out. Instead, I peel out of there so fast Cassidy calls for me to stop, but my feet won’t listen to her charge. I jump into my car and drive straight back to Jet’s house. No sooner do I get inside than I notice my phone is lit up with a thousand messages—all of which sound just as cryptic as the message Cassidy whispered into my ear. One particular text catches my eye, Tiffany Ikeman—
Abort! Abort! Do not, I repeat do not show up at the Legal Eagle rally this Friday night. I beg of you to spare both you and the Eagles the embarrassment.

Embarrassment?

I don’t waste another minute before checking the Internet. I’m just about to google my name when I realize I don’t have to.

“I’m trending,” I whisper in horror. I click over my name and hold my breath. “What kind of hellfire is about to rain down on me now?”

Senator Charles Danberry Admits to Affair with Dirty Dancer Daisy Pembrooke!

Senator Shakes, Pembrooke Doesn’t swallow! Senator admits to having oral relations but maintains he did not have sex with that woman. Danberry claims emissions were not expended.

“What? Holy hell, these are insane lies!” I fall hard into the seat beneath me and read on to my horror.

Senator Suggests Soldiers Were Dispensed—Held Back Fire!

Deep Throat Daisy Strikes Again!

Stripper Really Gets A Head in the World!

Daisy Pembrooke Has a Taste for Powerful Men!

Secret Lover Tended to Senatorial Erections!

No Honorable Discharge Given to Pembrooke! Senator Decries Completion.

Oh my shit.

I am so screwed. I am so very fucked.

I’m about to shoot a text to Jet before I realize I still don’t have his number. How can I sleep with a man on multiple occasions, exchange bodily fluids as if they were Halloween candy, and yet not have his seven digits?

I text Scarlett to get it from Rex, and she messages me back in three seconds flat. It does feel good to have real friends. I punch the number in, and before I start typing, I freeze.

“What?” I stare blankly at the messages I’m shocked to find that we’ve already exchanged.

Jet—
We can talk anytime you want. I’ve got two good ears, and rumor has it I’m a good listener.

Me—
Thanks for nothing, jerkwad! Take your two good ears and shove them up your asshole!

Jet—
If you ever need anyone to talk to, I’m here for you.

Me—
Fuck off, asshole!

It was Jet. He was the one who sent those caring messages, and all I did in return was curse him out like he was some mugger trying to steal my vintage Louis Vuitton collection.

A horrible clanking noise emits from outside, disrupting my thoughts and sends me to the window. God, if it’s a madman with heavy weaponry, I just might welcome him inside at this point. But it’s no madman with high power weaponry. It’s a nice looking boy with a shirt that reads
Al’s Repos
securing lead blocks to each of my tires.

This day just went from bad to bag of shit on fire.

I’m pretty sure my parents will never speak to me again. Tiffany Ikeman has all but issued a restraining order on behalf of the Legal Eagles. I’ve lost all hopes of employment. Lost my car. If this day keeps moving in the proper trajectory, I’ll lose the love of my life.

I take up what few possessions I can squeeze into my backpack and run—quite literally.

O
wen shows
up in the middle of one of my sessions, so I let him observe while I finish up a high-heeled shoe on the foot of a WB coed. She’s spent the last forty minutes trying to drill the irony of having a high heel on her body without ever actually sticking her foot into the “fucked-up contraption.” Her words, not mine. The irony might be as rich as her daddy, but it’s above my head. Not for a minute do I think “high heels are degrading or a modern day torture mechanism that keeps women oppressed by societal ideals”—again, her suggestions, not my own.

“You’re all done, sweetheart. You did good,” I say, wiping her down and gauzing her up.

“Ugh! You’re just another sexist pig! I’m not your
sweetheart
, and you don’t have the right to patronize me like some two-year-old!” She collects her things in a huff and bolts for the door. “And you’re not getting a tip!”

“If you never come back, that’s tip enough!”

Owen shakes his head with that slow smile of his spreading thin. “Keeping the customers happy, I see.”

“That’s why she’ll be back. Prince Charming here has one more shoe to dole out, sweetheart,” I shout that last bit out the door, and a grunt expels from the entry. “What do you want?” I glower at my old friend for a moment. I’m still not over the trauma Daisy’s parents didn’t mind inflicting on her this morning. It makes my stomach churn to think they’ve been poisoning her mind like that for the last twenty years.

“Jet.” Owen bends over and pinches his eyes shut a moment. “Those Internet rags are at it again. It’s not good. You need to find Daisy.”

“What do you mean I need to find Daisy? What did those assholes say this time?”

“It’s pretty bad. The girls are looking for her. Cade and Rex are helping.”

I pull my phone out and shoot her a text. It hasn’t been our best form of communication, but it’s all I have right now.

Call me, please. I’m on my way home. Meet me there if you can.

“What are people saying?” I snatch my keys from the office, head out the door, and Owen follows.

“It’s that senator. He’s saying they’re still together. That she’s visiting the boys down south while paying homage to the head of state.” He ticks his head, silently asking me to fill in the dirty blanks.

“Shit.” I slam Owen against the building without thinking twice.

“Sorry, dude.” He holds his hands up high. “You asked.”

“I’m out of here.” I take off for the house, blowing stop signs, speeding all the way to Hollow Brook. I spot Owen in the rearview mirror and nod in appreciation as soon as we hit the first light. As hard as I was on him, it feels good to know I’ve got him by my side. Owen, Cade, and Rex have been like brothers to me, like family. I’m glad Daisy has her friends, too. She’s going to need all of the support she can to get through this shitstorm.

Owen and I pull up to the house together just as I spot a whole new shitstorm I wasn’t expecting. Lead locks on all four of Daisy’s tires.

“Crap,” I growl at the sight before speeding into the house. “
Daisy
?” I run straight back to her bedroom, only to find the drawers opened and sparse, and the bathroom counter has been wiped clean of all her lotions and potions. “No.” I stumble back into the hall. “She’s gone,” I pant, startled and dazed. “Why the hell would she leave?”

“Dude.” Owen tries to coax me back to the living room.

I stagger for a minute, trying to get my bearings, just as Lucky runs through the door.

“I told you she was trash!” She wraps her arms around me tight, wetting the front of my shirt with her hot tears. It takes a moment for me to pull her loose, hold her by the shoulders so I can get a good look at her. Her face is bloated and patchy, her eyes swollen and angry.

“Don’t say that,” I grit the words through my teeth. My body shakes as I try my hardest not to rattle hers. “Daisy is special. You got that? Do not fuck this up for me. I sacrificed a hell of a lot for you, and I’m just asking for this one thing.”

Lucky gasps as if I just struck her, and my words might have done just that.

“Owen, look under the sofa cushions for the night drop.” I pull back and rake my fingers through my hair so hard I’m shocked I have any hair left. “I didn’t take it to the bank this morning. Tell Scarlett to let Daisy think it’s from someone else. Tell her it’s from Rex. If it’s me Daisy’s running from, she won’t take it.” Every frantic bone in my body demands to bolt out that door screaming for her. The world is way too big and heartless for that beautiful woman to ever be alone. The pain she must be feeling crushes my bones to dust.

“Which cushion?” He tosses all three into the air and doesn’t have a gum wrapper to show for it.

“It’s gone!” Lucky jumps and points as if it were a magic trick that has her excited. “She took it! She’s a little thief!” Lucky gets in my face, her lips downturned in a snarl as if she’s gone rabid. “I told you she was gutter trash! She’s conducted a heist! And now she’s made off with your hard-earned money, and you’ll never see her or it
again
. She was using you this entire time! How does it feel to be taken for a ride?” Lucky takes off, jumps into her truck, and hightails it back to wherever she came from.

“Daisy didn’t take it, did she?” I stagger to the door and watch as the smoke plumes from my sister’s tires, clouding up the road.

Owen slaps a hand over my back. “What do you want to do?”

“I need to find Daisy.”

“And then what?”

“I’m going to do the only thing I know—take care of her.”

A
fter hours of unanswered messages
, hours of scouring all of Hollow Brook, all of Jepson, even heading back to the hospital in Friar’s Corner to see if she went back, I don’t yield a single blonde curl on her head. Instead, I sit in a clearing just past the Witch’s Cauldron and wonder how Daisy Pembrooke disappeared like a ghost. And even though Lucky is certain Daisy conducted a “heist” as she put it, I refuse to believe she took the money and ran—that is until she admitted it.

I stare at the text an unordinary length of time. The first text this girl sends me, and she’s copping to a felony.

Yup, Lucky is right! I took the money, and I’m in Mexico eating lobster and sucking down tequilas. You have heard of my spectacular sucking abilities by now I’m sure.

I probably shouldn’t have told her about my little sister’s wild rant, but my gut said if I poked her a bit with the accusation, that feisty temper of hers might just lure her out of hiding. I didn’t for a minute think Daisy took it. In fact, I’m betting that money trail leads right to my rotten little sister. Gotta love her. She’s doing what she has to in order to stand firm as my number one girl. I get it. But I think it’s time to let Lucky know there’s room for one more in my heart.

A slow smile rides to my lips as I read over the text once again. I love it when a girl falls right into the bear trap I’ve set for her—especially this girl. I’m pretty impressed with the result, considering it’s the first bear trap I’ve laid out for Daisy.

Come home. I’m in love with you.

There, I’m keeping it short and simple. I’m hoping this one truth is enough to keep her sanity afloat until I track her down.

The silence between us is staggering as I wait for any hope of a reply.

My phone buzzes, and I can’t help but smile.
Admit that for one moment you thought I could have taken that money.

I shoot right back.
Not for one second.

It’s true. Owen suggested she might have taken it in an effort to help fund her unexpected foray into hiding, but I knew Daisy wouldn’t so much as borrow a roll of toilet paper without leaving a note behind. And three thousand dollars? Nope. Not for a nanosecond did I think she ripped me off.

I guess you’ve seen the news. I’m the new Washington IT girl. I always knew I’d hit it big one day. I just never imagined it would be because a man old enough to be my great-grandfather would tell such disgusting lies.

My heart tears up in shreds as I let my eyes linger over those searing words. I hate that some old perverted prick has taken Daisy’s future and tried to flush it down the toilet without giving thought to her as a person.

I’m sorry.
Those are the only two words that seem right at the moment. I’d threaten to kill him, but I’d hate to have documented evidence in the event I decide to do it.
Where are you?

Right behind you.

I hop out of the truck, and my eyes fall over the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen. We bolt for one another, and my arms collapse around her, spinning her as I press wild kisses over the top of her. I’ve never been so glad to see anyone. Never been so relieved about anything in my life.

Daisy and I make our way into the bed of the pickup and watch as the sun melts over Hollow Brook. City lights spray out beneath us like a sea of fallen stars. As soon as the lavender haze turns to navy, you can see the real ones, too.

“I’m sorry about all this bullshit that’s surrounding you.”

She curls up on my lap, her pretty face poised to mine like she’s gunning for a kiss. “I’m sorry I’ve surrounded
you
with it.”

“Don’t be.” I press my lips over hers. “I want to be in your world. You’re mine.”

A tiny dimple breaks out in her cheek as she sheds an anemic smile. First one in hours.

“I’m your world?” She wrinkles her nose as if the thought were ridiculous on some level.

“Yes.” I inch back, taking her in. Daisy’s skin glows like a pearl under the light of the third quarter moon. “You’re it.” My arms cinch tight around her. “When my parents died, I vowed to take care of Lucky for the rest of her life. And I’ll be there for her every day that she needs me.” I close my eyes and feel the sting of tears before blinking them away. “There was something about you, Daisy. When we first met at the Black Bear last year—I just had this insane desire to get to know you.”

She gives my ribs a pinch. “You had an insane desire to get to know a lot of girls. And I watched you land them night after night. You’re pretty good at getting to know the girls.”

“You’re funny.” I take a grazing bite of her earlobe. “But that’s not what I meant. You were different. They were just a distraction to keep my mind off you. No offense but I was dead set on not getting involved with anyone beyond a one-night stand. They amounted to a bodily function. You were the one who my heart ached for. I didn’t want it to. I knew if I ever got involved with anyone, it would distract from Lucky, and believe me when I say this. Lucky still needs to be parented.”

“That’s what you’ve been doing.” Daisy lands her cool palm over my cheek and holds it there. “You’ve been a mom and a dad to that girl.”

“That’s what I’ve been doing, but you proved me wrong. I can open my heart to you and still be there for Lucky. Plus, it’s pretty clear it’s going to take the two of us to wrangle her from her wild ways.”

A hearty laugh ripples from her. “That girl might be wild, but you can’t really blame her. Everything is new in her world. New school, new friends. She’s in college. She wants to have fun—and she should. You’ll have to let her expand her wings a bit if she’s ever going to learn how to fly.”

I press my lips to her temple. “I don’t want her to fly. She’ll break a leg or something.” We share a light laugh. “That’s why you’re good for me. I would never let Lucky jump, let alone take a flying leap on her own. And I think I need to. It’s probably time.” A moment thumps by, and I lose myself in Daisy’s diamond bright eyes. “I have a confession to make. When I saw you last year, I wanted desperately to make you mine. When I got to know you, I just wanted to be around you all the time.” I give a slight nod, hoping she knows where this is headed.

Her mouth rounds out. “That’s why you were at Stilettos so darn much!” She swats me. “I bet you were just chomping at the bit to see if I would let the girls loose.”

“I didn’t want you to. Deep down, I knew I wanted those all to myself. I’m more of a private show kind of a guy.” My palms break out into a sweat, and I rub them over my jeans. I never was good at fessing up to anything. “I asked Scarlett why you were doing it, and she mentioned you needed the cash.”

She sucks in a deep breath and presses her hand to my chest. “It was you!” She gives another playful swat. “You’re the big tipper?”

I wince as she says it. “It was my way of taking care of you. Besides, you earned it. You put on a hell of a show.”

“
You
!” She swats me a few more times for good measure before pulling me into a wet kiss. “Thank you—for the tips.” She cocks her head to the side. “I’m vehemently against the idea of being a kept woman. I’ll get another job—one day.” Her chest quivers with her next breath.

“There’s an opening down at Think Ink. It’s yours if you want it.”

“Oh, I can’t stand needles!” Daisy contorts with grief as if I’ve just asked her to perform brain surgery. The position down at the shop hardly qualifies as anything close, but it does require a friendly face and brains, and Daisy has both on lock.

“You don’t have to be around a single needle. I promise. I need someone else up front. I had someone quit a few weeks back, and Honey needs a break.”